"How does this preserved egg and lean meat porridge taste? Preserved eggs are a specialty of Yuanzhou, the province known for being the top scholar. The food they spread is incredibly popular, and everyone thinks eating the same food will produce a top scholar..."
Xue Cheng was holding a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat porridge and slurping it.
While speaking, he did not forget to stuff a piece of fried dough stick into his mouth, and bit off most of it in one bite.
Then he pushed the plate in front of him towards Zhang Mingtu.
There was a small dish of pickled vegetables on the plate. It was not the spicy cabbage from the north, but more like the one from Shu.
The radish being soaked is red-skinned and white-bodied, which tastes crisp and refreshing, and is extremely delicious when paired with porridge.
Local radishes are generally used to make dried radishes. The radishes freshly unearthed in winter are washed, cut into long strips as thick as a thumb, and then dried in the sun.
During the drying process, you need to rub it repeatedly to ensure that it dries evenly so that some parts are not too dry and some parts are not too wet.
Add appropriate amount of salt and chili powder to marinate, and don’t let it be too dry, but not too moist. It will be crispy and chewy when eaten.
Usually after drying and seasoning, it is placed in a jar and sealed for storage. When needed, it can be opened and placed in a bowl for direct use. People who are more particular will also add a little sesame oil to it, which can not only enhance the flavor, but also make the dried radish more moist and fragrant.
It is a first-class delicacy whether used as porridge or rice.
Xue Cheng knew this very well. In front of him was a portion of local dried radish with a little sesame oil added. It was fragrant and crispy. He ate it with great pleasure and drank three bowls in a row.
Zhang Mingtu drank his porridge slowly. The porridge now was no longer made of millet, but rice. Zhang Mingtu could tell from the taste that it was the good quality rice that he had planted not long ago.
The taste is softer, sweeter and thicker than the previous rice seeds, and the porridge will be thicker and have a higher starch content.
Looking at the busy waiter, Xue Cheng asked, "They've changed to new rice, why does it taste different from before?"
The waiter shook the towel on his shoulders, sang a "no" loudly, and then responded: "You are a gourmet, you have a very good taste!
The shop had indeed switched to new rice. Wasn't it Yuan Shennong who invented new rice not long ago? The government office had a bumper harvest, and according to their corresponding registered residence, the poorer families were given several loads of rice.
As the owner of my shop, I was also curious about what the good rice developed by Shennong tasted like, so I specially bought a few loads of it. After tasting it, I found that it tasted really good.
So these days I've been collecting good rice from all over the place and improving the recipe."
"Then these people will have nothing to eat with the newly distributed rice."
Zhang Mingtu interrupted and asked.
"Hey, what you said is not very honest! I am a well-known good man in the surrounding area and I would never do such a thing as robbing people by trickery.
Besides, who would dare to steal the rice distributed by the prefect himself?
Alas, we poor country people are used to eating rice bran. We looked at this delicious thing again and again, but just didn’t eat it. We originally hid it and prepared to use it for the years of disaster.
Later, when I heard that they could be sold for money, I basically took them all to the city and sold them to restaurants and shops everywhere.
A bag of new rice can be exchanged for several bags of millet and old rice. Everyone is smiling from ear to ear these days, and every household can eat white rice.
The prefect is kindhearted. If I were to ask you, there are truly several great judges in our jurisdiction. They have changed our lives!"
The waiter was so excited when he talked about this that there was light in his eyes.
Zhang Mingtu felt a little emotional as he listened. What he and Ruihai had done had truly changed the lives and destinies of many people.
This was what he thought in his mind, but Zhang Mingtu was not merciful.
"You're saying this, praising it so highly. Did you get any benefits? In previous years, several bigwigs have received the Wanmin Umbrella, and you haven't praised them at all!"
"Hey, of course we got the benefits! My parents also work in the fields, and they were given two loads of grain a while ago. They sold it to the shopkeeper, leaving him with a lot of grain. At least we can have a good New Year this year. This is a real benefit, and we have to praise it!"
The waiter only talked about the present and not the past. Zhang Mingtu felt that it was worth boasting about just this emotional intelligence and eloquence.
Before he could ask more questions, a new customer came to greet him. The waiter responded loudly, and with quick hands and feet, he jumped over in three or two steps.
He was in high spirits and smiling from beginning to end.
Xue Cheng watched Zhang Mingtu's expression and added quietly, "The grain produced by the experimental fields ahead and the official fields promoted later is enough to pay the grain tax for this summer harvest. The excess grain can be handled by ourselves.
According to the method he had previously determined, Prefect Rui distributed the surplus grain on a large scale, all of which were distributed to the fifth and sixth class households. They had been under great tax pressure in previous years, and now not only did they not have to pay taxes but they could also get large amounts of grain, so they must have been very satisfied.
Don't worry, this was jointly issued by the Six Gates and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with the prefect as a guarantor and angels patrolling, no one dares to tamper with it.
Improved seeds are truly a blessing for all people. Let me say, if this continues, everyone will be able to live a good life after the Great Summer."
Xue Cheng flattered him subtly, but he really thought so in his heart.
This is also the reason why he is willing to follow Zhang Mingtu firmly. This person really treats people as human beings.
No matter what, even if such a conscientious person does not achieve real success in the future, walking with him for a while will still make people feel moved, and at least it will be worthwhile to live this life.
Zhang Mingtu didn't ask any more questions and seemed to have really returned to his normal life.
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