Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Update.
Ji Xu returned to the inn from the East Market, tied her hair into a bun, and changed into her woman's clothes.
Ji Feng was curious for a moment. She said, "Wang Ye has been captured and taken back to the prefectural governor's mansion. It's hard to get any information about him. I'm afraid we'll have to go inside the mansion to see him. So we need to find a good way to get inside."
When she came back this time, she bought fifty fresh eggs from an old farmer and planned to use them in the inn's kitchen.
It was noon, and not many people were downstairs. The waiter was dozing at the counter. Hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, he asked as if nothing had happened. "What delicious food will Xulang make today?"
When he saw the person passing by clearly, his eyes widened, "Xu...Xu...are you a girl?"
Ji Xu no longer lowered his voice deliberately and said with a smile:
"I'll cook some eggs for your convenience while you're out and about. I'll have some for you later."
During the two days she lived there, she often used the kitchen and became familiar with it. She first boiled the eggs, cracked them around with a small spoon, and then added five cents of salt and a pinch of coarse tea leaves.
She also bought this tea in the East Market. The vendors were shouting "Bashu tea, Bashu tea" and selling it at an extremely high price. She only picked some local coarse tea with older tea stems to save some money, and also added a penny of spices.
Cook it on low heat for half an hour until the juice turns into a thick sauce color, then soak it until the afternoon.
It is said that the shop boy had tasted Ji Xu's cooking skills and often gave her favors. He usually walked away after smelling the fragrance, but now he knew she was a girl, he didn't dare to get close to her.
Besides, he thought: Boiled eggs? It's not something I haven't eaten before.
He did not take it seriously at first, until Ji Xu picked up his basket and left two beside him before going to the East Market in the afternoon.
When he took a look, he found that they were all broken shells, and the shells had been soaked into a thick sauce color by something unknown.
He peeled it open easily, revealing the amber-like lines inside, and took a bite.
Fragrant! An indescribable fragrance!
How can boiled chicken taste so good?
Speaking of Ji Xu, she came to the East Market again. It was dusk and the market was crowded with people and cars. She cleverly blended in with them and sold eggs for three cents each.
Of course, just like the tofu sellers in the past, they still had to avoid the patrolling market officials.
One is to earn some money for travel; the other is to find out the news from the county magistrate's office, which is also the most important thing now.
"Madam, try the tea eggs," she asked.
Because I just found out that if you just say boiled eggs, most people won’t even look at them, but if you say tea eggs, they will find it fresh.
At that time, only a few people brewed and drank tea. Ordinary people could not afford tea leaves and did not know the tricks of brewing tea. They could accept the price of three cents for a can of tea eggs and bought some to try.
"Tea chicken?"
The broker who often did business with Mrs. Lai in the county magistrate's office was also surprised when he heard this, so he said,
"Give me one to try."
I looked around at it first, and then I took a bite. I liked the taste very much, so I asked:
"Where is this cooking method? You don't sound like you're from Zhuo County."
Ji Xu said, "This is a plan I came up with myself. I'll sell some to support my family. But a small business like ours can't compare to your big business."
The trafficker ate one, and Ji Xu gave her another, praising her for her wealthy appearance.
She pointed to the cattle, sheep, and slaves in the pen and said, "I've been doing this for a long time."
"Yes, I think you can handle the county magistrate's business. Mrs. Lai came here and talked and laughed. I've been thinking about the county magistrate's mansion every day. If I can find a job there, I won't have to worry about money."
The trafficker said, "That's right, but I advise you to just keep selling your tea eggs. Not everyone can enter the county magistrate's office. Are you a hairdresser from Chang'an? Or a chef from the Western Regions?"
Without that special skill, don't even think about getting into the county magistrate's office. Those jobs that anyone can do, they can come to me and buy some big slaves to take back, isn't that a bargain?"
At the end, he pulled Ji Xu aside, looked her up and down, and said, "You're clean and fair, and you look good. If you really need money, sell her to me. I'll give you a good price and send you to the county magistrate's mansion! Maybe one of his sons will take a fancy to you and take you as his wife."
Ji Xu felt as if a poisonous snake was sticking its tongue out at her, goose bumps instantly appeared on her skin. She pulled her hand back and said:
“It’s not that bad.”
"Look at you, your face has changed. As long as I find you a good master, it doesn't matter if you become a slave or a maid. Nowadays, there are laws that prohibit masters from killing slaves without permission. Otherwise, the master will be reported to the authorities and punished."
No matter what, you can't lose your registered household status just to get into the county magistrate's office. Although the master cannot kill slaves at will, according to the law, if a slave makes a mistake, it must be reported to the government, and the slave can only be killed after being convicted by the government. This is called "谒杀".
Otherwise it would be considered as unauthorized killing, and unauthorized killing of slaves would be punishable. In history, there were also Han Dynasty officials who were impeached for unauthorized killing of slaves.
But if the master is a high-ranking official with a rank of 2,000 stones, the killing is just a formality, and there are too many reasons to explain the death of a slave.
After all, slaves are the private property of their masters, and their status and treatment depend on whether they are respected by their masters.
If you gain face, you are the wife of blame. Otherwise, the fate depends entirely on whether the master has accumulated good deeds.
It was absolutely impossible for Ji Xu to be a slave. If he persuaded others to become slaves, he would be struck by lightning. He would not pretend to be nice to her. He sold himself while going to other places to gather information.
A wine seller ate her eggs and said:
"There used to be a Hu chef in the prefecture who was very good at cooking lamb. He used to come to my place to buy wine, but he came for the last time last month and said he would not be cooking here anymore and would be returning to his old client in Chang'an.
I heard that Mrs. Lai also likes the lamb stomach he makes. If you can cook lamb, you can be like that chef Hu and be hired by the county magistrate's office. The monthly salary is higher than that of ordinary people!
All the tea eggs were sold out that day. After deducting the food for his sisters and the money he gave them for getting information, Ji Xu earned 130 coins.
Although this money is not enough for a day's rent, it is better than nothing and can help to supplement the rent.
Before leaving, he had thought that the tofu shop at home was a backup and that he could still make some money every month. If he was really short of money, he would write a letter as agreed and ask the Chen family to ask the garrison car team serving in the county to ask someone they knew and who was reliable to take the money to the north.
However, when passing Shouchun on the way from Wuxian to Pengcheng, we saw Wang Tofu, Li Tofu, and many other tofu shops.
Perhaps the King of Huainan really invented tofu by accident while refining elixirs. There are many tofu shops in Shouchun, and there are also some in Hefei. It is not an exclusive secret recipe. It seems that it is only a matter of time before it spreads to their hometown.
Therefore, the tofu shop is not a long-term support, so Ji Feng has to save money extra along the way. She should also think of other ways to make money, and at the same time she has to find out the whereabouts of Tian.
"What did sister buy? It doesn't look like meat, it's slippery."
In the courtyard of the inn, Ji Feng was feeding the cows when she saw Ji Xu coming back with a bunch of things that smelled strongly of fishy food.
"It's sheep stomach."
And some spices, she said,
"Make the lamb stomach jerky of Chang'an. This kind of food is very popular in Chang'an."
Although she often uses Chang'an as a pretext, this time she is definitely not lying.
Sheep stomach, which was later called sheep tripe, was also very popular among the people at that time. There was even a family called Zhuo who was famous for selling sheep stomach jerky.
When Ji Xu was a slave in the palace, she also saw the eunuch ordering people to stew sheep stomachs. Even the nobles liked to eat them. At that time, she was burning fire by the stove, and her stomach was growling with greed. She could only pick some radish sprouts and cook them to fill her stomach after finishing her shift.
It’s different now. She can cook it herself and she still remembers the method used by the eunuchs in the palace.
First, boil the sheep stomach in soup until it is rotten. This is how the sheep stomach jerky is called. Then apply pepper and ginger on it and dry it in the sun. The sheep stomach jerky is ready.
She improved this method by first making soup with large bones and then breaking down the sheep stomach.
Sheep have four stomachs, commonly known as the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The one she bought also came with a piece of food, which had a harder texture and was a little difficult to chew.
When these four stomachs are turned over and washed, the rumen is hairy and the meat in this part is thin and slightly old, with a crispy texture. The famous fried tripe, belly plate and belly collar in later generations come from this stomach.
There is a peak of meat that must be specially picked out. This piece of meat is fat, and after removing the skin, it becomes the belly, which is very tender and precious.
Connected to the rumen is the reticulum, also called the honeycomb stomach, which is mesh-like and looks like a gourd when lifted.
The omasum is divided into lobes, which are cut relatively thinly and taste crispy and tender.
These parts are different, and the length of time they are boiled in the soup is also different. Some rumen parts that are difficult to chew will retain the same texture no matter how long they are boiled. You want to eat them with the chewiness and the feeling of swallowing them raw. Other parts must retain the crispness, especially the precious tripe. It would be a pity to boil them too long.
The seasoning is also prepared by myself, and the finishing is done according to the Taiguan method. The smell is intoxicating.
"It's delicious. The belly is crispy and chewy."
Ji Feng tasted it and praised it, and Ji Xu also ate it to satisfy her craving, which also comforted her for her past life in the palace.
The next day, Ji Xu carried a basket and wandered around the corner gate of the county magistrate's mansion.
"Rotten sheep stomach, rotten sheep stomach from Chang'an, eating it makes you feel like a living god, eating it brings prosperity to your family!"
She made up a jingle to sell it. Mrs. Lai was out shopping that day and heard it and waved to her.
"Come here, little girl, let me take a look at the sheep's stomach."
"Which part do you want, Madam?" Ji Xu asked.
Mrs. Lai, who had been eating goat stomach for many years, was surprised. “There are different parts of goat stomach?”
"Of course we do. Different parts of the meat have different tastes. Try this. I call it the Lamb Mushroom Head. It's a bit old, but the more you chew it, the more delicious it becomes. It's perfect with a glass of wine."
Ji Xu said.
Mrs. Lai picked up some and ate it, her eyes lit up. This was different from what she had eaten before, and it really became more delicious the more she chewed it.
"What other parts?"
"Sheep tripe plate, sheep gourd, sheep food letter, sheep tripe kernel, sheep mushroom, sheep tripe collar, sheep mixed pill, sheep tripe leaves. Madam, try this crispy sheep tripe kernel." Ji Xu said.
Mrs. Lai tasted it and it was just as she said. Seeing that she spoke clearly and looked fair and lovely, she asked:
"I've never seen you before, but you sound like you're not from here. How long have you been selling these goat stomachs?"
Ji Xu said, "Madam, you have a good ear. I am from Wu. I learned from the eunuchs in the palace of Chang'an. I can not only cook sheep stomach, but also prepare sheep in many different ways. I even opened a shop at home. However, I offended someone in my hometown and was forced to leave my hometown. I make a living by selling sheep stomach jerky. I settled in Zhuo County, but I didn't last long."
She mixed her truth with lies, and Mrs. Lai didn't know the details, so it was not easy for her to tell the truth right away.
Mrs. Lai heard that this was a skill that he learned from the imperial officials in Chang'an, and that he was short of money. The Hu chef in the mansion had been vacant for a long time, so she said:
"Since you can cook sheep, why don't you come to the county governor's house and work as a cook? I'll give you a monthly stipend of one ounce of silver."
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