Li Ying quickly explained, “Uncle Zheng is a good man. He only charged one tael of silver for this donkey...”
She gave a shy smile, too embarrassed to say that she had changed her mind on the spur of the moment, turning a livestock purchase into a food ingredient purchase.
Lu Xunguang didn't press her any further and silently took the reins from her hand. “This donkey bullies strangers. I'll help you lead it back.”
No family in the fishing village had ever bought such a big thing before. Men, women, and children all ran out of their houses curiously to watch the commotion.
“As the saying goes, a female donkey is bought for ten years, and a male donkey is sold for ten years. Ying, is it possible that the person selling the livestock tricked you?”
The fishing women were straightforward and regarded Li Ying as a poor and helpless little sister. They were afraid that she would suffer a loss.
Li Ying quickly waved her hand. “That's not the case! I bought this as a meat donkey. I got a bargain!”
The women were relieved, but they couldn't help but be a little curious.
This old donkey had thick skin. The meat was probably tough and hard. Could it be delicious?
They talked and marveled. A short and fat man squeezed out of the crowd and grinned at Li Ying with a flattering look.
“Sister Ying, look. Such a big donkey. You and Granny Sun can't finish it. It might go bad. I'll help you slaughter this beast. You can divide the meat among us. How about it?”
Before Li Ying could say anything, Li the Carpenter's wife rolled her eyes and spat.
“You're daydreaming, aren't you? Ying got up early and worked late to earn this silver. You didn't pay a single cent, nor did you contribute any effort. How dare you ask for favors from others? Don't pull us along to take advantage. Get out of here quickly!”
A few fishing women echoed.
“That's right! This guy is a well-known lazy person in our village. He only knows how to steal chickens and dogs all day long. Ying, don't pay any attention to him!”
The lazy person couldn't take it anymore. His face turned red as he said viciously, “If you don't give it, then don't give it. Isn't it just a couple of mouthfuls of donkey meat? What kind of tricks can you come up with? I don't even care!”
He left angrily.
Most of the men in the village had gone out to sea on the fishing boats and hadn't returned yet. Although the fishing women left behind were hot-tempered, dealing with such a big living thing would still be difficult for them.
“How about... Let me deal with it.”
Just as they were at a loss, Lu Xunguang said in a deep voice.
Li Ying grabbed hold of the straw like a life-saving straw and quickly nodded. “Then, I'll have to trouble Brother Lu!”
According to her intention, the donkey meat was cut into large pieces, and the entire black donkey hide was peeled off intact.
Ordinary farmers would usually sell the hide to a tanner. Lu Xunguang kindly reminded her, “If you trust me, you can also give this hide to Uncle Zheng to buy.”
Li Ying thanked him, but she shook her head. “After brushing off the stray hair on this hide, I have other uses for it.”
Lu Xunguang didn't say anything else.
Seeing that there was a lot of blood and dirty donkey hair on his body, Li Ying advised, “If you don't mind, Brother Lu, you can take a bath first and have a simple meal before leaving?”
Granny Sun also tried to persuade him to stay. Lu Xunguang couldn't decline and could only agree.
Li Ying had already soaked the donkey meat in blood and marinated it with yellow wine.
The broth that she had used to make the spiced beef for Lu Xunguang before was also stored in the space that she carried with her. After taking it out and boiling it again, she could use it to marinate the donkey meat again.
She accidentally discovered that the space that she had brought with her when she transmigrated, which stored the coconuts, seemed to have a preservation function. It was just right for her to slowly nurture this pot of marinated broth into an old marinated broth with a unique flavor and a fragrance that wafted for ten miles.
She added some more spices to the broth before putting the donkey meat and donkey intestines that had been blanched and washed into it to stew.
Taking advantage of this time, she cut a large piece of donkey fat into small pieces. After washing it clean, she added a little bit of water to it to boil out the donkey fat.
After eating coconut oil for many days, she finally had some lard.
She made some long strips of donkey oil fire. She also placed them in the stove to bake them until they were fragrant and crispy. However, she didn't add any salt and pepper, nor did she need to add too much oil.
The fire was to be eaten with the spiced donkey meat. If the oil was too strong, it would be easy to get tired.
The gelatin in the donkey meat caused the marinated broth to coagulate into a meat jelly after it was slightly cooled. It melted in the mouth. When paired with the marinated donkey intestines and spiced donkey meat that had been cut into small pieces, it was a steaming donkey meat fire.
The donkey offal was also not wasted. After being cut into thin slices, it was mixed with dogwood and soy sauce. Although the side dish was only shredded scallions, it was spicy and greasy.
Li Ying also cooked a large pot of donkey meat and donkey offal soup. It was cooked into a thick milky white color and dotted with green scallions. The soup was thick and the meat was tender. After taking a mouthful, it warmed the person up and made them sweat all over. It was extremely comfortable.
“Granny Sun, Brother Lu, dinner is ready! I made too much today. I'll go and call the villagers to come and taste it!”
Li Ying wasn't a stingy person. She was about to go and greet the fishing women. When she left the kitchen, she only saw that Lu Xunguang was still wearing that bloodstained clothes. He was sweating profusely as he scraped the donkey hair.
When he saw her looking over, he stopped what he was doing and explained, “You're a weak woman. You can't do these rough jobs. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I have nothing to do anyway. If I can help you, I'll help you more.”
Li Ying saw that he had really scraped off most of a large donkey hide. For the first time in her life, she was so grateful that she couldn't say a word. She quickly urged him to take a bath before they could have dinner.
The fishermen weren't good at coming to eat for free. They brought their own sea products that they could afford to give her.
“Folks, the donkey meat fire that I made today was made with lean meat. Everyone can eat it without worry. However, don't eat too much of the cold donkey offal and donkey intestines! It's not that Ying is stingy. It's just that everyone's gout hasn't healed yet. If you eat too much of this, it might flare up again.”
Li Ying told them over and over again. Although the villagers didn't understand what “high purine content” meant, they knew that Ying wouldn't lie to them. They all nodded and agreed.
“This donkey meat fire is too fragrant!”
“My husband likes to drink a little wine when he returns from sailing. If he can cut a plate of spiced donkey meat to go with the wine, he'll probably be so happy that he'll die!”
“There's a pancake and meat. You can hold the food in one hand and work with the other hand. It's really convenient! Ying, I think your donkey meat fire is just right to sell at the pier!”
The fishing women gave Li Ying some ideas while they were eating.
Li Ying nodded. They had just said what she had planned.
Although the seafood stir-fry was affordable, it still required a porcelain bowl to sit down and eat. Most of the customers were laborers who lived in the town.
When the fishing boats docked, the sailors would also take advantage of this rare break to come to the pier for a stroll.
They had been drifting on the sea every day and were already tired of seeing these small seafood. Moreover, they didn't know when the fishing boats would set sail again. They really didn't have the time to stop and chew slowly. Therefore, they rarely patronized her stir-fry stall.
With the donkey meat fire, she could smoothly include these sailors in her target customer group!
Li Ying was happy in her heart, but she still said modestly without showing it, “I just fumbled around and made this dish randomly. Since all of you sisters and aunts are so optimistic about it, I'll try to sell it tomorrow and see if I can get lucky. Ying thanks everyone for their good ideas first!”
The fishing women didn't have any jealousy. Naturally, they praised her a lot. You said one thing and I said another. It was very lively.
Only Lu Xunguang sat in the crowd. He quietly held a bowl of soup. He was quite out of place.
Li Ying looked at him. Their eyes met. He nodded slightly and then turned his face away.
This man was polite to others, had a proper conversation, and his every move was very different from the rough style of the fishermen. He was even more gentle than Qin Jin, who claimed to be a scholar.
She couldn't help but be a little curious in her heart.
Who exactly was he?