kvmb Chapter 180 Let's try pickling seafood!
Chapter 180 Let's try pickling seafood!
Lin Chang'er smiled, used serving chopsticks to put braised pork on the two children's plates, and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
The He brothers, Da Mao and Xiao Mao, shook their heads frantically, saying they loved it, loved it so much.
Meat, although Father can hunt, Grandmother is sick, and Mother can't take care of her by herself.
Father didn't dare to stay hidden in the mountains, but hunting was a time-consuming activity, and he caught less and less game. Whenever he caught game, he would first take it to town to exchange for money to buy medicine for Grandma, and then exchange it for some grain.
They were originally going to stay home today, but the aunt said that their mother was already working hard enough taking care of their grandmother, so she asked the brothers to come along so that their mother could have an easier time.
The two brothers picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into their mouths. Their eyes widened immediately. The pork was juicy and flavorful, tender and delicious.
He Damao and He Xiaomao shoveled another big mouthful of rice into their mouths.
The rice is delicious, so soft and fluffy. I can eat two big bowls of it even without any side dishes.
The two brothers stuffed their cheeks full as they thought this.
Lin Chang'er was worried that the two children would choke, so she quickly served them two bowls of bone broth. "Eat slowly, don't choke. There are still so many dishes you haven't tried yet! Chunhua, eat too. If you can't compete with these kids, I'll laugh at you."
"Hehe, I can't argue with Xiao Bao!" Zhou Yi used a wooden spoon to scoop up a spoonful of steamed egg custard, putting half of it into his mouth and letting the other half spill out.
Zhou Li helplessly straightened his clothes, "You still say that? Do you have a hole in your chin? I'll raise a big rooster under you, and the rooster will eat more than you."
"Little pig!" Zhou Yi grinned at him.
“Uncle,” Zhou Li corrected him.
"piggy!"
Zhou Li gave up, and the little ones at the dinner table burst into laughter.
He Chunhua relaxed a lot, glanced at Niu Xiaomei sitting next to her, and picked up a piece of chicken to eat.
She used to work as a maid in the household of a wealthy man in the next county, and was always instilled with the idea of being cautious in her words and deeds.
The atmosphere was good, and she gradually blended in before she dared to eat more freely.
Niu Xiaomei's situation was even worse than He Chunhua's. She was sold into a brothel at a young age because of her good looks.
She was disfigured by the jealousy of the girls in the building, leaving a scar a finger long on her face. However, this misfortune turned into a blessing, as she ended up as a lowly maid in the building, thus escaping the fate of being abused, but not the fate of being tormented.
Her mother disliked her for being unambitious and would beat and scold her, but fortunately, Lord Wu found her, and Sister Chang'er was also willing to help her.
The meal was enjoyed by both the host and guests. When He Damao and He Xiaomao got up, their bellies were round and they even let out a burp.
Lin Chang'er washed some more fruit and had the children sit under the eaves of the main hall to eat.
Wu Qingfeng and He Dashan sat on a stone bench in the corner and talked. Wu Qingfeng was sitting and He Dashan was standing. Even so, He Dashan's palms were sweating.
Niu Xiaomei and He Chunhua were helping wash the dishes by the well in the backyard.
Although the two sisters had only known each other for a few days, they hit it off immediately because of their similar circumstances.
When they talked about how they would live their lives from now on, their eyes shone with a light different from yesterday.
He Chunhua said, "My sister-in-law has to take care of my mother and can't leave, but Da Mao and Xiao Mao are six years old and can do some simple chores."
“I plan to take them up the mountain to collect wild produce and bring it to the market here. My brother might also hunt some wild game.”
Niu Xiaomei said, "That's great. I heard from Sister Xiaohua that the market at the village entrance is run by Sister Chang'er, and the prices are very fair."
He Chunhua nodded, "Yes! The villagers are very kind too."
After a pause, she continued, "Xiaomei, what are you planning to do?"
Niu Xiaomei was washing the dishes. "I heard from Sister-in-law Xiaohua that Sister Chang'er opened a snack shop in town, a seafood stall, and also a beverage stall with a partner."
"When I was in the building, I saw the old lady in the kitchen making pickled vegetables. I wanted to ask Sister Chang'er if she was in the business of making pickled vegetables."
"If I don't do it, I'll go and make dried fish for Sister Chang'er. I can earn 20 coins a day. Once I've saved enough capital, I'll pickle some side dishes to sell."
"What kind of pickled vegetables are you making? Tell me!" Lin Chang'er happened to come looking for He Chunhua and overheard the two girls' conversation. "Chunhua, your brother is calling you!"
He Chunhua exclaimed "Ah!" and nodded. "I'll go over after I've finished washing."
Lin Chang'er found a spot opposite them and squatted down, reaching out to help, but the two girls refused.
"Sister Chang'er, you rest now, we'll be done washing soon."
"That's right, Sister Chang'er's hands are for digging for gold and silver, not for washing dishes."
Lin Chang'er laughed, took out two candies from her pocket, and stuffed one into each of their mouths. "Sweet little mouths, did you steal some honey?"
The two girls smiled but didn't say anything.
Lin Chang'er tilted her head. "Xiao Mei, what kind of vegetables can you pickle?"
Niu Xiaomei smiled shyly, "It's pickled radishes, pickled bamboo shoots and the like. That old lady is very good at it. The madam thinks the food is not presentable and has a strong smell, so the old lady pickles it to add to the dishes for the servants."
Lin Chang'er looked up at the sky and pondered for a moment, "Pickled radishes and pickled bamboo shoots are crisp and delicious, and can be sold to restaurants as cold dishes, but they are indeed quite conventional."
"Try marinating seafood!"
She had thought about making raw marinated food before, but she was just one person and didn't have three heads and six arms, and she didn't have a suitable candidate before.
Since Xiaomei has this idea, that's perfect.
"Okay, thank you, Sister Chang'er!" Niu Xiaomei's face lit up with a smile.
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Let's discuss the recipe later. If it works out, we can open another cold dish shop. I'll calculate the recipe for you as a share and give you 20% of the profits."
She initially asked Sihai Restaurant for 20% of the profit, but Wu Qingfeng made the decision to give her an additional 10%.
Furthermore, she will definitely try to adjust the marinating recipe as well, and she will also provide the capital. Taking a 20% cut of the profits is reasonable.
Of course, there are many more items that can be pickled than just these. If the recipe is adjusted well, the income from a small cold dish shop can be quite substantial.
Niu Xiaomei's eyes widened. "Thank you, Sister Chang'er. I will definitely do my best."
When He Dashan and his sister left, it was past noon. Lin Chang'er took two bolts of cotton cloth from the small warehouse and had Gu Ersao wrap two packets of snacks, as well as some pears and peaches, and a pound of brown sugar as a return gift.
He Dashan was unwilling to accept it, waving his hands frantically, "Miss Lin, this won't do, this won't do. How can we be shameless as to accept both food and gifts?"
Lin Chang'er laughed and said, "If you say that, then you don't consider us friends."
He Dashan was immediately speechless.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Chang'er said, "Take it. Buy the child some clothes. The snacks and brown sugar are all from our own family."
He Dashan couldn't refuse, so he accepted it.
Lin Chang'er added, "Consider what Lord Wu told you carefully; there's no need to rush to reply!"
As the donkey cart slowly started moving, He Chunhua asked curiously, "Brother, what did Lord Wu say to you?"