Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 42
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 42: Brown Sugar Cold Cake and Gravy Noodles
After returning from Xu-shi's side, Jiang Shuyao was bored and returned to her courtyard's recliner.
She had submitted all the recipes she could think of to Lin-shi, who had written a letter saying the restaurant would open in a few days. It was a pity that this was not a modern era. Jiang Shuyao wanted to realize her big boss's dream of inspecting the grand opening, but it was too difficult.
She didn’t like to read books or do calligraphy; her only hobby was cooking. After resting on the rocking chair for a while then got up and went to the small kitchen.
She ate something hot and salty at noon, and now she is craving something cold and sweet.
Not long ago, a small exquisite stone mill was moved in front of the small kitchen, with slippery sauce jars lined against the wall. The elegant and deserted Bamboo Courtyard became grounded in an instant. If people didn't know, they would think it was a farmyard.
Jiang Shuyao took some rice, and her maids naturally didn't dare to stand around and watch. They stepped forward to help her.
When Xie Xun returned, he saw the maids pushing the stone mill around, and Jiang Shuyao threw rice into the stone mill without expression.
He walked over, and the maids saluted him. Jiang Shuyao, who was day-dreaming, was startled and stared at him.
Xie Xun touched his nose awkwardly and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Grinding."
It was an obvious thing. Xie Xun nodded, with his hands behind his back, and his posture was as straight as a bamboo while... looking at the maids grinding rice.
Jiang Shuyao seemed to see an image of those uncles who like to watch people playing chess in the park.
There were no servants in Duke Xie's mansion who were not afraid of this cold-faced and arrogant third master. The maids were staring at the ground with their legs soft and cold sweat on their foreheads.
The more they pushed, the more nervous they became. When their arms trembled to the point of weakness, Xie Xun suddenly said, "Can't push anymore?"
The maid was frightened and almost cried when they heard these words. Before they knelt down to plead guilty, they heard Xie Xun say calmly and coldly, "Then I will do it."
After that, he rolled up his cuffs and snatched the maids' work.
So in the bamboo courtyard, such a scene appeared: Xie Xun, the third master of Duke Xie's mansion, pushed the stone mill with a cold face, and the third lady throwing rice with a wooden face.
Bai Zhi watched from a distance and didn't know how she should feel.
Not many curious nobles are in this huge capital, but the two are strangely matched.
After grinding the rice, Jiang Shuyao put the rice flour into a porcelain jar, and Xie Xun followed her into the small kitchen.
The sky was getting warmer. Jiang Shuyao had replaced all the windows in the small kitchen with screened windows. The windows were opened wide during the day, and there was a quiet green vine outside the windows, so people would not feel hot and irritated when cooking.
She brought the pot to low heat, mixed the ground rice and glutinous rice flour with water, and mixed them evenly. She slowly poured the mixed slurry while stirring the warm water in the pot with a large spoon.
When she was boiling cold cakes, she couldn’t stop. It was necessary to keep stirring to prevent the cake from sticking in the pot. When the white liquid in the pot gradually solidifies, you can turn off the heat.
She poured the thick white rice slurry into a bowl, set it aside, and let it cool. Then, she boiled the brown sugar on low heat. The cold cake had completely solidified after the brown sugar was cooked and cooled.
Jiang Shuyao turned the cold cake into a small bowl, scooped a few spoons of melted brown sugar on the cold cake, sprinkled it with white sesame seeds, and the brown sugar cold cake was ready.
The brown sugar cold cake is perfect for the summer. The cake's color is like white jade, smooth and shiny. The brown sugar is slightly brown, making the cold cake even more white.
Jiang Shuyao and Xie Xun each had a bowl. They sat under the big tree in the courtyard to taste it.
After the cold cake was completely cooled, the inside also revealed a soft coolness. The taste was soft and smooth, a bit like jelly, but slightly more tough and waxy.
It was elastic but not sticky to the teeth. The brown sugar water was sweet, with a slight burnt bitterness—the soft, cold cake swayed in the mouth with the elastic, sweet, and cool feelings.
Xie Xun watched her only eat half a bowl and asked, "You will only eat half a bowl after doing so much?"
"I'm full after half a bowl." Jiang Shuyao remembered something and called Bai Zhi, "Bring some bowls to the first branch."
Bai Zhi responded and handed her a letter. "Madam, this is a letter from Miss Ge."
Jiang Shuyao took it, opened the letter, and slowly read it.
The beginning of the letter was naturally a polite greeting. Ge Qingshu seemed to understand that Jiang Shuyao was not a frivolous person, so she hurriedly went to the main topic after a few words—when will the Lin family restaurant open? Have you chosen a location?
Xie Xun felt uncomfortable when he heard Ge Qingshu's name. He finished the last spoonful of cold cake in the bowl, put down the spoon, and muttered, "She really exchanged letters with you?"
"Yes." Jiang Shuyao was reading the letter and didn't have time to talk to him.
"What did she say?"
"Just gossip."
"Gossip, what gossip?" Thinking of how Ge Qingshu targeted him last time, he immediately became alert.
Jiang Shuyao finished reading the letter. She folded it, frowned, and looked at Xie Xun, "Why are you acting weird?" He didn't look like a person who usually gossip.
Xie Xun coughed uncomfortably.
"There is nothing serious. She asked me when the restaurant will open."
Xie Xun nodded, "The restaurant will be opened on the pier, and it is not sold to the nobles. If she wants to join in, she will have no chance."
"Yes, but she has the heart." Jiang Shuyao said, calling the next person to take pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Xie Xun didn't understand Ge Qingshu, and didn't understand her purpose in approaching Jiang Shuyao. After all, the two of them had completely different temperaments, and they were unlikely to become friends.
While he thought wildly, Jiang Shuyao had finished writing her reply and suddenly sighed.
"What happened?"
Jiang Shuyao propped her chin and complained, "It's nothing. I just think that Miss Ge can't join in. Isn't it the same for me? I will open a store for the first time in my life, but I couldn't take a look."
Xie Xun wondered, "Why not?"
Jiang Shuyao blinked, "Ah, can I go?"
"Of course you can go if you want to." Xie Xun calculated the day. "I will just take a break when the restaurant opens, and then I can go with you?"
"Really?" Jiang Shuyao widened her eyes and leaned forward excitedly.
"Of course, you can do anything." Xie Xun was so excited when he saw her. He understood why Mrs. Xiangyang liked to spoil her daughter. Seeing her leaping for joy, he also felt happy and wished he could keep her happy.
"But..." Jiang Shuyao hesitated, "I'm afraid it's not so good. After all, I am the third lady of Duke Xie's mansion. I have to behave well." She began to adapt to the thinking of the ancients and examine her own behavior.
Xie Xun was alerted as soon as this sign emerged.
"What's wrong? You are my wife. I don't mind, so you also don't worry about what others have to say." Xie Xun stretched out his hand and asked the maid to serve him another bowl of cold cake.
Jiang Shuyao's depression suddenly disappeared, and she sighed, "Xie Boyuan, you are such a good person."
This compliment sounded weird, and Xie Xun let out a "huh." Although he was not looking forward to this compliment, his lips still pursed in a half-smile.
＊
The next day, Lin Cheng was planning to take a break with his friends, and when he asked Xie Xun, Xie Xun shook his head and refused.
"Bo Yuan, you have changed." Lin Cheng was heartbroken, "You are like a different person after you get married. You run the fastest after work and don't want to come out to play. We are not friends anymore."
Xie Xun said indifferently, "Don't fool around."
Lin Cheng groaned and said, "I think we are getting more and more distant recently. Don't you think it's better to go to your house during the holiday?"
The friends were watching silently, playing ‘you look at me, I look at you,’ and a common thought of ‘freeloading food’ popped up in an instant, and they all echoed, "That's it, that's it."
"I think Lin Cheng's proposal is very good."
"Yeah yeah."
Xie Xun's eyes glanced around these people, and he felt something was wrong. They were afraid of his majestic brother and never visited his house as a guest in the past.
He said, "Next time, I have something to do on the day off."
The crowd sighed slightly and dispersed regretfully.
Xie Xun's heart twitched slightly when he saw them like this.
It seems that Lin Cheng's words were true. He was indeed getting distant from his friends.
They wanted to interact with him more, but he refused. It is reasonable for them to be so disappointed. He must pay more attention in the future.
Lin Cheng walked over to Xie Xun and asked quietly, "What are you going to do?"
Xie Xun said, "I want to accompany my wife to see the restaurant opening."
Lin Cheng took a deep breath for a while, and as if he was asking casually, he said, "Where is it?"
"At Lin family's wharf."
Lin Cheng nodded, walked away with his hands on his back, his expression somewhat triumphant.
He thought that he was the only one who heard it, but he didn't know that their colleagues, who were immersed in their work, put down their ears and whispered, "Lin family's wharf is the one on the west side of the outskirts of capital?"
"No way, are you going to the pier to buy food?"
"Hehe, I will go to the outskirts of the city for the long day off, can't I pass by?"
"I don't think it is necessary. Bo Yuan's meals are prepared by his wife. Is it the same taste as those rough guys who sell them at the dock?"
"Yes."
Everyone discussed it, saying that going to the dock to eat is too cheap, and they would never go!
After a while, when Lin Cheng talked to the colleagues one by one, they all said that something happened suddenly and that they could not meet together that day.
This was exactly what Lin Cheng wanted. He pretended to be regretful on his face and gloated in his heart. His mind was full of duck blood vermicelli soup that he had eaten at Xie Xun's last time. He was unsure if it would be sold in the restaurant, but he looked forward to it.
The weather on their day off was delightful, with the sun shining brightly and the azure sky ideal for hanging out the laundry.
Lin Cheng, who said he would go to the city's outskirts alone, appeared on the wharf, wearing cotton clothes.
He was afraid of meeting Xie Xun, so he deliberately dressed up. At this moment, he was mixed in the crowd like a good-looking clean-faced scholar.
"The lady who sells cakes said that the restaurant would open today, right?"
"Yes, I haven't eaten stewed meat for several days since the grandma's shop closed down. How does it taste now? I don't know how the new restaurant will taste."
"Since they all go to the restaurant to work, it must taste no worse than before."
Lin Cheng followed the two working men and walked to a side street not far from the dock alongside people's flow.
Mrs. Xiangyang took the shot. Despite it being only the first day of the opening, the crowd was already sizable.
The restaurant took a full street of four storefronts, and it was opened at once. The front of the store was full of tables, chairs, and benches. A "Lin" banner was flying in the wind.
Lin Cheng approached, and a tangy fragrance poured into his nose.
The Lin family's restaurant was different from the regular restaurant. It paid attention to the word "quick" when serving dishes. Like a food stall, many pots were set up on tables at the front of the store to sell while cooking.
There was a loud voice at the door shouting the price, swiftly reporting the name of the dish, and shouting for diners to take their seats.
The guys in the Lin family were very organized in what they did. In a short while, all the noisy guys were ordered to take their seats. Lin Cheng entered and was introduced to the menu by a little waiter. He didn't know what to eat.
The little waiter raised his hand and pointed, "What do you think of the bowl of noodles?" As he noticed that this customer didn’t seem to eat a lot, he wouldn’t introduce him to rice bowls or soup with steamed buns.
Lin Cheng nodded and followed the waiter to the front of the noodle stall.
The noodle maker was the former lady who sold noodles at a nearby shop. When she saw Lin Cheng's face, her tone improved a lot. She smiled and asked, "What kind of sauce do you want?"
Lin Cheng chose one at random, and the lady boss responded. She took the bowl of noodles from the back, poured a ladle of steaming stew on the glossy white noodles, and handed it to Lin Cheng.
The noodle bowl was still hot, and Lin Cheng took it carefully.
There were not many people at this time. Lin Cheng looked for an empty table, smelled the fragrant noodles, and could not wait to move his chopsticks.
The soup is brown-red, bright, and saturated. The noodles are thick and white. There are also yellow eggs, black fungus and mushrooms, red carrots, and tender white tofu mixed together to make the bowl rich in color.
After he stirred evenly with chopsticks, the noodle soup is still thick and not scattered. The noodles are uniform in thickness and tightly wrapped with soup.
After the first bite, he understood the beauty of the thick soup. The soup was delicious, and the saltiness was suitable for the noodles. The flavor is thick, mellow, and not greasy.
The slow-boiled chicken soup with mushrooms was so fresh that people couldn't wait to swallow their tongues.
The eggs that were scattered in the soup are thin and flexible. The flavor is mellow. It was particularly prominent in the brown-red soup because the taste was light enough. After chewing, the salty soup overflows from inside the egg. The refreshing noodles become more flavorful as they are chewed.
Not sure how the noodles are kneaded. It is not sticky but soft and smooth, and the flavor is distinct.
When eating this kind of noodles, it is difficult for someone to eat it elegantly. Lin Cheng still restrained himself, but people on his back were directly picking up large chopsticks of noodles to their mouth.
The thick stewed soup and noodles are wrapped in the mouth. It was hot and fresh. The stewed soup is sprinkled with white pepper, which arouses a slight numbness. After a few drops of vinegar, then bite after bite, the corners of the mouth are soaked in flavor, and people can't stop at all.
Lin Cheng ate happily, without noticing a person sitting down opposite him.
The person opposite said to himself as he ate, "The soup on this noodle is really wonderful. The shiitake mushrooms and mushrooms are delicious. The egg is mellow. The fresh bamboo shoots are fresh, and the fungus is fresh. There is a faint smell of meat in the broth, which is obviously normal. But the ingredients have an unusual taste. It seems that the creativity of these people is endless."
This voice, this tone, this familiar nagging...
Lin Cheng looked up and saw his colleague Li Fu, who had clearly said that he was going to the bookstore to grab an original copy of a book, sitting opposite him, immersed in the tasting noodles.
His eyes glanced at Li Fu, who was wearing a dark cotton shirt, and then he looked at what he was wearing. It seemed too similar.
The person on the other side was still eating noodles without noticing him. Lin Cheng couldn't stand it anymore and knocked on the table.
Li Fu looked up inexplicably, then froze.
The two of them had big eyes to each other, and they uttered three words dryly, "It's a coincidence."
They smirked a few times, then invariably lowered their heads to eat noodles. This time, Li Fu suppressed his voice.
After eating a few bites, a person came from the side and ate the noodles snortingly, not caring about others. However, Lin Cheng glanced at the familiar dark robe and felt something inexplicably weird.
He turned his head and saw that the person was wearing no different from his own robe.
After looking through the clothes, isn't it just his colleague Guan Ying, who does not want to go horse-riding with colleagues because he wanted to gather with his classmates and write poetry?
Lin Cheng stopped. On the opposite side, Li Fu felt strange and then raised his head to look at the person next to him.
The table was quiet for a while, and Guan Ying paused. As soon as he looked up, the three of them stared at each other.
"..."
In silence, the three of them thought together: They clearly ordered their subordinates to "find an inconspicuous dress worn by ordinary people." Why were the clothes on the three of them the same?! Was this type of inconspicuousness uniform in the eyes of the people in every house?
If you enjoyed Serena’s work, buy her a ko-fi! 