mynovelonline Chapter 56 Boiled Sliced Pork
Chapter 56 Boiled Sliced Pork
They bought a lot of salt, intending to make cured pork later. They also bought the remaining half-pig from the butcher's stall, along with the pig's head, offal, and bones, making the butcher extremely happy.
Finally, they went to Huichuntang and bought a lot of spices. They also had the doctor there take the pulses of the group to see if they had any illnesses.
Fortunately, no one got sick.
After finishing everything, Song Jiaojiao led the people to pull the carriage to go home. On the carriage, Song Jiaojiao offered everyone the steamed buns she had bought. She thought the hunter would eat the most, but unexpectedly, it was the skinny, stick-like boy next to him who ate the most.
She can eat so much but doesn't gain weight, making dieters extremely envious.
Back home, Song Jiaojiao gathered everyone together and asked for the names of the people who had bought things that day.
The hunter's name was Meng An. He looked quite large, but wasn't very old; he was 25 years old. The man with him was named Meng Qi, who was 15 years old. The two were uncle and nephew.
The literate woman was named Bai Shuqin. She said that her family was a scholarly family, but many of her family members died in the snow disaster, leaving only her and her younger sister. However, her sister was kidnapped on the way here and her whereabouts are unknown.
The two women, one named Yu Fang and the other Ma Tao, used to raise chickens, ducks, and pigs at home.
The remaining uncle is named Wang Shui. He used to work as a farmhand, mainly taking care of flowers, plants, and trees.
After introducing everyone, they began assigning rooms. Bai Shuqin and Mu Qing were assigned to the rooms, and Bai Shuqin's main task was to take care of Mu Qing and teach the young ladies and gentlemen of the family to read.
Meng An, Meng Qi, and Uncle Wang Shui shared a room. Song Jiaojiao had already anticipated that she might need to hire more people later, so she had Wang the carpenter build several bunk beds. Meng An mainly helped out in the workshop, while Meng Qi followed Xu Da to help out. Uncle Wang Shui mainly took care of Song Jiaojiao's fruit trees.
The two women lived in one room. They mainly helped Xu Fang with her work, feeding the poultry and cleaning up the manure they produced.
The women were all under Xu Fang's jurisdiction, and the men were all under Xu Da's jurisdiction. The couple came from a wealthy family and, though they had never been rich, they had seen it all. It was perfect for them to be in charge.
Since the fabric wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, Song Jiaojiao told them to make do with Xu Fang's family's old clothes, except for Meng An, who was too big for anyone else's clothes. So Xu Fang and two other women had to hurry up and make him a new outfit.
The next day, Song Jiaojiao led Wang Shui and the others to move the vegetables from the drying room to the greenhouse.
After preparing the large pot, Song Jiaojiao cut the pork she bought into pieces, stir-fried it with salt and Sichuan peppercorns, then rubbed it on the pork and marinated it for three days.
Three days later, they brought back a lot of cypress leaves from the mountain, dug a pit in the back, built a frame on top, hung the marinated pork on it, and smoked it with cypress leaves underneath.
It's important to note that the cypress leaves must not be burned or exposed to open flames; they should be kept in a state of continuous smoking until all the pork is smoked and hung in the kitchen. The delicious cured pork is then complete; smoked cured pork is much more fragrant than unsmoked pork.
Looking at the lush green vegetables, we were finally able to start selling them on the fifteenth of the month.
That day, Song Jiaojiao brought a basket of vegetables to Sifanglou, a rare sight in winter. When Manager Wang saw the vegetables Song Jiaojiao brought, he saw that they were all kinds of vegetables, most importantly green peppers, as well as a red powdery substance that tasted just like the green peppers. This was chili powder made from the ripe green peppers in Song Jiaojiao's space.
"Madam Song, your arrival always brings good news. Without further ado, what good things have you brought today?" Manager Wang knew that there would be something new today as soon as he saw Song Jiaojiao arrive.
"Come, come, let's go to the back to talk." After saying that, Manager Wang led Song Jiaojiao to the kitchen.
Song Jiaojiao didn't waste any words with her. She asked for a seat and started frying chili oil. She poured a lot of oil into the pot, put the scallion segments in and fried them over low heat until they changed color. Then she put the star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and Sichuan peppercorns in and fried them over low heat until they turned slightly black. She then took them out and heated the oil over high heat until it was seven-tenths hot. She slowly poured it into the chili powder while stirring, until all the oil was poured in.
Just as the hot oil touched the chili powder, a pungent aroma was released, strong and fragrant. Everyone in the kitchen couldn't help but sneeze.
Song Jiaojiao first scooped out some pig intestines and stomach, mixed them with chili oil, scallions, and cilantro, and the simple cold pig intestine salad was ready.
In a separate pot, heat oil, add the ingredients from the chili oil, along with scallions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add water and bring to a boil. First, add the vegetables and blanch them until cooked. Then, add the sweet potato noodles and cook until done. Remove the noodles and place them on top of the vegetables. Finally, add the sliced meat and cook until it changes color. Remove the meat and place it in the large bowl you just prepared. Pour the broth into the bowl. Add a little more oil to the cleaned pot. Place Sichuan peppercorns and minced garlic in a bowl and pour hot oil over them. A rich aroma will be released.
As soon as Manager Wang smelled this aroma, he could tell how popular this dish was.
"Madam Song, what's the name of this dish?"
"Manager Wang, why don't you try it first?" Song Jiaojiao said, seeing that Manager Wang wasn't making a move, and neither were the kitchen staff.
Upon hearing this, Manager Wang picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. It was fresh, fragrant, and spicy. Having such a dish in winter would be absolutely comforting. He looked at the cold-dressed large intestine next to him and also took a bite. Unlike the usual taste, this one was filled with a fragrant and spicy flavor. With the addition of cilantro and scallions, it didn't feel greasy at all.
Looking at Manager Wang enjoying himself, Song Jiaojiao said, "The fried sesame oil is called chili oil, the one in the big bowl is called boiled pork slices, and the large intestine is called cold-dressed pork intestine. I believe Manager Wang has also seen that these two dishes are inseparable from the chili powder I brought today."
“Yes, Madam Song, I won’t waste any more words. Let’s talk about how much the chili powder and vegetables cost,” Manager Wang said, pulling Song Jiaojiao aside.
"We have 40 catties of vegetables a day, half of which are chili peppers, which cost 20 coins per catty. We can provide them every day. The chili powder costs 200 coins per catty. Don't think it's expensive. It takes 10 catties of green peppers to make 1 catty of chili powder. We only have 2 catties of chili powder at home for now, and it will take at least 10 days to get more."
There's another issue: my family is short-handed, so the manager will need to handle the hauling of these goods himself. Sweet potato flour and sweet potato starch will also be delivered daily, half the usual amount every two days. We can increase the quantity once the workshop is up and running next year.”
Song Jiaojiao finished saying what she wanted to say at once, and after thinking for a moment, Manager Wang agreed, but still insisted that it could only be sold to Sifanglou, which Song Jiaojiao agreed to.
After agreeing on the time and address for picking up the goods, Song Jiaojiao left Sifanglou. She glanced at Yuanshi Restaurant across the street and made eye contact with the restaurant owner.
All she could see was Manager Yuan's venomous eyes fixed on Song Jiaojiao, sending a chill down her spine. Song Jiaojiao couldn't understand when she had offended him, but considering that she was now supplying goods to Sifanglou, she was already at odds with the Yuan family.
As for the incident with the waiter last time, Song Jiaojiao had long forgotten about it.