Chapter 89 Chicken Soup Wontons, Stuffed Tofu...
From maids to servants, Old Madam Lu brought a total of six people, so Lu Zhao's three small rooms were naturally not enough to accommodate them.
Fortunately, the rainy season was over and winter hadn't arrived yet, so the servants built a wooden hut in the backyard. However, it was still crowded, so they suggested that Old Madam Lu take everyone to an inn. But the old lady was very clever and knew that Lu Zhao wanted to avoid them; she insisted on staying there.
Granny Kong was the person who served her closely. She made do with sleeping on two planks in Old Madam Lu's room for two days, but she was uncomfortable all over.
That day, after she had breakfast, she was about to go out with her servant when she happened to run into a little girl coming out of the opposite door.
The little girl has bright eyes and white teeth; she's especially pleasing to the eye.
Granny Kong was looking at Qiao Mianmian, and Qiao Mianmian also glanced at Granny Kong a few more times, while greeting her in return.
"Please wait a moment, young lady." Seeing that Qiao Mianmian was polite, Granny Kong stepped forward and, upon learning that she was the youngest daughter of the Qiao family, inquired, "We are new here and not familiar with Lin'an. Do you know how to get to the official matchmaking office in Lin'an? And who is the best matchmaker?"
“Go east out of the alley, then turn north at Qiu Ji Dessert Shop. Turn east twice in a row, then continue north and you will arrive.”
Qiao Mianmian added, "As for official matchmakers, my mother said that a man surnamed Wang is the most sought after, and the Li matchmaker is also quite good. Are you trying to arrange a marriage for Lord Lu?"
Granny Kong smiled but remained silent, not directly answering whether it was true or not, but instead asking about some other matters concerning Lin'an City.
Qiao Mianmian answered each question, thinking to herself that the nannies of wealthy families were indeed different, keeping their mouths shut. However, she couldn't get any information from Granny Kong, and she would get the same result from getting information from Qingjiu at noon.
After saying goodbye to Granny Kong, Qiao Mianmian was already a little late, so she jogged to the food stall.
She ran into the food stall, and Mrs. Lin shook her head, saying, "Mind your image."
"I'm worried there will be too many customers and we won't be able to keep up." Qiao Mianmian wiped the sweat from her forehead and leaned over to ask, "Mom, is business busy today?"
"Busy, very busy. You'd better hurry to the kitchen. The Luo family has ordered two tables of food today, so we need to get them ready quickly," said Madam Lin.
Qiao Mianmian asked the Luo family what happy event was happening.
"They say Mr. Luo's in-laws have arrived. You'd better hurry, your brother has already taken the menu." Madam Lin was cooking noodles. After the white noodles floated to the surface, she stirred them a few times with chopsticks before scooping them out.
When Qiao Mianmian arrived at the kitchen, both of her older brothers were there.
Qiao Jiaxing was also chopping vegetables. "Young Master Luo can't eat spicy food. The dishes he ordered seem light and simple, but they're actually not easy to make. Especially the stir-fried fish cake and shrimp wontons, they're very particular. It's a good thing you came, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make them."
"Luckily, fish cakes are sold at the market. It would be too much trouble to make them at home," Qiao Mianmian said as she cut the fish cakes into strips, chopped the shrimp into minced meat, and mixed them with the pork.
The wonton wrappers were bought from the market; they were thin and translucent, and after cooking, you could see the plump filling inside.
Qiao Mianmian was making wontons, each one plump and cute. She mentioned that the Lu family had found an official matchmaker, saying, "It seems that Old Madam Lu came all this way just for this."
Qiao Jiawang said, "Lord Lu is not young, it is indeed time for him to get engaged."
"Yes, he's a year older than me," Qiao Jiaxing said. "With Lord Lu's family background and character, he should be able to find a very good family. I wonder if Lord Lu will still live in our alley after he gets married?"
He used to think that Lu Zhao, who lived in their alley, was just an ordinary family in Bianjing, even if he came from there. But after seeing Old Madam Lu's carriage and the many servants she brought with her, he realized that Lu Zhao's family background was extraordinary.
"Who knows?" Qiao Mianmian shook her head. "It's quite nice to have Lord Lu as a neighbor. He's an official, but he's not arrogant at all and can get along well with people like us."
Especially sometimes, you can use Lu Zhao to scare people; it's very useful.
Even if an ordinary family earns a lot of money, they may still be bullied if they don't have a relative who is an official.
Having money is important, but having power is even better—that's reality.
No one in the Qiao family holds an official position. Wang Chuang is only a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination). If Wang Chuang could pass the Juren (a higher-level imperial examination) and become a minor official of the seventh rank, he could still protect the Qiao family.
Qiao Mianmian heard from her fourth sister that Wang Chuang was just so-so at the academy, and it was unlikely that he would have good news in next year's provincial examination.
The wontons are all wrapped. After they're cooked, we'll ladle them into chicken broth as a soup base—that'll make them incredibly delicious.
On the small stove, chicken soup was chopped and cordyceps flowers were added. Qiao Mianmian opened the lid of the casserole, took a small sip, and found it to be fresh and sweet. The chicken raised at home was indeed different.
"Brother, I'll save some chicken and chicken soup for you to take to your wife after you finish eating. Then you can stay home with her. There won't be many people at the food stalls after noon, so we'll be fine." Qiao Mianmian skimmed off the chicken fat, which she would use to stir-fry vegetables later, giving them a unique flavor.
The Luo family's dishes need to be prepared first. They add lard to the pot, then sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant, add bok choy and shredded meat, and finally add shredded fish cakes for seasoning.
Fish cakes are already salty, so only a small amount of soy sauce is needed for seasoning. Just drizzle it along the edge of the pan to bring out the aroma of the sauce. Don't stir-fry the fish cakes for too long, or they will lose their chewy texture. Before taking them out of the pan, add a handful of chives, and your fragrant stir-fried fish cakes are ready!
The other stewed dishes have already been sent over by Zhou Shan and Zhou Qun, and for the stir-fried dishes, Qiao Mianmian called over her two cousins.
After the autumn harvest, Lin Yinshan and Lin Tongshan came to Qiao's house again to deliver goods, hoping to earn more money to supplement their family income.
After the wontons in the pot were cooked, Qiao Mianmian put them into the chicken soup, and finally added a few bright red goji berries for color. The chicken soup shrimp wontons were ready.
Qiao Mianmian also left a few wontons for her sister-in-law. She only tasted one herself. With the addition of shrimp, the wontons had a chewy texture and were full of fresh flavor. "Cousin Yinshan, be sure to carry it carefully. The Luo family are our regular customers. When you deliver it to the Luo family, ask them if they are satisfied with today's dishes."
"Okay, I'll write it all down." Lin Yinshan carried the food box containing wontons and let his younger brother carry it easily.
After finishing the Luo family's dishes, the restaurant started serving customers, and the kitchen became busy again.
Today, Lu Zhao brought his mother to the restaurant for a meal. They were in a private room on the second floor.
Qiao Jiaxing said he made chicken soup today, "You can use it to make wontons or fish soup. It's made with an old hen that we've raised for over two years, and we started stewing it this morning. The old lady can try some. There's also my family's braised pork trotters, which are also very tender and suitable for the elderly. As for the tofu that Lord Lu likes, I made stuffed tofu today. Would you like to try some?"
Lu Zhao said he would listen to his grandmother.
Grandma Lu went to check on the house early in the morning, and she was already very hungry. She asked what could be done quickly.
"Wontons and noodles are the fastest. However, we've sold out of noodles today, so we need to knead the dough again. How about a bowl of chicken soup wontons to tide you over, and then we'll serve you the other dishes?" Qiao Jiaxing had been a waiter for a long time, and his tongue had become increasingly eloquent. He could guess what a customer was thinking from just a tone of voice or a sigh.
“Then let’s do it your way,” said Grandma Lu.
Not long after Qiao Jiaxing came downstairs, he brought over chicken soup wontons. "You guys eat first, the other dishes will be here soon."
Grandma Lu was truly hungry, so Granny Kong served her a bowl of wontons. The moment she took a bite, the freshness of the river shrimp sent a rush of flavor to her head. The chicken soup, skimmed of oil, was clear and not greasy, with an exceptionally rich flavor, which surprised her. "I never expected that chicken soup from such a small restaurant could be so clear and sweet," she said. "No wonder Qingjiu is so fat; I won't have to worry about your meals anymore."
After finishing a bowl of wontons, Grandma Lu felt much more energetic. "You can pick one of the houses we looked at this morning."
Lu Zhao chose a house that was closer to home, but Old Madam Lu complained that it was too small. "It's only a three-courtyard house. When you get married and have children, and then three generations live together, how will it be enough?"
In the old woman's eyes, her child would surely have many children and grandchildren and live a long and healthy life. Moreover, she brought most of her family's assets with her this time, all so that her grandson could live a wealthy and comfortable life in Lin'an.
"The main road has three courtyards, and there's also a garden and courtyard on the east side; it's already quite large," Lu Zhao explained. "I'm coming to Lin'an to work for the City God's Office, not to become a prefect or hold a noble title. If I make too much of a show of it, what will the prefect think? What will the wealthy families of Lin'an think of me?"
"It's best not to be too high-profile. As for the three generations living under one roof that you mentioned, we can buy a house for our descendants when that day comes."
"Alright, alright, you must have your reasons. Let's do it your way," said Old Mrs. Lu.
"As for the land outside Bianjing, let's give it to my younger brothers." After thinking it over, Lu Zhao made a decision. "I'll keep the house deeds, but I won't be going back to Bianjing, so it won't be easy to manage the land deeds. My younger brothers are still young, and as their elder brother, I can't set a good example for them. Consider those fields as a token of my appreciation as their elder brother."
Seeing that his grandmother was about to speak, Lu Zhao quickly said, "I will use the money you gave me to buy new land and property in Lin'an. This will make it easier for me to manage the business. Don't you think so?"
Grandma Lu looked at her eldest grandson and sighed again, "You're just too kind. Since you want those boys, then do as you say."
“However, Lu Xingzhou cannot be given.” Lu Zhao frowned deeply. “Father can give him private property, but he cannot have anything from the family estate. I still stand by my position: Lu Xingzhou cannot be included in the Lu family genealogy. If Father dares to bypass me and include him in the genealogy, don’t blame me for dragging the Lu family down with me.”
Lu Xingzhou was his father's concubine's son. Because of Lu Xingzhou, Lu Zhao was slapped hard by his father and forced to kneel in the scorching sun while being cursed as an unfilial son.
Grandma Lu understood her grandson's feelings. "Don't mention him. Even if he has the surname Lu, he's not the same Lu as ours."
While the grandfather and grandson were talking, Qiao Mancang and his son came to serve the dishes.
The first dish is stuffed tofu with minced meat. The tofu is first fried in oil until golden brown, and then slowly simmered in a clay pot to absorb the flavor.
Next up is braised pig's trotters, which is the restaurant's signature dish and needs no further introduction.
There was also braised fish and taro loach, stir-fried gourd as a vegetable, and finally a light winter melon and lean pork soup.
Every dish was served with extra portions. Grandma Lu first picked up a piece of stuffed tofu. The firm tofu was boiled until it bubbled, and it was full of broth and the aroma of soybeans. With one bite, the satisfaction of the meat and tofu amazed Grandma Lu once again.
At first, she didn't want to come to this kind of tavern, but she came out of respect for her grandson. Now that she's eaten two dishes, she likes it too.
The Lu family upstairs was eating, and the Qiao family downstairs also sat down to eat. Qiao Mianmian had made chicken soup for the family today.
"The wontons are all sold out, so I can only cook some noodles to put in the chicken soup." Qiao Mianmian served Lin a bowl of chicken soup noodles and added a chicken leg. "Mom, please eat more."
Lin pushed the noodle soup back, saying, "I like chicken feet, you can have this yourself."
Seeing her daughter about to push it away again, she quickly exclaimed, "Oh dear, just eat it! It's not like it's anything expensive." She pulled her daughter down to eat, "Mmm, the chicken soup today is really good, delicious!"
"It was an old hen that my cousin Jinshan specially found to nourish my sister-in-law. We are all benefiting from her good fortune." Qiao Mianmian also took a sip, and it was indeed fresh and sweet.
Speaking of her eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Lin couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. Childbirth is like a woman stepping into the gates of hell. "Jiawang, tomorrow you and I will go to the temple to pray and ask for a peace charm for your wife."
He turned to look at his second daughter-in-law, "Yuan'er, you come too. Call Xia He along, let's all go and pay our respects."
Cao Yuan nodded, and seeing her mother-in-law thinking of this, the corners of her lips involuntarily turned up as she ate.
The Qiao family ate quickly, and only after they had finished cleaning up the dishes did the Lu family grandfather and grandson come down from their seats.
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?" Madam Lin greeted her with a smile.
"Very good, no wonder Qingjiu has gained so much weight. With you all here, my grandson won't have any problem eating." This was the first time Old Mrs. Lu had visited Qiao's Food Shop. She had already looked around the shop and saw the Qiao family members busy with their own tasks, all with relaxed smiles on their faces. She thought to herself that this family was quite harmonious.
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