A family gathers to eat a hot pot, a copper pot is placed on a square wooden table, surrounded by a plate of dishes, cut into slices of white sheep tail oil, cut as thin as a cicada's wing Plates of fresh lamb, finger-thin hand-cut leg of lamb, equally thin slices of hand-cut lamb brain, wool belly and various vegetables.

This mutton is still made by Cheng Geer. It is freshly cut, and the cut is as thin as a cicada's wing. The leg of lamb is also cut evenly in thickness.

Brother Cheng has been learning from Xu Qinyu for almost a year, and he is very proficient in side dishes, and his knife skills are also very good. He can cut fish fillets as thin as cicada wings, and now The fish balls, braised fish in brown sauce and stewed tofu with fish head sold at the entrance of the restaurant have also been taken over by Brother Cheng, and they all taste quite good.

Xu Qinyu felt that after another two years, Brother Cheng would be in charge.

The others are also very serious about learning, Luo Da Niu is indeed very talented in pasta, she can already help Xu Qinyu make steamed buns, etc. Xu Qinyu also gives Luo Da Niu 800 coins every month salary.

Brother Feng is not talented in cooking, but he is very diligent. He is more diligent than others every day and practices more. He believes and firmly believes that hard work can make up for it. Zama step exercise.

The lame Tiao Geer is more sensitive to taste, and Xu Qinyu is also deliberately cultivating his talent in this area.

Xu Yu, Xu Shun and Er Niu were still too young, so apart from washing and side dishes, they just helped out with chores.

Except for Xu Qinyu who was still in the restaurant, everyone else was wishing the old lady.

The old lady couldn't get off the ground, so she sat on the wicker chair next to her. The wicker chair was covered with a thick bedding and a thick soft pillow, and the old lady leaned on the soft pillow.

The hot mutton was dipped in sesame sauce, and Zhu Shi fed the old lady with one chopstick after another.

Zhu Taishou and Mrs. Zhu tasted this mutton and were convinced, it was so delicious.

I thought that the brown sugar yin rice porridge made by Mrs. Xu before, the pickled Duxian and the cabbage in the soup were amazing enough, but the pot I ate today felt even more delicious.

Instant-boiled mutton itself is fragrant, almost like hot pot, and almost no one can resist this kind of fragrance.

Zhu Shi fed the old lady a lot.

After rinsing the mutton and vegetables, cook some noodles when the meat is almost finished.

The noodles are wide noodles hand-rolled by Xu Qinyu. They are cooked in a copper pot for less than half an hour. The noodles are cooked through. They are served in a bowl and mixed with sesame sauce and seasoning. Everyone who thought they were full ended up eating again A bowl of noodles.

The whole family is a bit full.

Both Taishou Zhu and Mrs. Zhu couldn't help thinking, where did this little lady come from, and how could she have such amazing cooking skills.

After eating and drinking enough, Mrs. Zhu stayed with the old lady at night.

When Xu Qinyu returned to Osmanthus Alley, the old lady had already fallen asleep.

After washing in the evening, Xu Qinyu took out the wild ginseng that the fourth brother had dug up on the mountain before. This ginseng is in excellent condition and has been processed, with a complete root system.

Although there are many mountains in the southwest, there are very few wild ginseng. don’t know how the fourth brother dug it up. The luck is very good. The wild mountain looks like it has grown for hundreds of years, and it can be used to extend life. good stuff.

Xu Qinyu intends to send this wild ginseng to Mrs. Zhu, the old lady's body is already exhausted, this wild ginseng may be useful to the old lady, wild ginseng is a great tonic, if It is also good to let the old lady live a little longer and enjoy more family happiness with her grandmother.

Wen Shi almost forgot about this wild ginseng.

But this wild ginseng was going to be sold after her son dug it back and used the money to open a restaurant for Yu Niang. Later, Yu Niang refused to let it be sold and asked her son to process wild ginseng. It's a pity, maybe it can save lives in the future, so was right to tell Yuniang.

Wen Shi was very grateful and thanked Yuniang.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Mother, please don't say thank you to me. This is also dug by the fourth brother. The fourth brother's things should be given to her great-grandmother. Fortunately, he didn't sell them at the beginning."

If you sell wild ginseng of this quality, you won't be able to buy it even if you want to.

Early the next morning, Xu Qinyu went over to look at the old lady.

The old lady was still in a drowsiness, and Mrs. Wen also followed and gave this wild ginseng to Prefect Zhu, saying that Brother Xuan dug it up on the mountain last year, and kept it at home after processing it. Supplement for the old lady.

I wish the prefect did not refuse, took the wild ginseng and thanked the two of them. Langzhong said before that if he could afford the best wild ginseng, he might be able to prolong the life of the old lady for a while. have such an opportunity.

Since he became an official, he has always had the air in his sleeves, and he is not greedy for the common people. He really cannot afford this kind of mountain ginseng.

What's more, he also searched for pharmacies in various states and counties, but he couldn't find wild ginseng of good quality.

Before going to bed yesterday, the old lady was still talking to him, saying that it would be nice if could meet great-grandson, Brother Xuan.

My sister said that Brother Xuan went out to follow the caravan to run business, but he had been out for almost a year, and he had not returned.

I wish the prefect hope that Brother Xuan can come back safely.

The old lady fell asleep, Xu Qinyu and Wen shi went over to see the old lady and went to the restaurant to work.

Xu Qinyu was also very busy next time. She asked Cheng Ge'er to help her run errands to see if there were any yard sales in Guihua Alley or nearby alleys. She was going to pickle more ham this year. There is no workshop, so can only buy a small house first, but it would be better if there is a workshop.

Xu Qinyu also explained to Cheng Ge'er that if there is a workshop to sell, she would also tell her that if the price is acceptable, she might as well buy the workshop, and whether it's curing ham or making its pickles or other ingredients in the future, You can do it in the workshop.

She plans to marinate hundreds of hams every year in the future, and if it sells well in the future, she can marinate more hams.

Brother Cheng helped him run errands for the past two days, and he really found a workshop for him.

The workshop is on the North Street. It is a winery. The owner is going to move to Raozhou City. Even the wine jars in the workshop have been collected. The remaining vacant workshop is about the size of a Sanjinzhaizi. , the inside is not like the house with nine-curved corridors and front and rear courtyards. The workshops are all workshops on four sides, and there is a large space in the middle, which can be used for work or drying things, which is very convenient.

The place is on Beijie, and the other side of Beijie is close to the wharf. The fish and dragons are mixed, and the people are more chaotic, but for this reason, the workshop is quite cheap, and it sells for 200 taels.

When Brother Cheng told Xu Qinyu, Xu Qinyu took the time to go over and take a look. He really liked this place. It was already cleaned up very well, and there was no need to buy anything. When the time came, he could hang it in the house for ham Hooks for ventilation and fermentation, and then there are larger long table tops, and some wooden boards.

Xu Qinyu immediately took out the money and bought the workshop.

After the workshop was bought, she was busy buying pig hind legs.

It is best to use Wujin pigs for cured ham, but there are no Wujin pigs here, and there is no such condition to feed Wujin pigs, but there are black-haired pigs that are stocked in the mountains. This kind of pigs is also very good. Xu Qinyu asked the butcher in Tiantian. , Because Tian butchers sometimes have this kind of black-haired pig on the stall, Xu Qinyu can still eat pork, and sometimes it is the kind of pig that feeds bran and pig vegetables, which are usually raised by the common people at home. Yes, rather fat.

Cured ham needs hind legs, and the best time to marinate ham is before the frost falls to the beginning of spring. The frost has already fallen a few days ago, and it can almost start to be cured.

Butcher Tian knew that Xu Qinyu wanted to buy hundreds of pig hind legs, so he told her that there was a big pig farm nearby, and sometimes he bought pork there when he couldn't receive it.

Xu Qinyu asked Tian Butcher to order a hundred pig hind legs for him and send them to the workshop on North Street.

She also cooperates with the fat intestines from Butcher Tian's family, and asks Gong Ge'er to deliver them after they have been marinated every day.

One hundred pig hind legs cost about seventy taels of silver, and each pig hind leg weighs about twenty to twenty-five catties.

The long table and hooks that Xu Qinyu wanted were delivered in two or three days, and there were still a lot of wooden boards.

These planks are used to cure the ham at the end to shape the ham and squeeze the moisture inside.

After half a month, Xu Qinyu had to go to the workshop when he came back in the evening. On the day of Xiu Mu, he was busy in the workshop, and he was busy curing ham. Brother Cheng and Brother Feng also came to give him. She helps.

Cured ham needs to be salted twice, rubbed with salt repeatedly, and then rubbed with salt again the next day.

The ratio of salt to ham should also be appropriate. Xu Qinyu will check the ham cured by Cheng Ge’er and Feng Ge’er. After passing the test, he will start to trim the fat edges and make the ham look better. The repaired ham is squeezed between wooden boards. After the water is released, it can be fermented.

The cured ham, Xu Qinyu hangs it under the high beam in the room, and opens the window to ventilate it. After that, don't worry about it. After all, it will take more than a year to eat it. If you want to eat it raw, it will take two or three years. Upward, hams that are more than two years old must be well marinated if they are to be eaten raw, and the fermentation conditions are relatively good.

The courtyard walls of this workshop are still relatively high, and people outside do not know what is going on inside.

It took Xu Qinyu, Brother Cheng and Brother Feng half a month to marinate and hang all the 100 pieces of ham to ferment.

In addition to the seventy taels of silver for buying ham, the rest of the money is salt. Adding the cost of salt, this time the cured ham cost about a hundred taels of silver.

After marinating the ham, Xu Qinyu was also completely relieved.

Last time she made pickled Duxian for Mrs. Zhu, the leftover ham was still hanging in Pei's house. When spring came, Xu Qinyu planned to add some pickled Duxian and other dishes made of ham to the restaurant. can’t add much, only two or three servings a day, and also preheat the ham in advance, so that there will be a lot of ham to eat next winter.

One hundred hams are divided into four or five rooms for hanging, and many rooms are left empty.

Xu Qinyu bought a lot of pots and jars to pickle vegetables and so on.

With this workshop, it is indeed much more convenient for Xu Qinyu. The pickle jars at home have been moved here.

...

Mrs. Zhu, the prefect Zhu took the wild ginseng given by Xu Qinyu into medicine the next day and gave it to the old lady to drink every day.

Zhu Taishou only said that he found a good mountain ginseng, and asked the old lady to take care of her body. When she is healthy, she can talk to Shuniang more, love Shuniang for a few days, and wait until Brother Xuan comes back.

He was afraid that the old lady would feel distressed, but fortunately he kept the approximate price of the wild ginseng secret.

The old lady is also very obedient, she just drinks the medicine.

When eat morning and evening meals, eat obediently. The meals made by Xu Qinyu are delicious, and the morning and evening meals are served by Zhu's past restaurant.

Three or four days passed like this, and the old lady was more awake every day, and she looked better than before, but she still couldn't get off the ground and could only lie down.

After half a month passed, the old lady's complexion did not improve, but her body was not so skinny, and she had gained some flesh, but her body still did not change very much, and she still lay down most of the time.

Xu Qinyu also thought of a wheelchair, and drew it on purpose, so that the carpenter and iron shop could make it as soon as possible.

The wheels of the wheelchair need to be made of iron so that they can be pushed easily.

In about ten days, the wheelchair she wanted was made, covered with a soft blanket, and Zhu sometimes pushed the old lady out for a walk.

The old lady doesn't like to go out very much, she just wants to spend more time with her daughter.

In fact, the old lady’s body is exhausted now, and the internal organs in her body are useless. Now using wild ginseng is to force her life. It is estimated that she will live for half a year or so at most, but the old lady does not feel regretful. , but will cherish this last bit of time.

Zhu Taishou couldn't stay in Yuanbao Town all the time. After the old lady had been in Yuanbao Town for three or four days, he returned to Raozhou City to handle official business, and asked Mrs. Zhu to stay here.

Mrs. Zhu stayed there for more than half a month, worrying about the master and children and grandchildren in the mansion. Mrs. Zhu saw that her daughter-in-law still missed the mansion, so she let her go back to Raozhou City, "Mother Zhen, go back and take care of Wen Yi." Well, I have Shuniang here, and Yanniang and Yuniang come here on weekdays. I don’t need so many people, and I feel that my body is better than before, and I should be able to live for a while. Zhenniang, you are worried these days Old lady, I am also tired, go back and rest, in half a month it will be Chinese New Year, when you come over again, this year our family will have a reunion here."

The old lady really felt that her body had gained some strength.

After taking the medicine for more than half a month, and eating and drinking well every day, have the strength to speak.

Zhu's name is Zhen.

After listening to the old lady's words, she returned to Raozhou City the next day.

Zhu Taishou knew that the old lady was able to talk, and felt relieved.

At the end of the new year, he is also busy. He can't take a rest until the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. After the seventh day of the new year, he will start to get busy.

The restaurant on Xu Qinyu's side is also busy.

Years ago, there was a heavy snowfall, which lasted for three or four days, until it reached the calves, and every household was busy clearing the snow.

Also because of the heavy snowfall, the restaurant's business is getting better and better. There are many people eating pot every day. Some people don't want to line up, so make a reservation with the restaurant in advance. Packing, that is, the copper pot is ready, the clear soup and ingredients are packed in food boxes, and the copper pot and plates are finished, and the servants will send them to the restaurant the next day.

By the end of the first half of the month, Xu Ji's restaurant's current account was much higher than the previous half. In this half-month, she earned a hundred taels more than before, and she earned back all the ham money.

On the evening of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the restaurant rested early and did not receive dinner guests. Brother Cheng made a table of New Year's Eve dinner. Four is about to open.

Those who open shops and make a living must not be like ordinary people and officials who do not start work until the seventh or eighth day of the first month.

Xu Qinyu is set to open on the fourth day of the first day and take an extra day off.

The door of the restaurant was closed, the windows were open, and the round table was full of dishes, including chicken, duck, and fish.

Brother Cheng was in charge, and everyone sat around the table. Xu Qinyu, Mrs. Wen, the three women running the hall, the eldest girl and the second girl, brother Cheng’er, brother Gong, and the four brothers who were in good weather, sat a little bit. It was crowded, but everyone didn't dislike it at all, and everyone had a smile on their face.

Xu Qinyu poured each person a glass of wine. This is still a little wine left over before. She also specially kept it until the Chinese New Year, but it is not much. It looks like 20 bottles. Today, 5 bottles were opened, and the remaining 15 bottles are waiting for home. Drink at New Year's Eve.

Xu Qinyu said with a smile: "The business of the restaurant is very good this year, thanks to everyone, without everyone's help, I can't support the restaurant by myself, so I won't say anything extra, everyone eat well and drink well, take a break A few days later, I gave everyone a red envelope, and I also ask everyone to continue working hard next year."

After saying that, they picked up the wine and everyone drank together.

For the whole year of this year, Xu Qinyu's restaurant earned about 5,000 taels of silver, plus the more than 1,000 taels of wine, she has about 6,000 taels of silver.

Because there are a lot of things to buy on weekdays, have to buy kitchen utensils one after another, as well as new kitchen utensils after depreciation, plus household expenses and so on, so spend a lot of money every month, and have a surplus of about 6,000 taels of silver. , but already excellent.

Xu Qinyu gave the three women who ran the hall, as well as the eldest daughter Xu Feng and Xu Tiao, their red seals were 10 taels of silver.

The remaining three little ones, Er Niu, Xu Yu and Xu Shun, are three taels of silver.

For Mrs. Wen, Xu Qinyu prepared a 100 tael silver note. She planned to give it to Mrs. Wen when she went back. Mrs. Wen helped her as the shopkeeper. She didn't even want to ask for wages on weekdays. For this one hundred taels of silver note, Xu Qinyu They were worried that she would not accept it.

Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Yuan, and Mrs. Chen did not expect that when they came to work, Mrs. Xu said that they would give a red seal for the year. They also thought that it might be a few hundred pennies. If they were all happy, who would have thought that it would be It's ten taels of silver.

The three of them were overwhelmed with two small ingots, "Dong, Dongjia, isn't this too much."

It's worth their annual salary, plus the red seal of these 10 taels of silver, they have about 20 taels of silver a year's wages, even if they go to a big restaurant to run a hall, they can earn 10 taels of silver a year. It's all good, even the big restaurant doesn't want women like them, and they come to Xu Xiaoniangzi's restaurant to give twenty taels of silver a year.

The three were really excited.

Xu Qinyu did give a lot, and that's because everyone was diligent and focused on the restaurant, without any second thoughts. Every time she finished the evening meal, she could go home first, and they cleaned up the rest. , she never has to worry about anything, and she is always rushing to do her work. Where can find such a good employee?

What's more, she has earned so much in a year, and it should be given more red seals.

Xu Qinyu said with a smile: "That's what you deserve, auntie. The restaurant's cleanliness is all thanks to you."

The three of them are people who love cleanliness. Not only did they clean the front hall where the diners were received, so that the diners could eat happily, and even the back kitchen was cleaned every day without any oil stains.

Xu Qinyu said again: "Next year, the wages of the three aunts will all rise to one or two silvers. As long as everyone works hard, the wages will continue to rise."

She should also be a good boss. She eats meat by herself and gives her employees a lot of broth.

The three of Lin's faces were flushed with excitement, and they thanked Xu Qinyu with tears in their eyes. They also swore in their hearts that they would be more diligent in the future, and would never do anything like selling out restaurants with Sun's before. They are good, and they have to repay Xu Dongjia.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone is ready to go back, and the rest of the meal is packed and brought home.

Xu Qinyu glanced at the cleaned restaurant, locked it, and went home with Brother Wen's Cheng and Brother Gong.

Xu Feng and the four of them still live on the side of the restaurant. There are a lot of kitchenware in the restaurant, so they still live here and watch the restaurant.

When the New Year is coming tomorrow, Xu Qinyu will call their children over to have a New Year's dinner at home.

On the other side of the workshop, Xu Qinyu did not let a few children go there to guard it. The workshop is not suitable for living. There are three or four windows and doors in a room. It is for ventilation and can only be used to store things, so the shoe workshop is not suitable for living. It is locked, and Bai Yu and Mo Yu take turns to guard at night on weekdays.

Xu Feng and a few are still children, but Bai Yu and Mo Yu guarding the workshop are safer and more intimidating. People who have never seen Mo Yu will be frightened when they see Mo Yu for the first time.

Mo Yu is now even higher than Xu Qinyu's knees. The body line is called a fit, with strong limbs and strong bones. His black fur is shiny and shiny, and it feels like a good satin to the touch, very silky. , it can be seen that it is well maintained.

Even if Mo Yu grows up and her personality hasn't changed much, she still likes to run around with things in her mouth, and likes to play around with Bai Yu.

Bai Yu doesn't like to pay attention to it, and likes to find a place to sleep on weekdays.

Bai Yu has also grown a lot, and Xu Qinyu's calf is thicker, and his body length has reached about two meters, which is still a bit intimidating.

Having raised Bai Yu for almost two years, Xu Qinyu is not afraid of it at all.

But if she encounters other snakes, she must still be afraid.

She was raised differently, and Bai Yu was indeed different from other snakes, and she was very close to her.

Except for the family, Bai Yu has never seen it, and it really doesn't like it.

But for Mo Yu, Osmanthus Lane and the neighbors in several nearby alleys all know about it, and it can be considered that he grew up watching it since he was a child, so even if Mo Yu is now a big black leopard who looks very powerful, the neighbors do not How can be afraid of it, know it will not bite people, and have never seen it bite. Sometimes when come to see it, will touch its head, and it is also touched by others, but it does not rub against others, but only against its own family, and its personality is a bit like a dog.

So Xu Qinyu let the two take turns to guard.

You don’t have to go there during the day, the workshop location is quite lively, people come and go, and you only need to guard it at night, for fear that a thief will come and see that the ham has been stolen.

The price of ham is not cheap. Let’s not talk about the price of the ham after it is made. Just a piece of fresh pork hind leg like this costs a few hundred cents. Just like normal cured meat.

Mo Yu and Bai Yu have a good division of labor. Anyway, Xu Qinyu saw Mo Yu tonight, and he will definitely not be able to see him tomorrow night, but Bai Yu stayed at home, and the division of labor between the two was particularly clear and fair.

After Xu Qinyu returned home with Mrs Wen, Xu Qinyu gave the one hundred taels of silver note prepared to Mrs Wen.

When Mrs. Wen saw the bank note, she wanted to refuse, "Why did Yuniang give me the banknote? Yuniang saves the bank note by herself. If you want to open a restaurant in Raozhou in the future, you can use it."

She knows what Yu Niang thinks. When Brother Cheng can be a chef here, the restaurant here will be managed by Brother Cheng. She wants to go to Raozhou City to open a bigger Xuji restaurant.

In fact, going to Raozhou City is also very good, and it is more convenient to do everything there.

But Yu Niang said that she couldn't move in within a year or two, and there were still a lot of apprentices to teach Cheng Ge'er.

And she doesn't spend money on weekdays, she has food and lodging, and even the clothes on her body are sent by Yu Niang from the Xia family. The rouge gouache and pancreas face cream are all prepared by Yu Niang. Nowhere to spend money.

Xu Qinyu still wanted to let Mrs. Wen keep the 100 taels of silver notes, saying that she could buy some things she likes on weekdays, and she didn't need to worry about going to Raozhou City to open a restaurant.

In the end, Mrs. Wen had no choice but to accept the one hundred taels of silver notes, but kept them in her own box, thinking that Yu Niang would use it in the future and then give it to Yu Niang.