8 Braised Tofu
◎So handsome, I was stunned◎
Xie Linchuan was sleeping soundly, dreaming that he was in the Cuju final between Qiyun Club and the Flame Team, about to do a bicycle kick, when he heard someone calling him.
He managed to lift his heavy head, took a quick look, and saw two girls, one big and one small. He lowered his head again and asked, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Qinglan didn't see the man's face clearly, but he thought his voice was quite pleasant. Seeing that he lay down again, looking lazy and idle, he could only say:
"I'm here to get a dental certificate. I saw a sign outside this room that said 'dental certificate,' so I came in."
Xie Linchuan pointed his finger, indicating that she was outside the door.
But Jiang Qinglan was puzzled. There was no staff outside the door. Just as he was about to ask again, a young man holding up a green robe ran in quickly.
"Madam, are you here to get a dental certificate?" The man had a round face with a smile on his face, and looked very friendly.
Jiang Qinglan's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the urban management officer who chased her out of Jianlong Temple the day before? Fortunately, he didn't recognize her, so she forced a smile and said, "That's right."
"Please sit here, my lady," the man said, leading her to another desk in the room. They sat down, and the young man was about to grab a pen and paper when he saw how lovely Tuan Tuan was. He pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket. "Here, little girl, have some candy."
Oh, not only did this urban management officer not think of her tax evasion, he was actually quite approachable! Jiang Qinglan was overjoyed.
Tuantuan smiled sweetly: "Thank you, brother."
"No thanks, no thanks." After saying this, the young man turned to Jiang Qinglan and said, "My last name is Yang, you can just call me Yang Langjun." He spread out the paper, dipped it in ink, and prepared to write. He asked, "What is your name, where do you live, and what kind of certificate do you want to make?"
Jiang Qinglan thought to himself, "This civil servant is really good. This is the Ministry of Finance. Most people would like to be addressed by their official title, like Director Yang or Officer Yang. But this person just calls him 'Lang Jun', which shows that he doesn't like official language."
She then spoke clearly, "My surname is Jiang, and my name is Qinglan. I am currently staying at Qinglian Temple in the city. I am trying to get a dental appointment."
"Oh, this is not easy to handle." Yang Langjun put down his pen and explained in detail.
"First, to apply for a dietary dental certificate, you must first go to a clinic in the city to get a certificate proving that you are disease-free."
"Secondly, my wife doesn't have a fixed residence yet, so she needs a guarantor who owns a house. Only after he signs the guarantee letter can you get the certificate."
"That's it..." Jiang Qinglan stammered.
In fact, she was mentally prepared and did not plan to get the business license in one go. In her previous life, information was so developed that she had to make several trips to get it.
Yang Langjun looked at her expression and said:
"I see you're a novice, so let me explain the different types of dental plasters to you. Go back and think about it. Next time, get the plaster from the doctor and the guarantor's letter and get it done directly, so you don't have to make another trip."
Jiang Qinglan nodded, and in his heart he praised this considerate civil servant.
"We have several types of dental plasters here. There are luxury, standard, and compact types. My wife is just starting out in the business, so she can just choose the compact type."
"In addition to the difference in specifications, there is also the difference between fixed and mobile."
"The fixed stalls are different in different places. For example, the compact stalls in Zhongwa are three coins a month. In more remote places, like Yuhangmen, the price is cheaper, one coin. The price is determined by the location."
"The other kind of traveling stall costs four qian of silver a month. It doesn't matter where it is, Zhongwa, by the West Lake, by the Qiantang Lake, at the Zhouqiao night market. As long as there's a stall set up by an official from our Lin'an Prefecture, you can use it."
In fact, Zhongwa was the most prosperous place in Lin'an City. The stalls here only cost three coins of silver, while the mobile stalls cost four coins, which was a bit uneconomical. But Jiang Qinglan had different plans and asked, "Are there any official stalls at the Cuju stadium?"
"Yes, there are, but Cuju fields usually sell things like melon seeds and drinks, and they all have their own dedicated vendors. Ours is a government-run field, so we don't rent it out much."
Jiang Qinglan nodded. It seemed she had been overly simplistic. According to Yang Langjun, the Cuju field had practically a monopoly on sales. But she had to go and see what it was like.
Yang Langjun added: "Another point, if merchants actively pay the tooth sticker fee, they can also participate in the lottery."
"Lottery?" Jiang Qinglan was very surprised. This Song Dynasty's Finance Department really knew how to have fun.
"That's right." Yang Langjun said with a smile, "The office has one free spot every month. Anyone who has paid their dental fees on time and in full for twelve months can enter the lottery. Just now, a girl like you won."
Jiang Qinglan then realized that the commotion in the yard outside was actually because of this matter. He praised this ingenious idea and thanked Yang Langjun for his detailed introduction.
The chubby-faced civil servant Yang felt embarrassed and blushed.
While the conversation over there was lively, Xie Linchuan was extremely bored.
He was dreaming sweet dreams, but Jiang Qinglan woke him up, so he had no choice but to flip through the account book. Suddenly, the words "cuju" came into his ears, and he was instantly alert and stood up.
The girl was wearing a tea-white narrow-sleeved cloth jacket and a grass-green folded long skirt. There was no decoration on her head at all, but her eyes were as clear as a spring, and she seemed to be thinking very much.
She was holding the little girl with a round face and walking towards the door.
Xie Linchuan thought to himself: She looks like an ordinary merchant girl, I wonder what her relationship is with Cuju.
When Jiang Qinglan got up from that side, she saw that the relative who had just been sleeping had stood up. She had to pass by him if she wanted to go out, so she had to say hello to him.
He was indeed very tall, and the narrow purple color was not only on the hem of his robe, but also on the round collar and cuffs, which made him look very heroic.
As she approached, she looked up, saw his face clearly, nodded, and her ears reddened slightly. She pulled Tuantuan to go faster. But Tuantuan stood frozen, his face flushed, his eyes fixed, his mouth slightly open, completely transfixed.
Jiang Qinglan was embarrassed and exerted all his strength, half dragging and half pulling the man away.
After leaving the Lin'an government office, Tuantuan was still not satisfied: "Sister, that brother just now was so handsome."
When the little girl talked about it, her face was red, her eyes were full of stars, and she looked like a fangirl.
Jiang Qinglan tapped her head gently: "Mr. Yang gave you candy, but you never praised him."
"Mr. Yang's candy is sweet, but he's not good-looking." What bad intentions could a child have? What he blurted out was the truth.
Jiang Qinglan covered her mouth and laughed, feeling that Yang Langjun's candy was not worth it, but she also admitted that the man with connections was indeed good-looking.
People at that time valued literature and had a more feminine aesthetic, and it was common to see men wearing flowers in their hair and applying powder.
But the person today has a natural, undecorated good look. His eyes and nose are just right. Any more or less would make him imperfect.
Phryne of ancient Greece was acquitted in court because she was too beautiful - people are always more tolerant of those who are good-looking.
Jiang Qinglan thought, sleeping at work... just sleep, after all, I'm good-looking.
…
After they left the government office, they did not go back to Qinglian Temple directly. Instead, they went to the clinic to see a doctor and received a certificate stating that they were not suffering from any epidemic disease.
She also asked a street calligrapher to draft a guarantee letter for her. In fact, as a top student of ancient literature, Jiang Qinglan could also write calligraphy, and her writing was not bad. However, she could recognize traditional Chinese characters but could not write them, and she was afraid that it would be exposed as soon as she started writing.
The original body's family was a scholarly family, so of course they would teach their daughter to write. Tuan Tuan asked her why she didn't write by herself, and she said that she had injured her brain when she fainted at Lu's house, and she couldn't remember many words. The child was simple-minded and didn't doubt it.
After getting the doctor's note and letter of guarantee, and buying some daily necessities, he returned to Qinglian Temple.
As I walked down the street, I saw someone selling cherries. Each one was small, and the flesh was as red as agate. They looked very cute against the backdrop of two small green leaves.
Cherries are delicate. As soon as they turn red on the tree, birds eat most of them. They have to be carefully picked and transported, and half of them are lost again. Only the few that are left can be sold, and they cannot be kept for long, as they will go bad in a few days.
Therefore, the price of cherries has always been very high. After the Tang Dynasty scholars passed the imperial examination, there was a tradition of inviting them to a "cherry banquet", but this was only for high-ranking officials and nobles, and poor candidates could not afford it.
Cherries are expensive, but they're so delicate and beautiful, and with a little packaging, you can sell them for several times the profit. I've been eating fried chicken out lately, moving house, and paying for dental implants, so I'm spending more than I'm making, so I need to think about earning some extra cash.
Jiang Qinglan gritted his teeth, spent money to buy a lot of cherries, and decided to go to Zhongwa to try it out tonight.
After returning to Qinglian Temple and properly placing the precious cherries, Jiang Qinglan began to cook dinner. She had walked a lot today and needed protein, but she couldn't eat meat in the temple, so she had an idea and bought some tofu to stir-fry.
Compared to modern tofu, the tofu at this time was darker, had more pores, and looked rougher.
Fortunately, the production technology has become very popular, so the small piece of tofu eaten by the two sisters only costs three cents.
Although it is cheap, its nutritional value is not low. Tofu is made from soybeans and is rich in plant protein. It is an important source of protein for vegetarians. Therefore, tofu was also added to the stew at Jianlong Temple that day.
Generally, when making braised tofu in restaurants, they focus on making it tender but not mushy. That is, the tofu has a smooth texture but is still in the shape of small cubes and is not broken into pieces.
But Jiang Qinglan’s homemade braised tofu is different. She deliberately fries it into small pieces and turns it into tofu dregs.
This is because tofu itself has a bland taste and needs to be enhanced by seasonings such as bean paste, Sichuan pepper powder, and soy sauce.
The softer it is fried, the deeper the flavor. Therefore, although Jiang Qinglan's braised tofu does not look good, it is extremely popular.
Heat oil in a pan, add bean paste and crushed garlic sprouts. The two seasonings will make the hot oil smell delicious.
Since the two sisters were eating it themselves, Jiang Qinglan was too lazy to fry the tofu carefully with her hands. She just slid the whole piece of tofu into the hot oil and stir-fried it with a spatula.
The water-containing tofu is put into the hot oil, making a sizzling sound and fried until it is all mushy. Then some soy sauce and garlic sprouts are added, and the tofu dregs instantly turn yellow-brown, dotted with green garlic sprouts, which greatly increases appetite.
This is not the end yet, there is still an extremely critical part - thickening the water with starch.
This is a skillful process. If you add too much, not only will the pan get burnt, but the tofu will also be watery and unpalatable. If you add too little, the tofu won't be smooth and tender enough, and the texture will be lacking. Success depends entirely on the chef's experience.
Jiang Qinglan was used to making this. He just made some sauce, slid it into the pot along the vegetables, shoveled it evenly and removed it from the pot. The braised tofu was ready.
According to Jiang Qinglan himself, it lacked a little bit of bean paste, so the color was not red enough and the taste lacked mellowness.
But there were no chili peppers in this era, only similar Sichuan peppers, and the taste was still a little different.
She herself was not satisfied, but another diner, Tuan Tuan, seemed to think otherwise.
She scooped up the tofu dregs with a spoon and covered the rice with them, soaking every grain of rice in the reddish-brown oil. She mixed it with chopsticks and began to eat, praising him timidly, "Sister, your cooking is getting better and better."
Jiang Qinglan remembered that the original body's cooking skills were decent, and said quickly:
"The doctor said that people whose brains have been stimulated will experience some changes. After my sister fainted last time, she's not very good at writing or embroidering, but she seems to be getting better at cooking. I wonder if that's the case."
Tuan Tuan is young, so his appetite comes first: "That's great, Sister, you should get better at cooking!"
Jiang Qinglan smiled, thinking: Children are so easy to deceive. Then he thought of Yang Langjun's candy - he had to go to the government office tomorrow.
At this time, Yang Langjun was about to finish his shift. He sorted out the account books and business cards, stretched himself, and stood up: Oh, I'm exhausted today, I'm going home to eat.
Just as he was about to lock the small door, he suddenly saw the director walking towards him hurriedly, and walking with him was - the prefect!
Yang Langjun stepped aside and bowed deeply.
"Yang Song, come here, the prefect has something to ask you." The director said seriously.
Zhao Fuyin stood in front of Xie Linchuan's desk and said, "This is Xie—" He immediately changed his tone and said, "Mr. Yan's documents?"
The King of Dongping had previously instructed that his youngest son, who was to come to the Ministry of Finance for training, should keep a low profile and even change his surname to "Yan" (a radical of "Xie"), to avoid being recognized.
Yang Song said: "Exactly."
"Mr. Yan is on duty today. How is your work going?"
"Uh...this..." Yang Song stammered.
The director frowned and said angrily, "What are you talking about? The prefect is asking questions, answer truthfully!"
Yang Song blurted out:
"Lord Yan came in the morning, wandered around for a bit, and then fell asleep on his desk. I even served him tea."
"He went out on horseback at noon. He came back in the afternoon and kicked the osmanthus trees in the yard vigorously. Then he fell asleep at his desk. I gave him tea again. Just now, he rode away on his horse."
The director muttered to himself: No wonder his osmanthus tree is wilting and its leaves are almost gone.
Zhao Fuyin was stunned for a moment, then slapped the director on the shoulder, frightening him so much that he shuddered. He himself laughed out loud: "Sleep well, sleep well."
Then he said to Yang Song, "Let's do it this way from now on. You do your thing, he does his. It's okay to sleep or kick a tree. As long as they don't cause trouble, anything is fine."
Looking around coldly, not a single person was around, he asked the director, "Is he the only one in the Finance Department?"
The director said hurriedly, "No, no. I received the news from you the other day and immediately made preparations. I transferred a few of the stupid ones away. This Yang Langjun is the most reliable. Tomorrow, a few more reliable ones will be transferred here."
Zhao Fuyin nodded: "Well done!"
After the prefect and the director left, Yang Song wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought to himself: Who is this Mr. Yan, that the prefect has to personally ask about him? Could it be... could it be a prince?
In the past, there were princes who came to the Lin'an Prefecture Office for training, but they had never been to a small place like the Finance Department.
Thinking of this, he sweated even more on his forehead.
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