Chapter 130 (2/2)
Xiaocao quickly stuffed the cuc.u.mber back into her hands and said, “You guys have been helping for nearly two hours . What’s the big deal with eating a cuc.u.mber? Do you think that our family are misers?”
“This child!” Eldest Aunt Madam Han glared at her, and then smiled at the people who had helped out, “Although the child’s words sound rude, she is honest and sincere . So just eat! Just eat!”
Seeing that they were still hesitating to eat, Yu Xiaocao broke the cuc.u.mbers one by one and showed it to them . She smiled and said, “They’re broken, so they can’t be sold!”
“This kid!” Madam Fang didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry . She picked up the broken cuc.u.mber and took a bite . The crisp and juicy mouthfeel, and the light and sweet taste, immediately conquered her taste buds .
“Wow! Xiaocao, even your family’s cuc.u.mbers taste better than others!” Zhou Shanhu exclaimed as she ate .
Of course! Cuc.u.mbers watered with the mystic-stone water were not only big but also delicious . Xiaocao naturally couldn’t directly tell them these things, so she just smiled and said, “You just think it’s delicious because it’s the first time you’re eating cuc.u.mbers in half a year . Later, when your family’s cuc.u.mbers are ripened and you eat too much of them, you won’t think it’s tasty anymore . ”
Qian Xiaoduo gnawed on the cuc.u.mber in big mouthfuls and grinned, “This cuc.u.mber is really good! Miss Xiaocao, what kind of fertilizers do your family use on the fields? The crops grow so well and fast . Yesterday, the cuc.u.mbers weren’t even ready to be harvested, but we gathered two baskets today!”
“Eh… the weather has warmed up now, so it’s natural that the vegetables grew slightly faster . ” Xiaocao made a random excuse . Fortunately, Qian Xiaoduo’s family weren’t farmers and he had just casually asked without the intention to dig deeper into the topic .
After the vegetables were weighed and the money was paid, Qian Xiaoduo and Xiaosi hurried back . Zhenxiu Restaurant was still waiting for the vegetables since they needed to use them to serve customers .
Madam Mao and Madam Fang had already left while they were weighing the vegetables . Her eldest maternal aunt, Madam Han, was stunned as she looked at the fifty taels in Yu Xiaocao’s hands and spoke incessantly, “I didn’t expect vegetables in this season to be so expensive! A catty of cuc.u.mbers cost thirty copper coins? Isn’t that almost the same price as pork?”
Yu Xiaocao smiled at her, gave her a red tomato, and said, “At this time, crops like cuc.u.mbers and string beans haven’t ripened yet! The rich people in town want to eat fresh greens and they don’t lack the money to buy them! A plate of smashed cuc.u.mber salad at Zhenxiu Restaurant costs one tael! This price is considered rather trivial for them!”
A plate of smashed cuc.u.mber salad could be made with just one of Xiaocao’s family’s cuc.u.mbers, so Zhenxiu Restaurant’s expense was no more than a few dozen copper coins . A plate of cuc.u.mber could earn them hundredfold in return . Tsk tsk, who else would be able to do this!
Madam Han noticed that it was still quite early and wanted to go help out in the fields . Xiaocao hastily stopped her and said, “Our family doesn’t have much land, so my parents and uncles are enough for the job . Eldest Aunt should sit down for a rest and eat a tomato . Help me clean the ducks later . ”
“Tomato? I thought it was a persimmon! I was just wondering where you got this persimmon from during this time of the year . ” Madam Han curiously examined the red tomato in her hands .
“This is a tomato . We eat it less at this little place of ours . It is said that people in the capital and some of the bigger cities in the south eat it more often . Tomatoes can be prepared as a cold dish with just some sugar . It can also be stir-fried with eggs, stew soup…” Yu Xiaocao motioned her eldest maternal aunt to try it .
Madam Han noticed that not many tomatoes were harvested, only four or five . So she smiled and said, “I’m not eating it . Let’s cook it later so everyone can eat it together!”
Xiaocao wanted to say something else, but Madam Han had already stood up and walked to the entrance of the kitchen . She picked up the ducks, which had their legs tied up, and was about to walk to the well .
“Wait a moment, Eldest Maternal Aunt! I’ll go get a large basin to hold the duck blood!” Speaking of duck blood, Xiaocao couldn’t help but think of delicious food such as ‘duck blood stewed with tofu’ and ‘duck blood soup with vermicelli’ .
Madam Han thought about it and smiled, “It turns out that not only chicken blood, but you can also make delicious food with duck blood ah! So duck giblets can also be eaten then!”
Xiaocao nodded her head and said, “Later, I’ll braise the duck gizzard, duck liver, and duck intestines . We will have another dish for lunch! It’s too bad we don’t have vermicelli for the duck blood . Let’s just make duck blood stewed with tofu then!”
Madam Han skillfully slit the duck’s neck and dripped the blood into the basin . She asked, “Vermicelli? What’s that? Is it tasty?”
“Eldest Aunt hasn’t heard of vermicelli before?” Could it be that vermicelli didn’t exist during this era? When did vermicelli appear in history? Xiaocao, who hadn’t graduated from middle school, couldn’t help but be somewhat confused .
Madam Han shook her head, threw the dead duck on the ground, and picked up the other duck . She asked, “I’ve never heard of vermicelli . Is it delicious when stewed with duck blood?”
“Vermicelli can be made with sweet potato flour or mung bean flour . It has a smooth, slippery texture and is very chewy!” Xiaocao’s eyes lit up as a new money-making method brewed within her mind .
After boiling the water and scalding the ducks, there was also the great task of plucking the duck feathers . Xiaocao was responsible for cleaning the duck giblets, as well as braising the offals .
She prepared to make salted ducks with the two ducks . But, due to time constraints, the curing period for one of the ducks had to be slightly shortened . With her culinary skills, it shouldn’t affect the taste too much .
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