Chapter 511
Unexpectedly, the next day not only Tang Ziyi and Jiayin came, but also Jiayin's parents.
Aunt Ye came over and chatted with Su Miao, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, her expression full of intimacy.
When Jiayin's father saw Su Yuanzheng, he immediately went over to him and put his arm around his shoulders, saying, "Hello, brothers," with a hearty smile:
"Lao Su! Long time no see. Your business is getting bigger and bigger! You even opened a branch in Beijing."
"Well, it's just a small shop. It can't be opened yet. Everything is still in preparation."
"It's ready, we can start now. We are all here to work today! We will absolutely follow your instructions. Wherever you and Miaomiao point, we will go!"
Su Yuanzheng quickly said, "Eat breakfast first! We can talk about it after we're full!"
In fact, the process of pickling vegetables is not complicated. Some of the vegetables that need to be dried in advance have been processed yesterday.
The main reason is that the volume to be done this time is very large, and we have sufficient manpower now, so the progress should be fast.
Everyone gathered around Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng, listened carefully to their explanation of the next work arrangements, and then started working enthusiastically.
They had never made pickles by themselves before, so this time they finally experienced the fun of it.
Jiayin asked while helping to sprinkle salt:
"Miao Miao, I heard from Ziyi that you guys made a new dish, fried lemon duck? When I was in Yongcheng before, I only had the boiled lemon duck made by your father, and never had it fried."
"Brother Yu took us to eat fried lemon duck half a year ago. It became popular in the suburbs of Nanning. After eating it a few times, my father figured out how to make it on his own.
The main reason we brought pickled vegetables from so far away was to present the authentic Nancheng flavor, with the most important ones being pickled bamboo shoots, pickled lemons, and pickled radish.
Jiayin frowned slightly and said worriedly, "But I see that the ingredients used to make these dishes are not common in the capital. Can I buy them? Will the taste really be the same?"
Su Miao stopped what he was doing and explained seriously:
“To be honest, pickled lemons like these become more fragrant as they age. Now they need to be pickled for a long time before they can be eaten. We will still have to use old lemons from Yongcheng in the future. Making them now can be considered a ritual.
After this transfer, my father and I discovered that the cost of transporting pickled vegetables directly from Nanning was not high as long as they were not expedited.
Therefore, after the store opens, the three most important pickled vegetables will be shipped from Ning County once a month, and they must be the most authentic ones made by my second aunt.
As for other pickled vegetables, they are quite common and you can buy the raw materials in Beijing and make them yourself if they are quick and easy.”
"So that's how it is. Then how do you make pickled lemons? How long do they take? I saw a big sack of lemons over there. They'll be made soon, right?" Jiayin asked.
Su Miao nodded and said, "Of course, let's get the pickles pressed and then go get the lemons. Pickled lemons need to be kept for more than half a year to be considered good. If they are well preserved, they can be eaten for several years, and they become more fragrant the longer they are kept."
"Okay! By the way, aren't you going to invite the neighbors to taste the food? I suggest you don't do it in batches. It would be a waste of time to invite us and then the neighbors. Why not just do it all at once while my parents are here?"
Jiayin had a sudden inspiration and put forward his own idea.
Aunt Ye heard Jiayin's words and said to Su Miao gently:
"Yeah, we're not that particular. That's how we used to get along with our neighbors in Nancheng. We can make more friends by inviting them over."
Su Miao actually understood the deep meaning of Jiayin's proposal. She and her father were from other places. Although the locals would not deliberately discriminate against them subjectively, they would definitely have different attitudes towards locals and outsiders.
Inviting neighbors to try your food is a way to show your kindness to them.
The addition of Jiayin and the others to the dinner, especially people of higher status like Aunt Ye and Uncle Ye, was also sending a signal to everyone in the alley:
Although they came from other places, they had solid connections in the capital, and these connections were quite useful.
This can be regarded as a secret message to everyone that the Su family is not completely in the dark in the capital, and it also gives them invisible support.
Su Miao nodded gratefully and said, "Okay! Then I'll ask my dad to go shopping and make a few representative dishes today."
When Tang Ziyi heard that they were going to have a full food tasting tonight, his eyes lit up instantly and he ran into the living room to make a phone call.
After a while, he ran out happily and said to Su Yuanzheng, "Uncle Yuan, can I bring my parents over for dinner? They really want to come."
Su Yuanzheng responded generously, "Sure! Come on, come on, but you have to go buy groceries with me later. We need to prepare two big tables tonight!"
At this time, except for the pickled lemons, all the other pickled vegetables had been put into the jar, so everyone split into two groups.
The ladies continued to pickle lemons, while the men went to invite the neighbors first, then counted the number of people before going to the vegetable market to buy.
Because there was only one large round table at home, they also had the responsibility of borrowing tables and chairs from neighbors.
The men have all gone out, and the yard is half clean. A sack of lemons has just been carried out and can be processed now.
Ye Han picked up a lemon, brought it close to his nose and sniffed it. His nose was instantly filled with the refreshing smell, and he couldn't help but praise:
"It smells so good, and it's so fresh. Was it sent from Yongcheng? Lemons really do last."
"Yes, Aunt Ye, these are local lemons from Yongcheng. They are on the market from August to October every year and are in season now.
They are all shipped fresh, but they are bound to get bumped along the way, so before pickling they have to be checked to see if there are any that are spoiled.
"Okay! Let's do it together."
The three of them worked together to pour the lemons into two extra-large basins of water. The basins were bright red, like the ones for children to sit in and take a bath.
After a careful inspection, I found that only five lemons were damaged during transportation, so I picked them out.
Then, everyone carefully scrubbed the lemons one by one with clean water, fished them out and wiped them dry with freshly washed cotton cloth to ensure that no trace of moisture remained on the surface of the lemons.
It was time to move the five newly bought glass jars. When Jiayin went to the small room to move them, she smiled and said:
"This glass jar is quite big! It's bigger than the ones I saw at your house in Yongcheng before."
"Hey! My dad and I went to several markets before we bought it. We picked the largest size available. The fresh lemons take up space, and if we don't buy a large size, we won't be able to fill it all."
Glass jars are used because pickled lemons need to be exposed to the sun from time to time. At this time, the jars have been cleaned and dried, and it is necessary to ensure that there is no oil or water inside.
They carefully stacked the dried lemons in the jars, sprinkling salt on each layer of lemons. The five jars were just enough to hold all the lemons.
Then place the jar in a clean and sunny place in the yard, and let the lemons start their long pickling journey under the sun.
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