The fried tofu stall was built in a low thatched hut, surrounded by constant noise. Customers who were going up and down the mountain or passing by on the official road would stop by from time to time, but few people would come in. Si Li and Xiao Que had only been sitting there for a moment when they saw the same face walk past the stall three times. They looked around, not knowing what they were waiting for, and suddenly realized that this stall was interesting.
Fried tofu doesn't take long, and the small bowl with garlic and spicy aromas is placed on the table with a clang. The reddish-brown soup hangs on the round, golden tofu, dotted with finely chopped green onions. Even if Si Li was full, she could eat another bowl of rice just by smelling the aroma.
Si Li swallowed her saliva, stopped the old man who was delivering fried tofu, and asked, "Uncle, is there any food left at your stall? Why do people always come?"
The old man carefully placed the two bamboo sticks, stood up and said, "They are waiting for someone." He said half a sentence but refused to continue.
Unable to find out the reason, Si Li lowered her head again and saw Xiao Que reaching for the tofu with a bamboo skewer. Xiao Que awkwardly passed the last piece of tofu to her, "Miss, eat it. It's so delicious, I didn't notice..."
The little sparrows you leave behind should be kept as long as they can be eaten.
"It's okay." Si Li waved her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, leaned over to bite the tofu, got up and went out.
The spicy sauce is all over the crispy tofu skin. The moment you bite through the crispy skin, the tender and smooth tofu inside will flow into your mouth. The strong bean fragrance neutralizes the taste of the sauce, and the familiar dense and creamy taste is refreshing. I don't know if it's because I expected too much, I always feel that the taste of the sauce and the tofu itself are somewhat mismatched, and the tempting sauce has become the one that drags it down.
After walking a few steps, Si Li remembered where she had tasted this flavor before. In her previous life, when she traveled to Yunnan Province, a famous snack, Shiping tofu, had this flavor. However, Shiping tofu was mostly fried or grilled or made on an iron plate, served with dipping sauce. The two methods were delicious in their own way.
Xiao Que followed Si Li closely and said happily, "I have never eaten this before. Miss is so nice."
"This should be the way it is done in the southwest..." Si Li hadn't finished her words when she was bumped by a gray-clothed kid running quickly from the official road. Xiao Que said angrily, "What are you doing! How can you bump into someone when you come out!"
The middle-aged man who followed the gray-clothed boy to the fried tofu stall almost at the same time just happened to hear what Si Li said. He looked at them and said, "I see you know how to eat. Next time you come, remember to come at this time, so you can eat authentic scholar tofu. I won't tell you, the scholar's wife is very busy every day, you won't be able to get it if you try it."
Si Li recognized the middle-aged man as one of the people who had been circling in front of the stall but never entered. She saw him rushing in and surrounding the three-story stall in the blink of an eye. The one who was in the middle was the boy in gray who bumped into her. At this time, the boy in gray took a cloth to wrap his long hair again, put on an apron, and his gentle eyebrows were revealed. If it weren't for the dark circles under his eyes and the inconspicuous clothes that covered most of his face, no one would have mistaken her gender at first sight.
No wonder the middle-aged people call her the scholar's wife, she is clearly a young girl!
The old man who was guarding the stall stood aside with a smile on his face, staring at the gray-clothed girl's hand movements. The gleam in his eyes made people frown unconsciously.
The scholar's wife held the wok in her left hand and sizzled the oil with her right hand. The sizzling sound of the oil was crisp and loud, and a salty and fresh meaty aroma spread. Si Li wanted to try what the scholar's tofu, which was sought after by so many people, tasted like, but when she thought about the ninety-odd copper coins in her pocket that she had just used to pay with silver coins and her hungry stomach, she finally gave up the idea.
She had seen before that a bowl of noodles with fried soybean paste cost twenty cents. If she ate at street stalls all the time, the money would only last her two days. She couldn't even imagine the charges at the obviously more upscale tile-roofed restaurants.
A penny can make a hero lose his life, so eating is the first priority. Si Li, who had no intention of going back to the manor to have porridge, bought a bowl of fried noodles with soybean paste and shared it with Xiao Que. When the sunlight was not too glaring, he walked back to the manor from the official road on the sunny side of the mountain. There were many tourists on the official road, and after listening to the excitement for a while, he learned that there would be a Buddhist meeting at Guangji Temple in ten days, where people would give lectures and watch chrysanthemums. There would be a big event to watch.
If you have a stall at home, this is obviously a good opportunity to make money.
However, Si Li and Xiao Que together only have 200 copper plates. The system's prompt to be down-to-earth is correct. Although Ning Chao's cook is quite respected, with her current cooking skills that can even make porridge mushy, she should just forget about it.
Before leaving, Si Li greeted the farm gatekeeper. When the wrinkled, toothless old lady saw her coming back, she smiled and clapped her hands, "Much prettier, much prettier."
Qinglian, who was guarding the door, rushed over and tried to pull Si Li's sleeve but was stopped by Xiaoque. She could only angrily ask through the other person, "Where have you been? Don't you know that you are sick and need to take medicine? Why are you running around everywhere?"
Si Li smiled and nodded at the old lady, then turned to Qing Lian with a cold face, "I was kind enough to let you rest, I cooked meals for you, and I didn't let you follow me when I went out, so how come I am blamed?"
The front of the farm was a place where tenants and stewards came and went. At this time, Si Li's simple words made the passing farmers look at Qinglian strangely.
There had been no accidents in the manor for many years. The drowning four days ago was scary enough. Many people recognized Si Li, who was rescued by Xiao Que alone. If you listen to the meaning of the words, it is clear that the servant in front of him is a wicked servant who bullies the kindness of the master! Looking at the red face of the eldest lady now, and thinking about her unconscious appearance lying on the back of the little girl four days ago, the simple-minded tenants can't help but sigh that they are lucky.
Qinglian felt a little embarrassed to be looked at, but when she thought of the arrogant face of the medicine boy beside Doctor Chen at noon, she was furious. If Si Li hadn't hidden away, why would the medicine boy come to her with the medicine soup to ask for the money for the consultation? Although she took the silver, she didn't have so much money for the medicine, but the medicine boy wanted to squeeze her greed, which was really hateful!
"It's because you didn't take your medicine and ran around. What if something happens?" Qinglian thought about the words Qingyu taught her before she came out, and accused him in a vicious voice, but she didn't notice that the people around her looked at her even more strangely.
The eldest lady is not a child, and she has a maid with her. Does the master need to tell the maid in advance where she is going? This accusation is really unreasonable.
"That's all." Steward Wang stepped out with a sullen face. "It's good that Miss is back. Doctor Chen has already prepared some medicine and is waiting for her."
Si Li was quick to notice that Manager Wang's attitude had plummeted, so she followed her obediently, smiling and explaining, "The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon, so I went out for a few more steps. I'm sorry that Manager Wang was worried."
Manager Wang paused, sighed, and took a half step back to let Si Li walk ahead.
Qinglian still felt aggrieved and walked quickly in front, as if she was the master.
The last bit of anger in Wang's heart disappeared. What was she arguing with this child? Previously, Qingyu's two maids and Doctor Chen had a big fight in front of her for the medicine money and monthly allowance allocated by the mansion. Although she was annoyed that Si Li couldn't control the maids, she also knew that no one had taught Si Li these things. She was just a lady in name only, so it was not her fault that the maids were unruly.
The four of them walked forward and met the medicine boy who was sent out by Doctor Chen to run errands. Si Li looked at the medicine boy's face that quickly darkened when he met Qinglian, and knew that the temptation of Doctor Chen yesterday had worked, and the two maids must have suffered. No wonder Qinglian looked so hurt.
It's good to feel pain in the flesh. Only when it hurts will you know to run away. The original owner is a weak person and cannot do anything to chase others away.
The smile flashed across her lips and then disappeared. Si Li did not ask Qinglian what happened all the way. This made Qinglian, who was used to the ladies being humble and coaxing her just to get her to stay, quite uncomfortable.
The courtyard where they lived was on the east side of the farm, far from the threshing ground and the warehouse. It was a quiet place with few people. The servants and the master were all out, making it even more deserted. Si Li stepped into the courtyard. The rattan chair she had sat on in the morning was still in the middle of the courtyard, and no one had cleaned it up. The small copper stove with a clay pot on it was emitting sparks under the eaves of the small kitchen. A bitter smell of medicine hit her in the face.
Before the maids in the courtyard started to work, Si Li stepped forward with a small spoon to skim off the foam on the medicine soup after it had been boiled for a long time. She glanced at the copper stove and frowned in embarrassment. "Butler, please wait a moment. I'll take the bowl and drink the medicine and then come back to talk."
This was not something the original owner could say, but it seemed natural to Steward Wang. Si Li walked into the small kitchen and saw, as expected, the plate of failed cold cucumber salad still on the stove.
Taking out the bowl, Si Li said in surprise, without waiting for Qinglian to take the opportunity to blame her, "Why didn't you eat the food I left for you? I'm sorry, I made you worry." As she spoke, she suddenly started coughing, her eyes red.
Qinglian had been tormented by her and these cucumbers since she got up early. She was stumped by the question and glared at her unhappily, thinking, "Don't you know why I didn't eat them? They are so sour, how can anyone eat them?"
Qingyu heard the voices coming out of the courtyard, and saw the slight disgust on the face of Wang Guanshi as he looked at Qinglian. It was not the turn of the farm manager to discipline the maids in their house, but if Wang Guanshi complained to the lady, they would have to bear it. It was too late to show off now. Qingyu felt a little depressed, and took two steps forward to grab Si Li's hand, but she took a tiny step back to avoid him.
The young girl's somewhat panicked and aggrieved look fell into the eyes of Steward Wang. She couldn't help but cough lightly, "This is a reward from the master. Are you keeping it to worship it?" They dared to treat the young lady like this in front of outsiders, and who knows how they would deal with it in private. It's just a child, like a dough, not fighting or fighting, how could the lady bear it.
Although he thought so, Steward Wang would not say it out loud. He suppressed his dislike for the two maids and said softly, "Young lady, are you learning how to cook vegetarian food? If you want to eat it, just ask someone to buy it. Don't tire yourself out."
This is a good excuse. Si Li bit her lip and nodded slightly, then shook her head, "I came to Guangji Temple to pray for my mother, so it is most sincere to make it myself and offer it on the table." Praying for blessings, but she also needs her good stepmother to be able to bear it.
Manager Wang suddenly remembered that the eldest daughter's biological mother, Jian, bought this farm because it was close to Guangji Temple and convenient for worshiping Buddha. For a moment, the image of the woman with a slightly protruding belly, who took her to clean the farm and talked about the baby in her belly with a gentle smile, and the weak appearance of the girl in front of him were somewhat similar, and Manager Wang felt sad.
Si Li looked at the expression of Wang Guanshi who was so moved that he cried, and her heart was not disturbed. To be so moved, the "mother" that the Guanshi thought of should not be the current Prime Minister's wife. But if it was the original owner's biological mother, Jian, even the original owner's memory of her was very vague, and there was only a painting in the study of his cheap father that he saw when he was a child. Not to mention the two uncles from his mother's side, one of whom he hadn't seen for many years, and one of whom was out of his mind and only wanted Si Tang, it was better to have no uncles.
There are almost no traces of Prime Minister Si's original wife in this world. Before Si Li came, Steward Wang had never treated the original owner better because of Jian. It is too late for him to show any emotion now.
However, with the help of Jian's filter, maybe I can trick someone into accepting it? Si Li smiled and said, "Since the manager is here, let him try my cooking skills."
Having learned from her previous failure, Si Li carefully cut the cucumber into pieces and smashed it, then mixed it with mashed garlic and a relatively small amount of vinegar and served it on a plate.
[System: Ding Dong, a plate of cucumber salad with poor knife skills and too much vinegar, achievement point +1.]
This time, the small green words above the dish finally did not carry the note of a failed product. Before Si Li took the dish out, she saw Manager Wang, who came in with her, impatiently leaned over and took a bite with his chopsticks.
[System: Novice Mission 3 has been completed. Please check the recipe unlocking status by yourself. The character viewing function has been turned on. Please explore and use it by yourself.]
"It's delicious. The cooking skills are really good!"
Manager Wang's exclamation and the system prompt sounded together. Si Li looked at Qingyu Qinglian's faces, who were filled with doubt about life, and couldn't help laughing out loud.
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The author has something to say:
Shiping tofu, I've eaten it in Yunnan Province. It will burst when baked on the stone slab (?). It tastes great when sprinkled with dipping powder or just cumin powder. Now they are available in large bags and can be bought directly online.