The news that Su Buchi had agreed to enlighten the village children spread like wildfire.
Not only did this private school not require any tuition fees, but Li Ying even took on the expenses for writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
The only condition was that when the children enrolled, they had to sign a contract with her. If they failed the imperial examinations after their studies, they would have to work in Li Ji's stores for three years.
With such an arrangement, Li Ying could get a group of employees trained by herself, and the villagers were also reassured. Even if the children couldn't achieve anything through their studies, there was at least a job provided by Li Ying as a guarantee. It was a win - win situation.
The villagers all sang Li Ying's praises. Only Zhang and a few others who had used squid ink instead of ink for calligraphy without permission were good - naturedly teased.
Only A Man looked at Li Ying with a puzzled face. "Sister, you said this squid ink is useless and can't be used for writing. Why are you still keeping it? I'll help you throw it away!"
Li Ying quickly stopped her.
"Who said squid ink is useless?"
As she spoke, she cooked the washed and split shrimps and squid flowers with yellow rice wine until fragrant, and then poured the squid ink in without hesitation.
"Ouch! Sister! This stuff is so black! It's inedible!"
A Man cried out in distress, but Li Ying just smiled confidently.
"Squid ink is rich in nutrients and tastes delicious. Make it into seafood paella, and I'm sure you'll like it!"
The stir - fried squid ink only had a fresh and fragrant smell without the fishy odor. She added scallions, garlic, diced tomatoes, and washed raw rice and stir - fried them. When all the ingredients were dyed black equally, Li Ying then poured the stock made from shrimp shells, shrimp heads, and fish bones into the pot little by little.
The firewood stove gave this Western - style paella a simple, unadorned, and heart - warming flavor of life. Black pepper further brought out the freshness of the seafood. Every grain of rice absorbed the soup, with a slightly moist texture but not sticky at all, and each grain was distinct.
The stir - fried scallions were slightly sweet, neutralizing the sour and appetizing taste of the tomatoes. The combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors was just right.
Although this paella looked horribly black, even Yan Lianzhi, who was always picky about food, couldn't help but praise it after taking a bite.
Grandma Sun's lips and teeth were dyed black. She laughed and said, "After eating this ink paella, from now on, I, an old woman, will also be a person with knowledge. Let's see who dares to laugh at me for being illiterate!"
Her words made everyone burst into laughter. Lu Xunguang didn't say a word. He just shoveled two mouthfuls of paella into his mouth vigorously and ate two more bowls than usual.
Li Ying just thought it was funny. Was this man possessed? Did he think he was less learned than Su Buchi, so he actually wanted to supplement his knowledge by eating more squid ink?
No wonder people said that men were boys until they died. Lu Xunguang's naive and single - mindedness was actually a bit cute.
Even Su Buchi praised, "Eating more ink is indeed a good omen."
Li Ying had an idea. She quickly stuffed a few mouthfuls of paella from her bowl into her stomach, washed her hands, and then plunged into the kitchen again.
She mixed the squid ink with flour, rolled it into wide noodle blanks, and then used pre - carved seals dipped in turmeric powder to print some poems like "May the good wind carry me to the upper reaches of the sky" and "I will set my cloud - white sail and cross the sea of bitterness" on them. After boiling them, these could be served as the staple food for hot pot. Wasn't this exactly the good omen that the scholars taking the imperial examinations liked?
Thanks to the fishing village night market, the town had become even more bustling at night.
Li Ying simply wrote a notice, stating that any scholar taking the imperial examinations who came to the hot pot restaurant for supper between the Hour of the Boar and the Hour of the Rabbit could enjoy a 31% discount on the whole bill after proving their identity with a "floating ticket". They could also have a quiet private room and take a short rest after eating before continuing to study by lamplight.
As soon as this was announced, the scholars who were originally worried about their empty purses immediately perked up.
Most of them were short of money and very poor. After studying hard at night and getting sleepy, they could come to the hot pot restaurant to fill their stomachs. Maybe they could even meet their fellow scholars taking the same exam and encourage each other. It couldn't be better!
By now, Li Ying's hot pot restaurant had attracted people of all ages and social classes in the town, from literati and scholars to peddlers and common folk!
For three consecutive days, the hot pot restaurant was overcrowded and there were long queues. Even the ancient "scalpers" who "queued on behalf of others" and "resold queue numbers" emerged!
Qin Jin frowned tightly as he watched the bustling scene of the hot pot restaurant from afar.
"Brother... I don't know if I should say something..."
Qin Shao looked at Qin Jin carefully, thought for a long time, and then tentatively spoke.
"Just say it."
Qin Shao swallowed his saliva and then stammered, "Yesterday, I made an appointment with a few brothers and went to that hussy's hot pot restaurant..."
"Brother, don't be angry. I just thought that to know your enemy and yourself is to win every battle..."
"That little whore's hot pot restaurant really has something special. The seafood is fresh and the mutton is tender. It's really delicious! Even an ordinary bowl of noodles, she can make it extraordinary!"
When the black noodles were served at first, he could still reluctantly sneer at them.
But when he saw the two lines of words "May the good wind carry me to the upper reaches of the sky" printed on them with turmeric powder, and saw the waiting maid twist her graceful waist and dexterously stretch the short noodles into something as winding as the silk ribbons of the flying apsaras in the Hu Xuan Dance, he was stunned and couldn't say a word.
"After eating the ink noodles, you will surely be highly talented and have a continuous stream of inspiration! I wish all the young masters to succeed in the imperial examinations and gain fame."
The maid spoke softly with full of blessings, and every word hit people's hearts.
The squid ink noodles made her pair of slender hands look even more fair and jade - like. The scene of such a beautiful woman by one's side, adding fragrance to the lamp while reading, was exactly what all scholars dreamed of!
Qin Shao was a man indulged in the pleasures of wine and women. Although he was a fool when it came to reading, he knew a great deal about matters between men and women.
Looking at the blushing faces and trembling hands of the poor scholars at the next table, he was already certain in his heart that Li Ying had easily grasped their thoughts.
Moreover, these maids were only moderately beautiful and dressed simply. They just smiled sweetly and had no artificial coquettishness of the brothel women. Even if you wanted to scold her for using her beauty to serve others and ruining social morals, you couldn't find the slightest handle!
"I'm not boosting others' morale and destroying our own. It's just that this little bitch is really strange. Our family has been a noble and upright family for generations, only knowing how to read the classics of sages. We're really no match for these slippery merchants..."
"Brother... It's been some time since you two got divorced. Women are soft - hearted. Even if she had great grievances, they should have disappeared by now. Why don't you go and coax her? As long as she changes her mind, the business of this hot pot restaurant will be ours!"
Qin Shao observed Qin Jin's expression and made the suggestion.
Qin Jin frowned tightly, obviously calculating in his mind.