However, since everyone who comes to her noodle stall is a guest, Cheng Yue doesn't care who they are. They have to contribute some money.
Upon hearing this, Master Chen relaxed his brows and said with a faint smile, "Alright, then make a bowl and try it."
Cheng Yue smiled and skillfully operated the he luo noodle press to start pressing the noodles.
Master Chen raised an eyebrow; the tools for making noodles were indeed unusual.
Looking at Cheng Yue again, she spoke and acted with grace and composure, indeed without the timidity of an ordinary peasant woman, but there was nothing particularly special about her either.
This tool doesn't look simple. How did she come up with it?
"I don't eat coriander."
To see Cheng Yue, he reached for some coriander, but Third Master Chen quickly stopped him, as he really couldn't stand the smell.
Cheng Yue put down the cilantro and asked, "Would you like some chili oil?"
Master Chen nodded and said, "Add a little."
Chili peppers are not cheap, and the cost of making chili oil is even higher. A bowl of noodles costs eight coins. I wonder how much profit they can make?
Looking at Cheng Yue's calm demeanor, Master Chen couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect.
The woman had three children with her, and there was no sign of the man in the house; she must be having a difficult time.
I took the bowl of noodles, which was topped with a large spoonful of braised meat, bright red chili oil, and finely chopped scallions. Just looking at it made my mouth water.
Master Chen sat down with his bowl in hand and began to eat slowly and gracefully.
He was used to eating white flour, so he was a little unaccustomed to eating this dark flour.
Aside from being slightly sweet, it doesn't taste as good as wheat flour.
It was the taste of this braised meat that truly impressed him. He had eaten offal at restaurants in the prefectural city before, and while the taste was excellent, it was nothing compared to the amazing flavor he was seeing now.
It has a savory, slightly sweet flavor with a rich soy sauce aroma and a very complex texture.
"Mother, Third Master Chen hasn't paid the bill," Chen Ning said softly, tugging at Cheng Yue's sleeve.
Cheng Yue bent down and affectionately tapped Chen Ning's forehead, saying, "Little money-grubber, Third Master Chen is the manager of the docks, how could he possibly shortchange us?"
They always settle accounts in advance when they set up their stalls because they are short-handed and don't have time to finish eating before collecting money.
Cheng Yue didn't tell the children why this rule was set, but it made them think that they had to pay in advance for meals.
Most restaurants and eateries require customers to pay after the meal, and it was clear that Master Chen was used to that.
Cheng Yue and the others were whispering over there when Third Master Chen finished eating, got up, straightened his clothes, and came over.
"The noodles are good, especially the broth, it's absolutely delicious." After saying that, he took a piece of silver and placed it on the table.
Cheng Yue and her three siblings widened their eyes at the same time. This piece of silver must be worth one tael!
Chen Ning, in particular, felt extremely ashamed. She had been worried that the person wouldn't pay her, but the person had given her a silver dollar right away, which was more generous than she had imagined.
Cheng Yue smiled inwardly, but said aloud, "Third Master Chen, you've given too much. A bowl of noodles costs eight coins."
She just hopes that more of these gullible, rich diners will come.
Upon hearing this, Master Chen blushed slightly and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I wanted to ask if you can sell this braising liquid."
My wife has a poor appetite and can't eat much. Your braised dish is delicious; perhaps it will whet her appetite.
Speaking of his wife, Master Chen was troubled. Ever since she gave birth to their second son, she had often lost her appetite and had become quite thin.
He had seen many doctors, but his condition didn't improve, which worried him greatly.
So wherever there's something delicious, he'll rush off to try it and bring some back for his wife, hoping it might suit her taste.
Although it's useless most of the time, there's always a chance that it might work out someday?
No wonder he was so generous; it was all for his beloved wife. That's quite rare.
Cheng Yue said with a smile, "Of course, but this sauce is more suitable for mixing with rice or noodles."
"How about I make some braised dishes? They can be served with rice or cold. May I ask if Madam Chen has any preferred flavors?"
In the future, she will not only run a business selling he luo noodles; she is also skilled in many other foods, and she certainly cannot miss out on distinguished guests like Master Chen.
Without hesitation, Master Chen said, "She used to love sweets and spicy food."
Cheng Yue quickly came up with an idea and said, "Alright, Third Master Chen will come to pick it up at the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."
Since she arrived early, it's better to hand her over to Master Chen sooner rather than later. Waiting until noon when there are too many people will be crowded and inconvenient.
"Then I, Chen, thank you in advance." After bowing, Third Master Chen left.
The noodles were sold out, so Cheng Yue packed up her stall and took her three children straight to Wu's place.
Besides the large bones and offal, Cheng Yue also bought a large pig's head.
Master Chen paid one tael of silver. She couldn't just make some braised pig offal, could she? She should at least make some pig head face.
After saying goodbye to Ms. Wu, Cheng Yue bought two ducks on the street. In those days, you couldn't buy any part of a chicken or duck separately; you could only buy the whole thing.
Duck heads, necks, collarbones, intestines, hearts, and wings—use these for braising. The rest can be used to make spicy duck or braised duck; nothing will go to waste.
There are many vegetarian dishes that can be braised, but they are hard to find here.
Cheng Yue thought for a moment and realized that there should still be dried goods such as dried bean curd sticks and kelp in the space, so it would be perfect to take them out and use them.
"Mom, let's buy some chicks." Chen Tong looked at the cage of chirping chicks and looked at Cheng Yue with expectant eyes.
Once the chicks grow up, they can lay eggs, and they can incubate the chicks themselves. As the number of chickens increases, the eggs they lay can be sold for money.
"Girl, there are only thirteen chicks left. Two of them are male, and the rest are female. Look, they're very healthy."
You just bought two ducks. If you want these chicks, I'll give you a discount. They're five coins each, so you can just give me fifty coins. Consider these three a free gift!
The chicken and duck vendor was a dark-skinned man with a kind and hearty laugh, but his eyes were shrewd.
Seeing Cheng Yue pushing a cart full of things, and having just bought two ducks, it was obvious that she had the purchasing power. Following Chen Tong's lead, they quickly started promoting the products to Cheng Yue.
Cheng Yue squatted down and looked at the chicks in the cage. They were indeed lively and jumping around. Fifty coins wasn't expensive, so she bought them.
There was only one old hen left in the house; she had thrown the other one into her spatial storage.
Come to think of it, the last time I delivered chicken, I was afraid the kids would suspect something, so I had to hide one.
"Boss, if you give me the chicken coop as well, I'll buy it."
This cart full of stuff, without even a basket or anything, means I can't take the chicks back with me.
"No problem, no problem. The chicken coop isn't worth much, I'll give it to you for free!"
The boss laughed heartily and handed over the cage. Chen Tong and Chen Ning took it, their eyes crinkling with smiles.
After paying, Cheng Yue put the chicken coop on the cart. Thinking that she didn't have anything to wrap it, she went to buy oil paper and a small bamboo basket. After buying these, the family went straight home.
Besides making braised meat for her stall, she also had to make braised dishes for Master Chen's wife. In addition, Cheng Yue wanted to make a few desserts, desserts that didn't exist in this era.
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