121 Nine-knot Three-strand Pagoda
◎Excellent advertising platform◎
On the day of Master Yue's 70th birthday, the entire long street where his mansion was located was already blocked by all kinds of luxurious carriages and sedan chairs.
The red wheels, carved saddles and jade reins, and the servants like clouds made the wide streets seem extremely narrow.
In front of the mansion gate, there were many nobles, dressed in silk and satin, with jingling jewelry, greeting each other with bows and laughter, and then they filed in under the attentive guidance of the stewards.
As the auspicious time approached, the guests were led to the back garden.
A winding, clear stream, drawn from the lake, cleverly runs through the spacious banquet area. The bottom of the stream is paved with polished pebbles, and the walls are dotted with emerald moss and delicate calamus.
Upstream, there are servants who are responsible for adding water to ensure the continuous flow of water; at the end of the downstream, there is a return trough, and another servant is waiting to quietly remove the exquisite small wooden plates containing the leftovers that float back.
The guests' seats were set up on both sides of the "stream", with low tables and brocade cushions, arranged along the water.
For the host and guests, a viewing pavilion was built in the center of the banquet hall, with a lotus lake beside it.
At this time, the lotus pond is covered with green leaves, the little lotus leaves have just shown their pointed tips, and the pink and white buds are shyly hidden among the green leaves, and have not yet bloomed.
Someone sighed softly, "What a shame! If the pond were full of blooming lotus flowers, wouldn't it be even more elegant and charming, complementing the flowing wine cups? The lotus pond lacks some color today."
As soon as he finished speaking, a neatly dressed servant was seen at the upstream water tank gently placing palm-sized, lotus-leaf-shaped emerald green porcelain plates into the water.
What was placed on the plate was not an ordinary dish, but bowls of clear soup with a slightly pink color.
What is even more amazing is that there are several "little lotus flowers" carefully carved from unknown ingredients floating in the soup, and a cute "lotus pod" is held in the center of the flower.
The lotus flower is pure white with a hint of pink, the lotus pod is a lifelike emerald green, and the lotus seeds are plump and round, lifelike. The soup floats slowly down the stream, like a pool of real lotus flowers and lotus pods swaying gracefully in the clear stream, exuding a delicate fragrance.
"Interesting." The person who had just sighed suddenly brightened up, pointing at the "Lotus and Lotus Pod Soup" floating closer, and couldn't help but applaud, "I haven't even seen the lotus in the pond, but the lotus on the plate has arrived!"
Even the host, who was used to grand occasions, was impressed by this ingenuity. He smiled and asked the Yue Mansion's steward standing beside him who had made this and asked him to bring it up for him to see.
Soon, Song Jinyi was led to the front of the pavilion and bowed respectfully.
The steps and entrance of the pavilion were filled with maids serving. Song Jinyi was unable to go in, so she could only bow from the side entrance.
She couldn't see the people inside, but she heard someone asking about the lotus flower and lotus seed soup.
"Your Excellency, yesterday I went with the housekeeper into the garden to discuss the details of the dishes. When we reached the lotus pond, we saw the lotus buds, all covered with emerald green leaves, ready to bloom. I felt the scene was truly beautiful, but I felt a little disappointed that the flowers still needed time to bloom.
"At that time, I thought, since the weather wasn't right, why not use my culinary skills to make up for it? Let all the distinguished guests enjoy this beautiful scenery and delicious food during the banquet. So I worked all night to shape the lotus with minced chicken and fish, and the lotus pod with green beans. I used clear chicken broth as the base, and added a slightly sour flavor to relieve the greasiness. Finally, this soup was created."
"Great! What a great idea! 'Using culinary skills to mend the sky'! Such a clever idea, quite to my liking! Madam Song, you are so thoughtful!"
As they were talking, someone exclaimed, "What is this?"
Looking closely, I saw the next dish, surrounded by white mist and the fairy fruit looming.
The day before yesterday, Song Jinyi pondered over the peaches commonly used for birthday celebrations. Using pastry? Too common. Using cream? Also ordinary. Finally, she thought of a cooking method from her past life: molecular cuisine.
Not to mention the taste, it's definitely enough to show off.
The peaches in molecular cuisine are made by adding a small amount of agar to fruit puree and dripping calcium water to form crystal clear, round and plump "fairy fruit" balls.
In order to make it look more fairy-like, she put saltpeter under the plate to produce wisps of white mist, and added some mysterious words to it. This dish was named "Fairy Fruit of Yaochi to Celebrate Longevity".
Yaochi peaches, heavenly peaches, underground longevity fruit, extraordinary to see, immortal to eat...
The following few dishes are all ingenious...
After the cold dishes were removed, small and exquisite white jade cups were placed in the clear water and slowly floated towards the guests downstream.
What is in the cup is not the common white wine or yellow wine, but a kind of nectar that is as gorgeous as a ruby and has a faint purple hue.
"Huh? The color of this wine... is so strange!" A scholar sitting by the canal was the first to notice it and came closer curiously.
"Shh... this fragrance!" A scholar nearby exclaimed, his face intoxicated. "Elegant and rich, with the sweet aroma of flowers and fruits, yet not at all cloying! Neither orchid nor musk, what kind of wine is this?"
The wine glass drifted along the water and slowly stopped in front of a middle-aged official. He followed the etiquette, took the glass with a smile, first observing its color, then smelling its fragrance, and finally taking a sip.
The wine is smooth in the mouth, with a crisp fruity sweetness at first, followed by a subtle acidity, and finally a hint of mellow wine lingering on the back of the tongue. It has distinct layers and a long aftertaste, which is completely different from the spirits we usually drink.
His eyes lit up and he immediately got inspiration. He chanted aloud, "Jade liquid floats on amber, and the flowing cup reflects the purple clouds. What a good wine!" After he finished chanting, he felt a little unsatisfied and drank the rest of the wine in the cup.
Seeing this, the guests at the back seats looked eagerly at the water, hoping that the jade cup would float to them as soon as possible. Some were so anxious that they even quietly moved their seats to get closer to the canal.
On the pavilion, the nobles naturally did not need to wait for the water to flow, as maids had already presented them with the same jade cups. The nobles took a sip, and their eyes flashed with surprise.
There was a murmur of surprise at the table.
Someone asked, "Where can I buy this fine wine?"
As soon as these words were spoken, many eyes were focused on Song Jinyi.
Song Jinyi didn't show it on her face, but she was secretly happy in her heart, just waiting for these words.
This wine is expensive and produced in small quantities. If it is placed in a theater, the price is too high and ordinary guests cannot afford it.
Knowing that all the guests attending today's birthday banquet are dignitaries, it is an excellent advertising platform.
Song Jinyi said, "Thank you all for your kindness. This wine is currently only sold in limited quantities at the theater. However..." She showed a perfectly awkward look, "Because it is difficult to brew, there are really not many left. I'm afraid... it will only be available to those who are lucky enough to know its value."
Those who were interested naturally understood her meaning. The official who had just composed the poem immediately shouted, "Miss Song! Order three jars for me!"
"Three jars are nothing! I want five!" Another man in luxurious clothes was unwilling to fall behind.
…
Let’s put this excitement aside for now.
Towards the middle of the banquet, the main course was served.
The guests saw several strong servants carefully carrying a huge object covered with bright red brocade into the room.
The object was square, half a person's height, and was placed steadily on the square table in front of the pavilion. This spectacle immediately attracted everyone's attention, and even the nobles chatting and laughing in the pavilion stopped and looked at the scene with curiosity.
The brocade was gently lifted, revealing something inside...something never seen before!
It was a tower-shaped object made up of two layers of snow-white "clouds" stacked together!
The tower is pure white and delicate, like the finest mutton-fat jade. Its surface is covered with smooth and graceful spiral patterns, and it glows with a warm luster in the sun.
The top of the tower and the layers are dotted with bright and juicy seasonal fruits - bright red cherries, golden apricots, emerald green honeydew melon cubes, purple grapes... The colors are so vibrant that it seems as if the entire early summer orchard is condensed on it.
"What...what is this?"
"It looks like a mountain of pastry...but if you look closely, it doesn't look like that."
"What a nice smell! This fragrance...sweet but not cloying, so special!"
Song Jinyi stepped forward under everyone's intense gazes, her voice clear, "This is a birthday cake specially made for Old Master Yue. May he live a long and blessed life. I'd just like to trouble you to cut the cake yourself and share it with everyone so that everyone can share in the joy."
The old man felt it was inconvenient to go up and down the pavilion, so he asked his son at the entrance to wait for him to divide the cake.
The servants quickly placed the divided cake pieces on delicate little plates and served them first to the distinguished guests on the pavilion, and then distributed them to the eagerly waiting guests on both sides of the buffet.
"Hmm!" A noblewoman scooped up some with a small silver spoon and put it into her mouth. Her eyes widened instantly. "What a taste! Like clouds and cotton, it melts in your mouth! Rich milky flavor, and just the right sweetness!"
"This white... is it ghee? No, it's lighter and has a sweet taste." The other woman tasted it carefully and nodded repeatedly.
"Delicious! I've never had such a soft and sweet dessert!"
There were guests who brought their children with them, and since the cake wasn't big enough for two people, they couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Song, how do I buy this birthday cake?"
"This cake was made to celebrate Old Master's birthday. We gathered our efforts and spent a day and a night to create it. It was truly a labor of love, created to add color to today's birthday celebration, not to be sold."
There was no other way. There were no egg beaters in ancient times, so people had to beat the cream by hand, which was really tiring.
Most of the people in Juxing Tower are women. They take turns beating egg whites for a whole day to get this cream. It’s not that she doesn’t want to earn this money, but she really doesn’t have the ability to do so.
She politely told everyone that this cake was not an ordinary item and was the only one of its kind in the world, giving the old man of the Yue family enough face.
Then, the main dishes arrived one after another. There were Braised Lion's Head with Crab Roe and Shrimp with Longjing Tea, reflecting the light flavors of Huaiyang, as well as Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions and Fish Fillet with Wine Sauce, which incorporated the flavors of Beijing.
Each dish was delicious in color, aroma and taste, and cooked to precise temperature. Although not as novel as the birthday cake, it was enough to demonstrate the solid foundation of Juxinglou, and the guests were very satisfied with the meal.
Just when everyone thought the banquet was about to end successfully and was preparing to enjoy the final desserts and fruits, the butler personally brought a large plate covered with a silver lid and carefully placed the silver plate on the main table in front of Old Master Yue.
"Old Master, this is the last main dish of the day—Nine-knot Three-shredded Pie."
"Nine-knot Three-strand Pagoda? Isn't that a long-lost Huaiyang dish?"
"I heard that even the imperial chefs in the palace might not be able to make this dish."
"How is that possible? Legend has it that the threads of this dish are as fine as hair, and a tower can stand upright without falling. Even the imperial chef couldn't make this dish, so how could a mere cook make it?"
With questioning and curiosity, the lid was lifted.
On the plate is an exquisite pagoda made of extremely fine filaments!
The tower consists of nine floors, each of which is ingeniously woven from "silk" of a different color: the bottom floor is made of crystal-clear chicken silk as white as jade, the middle floor is made of emerald green bamboo shoot silk...
The entire tower is only palm-high, but it has distinct layers and an exquisite structure, with every strand and root clearly visible, just like the finest micro-carving handicraft!
During the meal, an old scholar who was well versed in culinary arts said, "This is indeed the Nine-knot Three-strand Pagoda."
Song Jinyi stepped forward at the right moment. "The number nine in the name of this dish symbolizes longevity. Nine threads intertwined, the pagoda stands for a thousand years. I dare to offer this dish to wish Old Master Yue a long and healthy life, and a long and prosperous life like pine and cypress!"
Listening to the resounding voice coming from the pavilion, "Great! Great for a long, long time! I am honored to be able to taste this lost famous dish."
******
The birthday banquet ended successfully with the guests and hosts exclaiming in delight. The noise faded, and the vast garden returned to tranquility, with only the gentle sounds of servants quietly clearing away the remains of the banquet.
The chief steward of the Yue Mansion walked towards Song Jinyi and others with a smile, followed by a servant holding a heavy wooden box in his hand.
"The old master and all the distinguished guests were extremely satisfied with today's birthday banquet! In addition to the agreed-upon reward, this box is the thank-you gift specially ordered by the mistress because she was pleased."
Song Jinyi took the package, which was quite heavy, weighing at least fifty taels. She thanked him and was about to leave when the Yue family's attendant came running over, "Madam Song, wait a minute..."
"The old man wants to see you, please follow me."
The housekeeper had no prior knowledge of this and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. His old master had presided over several imperial examinations and had many disciples and aides, all of whom were dignitaries in the court. Many people had tried their best to meet him but it was as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Now he actually took the initiative to summon a cook?
How can it not be surprising?
Song Jinyi was also quite surprised. After saying a few words to Zhang Yao, she followed the housekeeper through the layers of corridors and courtyards and came to a more quiet and elegant courtyard.
The servant stopped outside the main door and respectfully announced, "Old Master, Madam Song has arrived."
"Come in." A gentle but powerful voice came.
Song Jinyi did not dare to neglect it. She lowered her head and entered the main room, bowing: "I, Song Jinyi, pay my respects to Old Master Yue."
The old man told her not to be so formal and just sit down.
Song Jinyi thanked him and sat on the chair, looking up quietly, intending to take a look secretly, but when she glanced over, she happened to meet the gaze of Old Master Yue.
"My friend, how are you?"
【Author’s words】
Old Master Yue os: Guess who I am?
*********
I've put a lot of thought into figuring out how to make this banquet unique... I can only win by quantity. [Eat melon]
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