Chapter 15 He also wanted to eat a piece of the Eight Treasure Steamed Duck, which was not impossible...
Raindrops accumulated on the newly laid butterfly tiles and slowly dripped down. As soon as Wei Jinyun returned to the shop, he was busy checking the roof and courtyard walls to see if there were any leaks or water seepage.
"Sister, how can you not feel tired?"
Wei Fuling ran up to the second floor, grabbed Wei Jinyun's hand, and brought her back to the courtyard. She then brought a chair for her to sit on. "We just checked with grandma, and nothing was missed. Sister, you should sit down and rest."
It was already dusk, and the yard, which had just rained, was filled with the smell of grass, and the chirping of crickets and mole crickets could be heard.
There was a clay pot on the mud stove with boiling water inside, but the heat made Wei Fuqiu sit far away from it.
"Grandma instructed, one bowl per person."
Wei Fuling wrapped her hands in a wet rag, lifted the lid, and carefully ladled ginger soup into the bowl with a large spoon. She glanced in Wei Fuqiu's direction and said, "But Sister Qiu, you can use this for this bowl."
She produced a small teacup from somewhere.
Eating ginger in summer can dispel dampness, not to mention it just rained, it can also dispel the cold.
Wei Jinyun and Wei Fuling waited for the ginger tea to cool down a little, then drank it all in one gulp. Only Wei Fuqiu frowned as she held a teacup that was half the size of their bowls and sipped it in small sips.
"I'll make ginger milk tomorrow."
As soon as Wei Jinyun finished speaking, Wei Fuqiu did it all at once.
She had tasted the lotus ginger steamed cake her sister had made; it was sweet, with almost no hint of spicy ginger. At the time, cow or goat milk was unavailable on the passenger ship, so her sister had promised to make it for her in the future.
What does ginger milk taste like...and why hasn't it arrived tomorrow?
The three of them sat at the table chatting, watching Wang Qiulan's dishes being served one after another.
The meat dishes include stir-fried white shrimps, braised wild rice stems in oil, and white fish with flower shavings; the vegetarian dishes include cold water shield, steamed lotus root, and tofu soup... But as soon as Wang Qiulan opened the steaming steamer, she could smell the rich aroma of meat.
The last dish served was a glutinous rice and eight-treasure duck.
"We originally made the Eight Treasure Duck to celebrate the first day of setting up the stall."
Wei Jinyun served Wang Qiulan some rice and asked, "Grandma, why did you buy so many vegetables?"
This morning she saw a vendor delivering ducks to Li Ji Cooked Food Store. The ducks were plump and fresh, and had been processed so well that there was not a single hair on them. She ordered one immediately.
She removed the duck's internal organs, marinated it with rice wine, green onions and ginger for an hour, and then stuffed it with steamed glutinous rice, lotus seeds, shrimp, diced bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and ginkgo nuts for seasoning.
The original intention was to add some scallops, ham and chicken gizzards to the eight treasures, but the ingredients did not allow it, so we just count it as five treasures.
By this time of marinating, I think it has absorbed the flavor.
Several dishes surrounded the Eight Treasure Duck, and the table was as lively as a banquet.
"Eat more and you'll get more nutrition."
Wang Qiulan smiled and said, "Jinyun has been working really hard lately, and we feel really bad for her."
"I bought the shrimps, they are so lively." While Wei Fuling was talking, she had already peeled several shrimps and threw them into the bowls of several people.
"I picked the white fish. It swims very fast." Wei Fuqiu muttered in a low voice.
"It turned out to be my sister's own change."
Wei Jinyun stuffed a shrimp into his mouth. The fried shrimp had a stronger flavor than the blanched one. "Then I won't be polite."
While Wei Jinyun was out setting up a stall, the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren took bamboo baskets and went to buy vegetables together.
The two sisters thought that since the shop had been renovated and it was the first time for their elder sister to set up a stall, they stuffed a lot of change they had saved over the years into the shoulder bag that their elder sister bought for them.
Wei Jinyun picked up a duck leg for Wei Fuling, but with just a slight poke of the chopsticks, the meat separated from the leg bone, leaving only a bone frame.
Wei Fuling blew on it, tasted a piece of meat that had fallen off, and praised it after swallowing it.
The glutinous rice eight-treasure duck, which has been steamed for an hour, has become crispy and boneless, and the oil on the skin has also been steamed away, making it moist and not greasy. The whole piece of duck meat is extremely tender.
"Glutinous rice tastes better than duck. Lingjie, try it."
Wei Fuqiu scooped a spoonful with a spoon and put it into Wei Fuling's bowl.
The glutinous rice inside the duck is mixed with the flavors of all the five treasures and is filled with duck soup and fat. Each grain is crystal clear, soft, sticky, dense, and shiny. It is the most delicious flavor of the whole dish.
"Why do you want to eat another bowl? It will cause indigestion at night."
Most of the glutinous rice from the whole duck went into the stomachs of the two sisters.
"It's okay, we'll go for a walk with Meng Ge'er later."
Wei Fuqiu finished eating and slowly peeled shrimp for Wei Jinyun.
"And let's show him the new windmill my sister bought for us."
The two windmills on Wei Jinyun's cart were squeaking in the wind. Who wouldn't notice it?
*
As soon as Lu Lan stepped into the house, he saw his sister leaning on the armchair in the front hall, looking at him with squinted eyes.
"Second brother is so busy."
Lu Lingxiang propped up her chin and took a sip of tea. "I can never catch up with the dinner my mother made myself. I might as well rent a room in Changmen."
"I've been quite busy lately with a case involving a man impersonating a lawyer who defrauded money and then disappeared. Oh, and I got a nice bow."
Lu Lan took off his bamboo hat, revealing his slender waist, bound with a leather belt. He casually wiped the rain from his face and glanced at his sister, who lay sprawled. "Forget it... I'll take it back."
Lu Lingxiang jumped up from her chair. The armchair creaked as it endured the damage.
"Oh my good second brother, the best second brother in the world!"
She quickly wandered over to Lu Lan's side, massaging his shoulders and legs. "Brother, you've worked so hard for the people of Pingjiang Prefecture. I miss you all the time."
"Go away."
Lu Lan drank a cup of tea.
"real!"
Lu Lingxiang pointed to the oil-paper bag beside her and said, "I bought some good snacks for my second brother. They taste great. If you don't believe me, try them."
He picked it up and took a look. The thin rope tied to the oil paper package had not been opened yet, and a faint jasmine scent wafted to his face.
"The bow is on the horse."
Lu Lan was somewhat satisfied.
"Good second brother."
Lu Lingxiang patted his back even more vigorously. "Tangtang is having a tea party in a couple of days and has invited quite a few people. Are you going, second brother?"
"No."
Lu Lan raised his eyes and glanced at her, "It's a bit noisy."
"Understood, Lord Lu!"
Lu Lingxiang lifted her skirt and ran to find a horse.
Lu Lan was not hungry. She was often busy and forgot to eat. When she was too hungry, she didn't feel anything.
But dim sum is different, he loves to eat it.
He untied the string and saw several beautiful jasmine cakes. They were delicate and exquisite, and their appearance was no less beautiful than real flowers. I wondered which teahouse had recently added these cakes.
He picked up a piece and tasted it.
Delicate, soft and glutinous, with a fresh and non-greasy taste.
I ate another piece and it tasted really good.
Then eat another piece.
It's not impossible to eat another piece...
"Oh my son."
Sun came out of the back hall in a hurry. She had heard her daughter's chattering a while ago, and thinking that it was Lu Lan who had returned, she urged the cook to heat up the meal.
As soon as she arrived at the front hall, she saw Lu Lan eating seven or eight pieces of cake in a row. She exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey, mother has already heated up the meal for you. It's the stewed pork ribs that mother made herself!"
Lu Lan crumpled the oil paper in her palm and said, "It's okay, mother. I can still eat it."
After the four generations of grandparents and grandchildren finished their meal, Wei Jinyun sat at the door of the shop and watched his two younger sisters play with the windmill.
The two of them rushed back and forth on the arch bridge nearby, two small windmills spinning in their hands, mixed with their laughter.
The rain attracted all the fish in the river in front of the door. They stuck their heads out of the water to breathe, or jumped out of the water, making rippling sounds.
"Has Miss Wei eaten yet?"
Zhang Renbai wanted to talk to Wei Jinyun at the door of the shop a moment ago. After thinking about it over and over again, he blurted out this sentence.
Wei Jinyun hummed softly.
"Today, customers came to my shop to buy something and used jasmine cake."
Zhang Renbai said slowly, "They gave it very good reviews. Several of them bought some to take home. Um, this..."
The guest enjoyed the meal so much that he even bought two extra sheets of rice paper. He really couldn't just take Miss Wei's snacks for free; wouldn't that make him a freeloader?
"Can I have more? I'll pay for it. I'll order thirty dollars a day."
Wei Jinyun turned around with a faint smile on his face.
She pinched her thigh hard to stop herself from laughing uncontrollably.
"No problem at all, Shopkeeper Zhang."
The author has something to say:
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[Three-Colored Cat Head] The authentic glutinous rice and eight-treasure duck steamed and eaten is so delicious that I turned into a monkey and swung around in the forest.
Mr. Lu: Great, I have my lines. [Calico cat head]
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