Treading on Clouds galloped excitedly. Although it was exhilarating, after lying on the beach for a while, Li Ying felt that every limb and joint ached painfully.
Her whole body was on the verge of falling apart, and she had no idea how she got back to the fishing village.
Vaguely, she remembered that Lu Xunguang picked her up tenderly and placed her on the bed. His kisses, as light as goose feathers, landed on her eyes. After a long while, he blew out the candle and said softly, "A Ying, sweet dreams."
The next day, Li Ying was awakened by the noisy voices.
"A Ying, you're finally up! The fishing boats have returned from the sea. Those rough men are all eager to see you!"
Hearing Granny Sun's words, Li Ying immediately perked up.
Before the boats set sail, they had brought a lot of seasonings for the cold skewers. Zhang Lu, an experienced fisherman, readily promised that he would try to promote them to other fishing villages when they docked.
His wife, Zhang Shi, now managed most of the canned - fish factory under Li Ying. Dealing with hundreds of female workers every day had made her less timid and more assertive.
Zhang Lu didn't want to divorce his wife and leave his daughter. He quit drinking and tamed his bad temper. He was determined to live a better life.
Hearing that it was Zhang Lu who had returned with the fishing boats, Li Ying threw on her clothes, slipped on her shoes in a hurry, and rushed out to greet them.
"A Ying, you're really amazing!"
Zhang Lu was surrounded by the villagers. When he saw Li Ying from afar, he immediately shouted at the top of his voice.
They had brought a thousand packets of red - oil seasonings on the boat. At first, he had his doubts, but thanks to his wife's encouragement, he finally made up his mind.
To his great surprise, when they reached the fishing - village dock, they simply cooked some shrimps, shellfish, and kelp strips on the boat. The strong aroma of the chili oil immediately attracted all the coolies resting nearby.
"Big brother, what are you eating?"
Remembering Li Ying's and his wife's instructions, Zhang Lu quickly pulled the inquiring coolies over and generously shared the well - flavored skewers covered in red oil with them.
"This is called cold skewers in red oil. The seasoning packets are specially formulated by our village. It's a secret recipe! Not only is it good with seafood and meat skewers, but it would even taste good on shoe soles!"
At first, the coolies were skeptical about his boast, but after taking a bite, they were all convinced and let out a satisfied sigh.
In just one hour while the boat was docked, the coolies spread the news from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. The seasonings were sold out effortlessly.
"A Ying, I'm a fool. I used to look down on you. Please don't take it to heart! None of the brothers on the fishing boats will ever question you again from now on!"
Hearing Zhang Lu's earnest promise, Li Ying smiled faintly, but she had other plans in mind.
The seaside was very humid. Especially in winter, the damp sea breeze felt like it was wrapped in ice shards, piercingly cold.
It was exactly what she had expected that the spicy cold skewers could ward off the cold.
Since this business idea worked, then... could spicy red - oil hot pot be introduced as well?
She decided to act right away.
Since Mao Mao's leg injury had healed, it had been patrolling around the fishing village every day.
Li Ying knew that it was a very intelligent cat, so she didn't try to restrain it.
Mao Mao would bring back some interesting things every day, sometimes beautiful leaves or bird feathers, and other times, rare spices or herbs.
Li Ying carefully dried them and stored them properly. Now they came in handy.
"Master Zhang, take the villagers back and have a short rest. Please ask Sister - in - law Zhang to inform the female workers that they'll have half a day off today. We'll have hot pot together tonight to celebrate the great success of our village's canned fish and cold skewers, and also to welcome back all the uncles and big brothers who went fishing!"
Zhang Lu was, of course, overjoyed.
Li Ying calmly took two portions of dried chilies and one portion of fresh chilies. After washing them, she added scallions, ginger, and garlic and mashed them. Then she poured in some ground Chinese prickly ash powder and mixed it well with high - proof liquor. This was the "pounded chili paste".
She then mixed a dozen spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom with fermented black beans.
During her spare time, she had already fermented the red - oil broad - bean paste with broad beans and chilies. Now it was time to open the jar.
After frying the chopped broad - bean paste until fragrant, she added the pounded chili paste and spices and fried them until dry. The secret was to add some coriander roots and celery roots.
These seemingly insignificant ingredients had the strongest aroma and were the "secret recipe" of many hot - pot restaurants.
Finally, she added some Chinese prickly ash powder. After mixing well, she kept it warm for about an hour. The heat of the red oil fully released the pungent and numbing aroma, making the spicy fragrance rich and intense.
The only drawback was that cows were too expensive, and she couldn't find enough beef tallow to make the hot - pot base. So she had to make a vegetable - oil hot pot first.
Li Ying stood by the big pot, covering her nose and mouth with a thick cotton cloth, but she still couldn't help coughing due to the fumes.
On the other hand, A Man, hearing that they could eat mutton today, excitedly led back a young goat. With just a few deft strokes of the knife, he cleaned it up and sliced the mutton into thin pieces.
The lamb tripe, though not as crispy as beef tripe, had a more tender texture and was also a must - have ingredient for hot pot.
The lamb brain was soft and waxy. After carefully removing the bloody filaments with a fishy smell, when cooked in the red - oil hot - pot base, it tasted as smooth as tofu and cream but with an additional meaty flavor.
Soon, Granny Sun bought back all the streaky pork slices, pig kidneys, duck intestines, and duck gizzards as Li Ying had instructed.
Li Ying gave a few simple instructions, and Lu Xunguang immediately understood. He put on an apron and started slicing with ease.
He was very skilled with the knife. The thin kidney slices were of uniform thickness, and he made a cross - hatched pattern on the duck gizzards. After boiling for a while, they turned into flower - shaped gizzards.
Seeing Li Ying bustling around, Su Buchi also walked into the kitchen, trying to find something he could do to help.
Lu Xunguang soaked the duck intestines in cold water to wash off the mucus. His eyes fell on Su Buchi intentionally or unintentionally.
"Uncle Su is a refined gentleman who never gets his hands dirty in the kitchen. The kitchen is full of charcoal fires and chopping knives. It's really not suitable for you. A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. Uncle Su, please go back."
Su Buchi looked around, but every time his eyes landed on a task, Lu Xunguang would quickly step in. There was really nothing he could do.
He forced a smile awkwardly, had no choice but to scratch his nose, and got up rather embarrassedly to wipe the long tables by the sea.
Li Ying couldn't help but smile helplessly at Lu Xunguang's childish behavior.
Seafood such as hand - made shrimp paste, fish cakes, fish slices, squid rings, and kelp seedlings were abundant in the fishing village. Paired with some shredded potatoes, radish slices, and bean sprouts, the long tables by the sea were soon filled to the brim. From afar, it looked as if a wealthy family was hosting a grand banquet.
The mutton selected by A Man was extremely tender. Maybe because the lamb had eaten a lot of medicinal herbs, the mutton was fragrant without any muttony smell. Even when boiled simply, it was very delicious.
Mutton hot pot cooked in a copper pot was, of course, also on the menu. The lamb - bone soup was simmered into a thick milky white, dotted with some dried mushrooms and dates. It was warm and nourishing.
Li Ying taught the fishermen to prepare sesame - paste dipping sauces and oil dips according to their own preferences.
There were no so many formalities in this small fishing village. The villagers found comfortable seats and sat down. Then they picked up the meat slices and feasted heartily.