Ancient Foodie Survival Guide - Chapter 94

Everyone is talking about happiness, and the old lady just wants to interrupt their chat and can’t start.

Whether in her boudoir or after marrying to Xie Guogong’s residence, she hasn’t had any family banquet in her life for decades.

She doesn’t like the excitement, but the excitement is not in line with the rules at all, so she instinctively dislikes it.

“Fine.” She said, putting down her chopsticks, “I’m not feeling well, you can eat.”

She said that she was not feeling well, and Xie’s family had to express themselves and asked questions.

The old lady waved her hand impatiently: “Use it, I’m just getting older and I’m tired.”

After all, the old lady had been sober-faced for many years, no one noticed her unhappiness, and when she left, she returned to the excitement again.

The old lady was already fine, it was still early when she returned to Shouning Hall, and it was not time to go to bed. Since she couldn’t sleep, she sat there, and sat for a while but got hungry. The mother asked someone to go to the big kitchen and ask for some vegetarian soup.

After taking a few sips, the old lady put down the spoon and sighed, “Sure enough, she is old, and her belly is empty, but she still has no appetite for food.”

The mother persuaded: “Old lady, look at what you are saying. If you are older, isn’t the slave and maid half-length in the soil.”

The old lady was depressed today and couldn’t laugh, she just shook her head: “I’m just getting older, and sometimes I really can’t see what the little ones are thinking.” The prince came to Xie Guo Gong’s mansion, and the queen rewarded Jiang Shuyao and the prince himself. Supporting the snack street, one after another, the old lady not only hurts her face, but she also feels so painful that she wonders if she is too much.

“Am I the one who hates you?” she said to herself.

The mother hung her head quickly when she heard the words, but she did not dare to answer.

Poor appetite and unhappy mood, coupled with getting older, the old lady’s body is not as strong as before, and she thinks over and over again when she remembers one thing, for fear that she will be the one to blame.

A few days later, the old lady received a post inviting everyone to enjoy the flowers. Flower viewing is just a name, the purpose is to get everyone to get together and get together to chat, otherwise you will suffer from illness all day when you stay in your house.

Although the old lady didn’t have much interest, she still went, and after she went she started to think again. When she thought about something, the expression on her face became more rigid and serious, causing other people to whisper.

There was the woman who had a sharp look and wanted to treat the old lady. Seeing her serious expression, her eyes rolled round and round, and she said, “What’s the matter with the old lady Rong today, but is there something annoying?”

The old lady has a high status, and she is the object of the high school mistresses. If the lady and the lady can let her insert the hairpin, there is light on their faces.

When she became unhappy, she grabbed a lot of people coaxing her to talk.

“Let me guess, but your daughter-in-law is not worried?” Talking to her pretty old lady made it easier, and opened the topic in the tone of an old sister’s chat, and then everyone rushed to agree. , Then the door opened.

Jiang Shuyao can be described as a man in Beijing. After marrying Xie Xun by tricks, there is no sign of “secure” at all. On the contrary, it has become more and more serious. The opening of the wharf, the establishment of snack streets, and early food markets sounded astounding. .

A good master mistress, why should she smell copper on her body?

While everyone was waiting to see her jokes, not only did they fail to do the business as they thought they would, they made the business prosperous. Even their husbands and sons talked about the food of the Lin family, and detoured to buy some food from time to time. come back.

“I heard that she often shows up in the snack street.”

“What can you say, isn’t her mother the same temper? But back then, the skinless and faceless people of the Lin family wanted to occupy the Lin family’s family property. It is excusable for Mrs. Xiangyang Bo to jump out to support the family business. But the Lin family is so wealthy. She can’t spend her entire life just eating her natal parents. Why should she continue to make money?”

“Yes, this kind of daughter-in-law is really worried. I heard that she has not only visited the snack street but also visited the dock. I really don’t understand the rules!”

A group of people talked, and the old lady’s face became darker and darker.

With a “bang”, she threw the tea cup on the table.

The person who was talking about Jiang Shu’s gossip just now realized that he had made the wrong flattery, and quickly bowed his head, for fear of offending the old lady.

“It’s a good one who doesn’t understand the rules. It turns out that the rules in your mouth are used to suppress others, not to restrain yourself.” Whoever glanced over her shook.

If she was named by her and said that it was unruly at this time, once the words were passed on, their daughters would have difficulty negotiating with each other in recent years.

Fortunately, the old lady is not an unforgiving person. After saying a few words indifferently, she left the house on the grounds that she was unhappy, leaving a group of people sitting in the house secretly gritting their teeth, for fear that someone would say that they chewed their tongues and annoyed them. What the old lady said.

The old lady did not immediately return to Xie Guo Gong’s mansion after leaving the house.

She feels depressed these days, and it’s good to come out and breathe.

She told the coachman to make a circle around the river, and finally got out of the carriage and ventilated by the river.

“You said, what they said makes sense?” the old lady asked the mother.

The mother hurriedly bowed: “Old lady, don’t take it to your heart. They are just a bunch of unruly women with long tongues.”

The old lady laughed, and the look on her face was even more ugly: “I have something to look at in my heart, isn’t I what they think?”

Mother dare not speak anymore.

The old lady walked along the riverside and said quietly, “Rules? What is the rules, getting old, old, and confused.”

She paused and stood by the river in a daze. Mother stood by and dared not say anything.

Seeing that the sky darkened, the mother was waiting to give a reminder, but she heard the old lady suddenly say: “Where is the Lin’s snack street?”

The mother was taken aback for a moment. Her family worked in the outer courtyard and knew very well about the outside world, so she heard a little bit and replied, “Yuemo is at the end of the river.”

The old lady nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

The mother was taken aback: “The old lady is going back to the house?”

The old lady shook her head and walked slowly along the riverside: “Go to the snack street.”

The mother was completely stupid, and after walking for a while, she reacted: “Old lady, don’t you take the carriage?”

“Go over.”

The old lady did not bring many people to the banquet this time. Apart from the two coachmen, there was only one mother. The two were slow, and when they arrived at the snack street, the sky was completely dark. Lanterns were hung on the snack street, and the whole street was illuminated like a fire dragon. It was a lively time.

Not to mention the old lady, even the mother is not used to the excitement of people coming and going.

The old lady stood on the street of the snack street and said in surprise: “Is this the Lin’s snack street?”

The mother was also very surprised. She just knew that the snack street business was good, but she had never expected it to be so prosperous. Such a long and wide street is actually crowded with diners. At first glance, there are people in need, and there are nobles in silk and satin, crowded, and there is no other place in the capital that is more lively than this.

The old lady didn’t know why she wanted to take a look. She was supposed to take a look and leave, but she was shocked by the look.

She moved her gaze to the side. There was a narrow street next to her. She was abruptly cleaned up and connected to the snack street. There were long wooden racks on the street, with huge signboards hung on it. It was so domineering. ‘S style.

This street is not as prosperous as this side, and the market has not been repaired. It is just a long street of food stalls, but it is still very lively.

This street is newly opened, and it sells cheap food. Although there are still gluttons searching for food in it, the commuters are more ordinary people.

The old lady thought for a while, and walked towards Xinjie.

The mother hurriedly followed.

The market looked acceptable, but the food stall was rudimentary to the extreme.

The old lady had no appetite after being hungry for so many days, but when she stepped into the snack street full of rich fragrance, she actually started to be a little greedy.

She turned around and watched the food stall owner scoop out the food from a large pot and sell it. The greedy insects disappeared silently.

The two went around in a circle, preparing to walk out of the snack street, and when they reached the street, they were suddenly stopped.

The owner of the street food stall happened to have no diners in front of the stall. Seeing that the two of them went back and forth without looking for food, he said enthusiastically: “This lady doesn’t know what to eat?”

It was the first time that the old lady faced such a down-to-earth soliciting scene, and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

Seeing that she didn’t answer, the stall owner thought he had guessed right, and raised his finger to the food stall next to him and said, “Why don’t you look at this chicken gravy tofu skewers?”

Instead of buying business from her own food stall, she pushed to another stall. Out of curiosity, the old lady did not leave, but came to the food stall she pointed to.

Standing in front of the food stall was a poorly dressed old man, his clothes were washed white, his eyes were a little muddy, his temples were gray, and seeing diners approaching, he quickly said: “What are you going to eat, a bowl of chicken tofu skewers?”

She should have eye problems, and the gaze falling on the old lady was a little wandering, so she couldn’t see how expensive the cloth was on her when she was so close, she wasn’t the one who was eating here.

The mother should naturally answer the old lady, but looking at the old man at this time, she couldn’t open her mouth for a while.

“My chicken soup is made from whole chickens, but it’s fresh.” She has a bad tongue, can’t attract customers, and doesn’t look like a handy hand, so there have been no diners in front of the food stall. Someone has come. Quickly cheered up.

The old lady didn’t answer, she would not eat street food.

Because of her relationship, the old man was happy for nothing. She felt guilty and asked the mother to give her some money.

The old man’s ears were poor, he heard some words vaguely, and then the mother gave a large amount of silver, and quickly said: “Two bowls can’t cost so much money.” She turned her head and shouted to the stall owner next to it. : “Hui Niang, help me see how many copper plates I’m looking for.”

Hui Niang at the food stall next to her was busy and shouted, “Wait a minute!”

Seeing that the old man had misunderstood, the mother was about to say that they weren’t buying food. The old man had already opened the lid of the pot quickly and started to eat: “You sit down first, the tables and chairs are clean, and the tofu skewers with chicken sauce will be here soon. .”

The mother was at a loss for a while, she walked up to the old lady and hesitated: “This…”

The old lady was silent for a few breaths and said, “Forget it, sit down.”

The mother’s eyes widened in surprise. She is not particular, and there is nothing to eat here, but how could the old lady agree?

The old lady sat down at the low table. Although the low table was simple, it was cleanly polished, and even if the wood was not good, it gave a layer of light.

After uncovering the lid of the pot, steaming white mist emerged, with the rich fragrance of chicken soup, instantly making the surroundings of the food stall dyed with a sweet and delicious smell.

The mother was standing behind the old lady, she was a little greedy when she smelled it, and said to the old man: “Mother, why don’t you open the lid and cook the soup? The chicken soup is so delicious and tasteless, no wonder you have no guests here. .”

As the old man scooped the chicken soup, he said: “No, the lady has explained that the chicken soup must be simmered slowly to make the tofu taste.”

The mother thought about it for a moment, and she estimated that the wife she was talking about was Lin, and she was a little confused: “Then your business is not good, won’t your wife blame it?”

“How can it be, Madam said, this recipe was given by her, and the business was arranged by her. It is all because of her that it is not sold well, and we will get rewards if it sells well, we only need to ensure the taste of the food, and the rest Don’t worry about it.”

After scooping chicken soup tofu skewers for two nights, sprinkling green onion and coriander, the old man asked, “Do you want garlic chili sauce? More or less?”

The mother turned her head to look at the old lady. The old lady did not speak, so she replied: “Come on, it’s suitable.”

The old man turned his gaze to the side, condensed his gaze, and found the garlic juice jar.

Seeing her like this, the mother inevitably worried about the taste.

Although the chicken tofu skewers look simple, but her eyes are not good, wouldn’t she accidentally put too much seasoning?

Thinking like this, a crisp child’s voice sounded: “Grandma! Let me come.”

The old lady and the mother turned their eyes to the street, and a little girl ran over here with two bowls, panting, watching them sit here and quickly said: “Guest officer, wait a minute, it will be fine.”

She ran over, put the bowl down, then dragged to the bench, stood up, picked up the spoon: “More or less? Do you want hot sauce?”

The old man repeated what the mother said.

The girls scooped up the seasoning separately, jumped off the bench again, trot over holding the bowl, and put the bowl in front of them: “Please use it.”

The old man followed behind slowly and put the chopstick holder on the table.

The old lady and mother were stunned.

The girl seemed to have guessed what they were thinking, and explained: “My grandmother’s eyes are not good. I watched the delicate work of putting condiments on weekdays. Don’t worry, the taste is definitely not bad.”

After she finished speaking, she returned to the food stall and said to the old man: “Grandma, let’s eat. The steward gave me an extra egg today. Let’s split it in half.”

The old lady and the grandmother looked at each other, and the grandmother hesitated and asked: “Old lady, do you want to use it?”

The old lady cast her gaze on the chicken tofu skewers in front of her. The chicken soup was clear and yellow, with sporadic grease on the surface. The dried tofu was tender and yellow, so that the chicken soup piled up on the bottom of the bowl, and the vegetables added to the bowl. Brightly colored, white garlic juice and crushed peanuts are adorned in the center, smelling delicious and warm.

When she had no appetite, the large kitchen in Shirifu was exhausted to cook for her. The flying in the sky and the swimming in the sea were all brought to the table for her, and she had no appetite.

But sitting at a clean low table at this time, the lantern glowed with a warm yellow light, people came and went on the street, and the voice of the girl talking with the old man was in her ears. The old lady woke up with her numb stomach, and she suddenly became hungry Up.

The old lady opened the mouth and said, “Don’t stand, sit down and eat a bowl.” In the shocked eyes of the mother, she took the chopsticks and prepared to eat.

Mix the seasoning a little, pick a chopsticks tofu skewers, the tofu skewers are wrapped in the rich and delicious chicken soup entrance, the delicious and mellow fragrance blooms on the tongue, the warmth is in the mouth, and you are not chewed by the plump and clear chicken soup The sweetness evokes gluttons.

This is the first time for the old lady to eat the tofu skewers, which is fresh when looking at it and fresh when chewing. The tofu skewers have tough skin, boil-resistant, and can make soup. The chicken broth was sucked up inside, soft and delicate. With a bite, the warm chicken broth splashed out in the mouth, both the freshness of chicken broth and the mellowness of soy products.

The chicken broth was boiled long enough, and the low fire allowed all the umami to come out, soaking the tofu skewers and green vegetables. The tofu skewers are heavy and heavy. When you put it in your mouth, you don’t care about your posture. You have to breathe a little bit to prevent the chicken soup from dripping. While sucking the soup, biting and chewing to the back, the aroma of the beans becomes stronger and more fragrant. In addition to being delicious, the vegetables are fresh, crisp and refreshing, which further enriches the taste.

After eating the tofu skewers, the chicken soup left behind can’t be wasted.

There was no spoon at the food stall, so the old lady hesitated for a while, still holding up a bowl to drink.

The chicken soup is clear and the spices are filtered out. Only the boiled minced chicken and peanuts remain at the bottom of the bowl. After drinking the chicken soup, pour the dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl into your mouth and chew it carefully. The finishing touch is full of enjoyment.

It wasn’t until she put down the bowl that she suddenly realized that she had no rules today, so she just sat down on the street, and actually ate it, and even ate it completely, regardless of what she was eating.

After she finished eating, her face was uncomfortable. It happened that Hui Niang at the food stall next to her had finished her work. She ran over to help find the money. Seeing that the old lady’s face was not good, she suddenly became nervous: “This lady, does it taste bad?”

How could it taste bad, or even said it was too good, and the old lady began to doubt herself.

“No, it tastes good.”

The stall owner nodded, and realized that her clothes were not ordinary materials, and she was affirmed by the tasteful nobles. She was very happy: “That’s good.” She found the money and put it on the table, sighed, “I don’t know what When the shops here can be repaired, there will be no need to eat on the street, and the nobles will not dislike our food.”

The old lady didn’t say anything, and the stall owner said to herself: “Hey, I don’t know when the lady will come. I heard from the people in the old street that the lady went there for a few days and improved the recipe one by one. It’s a higher level, you should remember to try it again when that time comes.”

The old lady was taken aback, the lady in the stall’s mouth was Lin, and the lady was Jiang Shuyao.

How many days did Jiang Shuya stay in the snack street?

Thinking about the snack street where people came and going, and thinking about her appearance to improve the recipe, the old lady couldn’t believe it, and blurted out: “What kind of style?”

The stall owner did not understand why her reaction was so big, and said inexplicably, “What style?”

“Miss Lin’s family is showing her face and walking around that street?”

The stall owner smiled and said, “Yes, Miss has no airs at all. With that luck, she can teach her the craft hand in hand.”

The old lady took a mouthful and said, “How can she be so unruly?”

Only then did the stall owner hear the old lady’s voice of objection, and looking at the old lady’s shocked and disapproving look, he was suddenly upset, where the auntie actually pointed to her lady’s head.

“This lady, you can say something wrong, look at this street, which woman is abiding by the rules?”

She pointed to the food stall opposite: “Her husband is a drunkard who drank to death, and the rest of the family drank blood and meat, and robbed their mother and son of their only wealth. If she abides by the rules and does not go out to sell food, they Mother and son will starve to death.” She pointed out a few more at random, “If she obeys the rules, she will be sold into the pickled money by her brother and sister-in-law; if she obeys the rules, she will be bullied to death by her daughter-in-law and son; If you follow the rules, you will be given to an 80-year-old man as a gadget.”

She finally pointed to the old man selling chicken tofu skewers: “And Aunt Hu, if she abides by the rules and doesn’t let Xiaohua go out and sell food, how can their grandparents support themselves?”

After Hui Niang finished speaking, she turned to the old lady and said, “No women in this street follow the rules, but this is the busiest place in the whole capital. High-ranking officials and ordinary people, whoever comes, should give a praise.”

The girl squatting and eating noodles behind the food stall heard her name and poked her head out from behind the food stall: “Yeah, what’s the use of rules. Madam said, only crafts are true. Learn a craft.” I can’t die from starvation.” She smiled, her eyes full of hope, “When I get older, I can learn to settle the accounts. The lady said that as long as I pass, I will use me. When I make money, I will use the thatched roof at home. With the addition of large tiles, there will be no dripping on rainy days.”

The old lady just blurted it out, but she didn’t expect to be so refuted. She looked at Hui Niang nerdly, not knowing what to say for a while.

Seeing that she didn’t look like Jiang Shuyao, Hui Niang sighed softly and shook her head: “If you want me to say, the rules are all cannibalism. You don’t understand, the young lady understands. She told us that life is alive and alive. Happiness is the most important thing. Although she didn’t say this clearly, she took us in, taught us cooking, showed up here regardless of her identity, turned the snack street into the most prosperous street in Beijing, and let us live again… Each pile is talking about this truth.”

After she finished speaking, diners came to the food stall and quickly turned back to entertain.

In the cold autumn night, steaming white mist wafted from the food stalls, and diners on the street stopped or passed by. The lanterns swayed with the wind, and the orange light sprinkled in front of the food stalls, casting a circle of bright shadows. , Fused with the misty heat.

Obviously the old lady’s most annoying noise is all around, but she feels extremely peaceful inside, staring at the lantern and stunned.

Seeing that the old lady was sitting there motionless, the old man thought that Hui Niang had caused her displeasure, and stood up nervously, rubbing his wrinkled hands on the whitish apron.

When the girl saw this, she said, “Grandma, eat quickly. The noodles won’t taste good.” She followed the old man’s eyes and looked at the old lady. Seeing her sitting there in a daze, she ran over and said, “You have to come. Bowl?”

The old lady regained consciousness, and collided with the girl’s innocent eyes.

“A Hua, come here soon.” The old man noticed the dignity of the old lady, and the ignorant granddaughter came over, for fear of annoying the nobles.

The old lady laughed suddenly, and she said: “Okay, let’s have two more bowls…” She said that she was stuck, looked at the mother, and asked, “Will you go back and bring some bowls for your grandchildren? ”

The mother breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: “Well, they will love this food.”

The girl took the business and bounced away.

After a while, she brought two bowls of tofu with chicken sauce and put them on the table. She was about to turn around and was called to a stop by the old lady: “How about you come over and eat with us? Don’t squat over and eat. Sit down and eat. ”

The guests did not dislike it, of course Ahua was willing to sit and eat, and quickly broke the bowl and came over.

No words to eat, no words to sleep.

The old lady stirred up the tofu for a while, and finally spoke: “Are you and your grandmother alone in your house?”

“Yes, my mother didn’t survive the winter last year, so she left. My father married a stepmother, so I don’t want me, so I followed my grandmother.

The old lady touched her hair bun: “I have suffered you.”

“Neither bitter nor bitter, since my wife asked us to work in the snack street, I can eat every day.”

“Oh? What are you going to eat, do you care about the food here?”

…

The old and the young are eating and talking slowly. From this story, to the story of the food stall owner, and then to the story of the snack street, life is full of various conditions and warm and cold life. The bowl is simple chicken sauce and tofu skewers. The coldness of the autumn night is dissipated by the aroma of the food, and the heat brings up the warm and lively white mist. The cold night is getting colder and the winter ends, but the unfortunate people in the snack street will only have warm spring in the future.