Chapter 44 offers a preview of the Laba porridge served at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence on the Lantern Festival, which is divided into three grades...
The Laba porridge served at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence is divided into three grades.
The lowest grade of porridge was for the servants and maids in the mansion, as well as for the porridge distributed outside the mansion. It contained the most basic ingredients: walnuts, pine nuts, mushrooms, persimmons, millet, chestnuts, and beans. Finally, a large spoonful of fragrant honey was poured on top, which was said to symbolize a smooth and prosperous year ahead.
The next batch was sent to Taoist temples and monasteries, or even to the homes of low-ranking officials with whom they had frequent contact. This batch of Laba porridge would be divided into sweet and savory flavors. In addition to the most basic ingredients, the sweet porridge would also include red dates, longan, lily bulbs, and chestnuts, while the savory Laba porridge would contain a little green cabbage, cured meat and sausage, and even taro.
The best quality porridge was for the masters of the mansion and for sending to relatives and friends. This batch of Laba porridge was also the most valued by the masters of the mansion and Chef Xu, and it was also the one that Chef Xu and the second mistress were arguing about.
Cook Xu withdrew her gaze: "That's true."
She first instructed the cook to have people boil the lowest grade of Laba porridge. Then she summoned Su Zhihan, Wu Mama, and Cao Mama, and instructed them to set up the porridge distribution area outside the mansion according to the usual practice. She told them to take turns leading people to distribute Laba porridge at the gate the next day, and also reminded the three of their duties in the mansion.
Although it was said to be addressed to the three of them, it was actually only meant for Su Zhihan. After all, Aunt Wu and Aunt Cao had done this in previous years and were very familiar with the process.
Su Zhihan carefully agreed, memorizing every word. Just as she turned around, she happened to see Chef Xu lightly tapping her fingertips on the recipe, her brows slightly furrowed and her eyes darkening.
Exquisite, exquisite!
As Su Zhihan followed Cao Mama and Wu Mama to prepare, she couldn't help but ponder the word "exquisite." It was quite intriguing. Er Niangzi insisted that outsiders thought her cooking lacked originality, and it took three times for her to realize that it was missing the word "exquisite."
It wasn't mentioned in previous years, but it's only being brought up this year.
Su Zhihan thought for a while and finally realized that the second young lady hadn't ordered Laba porridge at all; she had clearly ordered the third young lady's heart and liver.
This meticulousness clearly implies that Third Sister is a merchant, and even the Laba porridge she makes has the flavor of a nouveau riche, lowering the class of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.
So exquisite, so exquisite.
Su Zhihan figured out the second mistress's thoughts and quickly knew how to change things.
She glanced in the direction of Cook Xu. She could understand, and Cook Xu could understand too. In other words, this wasn't the Second Mistress making things difficult for Cook Xu at all; it was clearly a charade they both knew about!
Sure enough, Chef Xu looked down at the recipe for a long time, picked up another sheet, added a few lines of text to it, and then instructed Yinghong to send it to the second room again.
Yinghong went there full of doubts, and returned looking equally bewildered. This time, however, she received the reward money and wanted to share most of it with Chef Xu: "Second Madam said this recipe is good, so let's make it this way."
Cook Xu nodded, refusing even a tip, and then told Yinghong to go back to work. Yinghong returned to Granny Cao's side, and Granny Cao, unusually curious, asked, "What did Madam Xu change?"
"……have no idea?"
"You were watching from the side, didn't you notice?"
“I saw it, but…” Yinghong said with a bitter face, and after a long while she finally said what she saw: “Madam Xu added some words before the ingredients.”
Mrs. Cao was taken aback: "What?"
Yinghong thought for a moment and said, "For example, the description of the sweet chestnuts says that they are made from sweet chestnuts from Gu'an, using only the heart of the chestnut..."
Gu'an chestnuts are quite famous. It is said that since the previous dynasty, there have been people in the area who specialize in cultivating sweet chestnuts. There are even chestnuts that were presented as tribute to the emperor. It is no exaggeration to say that Gu'an is a place with excellent chestnuts.
A bag of chestnuts nearby costs only a hundred coins, but a bag of chestnuts here costs several thousand coins. When demand surges in winter or before the Laba Festival, the price can increase three or four times. If the chestnuts are from some old trees, the price will rise even further.
The items needed for the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence alone are worth several thousand strings of cash. If we were to make them according to what Chef Xu described, even three or four times that amount wouldn't be enough.
Cao's mother was speechless, and Yinghong's words were not yet finished. She talked about other ingredients. In Xu's description, every ingredient had its own origin. Even the well water used for washing was described by Xu as water without roots, or snow water from which plum blossoms fell.
Upon hearing this, Cao Daya instinctively replied, "So, plum blossoms can fall into the snowmelt and still have a plum blossom fragrance?"
It's strangely intriguing.
Cao Daya glanced outside. The heavy snow had stopped, but there was still a lot of unmelted snow on the roof. Why not pick a handful of plum blossoms and put them inside to try it out?
Not only was Cao's mother speechless, but even Yinghong, Qiuyue, and Sulan couldn't help but laugh. Su Zhihan held back for a moment, but still reminded Cao Daya's blank face, "Hmm... it's probably because if there's plum blossom in your heart, the fragrance of plum blossom will naturally appear in the water."
Cao Daya belatedly realized what was happening and forced a smile, saying, "That, that's just fooling people, isn't it?"
Su Zhihan laughed and said, "It can't be said that you're fooling people. Chef Xu is just giving diners some room for imagination."
Take tea tasting, for example. You can't just talk about where the tea leaves came from, but you have to start from the Tea Horse Road and the history of old tea trees. You have to use your taste buds to awaken your memories and trace that distant migration route.
For example, the ham used in the dish cannot be simply described as having a fragrant meat; rather, it must be described as having the flavor of the mountains, the flavor of the wind, the flavor of the sunshine, and the flavor that has been accumulated and refined over time.
It's not just about the taste, it's about the story.
Qiuyue and Sulan seemed to be deep in thought, and even Yinghong looked enlightened. No wonder the Second Madam smiled when she saw the prescription; there was such a saying in it.
Cao Daya stared wide-eyed at the words, her face full of disbelief. After a long while, she muttered, "It's just a hoax!"
Cao's mother, who had only listened to Yinghong's story for a short while before gradually realizing what she meant, chuckled and flicked her daughter's forehead. She was at her wit's end with this stubborn girl.
Seeing that the second daughter-in-law had no objections, the kitchen began to get busy, and soon the aroma of Laba porridge filled the house.
The next day, Su Zhihan got up very early.
Today, she had to lead Yinghong and Qiuyue outside to distribute Laba porridge, which also represented the face of the Marquis's mansion. She couldn't wear old jackets and old skirts as usual.
Jiang Zhenniang took out the new padded jacket and newly made silk skirt early in the morning, tied her hair into a bun with a red rope, and put a plum blossom on her forehead with rouge.
Finally, Jiang Zhenniang straightened Su Zhihan's clothes before letting her out. When Su Zhihan arrived at the entrance of the Marquis's residence, a long queue had already formed outside. Upon seeing the crowd emerge, they cheered, "They're here! They're here!"
As servants carried buckets of Laba porridge out of the mansion, the cheers outside grew louder. Su Zhihan asked Yinghong and learned that distributing Laba porridge at the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had been a tradition since he was enfeoffed as a marquis, a practice that had continued for several decades.
Upon hearing this, the elderly man in the group nodded repeatedly: "That's right, I drank it when I was a child."
"Yes! My family drinks a bowl of it every year."
“My family has been using it for over ten years. The Laba porridge from the Marquis of Zhongyong’s residence is absolutely delicious.” A local resident chimed in with a smile, “It doesn’t feel like the New Year if we don’t drink it.”
Since December, the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year has become increasingly strong.
Especially after the heavy snow stopped, shops selling glutinous rice cakes could be seen everywhere on the streets of the capital. Every now and then, men would be shirtless, pounding glutinous rice in the street to attract customers' attention.
If it weren't for the Li family's lament over the countless deaths and injuries in the town and village, Su Zhihan would have thought the previous snow disaster was just a dream. Looking at the smiling and chatting people, she couldn't help but admire their resilience.
When the time came, Su Zhihan and Yinghong and the others threw themselves into their work, ladling out Laba porridge, saying auspicious words, and occasionally receiving monks and nuns who passed by begging for alms. It wasn't until the shift change at noon that they had a break and could sit down and drink a large bowl of hot soup.
That wasn't the end of it. Su Zhihan, Yinghong, and the others returned to the main kitchen, changed into their old clothes, and resumed their respective tasks.
After finishing their work, they had to go and help Chef Xu prepare the best and second-best Laba porridge.
By the time the Laba porridge was fully cooked, it was time to finish her shift. Su Zhihan took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was unusually tired, but she forced herself to stay awake and prepared to go home to call her mother so they could go outside to check on the lanterns.
This lantern is called a preview of the Lantern Festival.
Originally, it was a rehearsal conducted by the imperial court and government offices to ensure the smooth running of the Lantern Festival. Now it has become a custom, with different lanterns lit up in every street and alley during the twelfth lunar month, in order to pray for a prosperous and thriving year ahead.
Su Zhihan only learned about this custom yesterday when she saw the lanterns upon returning home and casually asked about it. She jogged home, grabbed the worried Jiang Zhenniang, and headed out of the mansion.
At first, Jiang Zhenniang didn't know what Su Zhihan was going to do, but she was stunned when she saw the lanterns filling the sky.
"Mother, look!"
"..." Jiang Zhenniang's eyes widened as she stared at the lantern hanging from the rope: "It's... a preview of the Lantern Festival."
“Mother, I know… Oh, Mother spent her childhood in the capital.” Su Zhihan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses, and her cheeks immediately puffed up.
"..." Jiang Zhenniang withdrew her gaze and looked down to see her daughter's round cheeks. She smiled and her eyes crinkled, no longer caring about what was on her mind. She reached out and pinched Su Zhihan's chubby cheek: "This is the first time that Mother has been with Han'er."
The mother and daughter huddled together, holding hands as they walked forward. Jiang Zhenniang looked at the scene before her, putting all her emotions out of her mind, and pointed to the lanterns above with great interest, saying, "Hey, are these the lanterns of the Xue Family Chamber of Commerce? So many years have passed, and these lanterns haven't changed at all."
"Mother...everyone's glaring at you."
"I'm telling the truth... Come on, come on!" Jiang Zhenniang pulled her daughter along, running a little way before bursting into laughter. A short while later, she spotted other lanterns and quickly pointed, "Han'er, come and see! This lantern looks like a rabbit!"
"From this angle, it looks just like a cat!"
Wow...it looks like a puppy over there!
The mother and daughter walked along the bustling street, admiring the lanterns and buying food from the stalls.
The freshly made glutinous rice cakes are sticky and soft. Sprinkle them with sesame seeds and then drizzle them with honey. They are sweet and fragrant.
Besides the sweet ones, there are also savory ones, coated in an egg mixture with pickled vegetables and diced meat. The outer layer of egg is fried until crispy and golden brown, and the aroma of oil, egg, meat, and pickled vegetables blend together. Paired with soft and chewy mochi, one bite is absolutely divine.
Su Zhihan, who loves glutinous rice balls, couldn't resist at all. After eating the sweet ones, she ate the savory ones, stuffing her mouth full.
That wasn't all. Right after she finished eating the mochi, a roasted rabbit leg was shoved into her hand. The rabbit leg was brushed with fermented black bean sauce and roasted over charcoal until the skin was crispy and fragrant, while the meat inside was still tender and juicy.
The locals, perhaps finding it too expensive, also bought roasted quail. The small quail were roasted until crispy, and even the bones could be gnawed clean, making them a favorite for many.
The mother and daughter ate their way along the river and soon arrived at the riverbank where dried bean curd used to be sold. Because it was close to the government offices and the Imperial Academy, the area was brightly lit and attracted many students reciting poems, making the riverbank incredibly lively.
Jiang Zhenniang glanced at the young woman passing by, busy selling snacks, and couldn't help but recall the scene of herself and her daughter working together to sell snacks: "Speaking of which, are you still doing that business?"
As soon as she said it, Jiang Zhenniang shook her head. Her daughter was so busy in the kitchen, how could she have the energy to come out and sell food?
As for hiring people to do things, that's not simple either.
Jiang Zhenniang thought for a moment, realizing that she hadn't seen Su Zhihan making braising liquid at home for a long time.
Su Zhihan smiled, but instead of answering, she pulled Jiang Zhenniang a few steps forward.
Just then, a strange fragrance wafted into Jiang Zhenniang's nose. The smell was truly peculiar; she didn't know whether to call it foul or fragrant.
She followed the smell and saw a local eating fried food on a bamboo skewer. The local was squinting and eating with great relish. The fried food in his hand was a golden square, and he could vaguely see the sauce spread on it.
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Zhenniang realized that there were more than just one or two such people; in fact, five or six out of ten people around her were eating with relish, holding bamboo skewers.
"This is--"
"This fried stinky tofu smells strange but tastes delicious."
"Sigh, I have to eat two skewers every day now, or I'll feel uneasy if I don't."
"Me too! And the braised tofu is delicious too!"
"Yes, yes, that stuff is absolutely amazing as a snack with drinks! It used to be hard to find a place to buy it outside of midday, but now there's finally a fixed stall selling it."
The familiar name startled Jiang Zhenniang at first, then her eyes widened. She looked in the direction from which the crowd had emerged, and was utterly astonished: "This is—"
"This is our family's stall!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
