Chapter 12: The Spring of Fuli Inn (Part 2)
When they arrived at the kitchen, Si Nangzi was cooking and Wang Shifu was preparing food. They were aware of the commotion in front of the hall, but couldn't leave for a while to take a look. Seeing Wang Kuang bring in several packages, they all looked at him with inquiring eyes. Wang Kuang smiled: "When I passed by the pharmacy, I remembered a convenient snack, so I bought some usable medicinal materials. By the way, when you have time, can you help me sew a few fist-sized cloth bags to wash and dry? They're needed for this afternoon, okay?"
"Alright, I'll help you sew it. It's convenient to watch the fire while sewing." Zhu Si Niang responded and went back to her room to fetch needles, threads, and scraps of cloth. In the Tang Dynasty, fabric was still quite precious, so ordinary families would collect leftover scraps from making clothes, not daring to throw them away. When they accumulated enough, they could also make a small garment out of them.
"Big Brother, what are you going to eat again?" Master Wang saw that Wang Kuang was about to take action and was very expectant.
"Making braised dishes is like making sauce meat and whatnot, but it's a bit different. Is there any fresh meat or offal in the kitchen?" Wang Kuang scanned his eyes around, but didn't find any ingredients that could be used for braising, which was quite strange.
"Yes, yes! Yesterday at Liu Village, a cow broke its leg and was killed. When Hu Liu came, I casually mentioned it, and the boss sent someone to buy some meat and internal organs, which are now hanging in the well."
Originally, during the Tang Dynasty, there were no beef cattle, only draft cattle. Ordinary families would not dare to slaughter their oxen, which were registered with the government. If an ox fell ill or was injured, it had to be verified by the local authorities before it could be slaughtered. Sun Zhanggui heard about this early in the morning and arranged for someone to buy meat and offal. Beef was a rare food at that time, and he managed to grab a few pieces from the entrance of the village. He bought a lot, and since the weather was getting hot, he hung them in the well to keep them fresh. The temperature in the well is usually warm in winter and cool in summer, making it suitable for storing meat during the summer months. Even after three or four days, there would be no problem. If there was too much meat, they would have to put it in an ice cellar instead.
Wang Kuang was overjoyed, the beef was great, and after braising it was both fragrant and chewy. After inquiring about the remaining half of the cow's belly in the water, he asked Wang Shifu to cut a few pounds of beef and half of the cow's belly. After washing them clean, the beef was cut into roughly one-pound pieces along with the cow's belly and put into a pot for stewing. Once the beef was cooked, it was fished out and rinsed clean with cold water, then set aside for later use. Meanwhile, Wang Kuang had already washed and dried the medicinal herbs he had purchased.
After finishing all that, it was already noon. Wang Kuang, who was used to eating three meals a day, casually found something to eat in the kitchen and filled his stomach.
The dried medicinal herbs were all dry, and the cloth bag sewn by Fourth Daughter had also been washed clean and dried. The hemp bags suited Wang's taste very well; the fabric was not dense, with some small holes that were slightly visible, but it was much denser than the gauze of later generations. Such bags with small holes were the most useful, as the medicinal herbs inside would not run out when simmering, nor would any fragments fall off, while the broth could easily seep through.
Considering the potential impact of the braising sauce, Wang Kuang asked Sun Zhang to send someone to bring Sun Ming forward and see how he would arrange for the secrecy of the braising sauce formula. This formula was a piece of cake for Wang Kuang, and in later generations, he even put his own formula online. As for Wang Kuang, as long as he had brains, he could come up with many things in various ways. Although it is unknown how important and sensational this formula was during the Tang Dynasty, it can be guessed that the braising sauce, which brought revolutionary food, was crucial to the future development of the inn. Think about it, every merchant team that came and went saw this easy-to-store and delicious food, how could they not be tempted? As long as they were people who often traveled outside, they would have opportunities to camp outdoors, and for merchant teams, choosing between only salty fermented meat (during the Tang Dynasty, fermented meat was mostly made from beef or mutton, using bean paste, salt, and one or two spices, cooked and ready) and fragrant braising sauce, most would choose the latter.
When Sun Ming heard the news, he listened to Wang Kuang's introduction, thought for a moment, and then called Zhu Si Niangzi alone into the account room to whisper for half a day before coming out to tell Wang Kuang that from now on, this braised flavor that has not appeared yet will be operated by Zhu Si Niangzi. The formula is naturally in Sun Ming's own hands. In the future, he will process the medicinal materials at home according to the formula provided by Wang Kuang, grind them into powder, pack them in cloth bags, and then send them to the inn. This way, even if the operation process is leaked out, the formula can still be kept confidential.
At this time, Wang Kuang only knew that Zhu Si Niangzi was actually the cousin of Sun Ming's ex-wife. After her husband passed away early, she had to raise three children alone and it was not easy for a widow with orphans. Although Zhu Si Niangzi did not want to remarry, Sun Ming's family members took care of them from time to time, but they were also poor and could only provide limited support. Sun Ming's ex-wife naturally couldn't bear to see her cousin suffer, so she discussed it with Sun Ming and decided to let Zhu Si Niangzi entrust her land to her uncle and come to the inn to help out. The children would live with their uncle, and Zhu Si Niangzi would only return home every ten days or so to bring some things for the kids.
Wang Kuang, who understood the situation, couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for the simplicity of ancient people. To be honest, since he had traveled through time to the present, he hadn't met anyone who was particularly cunning or deceitful. Almost everyone he met seemed very genuine and sincere. He couldn't help but feel grateful: his character had exploded in a good way, making him much happier than other travelers who had encountered bad people.
In fact, the people Wang Juan is currently in contact with are all at the bottom of society, especially businessmen, who have a lower status than farmers and are only slightly higher than beggars, prostitutes, and vagrants. The lower they are in society, the more honest they are, almost none of them have any thoughts of cheating or fighting with others, they can barely make a living, let alone think about competing with others. Even in later generations, if you go to an economically underdeveloped mountainous area, the people there are also mostly honest, and the more difficult the place is, the more honest the people are. It can almost be said that money has blinded people's nature.
After listening, it was all up to Zhu Si Niangzi to make the sauce, and now there's nothing much to do in the kitchen. Wang Shifu found an excuse to leave the kitchen, he didn't have a bit of jealousy in his heart. Firstly, he knew his place, secondly, Zhu Si Niangzi was the boss's relative, it was most suitable for her to take over, thirdly, he had already mastered the dish of loach and taro, as long as he stayed at the inn, future wealth and glory would definitely be his, and he was satisfied.
The operation in front of the medicine had not avoided people, and the owner was not worried. These medicines could only be recognized by Langzhong and the apprentices in the pharmacy, and it would be good if others could recognize one or two kinds.
Everything is ready, the first operation can only be done by Wang Kuang himself, and Zhu Si Niang helps on the side. After washing the pot clean, let Zhu Si Niang make a big fire, pour in sesame oil, wait until there's a little green smoke rising from the oil, then Wang Kuang quickly adds cassia leaves, ginger, chopped scallions, crushed garlic, nutmeg and licorice into the pot to stir-fry. Then swiftly pour in rice wine to boil, add water, salt, and filtered soy sauce. After boiling, use a skimmer to remove the spices from the soup, pick out the scallions and throw them away. The garlic is put back into the soup again. Find another bag, fill it with the remaining spices that were scooped out, tie the opening tightly and also throw it into the soup. Other uncooked ingredients like dried tangerine peel are also stuffed into another bag, add some peppercorns, tie it up tightly and throw it into the soup as well.
Wang Kuang didn't have a very strict way of distinguishing the proportion of medicinal materials. He only told Zhu Si Niangzi one principle: for medicines with strong flavors, such as cloves, use less; for those with light flavors, such as grass fruit, you can add more. As long as the soup has a hint of medicinal flavor, it's fine. The specific amount can be estimated by oneself, no need to be too strict. Braising sauce is something that each person has their own method for making. After doing it several times, the proportions and flavors will basically become fixed.
Then Wang Kuang put the previously cooked beef and tripe into the pot, waited for it to boil again, and had Zhu Si Niangzi find a slightly larger black glaze ceramic pot. She poured the braising liquid and meat from the wok into the pot, set it aside to marinate, and let it soak for at least one night. The next day, she brought it to a boil over high heat again, then simmered it over low heat on the stove for half an hour using the ceramic pot. From then on, this broth could be repeatedly used for braising, just replacing the spices in the spice bag every few times.
At this time, it hasn't been braised yet, but the fragrance has already wafted out. It's said that the longer the braising liquid is cooked, the more fragrant it becomes. Sun Ming's eyes lit up at the thought, and he became even more meticulous. He didn't dare leave the pot in the kitchen, so he had Zhu Si Niang carry it to her own room to hide it away until tomorrow when they would continue cooking.
Wang Kuang is now worried about the source of ingredients. In the Tang Dynasty, almost all meat was sheep and wild game hunted by mountain people, as well as domesticated chickens, ducks, and geese. Pigs were not eaten by many people, and few people raised them. Cows were even less common, and only sick or injured cows could be slaughtered for food. Ordinary farmers rarely ate meat, and if a cow was occasionally killed due to illness or injury, it would usually be shared within the village.
This time, Sun Zhuanggui heard that there was a cow to be slaughtered and rushed over in time to buy a piece of beef with great difficulty. It's said to be one piece, but it's only about 100 catties (a unit of weight). When the braised flavor was first introduced, sales were definitely not high, and the source of raw materials was not a concern. However, if sales increase in the future, this meat will become scarce.
When Wang heard the situation, Sun Ming also frowned and said that the goods were good, but they also needed a sufficient source of goods. The fragrance he had smelled earlier was certain, and it could be confirmed that this braised flavor would bring a lot of wealth to the inn in the future.
"Actually, many things can be braised, such as chicken and duck eggs, chicken and duck, tofu, etc." Wang Kuang also tried to help Sun Ming open up his mind: "Chicken and duck can be braised whole, and the more varieties of braised dishes, the more fragrant the broth will be. Also, pork braised is very fragrant, especially the ears and large intestine."
"Is anyone going to eat this braised pork?" Sun Ming was a bit worried.
"Wealthy families may not eat it, but ordinary people will eventually try it. With time, some wealthy families will also give it a shot and open up the sales channel." Wang Kuang knew that in later generations, Chinese people would consume pork the most. Moreover, he had seen small shops selling pork near the south gate, proving that there were still people eating pork, only it was not suitable for formal occasions. This is similar to later generations where chicken and duck are usually not served at banquets, but many people enjoy eating them in daily life.
Sun Ming had also known this, and when Wang Kuang mentioned it, he felt a sense of clarity in his heart. He immediately called Sun Zhu over and instructed him to go to the butcher's shop to buy some pork. Wang Kuang also asked Sun Zhu to bring back some large intestines and pig heads that were usually hard to sell (the large intestines had a strong odor and were difficult to handle, so people generally didn't like to eat them, and the same was true for pig heads). Wang Kuang knew how to handle these parts, so he wasn't worried. Moreover, the best meat on a pig is actually on its head - the two pieces of masticatory muscle, commonly known as "he tou rou" (combined head meat), which are tender and crispy whether stir-fried or used in soup. In later generations, it was almost impossible to buy he tou rou at markets, as butchers would keep it for themselves or sell it specifically to hotels, and the amount of he tou rou from a single pig was limited - only about half a kilogram from a 200-kilogram pig.
Here is the translation:
(By the way, let's talk about how to identify braised pork head meat. Braised pork head meat has many white stripes that look like tendons, but after stir-frying, it doesn't become hard and is very chewy, also not getting stuck in your teeth. Many hotels sell what they call "pork head meat" (I forgot what they specifically call it), which is actually made from lean pork marinated with tenderizer powder, and tastes weird when you eat it. Braised pork head meat doesn't need any tenderizer powder at all, and no matter how you cook it, it's always crispy. There's only a small amount of braised pork head meat on one pig, but so many people eat it, every household and hotel has this dish, where do they get so much raw material from? If you guys eat this dish in a hotel, take a closer look, if there are no stripes and the muscle fibers are long, it's definitely fake. Real braised pork head meat has very short muscle fibers, less than one centimeter.)
The first time using a divider line - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last night, I didn't sleep well, thinking about the plot's future direction all night until dawn when I fell asleep in a daze. Fortunately, Ash Sparrow is currently unemployed and doesn't have to worry about being late for work. Now that I basically have an idea, I'll start writing again. Today, I'm taking a break ahead of schedule and will post one chapter first. If the speed is fast, I'll post another chapter tonight.
