Chapter 99 The giant salamander Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang were unaware that the two had stayed behind…
Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang were unaware that the food box they left behind had caused such a commotion. The two slept soundly and set off for the tea-horse trade market the next morning.
As soon as they entered the city, their eyes lit up; the scenery here was quite different from that of Maozhou.
The city, much smaller than Maozhou, was packed with people. Merchants from all over the country mingled with foreigners of different appearances and attire, speaking distinct accents. Most of them traded using hand gestures, while only a few who understood both languages acted as translators.
As mentioned earlier, the people around Maozhou are known for their fierce and unruly nature, and the language barrier often leads to disputes.
Sure enough, the mother and daughter had only been in the city for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea when they saw two groups of people fighting.
However, it didn't take long for the officials in charge of managing the market order to arrive. The young official in the lead was skilled and simply raised his hand and placed his spear between the two groups of people, separating the leaders. He then ordered the yamen runners and soldiers to separate the two sides.
"Oh dear, they've started fighting again."
"Tsk tsk, how many games is this today?"
"Is this the fifth match? I bet there will be twenty fights today."
"Five matches in such a short time? There must be at least thirty matches by now?"
"Fortunately, it's Master Zhen on duty today."
"Thanks to Master Zhen, otherwise we would have been in real trouble."
There are very few people who can speak the Xinjiang dialect.
"There are quite a few, but most of them have been rented out by merchants. How many people are willing to be minor officials and earn such a small amount of money?"
“I heard that Master Ning offered a high price to invite Master Zhen last time, but Master Zhen ignored him.”
"That's nothing! There's also a young master Liu from the capital who's willing to pay that price." The speaker gestured, and a chorus of exclamations immediately erupted.
The vendors who gathered around to watch the commotion laughed and joked, and some even took the opportunity to set up gambling games, clearly unfazed by the fight.
Upon hearing this, Su Zhihan stopped to watch. Sure enough, the man spoke fluent foreign language, first talking to the bearded foreigner, and then chatting with the merchants on this side.
Under his mediation, the two groups, who were initially at loggerheads, quickly shook hands and made peace, even putting their arms around each other's shoulders as they went to the side to calculate the value of each other's goods.
Before Lord Zhen could even catch his breath, another man ran up from a short distance away and shouted, "Lord Zhen, there's another argument up ahead, and the men on duty can't understand them!"
After taking a couple of sips of water from the bottle, Mr. Zhen immediately went to the other side.
Su Zhihan withdrew her gaze and continued to look at the various spices and ingredients on the roadside stalls, occasionally gesturing to ask about the prices.
Jiang Zhenniang went over to join in the fun for a while, but soon returned to her daughter's side: "I was wondering why that man looked so familiar. It turns out he's the one we met when we were hiking yesterday."
"What a coincidence."
"Indeed," Jiang Zhenniang said casually, then took the various spices her daughter had bought: "How are they?"
"That's really cheap." Su Zhihan pulled Jiang Zhenniang a few steps away before a smile appeared on her face: "It's 70% cheaper than the same spices in the capital!"
If the two of them could carry as little as they wanted, Su Zhihan would have loved to buy up all the spices in the area.
"Seventy percent cheaper!?" Jiang Zhenniang gasped. "No wonder so many people love doing this spice business..."
Jiang Zhenniang was tempted for a moment, but then she shook her head again when she thought about the hardships of the long journey.
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they walked from the city gate to the city center, where they encountered Mr. Zhen, who was extremely busy.
His movements were as practiced as ever. He stopped the people on both sides and persuaded them to separate in the same tone. However, this time his luck seemed to be bad. Some people were unwilling to leave, so he simply pressed them to the ground and handed them over to the officials and yamen runners to take them back to the yamen.
This job is probably similar to the urban management officers of later generations, right? Su Zhihan felt tired just looking at it, so she went back to studying the ingredients and spices.
As soon as she turned around, the man standing next to Master Zhen exclaimed, "Hey, hey, that lady over there... doesn't she look like the owner of that food box from yesterday?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the men all looked over. When they saw Jiang Zhenniang smiling, they immediately realized that the taste of the rice balls from yesterday involuntarily came to mind, and some even wanted to try it and ask her about it.
"Ahem." Zhen Guanren glared at her a few times. "This isn't a food stall. What kind of behavior is it for you to go up and stop them? People who don't know any better would think you're bullying a young lady."
Upon hearing this, the men immediately became dejected.
Meanwhile, Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang shopped until noon, and while they were very satisfied with their purchases, they were also exhausted and in dire need of rest.
At this time, you should definitely treat yourself to something delicious!
Therefore, Su Zhihan did not hesitate at all and pulled Jiang Zhenniang into the restaurant that seemed to be the most popular, ready to try the food there.
Merchants frequently travel between the area. Despite the small size of the town and its proximity to the war-torn region, there are several large restaurants in the town center that are doing exceptionally well.
Su Zhihan thought that perhaps it was because there were many large merchants coming to purchase goods, which was why their spending power was also very high.
Su Zhihan thought about it but couldn't come up with an answer. Anyway, she had no intention of expanding her business by opening a shop here, so she simply put the matter out of her mind and focused on looking at the menu.
The menu here is indeed unusual. In addition to common ingredients such as mutton and pork, there are many ingredients that are rarely seen in Beijing, such as otters, leopards, red-crowned cranes, geese, peacocks, and even giant salamanders, bamboo rats, and eels.
Many of them, Su Zhihan has not yet tasted.
Jiang Zhenniang was overwhelmed by the menu, and in the end, she pushed the task of ordering to Su Zhihan.
Su Zhihan was also undecided. After thinking for a while, she simply called over the waiter and asked him to tell him that she wanted the restaurant's specialty dishes.
"Esteemed guests, is this your first time here?" The waiter first inquired about the mother and daughter's origins. After receiving an affirmative answer, he immediately began to enthusiastically introduce the restaurant: "The ingredients in our shop are incredibly fresh. Since this is your first time visiting, why not try our giant salamander?"
"This giant salamander is stewed and braised with our shop's special sauce. Its flavor is extremely famous in the surrounding area. Even our county magistrate often requests this dish."
"Is it really a fresh giant salamander?"
"Of course, if you don't believe me, madam, I'll take you to see for yourself." Upon seeing this, the waiter immediately led Su Zhihan to the kitchen. There were several basins of water in the passageway between the front hall and the kitchen, with several giant salamanders floating in them, some sinking and some floating. The smaller ones weighed about three or four pounds, while the larger ones weighed as much as seven or eight pounds. Their bodies were black and shiny, and they were quite beautiful.
"It does look very fresh."
"Of course." The waiter puffed out his chest and proudly boasted about the origin of his salamanders: "The salamanders sold in our shop are all caught by a specialist from the mountain on the same day."
"And I'll tell you, my wife."
"The location where the giant salamanders were caught was personally scouted and selected by our head chef. Back then..."
The waiter was very talkative and spoke with great enthusiasm. In his words, the process of catching giant salamanders was like a thrilling adventure, full of fun, rather than fishing or hunting.
Whether it was true or not, Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan both found it quite interesting.
Jiang Zhenniang was intrigued: "How about this one?"
Su Zhihan thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. You see, in later generations, wild giant salamanders are protected animals, and those sold in the market are all farmed giant salamanders.
Even so, it is said that farmed giant salamanders have extremely tender and delicate flesh with very few fibers, a rich meaty aroma, and no fishy smell.
Su Zhihan had never tasted it before her transmigration, and now that she saw it, she couldn't help but be more curious. She wondered what such wild fruit would taste like.
She glanced at the salamanders in the basin and picked one that was neither too big nor too small. Then, the kitchen helper standing nearby quickly grabbed one, weighed it, and quoted the price.
Of course, with so many stories about the giant salamander, the price is naturally not cheap; a serving of giant salamander costs five strings of cash.
With the addition of several other dishes, the food for the two of them cost nearly ten strings of cash, which is equivalent to more than half a year's living expenses for many families.
Jiang Zhenniang was overjoyed when she ordered the food, but when she saw her daughter paying, she smacked her lips in distress and muttered complaints under her breath.
"Mother, it's been a long, long time since we've eaten out." Su Zhihan dismissed the waiter, whose smile was slightly awkward, and gently advised, "When you're out traveling occasionally, what's wrong with eating something good? Besides, I'm really curious about the dishes here."
Su Zhihan pondered to herself, wondering what the salamander would taste like. She licked her lips, wondering if she should seek out an experienced hunting team, or inquire about the location of the local morning market, so she could see what unique ingredients were available and figure them out when she got back.
The mother and daughter waited expectantly for more than a cup of tea before several dishes were served one after another.
The aroma of fruitwood-smoked meat was savory and rich, the garlic cabbage was refreshing and appetizing, the abalone and pork were succulent and flavorful, and the barley and Sichuan peppercorn goose meat was fresh, fragrant, and firm... After several dishes, Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang's smiles never faded.
"This salted pork tastes really good."
"It must be smoked by the shop owner themselves. The aroma is rich, and in addition to its own spicy and salty fragrance, it also has a slight sweet aftertaste," Su Zhihan commented after tasting it carefully.
"This dried abalone and pork dish is also very good."
"It's a pity the dried abalone was a bit small, and the pork used was regular pork, so it still had a slight porky smell." Su Zhihan shook her head slightly, a little disappointed. The dishes at this restaurant weren't cheap; at this price, they could have used much better ingredients.
However, the main attraction is still the giant salamander.
Just then, the waiter hurried over carrying a large basin: "Gentlemen, your salamander order has arrived!"
"Wow, what a huge bowl!" Jiang Zhenniang was taken aback by the sheer size of the bowl, and the surrounding diners also cast curious glances at her.
As soon as the large bowl was placed on the table, a rich aroma of spices wafted out. Su Zhihan took a sniff, and her nostrils instantly filled with a variety of familiar scents: star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, angelica root…
Upon closer inspection, she saw large chunks of salamander coated in glistening sauce. They trembled precariously when picked up with chopsticks, making them incredibly appetizing.
Jiang Zhenniang eagerly picked up a piece and put it straight into her mouth. Immediately, her eyes lit up: "Han-jie, try it! The taste is truly exceptional!"
Su Zhihan nodded and picked up a piece to put in her mouth. However, unlike Jiang Zhenniang's delight, Su Zhihan frowned. She ate one piece, then picked up another and savored it carefully.
Not hearing her daughter's evaluation and seeing her so serious, Jiang Zhenniang immediately put down her chopsticks: "What's wrong?"
"I feel that this meat tastes, well, how should I put it? It doesn't really taste like a giant salamander."
"You've never eaten a giant salamander before?"
"..." Su Zhihan pondered for a moment. She had never tasted giant salamander before, but she had eaten other ingredients and felt that the taste was very different from what she had imagined and what she knew about giant salamander.
Could it be because it's wild? Su Zhihan thought about it and realized it was possible: "Maybe so, anyway, the taste isn't quite what I expected?"
"So what kind of feeling are you expecting?"
"Hmm...it should have a texture similar to that of soft-shelled turtle?"
Jiang Zhenniang found it hard to associate the giant salamander with the soft-shelled turtle, so she shook her head and picked up another piece, putting it into Su Zhihan's bowl: "Eat up, eat up, and reorganize your understanding of the giant salamander."
Su Zhihan ate slowly, while Jiang Zhenniang ate one piece after another with great relish, praising the deliciousness of the meat: "This tastes really good, so tender and firm."
Su Zhihan suddenly remembered something. She took the serving chopsticks and began rummaging through the bowl. As she moved, the pieces of meat gradually pieced together, finally forming a familiar yet unfamiliar shape: "Just as I thought."
Jiang Zhenniang had already stopped what she was doing, staring wide-eyed at what was in the bowl of food, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "This, this isn't a giant salamander!?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several pairs of eyes turned to him. A waiter standing nearby trotted forward and hurriedly asked, "Ladies, is there a problem?"
"Waiter, did you serve the wrong dish? This isn't a giant salamander at all."
The waiter was taken aback at first, then laughed and said, "Madam, please don't joke. What I brought to you is indeed our restaurant's specialty, giant salamander!"
"So you cut corners?"
"Oh? Madam, you can't say that!" The waiter's expression changed instantly, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "Our shop has been in business for many years and has always been based on honesty. We never do anything shady."
"That's strange." Su Zhihan chuckled and raised her voice, "Could it be that the salamander stewed in the pot can disappear on its own, or perhaps it comes back to life?"
The diners who were already peeking in this direction became even more curious. Especially the man at the next table who had also ordered the giant salamander; upon hearing the commotion, he stood up and came over to investigate: "Hey, young lady, are you saying they skimped on the ingredients?"
“That’s right.” Su Zhihan nodded, pointing only to the bowl of vegetables to show the men.
It's worth noting that these giant salamanders are quite expensive; many diners order them but then regret spending the money when they actually eat them.
The four men did the same. They glanced into the bowl of food, were stunned at first, and then their expressions changed drastically.
The most hot-tempered man grabbed the waiter by the collar and yelled, "You bastards, how dare you take advantage of me?"
"No, no—"
"This person has misunderstood."
"I didn't misunderstand anything! Pay up!"
"..." Seeing the commotion in the shop, the shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of smiles, and asked, "Gentlemen, is there anything you are not satisfied with?"
"Shopkeeper, they say our shop cuts corners!" The waiter's face turned bright red as he quickly alerted them.
"Brothers and ladies, what are you talking about?" The shopkeeper's face darkened, and he said loudly, "How could our shop do such a thing? Is there some misunderstanding? Or... are you deliberately causing trouble? If you continue to make trouble like this, don't blame me for reporting you to the authorities!"
"Hey, how dare you talk like that, shopkeeper?" Jiang Zhenniang's eyebrows shot up in anger. "You didn't even ask clearly before you started saying we're framing you? If you ask me, I'd say you're the ones who's guilty."
"That's right, that's right."
"What kind of attitude is that...?"
"I just ordered the giant salamander, I don't want it anymore."
Hearing Jiang Zhenniang's words, the surrounding diners began to complain: "What bad luck, why did we come to eat at a place like this?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant."
"Our family has been in business for over ten years, and we're known for our integrity..."
Before the shopkeeper could finish speaking, Su Zhihan smiled. She pointed to the large bowl in front of her and asked again, "Shopkeeper, and waiter, could you please take a look at the food in the bowl to confirm that what I ordered, and what you served, is salamander?"
"Of course!" the shopkeeper replied without even glancing at the table. The waiter, however, took one look and immediately began to stammer.
Su Zhihan smiled: "Then could you please tell me why there is no head or feet of the salamander in this bowl?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression changed slightly.
The waiter immediately corrected himself: "Madam, it must be that we served the wrong dish..."
"Shall we get you a different one?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The innkeeper took a closer look, then slapped himself twice. "I misunderstood you ladies, it's all my fault! We served the wrong dish, I'll have someone go and replace it right away... Consider this dish my treat for you ladies!"
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