Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chief Clerk Lin Qiuran heard what was said,...
Sun Shi actually asked, "She said that the second lady in the mansion went to Yujiazhuang for a banquet and thought the food was delicious, so she mentioned it to the old lady at home."
The maid told Sun: "The old lady was not satisfied with the dishes made by other chefs. A few days ago, our second wife returned to her parents' home and presented a gift to her uncle, saying that the noodles were delicious."
Today I ate fish bought from outside again, and he said the taste was exactly the same, so I sent her out to ask.
Lin Qiuran nodded and thought the dishes that day were delicious... That day, Lin Qiuran thought about it and felt that the braised pork and eight-treasure rice were the best.
The word "red" in "red braised pork" is a misnomer, so it's not a dish to be eaten during funerals. However, the Yu family's grandfather was celebrating his death, so the host family didn't shy away from it, leading to the creation of this dish. Red braised pork is the softest and most tender of all, and it's a dish that the elderly with weak teeth will surely enjoy.
Lin Qiuran decided to try cooking two dishes tomorrow, one of which was braised pork. If the chief cook used more seasonings, the taste would definitely be better.
It probably won’t take long to prepare the Eight Treasure Rice Pudding, so Lin Qiuran needs to think carefully about the other dish. This is a birthday banquet, so the plating must be beautiful, so that you can tell at a glance that it is for a birthday celebration.
Lin Qiuran thought back to the dishes he had cooked before and actually came up with one that could be used to make a lucky bag. It was a blessing, not only beautiful but also delicious.
A lucky bag is a dough cake with a pocket in the middle like a cloth bag. The word "Fu" is written on it with brown sugar juice or sauce, and the filling is filled in, mostly in the form of thin threads. You can also put some vegetables that symbolize longevity in it, and tie the opening with a dough string or tofu shreds.
Lin Qiuran used to put shredded pork in Beijing sauce in this dish. It was a bit more troublesome to put the dish in, but it was easier for the guests to eat without getting their hands dirty. Make it according to the number of people: ten for a table of ten, twelve for twelve.
It is filled up with things and has the word "Fu" on it, which makes it look very festive.
Lin Qiuran planned to make these two dishes for now. If the Wang family asked for something else tomorrow, she would make something else. Dried hawthorn was essential for making braised pork, and Lin Qiuran had found it.
In addition, Lin Qiuran also brought some silver, half an ounce of silver, and some copper coins. She had never been to the county town before, so she wanted to take this opportunity to walk around and ask how much the houses there cost.
Lin Qiuran prepared the two things and asked Sun, "Mom, does our village have any ox carts or anything like that that can go to the county town?"
Sun almost forgot, but there really was one. If it wasn't the busy farming season, raising cattle at home wouldn't be of much use. So some people would drive ox carts to the county town, charging two cents per person to save them the trouble of walking.
However, not many people took the oxcart. After all, two cents was not cheap. If there was nothing important, they would just walk there. Or they would take the oxcart if they had some money at home.
Sun had never taken an oxcart before, but Lin Qiuran had a child, so taking an oxcart would save her some energy. "Yes, I'll ask when we're leaving. We'll take the oxcart tomorrow."
Sun went to ask about the ox cart, and Lin Qiuran was making fish soup at home.
Xiao Dashi prepared the crucian carp. It was not big. He fried the fish in a thick layer of oil and sprinkled some salt in the middle to avoid frying the skin.
Lin Qiuran put the fish in, and crackling sounds came from the pot. Don't turn it over immediately, wait until it is slightly set.
After waiting for a while, Lin Qiuran used a spatula to flip the crucian carp over completely. The fried side was golden in color and sizzling with oil.
After the other side was fried, Lin Qiuran took the fish out and put it in a bowl. He fried two eggs and then fried tofu. After frying them, he poured hot water into the soup, which was a milky white. Lin Qiuran thought that one crucian carp was too little, so he added eggs and tofu to make the soup look good.
After frying, these were served out. There was not much oil left in the pot. Lin Qiuran returned the crucian carp to the pot, mashed it with a spatula, and added the egg and tofu. She picked up the kettle from the stove and poured it on. With a splash, the water washed away the fish meat and the soup instantly became thick.
There were fish bones and fish bones in the pot. Lin Qiuran waited for the pot to boil, added some salt to season it, and then used a colander to remove the fish bones. Crucian carp has many bones, and she didn't want to drink the soup and then spit out the bones.
After the soup boils, add a handful of rapeseed picked from the backyard and sprinkle with a handful of chopped green onions.
There was too much fish soup, so Lin Qiuran didn’t plan to make porridge, so he just kneaded the dough and rolled out some noodles. These noodles were much more delicious than the soup noodles.
Just as the noodles were put in, Sun came back and said, "Qiu Ran, we will go there at 11:00 AM tomorrow morning and return to the village by oxcart at 11:00 PM."
It was still the same price, no discount. If Sun was alone, she would definitely not want to leave. But Lin Qiuran had to go to work, and walking to the county town would make her too tired to cook, so she would definitely have to take a car. If Lin Qiuran took the car alone and Sun walked, she would still feel uneasy.
Lin Qiuran: "Then get up early, mother is ready to eat."
Sun looked into the pot. The fish soup inside looked beautiful, the eggs and tofu were golden yellow, and there were small green vegetable noodles rolled in it. It smelled delicious. "You eat this, and your father and I will have porridge."
Lin Qiuran said: "I didn't cook porridge even though I made a lot."
Sun: "Hey, we are all used to eating porridge, we can't get used to eating anything else."
Lin Qiuran, "Mom, I can't finish this much. Let's eat it together. There's not much noodles. Let's go to bed early after eating. We still have to go to the county town tomorrow."
Sun had no choice but to sit down and eat, and she kept saying, "Next time, just make your own. Your father and I will eat something else."
Lin Qiuran didn't respond. She didn't like eating alone. It was better for the family to eat together. "Come and try it."
Sun served food for herself and Xiao Dashi. There was no egg in the bowl. She ate the noodles, which were chewy and had the salty and sweet taste of the fish soup. The tofu was also delicious. It was much better than the fish soup she made for Lin Qiuran.
Xiao Dashi just said, "Qiuran has good skills."
After dinner, Lin Qiuran went to bed early.
The next day, Sun called her at the appointed time. Lin Qiuran washed up and took the things she had prepared the night before, and went to the village entrance with Sun to ride in the ox cart.
Sun also cooked three eggs for her to eat on the road.
There weren't many people, four of them in total, but they could still earn eight cents each time, which doubled the money, so it was still a profit.
Riding in a bullock cart is naturally much faster than walking. When we arrived at the county town gate, the bullock cart stopped.
Lin Qiuran paid the money, and Sun said, "Brother, we will come back in the afternoon. If you come late, you have to wait for us."
Sun didn't know when it would end. What if they needed to sit at a table? Half a day might not be enough.
The farmer nodded and led the cow to find water.
Lin Qiuran and Sun stood at the city gate. It was already bright outside and there were small vendors on the street. Lin Qiuran relaxed his brows and looked at the houses and buildings on the street. He felt that they were much better than those in the village.
Sun was a little scared. Their county was called Yu'an City. Here, the county magistrate was a seventh-rank official, and the county chief clerk was a ninth-rank official. Although their official positions were low, they were still important figures in the eyes of the common people.
Sun opened her mouth and said, "I don't know where the Wang family is."
Lin Qiuran patted Sun's arm and said, "It's okay. I'll ask someone."
Lin Qiuran asked around and found her way there. Sun followed closely behind her. When they arrived at Wang's house, Lin Qiuran looked up at the plaque on the door. The two characters were the same as in simplified Chinese, and the plaque read "Wang's Residence."
Red lanterns were hung under the brackets and the door was closed.
Lin Qiuran stepped forward and knocked on the door lock. After a while, a servant came out to open the door. Lin Qiuran said straight to the point, "I'm the noodle chef who's here to taste test the dishes today."
The servant nodded, "Come in quickly then."
Lin Qiuran followed the servant into the house, and Sun followed behind her, not daring to breathe.
After walking for a while, the servant told them to wait here. Lin Qiuran took a deep breath, and the two dared not look around. After waiting for half a quarter of an hour, a well-dressed woman came over with a maid. "You must be Madam Lin, right? I am the second wife of the mansion. My mother-in-law is having her sixtieth birthday soon, and we have found several banquet chefs, but none of them are satisfactory."
At the old lady’s birthday party, the dishes must suit her taste.
Lin Qiuran said, "Old Madam, if there is anything you want to eat, I can make it."
Madam Yu said, "Let's try the braised pork we made at Yu Family Manor that day. You can take your pick of the others."
Madam Yu took Lin Qiuran to the kitchen without asking who Sun was. She guessed that she was a family member who came to help.
After taking the person to the kitchen, Mrs. Yu went out. The Wang family's kitchen was bigger than the one in Yujiazhuang, with two iron pots and a big pot.
Lin Qiuran looked at the meat and vegetables in the kitchen. There was a large piece of pork belly and some hind leg meat. The vegetables were seasonal greens, as well as tofu and bean curd skin.
Sun asked Lin Qiuran what she was going to do with it, and Lin Qiuran said, "Mom, just cut the pork belly into small pieces, three fingers wide, and then blanch it in cold water."
It is better to eat small pieces at home, but when you are entertaining guests, the width of the stew should be three fingers wide and then it will be only two fingers wide, which looks generous and beautiful when displayed.
Lin Qiuran looked at the Wang family's spices again. They had more than what she had at home. She selected some and waited for Sun to blanch the meat while she stewed it. Then she began making the lucky bags.
The dough should be softer and have to be spread with pastry in the middle, otherwise it won't form a bag. Put a round cake in the pan and fry it. It will bulge in the middle in a short while.
Lin Qiuran fried two and placed the crusts in the steamer. Normally, they could be eaten straight from the pan, but with age, her teeth were weak, so the heat made them less tough. Sun left the rest to herself, sharpening her knife and slicing the meat.
Her knife skills were the product of years of practice, and she was able to cut the meat into even pieces. After marinating it with cornstarch, Lin Qiuran didn't rush because the two dishes were to be served together and cooking them first would get cold, which would make them taste worse.
When the braised pork was almost ready, she fried the shredded pork with Beijing sauce in hot oil, and then added cucumber and green onion shreds. After filling each lucky bag with it, she tied the mouth with bean curd.
The lucky bag was only half the size of Lin Qiuran's palm. After making it, he dipped chopsticks in the sauce and wrote the word "Fu" on it. There were ten lucky bags on a plate, which meant perfection.
If Lin Qiuran could host the Wang family's old lady's birthday banquet, she could even write the character for "longevity" on that day. However, the traditional Chinese version of the character for "longevity" seemed different from the simplified version, so she had to learn it.
The meat had been stewed for a long time, so Lin Qiuran made two cold dishes to relieve the greasiness: smashed cucumber and spinach with nuts, and also steamed rice.
In this era, cucumber is called Hugua. In the future, cucumber may not be served in some occasions because the sound of it is yellow, and yellow is not a good thing for anything.
When the braised pork was ready, Lin Qiuran went out to call someone, and Madam Yu came over.
She looked at the dish and nodded with satisfaction. "Mrs. Lin, please wait a moment. I'll bring it to my old lady to try. By the way, what are the names of these dishes?"
Lin Qiuran said, "This braised pork symbolizes prosperity and happiness, this lucky bag symbolizes happiness and contentment, and the salad of cucumbers and spinach and nuts is for the old lady to relieve her greasiness."
Yu nodded, and left with her maid carrying the dishes.
Sun took a deep breath and said, "There are so many dishes. I don't know if it will be done."
If it fails, wouldn't it be a wasted trip and the money for the ox cart ride be wasted? Moreover, Lin Qiuran worked for half a day in vain and cooked a meal for someone in vain.
Lin Qiuran didn't know either, so the two of them waited in the kitchen. The time they waited was getting longer and longer. When the sun was high in the sky and it was already noon, no one came.
Lin Qiuran pursed her lips. Could it be that the dish was not to her liking because it was so slow? If it was not to her liking, shouldn’t she taste it and then serve the dish if she was not satisfied?
Sun also felt that it took too long. She comforted him, "This doesn't always work. You cook it well, but everyone has different tastes. It's okay."
Lin Qiuran nodded. Although that was true, he still felt a little disappointed after working so hard for so long but to no avail.
Sun smiled and said, "Let's go out for a walk and have lunch. There are some small restaurants here. You can eat whatever you want! You can't cook for others every day, right?"
Lin Qiuran: "Well, let's go out for dinner later."
After waiting for a while, Madam Yu finally came over. With a smile on her face, she said, "You must be waiting impatiently. Your appetite is good today, so I stayed up to chat for a while. Madam Lin's cooking skills are impeccable. My mother-in-law doesn't have a good appetite every summer, but she ate a lot today."
Lin Qiuran heard this and thought, does it mean it's done?
The author has something to say:
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Please give me some nutrient solution [let me eat] [scatter flowers]
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