Chapter 62 Busy Business: Customers, clutching duck feet, ate with great relish. ...
The diners were enjoying their duck feet with great relish.
He ate with gusto, even asking the waiter to bring him two ounces of wine. Just as the servant was about to say that the shop had no wine, Jiang Zhenniang stopped her and ordered her to go to the wine shop on the street to get some loose wine for the diners to try.
With this pot of wine, the diners simply unwrapped the oil paper package and tasted each item in turn.
After enjoying the soft and chewy duck feet, it was time for the firm duck wings. With each bite, the skin and meat seemed to blend seamlessly, inseparable. The meat was all lean, without a trace of fat, and each bite was a delicate, flavorful strand, infused with the savory sauce. With each chew, the rich, mellow aroma of duck and sauce filled his mouth.
Another sip of wine, that would be so refreshing!
After finishing the duck wings, he turned his attention to the duck neck. The meat on the duck neck was also chewy, and what was even more unique were the small bones on it. They were stewed until tender, and you could easily crush the bones with a little bit of force.
He sucked on the bone, his greedy tongue taking in all the flavors, and was surprised to find that even the bone hidden deep inside had no fishy or gamey taste, but was full of the aroma of braised meat.
Inside, diners were enjoying their meals, while those outside swallowed their saliva and pushed forward, shouting, "Me! Me! Me! I want duck wings!"
Leave me two duck feet—
"I want half a braised duck!" Some people even considered buying the whole duck, planning to try every part.
Jiang Zhenniang hadn't expected this. Seeing the duck parts in the pot decreasing at a visible rate, she quickly called out, "Han'er, the duck parts are almost gone!"
"Soon!" Su Zhihan, who was in the kitchen, didn't expect that someone would come up to buy duck products so soon after the store opened.
She called to Uncle Chai to bring the freshly scooped duck parts to the front, then poured another basket of blanched duck parts into the braising liquid, and finally poured another basket of processed duck parts into a pot of water and brought it to a boil over high heat.
She was cooking while also skimming off the foam.
Originally, Su Zhihan had planned to teach Uncle Chai and the other two how to do these things one by one during her free time, but she didn't expect to be so busy. She had no choice but to do it all herself.
Uncle Chai brought the duck products to the front, while Jiang Zhenniang enthusiastically recommended the other braised dishes in front of them: "Gentlemen, why not try our braised pig's ears?"
"That stuff is soft, chewy, and smooth, with a unique flavor, and it goes especially well with alcohol!" Jiang Zhenniang even changed today's offer after seeing that customer had asked for alcohol but not milk tea. Originally, milk tea was given away with purchases over fifty coins, but now customers can choose between milk tea and alcohol.
Sure enough, many people were tempted: "Okay."
Jiang Zhenniang picked up a whole pig's ear, placed it on the cutting board, and then, holding a cleaver, neatly and efficiently cut it into thin strips. She piled the strips onto oil paper, placed them on a plate, and handed them to the official with both hands.
After the official was seated, the servants brought him wine.
Although it was still morning, Jiang's braised meat shop was already packed with people, enjoying their braised dishes and drinks, looking incredibly comfortable.
"Madam Jiang, I'd like a serving of pig's ears." A familiar voice reached Jiang Zhenniang's ears. She looked up and smiled, "Brother Yao, what brings you here too?"
"And Master Song? Master Sun?"
"We originally wanted to come and support your business opening, to help you with your grand opening, but we didn't expect..." Master Song smiled and looked around in amazement, "It seems we're no longer needed."
"Oh my!" Jiang Zhenniang's smile widened upon hearing this: "I knew you three were my family's benefactors. You've been thinking about our business opening and were even planning to come and help us."
"Come, come, please come in and have a seat. You can try my braised dishes and give me your feedback." Jiang Zhenniang warmly invited the three of them into the shop, served them several kinds of braised dishes, wine, and milk tea, and invited them to try them.
Mr. Song originally wanted to build a relationship with the Jiang family, but unexpectedly he ended up taking advantage of them first. He felt quite embarrassed, and although he sat down, he didn't know what to say.
While Sun Guanren pondered Song Guanren's intentions, he didn't even taste it. Only Yao Lang was completely unaware of what the two beside him were thinking. He beamed with joy, happily picking up a duck heart and putting it into his mouth.
The duck heart is firm yet elastic.
With a forceful chew of both teeth, the rich, savory, and delicious flavor of the braising sauce bursts in your mouth, quickly spreading throughout.
Yao Lang's eyes lit up: "Delicious!"
He couldn't wait to take another bite, and he felt that the braised food was just right. With each chew, a long-lasting aroma of braised food would surge up. Even after he swallowed the duck heart, the sweet aftertaste lingered on his tongue for a long time.
After finishing one, Yao Lang happily ate another, and then proceeded to savor the crisp duck intestines and the soft, chewy duck throat...
Just as he was about to pick up half a duck head, two other pairs of chopsticks landed on top of his. Yao Lang looked up in displeasure, only to meet the disapproving gazes of Master Sun and Master Song.
They hadn't even eaten yet, and Yao Lang had already eaten them all!
Yao Lang belatedly realized what was happening, gave an embarrassed smile, picked up his milk tea, took a sip, and then paused, "Oh dear, what is this?"
He looked down and saw the soup, its surface rippling gently, its color warm and smooth.
"This thing is called... milk tea?" Yao Lang murmured to himself, smacking his lips to savor the taste. It was sweet at first, with a hint of tea aroma in the aftertaste. It was mellow, delicate, smooth, and creamy, somewhat similar to the drinks commonly available nowadays, yet also quite different. In short, it was surprisingly delicious.
After finishing a cup, Yao Lang was still somewhat reluctant to stop. He glanced at the two people who were still sucking on duck heads and chewing on pig ears, then got up to buy some more, intending to pack them up and take them back for his wife to try.
He had just stood up when he saw the menu hanging on the wall behind him. Yao Lang glanced at it, looking surprised, and walked up to Jiang Zhenniang, asking, "Madam Jiang, can your braised dishes be served with rice?"
“Sure,” Jiang Zhenniang recommended enthusiastically. “It’s topped with braised meat, as well as cabbage, pickled vegetables, dried tofu, and other things, and finally drizzled with a spoonful of braising broth.”
"Let me tell you, it tastes absolutely delicious!"
"Gulp." Yao Lang swallowed, but unfortunately he had already eaten breakfast and had just eaten a lot of braised food, so he really didn't have time to try the rice. He had no choice but to reluctantly give up the idea: "I'll come and try it in a couple of days."
Officials Sun and Song followed closely behind. They were too embarrassed to eat and drink for free, so they generously opened their wallets and made a large purchase.
Of course, they originally only wanted to spend thirty or fifty coins, but now they spent more than a hundred coins in total.
Seeing that business was good the first day, the mother and daughter were determined to keep up the good work. Su Zhihan was in charge of speeding up the training of the three servants, while Jiang Zhenniang went to the brokerage to hire some short-term workers, teaching them to put all kinds of braised food in bamboo baskets, carry the signboard with the name of Jiang's Braised Food, and go from street to street to sell.
The publicity was very effective. In just over half a month, Jiang's braised meat shop gained a foothold in Beijing, and customers often came to buy braised food.
Seeing that business was stable, Su Zhihan ordered food warmers and other items and started the takeout service.
The food delivery industry is quite mature nowadays. Restaurants and eateries have dedicated staff to handle this task, while small shops and eateries also have idle men who specialize in this job. They are available on call and charged per order, or by day or month.
The same applies to Jiang's braised meat shop. If there are few orders that day, Jiang Zhenniang will have her servants run the errand; if there are many orders that day, she will hire a freelancer to run the errand.
However, the business for braised pork rice and other similar items is so-so, with few people coming in to try them, and rice is often left over.
Su Zhihan didn't waste any rice either. She would sprinkle flour, pepper, and salt into the leftover rice and then deep-fry it in hot oil to make crispy rice crusts.
These rice crusts are either used by the customer or given to repeat customers. They are very popular because of their crispy texture and savory flavor. Some customers even come specifically to ask if they sell rice crusts.
Jiang Zhenniang was both amused and exasperated, and refused again and again. However, the method of making rice crust was simple, and within a few days, shops around the area began to sell similar snacks, which made Jiang Zhenniang quite dissatisfied. She secretly complained to her daughter twice.
"You're so good at copying others..."
“You can make rice crust at home too. It’s very simple. Besides, rice crust, charcoal jelly, and other similar things are also similar to this.”
Listening to Jiang Zhenniang's complaints, Su Zhihan smiled and comforted her, "We made this because we didn't want to waste the rice we cook every day."
"Then why didn't they sell it before but are selling it now? I think they're just jealous of how good our business is."
Jiang Zhenniang knew this, but she couldn't stand people making money using their own methods. She whispered to Su Zhihan, "You don't know, that girl often comes to buy braised food. She wears a veil and thinks I won't recognize her, but I remember her every time. I think she's probably trying to figure out your recipe."
"Is that so?" Su Zhihan was surprised for a moment, then reassured Jiang Zhenniang. She had put a lot of effort into the recipe for braised dishes in order to become an instant hit, and it was no easy task to figure out the exact same recipe.
"It's good that you know what you're doing... By the way, where are you going?" Jiang Zhenniang glanced at her daughter and then noticed that she had changed her clothes, was carrying a small shoulder bag, and was holding a package in her hand.
"I'll go over to the pavilion stall." Su Zhihan shook the bundle in her hand, preparing to change the sign of the pavilion stall to Jiang's Braised Food. The pavilion stall was located in a lively and popular area, which would attract more customers to the shop.
“I see. Then wait a moment.” Jiang Zhenniang called to her daughter, instructed the servant to watch the shop, and pulled Su Zhihan into the house: “When I was packing things last time, I noticed that you have grown taller. The clothes you brought from the mansion are all too small. Give them all to Xiao Hong.”
In a short while, Jiang Zhenniang packed a bundle. She felt that there were too many things, so she went to the street corner to rent a sedan chair and taught her daughter to get in: "Let's take a sedan chair back too, it will save time and effort."
"I understand." Su Zhihan glanced at it. The sedan chair was carried by two idle men. It was not a large sedan chair. The outside was covered with satin, and the inside had soft cushions on the bench. It was quite clean.
She sat down inside, and the idler lowered the sedan curtain.
With a shout of "Lift!", Su Zhihan felt a swaying motion beneath her and instinctively clutched her bundle tightly. It was her first time riding in such a sedan chair, and it took her a while to relax before she lifted a corner to peek outside.
The sedan chair only stopped when it reached the pavilion.
The idler lifted the curtain, helped Su Zhihan out of the sedan chair, and then went to stand guard to the side. Grandma Chen, who was busy at her stall, happened to see this, paused in her work, and stepped forward with a smile: "Sister Han, what brings you here today?"
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