Chapter Thirty: Braised Pig's Trotters

  Arriving at the kitchen, Master Wang was looking at the mud loach in the large pot. Judging from the situation, it should be almost done. Zhu Si Niang had already washed the sand pot brought back by Wang Kuang and boiled it with salt water once. If not boiled with salt water, the sand pot would easily crack. Moreover, after the salt water seeped into the walls of the sand pot, the crystallized salt could fill up many small pores inside the pot.

  Seeing Wang Kuang come in, Zhu Si Niangzi asked Wang Kuang: "Dàláng, how should this pig's foot be done? I'll help you." Now the whole inn only has Zhu Si Niangzi still calling Wang Kuang Dàláng, and Wang Kuang likes her to call him that, which contains a kind of elder's care.

  "Then please ask Auntie to help me scald half of the pig's feet with boiling water, just until the meat changes color. I still have to go out for a bit, and when I come back, I'll continue cooking. Leave the other half for next time. Also, help me prepare the peppercorns, Sichuan pepper, cassia leaves, angelica, ginger, and garlic." Seeing that Zhu Si had agreed, Wang Kuang went back to the front hall.

  Lin Xuanmiao was listlessly sitting in the eastern wing, with a pot of wine and two plates of braised meat on the table. He was also thinking about new food, but he had temporarily lost interest in these things that he used to love to eat. The people in the inn were all afraid of his identity as a talented young man and the young master of the Lin family, so they didn't dare to approach him. As a scholar, he was also somewhat arrogant, and Lin Xuanmiao couldn't put down this small airs. Sun Mingqian had returned earlier before Lin Xuanmiao arrived, saying that he needed to deal with some miscellaneous matters, and specifically instructed that no one was allowed to secretly eat before he returned. He didn't know that Wang Kuang had invited Lin Xuanmiao over; otherwise, he would not have gone back even if you killed him. This was a noble guest, and Sun Mingqian also hoped to form a solid alliance with the Lin family as soon as possible.

  Seeing Wang Kuang come out, Lin Xiangmu was overjoyed and quickly asked: "How is it? Is it done?"

  "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit, young master. I just went in and asked, it'll take about an hour or so. But the new mud eel dish will be ready soon, it'll be out in a moment, and you can eat while you wait. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to wait too long, I'll go back and hurry them up again. I'll come out again later, I still have some things to trouble you with." Wang Ke bowed slightly, looking embarrassed.

  "What can I help with? I'm just a scholar, but let's get one thing straight - if it's something illegal, that's absolutely out of the question." Lin Xuanmu thought for a moment when he heard that he was being asked for help: "I knew it, why did they invite me so urgently? It turns out they need my help. But Father had specifically warned me not to get too close to the Rich Guest House, or I'd be taken advantage of and affect his official reputation. If it's a small matter, then it's easy to handle, but if it's something difficult, this meal might not taste so good after all." So he quickly blocked the way himself, shaking his head repeatedly.

  "Hey, it's nothing much. The young master wants to make an iron box, but the blacksmith said there isn't enough iron, so I was thinking of asking you for help." Wang Kuang saw Lin Xiangyun shaking his head and knew he was afraid of interference, so he explained, "It's mainly used to store important items. If it's made successfully and works well, then you can report back to Master Lin."

  Wang Kuang had decided that with the appearance of Hua Rongdao, he had been feeling uneasy for the past few days. Rather than waiting around, he might as well take the initiative, but he had to be more discreet. He couldn't bring out a safe with a self-locking mechanism, so he would make two - one with a self-locking mechanism that he would keep hidden and use himself, and another without a self-locking mechanism that was just a replica of a modern safe. The two iron boxes would be filled with river sand in between, which would increase the weight and also provide fireproofing.

  If Lin's young daughter found out later and sent someone to investigate, then it was likely that she too had traveled through time. In that case, Wang Kuang wouldn't have to worry about her being hostile towards him. If it were someone else who came, these would just be two ordinary iron boxes nested together, and he could explain it away to dispel their suspicions.

  This way, he would roughly be able to figure out who had traveled through time. When the time came, his opponent would be in the light, while he himself would be in the dark, making many things easier to handle.

  Moreover, this simple safe should be able to help Lin Zhongbo earn some credit. In the past year or so, Wang Kuang has heard rumors from many places that government offices or warehouses have been burned down due to water leakage, resulting in the loss of important accounts and documents. Of course, many of these were done by officials themselves to cover up corrupt activities, but a large part was also due to the fact that buildings at that time were mostly made of wood and earth structures, which easily caught fire when dry. With this simple safe, if it is promoted nationwide, such incidents will be greatly reduced in the future. Even officials who want to destroy evidence will not be able to escape so easily. First, if you don't put important accounts and other things in the safe, you can be convicted of a crime. It's just that it can't be called an "insurance box", which is too obvious. The naming rights should still be given to Lin Zhongbo, which can also gain some goodwill.

  "An iron box? Is it useful?" Lin Xuanmu, being a clever person, immediately thought of Wang Kuang's intention: "If the fire is too big, I'm afraid it won't work either. But this errand of yours is also a small matter, I'll just mention it to Li Shu, who is in charge of salt and iron, and it won't be necessary to trouble my father. If it really works, my father will definitely be happy." Seeing that it had nothing to do with weapons, but only wanted some iron, Lin Xuanmu's heart finally put down. Anyway, there was still a lot of stored iron in the county warehouse, and selling it at market price would not be against the law. If this iron box really worked, on the contrary, his father might even have the merit of presenting it.

  "It will be clear whether it can be done or not after trying, thank you young master, please take your time, I'll go in and urge them now."

  "Here it is, sorry to keep you waiting." Sun Er brought over a steaming hot bowl and placed it in front of Lin Xiang with a bow, "Please try some, sir. You can be considered the first person under heaven to taste this dish, our master and everyone else haven't even had a chance to eat yet. Just look at that color, the oil floating on top is a deep red, we were all drooling just looking at it in the kitchen."

  "Huh, it really is different from before. Why is the oil red?" Lin Xuanmu was also very surprised to see that the soup in the clay pot was no longer the usual clear and light brown color, but instead had a layer of bright red oil floating on top, which looked delicious and made her mouth water.

  "Be careful, young master, this flavor is a bit overwhelming. I'm afraid you're not used to it, so it's better to try a small amount first." Wang Kuang saw Lin Xiangmeng holding a large spoonful of the dish, blowing on it before attempting to feed it to him. He quickly intervened, knowing that someone who had never eaten spicy food before would be overwhelmed by such a large mouthful. But he was too late, and Lin Xiangmeng had already swallowed the entire spoonful. Suddenly, his face turned bright red, and after holding back for a moment, he began to cough loudly, unable to bear it. Soon, sweat beads formed on his forehead. Wang Kuang hastily offered him tea to drink.

  "Ah, delicious, delicious!" Lin Xuanmu suddenly exclaimed after holding back for a while, scooping up another spoonful of the dish and shoveling it into her mouth. As usual, her face was bright red and she was sweating profusely, still panting heavily. "It's really delicious! On this cold winter day, I'm actually breaking out in sweat! What seasoning is this? It's so spicy, yet it feels comfortable, unlike the spiciness of Sichuan pepper, without any weird taste." As she spoke, her hands didn't stop for a moment.

  Seeing Lin Xuanmiao eating with gusto, Wang Kuang didn't stay there any longer and ran to the kitchen to braise pig's feet.

  Fourth daughter-in-law has prepared everything according to Wang Kuang's words, just waiting for Wang Kuang to start work. Master Wang is also chatting with Wang Dalao after finishing his loach-shaped yam, waiting for Wang Kuang.

  Wang Kuang didn't say much, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Braising pig's feet is easy to learn, just watch from the side and you'll get it, but to braise them well, that requires some experience, which Wang Kuang couldn't teach.

  Put the pig's feet in a sand pot, add wine, salt, peppercorns and Sichuan pepper, also cut a few slices of ginger, smash the peeled garlic head and throw it in, then go to my own room to grab some chili powder that I just put away and sprinkle it on top. Add sauce, this sauce is made by boiling bean paste with water and salt, filtering it out, now it has become the most used seasoning in the kitchen of Fulaiguesthouse. Wang Kuang can't make soy sauce either, he only knows that the precursor to soy sauce is bean paste, so he came up with this method, which can also be used as a substitute for soy sauce.

  Cover the casserole with a lid, flip it over several times, and wait until all the seasonings are mixed with the pig's feet. Without adding water, Wang directly put the casserole on the stove to simmer. After about half an hour, the casserole was making a sizzling sound, and the aroma wafted out. Only then did Wang lift the lid, scoop in a ladle of hot water, just enough to cover the pig's feet, and add more cassia leaves. Then he covered the lid again and asked Zhu Si Niangzi to find some wet grass paper to seal the edges of the casserole. After patting his hands: "It's almost done, just wait half an hour later, then add a few slices of Angelica sinensis and simmer for a while. Then lift the lid, stir-fry while cooking until the soup is dry, and drizzle with warm wine before serving. This is very easy to do, anyone can do it. I think Wang Shifu can make mudfish yam, Auntie can make braised flavor, so let Kuang Shifu help me."

  Kuang Dailai Inn has been around for over a year, and although he is the head chef, none of the signature dishes at Fulaikuan Inn were created by him. This makes Wang Kuang feel somewhat guilty towards him. After all, if it weren't for the few sweet potatoes he brought back in the beginning, Youfen wouldn't have been introduced so quickly. This time, it's just right to let him take charge of cooking the pig's feet. Moreover, Kuang Dailai's culinary intuition is far superior to that of Wang Shifu and Zhu Si Niangzi. Such a talent must be valued, otherwise, if he becomes dissatisfied one day and is poached by someone else, Youfen's secrets will be lost forever.

  Kuang Da Yi was thrilled when he heard this, and his excitement was hard to describe. He had always been passionate about cooking, and he came to Fuli Inn because of its reputation for good food, which was said to be thanks to the young master's skills. Although he had never seen Wang Kuang in action, he had tasted the delicious dishes like mud eel yam and braised flavor, which were said to be taught by the young master. These dishes had become a must-order for customers who came to Fuli Inn to drink wine. He believed that he could stay at Fuli Inn for so long mainly because of Wang Kuang's presence. In his opinion, as long as he stayed at Fuli Inn for a few years, the young master would definitely teach him some dishes. Unexpectedly, it only took more than a year to achieve his wish, and he was naturally excited. He also understood that knowing the secret of sweet potatoes was what the young master was worried about. He patted his chest: "Young master, please rest assured, after I learn this dish, I will stay at Fuli Inn for the rest of my life. I still want to learn more from you, even if you want to drive me away, I will not leave."

  Wang Kuang understood that he was showing his loyalty, and smiled: "Master Kuang, don't say that. This rich inn is just a small idea of mine, it's not worth mentioning whether I'm learned or not. I just liked to eat before, and heard many things, so I could think of these dishes. If we compare with others, I am still far behind. In the future, if there are any dishes, let's discuss them together."

  Division

  Still asking for votes, recommendations, collections and so on, your support is the motivation of gray sparrow.