The next day, Su Buchi also read the letter from the Zhang family girl.
He frowned, then seriously picked up a vermilion brush and circled numerous grammar mistakes in the letter. There were also a few characters with wrong pauses in their strokes, which he marked one by one. Only then did he seal the letter again and return it to Li Ying.
"Miss Li, would you be so kind as to take this letter back and remind the female teacher at the school to be more dedicated in her teaching. When it comes to learning, if one only has a superficial understanding, it may lead to ridicule in the future."
He personally selected several pieces of the Four Treasures of the Study as gifts to reward the hard - working students and neatly arranged them on the carriage.
Li Ying finished packing. Besides the fashionable silk fabrics prepared by Lu Xunguang, which were intended to be made into new clothes for several familiar women in the fishing village, she also bought a lot of pastries and snacks to sweeten the mouths of the children in the village.
Eager to return home, she carefully arranged all matters in the capital and then set off out of the city.
In order to return to the village before the New Year's Day, the group traveled day and night. Even when having meals, they simply made a fire and casually cooked something to fill their stomachs.
After the muleteers had tasted Li Ying's cooking for a few days, they felt really embarrassed to leave all three meals to a woman. So they volunteered to take a dried salted mountain chicken, cut it into small pieces, and insisted on "showing off their skills" for Li Ying and the others.
The muleteers were used to rough living conditions and didn't pay much attention to elaborate cooking. The seasonings they used were just two crushed tsaoko fruits, a handful of bright red chilies, and several large pieces of sliced yellow ginger.
They washed the cured meat and cut it into thick slices, then stir - fried it in hot oil until it gave off a fragrant smell. When the cured meat turned golden, they added the seasonings and continued to stir - fry.
Then they stir - fried the chicken pieces until they were half - cooked, and then poured a circle of fiery sorghum liquor along the edge of the pot to enhance the flavor.
After the dried salted chicken was stir - fried until it was crispy and fragrant, and all the golden chicken fat was forced out, they poured in boiling water to cover all the ingredients in the pot. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, they transferred it to a gong - shaped pot and simmered it over low heat for half an hour.
This "Muleteer's Chicken", although it didn't use any complicated seasonings, was the essence of the cured meat and the dried chicken, a unique and incomparable flavor that time had bestowed.
The gong - shaped pot was a unique cooking utensil of the muleteers. It was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, with a lid and two handles, and a round handle. It was made entirely of red copper and could be used for boiling water, steaming rice, stewing vegetables, and making soup.
Only when the "Muleteer's Chicken" was stewed in the gong - shaped pot could it be considered a truly authentic muleteer's dish.
The salted meat that the muleteers usually ate was mostly marbled beef with fat. It was salted with a thick layer of salt and dried, called "beef jerky". It was salty, fragrant, and rich, with a ruddy texture. When cut into thin slices and deep - fried, then paired with crispy fried chili segments, it smelled fragrant from afar, was mellow and rich, appetizing, and a great dish to go with wine.
They also cooked a pot of muleteer's gong - shaped pot rice. They put the washed red rice at the bottom of the gong - shaped pot, large pieces of sliced potatoes in the middle, and cured ham slices on the top.
After adding an appropriate amount of water and salt, when the water in the gong - shaped pot boiled during the stewing process, the potato pieces gradually fell into the rice, and the fat fragrance of the ham on the top gradually seeped into the rice. When the pot was opened after it was cooked, the rich aroma filled the air. The rice grains were distinct, with a very chewy texture, which whetted people's appetites.
Finally, they brewed a pot of dried pickled vegetable soup with a whole scallion floating on it. The muleteers called it "Green Dragon Crossing the River Soup". It was sour and appetizing and very effective in relieving greasiness.
"Boss Li, we muleteers are rough people. This is just some simple food to fill our stomachs. I wonder if it suits your taste..."
The man in charge of cooking was a round - faced man with a ruddy complexion. He was taking out a bowl of steamed egg custard specially prepared for Mao Mao from the pot. However, he didn't strain the air bubbles out of the egg custard, and the heat was a bit too high. Although it was cooked, there were many large and small air holes in it, looking like a sponge. It was really not very presentable.
Mian Mian only took two bites and then refused to eat anymore. Li Ying mixed some meat broth into it and placed it in front of Mao Mao. The little civet cat wrinkled its nose, drooped its little cat face, didn't even look at it, and turned away.
Seeing this, the muleteer looked a bit embarrassed. Li Ying couldn't help but smile. She quickly finished her rice and gently comforted him, "Brother, the muleteer's dishes you made are extremely mellow. The muleteer's cuisine is rough and unconstrained, forming its own style. It's really good."
She wasn't just being polite. Seeing the man's skeptical look on his face, Li Ying wanted to say more, but Mian Mian was hungry and started crying with her small mouth wide open. Li Ying had no choice but to pick up her daughter and go aside to comfort her softly.
After several days of traveling like this, the group finally arrived at the fishing village smoothly. Many villagers in the town saw the caravan and rushed back to the village to spread the news.
As soon as Li Ying and the others reached the village entrance, several children in the village ran over excitedly like little birds.
"Sister Li, Sister Li!"
The little kids surrounded Li Ying and vied with each other to carry her luggage. Li Ying felt relieved, and a relaxed smile appeared on her face. She took out a handful of crispy candies from her bosom and happily distributed them to the children to taste.
The Li couple, the bamboo craftsman and his wife, were also waiting at the village entrance. They exchanged a few words with Li Ying and then walked back together. The husband personally took out the account books for Li Ying to look at.
"A Ying, since you left, everyone in the village has been united. We were afraid of making any mistakes and embarrassing you. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. These are the accounts of several shops. I checked them with Mrs. Zhang a few days ago. We've just been waiting for you to come back and review them."
Li Ying drank some tea and slowly unfolded the accounts to examine them carefully. Every transaction was clearly recorded. Both the Li's Restaurant and the light - food shop were well - managed.
The seaweed cultivation factory and Yandao Island were already taking shape. The pearl cultivation still needed some time, but it was already on the right track. By selling some spicy konjac snacks, they could also earn some money, so they no longer had to dive and fish for pearls as hard as in previous years.
The most heartening thing was the canned food factory. Zhang Lu and the others had spared no effort in promoting it, and the fish cans and hot - pot bases had a very good sales volume. Li Ying just took a quick look, and the profit was enough to transform and renovate the fishing village.
She was overjoyed. Now that Su Buchi and the officials of the Supreme Court were in the court, and there was also the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to look after them, the branch of Li's Restaurant was doing even more booming business. The name of the fishing village had already spread to the capital.
Winter was bitterly cold. If her prediction was correct, after the "Nine - Nine Cold Days" began, many high - ranking officials and nobles from the capital would come to the fishing village to "spend their holidays" and avoid the cold.
With this profit, it would be just right to renovate the fishing village to welcome the distinguished guests.