Chapter 17: Xizi Milk

Chapter 17: West Lake Milk

Lin Su raised an eyebrow. A sucker had arrived, and he still had some "good" stuff to deal with.

When the sucker came up to ask, he began his pitch: "Would you like some grilled fish fillets, guest? Freshly caught just yesterday!"

With one hand behind his back, the sucker inspected the fish fillets on the stone slab. "Give me three servings. What else do you have?"

"There's also vermicelli pot. But if you're not in a hurry, sir, I have a premium delicacy here." Lin Su paused deliberately to pique the sucker's interest before continuing.

"This is called West Lake Milk."

West Lake Milk refers to fish milt, mostly from pufferfish.

It earned this sensual and ambiguous name for its plump tenderness and milky whiteness. Many refined scholars risked pufferfish poisoning just to taste it, proving how exquisite it was.

A folk saying goes, "Without tasting fish milt, you don't know fish flavor." The milt of sturgeon is no less than that of pufferfish, without the risk of poisoning, making it a rare delicacy.

Fu Yun caught a glimpse of a white mass, turned his head, and widened his eyes.

Why had his brother brought fish milt from home? Was he going to sell it? But...

He instantly forgot his meal, grabbed Lin Su's hand, and said urgently, "Brother, this is for you!"

He was about to persuade Lin Su not to ignore his condition, but Lin Su, frowning, covered the boy's mouth and whispered between clenched teeth: "Be good. Eat your meal quietly. Kids shouldn't meddle in these matters!"

This kid still hadn't given up on making him eat this stuff. Luckily, he had brought it along without anyone noticing. Today, he had to get rid of it!

Hearing the name, the sucker became intrigued. Adjusting his sleeves, he said, "I'll take it. Make it happen!"

You got it!

Lin Su pulled out a short, flat clay pot about the size of two palms—actually an earthenware pot. It was bought last night by Xu Lei from the old potter and his grandson. It wasn't made entirely of clay, but its performance was very close to that of an earthenware pot.

Earthenware pots retain heat better than clay pots, making them the authentic choice for vermicelli pot.

He cleaned the earthenware pot, lined the bottom with vermicelli, then fished out some fish sinew that had been simmering overnight in the fish broth, cut it into shreds, and spread a layer to enhance texture. A one-jin piece of fish milt was cut into thick chunks, laid on top of the vermicelli, coated with a layer of chili sauce, then water was added, and the lid was put on to cook.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

Though it was only about ten minutes, it felt like an eternity to the people on the shore, especially when white steam started puffing out of the hole in the earthenware pot lid.

The aroma constantly teased their noses, making the wait unbearable. But no one was willing to leave; they all stared fixedly at the earthenware pot, determined to witness the fame of West Lake Milk.

The steam around the pot grew denser, and the fragrance filled the entire shore. Using a napkin, he lifted the pot off the stove, set it on a small table, yet it continued to bubble and boil with unabated vigor.

"Sir, please come onto the boat to eat. Mind the heat."

The wealthy sucker, invited onto the boat, sat down still dazed. It was his first time eating something straight out of the pot, with such a fiery presentation it felt like it could burn your tongue.

He hesitated whether to start eating now. But when the river wind blew, the aroma hit him full in the face, and he could no longer resist despite the heat and scooped up a spoonful of the milt coated in red oil sauce.

So spicy! So tender! So delicious! The milt, softer than bean curd, tumbled in his mouth. Even though it was scalding, he couldn't bear to spit it out. His face turned red, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

After swallowing one mouthful, he picked up a bundle of vermicelli with his chopsticks. The fine, soft, yet chewy mung bean vermicelli, interspersed with crunchy fish sinew, had absorbed all the spicy sauce. One bite delivered an explosion of savory flavor.

Incredible!

The wealthy merchant ate several mouthfuls in quick succession, then suddenly raised his hand as if holding a cup, reaching toward the table but grasping nothing. He snapped back to reality: "This would go perfectly with wine! If only I had some wine."

He imagined inviting a couple of friends to drink with this West Lake Milk. What a wonderful thing!

In fact, he did have a friend in Yucheng County. After a moment's thought, he said, "Shopkeeper, give me another serving of this West Lake Milk pot. I'll take it to find someone and buy some wine."

One fish has two pieces of milt, so Lin Su naturally had another piece. He was about to agree when he noticed Fu Yun beside him staring blankly, not even touching his rice bowl.

What's wrong with him?

Following his gaze, Lin Su saw Fu Yun staring at the earthenware pot of fish milt on the wealthy merchant's table, utterly entranced, as if drooling.

He changed his tune: "As luck would have it, I only caught one sturgeon, and the other half of the West Lake Milk was already sold yesterday."

The wealthy merchant touched his round belly with regret, sighed, then cheerfully asked Lin Su to pack it up and deliver it to a tavern, as he was heading to town to buy wine.

"Shopkeeper, check, please!"

Without waiting for Lin Su to name a price, he tossed a silver ingot on the table and left.

Lin Su glanced at it, snatched it up fast before the crowd could get a good look, and stuffed it into his cash box. He also packed a bamboo tube of chili sauce and had Xu Lei deliver it as a free gift.

Thanks to this scene, Lin Su managed to sell quite a few more grilled fish fillets—mostly to people whose appetites had been whetted by the earthenware pot fish milt and couldn't resist buying some fillets to satisfy their cravings.

About three jin of fish fillets were sold. People on the shore gradually dispersed, and Lin Su finally had time to eat his own lunch.

Xu Lei returned then. Once he had eaten his fill, Lin Su took out the silver ingot he'd just received and asked him to exchange it for small change at the money shop. After that, they rowed the boat straight home.

Drifting on the river, Lin Su leaned against the boat's side, pulled out the money box, and handed it to Fu Yun to count. He himself toyed with the small pieces of silver he'd gotten in exchange.

That sucker's ingot was a standard official large ingot, weighing ten taels, exchanged into fifteen or sixteen smaller chunks of varying sizes.

Using these small silver pieces wasn't as straightforward as using copper coins. You needed a precise little steelyard scale to weigh them. The weight told the value, so you had to measure each time.

He felt the purity was quite high—some even had inscriptions. After looking for a moment, he took the small pouch from Fu Yun's waist, dropped the silver pieces in, and tucked it back under Fu Yun's belt.

Fu Yun noticed his movement and glanced down. Seeing the pouch packed with silver, he knew this was worth far more than the box full of copper coins. Immediately, he stopped counting coins, shoved the money box at Xu Xiaohu, and began feeling the silver pieces inside his pouch.

His silly, greedy expression made Lin Su smile, though he didn't tell him that the silver would probably be spent soon, while the copper coins would stay.

"How much did we make today?" Lin Su asked Xu Xiaohu.

Xu Xiaohu finished counting the last few coins and replied, "One thousand one hundred and forty-seven coins! Uncle Lin, you're amazing to earn so much in one day!"

Xu Shi was taken aback. They'd actually made that much today. Yesterday, when Xu Lei had told her about the plan and ordering ingredients and tools ahead of time, going around to several villages, she had been worried about going into debt.

Now, seeing how the business went, she realized it actually looked pretty good. The ingredients were cheap, but the flavor was excellent. Best of all, Lin Su's chili sauce was one of a kind in the county—competitors couldn't replicate it. It was a steady business.

This kid had a sharp mind too. Everything—vermicelli pot, grilled fish fillets, earthenware pot fish milt—was creative. And everything he made smelled and tasted amazing.