Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Let’s decide on the dishes for the banquet, the day after tomorrow…
Cooking for others depends on whether there is anyone to host the banquet. The village only invites people for weddings and funerals, but most of the rest are cooked by themselves. Lin Qiuran's husband is gone and she has a child in her belly, so she doesn't have as many opportunities as others, so for now she mainly sells cooked dishes in the county town.
Sun hadn't planned to eat it at first, but after hearing what she said, she picked it up and tasted it. She had stewed meat before, but instead of buying pork belly, she usually bought hind legs, which were more fat than lean meat. She also stewed them in a large pot, and the fat was soft, while the lean meat was a bit tough.
But they are low in oil and water, so you can still eat several pieces at a time.
Lin Qiuran's stew was different. The meat was mixed into the porridge, and the sauce and oil were shining through the porridge. Sun tasted it and found it sticky and sticky, especially the lean meat. She had always stewed it hard before, and she preferred the fattier meat. But today's stew was different. She felt that the lean meat was even better than the fattier one.
She took another bite of the fat meat, which melted in her mouth. The fat meat seemed to be more delicious than the lean meat. This time, Sun put all the meat into her mouth. The pig skin was very sticky and soft. Sun said, "His father, you should try it too."
The meat Lin Qiuran had cut into was two fingers wide when stewed, with a mixture of fat and lean meat, and it was trembling. Xiao Dashi devoured it in one gulp. After finishing it, his eyes lit up, "It's delicious!"
Lin Qiuran said, "You guys should eat more. I can't finish it all by myself. It will go bad by tomorrow."
Sun: "Just eat it. Your father and I don't like it."
There was so much meat, Lin Qiuran gave them four pieces each. Sun wanted to take some back, but Lin Qiuran hid with the plate, "I'll eat the rest."
With the meat, Xiao Dashi enjoyed the meal even more. He used to only drink one bowl of porridge a night, but today he drank three bowls in a row, and at the end he even mixed the meat broth into the porridge.
Sun also ate a lot. After eating, she patted her stomach and narrowed her eyes.
Seeing that the two had finished eating, Lin Qiuran asked, "Mom, what did you eat in the county town today?"
These two people don't look like they just came back from a full meal.
Xiao Dashi was stunned, and Sun blinked, "Just eat...eat buns."
Lin Qiuran: "How many do you want to eat? What kind of filling do you have?"
Sun smiled and said, "The meat ones, your father and I each ate two."
Lin Qiuran took a deep breath and said, "How many should I eat? Don't make me check the bill."
She was quite happy when she heard Sun say she had eaten buns in the afternoon, but the result was like this.
Xiao Dashi lowered his head, and Sun also lowered her head. She said embarrassedly, "I bought three vegetarian dishes. Your father ate two and I ate one. But I was really full at the time and not hungry at all!"
Lin Qiuran sighed. It was hard enough to push the cart to the county town, and Sun only ate one vegetarian bun. How could an adult bear to eat so little?
Lin Qiuran looked at Sun, went back to the room and counted out ten coins, "Mom, this is money for tomorrow's meal, we have to spend it all."
Sun: "This is too much. I haven't spent all the money you gave me last time."
I had seventeen cents left yesterday, but I gave it all to her.
Lin Qiuran said, "I gave you some yesterday, but you didn't spend it. Eat better outside in the future, or I won't take care of the family anymore. We can each live our own lives, and I won't bother to take care of them. I won't sell fish anymore."
Sun thought that was impossible. Lin Qiuran could do it at home, so she wouldn't be tired. The two of them could go further away to sell the produce. It would be tiring, but it would still be easier than farming.
Besides, they had to plan for the future. If they were to pass away one day, Lin Qiuran and the children would have to leave some money to survive. They had earned half a penny in the past two days, more than the Xiao family saved in a year. Villagers working as laborers earned only ten cents a day, occasionally eight cents. Sun Shi couldn't bear to give up such a good way to make money.
Sun: "The fish must be sold!"
Seeing Sun's anxiety, Lin Qiuran said, "Then listen to me. It's hot now, and I have to cook fish, so I can't bring you any food. When the weather cools down in a few days, I'll cook it the night before and bring you some food. You can save money, but you can't cheat."
Seeing that Sun was still trying to argue, Xiao Dashi quickly pulled her back and said, "Just listen to Qiuran."
He was not stupid and could tell that Lin Qiuran was doing this for their own good, so he remembered that if they lived longer, they could help him more.
Sun smiled awkwardly, "It's not that I don't listen to you...I definitely won't do that in the future."
Sun also knew that Lin Qiuran was thinking about her.
Lin Qiuran said, "Mom, please don't make me worry about what you eat when you go out."
After dinner, Lin Qiuran returned to her room and put the money together. She weighed the gold bracelet and earrings, and they were about one tael and three qian, which would be worth more than thirteen taels of silver. She sold the Ganoderma lucidum for ten taels, and the Xiao family and her previous savings of more than five taels now made up just under thirty taels of silver.
If she were in the county town, she could sell it and go home for lunch, which would definitely be better than eating out. She just didn't know how much a decent house in the county town cost, but she estimated it would be several dozen taels. At the current rate of two hundred wen a day, it would take several months, and that was if there were fish in the river every day.
Lin Qiuran hid all the silver. Now she was more than two months pregnant. She was looking forward to living in the city after six months so that she wouldn't have to run back and forth with her big belly.
But there is no need to rush this. Lin Qiuran sighed in his heart and decided to go to sleep first.
The next morning, Xiao Dashi went to the river again and this time caught two baskets of fish, more than 30 of them, but they were just crucian carp. Each weighed a little over a pound, much smaller than a carp.
Xiao Dashi knew that crucian carp had many bones and was cheap, so it was often used in soup. He was afraid that this recipe wouldn't work. But Lin Qiuran was happy. The crucian carp was delicious, so she said, "Dad, this can be made, too."
I can make garlic-flavored crucian carp tomorrow. It’s a little small, but there are more fish in it.
The freshly caught fish were kept in a bucket, and yesterday's fish were slaughtered and stewed. After the fish were stewed, two people took them to the county town to sell. Sun thought the fish were expensive, but the people in the county town still thought they were cheap. Good taste was the most important thing. A braised fish like this would cost at least a penny in a restaurant, but buying it from the Xiao family, even without the internal organs, only cost a few dozen coins. Since they didn't eat it often, they were willing to spend it.
After the two left, Lin Qiuran sat down to rest for a while and had a simple lunch. Not long after she had tidied up and gone to bed, she heard a knock on the door. She got up to open it and saw that it was Aunt Yu.
Lin Qiuran quickly invited the person in. Aunt Yu said, "I won't go in and sit down. I'll just talk for a few words. Yesterday, I asked around for you. Someone in my mother's Yujiazhuang family had a funeral. It was an old man in his sixties who died. It was a happy funeral. He used to be a carpenter and left a lot of money. His sons are planning a grand funeral and burying him the day after tomorrow. I told them you're a great cook. If you don't mind, come over and try some."
Lin Qiuran: "Aunt, do you know how many tables there are and how many dishes there are in total?"
Aunt Yu said, "I think there will be eight tables, each with eight dishes. They said the wages are two coins, why don't you wait for your mother-in-law to come back and ask her?"
Lin Qiuran's wages were relatively cheap; a master chef would earn three or four coins. Aunt Yu had told someone that Lin Qiuran's cooking was delicious, and they agreed to try it.
Lin Qiuran said, "No need. Can we go and try the food today?"
Aunt Yu nodded and said, "Yes, I'll take you there in a moment."
Lin Qiuran locked the door and followed Aunt Yu to Yujiazhuang. At the entrance of the village stood a stately brick house with a white sail and wreaths hanging at the door. The family was dressed in mourning.
In ancient times, there was a saying that corpses should be kept for seven days. However, Xiao Xun died in battle and his body was not found, so his family buried him as they had nothing else to do. Lin Qiuran followed Aunt Yu to the main house. The person who spoke to her was a woman in her thirties with a kind face. She said her surname was Zhao.
Madam Zhao said, "Let's watch and cook a dish first."
Lin Qiuran went to the kitchen.
At this time of year, every household had a large selection of dishes. Lin Qiuran grabbed an eggplant, two chili peppers, and half a head of garlic. He crushed the garlic and minced it into minced garlic. He cut the eggplant into round slices, and the chili peppers, which were string peppers, into rings. Worried that the host couldn't handle spicy food, Lin Qiuran only cut half of the dish.
The wok was a large one, just like the one at the Xiao family's. There was also an iron wok next to it, but Lin Qiuran didn't use it. After lighting the fire, he put the eggplant in and fried it without adding any oil, to force out the moisture inside so that it would taste better. He fried the eggplant until it was soft and wilted, then took it out. He heated the oil and added the garlic. Once fragrant, he added the eggplant and chili peppers.
The seasoning is better than the Xiao family’s because the kitchen has more seasonings, and this dish takes less time to prepare and is ready quickly.
Madam Zhao didn't enter the kitchen, but when Lin Qiuran brought out the dish, she burst into laughter. Although she hadn't tasted it yet, the dish looked delicious and smelled fragrant. She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite, her eyes slightly shining. This tasted completely different from the eggplant she cooked at home. It was truly delicious. The eggplant was not too watery, nor was it greasy. It had a salty and fragrant taste, and the spiciness was just right.
Mrs. Zhao asked, "Is this made of eggplant?"
Why do I still feel like eating meat?
Lin Qiuran nodded. "Well, there are many dishes that can be made with eggplant. I made one today."
Madam Zhao nodded. She seemed quite capable despite her young age. "Then let's settle it. You have to come early the day after tomorrow. We have a lot of dishes. See if you need anything today and we'll prepare it. We'll have eight tables with eight dishes the day after tomorrow: two cold dishes, four hot dishes, and two main dishes."
Lin Qiuran said, "That's no problem, but we need to build a stove to wash the dishes, and two pots are not enough. In addition to these, you have to pay half of the deposit first."
She is responsible for washing the table, and she doesn't take care of anything else.
Madam Zhao: "Okay."
People from the neighboring village are not afraid of running away.
Lin Qiuran then decided on the dishes. The cold dishes included smashed cucumber and eggplant with green peppers. The four hot dishes included today's stir-fried eggplant, four-happiness meatballs, garlic-flavored crucian carp, and eight-treasure rice. The two main dishes were braised pork and braised carp.
The host prepared these dishes, as well as oil and seasonings. The next day, Lin Qiu brought Sun and Xiao Dashi over to help, so that one person wouldn't have to handle everything alone.
Before leaving, Madam Zhao gave a deposit of one penny of silver. On the way back, Lin Qiuran took out ten coins from her purse and said, "Auntie, this time it's all thanks to you."
She brought money with her when she went out. Thanks to Aunt Yu today, otherwise she would not have had this opportunity.
Aunt Yu was here to help, so how could she ask Lin Qiuran for money? She just saw that the Xiao family was having a hard time and wanted to give them a hand. If she still wanted money, what kind of person would that make her?
Aunt Yu: "I don't want it. I'll give you the money."
Lin Qiuran said, "Aunt, please accept it. I am so grateful to you this time, otherwise I wouldn't have this job."
Aunt Yu said, "I just mentioned it briefly. It's your ability that you can stay."
It’s not like there are no other masters. The reason why we can use Lin Qiuran is because she is better.
Lin Qiuran had no choice but to bring up Sun. "If you don't want it, my mother will definitely be unhappy. Please accept it. If you have such a good thing next time, think of me."
Only then did Aunt Yu accept it. She went back to her parents' home twice and took out ten cents.
She put the money away and asked Lin Qiuran, "Is your stomach okay?"
Although Yujiazhuang is not far from Xiaojia Village, you have to cook and walk to get there.
Lin Qiuran shook his head, "It's okay."
Perhaps it was the early part of the month, so Lin Qiuran hadn't reacted much. By the time they returned, it was already late, and Sun and Xiao Dashi had already returned.
Sun was even anxious to ask the neighbors, and only then did she find out that Lin Qiuran had gone out with Aunt Yu. Seeing Lin Qiuran, Sun's heart finally settled. "Today's seven fish are all sold out, and I bought you some meat, so I have 204 coins left. What have you been doing?"
Today, Sun bought a pound of meat. Two pounds were not enough for the old couple, so they only gave it to Lin Qiuran. One pound was enough, which saved them some money.
They also had a full meal outside and spent eight cents.
Sun gave the money to Lin Qiuran. Lin Qiuran took the bulk of the two hundred and left the remaining few coins to Sun. She said, "I went to Aunt Yu's parents' house and saw that they were having a funeral. I went there to try the food and they agreed to hire me. Dad and Mom, come with me the day after tomorrow."
There are still crucian carp in the bucket. After selling them tomorrow, we won't go to the county town the day after tomorrow. We'll go directly to Yujiazhuang to cook. If we're busy, let Xiao Dashi come back early to catch the fish and sell them the day after tomorrow.
Sun's eyes narrowed, and a few wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Very good, very good. Your father and I will go with you."
Sun Shi wasn't worried about anything else, but she was worried that Lin Qiuran would be too tired. She had been getting up early to cook for several days in a row. She also had to go to Yujiazhuang, so she had no time to spare.
However, Sun did not try to persuade her. Lin Qiuran was the one who made the decisions at home now, and he wanted to make money for the good of the family. Unless she had a better ability to make money, how could she make Lin Qiuran listen to her?
Sun was always worried, but Xiao Dashi was very happy. He picked up a hoe and went to the field to weed. He had to go there every two or three days in this season, otherwise the weeds would grow again.
In previous years, I used to go hunting in my free time, but I couldn't make as much as selling fish in the county town. Going to the county town was tiring, but it was also rewarding.
When Xiao Dashi came back, it was already dark. Lin Qiuran and Sun had finished their meal. Lin Qiuran cut some leeks in the yard, chopped meat and made dumplings.
Sun drank the porridge and left a bowl for Xiao Dashi.
When Xiao Dashi came back, Sun brought the meal over. She said, "Qiu Ran is asleep. He must have been exhausted after the day."
Xiao Dashi said, "What's so tiring about it? Who wouldn't work when they're pregnant? Why would you be so delicate?"
Sun said, "How can it be the same? Qiuran has a good temper. If anything happens to him, I won't be able to survive. Think about it, Qiuran is always thinking about us and makes us eat out every day. Yujiazhuang is far away, otherwise we can push Qiuran there."
Xiao Dashi said he was spoiled, but he went straight to the yard and said, "Then I'll fix the car so that I can sit more comfortably."
The author has something to say:
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Asking for nutrient solution~[Let me eat][Sprinkle flowers]
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