Chapter 30 Crispy Pork Belly and Stewed Peas Under the glittering candlelight, you can vaguely see...
Anyone who can become a manager in a family like Chai Heng's is a shrewd person. They may be polite in words, but one never knows what they are thinking in their hearts.
Song Jin was not much better, he smiled and bowed, saying, "Manager Song, I came here today to discuss the menu for the Qixi Festival banquet with you, to see if there are any requirements or omissions, and I will make up for it today."
"Shopkeeper Wen is really thoughtful. Come, sit down and talk."
After Song Jin handed over the menu he had prepared, he sat down and waited for Manager Song to slowly look through the list.
It was the first time for Song Jin to take on such a business, so it was always necessary to be cautious. The guests at such a banquet must not be ordinary people, so she did not dare to neglect them.
Manager Song carefully read the list and said, "The dishes are fresh, and many of them are new to me. However, the owner's cooking skills are trustworthy. I think there is nothing wrong with this list. I will keep a copy of it. If there are any changes, I will send someone to Shi Ding Lou to inform the owner."
Song Jin thanked him with a smile and asked about the commission. The manager said, "Usually, the kitchen servants we hire are all well-known, and most of them are retired from the capital. Although Manager Wen has only opened the shop for a short time, his cooking skills are highly appreciated by the owner, so the commission will naturally not be bad for you. Thirty taels, okay?"
Song Jin was delighted: "Then I'd like to trouble Manager Song to thank Mr. Chai on my behalf. The dishes we need here..."
"It would be better if the shopkeeper prepared these by himself, otherwise the kitchen servants in the house would prepare them improperly and the taste would be bad, which would be a big problem."
Song Jin smiled even more happily. Wouldn't this be a way to take advantage of the situation? As a middleman, she would definitely make a profit from the price difference.
Only after thanking the steward did Song Jin leave the Chai family.
As soon as he left the Chai family's gate, Song Jin stretched out three fingers.
Thirty taels of silver could buy her a two-story house without a yard in a secluded location. In other words, once she was freed from citizenship, she could buy a small house and would have no problem finding a place to live.
But when I thought about it again, I felt discouraged.
To buy a small building with thirty taels of silver, one must renounce one's status as a resident, but the money required to renounce one's status as a resident is probably enough to buy a small building with a yard.
She remembered an example she had seen before, where the money used to buy a slave was calculated at an annual interest rate of 6%, and the interest would be calculated based on the number of years the slave had worked for the master. The slave who was exchanged for a few geese might have to have a small building with a courtyard to be redeemed.
That's probably how it works when you're paid to work: the longer you work, the more you owe.
Moreover, Song Jin cannot go out alone, he must bring his parents with him, which makes it even more expensive.
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. Song Jin simply shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He would save the money first. Besides, at least most of the thirty taels would be used for elegant things.
After returning home that day, Song Jin began to concentrate on preparing for the Qixi Festival. He even prepared some condiments separately. He waited until the day of the Qixi Festival and went to the Chai family early in the morning with a maid and Hong Xing.
The Chai family’s kitchen is bigger than the Bai family’s, and there are more servants. Song Jin prepares special dishes and leaves the general dishes to his servants.
Lu goose is indispensable, boiled chicken and steamed fish are familiar, bitter melon soup is easy, this time Song Jin's mind is mainly on the side dishes, and he spent a lot of time on it.
The first dish is the crispy pork belly.
The meat must be fat and lean. Add water, wine, scallion knots, ginger and salt to the pot. Put the whole pork belly in and let it be soaked by the water.
Cook over low heat, skimming off the foam halfway through, and continue cooking until the water is almost dried up. The meat will then be cooked through inside and out.
After taking out the pork, use a small needle to poke holes in the pig skin densely, let it dry until it is half dry, then slowly fry it in a pan until it is golden on all sides and the aroma of oil is everywhere. It is considered a success.
The meat didn't have much flavor, so the dipping sauce was very important. The five-spice powder plus the dried chili powder that Song Jin ground himself made a dish that no one else had ever seen.
Song Jin was preparing the pork belly while the peas had already been processed.
Peas are the freshest and fullest peas. Use lard in the pot, add a piece of ginger to choke, wait for the lard to melt, and pour in the peas after the aroma fills the pot. Stir-fry until the pea skins burst, then add the chicken soup that has been prepared in advance to cover them, and simmer over low heat until the beans have almost absorbed all the chicken soup. Sprinkle a little salt, add a little flour water, and add a thin layer of glass starch, then it is ready to be served.
The most important thing about this dish is the beans and the cooking time. If the beans are not fresh, they are not sweet enough, and if the cooking time is too high, they will dry out easily. The beans cooked with chicken soup and lard have the natural sweetness of the beans and the fresh aroma of the meat fat. It tastes sweet and sticky, even better than the previous broad bean stew.
By the time the peas were ready, the butler came over to give instructions that the dish could be served. Song Jin hurriedly carried the rolled goose and went out with the butler.
The Chai family's house was quite large. After leaving the kitchen, Manager Song led her through an octagonal door. The two walked along the wall, and on the other side was a lake.
The lake is shaded by green trees, and the breeze pushes the waves on the lake. When you walk on the Nine-Curve Bridge, you can hear the sound of stringed instruments coming from the front. After passing through the rockery path, a two-story building appears in front of you.
The screen door opened wide, and Song Jin saw several tables in the building, but only one was occupied. Around that table, three or four beautiful singing girls were sitting in a semi-encircled posture, some holding pipa, some plucking zither strings, and some playing sheng and flute, making the place extremely lively.
Song Jin couldn't help but glance at the guests and paused.
The green bamboo pole was clearly inside.
Now, she couldn't hear what the singer Ren was talking about or singing. All she could think about was not being recognized.
When I took a second glance, I saw that the person sitting next to the green bamboo pole was Lord Lu.
Song Jin sighed and said, let it be.
A dish of rolled goose was served, and before Song Jin even opened his mouth, Chai Heng began to introduce it.
"Master Lu, you have served in Guangdong, and this dish is said to be authentic Guangdong flavor. Please try it."
Song Jin lowered his head and cut the goose, then placed the pieces in the middle of the table, refusing to look up.
When Lord Lu heard that it was Cantonese food, he immediately became interested. He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. After chewing it for a while, he said, "This is the first time I've eaten this dish. The meat has a hint of sweetness and a bit of Cantonese barbecued pork. Although I've never eaten this dish before, I know it's Cantonese style."
Lu Junnian's words determined the origin of this dish. Song Jin's Cantonese cooking skills were not fake.
Just when Song Jin was about to thank him, a hand suddenly stretched out, with a piece of silver twisted between the slender fingers. Song Jin looked up and saw that it was Ji Shubai.
They looked at each other in surprise.
"Hey - isn't this the...that thing that the Bai family saw that day? What was it called?" Lu Junnian scratched his head, unable to remember.
Song Jin bowed his head and said, "My name is Wen Zijin, and the mistress of the Bai family is my aunt."
"Yes, yes, it's you. I remember you. How did you become a kitchen servant?"
Song Jin smiled and said, "I have never been good at poetry and literature since I was young, but I like to learn cooking. My aunt has shown me kindness and lent me some money to open a small shop to make a living."
"I see......"
As Song Jin answered, he reached out to take the reward money. When he looked up and saw Ji Shubai's expression that was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry, he felt very guilty.
I don’t know what’s going on, but every time Song Jin sees Ji Shubai, he feels guilty. I don’t know if it’s because of the fake skin, the fire that has an unchangeable purpose, or because of my confused mind and the pornographic poems I recited.
When I prayed several times in my heart not to take it to heart, the evil spirit spoke.
"Did you know that your aunt is currently arguing with the Bai family about succession?"
Song Jin held the silver in his hand and bowed his head, "I have heard about it, but it is the Bai family's business after all. My last name is Wen, so I can't ask too much."
The villain didn't speak again, but Chai Heng urged to order new dishes, and Song Jin ran away as if escaping from disaster.
Song Jin did not serve the dishes himself, but stayed in the kitchen to prepare freshly fried dishes.
Holding the spatula in his hand, he felt angry. He thought that apart from reciting pornographic poems, he had never offended that Ji girl. Why did she always look unhappy to him?
Could it be that this person can't laugh?
What about crying?
Song Jin was puzzled and wanted to torment him, so he glanced at the eel.
When the dish of stir-fried eel slices was served, Song Jin followed quietly behind, but did not enter the house. He just hid behind the Taihu stone in the yard and watched secretly.
She didn't stir-fry the peppers for a long time today like she did the other day. She just stir-fried them until they were cooked through. The spiciness was still quite high. Song Jin wanted to see Ji Shubai lose his composure.
"Come here, Shu Bai, you have been in the capital for many years, I wonder if the taste has changed. This dish is neither Suzhou style nor Guangdong style, it is a special flavor made by the kitchen staff today, you try it."
Song Jin thought that Chai Heng was also interesting. From the way they were talking, they seemed to be very familiar with each other. But then he changed his mind and thought, if they were not familiar with each other, why bother inviting him home on Valentine's Day?
Ji Shubai listened to him and picked up a piece of eel with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. Song Jin felt a little regretful. Why didn't he ask him to eat chili peppers like he did that day?
Just as I was feeling regretful, I suddenly saw Ji Shubai frowning and covering his mouth with his hands, looking like he was in great pain.
"What is this? It's so spicy?"
After saying that, he loosened his hand slightly. Song Jin looked carefully and saw that Ji Shubai stuck out his tongue and exhaled hard under his palm.
It's like a dog that's about to faint from the heat in the summer, and it's a very big one.
The people in the room were so hot that they couldn't speak clearly, and the one in the yard was so tired that her cheeks hurt from trying so hard to hold back her laughter. Who knew that in the midst of her joy, she suddenly heard someone behind her calling her:
"Manager Wen? Why are you here?"
Song Jin: “…”
"Hey, boss, look at this dish, it's even spicier than the one we had that day."
Now that Chai Heng had called her, she really couldn't escape.
Song Jin walked over with a wry smile: "Sir, what's wrong with this dish?"
Lu Junnian's eyes turned red, and he sniffed and said, "This dish is spicy, too spicy, where is the flavor from?"
Song Jin was speechless. No one likes to eat it now. What kind of taste is it?
It's the taste in her memory.
"This is Sichuan flavor." Song Jin guessed that these people had never been to Sichuan.
“No…” Lu Junnian wanted to speak, but was choked back by the spicy taste.
Song Jin glanced at Ji Shubai and saw that he covered his mouth with a big white hand, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and a teardrop was faintly visible under the flickering candlelight.
“Puff——”
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