Granny Sun was still in a daze even after getting off the carriage.
Fifty taels...
That pot of dark, sticky paste boiled from the stinky donkey hide had actually been sold for fifty taels!
And her old bones, which had ached for a lifetime, could actually be cured!
"A Ying... I... How can I ever thank you..."
Granny Sun stammered as she looked at her.
Li Ying just waved her hand with a big smile. While putting the herbal medicine she had brought back from Deji Hall into a clay pot to boil, she stuffed ten taels of silver into Granny Sun's hand.
"A Ying, what are you doing? This won't do! You've earned this silver with so much hard work. You can't be so extravagant!"
Granny Sun was shocked and instinctively pushed the silver back.
But Li Ying said seriously, "Auntie, if it weren't for you working day and night to help me clean the donkey hides, I wouldn't have gotten this silver so quickly."
"Moreover, you gave me a place to stay, taught me how to go beach - combing, accompanied me to set up stalls and sell food every day, and helped me take care of the child. I even think this ten taels of silver is too little!"
After taking the carriage, Li Ying felt more and more that it was hard to go from luxury to frugality. If she didn't need to save the silver to buy livestock, she really would have given Granny Sun more silver.
Granny Sun refused to accept it no matter what. It was only when Li Ying pretended to be a bit angry that she reluctantly took it, as if the silver was burning her hand.
After drinking the herbal medicine, Granny Sun felt much more comfortable all over. She hugged Mianmian, teasing her while watching Li Ying clean the two ducks she had just bought in the kitchen.
Add salt, Chinese prickly ash seeds, and two star anises to the pot and stir - fry over low heat until they turn light yellow.
After washing and drying the duck legs, the prickly ash salt was just cooled. Li Ying carefully spread a layer of it evenly on the duck legs, let them marinate for a while to absorb the flavor, then put them into the pot with scallions and garlic and stewed them.
After cooling, the skin and meat of the duck legs were firm. Cut them into large pieces. This salted duck leg was refreshing and appetizing whether eaten plain or with a spicy and sour dipping sauce.
The plump duck breasts were most suitable for pan - frying.
Make criss - cross cuts on the duck skin and sprinkle the prickly ash salt on them. Li Ying was quite creative. She ground dried tangerine peels into crumbs to replace the lemon zest commonly used in Western cuisine, which was a bit of a local adaptation.
Finally, add crushed garlic cloves and coconut oil. After the garlic flavor had fully penetrated the duck breasts, remove the seasonings, put the meat into the pan, and slowly fry out the duck fat until the skin was golden, looking like wheat ears.
Add sugar, vinegar, and farm - made salty sauce to the oil to make a sweet and sour sauce, and pour it over the sliced duck breasts.
The duck skin was fried thin, fragrant but not greasy. The duck meat was still tinged with a faint pink, and a thick meat juice oozed out as soon as it was put into the mouth. The cooking time was just right. A bit more would make it tough, and a bit less would make it undercooked.
As for the remaining duck offal, duck heads, and duck feet, after blanching them, throw them into the old soup to continue marinating. The more ingredients were cooked in the old soup, the more fragrant it would become. That flavor could not be achieved by any high - class spices.
Li Ying cut the marinated duck products and packed them in two food boxes together with the salted duck legs and pan - fried duck breasts. The rest was just enough for her and Granny Sun to have a meal.
This old black donkey, which was only worth one tael of silver, had finally earned her more than a hundred taels of silver from its skin to its meat. She really had to thank Lu Xunguang for his recommendation.
Now that everything was settled, she naturally had to go and thank him.
However, Li Ying searched around the dock but couldn't find him. She also hadn't heard where Lu Xunguang lived nearby.
Only then did she suddenly realize that she knew very little about this man.
After searching fruitlessly, just as she was about to leave, she heard a deep voice behind her: "Are you looking for me?"
Turning around, she saw Lu Xunguang standing on a broken boat.
The boat awning was low and dilapidated. He stood on the deck, his body slightly hunched.
Could it be... that this man had been living on the boat since he left the dilapidated temple?
This boat... was leaky everywhere. The keel could even be seen at the bottom of the boat. If it encountered a slightly bigger storm, it would probably be shattered into pieces immediately.
Li Ying looked at him suspiciously and took a careful step forward, tentatively stepping onto the deck.
The broken boat let out a painful wail with a "creak" sound as if she had stepped on its weak point, and it swayed.
Li Ying was unsteady on her feet and also trembled.
She was already inconvenienced by carrying two heavy food boxes in her hands. This sway made her lose her balance. Like a lame water bird, she was about to plunge headfirst into the sea.
It was Lu Xunguang who was quick - witted and grabbed her in time.
Li Ying leaned most of her body on him. After finally standing firmly on her feet, Lu Xunguang immediately let go of his hand and took a step back. He bowed politely with his hands clasped and said, "It was an emergency. Please forgive my rudeness."
It would have been okay if he hadn't moved. But as soon as he did, the delicate balance of the boat was broken again.
Li Ying was a landlubber with extremely poor balance. She was even more convinced that the service life of this broken boat was probably longer than hers. It was definitely not suitable to stay for long. She quickly stuffed the food boxes into his hands, saying they were a token of gratitude, then hurriedly jumped onto the dock and fled.
She left in a hurry, so she naturally didn't see the young man on the deck standing there stupidly, holding a food box. When he felt the warmth from it, not knowing whether it was her body temperature or the remaining heat of the food, his ears suddenly turned red.
After bidding farewell to Lu Xunguang's "home on the boat", Li Ying hired an ox - cart and rushed all the way. Finally, she arrived at the donkey stable before sunset.
Old Zheng was sitting at the door smoking his pipe. When he saw her coming from afar, he put out the pipe and greeted her indifferently, "The stubborn girl is back?"
Although this old man had a strange temper, he was actually very kind.
Li Ying smiled and handed the food box to him. "Grandpa, thanks to your old black donkey, I've earned some silver. I'm here today specifically to discuss a business with you!"
As she spoke, she opened the food box, which had an extra piece of marinated donkey meat for him to try.
Old Zheng had also heard about the donkey - meat buns. When he saw the marinated meat, he wasn't very surprised. He picked up a chopstick of it and chewed it slowly, then nodded and said, "You, girl, have good cooking skills. Wait a minute. I'll pick a big mule that's easy to handle for you!"
Li Ying sat beside him and said with a smile, "Grandpa, don't be in a hurry. I'll definitely take the mule, but what I'm talking about is another business."
Since she had promised the pharmacy owner to boil out the Nine - Dynasty Tribute Gelatin, she naturally had to start looking for a water source and suitable donkey breeds.
Old Zheng was in charge of a donkey stable. He had been judging mules and horses for many years and seemed to be an upright person. He was the best cooperation partner she could find at the moment.
Moreover, this old man seemed to be childless and was living a lonely life in his later years. If they could really find a donkey breed suitable for boiling the Nine - Dynasty Tribute Gelatin and earn some money for his old age, it would be a win - win situation for both of them.
She told Old Zheng her plan. Afraid that he wouldn't believe her, she even took out the contract document between her and Deji Hall.
Old Zheng glanced at the seal of Shopkeeper Du on it, knocked his pipe, and sneered disdainfully, "Just a hundred taels. Is it really necessary to pay in installments? He's really going backwards! Don't worry. I, Old Zheng, will take care of the donkey business."
Li Ying had prepared a whole lot of words to persuade him to "join the business", but before she could even start, Old Zheng agreed without hesitation, which really surprised her.
He led the big green mule from the other day over. "Girl, I, Old Zheng, am not a greedy person. You've found such a good business for me. This mule is my thank - you gift to you."
Seeing her decline, Old Zheng added, "I, an old man, hate it when others are so indecisive. If you feel bad about it, just bring me more marinated meat in the future to go with my wine."
Since he had said so, Li Ying had no choice but to take the reins and head back to the village.
The big green mule was strong and had a shiny coat. Along the way, it attracted many envious looks.
"Mom, see? I told you that sister - in - law has really made it. You just didn't believe me!"
A familiar voice sounded. Li Ying looked over at the figures of an old woman and a young woman not far away and frowned tightly.
Those persistent Qin family members had really come looking for her again.