Chapter 8 Eggplant and Green Beans: From what Lord Wang said, it seems Lin Wen'an is about to be summoned back to the capital.
In the Yao family's courtyard, the autumn wind carried a slight chill and crept up to her feet. Yao Ruyi placed the charcoal stove and benches by the courtyard gate, saving them for use the next morning.
By the time the tea eggs were sold out, the sky was already pitch black.
But judging by the time, it wasn't too late; it was just past 3:45 PM.
Before the three arrived, Yao Ruyi noticed that the alley was becoming less crowded and there were only six eggs left in the pot. So she turned back to the courtyard and helped Grandpa Yao into the room to rest. The old man had taken a nap at noon and had eaten sesame cakes and tea eggs around 3 PM, so he was full of energy. Sitting by the bed, he was still shouting in a strong voice, asking Ruyi to bring the students' homework from the desk so he could grade it.
They don't even recognize the people anymore, yet they're still thinking about grading homework.
She's truly destined to be a teacher.
Grandpa Yao had been on sick leave for two months, so what lessons could he possibly have to correct? Yao Ruyi rummaged through the old, worn-out desk in the room for a long time, and randomly picked out a yellowed article that was pressed at the very end of the pile of papers and books and handed it over, not caring whose it was.
Grandpa Yao sat up straight, got up from the bedside, sat at the table, and picked up the article to read it carefully.
The evening breeze rustled the loose windowpanes, and Grandpa Yao, engrossed in reading, straightened his back. Seeing his solemn expression, Yao Ruyi pursed her lips and left.
Back at the gate of the courtyard, ready to pack up her stall, she was unexpectedly lucky enough to run into three of Grandpa Yao's students, who bought up all the tea eggs she hadn't sold.
She was greatly encouraged. She sold a whole pot of eggs that day, fifty eggs, and made seventy-five coins after deducting costs.
Although it sounds like a small amount, this kind of small business is all about accumulating small profits. She plans to wait until Grandpa Yao goes to sleep, then take advantage of the night market opening to buy 150 eggs, marinate them overnight, and start selling them first thing tomorrow morning. That way, she can sell all day and earn more money.
Thinking it over, Yao Ruyi first carefully filtered the braising liquid used today through gauze. After filtering out impurities such as broken eggshells, tea stems, and cinnamon residue, the braising liquid would become clear again. She then added a small amount of new spices and a ladle of cooled boiled water, covered the pot, and placed it in a cool place. It could be boiled again the next day and reused.
The most important thing about aged braising liquid is nurturing it; after this filtering process, it can be reused three to five times. After that, half of it should be discarded to remove the impurities that have settled at the bottom, and then new braising ingredients and clean water should be added to re-mix it. As long as you pay attention to maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, and avoid oil and raw water from mixing into the braising liquid, this braising liquid will not spoil.
The braising liquid can be reused because frequent heating can kill bacteria, and the spices themselves also have antibacterial and preservative effects. For example, she remembered that she had specifically looked it up online before, and it said that there is something called fennel oil in Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, which has a very good preservative effect.
Later generations often have braised goose, duck and chicken shops claiming to have a century-old broth. This is because they have passed down the broth for generations. However, due to the constant dilution and adjustment, it is no longer the original broth. The recipe is the same, but it is just a marketing gimmick.
However, the braising liquid made from old braising broth is indeed very different.
My grandmother used to make the braising liquid for tea eggs the same way. While others bought ready-made spice packets, she insisted that her own was better. Actually, it was mainly because the spice packets were expensive, and the spices inside were often crushed, making it not worthwhile. At that time, Yao Ruyi was still young and a worrier. She thought the old lady was just being frugal and didn't want to waste the food, fearing it might cause health problems. She even went online to check and found out that there was such a reason, and it wasn't because it was unhygienic.
After preparing the braising liquid, Yao Ruyi hurriedly and clumsily tied her sleeves with her wristbands and began to prepare dinner. The trial sale had delayed them, making dinner a little late. Fortunately, Grandpa Yao had eaten something at noon, otherwise she would have been even more anxious.
She first broke the green beans into sections, then washed the eggplant, cut it in half, soaked it in well water, mixed a handful of kudzu root powder into a starch slurry, and then prepared the sauce: soy sauce, sugar, salt, and half a bowl of water; then she chopped some garlic, and it was ready to be stir-fried in a pan.
Today she planned to make a simple eggplant and green bean stew over rice to tide her over. The rice had already been steamed and was keeping warm in the pot, because she only needed to cook one dish, and it would be ready quickly.
Add coal briquettes and heat oil in a wok. First, sauté the green beans, then fry the eggplant until golden brown and soft. Remove the eggplant from the wok and sauté the green beans and eggplant together with minced garlic. Pour the prepared sauce over the green beans and eggplant, and pour it into the hot oil and wok. With a sizzling sound, the wok is filled with white steam and a rich, savory aroma. Then it's ready to serve.
When it was served, Yao Ruyi took a deep sniff. Although there was no chili, it was already fragrant enough.
The green beans are crisp and tender, and the eggplant is soft and glutinous. This dish is delicious with rice!
He turned around and found a rough porcelain bowl in the cupboard, filled it with a heaping amount of rice, pressed it down with a rice paddle, poured the rich, dark sauce over the rice, and then scooped up a large spoonful of stewed eggplant and green beans to top it. The aroma was so enticing that Yao Qizhao could smell it even before he brought it into the house.
He turned his large face around, still maintaining a reserved expression, but the tip of his nose kept twitching unconsciously.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry it's late today. We'll have dinner earlier tomorrow." Yao Ruyi pushed aside the mess of books and papers piled up on the table with her arm, and handed over the bamboo chopsticks with a smile. "Try it and see if these green beans are any good."
Yao Qizhao gripped the chopsticks with trembling hands. He knew it was delicious just from the smell, but he stubbornly muttered, "Green beans are just not good to eat."
But once he started eating, holding his rice bowl and burying his head in his chopsticks, slurping and munching faster and faster, Yao Ruyi didn't ask him if the green beans were to his liking. She simply poured a glass of water, placed it on the table, and then quickly left.
She also carried a full bowl of rice with toppings and ate while leaning against a pillar.
Just by watching Grandpa Yao eat, she knew she had learned well. Now, as she tasted it herself, she nodded in approval. The eggplant, soaked in oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, was so tender it seemed to melt in her mouth. The green beans were crisp and flavorful, and paired with a spoonful of rice infused with rich sauce, warmth quickly spread from her stomach to every part of her body.
Although it's just a simple rice bowl, it gives you a warm and satisfying feeling.
Before, at home, with a hardworking old lady like her grandmother around, she didn't have many opportunities to show off. Now that she's trying, cooking isn't difficult at all.
As the stars began to brighten from the eaves, she looked up, her eyes filled with hope, and ate heartily, mouthful after mouthful, until her cheeks bulged out.
She ate every single grain of rice in the bowl.
As her belly gradually swelled and warmed, Yao Ruyi let out a satisfied breath.
There is nothing more important in this world than being able to eat well and be full.
**
Just as the Yao family closed their doors for dinner, at the entrance of the alley near the Imperial College, servants were also carrying long bamboo poles to light lamps one after another. The night was deep, and apart from a few students in the Imperial College's dormitory singing loudly and out of tune while taking a bath, the alley was still quite quiet.
The autumn wind lingers and wanders through the alleys, stirring the lanterns on the eaves and doors of every house, casting warm light that makes the lantern shadows sway on the bluestone slabs.
The old soldier on duty propped his legs up on the messy table and leaned back in the creaking rattan armchair. He was peeling and eating tea-braised chicken eggs while humming a brothel tune. He was still lamenting that the shy young lady from the Yao family could actually swallow her pride and take on such a lowly job as a cart driver. It was clear that her family had fallen into dire straits.
Oh no! (Eek eek ya ya)
Just as they were singing, by sheer coincidence, someone suddenly appeared in front of the duty room and knocked on the window.
By this time, all the officials and scholars of the Imperial Academy should have finished their shifts. The old soldier hurriedly swallowed his egg, pushed the window open with his elbow, and impatiently poked his head out to look: "Who is it?"
A middle-aged woman with a long face and a headscarf stood by the window; upon closer inspection, she looked somewhat familiar.
With a coarse cloth apron around her waist and a mandarin fish with its gills threaded through with a straw rope in her hand, Wu hurriedly smiled obsequiously at the guard on duty: "Sir, you must have a bad memory. It's only been half a day, and you don't recognize me? I'm Dr. Yao's niece-in-law. I've been coming and going around here a lot lately. Take a closer look! I'm not lying!"
Then the soldier lazily slipped on his shoes and sauntered out, raising an oil lamp to look her up and down. Recognizing her, he asked, "What brings you here at this hour?"
Holding up the fish in her hand, Madam Wu laughed and said, "No matter what, we're still relatives. Blood is thicker than water. How can I really turn a blind eye to everything? I'm just worried. Oh, you don't know, my cousin's daughter never lifts a finger. She really can't do anything. I've been so anxious at home all day, not even knowing if the two of them have eaten yet. Luckily, we got a few fish, and my husband said, 'Never mind, never mind,' and told me to send one to my uncle too, to help him recover."
The soldier looked at her again. Wu was very thin, with a long face and two deep lines around her mouth when she smiled. She wasn't wearing thick clothes for autumn; a long, quilted blue cotton jacket hung down her body. Clearly, she wasn't carrying any knives, spears, or clubs. He waved his hand and let her in: "Go ahead."
Ms. Wu said "Ai" and walked into the dim night.
The Yao family's house was located at the deepest part of the alley, but halfway there she saw smoke rising from the Yao family's courtyard, swirling upwards and appearing and disappearing in the thick night. Wu's steps slowly came to a stop.
She looked up and stared at the wisps of smoke rising into the air for a while, then paused, quickly walked forward to the Yao family's gate. Sure enough, she could smell the aroma of rice and vegetables coming from inside the courtyard, and she could vaguely hear Yao Ruyi calling out to her grandfather, "Don't choke, eat slowly."
She stood in front of the door for a moment, then peeked through the crack, but could only see a blurry light. Could it be that a kind neighbor had come over to prepare a meal for her uncle's niece?
Most of the families living in this alley were officials, so Wu, the wife of a low-ranking clerk, became somewhat timid and hesitated.
After thinking for a moment, she tied the fresh fish to the copper ring on the Yao family's door, and without saying hello or going in, she turned and left.
Seeing her return so quickly, the soldier curiously peeked out again and said, "What? Dr. Yao and Miss Yao aren't home? That shouldn't be the case. Miss Yao was just selling braised chicken in front of the door. I saw the commotion and slipped out to buy a couple! Didn't you just say she never lifts a finger? I don't think so! She said she looked up a recipe in a book today and tried making it. And you know what? Her first attempt at braised chicken was really good. Alas, it's a pity that the daughter of a respectable official has fallen to this state..."
Upon hearing this, Wu's eyes widened in disbelief. She even looked up at the sky, but no red rain was falling.
Tea-braised chicken eggs? Made by Yao Ruyi? And she even sets up a stall?
How is that possible?
Wu was probably the person in the world who knew Yao Ruyi's temperament best!
A while ago, her grandfather suffered a stroke and was admitted to the clinic. Wu instructed her to steam several baskets of soft, easily melted thin flour pancakes every day and send them to the clinic with soup and rice. The girl would just lower her head, wipe away her tears, and remain silent. It was the same on ordinary days; to speak to her, you had to put your ear right up to her face to hear her faint, mosquito-like reply.
The cowardly, cowering look of her hiding in her turtle shell infuriated Wu. Later, the father and son were suffocated by coal smoke, and Yao Ruyi had a brush with death. When she woke up, her eyebrows and eyes seemed to be brighter than before, and she seemed to have some vitality, but she was still a mute. For more than ten days, she didn't respond much to anything you said to her.
I'm so angry that Wu has been taking three bottles of Xiaoyao pills in half a month!
Wu couldn't hide her surprise for a moment, but seeing the old soldier's increasingly inquisitive and amused face, she quickly suppressed her doubts, forced a smile, and said, "Thank you for your help," before leaving without replying.
As she walked, she kept thinking, and felt something was off all the way home. When she entered the house, she saw Yao Ji still calculating and sorting through the various miscellaneous accounts in the yamen under the lamp, so she swallowed her thoughts again.
Alas! The minor official in the yamen may look glamorous, but in reality, it's a miserable job where one has to work like a beast of burden. At the command of a superior, one has to run around until one's legs are worn out. If the imperial court needs to handle any important matters, then one doesn't even need to go home.
Not only must they be extremely respectful to their superiors and constantly offer gifts for holidays and birthdays, but they also have to be mindful of the proper etiquette towards their superiors' wives, concubines, and children. Madam Wu sighed. Her uncle used to scold Yao Ji for losing his way, spending his days scheming and engaging in crooked schemes. But how could the whole family survive without accepting offerings from others?
If those above eat them, they can only eat those below them; what can they do?
She shook her head, went to the kitchen to make a bowl of hot egg drop soup, and handed it to him on the table, saying gently, "My lord, please rest your eyes for a while."
Yao Ji put the pen down on the pen mountain, looked up at Wu Shi, and asked in surprise, "Why are you back so soon?" He thought Wu Shi was going to stay and help his uncle prepare meals and tidy up the house.
Wu, who had a lot to say, quickly grabbed a stool and eagerly poured out all the things she had heard about Yao's cooking smoke, tea-braised chicken, and the old soldier: "My lord, isn't it amazing? In just half a day, that taciturn girl has become so capable?"
Yao Ji was so busy with the calculations that she didn't pay much attention to it. She casually replied, "My uncle used to be a fifth-rank official, so he does have some books and ancient texts in his collection. Maybe she really found some recipes. Isn't that perfect? It saves us the trouble of worrying about it."
However, Ms. Wu still felt that something was not quite right.
Yao Ji was a man and busy with official duties. When Yao Ruyi stayed at his house before, he noticed that Yao Ruyi rarely spoke. However, Wu Shi dealt with Yao Ruyi every day, so she knew that Yao Ruyi was a wooden person who would only move when poked.
“No, I’ll go take another look tomorrow.” Madam Wu stood up, still very curious. “I want to see what kind of tea-braised chicken eggs they are.”
"Whatever you want." Yao Ji yawned, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion, when he suddenly remembered something important: "Oh right, Lin Wen'an from Fuzhou sent another letter to my uncle. Lord Wang personally delivered it and specifically asked me to pass it on. I almost forgot about it just now. Since you're going tomorrow, take it with you."
Wu's eyes lit up: "Is it that Lin Wen'an again, who calls the Emperor and the Prefect Wang brothers? He wrote again? This man is sentimental, treating his uncle like a father."
However, the words trailed off somewhat – every year, Lin Wen'an would send a letter to his uncle, along with a sum of money to his family, as payment for their help in looking after the Yao family.
So during this period, Dr. Yao suffered a stroke and was poisoned by coal smoke, almost losing his life. This made Mrs. Wu panic and unable to sleep at night. She not only took great care of Yao Qizhao and his grandson, but also didn't care about paying for their medicine.
Yao Ji hummed in agreement, pulled a thick letter from the drawer, and nodded solemnly: "From what Lord Wang said, it seems that Lin Wen'an is about to be summoned back to the capital. Given his talent and status as a former official of the Crown Prince... I dare to speculate that he will be given an important position."
Ms. Wu glanced at her husband and felt nervous.
"That's why I asked you to deliver the fish. There's no need to mention Yunniang's marriage or the past disagreements anymore. Just pretend they never happened, okay?" Yao Ji handed her the thick stack of letters and lowered his voice, "Although my uncle is suffering from a mental illness and his official position is in jeopardy, with such a protégé, our family will probably still have to rely on him in the future!"
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[Extra/Host Recruitment Notice]
Are there any little angels who would like to be extras in the book?
Students of the Imperial College, neighborhood children, partner suppliers, small animals (cats, dogs, geese, donkeys, birds), plants (trees, flowers, grass), etc. are all welcome.
You can leave your desired identity, ancient-style name, and personality in this chapter, and I'll try my best to incorporate them into suitable later plot developments. [Let me see!]
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April 11, 2025: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic participation! We have received 43 applications from our lucky followers. We are so touched!
I can't reply to all the comments, but I've recorded them all in a spreadsheet and even created a pivot table to check them.
Cats are definitely the most popular characters, haha! The animal section is filling up so fast! 2333
Aside from the donkey (I've decided to do it myself ==, the donkey will be called Xiaosong), there are enough other human extras.
When we expand the game's scope and need to add new characters, we'll solicit suggestions from everyone again.
——————Manual Deadline————————————
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