108 Longan Osmanthus Wine
Don't you want to pull Song Jinyi down and take charge of the restaurant yourself? "
Zhang Yao walked aimlessly on Zhuque Street with her hands behind her back. She casually kicked away a half-broken brick under her feet. The depression in her heart was like a poisonous snake that tightly wrapped around her, making it difficult for her to breathe.
As she passed by Zhaixing Tower, she smelled the various aromas wafting from the restaurant. She hesitated for a moment, and just as she was about to leave, she heard the diners at the tables by the window chatting, "This chicken marrow bamboo shoots taste really good!"
"This honey-roasted pork is also good. I heard that the chef here used to be from Juxing Tower."
This one said, "Juxinglou? It's no longer what it used to be. Although they sell snacks now, and they taste pretty good, they can't compare to these traditional dishes. They're all low-class food..."
Another person said, "I heard that the current chef is the daughter of the owner of Juxinglou. She learned cooking from the owner since she was a child. I heard that her cooking skills are even better than some master chefs. Now she's making simple meals. It's really a waste of her talent..."
Zhang Yao stood there for a long time until the waiter who was greeting customers at the door noticed her and came over to ask, "Madam, you have been looking at me for a long time. Would you like to try our latest roasted quail with bamboo shoots?"
It tastes delicious, fresh and not greasy. I guarantee my wife will love it. In another hour, there will be opera performances on the round stage on the first floor. It will be lively..."
Zhang Yao avoided him and turned away without saying a word.
Her steps were quick and hurried, completely different from the leisurely crowd. She was extremely confused at the moment.
She stroked the calluses on her hands. She had been learning cooking from her father since she was a child. Now she followed her master to make snacks. At first she felt it was new, but later she gradually found it boring.
Especially when someone with no experience like Cui Xiuxiu could make snacks, the disappointment in her heart became more and more obvious. She felt sorry that her cooking skills were useless in Juxing Tower.
All her efforts over the years seemed to have become a joke, but her reason told her that her master's choice was right and he saved the Juxing Tower which was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Everyone was happy, except her... She was the only one who was not that happy.
She suddenly stopped and looked at the messy crowd, not knowing where to go. She looked up at the sky, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
Before she knew it, she arrived at the outer city. As she walked with her head down, she almost bumped into a vendor holding a candied haws stick. She came to her senses, apologized repeatedly, and bought another string of candied haws.
She bit the candied haws, feeling bland.
Suddenly, she smelled a familiar scent - the smell of hot and sour noodles!
She stared in disbelief. How could it be? She followed the scent and saw a small stall on the corner of the street surrounded by people.
She frowned and said nothing, then leaned over.
The stall owner scooped out enough noodles for a bowl with a slotted spoon, then expertly added salt, garlic juice, and chili peppers with a small spoon. After handing out a bowl, he called out to attract customers, "Hot and sour noodles, delicious hot and sour noodles, only twenty cents..."
Zhang Yao saw this scene. The stall owner was Qian Mu, who left without saying goodbye a few days ago. She snorted coldly. She didn't expect that this guy would secretly imitate his master's dishes and do business in the outer city.
She was already in a bad mood, and now she saw this mean-spirited person doing this, she was furious. She immediately pushed through the people gathered outside, paid twenty coins on the stall, and said to Qian Mu, "I want a bowl!"
"..." As soon as Qian Mu saw Zhang Yao, his expression immediately turned ugly. He pushed the copper coin back and said awkwardly, "Junior sister, you should go back."
Zhang Yao frowned when she heard the word "junior sister" and demanded, "Why? I'm a guest, are you treating me any differently?"
Qian Mu couldn't say anything, so he could only bite the bullet and make her a bowl.
She looked at the hot and sour noodles brought by Qian Mu, and after a closer look, she found that they were indeed almost the same as those in Juxing Tower. She took a bite - when did this guy peek at the master's secret recipe!
Not only the appearance, but also the taste is almost the same. But on second thought, she had seen the master's recipe. Although some spices were crushed and mixed together, it might be difficult for an inexperienced layman to find out what ingredients are in it and how much to use.
But for a professional chef, as long as he tries it a few times, he can guess about 70% of it. Not to mention that Qian Mu has worked in Juxinglou for quite a long time, so it is not difficult for him to find out the ingredients.
With a "bang", Zhang Yao slammed her chopsticks onto the porcelain bowl and said to Qian Mu with a forced smile, "It's really disgusting. You've been with Master for quite some time, and you've learned to be like this. You're really imitating someone else."
"I know I can't match Shopkeeper Song's craftsmanship, so I'm willing to lower the price by five cents. I hope Junior Sister will be lenient with me."
"If I were a diner, I would rather pay five cents more and eat the authentic and delicious food instead of your pirated and unpalatable one."
Zhang Yao originally thought she was the authentic one and in the right, but she didn't expect the others' reactions to be beyond her expectations. "Madam, if you don't want to eat, please leave early. We still need to eat."
Zhang Yao was puzzled. "The hot and sour noodles in our Juxinglou are the authentic ones, and they taste better. Why don't you go to Juxinglou to eat them?"
"Why don't you eat some meat porridge, lady? If your place is five cents cheaper, we can consider going there."
"you……"
This hot and sour noodle belongs to the master, but Qian Mu doesn’t care, so why would anyone else care?
Facing such a group, Zhang Yao felt that no matter how reasonable she was, she became unreasonable. She glared at Qian Mu fiercely, and it seemed that she had hit a hard nail.
She snorted and walked away with long strides.
"Junior sister, wait a minute!"
Zhang Yao thought it was Qian Mu calling her, so she turned around impatiently to see what he was up to, but when she turned around, she found that the person was actually Huang Yan.
"Junior sister, you are very angry today, but no matter what, you shouldn't take your anger out on others."
Zhang Yao sneered and said unhappily, "Who are you to be such a good person?"
"Junior sister, you have great cooking skills but nowhere to use them. You must be very sad, right?" Huang Yan pointed out the problem.
Zhang Yao frowned, didn't respond, and stared at Huang Yan with narrowed eyes.
Seeing that she didn't argue, Huang Yan took a few steps closer and said in a low voice, "The Juxing Restaurant was originally our master's property, but now it's being managed by an outsider. Isn't that hateful? Don't you want to pull Song Jinyi down and run the restaurant yourself?"
…
Huang Yan looked at Zhang Yao's almost fleeing figure, and a fierce smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
******
Two graceful figures walked through the crowded crowd. On both sides of the street were bustling shops and stores. Li He looked here and there from time to time. She held Song Jinyi's arm and jumped up and down like a restless little squirrel from time to time.
It's no wonder that she is so excited. Since she came to Shengjing, she was unfamiliar with the place and didn't dare to wander around alone. Besides, Song Jinyi was busy as a Torah before, so how could he have time to accompany her?
As a result, although Li He had been in Shengjing City for more than a month, he had not had a good time.
Now that Song Jinyi has hired Cui Xiuxiu and others and distributed all the work she had, she finally has some free time.
Today was her first time to visit the most prosperous street market in Shengjing - Qiaozhou Street Market.
Taking Zhou Bridge as the boundary, the west side is mostly brothels, which are open all day and all night with singing and dancing... The east side is mostly restaurants, bun shops, drink shops, tea shops, and all kinds of shops, with everything you can think of.
Li He was dazzled by what he saw as he walked along, but Song Jinyi was not interested in any of it. She just kept walking straight without even stopping.
Until I saw an old woman sitting cross-legged on a piece of coarse cloth that had been washed so many times that it had turned white, with two large baskets of longans on it.
Song Jinyi smoothed her skirt and squatted in front of the old woman. "Grandma, how much are these longans?"
Seeing that Song Jinyi was interested, the old woman hurriedly handed over two larger longans and asked them to taste them.
Song Jinyi did not take the result immediately, but asked the price first. After hearing the suitable price, she nodded slightly and signaled Li He to take one as well.
She peeled the shell, revealing the jade-like flesh beneath the cicada-wing-thin brown skin. She swallowed it in one gulp, the honey moistening her tongue while the crisp fruit aroma lingered on her tongue for a long time.
The old woman smiled and said, "I just picked them this morning. They are very fresh!"
Li He also tasted one and was amazed by the freshness of the longan. The overflowing honey stuck to her fair and slender wrist and solidified into an amber-colored piece in an instant, which was enough to show the sweetness of the flesh.
She said to Song Jinyi, "Sister Jinyi, this longan tastes really good. Can you buy some more?"
Song Jinyi used her fingers to dig around in the two large bamboo baskets, making sure there was no difference between the bottom and the top, and said readily, "I want them all."
Li He opened her eyes wide and looked at Song Jinyi. She wondered if she had heard it wrong. She whispered, "It doesn't take that much, does it?"
Song Jinyi patted his head, then smiled and explained to her surprised look: "What are you thinking? Who said that all of it will be eaten by you? This is to be used to make wine.
"The first batch of yellow tangerine wine has been brewed, and it's time to prepare the second batch."
The old woman selling longan seemed to be stunned by Song Jinyi's "lavish spending" style. She was stunned for a while before responding hurriedly.
Because the two baskets of longan weighed more than 30 kilograms in total, Song Jinyi and Li He could not take the items back, so they paid a deposit first and asked someone to pick them up later.
It was the afternoon, and it was still early.
Song Jinyi asked about the place where flowers were sold and went straight there.
After walking for about half a minute, we passed a large withered willow tree and saw many vendors selling flowers with bamboo baskets behind them. They held the baskets with one hand and talked to customers with the other.
Song Jinyi was looking around for a place selling dried osmanthus flowers when she felt the hand wrapped around her arm suddenly loosen.
Li He didn't know what he saw, and ran to a donkey cart like a flash.
The frame of the car was filled with potted flowers. The clusters of flowers of various colors were larger than the palm of your hand. You could tell at a glance that they were not ordinary flowers.
She walked over and stood beside Li He, following Li He's gaze. There was a pot of sandalwood wintersweet.
Li He stared at it for a long time and asked about the price.
"My lady, you have good taste. My family is the only one in Shengjing that has this kind of sandalwood plum. The flowers are densely packed and the fragrance is rich. The jade core and the sandalwood heart are both unique... Since you have a connection with this flower, I will give you thirty taels."
Song Jinyi was a rough man who knew nothing about flowers and plants. He usually only bought some dried osmanthus flowers and roses that could be used as seasonings, and each pound cost only a few dozen coins.
Now when I heard that such a pot of flowers cost thirty cents, I couldn't help but gasp.
Li He was also shocked by the price. He smacked his lips and exclaimed that it was so expensive. He was not reluctant to leave at all and left with Song Jinyi without looking back.
As Li He walked, he muttered, "This profiteer is just bullying us outsiders. How can this flower be worth this price? I've seen this flower at Yu Dongqing's place before."
"He just threw it there at the door. It doesn't look worth much. How dare that vendor ask for thirty taels? How shameless!"
Not long after they walked, they met another vendor selling winter plums. Li He approached and asked the price, but the price was even higher than the previous one, at thirty-two taels. Li He blurted out, "Swindler!"
The man was not to be outdone and said bluntly, "My flowers are pure in color and fragrance, and are extremely difficult to cultivate. This price is already very cheap. Besides, a sale is based on mutual consent. If my lady doesn't have the money to buy it, then that's fine, but how dare you slander me?"
Song Jinyi was afraid that the two would quarrel, so she pulled him back and said, "Why are you suddenly concerned about this? I see that you are not very interested in these things normally."
Li He stuck out her tongue and said, "It's not that I like it that much. I just saw it and thought I'd ask casually." After saying that, she counted on her fingers and was silent for a moment, muttering, "If I had known this flower was so expensive, I would have dug it up for him when I left..."
Song Jinyi smiled helplessly. Although Li He had recovered from dementia, he still had a childish nature.
After buying dried osmanthus flowers, they returned the same way and asked Chen Ming and others to get longan.
Had dinner once.
The two of them took the ingredients they bought today to the kitchen backyard.
There was a large pottery basin in front of each of Song Jinyi and Li He. Song Jinyi pressed along the seams of the fruit shell, and the flesh fell into the pottery basin like a pearl in a clam. Li He took out the longan flesh, picked out the core with a copper tool, and put it into the basin in front of him.
The two of them had great tacit understanding and they had collected all the longans in just half an hour.
Li He returned to the kitchen and took out the glutinous rice that had been cooked for a long time and spread it on a wooden board. The cold wind of the winter night blew away the cloud-like heat. In just a moment, the glutinous rice that had just come out of the pot became warm.
Song Jinyi poured the official koji cake powder evenly. This koji could only be sold to the government and could not be made at will, so the price was fixed, one piece of official koji cake cost two taels.
Song Jinyi was reluctant to waste anything, so she used a small brush to sweep out the little bit of food left on the edge of the mortar.
She brought out two celadon jars that could hold ten kilograms of wine, covered the bottom of the jars with green bamboo leaves, and then added glutinous rice wine yeast, longan meat, and finally a thick layer of dried osmanthus flowers.
Then seal the mouth of the jar with clean gauze and thick oil paper, tie it tightly with a rope, and place it in the cellar.
Li He had been working for half a day and was already sweating, with her back sticky. When she entered the cellar, a gust of cold wind made her shiver immediately.
Song Jinyi was afraid that she would catch a cold, so she quickly asked her to put down the porcelain jar and go out, while she watched her clean up.
Li He tightened his collar and climbed up the ladder to go out, waiting for Song Jinyi outside the cellar. After waiting for a long time, he finally saw Song Jinyi come out.
She stared at the wine jar in Song Jinyi's hand and asked hesitantly, "Sister Jinyi, what is this?"
"I made some yellow tangerine wine last time, and since it's almost time, I thought it would be a good idea to treat myself. You've been sweating, so drinking some wine will help you get rid of the cold and is good for your health."
The two returned to the kitchen and simply warmed two glasses of wine. Li He had never drunk alcohol before, and the smell was not as pungent as ordinary grain wine, but he still took small sips.
Song Jinyi drank half a cup generously and suddenly asked Li He about Huo Changqing.
Li He smacked his lips and replied nonchalantly, "Not bad, I'm recovering well."
Upon hearing this, Song Jinyi took a sip of wine and asked jokingly, "Then why do you still go to him every day? Is there something else going on?"
Although Li He drank a few sips of sake, the alcohol content was low and her mind was still clear. She immediately understood the deep meaning behind Song Jinyi's words. She angrily slapped Song Jinyi twice and said fiercely: "That's just to earn some pocket money."
Song Jinyi said innocently, "You say that as if I've treated you unfairly. This winter coat of yours cost three taels of silver, and your monthly allowance is deducted from my monthly salary..."
This well-reasoned rebuttal left Li He speechless. With a red face, she drank the yellow tangerine wine in silence. Finally, she licked her lips, feeling a little unsatisfied.
She stood up, a little shakily, the alcohol numbing her senses, but she actually liked the feeling of walking on cotton.
My whole body feels so relaxed.
Just as she was feeling this light and airy state again and again, she heard Song Jinyi's voice: "In two days, I will go to Huo Changqing with you. I have something to discuss with him."
Li He blinked slowly and asked slowly, "What's the matter?"
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