Li Ying put away the account book. Seeing that it was already mealtime, she changed into a neat outfit, washed her hands, and headed straight for the kitchen.
The men of the horse caravan had been toiling for many days, so they were bound to take a rest in this fishing village.
Mrs. Li knew that Li Ying always adhered to the custom of "dumplings for departure, noodles for return". So early in the morning, she had led the dexterous village women to get busy.
The women in the fishing village were all used to doing odd jobs and had strong hands. They kneaded the dough until it was smooth and elastic. The noodles they cut were as thin as chives and almost translucent, yet when eaten, they were extremely chewy and delicious.
The fresh daylilies and black fungus harvested after autumn had already been dried thoroughly. She took a handful of each and soaked them in cold water. Only when they were rehydrated would they have a crisper texture.
Then she cut the best streaky pork into fingernail-sized dices. She heated oil in a pan, sautéed scallions and ginger shreds until fragrant, then added the fatty meat and fried it over low heat until the pork skin glistened and exuded fragrant lard. After that, she added the lean meat and fried them together until golden and crispy.
For the seasonings, she chose self-dried dried chili peppers, star anise, and thirteen-spice powder. When the lard had fully brought out the flavors of the seasonings, she turned up the heat and poured in a large amount of vinegar.
Then she covered the pan and simmered it over low heat to thicken the sauce. The spiciness of the chili peppers combined with the aroma of the streaky pork. This meat sautéed minced meat, made without adding a single drop of water, was finally ready.
The very same meat sautéed minced meat was what Li Ying had prepared for Lu Xunguang before her departure. There was a thick layer of red oil floating on top. It was sour, spicy, salty, and fragrant. Just a whiff of it was enough to whet one's appetite.
Next, she cut radishes, cauliflowers, black fungus, potatoes, and the golden-fried tofu into thin slices. After stir-frying them until fragrant, she added a little soy sauce and cooked them briefly. Then she sprinkled a handful of garlic chives to enhance the aroma. This was called the "base vegetables".
The "base vegetables" for this sautéed minced meat noodles not only had to include the five colors of "red, yellow, white, black, and green", but also had strict requirements for the shapes of the vegetables. They had to include the "root, stem, leaf, flower, and algae" of the vegetables to be considered authentic.
After stir-frying the base vegetables, she made an egg crepe as thin as a cicada's wing and cut it into diamond-shaped flag flower slices. She then made a sour soup with hot oil.
She picked up a chopstick of noodles into a bowl, poured in half a ladle of sour soup, a ladle of base vegetables, and a large ladle of meat sautéed minced meat. Finally, she sprinkled a handful of garlic chives and egg crepe slices on top. This bowl of Qishan sautéed minced meat noodles was sour, spicy, fragrant, and rich. There was a layer of red oil floating on the surface of the bowl, but it was fragrant without being greasy. The strong aroma of vinegar instantly awakened all the taste buds in one's mouth.
The noodles in the bowl were as smooth as swimming fish. They were thin but not mushy. The toppings of vegetables and meat were extremely abundant, and one could finish the noodles in one mouthful.
The men of the horse caravan all had huge appetites. After eating two bowls, they felt that the gluttons in their stomachs had been completely aroused, and they actually felt even hungrier.
"This small bowl of noodles is not even enough to fill our teeth!"
A caravan member whispered carefully to his companion beside him, lowering his voice.
Boss Li's noodles were indeed delicious, but compared to their generous horse caravan cuisine, they were still a bit too dainty. They just couldn't fill one up!
The men were too embarrassed to ask for more noodles. Just then, Li Ying came over with a large bowl of bright red oil-sprinkled chili peppers. Seeing their somewhat awkward expressions, she immediately understood.
"Brothers, don't be so formal!"
"There's another rule about this sautéed minced meat noodles. It's called 'one-bite fragrance'. If you use a big bowl of sautéed minced meat and take one mouthful of noodles, one mouthful of soup, and one mouthful of sautéed minced meat separately, the taste will be dull and won't blend well. Only when you use a small bowl and swallow the noodles, soup, and sautéed minced meat together in one mouthful can you really savor the right taste!"
"Even the village kids can easily eat eight or nine bowls of 'one-bite fragrance' in a meal. You brothers are all heroes of the horse caravan. How could just two bowls fill your stomachs?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Li quickly brought over another tray of six bowls of sautéed minced meat noodles and greeted them heartily, "Come on! Eat more! Have some more!"
Hearing Li Ying's words, the men of the horse caravan finally felt at ease. Seeing her keep urging them to eat more, they couldn't help but feel a surge of heroism. They simply gathered together like they were competing in a drinking contest with large bowls, determined to see who had the bigger appetite.
The dinner table immediately became lively. The women in the fishing village also finished their work and sat down with small bowls to enjoy the meal.
Li Ying cleared away the dishes in front of her, stood up slowly, and walked straight to the front of the long table with a wine cup in her hand.
"Ahem!"
She cleared her throat. Although her voice was not loud, everyone at the table looked up at her involuntarily, looking at her respectfully.
"Folks, I've been away in the capital for many days. Thanks to all of you for taking good care of the village. It's because you've stabilized this solid rear that Lu and I could face the unpredictable storms in the business world in the capital without worry."
"Today I've returned in glory. Firstly, I want to celebrate the New Year happily with all of you. Secondly, our fishing village has started many prosperous new businesses this year. It's time to carefully take stock, reward everyone according to their merits, and distribute the year-end bonuses."
To be fair, since Li Ying led the villagers to start the night market, every household has found a new way to earn silver. Not to mention the families whose members worked in the canned food factory. Now there was finally some meat on their dinner tables every day. After a year of hard work, they could finally buy two feet of red cloth to make new clothes for their kids.
The villagers of the fishing village never expected that Li Ying would even give them "year-end bonuses". They felt their hearts pounding suddenly.
Li Ying was unhurried. Seeing that everyone was full, she took out the account book from her bosom and read it out one by one clearly.
"The utensils used in the canned food factory were all supplied by Carpenter Li. Mrs. Li checks and accounts for the accounts every month, which is very laborious. Each of the Li couple will be rewarded with thirty taels of silver."
"Mrs. Zhang trained the new employees in the canned food factory and will also receive thirty taels of silver."
She went on. From the "senior managers" to the ordinary apprentices in the canned food factory, everyone received a bonus and was beaming with joy.
After finally distributing the year-end bonuses, Li Ying cleared her throat and continued.
"After deducting the bonuses, our village still has a surplus of several hundred taels of profit this year. I've invited all of you here today because I want to ask for your opinions."
"I intend to build several characteristic homestays in the village to entertain the noble guests from the capital who will come here for tourism in the future. What do you all think?"
The villagers of the fishing village had already regarded her as their backbone. Everyone was happily holding their silver. How could they have any objections?
"Aying, we'll do whatever you say! Whether it's building houses or roads, just give the order! We may not know much about other things, but we still have the strength to do the work. We'll follow your instructions!"
Seeing the villagers' trust, Li Ying also smiled and felt relieved.