Chapter 97: Sauerkraut and Pork Ribs Stew

Chapter 97: Sauerkraut and Pork Ribs Stew

The braised eggs gave off a fragrant aroma as Hu Shang came out, carrying a makeshift chair made of two wooden boards. He sat down and said, "Give me two roasted eggs."

"Sure thing."

Sui Yu used a poker to hand over two eggs, then brushed the ash off the remaining ones and placed them on the table.

Zhao Xiaomi took off her apron and walked towards the end of the street. Soon she ran back and said, "Third Sister-in-Law, the bun stall at the end of the street has moved away."

Sui Yu touched her nose and couldn't help laughing, "Could it be because I scared them?"

Zhao Xiaomi giggled; she thought so too.

"What did you do?" Hu Shang asked curiously.

Sui Yu smiled and shook her head, asking, "How do you think today's roasted eggs taste?"

"They smell good but taste a bit bland."

Sui Yu understood why—it was because the brine was too weak. The soybean sauce boiled with water was only salty, not fragrant, and the Sichuan pepper leaves didn't have enough flavor either.

In the afternoon, there were fewer customers. Sui Yu left Zhao Xiaomi to knead the dough on the street while she went to the salt shop to buy ten coins worth of fermented black beans. Then she went to the pork shop and spent thirty coins on two boneless ribs.

Seeing her come back with bare bones, Zhao Xiaomi frowned and said, "Third Sister-in-Law, these aren't pork ribs."

"I know. These are for making soup, not for eating. We'll buy ribs tomorrow." Sui Yu put the remaining coins in the money box and instructed, "Keep an eye on things here. I need to go back for a bit."

"Okay."

Sui Yu took the bones to Uncle Niu's house and asked Tong Huaer to help stew a pot of bone soup.

"I heard something happened at your place last night?" Tong Huaer asked.

"It wasn't anything serious."

"Did a thief really break in?" Tong Huaer was puzzled. She had been checking around the alley, and someone had been moving about. How did the thief get in?

Sui Yu wouldn't tell her the truth. She nodded and said, "It's true. Luckily, I hid my money separately, or I would have lost more."

Tong Huaer didn't doubt her words. After a moment's thought, she analyzed, "It's hard for a thief to climb over the wall near the door. I suspect it might be one of your neighbors. They know when no one is home and could use a ladder to climb over."

"No, Chen Er'niang has already confessed." Sui Yu put down the child in her arms and said, "I'm going to the street now. I'll pick up the soup tonight. You can scoop out the bone marrow oil from the bones for A’shui to eat."

Tong Huaer saw her off, closed the door, and went into the kitchen to start the fire and stew the soup.

Walking back to the street, Sui Yu saw someone already at the stall. She quickened her pace and recognized the old man standing nearby.

Zhao Xiaomi looked dejected and glared at the old man, saying, "I can't get him to leave."

"I want a bun," the old man said happily, insisting on handing three coins directly to Sui Yu.

Sui Yu lowered her eyes and handed him a bun, saying weakly, "Old man, you're embarrassing yourself and your descendants at your age."

"I'm just buying a bun, nothing else," the old man said indignantly.

He walked to the other side of the road, not wanting to see Sui Yu's displeased face, and turned his back to eat the bun.

When another customer arrived, Sui Yu put on a smile and greeted them.

The old man glanced over, admiring Sui Yu's smile. After finishing the bun, he left contentedly.

"Shameless old man," Zhao Xiaomi spat.

Sui Yu helplessly tugged at the corner of her mouth.

As dusk approached, people who were too lazy to cook due to the heat started walking the streets.

Sui Yu wiped the sweat from her face with a handkerchief, lifted the lid of the steamer, and called out, "Bean sprout and tofu buns, egg and bitter vegetable buns, and the last ten egg and leek buns, fresh out of the steamer, three coins each, three coins each."

"Today you have bitter vegetables? Give me three bitter vegetable buns. It's hot, and I don't feel like eating meat," an auntie said, standing far away to avoid the scalding steam.

Sui Yu packed three buns in a bowl and brought a chair over, saying, "Find a shady spot to sit and eat. Return the bowl and chair when you're done."

Standing on the street, feeling the hot wind blow past, Sui Yu shivered in her damp clothes and returned to the stall to continue selling buns amidst the steam.

Until the sunset faded and the heat gradually dissipated, people finally felt cooler.

After selling the last eight buns, Sui Yu sat down to rest, pouring water to extinguish the firewood, leaving only a small pile of glowing embers to roast the eggs.

"The weather gets hotter every day," Zhao Xiaomi lamented, bringing over the money box to count the coins.

"Tomorrow I'll stew some pork ribs to nourish you," Sui Yu said.

Hearing this, Zhao Xiaomi pulled a face and asked, "Third Sister-in-Law, have I gained weight?"

Sui Yu looked at her carefully and said, "You haven't gained weight, but your complexion has improved. When you first came, your face was pale and yellow."

Speaking of complexion, Sui Yu's was excellent. Despite being exposed to smoke and sun daily, she hadn't tanned. Zhao Xiaomi rolled up her sleeves to compare; Sui Yu's face was even whiter than her arm, smooth and beautiful despite the scars from frostbite.

"Sigh!" she sighed.

Sui Yu glanced at her, wondering what was wrong now.

"What smells so good?" a man leading a mule walked over.

Sui Yu looked at the eggs in her hand and said, "The last three braised eggs, five coins each. Do you want to buy them?"

"Eggs? Five coins each?" the man showed dissatisfaction, "Don't try to cheat me just because I sound like an outsider."

"I really couldn't tell you had a foreign accent." Sui Yu peeled the burnt eggshell off and said, "I didn't deceive you; there were only ten roasted marinated eggs, and after selling them all day, three are left."

Her honest demeanor made him smile. The man leading the mule took out a handful of copper coins, counted fifteen, and placed them on the table. "Give me all three. Are these for your own consumption?"

Sui Yu nodded and moved her chair over to let him sit down, then fetched a bowl of water for him. She and Zhao Xiaomi began cleaning up, while Sui Liang led the camel over.

After finishing the three eggs and drinking some water, the man thanked them and poured out the remaining water. "Two sisters, could you tell me where I can find a place to stay? Could you introduce me to a farmer's family? I need to stay for at least half a month."

Sui Yu regretfully pinched her brow. If her inn were built by now, she would have earned this lodging fee.

"You should go west from here, walk to the end of the street, turn north, and ask around. Most merchants stay in that area, where it's convenient to lodge." She pointed the way.

"Thank you, sister." The man sincerely thanked her and was about to leave after placing a handful of copper coins on the table.

"Wait!" Sui Yu returned the coins to him and said, "If you want to thank me, come back tomorrow and buy more eggs. No need to pay."

"Alright, I'll come back tomorrow to buy roasted eggs."

The man left, and Sui Yu continued packing up. Sui Liang led the camel away, and she and Zhao Xiaomi carried the wooden boards, not wanting to make another trip.

As soon as they got home, Tong Huaer brought over a half-basin of bone soup. Sui Yu took the soup, and Tong Huaer went back.

"Are we cooking soup noodles tonight?" Sui Liang asked curiously.

"No, I plan to use the meat broth as a base."

Leaving Zhao Xiaomi to prepare dinner, Sui Yu took Sui Liang out to buy eggs, gathering enough eighty from various neighbors.

After dinner was cooked, Sui Yu washed the pot and dried the fermented black beans. Once dried, the beans became even more fragrant. She then fried the wet bean paste in oil, added the aromatic mixture to the bone broth, and put in the dried beans and Sichuan pepper leaves.

Once the broth boiled, Sui Yu placed the eighty cleaned eggs into the pot to cook.

The pig grunted in its pen, hungry.

Remembering its feat last night, Sui Yu scooped a ladle of flour to make dumpling soup. After the marinated eggs were done, she continued boiling the dumpling soup.

Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang squatted in the courtyard cracking eggshells. When Sui Yu wasn't looking, Zhao Xiaomi licked her fingers stained with the marinade.

"It's so fragrant. You should try it," she urged.

Sui Liang licked his fingers, then ran into the house to fetch a bowl and filled it. "I'll mix it with my noodles tomorrow morning."

Zhao Xiaomi was tempted but hesitated to follow suit, not wanting to appear too greedy. She thought for a moment and whispered, "Can you share half a bowl with me? I'll make noodles for you tomorrow morning."

Sui Liang ran into the kitchen and fetched another bowl.

Sui Yu saw his movements but pretended not to notice and did not inquire.

After the dumpling soup was ready, Sui Yu mixed half a basket of radish sprouts sent by Dongzi's Mother into the pig's food bucket, pouring the hot soup over it, which instantly changed color.

After feeding the pig, everyone was tired. The eggs were left to soak in the marinade, and the three washed up and went to bed.

The next day, after breakfast time, Sui Yu came back to retrieve the eggs. She had marinated a total of one hundred eighty eggs. Yesterday, she sold ten and kept thirty, taking one hundred forty eggs and fifty pounds of dried vegetables with her.

"Uncle, I'm here." Sui Yu found Old Tu, "Please taste these two eggs and see which one is better. I used two different recipes."

Old Tu was surprised. He looked at Sui Yu with newfound respect—she actually had recipes?

He peeled the shells off both eggs and took a bite of each. "This one is more flavorful and salty, while this one is more fragrant."

The more fragrant egg was cooked in bone broth made with dried fermented black beans. Sui Yu noted this and asked, "Which one do you prefer for future deliveries, or should I combine both?"

Old Tu was a bit confused. He didn't recall agreeing to continue receiving eggs from her, but he decided not to dwell on it. "I'll take all these eggs. Come every other day with the eggs and vegetables when caravans arrive. If there are no caravans, don't bother."

"Alright, these eggs will keep for two to three days. Do you think one hundred or so are enough? Should I add more? I still have thirty at home," Sui Yu said.

"The caravan leaving today is small, with twenty to thirty people. These are enough. If larger caravans come, I'll let you know."

Sui Yu thanked him, collected five hundred and twenty copper coins, and left without disturbing him further.

On the street, Sui Yu carried her basket to the pork shop to buy ribs. Ribs were eighty copper coins cheaper than pure meat. Three ribs weighing five jin and two liang (Han Dynasty weight) cost over two liang of silver.

After paying, Sui Yu lost her appetite for ribs. Even though the money was unexpected, spending two liang of silver at once still pained her.

Too expensive, too expensive—the pork was too pricey.

She soaked the meat in water when she got home and started stewing it in the evening. Due to the heat, their appetites were poor, so Sui Yu prepared two large bowls of shredded pickled cabbage to stew with the ribs.

Zhao Xiaomi sat in the courtyard peeling radishes, her mind already on the steaming pot. She had never eaten so many ribs before.

Cat Officer also returned, lying at the door, gently wagging its tail. People walked over it, but it didn't budge.

After peeling a basin of radishes, the ribs were cooked. As soon as Sui Yu lifted the lid, Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang rushed into the kitchen.

"Get bowls and chopsticks," Sui Yu instructed.

They set up a table in the courtyard, and with the front door bolted, Sui Yu served the pickled cabbage stew with ribs in a wooden basin. The three sat outside, enjoying the evening breeze while eating ribs.

"Tonight, we're just having the dish. Eat plenty and finish this basin of ribs," Sui Yu said.

"Eating ribs as a meal? How luxurious!" Zhao Xiaomi rejoiced, "I'm finally living a life where meat is the main course. What an accomplishment."

"Go ahead and eat. Days like this don't come often," Sui Yu said, putting a rib in her bowl. She took a bite and sighed inwardly—ribs were indeed delicious.

Initially, they ate slowly, savoring each bite. Eventually, they relaxed and enjoyed the feast, devouring the ribs and drinking the broth.

By the end, Sui Yu felt full and leaned back in her chair, gazing at the sky. She thought the two liang of silver was worth it. Feeling satisfied, she planned to earn more money and buy more ribs to enjoy again.

"When Third Brother returns, I'll buy four more ribs to stew. He likes mutton, or maybe I'll get a leg of lamb to cook." Sui Yu missed Xiping.

Zhao Xiaomi wanted to laugh to the heavens; what good days these were.

"When is Third Brother coming back?" she asked.

"It's almost July. If he's coming back this year, he would probably be on his way by now."