Chapter 132 (1/2)
Chapter 132
Chapter 132 - Salted Duck
“Go, go! You don’t need to come back later . It’s fine to let your mother take back the tableware later . We, as fully-grown men, can finish it soon,” Liu Pei said . He poured half a bowl of duck blood stewed with tofu and soaked the flatbread in the stew . Then, he proceeded to gulp down the soup with relish .
Yu Hai also agreed with his eldest brother-in-law’s words . He said to Xiaocao, “Hurry and take your eldest maternal aunt back home to eat, or else the food is going to get cold . ”
After she finished eating, Xiaocao put all her energy into making salted duck . The salted duck that she made was an improved version of the Nanjing salted duck’s recipe . After all, she didn’t have all the seasoning and spices she needed for the original recipe . However, she realized that she can improve the braised food’s taste by using the mystic-stone water to braise the food, making it much tastier than before .
Looking at the time, the marinating and braising process should be completed . Xiaocao looked outside like a thief and she saw her eldest maternal aunt and Xiaolian, who had returned home from selling braised food . They were busy tending the vegetable field, so Xiaocao was at ease as she summoned the little divine stone .
[Why did you call this Divine Stone to come out?] A ray of golden lightning rapidly entered the kitchen, and then a haughty voice emerged within Xiaocao’s mind .
Xiaocao bent over and carried the little fellow on the palm of her hand . She gently stroke its fur as she smiled flatteringly at it . The little divine stone felt very comfortable as it squinted its eyes and purred, [Tell me, what do you need this lord to help you with?]
Ever since the little divine stone heard the emperor emeritus, whose alias was Fifth Lord, call himself ‘this lord’, it had also started to call itself that from time to time, feeling that it seemed rather chic .
“One of the two ducks need to be slightly air-dried . My omnipotent Lord Glutinous Dumpling, can you help me?” Yu Xiaocao used her fingers to scratch the little kitten’s chin as she fawned over him .
[Humph! You’re bothering this Divine Stone over such a trifle matter?] Although the little divine stone felt very comfortable as Xiaocao scratched him, there was a sense of impatience within its tone .
[Seeing that you have served this lord very well, I’ll reluctantly help you again just this once!] The little golden kitten waved one of its paws, and one of the pickled ducks quickly shriveled and dried at a speed that was visible to the naked eye .
When Xiaocao saw that it looked about ready, she quickly told the little divine stone to stop . If the duck was dried out too much, it would also impact the salted duck’s taste .
At this time, the men had returned from the fields . She could hear Liu Pei bl.u.s.tering loudly, “Younger Sister, your family’s sweet potatoes haven’t sprouted yet, right? That’s okay since your family doesn't have a lot of land . We can just bring some over from our fields . It won’t interfere with the sweet potatoes’ growth . ”
Yu Hai gulped down a few mouthfuls of cooled boiled water . Then, he smiled and said, “We’re not going to plant sweet potatoes this year . Xiaocao said she wants to try and plant some watermelons . She just asked the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant help her find some seeds . ”
“Watermelon? Will that thing be filling enough?” The two brothers, Liu Pei and Liu Han, had never heard of watermelons before, so they couldn’t help but ask in unison . It was inevitable that farming families would be most concerned about filling their stomachs .
However, Yu Jiang often traveled outside of the village and was more well-informed . So, he had heard of watermelons before, but still asked with slight concern, “I know that watermelon is a kind of fruit . But Second Brother, none of us had ever planted any watermelons before . What if the climate here isn’t suitable for planting it? If you have no harvest, what will you do?”
“That won’t happen! I have confidence in my family’s Cao’er!” This was mainly because the Yu Family had earned some money from their business recently, so they didn’t need to rely on that three plots of farmland to make a living . Thus, Yu Hai had unconsciously gained confidence .
Yu Jiang also felt that his little niece seemed very capable, so he didn’t persuade him anymore . He smiled and said, “Then that’s good! I can’t wait to taste it!”
“Third Uncle, there’s a lot of new things for you to try in the future! Have you heard of salted ducks? You can try a few pieces later!” With the little golden kitten in her embrace, Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen, made a funny face at him, and exclaimed cheerfully .
“Salted duck? I’ve never tasted it before, is it tasty?” Saliva began to flood in Yu Jiang’s mouth when he remembered the duck blood stewed with tofu and tomato egg soup he ate at noon .
Yu Xiaocao raised her imaginary tail in a rather arrogant manner and said, “The products made by Xiaocao are certainly always premium products . I'm developing this dish for Zhenxiu Restaurant . How can it be lacking?”
“What? Did Zhenxiu Restaurant come to ask you for more recipes again? They earned a lot of money from selling the roasted chicken, yet your family didn’t even receive anything . This time, you can’t let them take advantage of you again . When you sell them the salted duck recipe, ask them to give you a portion of the sales!” Yu Jiang was quite business-minded!
Yu Xiaocao also felt that earning royalties was much more profitable than making them pay a buyout price . She lowered her head and ponder over the feasibility of this matter . However, Yu Hai didn’t think that it was a good idea . After all, Third Young Master Zhou had taken good care of them, so how could they raise the price?
At this time, Yu Xiaocao slowly nodded her head . “Third Uncle is right! In one day, Zhenxiu Restaurant can sell at least 30 to 50 salted ducks without a problem . If we earn a mace for each salted duck, then we can earn three to five taels in a day . We will be able to earn over 100 taels in a month and in a year… Wow! I feel like we’ve been selling my recipes for too cheap!”