49 Spicy Dried Radish
Jealousy
Xie Linchuan quickly ran down from the ridge of the field and saw her kneeling on the ground, digging the soil with her hands.
Because he fell, his hair was messy and his face was covered in dirt, like a little cat.
"What are you doing? Are you hurt?" he asked with concern, but in his heart he was thinking: What is she doing? Has she lost her mind?
Jiang Qinglan looked up at him with burning eyes and said, "I want to dig up this ground!" His voice trembled slightly, revealing his uncontrollable excitement.
Xie Linchuan took out a dagger and said, "This thing is sharp. Move aside."
With his tools, he dug quickly. After a few digs, several round roots, about the size of a child's fist and light yellow in color, emerged from the soil.
Jiang Qinglan took the thing out and patted the mud off it.
It’s really a potato! Exactly the same as in later generations!
Her mind raced, and she couldn't think of anything else. She spread the two round little creatures in her palms and smiled at him, "Look! Potatoes!"
There was light dancing in her eyes - it was like the sparkling light of gold, or like the still shadow of a jade.
Xie Linchuan's heart moved. This was the first time she had given him a good look since they came here.
Jiang Qinglan didn't care what he was thinking, and thought to himself: Potatoes are a treasure.
She seemed to remember that history books had said that in the feudal era, only after the introduction of starchy crops such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, which had high yields and short harvest cycles, could the common people fill their stomachs.
It is for this reason that the population surged during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
I don’t know if this wild potato is the same as the one we commonly eat in later generations.
But since it exists, after cultivation by experienced farmers, there will definitely be a harvest!
She took the potatoes and hurried back. Because she was in a good mood, she didn't even notice what Xie Linchuan said to her or when he disappeared.
When they arrived at the village chief's house, Wang Huiniang saw that she was covered in dust and dirt, but she treasured the two yellow things very much and said:
"Well, that thing can't be eaten, why did you dig it up? A few years ago, someone ate this thing and foamed at the mouth and died."
Jiang Qinglan knew that he had been poisoned by eating sprouted potatoes.
She wasn't sure yet whether these potatoes were poisonous or the same as later potatoes. She would find out after returning to the city and testing them.
She simply said, "I have my own use for it," and put it in the carriage.
The two cars traveled one after the other for half an hour.
Jiang Qinglan and Wang Huiniang were dozing off in the car when they heard a horse neighing. The car suddenly stopped and due to inertia, they almost fell out!
Is this a ghost?!
When Jiang Qinglan got out of the car, he saw Xie Linchuan riding across the road, looking down at Xue Qi on the ground. His hawk-like eyes seemed to pierce through him.
When he saw her coming out, he rode up to her side and frowned, "Didn't you say you'd wait for me to go back together? What shady people have you been hanging out with again?"
His tone of voice, as if he was one of them, really annoyed her!
What does it matter to him who she goes back with? Who is the unclear person?
It was only because there were so many people around that she couldn't lose her temper, so she barely managed to hold it in:
"Xie Shizi, what are you talking about? When did I ever say I would go back with you?"
"Besides, Mr. Xue is my friend, not some shady person."
Xie Linchuan pondered the word "friend" in his mind and looked at her deeply.
He ignored her anger and said to Xue Qi, "Since I'm here, I don't want you anymore. Go away."
He looked so domineering and self-righteous, treating people like servants.
Xue Qi's smiling face froze slightly.
Jiang Qinglan could only feel angry. This road was not his, so why could he walk on it but others couldn't?
Her lips moved slightly, and she was about to explode when Wang Huiniang pulled her and she fell into the carriage with her mouth covered.
Jiang Qinglan's face flushed with anger: "What are you doing?"
"Mr. Xue is very cunning, he will not suffer any loss." Wang Hui Niang was very good at judging the situation. "A direct confrontation with someone like Mr. Xie will only backfire."
"Just bear with it and treat him lukewarmly. After a while, his heart will grow cold."
Seeing that the silly girl seemed to have listened, she couldn't help but tease and said with a chuckle, "How is it? Does it smell good?"
"What smells so good?" Jiang Qinglan was confused.
"This proud son of heaven, the dream lover of every girl in Lin'an City, is so jealous of you, isn't that sweet?"
It smells like shit!
Jiang Qinglan didn't find it funny at all, it was simply incomprehensible!
Lift a corner of the curtain and look back.
Xue Qi's carriage indeed went to another road, and Xie Linchuan was riding on the horse in front. Although he also had broad shoulders and back and was a man of natural elegance, he always had an arrogance that looked down on the world.
Jiang Qinglan is very annoyed!
When we arrived outside Linchuan City, it was already dark.
After the carriage entered Yuhang Gate, the sound of horse hooves moved to the side of the carriage, and someone said, "We're entering the city. I'm leaving." It was said in a warm and friendly tone.
Jiang Qinglan frowned, rubbed his temples with his fingers, and didn't want to talk to him at all.
Wang Huiniang interrupted, "Thank you, my sister has fallen asleep. Thank you for taking us back to the city."
When Xie Linchuan heard it was her, he changed his tone to a cold one: "That Xue Qi doesn't look like a good person. You'd better stay away from him."
After saying this, he rode away on his horse.
Jiang Qinglan breathed a sigh of relief after Xie Linchuan left. Returning to the Xinghua Restaurant, he immediately got busy, completely forgetting about him.
Tuantuan hadn't seen his sister for a few days and his eyes were filled with tears. She first comforted him with soft words.
Then, he directed everyone to pick up the radishes, cabbages and duck eggs from the carriage.
Then, he took a potato and gave it to Hu Zi, asking him to use it on animals for experiments. He then went to the backyard where the house was being built and saw that the foundation had been laid.
At night, he returned to Jiangmi Lane and called Yue Niang over to discuss the matter.
"Nothing happened these days, right?"
Zhang Yueniang spoke eloquently: "Don't worry, my lady, everything is as usual."
"I've been stewing old duck soup and pork tripe soup these past few days. They're all regular customers, and since the restaurant is less crowded, they're quite considerate of me. Some even go to the kitchen to serve their dishes. Hu Zi and Tuan Tuan are also very sensible."
Jiang Qinglan nodded approvingly: "I know you are capable."
Zhang Yueniang felt a little embarrassed. She took out her money bag and explained clearly: "This is the income from the past few days, a total of 121 taels and 5 coins."
Jiang Qinglan was startled and picked up a silver ingot: "What is this food? It's so generous?" Usually, the income of this small restaurant is only about twenty taels a day. How come there is suddenly so much?
Zhang Yueniang's eyes flickered a little: "On the day my wife left, a man in fancy clothes came. I heard others call him, and his surname seemed to be Zhu."
"When he came, he said he wanted to see the owner and listen to my explanation. These past two days, he has also come early in the morning, as if he must see you. This silver ingot was given to me by that young man."
Jiang Qinglan thought about it carefully and really couldn't find a man with the surname Zhu, so she ignored him.
She divided the silver into three parts and gave a portion to others: "This silver is what you earned. You, me, and Hui Niang, each one gets a share."
Zhang Yueniang was very surprised, her almond-shaped eyes widened: "Mine?"
"Exactly." Jiang Qinglan smiled and said, "You don't have to refuse. You and Sister Hui have both helped me a lot. The three of us have our own strengths. We have to continue the business in the future, and the profits will be divided like this."
Zhang Yueniang returned home with a pile of silver, feeling both happy and anxious. She couldn't sleep for a long time. Holding the fifty-liang ingot of silver in her hand, she was stunned for a long time.
When the carriage of cabbage, radishes and duck eggs arrived at the Xinghua Restaurant, Jiang Qinglan arranged the cabbage first.
It’s nothing, just because she is craving sauerkraut and pork belly stewed with vermicelli.
The weather is getting colder, and her ideal in life is to sit under a window with paper-cut decorations, warm herself by a small fire, and eat Northeastern cuisine.
The sooner you pickle this Northeastern sauerkraut, the sooner you can eat it!
At noon that day, after the busy lunch market, only Zhang Yue Niang was left in the front room to make drinks. The other people - Jiang Qinglan, Wang Hui Niang, Tuan Tuan, and Hu Zi who was on vacation all came to work.
Hu Zi had bought several large vats from the market, washed them, exposed them to the sun, and moved them to their warehouse.
Tuantuan was not very strong, so he helped to pull out the cabbage leaves.
- Remove all the green, muddy, and worm-eaten leaves on the outside, leaving only the tightly wrapped circle in the middle.
Wang Huiniang and Jiang Qinglan cut the cabbage stalks, one by one, and they were crisp and crunchy, which was surprisingly relaxing.
Compared to Sichuan pickles that are made with wine, chili peppers and peppercorns, Northeastern sauerkraut is much simpler to make.
After completing these preparations, you just need to pack the cabbage tightly in the jar, add a layer of cabbage and a layer of salt, and finally press it firmly.
Hu Zi had prepared big stones long ago. With the loud bang of one jar after another, the pickling of Northeastern sauerkraut was completed.
Compared with Northeastern sauerkraut, the production process of dried radish is slightly more complicated.
First wash the radish, then cut it, press it with a heavy object to remove the water, and then mix it with a mixture of salt, dogwood powder, Sichuan pepper powder, etc.
The last step is to set up a large round winnowing basket, spread the dried radishes flat in it, and expose them to the sun.
Fortunately, there were many of them, but it took only three afternoons for the crispy fat radishes to be transformed.
——The thin long strips were covered with red and black powder and spread in a large round winnowing basket.
Tuantuan is greedy. When playing in the backyard, no matter if he has anything to do or not, he always goes to take a look around the round dustpan.
When she came back, there was more food in her mouth.
By the third day of secretly eating, two large red sores had grown on her cheeks.
Anyway, she was tired of eating it and thought of a new way to play with it.
A few days ago, Hu Zi gathered the cabbage leaves and radish roots he had picked up, filled several winnowing baskets with them, and used them as chicken feed.
Tuantuan started to act like a jerk again. He stood outside the fence with leaves in his hands, teasing the big roosters.
When people came to eat, she walked a step further away, making the rooster so angry that its red comb stood up high.
In the end, it was often like this: she was pale-faced, being chased all over the yard by a rooster that flew out of the fence. Hu Zi, who had been watching silently and coldly, fell down laughing.
That day, the two of them went too far.
Tuantuan was surrounded by two large roosters, one pecking her buttocks and the other pecking her calves. The pecks really hurt, and she burst into tears.
Wang Huiniang came out of the house, holding a large broom, and easily invited the rooster back into the fence. She yelled at Hu Zi again and told him to go to the well to fetch water.
Jiang Qinglan criticized Tuantuan, and the little girl pouted, looking very unconvinced.
She was about to continue her argument when she heard a clang, as if something had broken in front of her. She quickly washed her hands, not even taking off her shackles or apron, and hurried to the outer hall.
Two young men in brocade clothes stood in the room, one with a smile on his face, the other gazing at Zhang Yueniang. The latter was squatting on the ground, picking up the broken glass cups.
The smiling young man saw her coming and saluted with his arms crossed:
"This is Madam Jiang, right? We were walking too fast and bumped into her. We're really sorry. The money for the glass cup will be paid for later along with the meal."
This man was quite polite, so Jiang Qinglan didn't take it to heart and said with a smile, "Nothing, nothing, everything is fine! You two gentlemen look unfamiliar, is this your first time here?"
The young man with a smile said, "We have long heard of your great name."
Jiang Qinglan thought that it was the name of the Xinghua Restaurant that they "admired", and he had no doubt about it.
After inviting everyone to sit down, she introduced several dishes including fish head and tofu stew, sesame spinach, matsutake and ham stewed rice, and white fungus and pear soup.
Zhu Ming looked at her for a long time, then suddenly said:
"Madam Jiang, we are friends of Liu Guang. A few days ago, he suddenly disappeared, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince couldn't find him, so he got very angry. Do you know where he went?"
He had greasy hair and powdered face, a wicked smile on his face, but his eyes were shining, making him look very frivolous.
Jiang Qinglan felt disgusted, but he kept a smile on his face: "My dear, you are joking. You don't know, so how would I know." The look in his eyes when he looked at them became cold.
She recalled the incident on the way back from Songlin Village when Xie Linchuan bullied Xue Qi, and cursed him in her heart.
Chen Yue tried to smooth things over: "Don't be offended, Madam Jiang. This Brother Zhu loves to joke around."
Jiang Qinglan smiled awkwardly and went to prepare food.
Zhu Ming pursed his lips and said, "This Jiang Yuan's daughter is the apple of our Liuguang's eye. I don't see anything special about her."
He added with a wicked smile, "It's not as beautiful as the one that just smashed the glass cup."
Chen Yue smiled and said, "I think it's pretty good."
"Lord Jiang came from a noble family. Even though he angered the government, he's dead now, and everyone still remembers his sincerity."
"The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are now anxious to win over the Dongping Palace. If Liuguang hadn't had this imperially granted marriage, I don't know what they would have done."
The day before yesterday, envoys from the Liao Kingdom came to Beijing. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was ordered to receive them and signed an agreement with the Liao Kingdom.
The event was handled extremely well, both the host and the guests were delighted, and harmony prevailed between the upper and lower classes. However, for some reason, the Crown Prince was suddenly reprimanded by Emperor Chengping, and he is still reflecting on himself in the Eastern Palace.
For a time, rumors were rampant that Emperor Chengping wanted to depose the crown prince and enthrone the third prince.
Zhu Mingdao: "Liuguang has always had a good relationship with the prince."
Chen Yue didn't comment and glanced at Zhu Ming: "You should worry more about your own affairs."
Zhu Ming immediately looked dejected. "Mother has already set a date. My uncle's legitimate daughter," he lowered his voice. "She's a little ugly, but fortunately, she's kind."
As she was speaking, Zhang Yueniang served two more bowls of Tremella and Pear Soup.
Her hands were as white and tender as scallions, with her pinky fingers slightly raised, looking very pretty.
Zhu Ming was stunned and said with a smile:
"My lady, your hands are white, why don't you wear a pair of jasper bracelets? I just caused you to drop the teacup and get scared, so I'll give you a pair as an apology."
Jiang Qinglan came out and heard this, feeling like a bucket of ice and snow was being poured down on her head. Bullying had finally come to her head. Sure enough, she and Xie Linchuan were birds of a feather!
At that moment, she said with a cold face: "Mr. Zhu, we are serious businessmen. Please be careful with your words when you are under the emperor's feet!"
After saying that, he pulled the blushing Zhang Yue Niang back and looked at the two of them coldly.
Zhu Ming quickly stood up and bowed, smiling and saying, "I apologize for my words."
After the two of them left, he was shocked at Chen Yue, "Oh my God, she's just like her father, cold and fierce. Liuguang has met a tough opponent!"
As he said this, his gaze was still lingering on Zhang Yueniang's back.
Chen Yue warned: "Don't do anything rash. If you offend Madam Jiang and Liu Guang finds out, he'll dare to stab the sky."
Zhu Ming smiled lazily: "I know, I just said a few words. My cousin is about to come in, and I have a plan in mind."
…
Jiang Qinglan told Wang Huiniang about this matter, and they both paid close attention.
Fortunately, no one had sent her any jade bracelets in the past few days, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Yue Niang suffered at the hands of a man once, and she will not let her be bullied again!
…
One day, when they were counting the bill at the counter, Hu Zi and Tuan Tuan came in with smiles on their faces.
Hu Zi was holding a cage in his hand, which was covered with black linen, hiding it from view.
Wang Huiniang was sharp-eyed and shouted decisively, "Huzi, what are you holding in your hand?"
Last time, when Tuantuan wanted to play with birds, Huzi climbed up a willow tree to catch them and nearly fell into the Chunbo River. In this weather, even if he was a good swimmer and didn't drown, he would still get seriously ill if he caught a cold.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qinglan became a little angry. He put down his abacus and snatched the cage from Hu Zi's hand.
"Tuantuan, did you ask Huzi to catch birds again?!"
Tuan Tuan said with a bitter face: "This is really not my fault!"
This girl has always been two-faced. How could Jiang Qinglan believe what she said?
She pulled off the black cloth covering.
However, when she saw what was inside, she was horrified, screamed, and threw everything away along with the cage.
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