Chapter 185: Going up the mountain to worship
Roasting a whole pig in a ground oven is much more difficult than roasting pork belly in an oven.
Even an experienced chef like Yue Ning is busy looking after three pigs.
If the oven temperature is too high, the pig skin will easily be burnt on the outside and not cooked on the inside. The skin will be roasted black, but the fat under the skin will not melt, and the meat will not be cooked through. If the oven temperature is too low, the fat will turn into oil and water and melt completely, but the skin will not bubble up and the meat will taste stiff.
If the furnace temperature is low, you need to add more firewood. If the furnace temperature is high, you need to open the lid to dissipate heat. If the firewood is too strong, pour a spoonful of water to cool it down. Roasted pigs are not roasted directly by firewood underground, but rely on the heat transmitted by bricks and tiles on the furnace wall to achieve the effect of crackling skin and cooking.
Hearing the sizzling sound in the oven and the skin of the pig starting to crackle, Yue Ning quickly turned the pig over to allow both sides to be heated evenly. After the skin of the pig was completely cracked, the whole backyard was filled with the aroma of roasted pig.
Yue Ning added another spoonful of water, lowered the oven temperature, then covered the lid and used a temperature of about 200 degrees to allow the fat in the fat to further moisten the lean meat. This way, the lean meat would not be dry.
When the black pottery tile cover was lifted again, the already rich fragrance became even stronger, as if it was about to envelop the entire street.
Yue Ning and Ah Fa lifted all three pigs out and hung them on the rack. Just like steaks need to be rested, the roasted pigs also need to be left alone for a quarter of an hour to allow the juice to penetrate into the muscle fibers again, so that the taste will be more tender and juicy. Of course, there is another reason for doing this now. Yue Ning wants to let some of the fat drip off to prevent it from dripping all over the road later.
This was really terrible. It was about half past six. The fragrance drifted across the narrow river and penetrated the not-so-sealed wooden windows, causing people to drool after a night of sleep with empty stomachs. People on the other side of the river came out one after another, looked around, and finally found that the fragrance came from the backyard of Fuyun Building.
"Roasted golden pig." An old man said, sniffing the air.
"What?"
"Before liberation, at the end of the year, Fuyunlou would have its floor stoves burning from morning till night. When the clans worshipped their gods and ancestors, they would definitely go to Fuyunlou to order a golden pig. You have never tasted the floor stove roasted pig at Fuyunlou..."
"Even if you haven't eaten roasted pork, have you eaten their roasted meat? Sometimes the skin is so hard that it can knock your teeth off."
"It tastes better recently. They say they've partnered with a restaurant in Hong Kong City."
"Since when will our restaurants in Yuecheng rely on Hongcheng to lead them?"
"It smells so good. Does Fuyunlou sell this roasted pig? I want to try it."
"One pig is almost your annual salary."
“…”
Gradually, the aroma began to dissipate and the crowd dispersed with it.
Three roasted pigs, like three Pixiu, were lying on a big red plate, with red paper covering their bodies. In addition to worshipping the mother and son of the Yue family today, the grandparents and grandchildren of the Yue family also agreed with the Luo family to worship Grandpa Luo. The kitchen of Fuyun Building was almost entirely staffed by Luo Changfa's disciples, and they were all here now.
Qiao Junxian looked at the truck and the van outside, and then he realized how big the scene was today. After ten years in the mainland, some folk customs have not yet been restored. The grandparents and grandchildren purchased incense, candles, and paper gifts in the port city, borrowed the import and export company's car, and sent them back in advance.
Yue Ning proudly talked about her preparation process, and Qiao Junxian said hesitantly: "I thought you were not superstitious."
"Mr. Lu Xun once said: 'The superstition of Guangdong people is serious and courageous.'" Yue Ning responded proudly.
When she mentioned this, Qiao Junxian reviewed the article in his mind and asked, "Isn't the article criticizing and satirizing the superstition of the Cantonese people?"
Yue Ningke disagreed: "It also said that you Jiangsu and Zhejiang people are superstitious, saying that you: 'Superstition is still superstition, but it has made you look like a petty family, lifeless and dying.'"
Qiao Junxian wanted to refute, but Mr. Lu Xun did write so.
Yue Ning had already pulled him into the van: "Work seriously, live seriously, it only happens a few times a year, so what's wrong with being superstitious once?"
Her "serious superstition" has exhausted Luo Changfa's disciples.
The cemetery was on a mountain and the car couldn't drive up. There were three roasted pigs on the car, each weighing more than 200 pounds, which looked daunting.
When Qiao Junxian saw this, he felt that if he, Yue Zhirong's future son-in-law, didn't step forward now, when would he? Qiao Junxian stood next to a roasted pig and asked, "Who will help me carry it?"
Yue Ning was seen carrying a large backpack with banana leaves as padding. She came over, picked up a pig, put it upright in the backpack, squatted down, put the large backpack on her back, and said, "Qiao Junxian, you take care of the pig. I'm used to walking on mountain roads. I'll carry it up."
Qiao Junxian watched her carrying the pig up the mountain, thinking, do I really need her to take care of me like this? Qiao Junxian was not happy, and he said to Yue Baohua: "Grandpa, you take care of the things, Ah Fa and I will carry the pig."
Ah Fa said foolishly, "No need, let her carry them. In the past, the sheep refused to return to the pen, so she carried them all back."
"Come with me and carry it." Qiao Junxian pulled Ah Fa to carry the roasted pig together.
Ah Fa regretted talking too much and resigned himself to carrying the roasted pig with Qiao Junxian.
With three pigs and so many tributes, Yue Ning seriously interpreted what Mr. Lu Xun said, "superstition is serious."
She kowtowed in front of all three graves, then squatted in front of her father's grave to burn paper. She had been doing this for more than half an hour, and there were two large boxes of gold ingots waiting to be burned behind her.
While burning, she chatted with her father, starting from when she arrived in Gangcheng, how Dong Xiaomei, also known as Yu Wanmei, died, how she brought the brother of the Lu family under her wing, and even told him about Agen and Ge Yueqin.
Seeing that she had few gold ingots left, Qiao Junxian gave her some more. She seemed to have thought of something and took out a stack of papers from her bag: "Dad, these are the recipes I adjusted after practice. Let me tell you, this Kunlun Baofu, the method of making the skin of the dragon grouper..."
Qiao Junxian couldn't help but remind him: "Ningning."
Yue Ning looked up at him. In fact, she wanted to tell him. She had been thinking along the way that she would bring him here to show him to her father so that he would feel at ease. But when it came time to tell him, she didn't dare to speak.
Uncle Mo said that it is not too early to find a partner because if you are young and immature, you will regret it too late if you make a hasty decision. He also advised her father to make sure she studied hard and finish college first.
Although taking the college entrance examination was unthinkable at that time, Uncle Mo was full of confidence, believing that the country was so short of talent that the college entrance examination would definitely be restored.
My father's marriage was already unhappy, so he felt deeply about this. In addition, he always felt that Uncle Mo was a man of great knowledge, and that what he said must be right, so he naturally agreed completely.
In addition, my father had too many things to let go of before he left, especially in the northwest, where girls were engaged at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and had children at the age of seventeen or eighteen. He was afraid that she would marry early under the heavy pressure of life and waste her life.
Now, I have found a partner early on, and the partner is very good, but I still didn't listen to my father. Now that I have decided to tell my father, I'll tell him.
Yue Ning said: "Dad, let me tell you..."
At this time, Afa came over and said, "Ningning, Uncle Zhirong has so much money, can he spend it all?" Afa and Yue Ning burned paper together.
"If we have money, my dad can open a restaurant."
Feudal and superstitious activities are not allowed in recent years, and prices have not yet increased. She spent so much on her father and grandmother, so it should be enough for her father to open a restaurant, right?
Yue Ning went on to say: "Dad, when you open a restaurant, you must have an open mind. Let me tell you, didn't my grandfather have a Baohua Restaurant? Based on the Baohua Restaurant, I made a three-line layout of high, medium and low..."
Yue Ning talked about her business plan in a rambling manner.
Qiao Junxian really wanted to kick Ah Fa away. Why did this kid come here to join in the fun? Seeing that the gold ingots in the box were getting less and less, the gold ingots from grandma's and old man Luo's were all burned.
Yue Ning turned around and took a look. There was still half a box of gold ingots left. It was already past eight o'clock and everyone had to go back for lunch.
"Dad, I'm telling you, I've found a date. It's Junxian! He accompanied Grandpa to the northwest to find me. He's Grandpa's good friend, Grandpa Qiao's grandson, and Uncle Mo's nephew. Grandpa Qiao is..."
Qiao Junxian listened to her introduce his grandfather, then his father, and then his uncle-in-law, Mo Weiwen, but she didn't mention him.
Yue Baohua smiled, poured all the gold ingots in the box into the fire, and said, "Zhirong! I have watched Junxian grow up since he was a child. The Qiao family has good family education. Junxian has good character, is smart, and is good at studying. I support the two children's love. In addition, the children have agreed that the engagement and marriage will wait until Ningning graduates from university. Don't worry!"
Qiao Junxian looked at Yue Baohua, and Yue Baohua looked at him lovingly.
After the ingots were burned, Yue Ning said to her father: "Dad, spend the money. I will burn more for you during the Qingming Festival."
"Zhirong, Ningning is very capable. At such a young age, he is already the best chef in Hong Kong!" Zhang Lifen walked over.
Today, they also paid tribute to the old couple of the Luo family. For Yue Ning, no matter why his grandfather went to Hong Kong, Grandpa Luo was devoted to his father, so Yue Ning naturally respected the old couple of the Luo family. When paying tribute to Grandpa Luo, his son and daughter-in-law were naturally indispensable, so Luo Shichang and Zhang Lifen, as well as their youngest son Luo Jiaqiang, came together.
"Not really, it's just the kindness of the diners in Hong Kong City." Yue Ning responded calmly, turned around and said to everyone, "Please check carefully, is the fire out?"
Everyone was checking the fire. Zhang Lifen moved closer to Yue Ning and said, "Ningning, Guoqiang was so happy when he came back last time. He said that you taught him skills sincerely. Your Grandpa Luo treats your father like his own son..."
"Grandpa Luo and my grandfather, both of them were good-hearted and taught their apprentices sincerely. This is the fine tradition of the Fuyunlou lineage. However, when it came to Uncle Luo's generation, my father was willing to teach, but he was sent to the northwest and died. What about Uncle Luo? Do you think if Grandpa Luo were still alive and saw Uncle Luo teaching his apprentices like this, he would be happy? I believe Grandpa Luo hopes that all his apprentices can learn skills." Yue Ning looked at the team of apprentices, then at Luo Jiaqiang, "I said in front of Grandpa Luo's grave that all the chefs in Fuyunlou have equal opportunities and should compete for the opportunity to go to Gangcheng based on their own abilities."
Zhang Lifen saw that Yue Ning had made such a big show of worship, and thought that she believed in ghosts and gods, so she wanted to tell Yue Ning in front of her father-in-law's grave to let her youngest son go to Hong Kong as well. But she didn't expect Yue Ning to reject her in public in front of her father-in-law's grave.
"I believe in ghosts and gods, but I believe even more that if I am upright I am not afraid of my own shadow."
Yue Ning was worried, so she walked around everywhere to make sure that all the fires were out. She carried a roasted pig on her back, and the others took the roasted pig and the food for the sacrifice down the mountain.
Back at Fuyunlou, Yue Ning cut a large piece of roast pork. They were going to take the train back to Pengcheng in the afternoon. The roast pork roasted in the floor oven was delicious. This piece was for Uncle Agen and the others.
As for the remaining ones, it was almost the New Year, and meat was supplied by tickets in those days. Even if the cook could only eat his own food, his family would rarely have meat. So sharing them with everyone could be considered as a New Year's gift for everyone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com