54 Iron Pot Stewed Goose
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Jiang Qinglan was stunned: "What did you say?" She clearly heard it, but she just didn't want to admit it in her heart.
Zhang Yue Niang had no choice but to say it again.
Jiang Qinglan pondered for a while, clutching his satin cloak in one hand, and helped her up with the other, and said slowly:
"You are now a good citizen, free to come and go. If he forces you, don't be afraid, we will all help you."
No matter how Xie Linchuan coerced, bribed, or persuaded her, she refused to give in. What was there to be afraid of for just one more month?
Zhang Yueniang looked a little flustered. She pulled Jiang Qinglan's sleeve and explained:
"My lady, you have misunderstood. I came here of my own free will. Young Master Zhu is the youngest son of General Zhu, and his mistress is kind. If I go there, I will enjoy endless wealth and glory."
After hearing this, Jiang Qinglan slowly loosened his grip on her hand.
What's the point of being a concubine for others to enjoy?
She frowned for a long moment before she said, "Do you really think so?"
Zhang Yueniang seemed to sense her anger, but she gritted her teeth and said, "That's exactly what I think."
Jiang Qinglan felt sad in his heart and casually put his cloak on the table beside him.
She said, "There is nothing I can't fulfill. Your life is your own, just make up your mind." After that, he stopped looking at her, opened the curtain and went to the backyard.
At night, Tuantuan slept soundly, but Jiang Qinglan couldn't sleep.
Outside the window, a fine snow fell. The night was brighter than usual, and the window paper pasted on the window looked particularly red.
She closed her eyes and tears flowed down her cheeks.
…
The Zhu family acted quickly. The next afternoon, a sedan chair with a green curtain was parked outside the west gate of Lukui's courtyard.
Wang Huiniang also knew about this and just watched coldly.
Zhang Yueniang didn't have much stuff with her. She carried a small bag and wore a veil. She kowtowed to Jiang Qinglan before leaving.
Jiang Qinglan felt chilled, and was not used to them kneeling and kowtowing at every turn, so he just waved his hand.
Zhang Yue Niang pursed her lips and said, "Madam, you must be careful of Pan Kai. He already knows that it was you who was giving advice to Xue Ji." After saying that, she got into the sedan chair.
The carriage moved on, rumbling, and two ruts in the snow stretched forward.
Wang Huiniang, accustomed to the coldness of the world, sneered and said, "There are many people in this world who have fallen into depravity. There is no need to feel sad for them."
Jiang Qinglan nodded, feeling confused.
Pan Kai is Xue's competitor, and since he can't make a move on Xue's side, he's looking to cause trouble for her. Did Yue Niang leak the information to him?
Then why did she remind herself?
Is she really willing to lower herself to a low position by following Zhu Ming, or is she afraid of Pan Ji and wants to find a bigger backer?
The wind and snow were sobbing, and she had no chance to ask, but she said to Wang Huiniang, "Lock Yueniang's room first and don't touch it. We have many empty rooms anyway."
Wang Huiniang sighed: "You are too soft-hearted. Why bother?"
Jiang Qinglan remained silent, tied her apron, and prepared to go to the kitchen to make a honey rose cake as a snack for the next few days.
…
As the year drew to a close, the restaurant business was booming. In just two months, the three Xueji customers earned more than one thousand taels.
Jiang Qinglan had already told Xue Qi that since he was the one who provided the capital, he didn't have to split the money from the first three months with her.
Xue Qi was cautious. Although he agreed, he still calculated the accounts and showed them to her.
Jiang Qinglan didn't worry about Xue Ji, but he felt a little overwhelmed at the Xinghua Restaurant.
The store sold winter pots and drinks. Once Zhang Yue Niang left, the work of two people became that of one person, and she was so busy that she had no time to rest.
After working hard for a few days, she discussed with Wang Huiniang to find another helper.
Because of Zhang Yue Niang's incident, Wang Hui Niang was determined not to hire a maid this time. Instead, she wanted to buy a maid and keep her personal contract in her hands.
Although Jiang Qinglan was not used to human trafficking, he heard from Wang Huiniang that recently, there were wars in Weizhou and Qingzhou, and many people fled to Lin'an to escape the disaster. They bought a maid, provided her with good food and drink, and paid her a monthly salary, which was simply a good deed.
What she said made sense, so Jiang Qinglan accepted it.
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Huiniang brought home a maid from a yahu household. She called herself Erya and was from Weizhou. Her parents and brothers had all died in the war. Jiang Qinglan changed her name to Yingtao.
The food cooked by Yingtao is only passable, and her cooking talent is far inferior to Zhang Yueniang's.
But she also has several advantages. One is that she is strong and looks very intimidating.
The second one is lively and funny. After just a few days, he made Tuantuan roll on the ground with laughter.
The third is to be obedient and determined to work here for a long time.
With Yingtao's arrival, Jiang Qinglan's work became much easier, but she still had to personally take charge of the supply of three meals a day at the Xinghua Restaurant, and Yingtao only helped out.
Fortunately, although Yingtao came from a poor family, she was quite presentable and could get along well in the outer court. Sometimes when Wang Huiniang was not around and Jiang Qinglan was in the kitchen, she would greet and see off guests in the outer court.
One day, near dusk, Wang Huiniang had gone out to buy things and had not returned yet. Jiang Qinglan was stewing a big goose in an iron pot in the house.
First put a lot of oil in an iron pan, then fry the processed goose meat.
When the goose meat is slightly browned, add enough dogwood, Sichuan peppercorns, orange peel, etc. into the pan and continue stir-frying.
After all the ingredients have developed flavor and suppressed the fishy smell of the goose meat, add soy sauce and other seasonings.
Finally add boiling water and bring to a simmer.
It should be noted that the older the goose, the longer it should be stewed. This way, the final product will be spicy and flavorful, and the meat will be firm.
The time of adding varies depending on the type of side dish.
For example, dried cowpeas can be added earlier to allow them to slowly absorb the thick soup, while cabbage can be added later to retain some of its freshness and sweetness.
Jiang Qinglan put the cabbage in, turned off the stove, covered the pot, and let the residual heat in the iron pot slowly simmer the cabbage. Then he saw Yingtao come in with the curtain open, saying that someone was looking for her outside.
Jiang Qinglan went out and saw a tall, middle-aged man with a stubbled face.
He carried a bundle in his left hand and a furry felt hat in his right. His gray short coat was covered in snow, and he wore a pair of cloth shoes with toes that were almost broken.
Judging from the situation, he has come a long way.
She hesitated and said, "Are you here to eat?"
The man waved his hands quickly: "I..." After thinking for a moment, he spoke in Mandarin again, "My name is Zheng Wang, and I'm here to look for Hui Niang and Hu Zi."
Jiang Qinglan knew as soon as he heard it. This was Hu Zi's father's sworn brother, the one from Tokyo Bianliang!
She immediately welcomed the person in with a smile, and ordered Yingtao to lead the person in to wash and change clothes. She also lit two more braziers and made the room warm.
When Zheng Wang came out again, he saw a bowl of leek noodles on the table, two green vegetables floating on top. The goose meat sauce had covered the noodles so much that even the soup base had turned brown from the excess oil and water.
It was winter, and he had been traveling for a long time, so he was already very hungry. He didn't hesitate and just picked up the chopsticks to eat.
When the bowl was empty and both the soup and the noodles were eaten up, the slim girl came out.
Jiang Qinglan had already introduced herself, and now she said that she had known about his relationship with Hui Niang and had been looking forward to his coming.
Now, they have just moved into a new house, and there are plenty of rooms at the back for him to live in wherever he wants.
Although Zheng Wang was obsessed with it, he didn't know the situation on Wang Huiniang's side.
He had originally planned to rent a house next to her house as he had done before, regardless of whether the mother and son would accept him or not, and then make further plans.
Now that he heard that he could live in the store, he certainly wanted it.
After thinking for a while, he said:
"Madam Jiang, I used to be a cook in the military camp, and later I opened a noodle stall in Bianliang."
"I'm sorry to offend you. I just had your noodles. The goose meat sauce was certainly good, spicy, fresh, and salty, but the noodles lacked chewiness. How about you let me handle the noodles in the store from now on?"
When Jiang Qinglan heard this, he was overjoyed.
She is not good at making noodles and never sells them in her store.
The rice hadn't been steamed yet, and the noodles were leftover from what she'd bought outside, so she used a cauldron of goose stewed in an iron pot to make a bowl of noodles. Little did she know, she'd met an expert!
However, Zheng Wang insisted on going to the kitchen to make a bowl of knife-cut noodles as if to prove himself.
Jiang Qinglan and Yingtao came over to hug him occasionally and saw him mixing the flour and dough, beating and kneading it, and then slicing it with a metal knife. He was really an expert and did it smoothly.
Soon, a bowl of freshly kneaded and made knife-cut noodles was served. It was also topped with goose meat sauce, but at the request of the two women, there was less goose meat and more quail eggs and cabbage.
Cherry has endless energy and consumes a lot of energy.
Although she had just had dinner, the sight of a bowl of steaming hot sliced noodles still made her appetite surge, and she quickly started to eat it.
Jiang Qinglan couldn't eat much, so he took another small plate and chopsticks and tasted some of the knife-cut noodles in front of him.
She made the iron pot stewed goose herself, so she naturally knew the recipe.
Zheng Wang's knife-cut noodles are truly extraordinary.
It is thick in the middle and thin at the edges, like a willow leaf.
When you take a bite, you can smell the faint aroma of wheat. The thin edge is as smooth as silk and becomes translucent due to being cooked quickly.
The thicker part in the middle is flexible yet chewy, and has a strong sense of bones.
Such delicious noodles, fully coated with the sauce of stewed goose, are so delicious.
Yingtao was busy eating. Jiang Qinglan turned his head and saw Hu Zi coming out of school. He was taking off his felt hat and brushing off the snow on it.
She waved, "Huzi, you must be freezing. Come and have some noodles. They're freshly made and are piping hot."
Hu Zi looked around and asked, "Where's Tuan Tuan?"
Jiang Qinglan said, "That girl thought the floor was cold and said she wanted to curl up in bed and read a picture book. But she fell asleep while reading and hasn't woken up yet."
Hu Zi laughed, sat down at the table, picked up the chopsticks and took a few big mouthfuls.
His eyes lit up: "These knife-cut noodles are so delicious!" He lowered his head to drink a sip of the soup and picked up another big spoonful.
Jiang Qinglan said, "That's right. This was done by an old friend of yours, Huzi. He's right behind us now."
As he was speaking, Zheng Wang opened the curtain and came out from the kitchen. He lowered his head and said as he took off his apron:
"Madam Jiang, I saw the goose you were stewing in the pot, so I rolled a few dough balls and baked them on the side of the pot. It's the most delicious!"
When Hu Zi heard the voice, he immediately put down his chopsticks, looked at the person who came, trembled all over and his face became serious.
Zheng Wang didn't expect Hu Zi to be there. He was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Brother Hu is back..."
Hu Zi said nothing, but stared at him with a gloomy face. Suddenly he stood up and ran into the Lukui yard as if he was not in the house.
Jiang Qinglan was stunned. Hu Zi had always been lively, cheerful and polite. Even though she knew he had something on his mind, she had not expected him to react so strongly.
She had no choice but to comfort him: "Brother Zheng, Hu Zi..."
Zheng Wang waved his hand and smiled innocently, "Nothing, this kid has always had some misunderstandings about me, but it will take a while."
…
On the other side, Pan Kaizi met Zhang Yueniang outside the money shop. He learned that the Xue Ji who stole his business was actually the young lady from the Xinghua Restaurant who was behind the plot. He then had some evil thoughts.
He originally wanted to use some tricks to get Zhang Yueniang out and humiliate her severely. But he didn't know that this little bitch was so quick and actually got close to the young master of the Zhu family.
Who doesn't know Zhu Ming? He's the most extravagant young man in Lin'an City, a master at everything from horse racing and falconry to gambling and music.
He is also a man with a dark face and a cruel heart. If you make him angry, you will die without knowing how.
Zhang Yue Niang didn't dare to move, so she wanted to deal with the Jiang guy in Xinghua Restaurant.
One day, he came to the Song family in Tianshui Lane.
Mrs. Song Pan was holding a fat baby and shaking a rattle, which made a loud noise.
The child was about seven or eight months old. He was dressed so tightly that he looked like a fat ball, revealing only his snow-white face and a pair of big black eyes that looked like black grapes.
His little head chased the rattle around and around, giggling occasionally.
Mrs. Pan had a cruel temper, but after raising a child for a few months, her temperament had calmed down considerably. After listening to her brother's words, she said:
"Forget it, but it's just a little less money every year. Xue just needs to remember it. Your brother-in-law is on the rise right now, so it's better to have less trouble than more."
Although Pan Kai is a man, he is tough with his words but lenient with his hands.
The Pan family originally had only one or two small shops, but they grew and prospered under the leadership of his elder sister.
After his parents passed away, it seemed that he was in charge of these shops, but in fact, all major matters had to go through his elder sister's approval.
Sometimes, he felt it was a pity that his sister gave birth to a girl and suffered from infertility...
At this time, Pan Shi made a firm statement that he was not allowed to cause trouble for Xue Ji again. Although he agreed with his mouth, he was still dissatisfied in his heart and thought:
My sister mentioned Xueji, not Xinghua Restaurant. I'm not going to kill or set fire to anything, I'm just trying to make things difficult for you so that you can have a miserable New Year!
At that moment, he went to the gambling house and recruited a gambler named Yao. The two of them conspired for several days and made a plan.
The end of the year is here in a blink of an eye.
On New Year's Eve, many shops were closed, and Jiang Qinglan also wanted to close the shop early so that he could put up Spring Festival couplets, door gods, and perform sacrifices.
However, some old customers asked her to make a few dishes so that they could take them home to add to the New Year's Eve dinner.
In response to the demand, Xinghua Restaurant opened for the whole morning and served three dishes: pork belly stewed with bean curd, mutton and radish soup, and lotus root, kidney bean and pork trotter soup.
By the afternoon, after the Spring Festival couplets and door gods were posted and the red lanterns were hung, the whole place from the Lukui Courtyard to the Xinghua Restaurant was bustling with activity and looked brand new.
Jiang Qinglan, Wang Huiniang, Yingtao and Zheng Wang all joined in and soon prepared a set of banquets.
At this time, there are several must-eat dishes for people’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
One is the five spicy dishes, which include garlic, shallot, leek, moss and coriander, five kinds of spicy vegetables.
Firstly, it takes the homophony of “辛” (xin) and “新” (xin) to symbolize the beginning of the new year; secondly, its spicy taste is used to ward off evil spirits.
However, at that time, many people in Lin'an did not like spicy food, so gradually, the five-spice dish was replaced by the spring dish. Any vegetables can be placed on the dish, and fresh and tender vegetables are the best.
In addition, people in Lin'an love fish, and they must eat fish sashimi for the New Year's Eve dinner. Fresh sea bass is cut into fillets and placed on a plate, which means "abundance every year."
Jiang Qinglan has always been reluctant to eat raw food, so he settled for the next best thing and steamed a sea bass with shredded green onions, shredded young ginger and soy sauce.
The fish is tender and delicious as if it is oozing out of sweet juice.
Apples, tangerines, oranges and other fruits are indispensable. Even if they are not eaten, they should be placed there to smell the fragrance, also because their round shape symbolizes "reunion".
In addition to these, Jiang Qinglan also made a honey-glazed roast chicken based on the custom of her hometown - eating chicken during the Chinese New Year.
In addition, there is also sauerkraut and pork belly stewed with bean curd in the morning.
There is no particular rule among their family members that leftovers cannot be eaten on New Year's Eve. Instead, they all agree that this dish will be more flavorful and delicious if it is re-cooked.
For a moment, the round elm wood table in the main hall of the Lukui courtyard was crowded with a dazzling array of items.
Let's not talk about the jar of Tusu wine covered with red cloth. The wine seller, Mrs. Wu, said that it was the best jar her family had ever brewed, and Zheng Wang had brought it back a long time ago.
The rest of the meat dishes include honey-roasted chicken, steamed fish, and pork belly; the vegetarian spring plate includes radish, pea tips, and cabbage, which are juicy and look very fresh.
The dumplings made by Zheng Wang have thin skin and big fillings. Standing on the plate, they look like majestic generals.
I just don’t know which one tastes better, the cabbage and pork filling, or the carrot and beef filling, or the mutton and green onion filling.
In addition to candied fruits, there are two other kinds of fruits: bright yellow kumquats are piled on white glazed porcelain plates, while large, bright red lychees are placed in precious glass cups.
Both of these objects are round in shape, symbolizing reunion.
Jiang Qinglan asked curiously, "Where did the lychees come from?"
Lychees grow in midsummer, and now it is the middle of winter, so they are rare even in the warm Lingnan, let alone Lin'an.
Moreover, the lychees have bright skin and plump fruits, which can be seen as extraordinary.
Everyone was also unaware and looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Yingtao shrank her neck and whispered, "It was sent this afternoon by the boy named Mo Shan who was with Master Xie."
After saying that, she straightened her back again and raised her voice to emphasize, "I don't want it. He put it down and ran away. I couldn't catch up with him!"
Jiang Qinglan frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, a chubby little hand reached out, quickly grabbed a huge one, peeled it in two seconds, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Wow, wow, this lychee is so delicious! It's so sweet to my heart!" Tuantuan swallowed the lychee in a hurry and said with satisfaction.
Seeing that Jiang Qinglan was still sullen, Wang Huiniang quickly came out to smooth things over. She clapped her hands and said with a smile:
"It's New Year's, and people mean well. As the saying goes: Don't hit someone who smiles, and don't scold someone who gives you a gift. Besides, today's a day to be harmonious and peaceful. No one is allowed to frown or look angry!"
Yingtao, Zheng Wang, and Hu Zi understood what he meant and rushed to start the meal. You helped me pour the wine, I helped you pick up the dumplings, and the whole place was noisy and chaotic.
Tuan Tuan was the shortest person at the table, so he stood on the drum stool, stuck out his butt, and stretched out his chubby arms to grab the lychees.
Hu Zi was just about to open the lid of the casserole - inside was sauerkraut, pork belly and vermicelli stew.
The two hands collided with each other, neither of them gave in, and they almost made each other grimaced.
In the end, it was Wang Huiniang, who was sitting on the other side, who lifted the lid and the farce came to an end.
The food is so delicious that you can’t stop eating it once you start.
Hu Zi ate twenty dumplings in one go, and commented that the beef filling was juicy, tender and fragrant. The best part was that the aroma of the meat was accompanied by a hint of sweetness from the carrots, which was exactly what he wanted.
Cherry, however, liked the sauerkraut and pork belly stewed with vermicelli, saying she could never get tired of it no matter how many times she ate it.
She put the meat, vegetables, and the rich, salty soup on the rice, mixed it all together, and put it into her mouth. If Jiang Qinglan hadn't stopped her, she would have eaten three bowls in a row!
Tuantuan loves to eat pure sweet fruits. Now in the middle of winter, with snow falling outside, she is really happy to be able to eat sweet and juicy lychees.
The lychee shells piled up in front of her like a small mountain, at least a dozen of them. Finally, Jiang Qinglan removed the lychee bowl, and she took a few chopsticks of sea bass.
After the auspicious words were spoken, the wine was toasted, and the stomach was full, Jiang Qinglan stood up, took out a wooden box, cleared his throat and said:
"We've worked hard at the Xinghua Restaurant for a year, and now it's time to reap the rewards. Now..."
She paused, and seeing everyone's expectant faces, she smiled brightly and said loudly, "Start dividing the money!"
The first person to receive the red envelope was Wang Huiniang.
A thin silver note was tucked into a red paper packet. Wang Huiniang glanced at it, but was speechless and raised her hand to refuse.
Jiang Qinglan quickly held her hand down:
"Sister Hui, you can't. You get half of the money I earn. This amount is what we should do. Not just this year, but every year from now on, we will divide it this way."
Wang Huiniang was startled, her eyes almost red. How could such a silly girl like her be a shopkeeper like this?
Yingtao and Zheng Wang each received a bag of silver ingots with auspicious words on them. They were so happy that they bit them with their teeth.
Hu Zi and Tuan Tuan each received a string of lucky copper coins and a small gold lock engraved with "Peace Every Year". They hung around their necks, shining with gold.
After the money was distributed, everyone was in high spirits and smiling. Jiang Qinglan leaned close to Tuantuan's ear and whispered:
"Sister has a gift for you. In a few months, Sister will be able to buy our old house!"
When Tuantuan heard this, he jumped up with a cry, hugged Jiang Qinglan's fair neck, and gave her a big kiss.
Everyone laughed when they saw this, except Jiang Qinglan, whose face turned slightly red. He pointed at the dishes on the table and said, "Eat quickly, eat quickly. Let's eat our fill and get drunk tonight!"
Just at this moment, "Bang, bang, bang!", a series of rapid knocks on the door broke through the wind and snow outside, and resounded throughout the house like thunder.
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