Chapter 77 Regarding the matter of Lady Lü's idea, Jiang Zhenniang had not yet discussed it with Su Zhihan...
Jiang Zhenniang had not yet told Su Zhihan about this, but only told her daughter that her shop had been well-promoted during the Qixi Festival celebration, which had led to a significant increase in business.
Upon hearing this, Su Zhihan didn't think much of it and praised Jiang Zhenniang highly, encouraging her to continue working hard to make Jiang's braised meat shop bigger and stronger.
Jiang Zhenniang readily agreed, and took the opportunity to mention something else to her daughter, saying that many of the diners at the celebration lived in the western and southern parts of the capital, which were quite far from the shop.
She wanted to hire two more idle men to parade around the streets promoting the shop, while also collecting takeout orders from nearby areas of the city.
"Besides, I noticed that the stall at the gazebo is doing so well. Why don't we take over another one in the nearby market? That way, customers won't have to travel far."
"Mother, you can handle this as you see fit." Su Zhihan thought for a moment and then readily agreed. The business in the shop had at least doubled. Although the expense of buying people and shops all at once was indeed painful, it was necessary to spend this money in order to increase customers and revenue.
With Su Zhihan's reply, Jiang Zhenniang went to carry it out with great enthusiasm. Besides this obvious purpose, she had another plan, which was to send these people to the area around the pavilion to try to bring in all the unaware customers or the regular customers who were too lazy to come every day.
Over there, seeing that Jiang Zhenniang was handling things in an orderly manner, Su Zhihan turned her attention to the banquet preparations. She mentioned something to Yao Lang and his wife, hoping they could find another way instead of relying entirely on Steward Zheng.
“Mother Pang mentioned it to me twice.”
"They wanted to hire me as their cook, but I politely declined," Su Zhihan said. "I think this wasn't Madam Pang's idea, but rather Madam Qi's."
"I see." Upon hearing this, Yao Lang immediately frowned. He was now holding Su Zhihan, a golden goose that could lay golden eggs, and he was unwilling to let her go to the mansion to be a cook. Moreover, although Master Peng did not know, Yao Lang knew that Su Zhihan was originally from the Marquis's mansion.
She could leave the Marquis's mansion, so why would she be interested in the Peng family? However, finding connections wasn't easy, and after seeing Su Zhihan off, he began to ponder the matter, finding it quite distressing.
“Should we ask—” Madam Lü pointed behind her, meaning the minor officials who rented her house.
“What connections could they possibly have? They’re all so poor, and the only one who stands out is that one.” Yao Lang shook his head repeatedly, and then said to Madam Lü, “It’s not that I look down on people, but the main thing is that those who can rent rooms in our house are all from out of town. After paying their monthly salary to their superiors and then paying the rent, the ones with more money can afford to buy a few ounces of loose liquor, while the ones with less money treat Jiang’s braised meat shop as their canteen every day.”
As Jiang's braised meat shop gained fame, some people felt that the rice and flatbread served with it were better. Each serving included a spoonful of braising broth, a chopstick of pickled vegetables, two chopsticks of vegetables, and an additional selection of various braised meats, from the cheapest minced meat to whole braised pig's trotters. Prices ranged from ten coins to tens or even hundreds of coins, allowing customers to choose between frugality and luxury. Local residents could even have it delivered to their door.
To save money on firewood, seasonings, and even rice, and to keep their financial straits from outsiders, minor officials simply ordered meals from shops and had them delivered to their homes daily. They even got a discount after a month, which was cheaper than cooking for themselves.
How many connections could someone so poor have?
You should know that the most influential person in their alley is that Mr. Song, but Mr. Song's wishful thinking was thwarted by himself. He was so shameless. Although he still smiled when he saw people, getting any help from him was simply a pipe dream.
Yao Lang shook his head repeatedly, feeling that instead of asking them for help, he should go to the marketplace to inquire about other news.
“They are poor… but they have connections, yet they can’t get close to their superiors.” Madam Lü glanced at Yao Lang and shook her head: “With your abilities, this matter still needs to be handled by me!”
The next day, Madam Lü went to find Su Zhihan, asked her to cook two dishes, placed them in the house, and then went to look for her. After a while, she arrived at the front of Master Sun's house and called out, "Madam Huang, Madam Huang."
"I'm here." The coarse cloth curtain swayed slightly, and Madam Huang, the wife of Master Sun, came out from inside: "Madam Lü, is there something you need?"
She was much older than Lady Lü, with a sallow complexion. Her hair was unkempt, without any hairpins or even pearl flowers. She simply wore a silk bun. Although her upper body was old, it was at least a silk jacket. She wore only a coarse cloth skirt underneath, and she didn't look as presentable as Lady Lü.
If it weren't for the fact that Lady Lü and Lady Huang had known each other for several years and that Lady Huang was not only the wife of Master Sun, but also that her father had served as the registrar of the Imperial Observatory, making her a proper official's wife, she probably would have thought she was a peasant woman from somewhere.
"Han-jie gave me two dishes, but I can't finish them all by myself. I'd like to invite you back with me so we can chat and eat together." Madam Lü said with a smile, pulling Madam Huang forward. Madam Huang initially tried to refuse, but Madam Lü was pregnant, and it would be her fault if she got hurt in the scuffle. So she told her daughter to watch the house and then went with her.
Upon entering the room, Huang's face flashed with envy. She saw a brand-new silk shirt on a chest in the corner, next to a pair of brand-new embroidered shoes. On the kang (heated brick bed) was a smooth Shuzhou bamboo mat with a bamboo pillow. In the middle was a small mahogany table with two main dishes, several side dishes, and wine.
Not to mention the newly made silk shirts and satin shoes, even the bamboo mat from Shuzhou was quite valuable. Although it looked ordinary and had no patterns, the cost of materials and labor alone was more than half a string of cash.
Among the dowry prepared by Huang was a better bamboo mat from Shuzhou. But Sun Guanren was useless. After more than ten years, he was still a minor official and loved to put on a show of wealth. He had already spent most of Huang's dowry, and even pawned the bamboo mat from Shuzhou. Now, the mat in the house was a cheap straw mat bought from the market.
Looking at the dishes on the table, not to mention the various pickled vegetables and side dishes, the roast chicken and the roast fish were truly eye-catching.
From the moment she entered the room, the aroma rushed into Huang's nose, making her, who hadn't tasted meat for several days, involuntarily swallow her saliva.
What Huang didn't know was that all of this was a setup by Lü for her to see. Lü glanced at Huang's expression and felt more confident. She didn't bring up the matter and instead called Huang to sit down and eat and drink. Huang, knowing that she was pregnant, quickly advised her, telling her that drinking alcohol during pregnancy was not good and that she should eat more vegetables.
When Madam Lü heard Madam Huang mention the taboos during pregnancy, she was immediately alarmed. She hurriedly put down her wine cup and even raised her hand to personally pour wine for Madam Huang.
Then, she tore a large chicken leg from the plate and gently placed it into Huang's bowl. She then sighed, "My mother passed away early, and there are no women in the family to take care of me. If my sister hadn't told me today, I wouldn't have known such an important matter as not being able to drink alcohol during pregnancy."
"I know a little about it, but it's just some common precautions. If Madam Lü doesn't mind, I'll explain it to you in detail." Madam Huang was worried about how to repay Madam Lü's kindness, so she smiled and spoke up.
"I wouldn't mind."
“Then let me tell you,” Madam Huang replied, considering for a moment before beginning with what was recorded: “The ‘Good Prescriptions for Women’ mentions that ‘after a woman conceives, she should regulate her diet, keeping it bland and avoiding cold and heat.’ This means that she should eat appropriately and not overeat rich, fatty, or cold and hot foods. The ‘Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold’ also records this…”
Huang and Lü talked about pregnancy for most of the day, only stopping reluctantly as evening approached. Seeing that the fish on the table was almost untouched, Lü put it in a food box and told Huang to take it home and reheat it before eating.
Madam Huang refused, saying, "Such a big fish must cost a lot of money. You and your husband should keep it for yourselves."
“Sister, don’t worry. My husband is discussing business with someone and won’t be home for dinner tonight. I can’t possibly finish all that food by myself. Please take it back and share it with your husband and children.”
Madam Lü placed the fish and plate together into the food box, handed it to Madam Huang, and said with a smile, "Besides, this fish was given to me by Han-jie, so it didn't cost my family any money."
After much hesitation, Huang finally accepted the fish.
Not long after she left, Yao Lang came out of the house, picked up a chicken wing, took a bite, and asked, "Is this all you need?"
"How could something like this happen so easily? Just you wait and see!" Madam Lü glared at him, picked up a piece of chicken, put it in her mouth, and muttered, "Mmm, just you wait."
“Alright, alright, if you say it’s useful, then it’s useful. Just let me know when you need it!” Yao Lang readily agreed, letting Madam Lü handle the matter.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Huang returned home carrying a food box.
As soon as she stepped into her home, she was greeted by bare walls and an empty house. Looking down at herself, she saw that her clothes had long been washed and faded, and her shoes had turned yellow from being worn for a long time, but even so, she couldn't bear to throw them away.
This scene involuntarily brought to mind the image of the interior of Lady Lü's house.
"Mom, it smells so good."
"Mom, what groceries did you buy?"
Hearing the commotion, the two children inside rushed out to greet them. Upon catching a whiff of the faint fragrance, their eyes lit up, and the younger girl couldn't contain herself and ran forward.
Before Huang could even speak, she took the food box, ran to the table, and hurriedly opened the lid with her little hands, exclaiming in surprise, "Wow, wow, what a big fish!"
"Let me see, let me see!"
"Wow, it's so big!" The boy's mouth watered as he looked at the delicious-looking grilled fish, but he still had a shred of reason left and stopped his sister from grabbing the fish: "Wait!"
"Brother, why are you stopping me?"
"Think about it, we don't even have a fish this big for Chinese New Year. At most, we just roast two small dried fish!"
"..." The girl immediately froze.
"Mother." The boy looked at Madam Huang with a stern face and said with certainty, "You bought the embroidery you've been doing these past few days? This isn't something Father's going to give away as a gift, is it...?"
"..." The girl fell silent.
"No, no." Seeing her two children looking dejected, Huang's eyes instantly reddened.
Although they were the son and daughter of officials, their daily meals consisted of nothing more than vegetables and tofu. Even roasting two small dried fish was considered a rare luxury. Now, a simple fish dish filled the two children's eyes with longing.
Ms. Huang pursed her lips tightly, feeling an unbearable pang of sorrow. The grievances of the past surged up like a tide, and a bitter feeling filled her heart.
After a long while, she managed to calm herself down, her voice slightly hoarse: "This is not for your father, but something your mother specially brought back for you to enjoy."
"real?"
"Really!" Huang nodded emphatically, pushing the two children to wash their hands and set out the bowls and chopsticks. She then lit a fire and placed the fish on it first. After wiping her hands, she opened the cupboard, looked at the half-cold wheat rice inside, and then hesitated before glancing at the separate bowl of rice.
In the past, only officials in the family could enjoy that bowl of white, soft, and sticky glutinous rice. Madam Huang gritted her teeth, made up her mind, put down a bowl of wheat rice, and then brought out another bowl of glutinous rice and two bowls of wheat rice.
However, as soon as she turned around, she met the longing eyes of her two children. Then, her daughter excitedly exclaimed, "Brother, look! It's rice! Can we eat rice too?"
"Mom, I'll just eat wheat porridge."
"Oh, then I'll eat wheat rice too! Give the bowl of rice to Mother!" the girl said happily, tilting her head back.
"..." Huang's nose stung with tears, and she said in a trembling voice, "Let's mix together and share the food, okay?"
After a while, the three of them sat down at the table, and their chopsticks quickly moved towards the grilled fish. The two children aimed for the fish's belly, while Mrs. Huang picked up the fish's tail, only to find two extra pieces of meat in the bowl when she was about to put it back.
"You guys... just eat by yourselves."
"Mom, you always eat the head and tail. Now that Dad is away, you can eat the belly meat, and I'll eat the fish tail."
"The fish tail has many bones."
"If you can eat it, I can eat it too."
"That's right, I can eat it too!" The little girl parroted, and together with her brother, they shared half of the fish tail. The fish tail was roasted until it was crispy, and even the bones were crunchy, giving it a unique flavor.
"tasty……?"
"Wow, it's so delicious!"
"I never expected fish tails to taste so good..."
"Mmm, brother, the fish body is even tastier!" The girl picked up a piece of fish body, her cheeks bulging as she ate, and didn't forget to look at Huang Shi: "Mother, you're so silly, why did you only eat the fish head and tail in the past?"
Huang couldn't say anything, but she asked herself: Yes, why?
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