Chapter 77 Qinan is not half as good as Fourth Uncle
It was really not easy to do all this in the famine years of ancient times when people were short of food and clothing.
It was time to prepare dinner later, so Lin Shiqi and the others had to stop making tofu.
Prepare dinner for the whole family first, and then continue making tofu after they finish eating.
Very inconvenient.
Lin Shiqi thought to himself that it couldn’t always be like this.
If the orders get bigger and bigger in the future, I’m afraid this kitchen won’t be big enough.
If we add cooking at fixed times and locations, it will be a lot to clean up in the future, and we will have to set up a special tofu shop.
…
The dinner was very sumptuous.
Even the fried bean dregs are added with a lot of oil and salt, which makes it more flavorful than usual.
I stewed a cured pig's trotter, steamed a big bowl of egg custard, and fried bacon. The aroma filled the house before we even started eating.
Usually, Mrs. Zhou keeps a close eye on these foods.
Life at home was much better now, so she had to take it out to eat anyway, so she just happened to use Zhou Dalang's name, and he would come back to cook delicious food for him, which would make Old Man Zhou feel better, and make everyone think that she thought highly of Zhou Dalang and was giving him face, so she took it out.
Anyway, everyone in the family is cunning.
There were delicious foods, and Lin Shiqi and his wife enjoyed the meal happily.
To supplement nutrition.
Who doesn’t like to eat meat!
After living in hard times for too long, you'll start drooling at the smell of meat.
During the meal, Old Man Zhou carefully asked Zhou Dalang about his studies in the school. Zhou Dalang spoke in a pleasant way, and Old Man Zhou liked his eldest grandson more and more.
The family ate and chatted.
Zhou Dalang said, "In school, we often heard about the reputation of our Zhouji tofu and how delicious it was. I ate it today and it was indeed delicious. Fourth Aunt is really capable. She can make such delicious tofu."
There were two bowls of tofu on the table.
A bowl of fried tofu cubes that are golden on both sides with some minced meat in it, it's very fragrant.
One bowl is a cold dish with a thick sauce. The tofu is mixed evenly and coated with the sauce. It is very refreshing and tasty.
This is what Lin Shiqi had done before, and everyone in Lao Zhou's family had learned it.
"Hey, we are just lucky. I tried it and succeeded." Lin Shiqi replied.
As she answered, she secretly became nervous.
If someone else had said it, she wouldn't have thought much about it.
But Zhou Qi said that there must be other meanings.
Don't take it lightly.
Sure enough, Zhou Dalang asked Zhou Lang again, "Fourth Uncle, I heard that you learned the tofu recipe and bean sprout recipe from books?"
Zhou Lang remained calm and ate the steamed eggs elegantly.
"Ah! Yes! I read it in some miscellaneous book."
Zhou Dalang asked in confusion, "Uncle, you've only been in school for a few days. Have you learned all the words in the book?"
Zhou Lang hummed, "You've recognized most of them, right? Our teacher is pretty amazing. Plus, I'm smart and eager to learn, so I read and study every night when I get home."
Lin Shiqi almost laughed out loud.
You're quite good at boasting about yourself.
"Fourth uncle is better than me. It took me a long time to learn all the words." Zhou Dalang said with a smile.
Zhou Lang replied, "That's different. You are young and just starting to learn, so it's normal that your comprehension ability is poor. I am an adult now, so I can naturally get started faster."
"Which book did Fourth Uncle see the recipe in? I have read all the books in our Longquan School, but how come I haven't seen any recipe?" Zhou Dalang was not giving up.
Zhou Lang added, "I saw the bean sprout recipe in Longquan Academy, and the tofu recipe in the county bookstore. You have read all the books in Longquan Academy, but you may not have discovered it. I like to read miscellaneous books and anecdotes. You should prefer the classics and theories about the imperial examinations, so it is possible that you did not discover it."
Zhou Dalang said meaningfully, "I see. There is such a possibility."
Zhou Lang also smiled and said, "Yeah. Fourth uncle didn't go to school before, so he didn't know how great our Qinan was. After he went to school, the teacher praised Qinan for being studious and smart, and said he would achieve great things in the future. Fourth uncle's talent for reading may not be as good as yours, but he is quite satisfied to be able to read some miscellaneous books and strange stories. Our family will wait for Qinan to pass the imperial examination and lead us to live a good life."
Zhou Lang doesn't talk much usually.
Everyone was happy to be able to say such a long list.
Everyone loves to listen to it, especially Mrs. Wang and Old Man Zhou.
Zhou Qinan also responded modestly and politely.
Then, "No, Fourth Uncle is a good reader and can make money from books. Qinan can't compare to Fourth Uncle half as well."
Zhou Lang added, "Then you are studying hard, which is why I am not doing my job properly. By the way, the world is not peaceful right now. A few days ago, a notice was posted in the county saying that the former crown prince had rebelled and his entire family was executed. There is also an orphan of the crown prince who is living outside. A reward was offered..."
Zhou Dalang's expression paused.
His eyebrows twitched.
When Old Man Zhou and the others heard this, they also stopped eating.
They all said, "Ah? The court is in turmoil again? Why is the prince plotting a rebellion? Won't the throne be his sooner or later?"
"Being the emperor's son is not just about wealth and glory! If things go wrong, your life may be in danger..."
"Will it affect the imperial examination? What should we do? In the spring of next year, we in Qinan will take the examination for the scholar."
…
Zhou Lang's eyes always stayed on Zhou Dalang.
Zhou Dalang said, "The former crown prince is not in charge of the Imperial Academy and does not interfere in the imperial examinations. In addition, the turmoil in the capital is far away from us, so it should not have any impact. Don't worry. Also, everyone, please stop talking. We are a poor family. If we discuss state affairs without permission and are reported, we will be thrown into prison."
When everyone heard this, they suddenly stopped talking.
Old man Zhou said, "Qinan is right. We are just ordinary people, so let's not talk about this. Let's eat, eat."
He also picked up several big pieces of meat for Zhou Qinan.
Everyone, return to normal eating.
There was a lot of delicious food in the evening, and everyone ate their fill.
Mrs. Zhou didn't distribute the food. Everyone could eat as much as they wanted, as long as they could eat it.
For the first few meals, one pot of rice was not enough, so the family had to cook two large pots.
I feel much better now. I can eat as much as I can and I don’t feel too full anymore.
There are a lot of bean dregs piled up at home, there is no limit on the amount, you can eat whatever you want.
The Zhou family no longer has to go hungry.
If this is made known to others, it will probably be the first of its kind in Taohua Village.
No one has the same grand way of eating as the Zhou family does.
After dinner, Lin Shiqi first brought food to Xiao Ya Niang. Xiao Ya Niang was rather hostile to outsiders and was unwilling to sit at the table to eat with Lao Zhou's family.
While the table was being cleaned outside, Lin Shiqi and Zhou Lang went back to the house to rest.
"Zhou Lang, it seems that Zhou Dalang heard about the prince's rebellion and the reward for his orphan, and his eyebrows twitched..."
The notice Zhou Lang mentioned just now was deliberately meant to test Zhou Dalang.
Both of them were secretly watching Zhou Qinan's reaction.
Zhou Lang nodded, "I saw it too. He should have been rescued."
Lin Shiqi sighed, "As expected, the main character in the book will always have what belongs to him no matter how others influence him."
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