Tangtang is not even two years old, but she can already say a lot of words and understand what adults are saying. She knows that her mother is in trouble and is thinking about how to make her mother happier.
Tangtang sat on the edge of the bed, her little eyes darting around as she watched her mother, who was lost in thought at the desk. She had been reading the book in her hand for quite a while without turning to a new page.
In her eyes, her mother's face was like a sky covered with dark clouds. Just before she came back from the front hall, the sky was clear and sunny. It must have been those people's nonsense that made her mother unhappy.
What can she do to make her mother happy?
Tangtang thought for a long time, her mind a complete mess, until finally a brilliant idea struck her.
She jumped out of bed without even putting on her shoes, ran straight to Yuan Doudou, grabbed her thigh, climbed up, hugged Yuan Doudou's neck tightly, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Yuan Doudou was lost in thought, pondering how to resolve the situation, when suddenly someone kissed her. She snapped out of her daze and realized it was her adorable daughter who had kissed her while she wasn't looking.
"Tangtang, why did you ambush your mother?" Yuan Doudou smiled radiantly.
Seeing her mother's brows relax and her face light up with a smile, Tangtang was also very happy, revealing a set of pearly white teeth: "I'm only happy when my mother smiles."
Yuan Doudou smiled with satisfaction.
The saying "a daughter is a mother's little cotton-padded jacket" is indeed true. Since giving birth to Tangtang, her life has been as sweet as honey. No matter how busy or tired she is, as long as she can see Tangtang's smiling face, she doesn't feel tired at all. Even if she is tired, it is worth it.
Anji is currently studying at the academy as a student, and he is preparing for the county-level examination. He studies from dawn till dusk every day. She doesn't want her child to work so hard, but in this era, the only way for a man to succeed is to take the imperial examination. She can't keep her child by her side just because she loves him, and keep him in this small tavern.
This is not what Angie aspires to.
As for Tangtang, she is still young, and when she grows up, she can only study at home and cannot study at an academy outside. As for whether she wants to study or not, Yuan Doudou doesn't care at all. It's not that she's biased, it's just that it's really unnecessary.
This is still a society that values a woman's virtue in her lack of talent.
Yuan Doudou was thinking that she would hire a tutor in the future to teach her the Four Books and Five Classics, and she would be content if she could become knowledgeable and reasonable.
"DouDou, are you hungry? Come and have some white fungus soup."
Yuan Doudou was lost in thought when An Rong pushed open the door and came in carrying a bowl.
When Tangtang saw her father come in, she went up to him and asked, "Daddy, do you have anything for Tangtang?"
An Rong smiled and said, "Of course, how could we forget our Tangtang?"
An Rong was overjoyed with his hard-won daughter. Compared to An Ji, he truly cherished Tang Tang as the apple of his eye. In his view, sons should be raised like grass, while daughters should be raised like treasures.
Besides DouDou, no one in this world is more important than TangTang.
Yuan Doudou took the white porcelain bowl, which contained a white porcelain spoon. She then saw that the white fungus soup was cooked just right, with a reddish hue and a thick, gelatinous consistency. In addition to the smooth white fungus, there were also large red dates and snow-white lotus seeds.
She took a small sip; the white fungus was soft and glutinous, the red dates were sweet and tender, and the rock sugar was just right—sweet but not cloying. It tasted much better than the white fungus soup she had made before.
"How does it taste?" An Rong asked, feeding Tangtang while looking at Dou Dou with affection.
Yuan Doudou smiled and nodded, saying it was so delicious she couldn't stop drinking it.
“When autumn arrives, people are prone to yin deficiency and excessive internal heat. Drinking some white fungus soup can help clear heat and reduce internal fire,” An Rong said unhurriedly.
"You even know this?" As expected of someone from ancient times, he could readily recall knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine.
An Rong looked up at her, his eyes unfathomable. He knew nothing about medicine, and the limited knowledge he had was what he had learned from the prescription Li Tianlang gave him when Dou Dou gave birth to Tang Tang, all in order to help Dou Dou's body fully recover.
"It's just the surface." I wouldn't say I understand it.
Yuan Doudou thought that he was so outstanding, yet he could still be so humble; he was truly an extraordinary person.
"In autumn, everyone needs to nourish their lungs, so why don't we introduce white fungus soup? Maybe that will attract customers." Business is still much worse than before the pandemic. If we don't come up with a way to attract customers, we don't know what the future holds.
An Rong's eyes lit up, and she secretly admired Dou Dou's quick thinking. She always managed to come up with something unexpected that could help the tavern's business.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Although the white fungus soup was made for DouDou, he naturally wouldn't object since DouDou had spoken, especially since it would help the business.
The next day, An Rong got up early to prepare to cook white fungus soup.
Unlike other dishes, white fungus soup must be prepared in advance to achieve the best flavor.
First, select good quality white fungus, which is bright yellow in color and has firm petals. Soak it in warm water. At the same time, wash the red dates and lotus seeds. Lotus seeds are relatively rare, so only a small amount can be added.
The soaked white fungus resembles a blooming peony, with its petals becoming lighter in color and soft and delicate.
An Rong tore them into thumb-sized pieces and put them into a large earthenware pot along with lotus seeds. He added water, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced the heat to low and simmered until the white fungus became gelatinous. Finally, he added red dates.
The last step is to add rock sugar.
"Why not put the rock sugar and the white fungus together?" Lu Xi asked, puzzled.
An Rong said calmly, "Putting it in too early will cause it to overflow."
"I see," Lu Xi nodded, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She realized that she had learned much more from Brother An Rong than from Huang Daxian of Zuixianlou.
Leaving Zuixianlou was a wise move. Not long after he left, Zuixianlou was shut down due to a food poisoning incident involving its customers. The chefs were implicated and sentenced to half a month in prison by the government. After their release, they had difficulty finding work and eventually had to return to their hometown to farm. As for Huang Daxian, he bore the main responsibility. In addition to being imprisoned for a month, he was also fined 1,000 taels of silver. He had to give up all his family property to pay the fine. After his release, he left Ping'an Town with his family.
It's a sad story.
The white fungus soup was well received as soon as it was launched. Some customers always drink a bowl of white fungus soup after drinking alcohol, saying that it has the effect of relieving hangovers. But whether it actually works or not, nobody knows. It's mostly just a feeling.
Some people come to the tavern just to keep company with the guests and don't drink alcohol. They can enjoy a bowl of white fungus soup, which is delicious and nutritious, and it quickly became a popular treat among women.
"Strange, why doesn't the soup I make at home taste this good?" a woman wondered as she drank.
“If you can endure this much, you could open your own shop too,” her husband joked from the side.
He was a regular at the tavern, and he did some middleman business. When he had business dealings, he would often bring his customers to the tavern for drinks.
He was always the first to try any new items that came out at the tavern.
“You’re right, I have to admit it.” His wife was easy to get along with, and instead of getting angry at her husband’s teasing, she laughed.
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