"Wife, why do you always learn such strange words?"
"Oh, please teach me."
"All right."
Jie Dan blew on the three big characters for "beef jerky" that she had written to dry, and then she went to find a piece of wood to glue them together.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Xiao Xuan put away the paper and pen on the table.
"Aren't you going to continue writing?"
"Uh, I'm not in the mood today, I'll write again tomorrow."
Jie Dan complained about his pedantry, saying he always spoke in colloquial language.
"Scholar Xiao, do you know how to keep fish meat longer and make it taste better?"
Jie Dan thought of the fish from today. She had wanted to ask about it earlier, but Xiao Xuan was in a bad mood, so she coaxed him by saying he was learning to write. Now that he was in a better mood, she could ask him.
"Fish?" Xiao Xuan recalled a book he had read that mentioned people by the sea washing fish with seawater, then marinating it, and finally hanging it in a place where it wouldn't be exposed to the sun to dry. The result was that it tasted even better than fresh fish.
"My wife, why did you think of keeping the fish for a little longer?"
"I want to try some new dishes. Besides, reading is hard on your eyes and brain, so you should eat more fish. Fish are delicate and they often turn belly up. If they can be kept longer, you can eat fish more often."
Jie Dan explained to herself that at worst she could just bring him more fish to eat in the future.
Xiao Xuan smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits: "Then I thank you very much, my wife."
Seeing that he was smiling happily, Jie Dan lifted the curtain and went out after hearing the 'recipe'.
She took the paper with the words "beef jerky" written on it and asked Jie Jin to find a suitable wooden board to stick it on. Then she went to the kitchen to talk to Madam Feng about how to air-dry fish.
Ms. Xiao thought it was a good idea. Washing the fish with seawater would remove the fishy smell, and since they weren't near the sea, salt water would suffice. After washing and marinating, the fish could be made into dried fish. She suggested adding some ingredients.
"Simply salting the fish doesn't make it flavorful enough. We can add some Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, wine, and a few drops of soy sauce on top. This will not only preserve the fish's appearance but also make it look better."
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng repeatedly agreed, saying that this way she wouldn't have to worry about the fish turning white belly-up and being thrown away as a waste.
"Daughter-in-law, how did you come up with this idea?" Xiao asked while chopping vegetables. She didn't know Jie Dan well before, but now that she was helping her with the shop, their relationship was getting better every day.
"Mother-in-law, these are all, um, taught to me by my husband."
"Oh? Xuan'er has finally become more enlightened. He's just a bit old-fashioned, but he has no other faults." Madam Xiao was even happier to hear that it was her son who suggested it.
Jie Dan laughed along from the side. Seeing that they were busy, he went to find Jie Jin to kill the fish.
When Jie Jin kills fish, he likes to leave the bellies connected, saying it looks better that way.
Jie Dan found that the fish was still intact after being cleaned, which was much more convenient than pickling it piece by piece. Selling a whole dried fish was much more profitable than selling fresh fish.
When Jie Jin was washing the fish, he used salt water throughout. Xiao Shi was standing next to Feng Shi and told her how to marinate the fish. Only after hanging the fish up did they wash their hands and set the table for dinner.
After the provincial examination, Xiao Xuan was always depressed. His wife, Xiao Shi, worried about him, so she came home every noon to cook for him. On the morning of the third day, when she returned to cook for him, she found his face covered in sweat. Startled, she asked a neighbor to help carry him to the clinic. The doctor said he had suffered a heart attack due to excessive stress and needed to recover slowly.
Xiao told Jie Dan the news, and Jie Dan also began to worry. Wasn't everything fine last time? Why did he suddenly become so anxious?
"Madam Xiao, I heard you sell beef jerky. Could I have a taste?"
Just as the two were about to leave, a regular customer came in. They had sold out of everything they had prepared for the day, except for a few packs of beef jerky. They had sold two packs a couple of days ago, but no one else had bought them because they thought they were too expensive.
Despite his anxiety, Jie Dan managed to unpack the sample pack of beef jerky and let his regular customer tear off a small piece. The customer, who had spare cash, found it increasingly delicious with each bite and immediately bought the remaining four packs.
Xiao was anxiously watching from the side. Jie Dan asked Feng to help pack up the shop, threw the apron he was wearing inside, and hurriedly went back with Xiao.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw that Xiao Xuan's face was pale, and Jie Dan changed his towel.
"Grandma, what happened to him?" His face was rosy when he left this morning, but now it's deathly pale.
"The doctor said it was a heart problem."
“It’s a heartache. Nothing has happened in our family recently, could it be that something happened to my husband after the provincial examination?”
Jie Dan remembered that Jie Jin had said Xiao Xuan was unhappy when he came back. Just as she was about to go out and ask, she saw Jie Jin come in.
"Xiao Jin, what happened to your brother-in-law after his exam?"
When Jie Jin saw that Xiao Shi and Jie Dan were looking at him with questioning expressions, he said, "No, my brother-in-law and I have never been apart. After he finished the exam, he sat in the carriage and didn't say a word."
Jie Dan understood. He guessed that Jie Dan was worried about failing the exam. He had studied for many years and had been waiting for the provincial exam ever since he passed the county-level exam.
Madam Xiao wiped away her tears. If she had known that Xiao Xuan would turn out like this, she would never have let him take the imperial examination.
"Mother-in-law, don't be sad. Let's talk it over when my mother comes." Seeing Xiao Shi's tearful eyes, Jie Dan was also upset and quickly comforted her, "My husband needs to rest now. Let's go outside first."
Madam Xiao nodded, wiping away her tears. Her poor son had finally gotten married and things were starting to look up for him, but then he fell ill.
Jie Dan wanted to go out with him, but when she got up, she realized that Xiao Xuan was tugging at her sleeve. Worried that Xiao Xuan might do something rash, she stayed to keep him company.
"My wife."
"I'm here, so just say what you want to say."
"I...I'm panicking."
Jie Dan thought he was in pain and wanted to rub his chest. Just as she reached out, Xiao Xuan stopped her: "I've studied for so many years. I'm worried that if I fail one day, I'll only be able to be a scholar in the future."
"No, you're very learned. I heard from Xiao Jin that you came in first place when you took the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai."
"Yeah?"
Jie Dan nodded repeatedly. This was the first time she had seen Xiao Xuan unconscious. Was academic success really that important? She had heard Xiao Xuan say that if he passed the provincial examination, he would continue to try to become the top scholar.
"Of course, you're just thinking too much, that's why you're sick. How about this, let's go for a walk outside Yin City tomorrow."
Xiao Xuan nodded before letting go of her hand.
Jie Dan thought he had taken it to heart. Just then, Madam Feng returned, gave him a few words of advice, and then got up and left.
After Xiao Xuan waited for Jie Dan to leave, he rubbed his face, covered himself with the blanket, and smiled to the side.
As soon as Madam Feng entered the door, she heard Madam Xiao crying and complaining. After a long time of persuasion, she finally stopped crying.
Jie Dan discussed with Madam Feng: "Mother-in-law, Mother, we understand that we should close the shop for a day. I want to take my husband out of the city for a walk."
Xiao Shi sobbed beside him, "He can't even get up now, how can he get out of bed?"
“Mother-in-law, I just asked my husband, and he wants to go. Staying cooped up in the house all the time isn’t a solution. Going out for a walk with him will lift his spirits, and maybe even cure his heartache.” Jie Dan advised from the side. She wasn’t a doctor, but she could arrange for the shop to be closed and Xiao Xuan to go out for a walk.
It would be good to go out for a walk, so she went to hire a carriage.
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