Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Gan Family Vegetarian Banquet.
On this day, Feng and Zhu, along with the Chen brothers and sisters, Wang Li, and Feng Xingba, were picking cassia seeds at Niupi Mountain. They took them home, dried them, and used them to make pillow cores, which were more comfortable to sleep on than wooden pillows.
Chen Sui'er said curiously:
"Hey, Xiaozhu is out too? Isn't someone staying at home to look after the house lately?"
Ji Feng, who carried the basket and picked the most, couldn't help but say after hearing this:
"I have two locks at home. If the door is locked, no one needs to be home. The new iron lock is very big and strong. You have never seen anything like it."
Cui Guangyao had sneaked out to play without Liao's knowledge today. Hearing this, he said, "What's so strange about this? My eldest brother is a blacksmith now. He can forge any kind of iron lock."
Wang Li then asked, "Why don't you use this type of lock at home?"
Cui Guangyao thought for a moment and said, "That's because my eldest brother hasn't returned home yet. When he does, I'll tell him I want something like Erfeng's. He'll definitely be able to make it! Just wait and see!"
"That's different after all. This lock was given to my sister by Wang Dianji. Do you know who Wang Dianji is? He's the old man who does the accounting at the Gan family kiln! He was very polite to my sister."
She had long pestered Ji Xu to tell her the origin of the lock, and now she was full of energy when she talked about it. You know, her family had just built a new tiled house and the meals were generous. This news spread throughout Bengu, and many children were envious of her. Her face was full of glory.
Wang Li said, "I know the Gan family kiln! The smoke from the kilns rises extremely high!"
Ji Feng couldn't help but start a conversation, picking cassia seeds without stopping, and said exaggeratedly:
"There are so many bricks and tiles in there that you can't see the end. It's so hot inside. No wonder Brother Che'er said it's not cold in there in winter. I just didn't believe it before. How can there be a place that is not cold in winter? But when I got there, I realized he was right."
Feng Xingba took these words to heart and leaned over to beg, "Sister Feng, take me there to play too!"
"Feng Xingba, come here!"
He was caught off guard by the sudden call, and saw Feng Fuzhen and Cui Si in the distance. They had come because they had heard there were yellow and blue flowers in the mountains. Now they had each dug up two plants and were going to take them home to plant and use them to make rouge when they bloomed next spring.
When Feng Fuzhen saw her younger brother playing with the Ji sisters, she put her hands on her hips and shouted.
Feng Xingba, who was in high spirits, didn't understand his sister's expression and continued to say excitedly:
"I asked Sister Feng to take me to the Gan family kiln to play!"
When Feng Fuzhen heard about the Gan family, his face darkened and he said coldly:
"What is the purpose of mixing with a maid who tends pigs in our house?
Come over here quickly! That kiln is hot and smelly, what's the fun in it!
She had already begged the aunt to raise piglets at home and not to let Ji Feng come to the back hill to herd pigs. The aunt originally praised Ji Feng for his clean hands and feet and for raising fat pigs, but now she had fulfilled her request.
Cui Si also shouted, "Cui Guangyao! Don't think I can't see you just because you're hiding behind a tree! I'll tell Mother you've run out again and I'll give you a good beating!"
Liao was upset because her marriage proposal failed and she didn't allow the Cui family's children to play with them.
Cui Guangyao, who had gotten up from hiding, had no choice but to slowly walk out, passing by the trees, and walked towards Cui Si with his head lowered.
Feng Fuzhen personally came and dragged Feng Xingba away, leaving behind a barrage of curses.
"Why are you so arrogant? Without me, can your family eat such good pork? Can you sell it for money..." Ji Feng retorted from the other side of the mountain without suffering any loss.
"The swineherd..."
"The servant surnamed Feng..."
After a few words of quarrel between the two, Feng Fuzhen was ultimately no match for Ji Feng and pulled his brother Feng Xingba away.
Cui Size pulled Cui Guangyao, poked his head with his finger from time to time, and gradually walked away.
The remaining people were still picking cassia seeds. Ji Feng's scolding did not affect her work. She filled the baskets first and picked up a bunch of dead branches, tied them into bundles, and carried them down the mountain later. Making steamed cakes at home required firewood, so she went into the mountains every day to pick up the dead branches that fell on the ground.
It's a pity that she is not strong enough, otherwise she could cut down more pine trees and carry them back. One pine tree can replace so many dead branches. She often patted the tree and looked up, thinking so.
This side is collecting firewood, and Ji Xu at home is sawing firewood.
After the house was built, there was a lot more firewood. One type was the tree forks that were cut on the spot when they were making beams during the past two days. Feng and Zhu were diligent and capable, so they went to the mountains to get straw and vines to bundle them up, and carried them back one by one like ants moving their nests. These still had green leaves on them, so they could not be burned and had to be bundled up to dry.
One type was the extra stuff Chen Da had from carpentry work, like the bark he scraped off and the scraps of wood from making doors, windows, beams, rafters and dining tables, all of which could be used as firewood. The honest farmer didn't take advantage of any of it, so he picked them all up and moved them to Ji's house.
Another category is the rotten wood left behind when old houses were demolished. They have been black and rotten for so many years. At that time, people said that it was a good thing that they demolished it in time, otherwise it might have collapsed at any time. However, these rotten wood can be used as firewood.
These things were scattered all over the front of the house, looking messy, so Ji Xu came back in the afternoon and started to clean them up.
Chen Da made her a sawhorse with a mortise and tenon structure, with two short pieces of wood intersecting and a long piece of wood resting in the center so that it could be placed steadily on the ground.
I saw her move a rotten wood, put it on the platform, and according to Master Chen's method, she stepped on it with her feet, held the iron saw, and tightened the force to saw.
This is a strenuous job. If the saw is crooked or not placed level, it will be difficult to chop wood later.
This was her first time doing this. Although her grandmother had a wood stove at home in her previous life, she always bought firewood online, or went to the furniture store and bought a truckload of discarded wood strips and put them in the backyard, which could burn for half a year. There was no need to saw them from long to short like this.
By the time she had cut the long logs short, there were piles of sawdust under the wooden racks, and her arms were shaking with soreness.
Because this iron saw was borrowed from the Chen family, it was not appropriate to occupy it all the time, so he worked hard to finish sawing it. However, looking at those short pieces of wood, one by one, his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment for finishing the work.
She first returned the iron saw to the Chen family. Seeing that it was getting late, she decided to wait until tomorrow to chop wood. She was busy preparing breakfast first.
At noon, Feng and Zhu returned home carrying a basket of cassia seeds and a bundle of firewood.
"Sister, you have finished sawing all these woods!"
Ji Feng was surprised when she saw this and asked, "Are your hands sore?"
She knew her sister was thin and not very strong. She couldn't even carry water on a pole because her bones hurt. She could only carry a bucket with both hands. She must be exhausted from sawing so much wood after selling steamed buns today. So she said:
"Sister, take a rest. I'll make dinner."
"Xiaozhu helps too!"
At this moment, Ji Xu was washing the axe in front of the stove. Hearing this, he said:
"You two little brats are back? I picked so many cassia seeds. After drying them, they can make a great pillow. Help me light the fire. You don't know how to make it tonight."
In the ceramic bowl, there were shredded radish and diced celery mixed with seasoning, giving off a fresh and spicy flavor of the vegetables.
"Make some vegetarian steamed buns. We also have some meat-filled steamed buns left over from lunch, perfect for dinner."
Later, I heard someone's stomach growling and laughed:
"Go wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon."
Ji Xu was already pinching the folds of the steamed buns. He put the vegetarian buns into the bamboo steamer one by one. They came out plump and white. The sisters were all happy to eat them. Ji Zhu was starving. She held the buns stuffed with radish and said:
“It’s delicious, even the vegetarian version is delicious!”
Ji Feng also enjoyed the food. Compared with the meat-filled ones, the vegetarian ones were particularly refreshing. She asked:
"Sister, are you going to sell these vegetarian steamed buns tomorrow?"
This question hit the nail on the head, and Ji Xu replied, "They sell it the same way as white jade steamed buns, one penny each."
The celery was picked from behind her house, and the radish was originally given by Wang Dianji. She also inquired about the price in the market, and most of them were around three cents each. She would definitely buy more in the future after using them up.
"The ones with vegetarian filling will definitely sell well!" said Ji Feng. She now had nothing but admiration for her sister's cooking skills.
Zhuang Huiniang still requested forty pieces in advance, but she changed half of them to vegetarian ones, as she also wanted to try a new flavor in the market. On the way, Ji Xu gave her two pieces to try first.
"Auntie tasted it herself, so she can tell the difference when she sells it."
Zhuang Hui Niang hesitated for a moment, took it and ate it, then nodded and said:
"This tastes good. The radish is light, spicy and juicy, and the celery is a bit crispy. Hmm, this vegetarian steamed bun is also good, it has a unique flavor."
Ji Xu prepared fifty meat dishes and thirty vegetarian dishes, and went to the local market to sell them.
"Here are the vegetarian steamed buns—fresh, spicy, and crunchy—one penny each!"
The voices of hawkers along the way attracted Ji Zhi to come and ask:
"Cousin, aren't meat-filled ones selling well? Why are you selling vegetarian ones now?"
I felt inexplicably happy inside. The vegetarian ones only sold for one penny, which was cheaper than the meat ones. However, my business was getting worse and worse.
Ji Xu said frankly, "People here must be tired of the meat fillings we've been selling these days. I've made some new flavors. Would you like to buy some to try, sister?"
Ji Zhi suppressed his inner satisfaction and shook his head, "I won't buy it."
She had to save her money to buy cloth for new clothes, so how could she spend it on steamed buns with vegetarian fillings?
Then he followed Ji Xu in his hawking, "Preserved fruit—sweet preserved fruit—"
"Oh, I had steamed buns with meat filling for breakfast yesterday, but today I made meat and rice soup instead of steamed buns."
"Vegetarian stuffing? My grandson prefers meat and doesn't like vegetarian stuffing, so I won't buy any today."
I only heard an old woman say, and waved to Ji Zhi behind her,
"Let me take a look at the preserved fruits recently. I need to buy some to entertain guests during the first month of the lunar year."
Because it is the beginning of winter, the next month will be the winter month, and the month after that will be the twelfth month. As it gets closer to the end of the year after the beginning of winter, Jizhi's preserved naan fruit sells better than before. Some people will come to inquire about it and want to buy some to serve as snacks to their guests.
Ji Zhi was filled with ecstasy, and hurried over. He glanced at Ji Xu who was still hawking his wares in front of him, lowered his head, and picked up 20 coins worth of preserved fruits for someone.
"You bought a lot, so these two are for you. Come back if you like."
She remembered that in the past, Ji Xu would give people some steamed buns with crushed crusts as snacks, and he also picked up two small pieces of preserved fruits as snacks, and then picked up the basket and followed closely forward.
The Gan family's house was located on the hillside. Suddenly, the corner door creaked open, and a girl in a fine cloth dress, with a bun on her head and a silver hairpin, came out. Ji Zhi rushed forward and said,
"Girl, buy some preserved fruit to try!"
She recognized that they were the maids of the Gan family. In the past, when Ji Xu walked by the courtyard wall selling steamed buns stuffed with meat, they would come out in groups of three or four, laughing and joking, to buy them. Now they must be tired of eating them.
The girl saw that it was just ordinary preserved pear fruit and immediately waved her hand: "We have some at home."
Then he called out to her from behind, "Ji Zhengbing!"
The maid named Anai was no longer joking with Ji Xu as usual. She was holding a high-legged red pottery plate, and seemed to be busy with something in the house.
Huan Jixu picked up ten vegetarian steamed buns from her plate, held them carefully, and hurried inside.
But I saw that the servants in the yard were doing their own duties. Some were dusting with whisks, some were sweeping the yard with tall brooms, and some were entering the hall one after another with food in their hands. Anai was one of them.
This plate of vegetarian steamed cakes was placed on the dining table. On the high-legged plates above, there were already various different dishes, such as stewed cabbage, steamed sweet potatoes, stewed gourds, pickled leeks, water shield and rice soup, water cakes...all of them were vegetarian dishes without any meat.
"Madam, this is the vegetarian steamed bun sold outside. Buy some and bring it in." An Nai said as he stepped aside.
Mrs. Bai looked at it indifferently, still picking up the chopsticks from right to left, and tasting the dishes on the table one by one, with a calm expression all the time.
Until I took a bite of the vegetarian steamed bun, I found that the outside was soft, which was unique to ordinary steamed buns. The filling inside tasted very good, mixed with the dough, giving it a unique flavor.
Seeing this, the chef Niu, who was waiting on the side, clasped his hands and said:
"Madam, do you think this vegetarian steamed bun tastes good? Actually, Madam, you've tried this person's cooking. The wild rice and melon, the eggplant and preserved eggs, and the chicken porridge were all made by him."
Cook Niu only needed to ask around at the other end of the kiln to find out that it was the woman who usually sold steamed cakes. She had often been in and out of the kitchen shed in the back row of houses. Now she offered her advice:
"Madam, why don't you call this person over and ask her to make another meal?"
"Steamed buns with vegetarian filling——"
Ji Xu was still hawking his wares along the fork in the road, but his business wasn't very good. Ji Zhi, who was behind him, was picking preserved fruits for someone, feeling very proud of himself.
“Season steamed cake!”
But he saw that it was still the familiar maid, holding up the hem of her skirt and waving towards Ji Xu.
Then he held Ji Xu's steamed bun basket in one hand and held his arm with the other, saying as he walked:
"What's left is nothing. My Gan family wants all of it. If the lady is satisfied with this dish, there are many more good things to come."
As the two of them were talking, they entered through the corner door of Gan's house. The closed door blocked Ji Zhi's sight, and she couldn't help but grit her teeth and frown.
Compared with Shengchangli, a wealthy place where merchants and peddlers gathered, Xiaoshunli had a higher status and reputation, and was home to many respected gentry. For example, "You Gong", the village elder who was responsible for educating the villagers, lived in Xiaoshunli. He was old and virtuous, and was elected as one of the village elders by the villagers.
Although the position of the Three Elders of the Township does not have a salary of 200 dan like the Township Headman, it is a nominal position in the county but has no salary. However, its status is high, it can command the support of hundreds of people, and it is highly respected. When the township wants to implement a new policy from above, it will inevitably invite this person to promote it. Even the Township Headman, the head of a township, admires him very much.
In addition, Xiaoshunli does not have the bad reputation of being a barbaric and domineering place like Shengchangli. When people mention Xiaoshunli, they praise it as a good place with orderly etiquette.
There is a scripture house inside. Feng Yun of the Feng family studied literature and read scriptures in this scripture house. The lecturer who taught the scriptures was a famous Confucian scholar from Lu. Many wealthy families and officials in the surrounding areas were trying their best to send their children and grandchildren to the scripture house in Xiaoshunli to study under the great Confucian scholar.
Mrs. Bai is one of them.
However, her daughter, Prince Gan, was still young and had not yet received any enlightenment. She had to be sent to a library for education first. The library was also in Xiaoshun. The teacher there was once a disciple of the great scholar. In recent years, he had specialized in elementary education for young children and was also very popular. If she could receive his enlightenment, it would be a shortcut for her to enter the classics library and become a disciple of the great scholar Xu Cheng in the future.
Although the Gan family is rich, they now believe in "etiquette of learning from others, not of learning from others; etiquette of learning from others, not of going abroad to teach others."
Those scholars who were well versed in classics would never come to teach at home. Even though the Gan family offered a very generous reward to recruit the teacher to come to their home to teach their daughter, they only got the words "the teacher's duty cannot be compromised".
It's obviously difficult.
Anai angrily said, "With our princess's talent, she should have been enrolled in that academy long ago. However, she was born with a disability, which made it difficult for her to travel, so she thought of having teachers come to her home to teach her. This move has only offended the teachers. Even if Madam changed her mind and wanted to send the princess to the academy, she will not be accepted now."
Ji Xu finally understood what was going on. The Gan family was busy rushing around to welcome a filial old man from the village. This old man was quite famous in the village and was known as "Mao Gong".
Mao Gong was able to have a say with the elementary school's calligraphy teachers and act as a mediator.
Ji Xu followed Anai to the front hall.
"Madam, this is Ji Xu, the girl who sells steamed buns," Anai said.
Mrs. Bai took a quick look at him and saw that he was calm and not someone who would easily lose his composure. So she waved her hand and ordered:
"Anai, take her to the East Kitchen. If she does well, I'll reward her handsomely."
Upon hearing this, Chef Niu was secretly delighted and started to follow him, saying:
"The girl is not familiar with the East Kitchen, so I will help."
Ji Xu did not move for a moment, and said to Madam Bai, "Madam, I had the pleasure of cooking some dishes for your residence a while ago. I heard that they were barely acceptable to your daughter-in-law, thanks to Wang Dianji's guidance and his advice on some dietary restrictions. This time I'm cooking for your residence, and I hope you can invite Wang Dianji to come and give him some guidance. Otherwise, I'll always feel uneasy and uncertain."
Upon hearing this, Chef Niu quickly replied, "How difficult is that? I'm an experienced cook, and I know Mr. Mao's dietary restrictions perfectly. His wife died less than a year ago, and he's still in mourning. He shouldn't eat meat or drink alcohol. Furthermore, as he's over sixty, he should eat three kinds of beans."
The Book of Rites records: "At the village drinking ceremony, those aged sixty sit, those aged fifty stand and attend to government affairs, so as to clearly show respect for elders. Those aged sixty are given three beans, those aged seventy four beans, those aged eighty five beans, and those aged ninety six beans, so as to show care for the elderly."
The "dou" here refers to a high-legged plate used to hold food. "Three beans for sixty" means that three beans are served as a dish for sixty-year-olds.
These details, Anai had discussed with Ji Xu in detail on the way just now. Ji Xu was clear about them, but she still insisted:
"I don't need anyone else. With Wang Dianji by my side, I can concentrate on cooking."
Inside the kiln,
Wang Dianji was counting the pottery well rings. In most villages, every household contributed money to dig a public well for drinking water. Only the wealthy families would dig a well in front of their own kitchen. They also dealt in the pottery well rings placed after the well was dug, but they were fired according to the customer's fixed quantity. After all, there were only a few wealthy families in the surrounding area who could afford to dig a well.
While he was counting, he saw a girl hurriedly coming in. It turned out to be Anai, the servant in the Madam's courtyard. Wang Dianji smiled hurriedly and put away the bamboo book and brush in his hand.
"Why did you come to this dusty place like this? Don't be so rude. Just let the boys take care of you if you need anything."
"Wang Dianji, please change your clothes quickly and come with me to my family home."
Anai covered his nose with one hand to avoid the dust, looked at the dust on Wang Dianji's old robe, and hurriedly urged him.
Wang Dianji changed into a locust green robe. This was a piece of fine material that his wife had given him as a reward many years ago when he was most trusted. Although more than ten years had passed and the material had long been outdated, it was still Wang Dianji's favorite piece of clothing.
He came out with his sleeves straightened and said with a smile:
"But Madam sent me a message? I don't know what it is about?"
"Madam is inviting Mr. Mao from Xiaoshun Village, and Ms. Jiang Xu, oh, that's the one who makes steamed buns, to a banquet. Please come into the yard to cook, and I'll ask you to come over too." Anai said.
Before he could finish his words, Wang Dianji's face, which was overflowing with joy, paled. He even slowed down his pace. After walking out of the kiln for a long while, he said with a depressed heart:
"Why did Madam suddenly call her into the courtyard to cook?"
But he just passed him and went straight to find that steamed cake. If he had any merit in the future, that steamed cake would get it directly, and there would be no chance for him to show off.
"It was a coincidence that Miss Xu was selling vegetarian steamed buns outside, and the lady was not satisfied with the vegetarian food made by Chef Niu.
Actually, it was Chef Niu who suggested that our wife buy some vegetarian steamed buns from outside to try. Then…” Anai told them all.
Wang Dianji secretly spat at the Niu Chef in his heart. What a fellow! He actually set his sights on him!
Anai urged him to go faster, saying with a smile, "This servant girl is really weird. She even needs you, the steward, to give her instructions while she cooks. What do you think, steward?"
When Wang Dianji heard this, he also smiled.
"Don't blame me, young lady. Although I'm not an expert in the kitchen, I do carefully observe the preferences and dietary restrictions of my masters every day. I think that's why she can't do without me when she makes steamed cakes."
Ji Xu was already waiting in the Gan family's east kitchen. The east kitchen was spacious and bright. There was a large tripod placed on the ground with relief carvings of fish and birds, which was extremely exquisite.
There were four boat-shaped ceramic stoves, arranged in two rows. She could imagine the busy scene of these stoves lighting fires at the same time.
The rest of the cooking utensils were made of iron. A row of ropes extended from the beams, hanging with various kinds of shaved meat, rabbit, fish, chicken, duck...
On the four-layer lacquered wooden table were stacked various fresh vegetables, such as sunflower, taro, water shield, cabbage, radish, leek... The basket in the corner was full of raw eggs and quail eggs.
"Hurry up and do it! You can't afford to delay Mr. Mao's arrival for the banquet at noon!"
Chef Niu came with her and saw that she was just looking at the ingredients and was not doing anything, so he shouted at her to urge her to start cooking.
Ji Xu still shook his head, unmoved, "We have Wang Dianji by our side, so we still have time."
Chef Niu raised his eyebrows and glared, then shouted:
"You short-sighted girl, do you know the benefits and disadvantages of our lady?
What Wang Dianji, Wang Dianya? He's just an old man who counts accounts! How can he know the cooking skills like me? "
"Hey! You're the one who raised me under the stove!"
There was a loud curse outside, and Wang Dianji pointed at Chef Niu and rushed in aggressively.
"Looking at me, I wonder what you're up to? Get out of here! I'm here to help Ji Zhengbing, so everyone else, stay away!"
No one knew how Wang Dianji, who had sparse hair, could muster up such strength as an ox or a tiger, but he actually drove the ox-like chef out and slammed the door.
The chef Niu, whose foot was nearly pinched, yelled outside, "You old thief Wang..."
Wang Dianji leaned against the door with his hand outstretched, and said to the inside, "Ji Zhengbing, don't worry about this guy, just focus on cooking!"
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