95 Penniless
◎This guy is really good!◎
Song Jinyi was wearing inconspicuous cloth clothes. As the saying goes, pretending to be poor when going out is safer. She was carrying a large package and standing in front of the towering city wall. She raised her hand to block the glaring sunlight and looked at the plaque with the words "Shenyang" above the city gate.
Revisiting the old place brings me so many feelings.
Ever since she learned from Peng Ziyue that Xie Wuyang might still be alive, how could she sit still? She immediately packed her bags and rushed to Shengjing.
Three days of tiring journeys had sobered her feverish mind. How could she survive if she fell into the vast ocean? If he was truly alive, why had he come to Shengjing instead of Yunzhou?
She stood in front of the city gate, feeling lost for a moment. There were so many loopholes, but then she thought, what if? What if he was really in Shengjing?
She entered the city with the crowd. As soon as she entered the city gate, she saw the prosperous scene of Shengjing City. There were all kinds of stalls everywhere, people everywhere, and it was bustling everywhere.
Song Jinyi, carrying a bloated package, struggled to make her way through the crowd. After walking for about half an hour, she crossed the Sili Bridge and arrived at the inner city.
Needless to say, the inner city is bustling with activity. The food stalls alone are dazzling. Song Jinyi originally wanted to go directly to find a place to stay, but was attracted by the fragrance in the air.
She touched her hungry stomach and decided to eat something first.
She looked around for a long time, and finally stopped in front of a food stall. She reached out and touched her purse, touched it twice, looked down, and her mouth moved quickly, and she cursed silently, "Fuck!"
Where's your wallet?
There are ten taels of silver in it!
Could it be that it was placed in the package with the banknotes? Hoping for luck, she squeezed through the crowd and found a high-level area with fewer people. She untied the package and searched for the purse.
After a while, her face darkened and she cursed through gritted teeth, "Damn thief!"
Not only did this man steal her purse, he also cut a hole under her package and stole her banknotes, leaving her nothing!
She kicked the wall a few times in anger, but the wall didn't feel any pain; only she felt it. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. She looked at the bustling streets. Her most urgent task was to find a place to stay.
In this huge Shengjing City, the only person she knew was... Huo Changqing.
She tied the package again, quickened her pace, and rushed to Wa Lane to find Huo Changqing before dark.
When she arrived at the theater, she found that it was under renovation. She asked the craftsmen who were working on it and learned that the theater had changed hands a long time ago. Huo Changqing had gotten into trouble and was forced to mortgage the theater.
Song Jinyi was stunned for a moment, but didn't have time to think too much.
It was getting dark, and the eaves were gloomy. Song Jinyi's heart was inexplicably flustered. Suddenly, an object in the package flashed in her mind - a string of copper coins made of gold, with a vermilion tassel hanging below.
This is--
She walked into Juxing Tower, and soon the owner of the restaurant came down.
Shopkeeper Zhang remembered that the gilded copper coin pendant was given to a lady because she pointed out the shortcomings of the dishes in the restaurant. Now that he saw her again, he was unable to connect the person in front of him with the vague lady in his memory.
He said politely, "When I saw the gilded pendant, I thought of it...", and then he paused.
Song Jinyi replied at the right moment: "My last name is Song."
"Yes, it's Madam Song. The moment I think about it, it's Madam Song looking for me."
Song Jinyi was a little nervous at first, but now that she saw that he still remembered her, she felt relieved.
She told Manager Zhang that she had come to Shengjing alone and had brought enough silver and money with her, but it was stolen. Now she had no other choice but to seek Manager Zhang's help. Once she was stable, she would write a letter and ask her family to send money.
So she temporarily lived in a small courtyard behind the restaurant, and the owner sent someone to clean it up.
During this time, Shopkeeper Zhang casually asked Song Jinyi what she had been doing these years. Song Jinyi thought that she actually did not have a deep friendship with Shopkeeper Zhang, and now that the other party was willing to take her in, it was a great kindness.
So she had to secretly make it clear that she would not eat and live for free, so she said that she opened a sweet water shop in Yunzhou City called Chayuan.
Unexpectedly, when Shopkeeper Zhang heard the word "Cha Yuan", his eyes froze and he asked again, "Is it the Cha Yuan from Yunzhou City? The Yuan of fate."
After receiving a positive answer, Shopkeeper Zhang stopped talking, his pupils filled with shock.
Song Jinyi asked curiously, "Could it be that the shopkeeper has heard of my tea affinity?"
Shopkeeper Zhang nodded and said, "Yunzhou City is rich in goods, so naturally many merchants bring Yunzhou's goods to Shengjing to trade. When I dine at my shop, I often hear them mention that 'the richest man in Yunzhou City today is the owner of Chayuan.'"
Song Jinyi waved her hands awkwardly and said, "That was just something the tabloids wrote to drum up hype. I'm just the owner of a sweet soup shop."
Shopkeeper Zhang looked at her and sighed with emotion, "Look at you, you're only a young girl, yet you've achieved so much. I also have a daughter, about the same age as you, but... she's so naive."
After hearing this, Song Jinyi felt it was not appropriate to judge other people's family affairs, so she responded to what Shopkeeper Zhang had said.
******
At night, Song Jinyi came to the courtyard behind the restaurant. The courtyard was clean and empty. It was not big, with a total of three rooms. Originally, they were used to store goods. Now, the one on the far right, closest to the market, was vacated.
There was a crabapple tree planted outside the eaves, with half of its body sticking out carelessly, and its delicate petals floating across half the yard.
The house looked like a temporary residence. The bed, table and chairs were moved in later. They were all brand new and seemed out of place in this old room.
It was getting late. Song Jinyi extinguished the candle and lay on the bed, thinking about writing a letter to ask for money. At the same time, she thought that Shengjing City was so big, where should she go to find Xie Wuyang?
Suddenly, she heard someone throwing something at her door!
At first she thought it was an illusion, but then she heard three or two more beeps. She cautiously sat up and wondered if it was a thief! The thought instantly made her heart tremble.
She cautiously pushed the door open, peered through the crack into the courtyard, and muttered quietly, "What kind of bad luck have I committed? It's attracting thieves all the time."
There were no lanterns in the yard, only almond-yellow moonlight. She glanced around and spotted a shadowy figure standing along the wall.
There really is a thief!
Her heart was in her throat, and she thought calmly. This was the inner city of Shengjing, at the feet of the emperor. At night, inspectors patrolled the various markets. As long as she shouted loudly enough, someone would definitely come.
The other party seemed to have noticed Song Jinyi's actions, and jumped off the wall neatly and headed straight for the room where Song Jinyi was.
Eh?
Song Jinyi was about to shout, but she found that the person had a slender waist and a light gait. Although she was wearing men's clothes, she was clearly a woman!
Before Song Jinyi could say anything, the other party revealed his identity and said, "Are you my father's distinguished guest?"
Song Jinyi immediately guessed who this person was—it was the ignorant daughter that Manager Zhang had mentioned.
"I wonder what Madam Zhang wants to do that brings her to my place in the middle of the night?"
"I heard from the people in the building that you had previously pointed out problems with two of their dishes, earning your father's appreciation and praise for your prowess, so I came over to take a look."
She tilted her head, looked him over, and said disdainfully, "You don't look like a very capable person."
Song Jinyi heard arrogance, provocation, and... unwillingness in her words.
With a quick turn of her eyes, she guessed why the girl came and why she was so hostile to her.
As children, they naturally hope to get recognition from their parents. Perhaps Manager Zhang said some inappropriate things when he got home, which made her feel angry and she came to find fault.
What an unexpected disaster.
Song Jinyi pulled the corner of her mouth and said with a smile: "I'm really not that great, it's just that Manager Zhang is flattering me."
Song Jinyi took a step back to advance, hoping to get rid of this little ancestor as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly said: "Then cook a dish for me to see."
…
Seeing Song Jinyi stopped where she was, the woman thought she was unwilling and said, "I just asked you to cook a dish, you wouldn't be afraid, right?"
"It's nothing to make a dish, but..." Song Jinyi spread her hands to indicate that she had nothing.
The woman smiled and raised her hand, waving a bunch of copper keys. "There's everything in the restaurant."
Song Jinyi had no choice but to follow her to the kitchen, secretly saying: She really came prepared.
Juxinglou is worthy of being the number one restaurant in Kyoto. It has all the ingredients and kitchen utensils you need. For someone who loves cooking, it is simply a dream kitchen.
Song Jinyi eagerly asked her what she wanted to eat, but she only got a reply of "whatever."
The word "whatever" was like pouring a basin of water on a flame, which extinguished some of her interest. She hated people who said "whatever" the most.
Song Jinyi walked around the kitchen and finally picked up two partridges and prepared to chop them up with a knife.
Song Jinyi picked up the knife, weighed it, faced it with the shiny surface, and smoothed the hair on her temples. This knife is really good.
Song Jinyi's action made the other party look over, and Zhang Yao rolled her eyes.
Put the partridge into a large bowl, pour in cooking wine, light soy sauce, sprinkle a little fine salt, add star anise, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, bay leaves, rock sugar, mix well, and marinate for one hour.
While waiting, Song Jinyi learned that the other person's name was Zhang Yao, which means graceful and elegant lady, but her behavior had nothing to do with this name.
The next step was the most crucial one, which was to heat the pan and oil and stir-fry the ginger and scallions. Just as she was about to take it, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure behind her, which scared her. When did Zhang Yao run to her side?
She didn't have time to think about it. The onion would turn black if it was fried for a few more seconds. Afraid that it would affect the taste, she immediately poured the partridge into the pot, stir-fried it until the surface was slightly golden, and added the broth.
Song Jinyi noticed that Zhang Yao was watching her intently while she was cooking.
Continue to cook over low heat until the sauce is released and the oil is released. Fry it briefly until the skin is golden brown and fragrant, then serve.
Zhang Yao took the plate and muttered, "It's just ordinary, nothing special."
Song Jinyi twitched the corner of her mouth but said nothing. After all, he was the young master of Juxing Tower and had eaten all kinds of delicious food.
Zhang Yao initially thought Song Jinyi was just a name, frowning and suspiciously picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. It was delicious. This pan-fried quail wasn't a very complicated dish.
But she could finish it in one go, and the taste was no less than what she had eaten before, fragrant but not greasy, and the meat was firm. While chewing the bones, she thought, this person is really good!
Song Jinyi thought that this meal could get rid of this troublemaker, but who knew that he would rely on her later!
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