Chapter Seventy: Jian'an's Small Delights

  On the third day of the first month, after Chen Ya'er returned home, Wang Kuang arranged for someone to bring Old Lady Chen to live with them in the city, and Sun Ming also bought two maidservants to attend to her. As for buying maidservants, Wang Kuang still felt a strong aversion to it in his heart; buying and selling one's own kind was considered a heinous crime by all transcenders, but being in such an environment, he had no choice.

  The two little maids were both eleven or twelve years old, and Wang Kuang had given them the names Qiu Xiang and Ru Hua in a rather unpleasant manner. The two girls didn't know that this was one of Wang Kuang's pranks, but they liked their new names very much. Qiu Xiang was a thin and small maid, with a relatively delicate appearance. When she was bought, her clothes were tattered and worn out, indicating that she came from a poor background. Ru Hua, on the other hand, was plumper, but also more agile in her movements. It was said that she had been sold by a wealthy family in Jiujiang because she ate too much. Eating too much wasn't a serious problem, and Sun Ming had even looked down on Ru Hua's original master when he bought her.

  Wang Kuang also assigned another task to the two little maids, which was to play with Chou Chou. Chou Chou had already been arranged by Wang Kuang to study with Mr. Liu, but being young, under Wang Kuang's repeated requests, Mr. Liu did not assign much homework to Chou Chou, so Chou Chou had a lot more time to play than Wang Xian and the others.

  In Wang Kuang's mind, since Wang Wu was suffering from rheumatism, sunbathing would only have benefits and no drawbacks. Chen Lao Tai had a severe cough, which should be a lung problem, so he invited a doctor to take a look, who said something similar to what Wang Kuang had guessed. Then, he made a comfortable chair for both Chen Lao Tai and Wang Wu, letting them sunbathe in the courtyard during the day when they had nothing else to do.

  Chen Ya'er got married and moved over, no longer needing to do any hard labor. At first, she couldn't adapt and ended up secretly planting vegetables in the courtyard and raising some chickens. The originally quiet courtyard suddenly became lively. Wang Kuang saw this and felt a pang of envy in his heart. Moreover, with many people coming and going at the inn, he sometimes had to sneak around to get things done. So he moved back home, and as it happened, Gu Da was planning to move his whole family from Yanping, so he left the courtyard for him.

  As the number of people in the family gradually increased, the original courtyard began to feel too small. Sun Ming regretted that when he bought the courtyard initially, the neighboring one was also willing to sell, but he didn't consider it at the time and didn't buy it. Now it's hard to buy. However, Wang Kuang still had a way out. In exchange for teaching the young couple next door some small dishes, they happily sold their courtyard to Wang Kuang. They then went to the street to buy a small storefront and opened a snack shop.

  Wang Kuang's snacks are simple, just tofu balls and pot edge paste. These two snacks are small business, but the profit is not thin.

  Tofu balls are a novelty for those who don't know the secret, and outsiders can't see the ingredients even if they watch people making tofu balls. There are two ways to make tofu balls: one is the Sha County snack method, which makes tofu balls that are about the size of longan fruit, round and plump, with an emphasis on fillings; the other is the Pu City method, which produces smaller tofu balls shaped like olives, not particular about fillings, usually just a little lean meat as filling, but emphasizes soup heads, must use large bones to simmer the soup head, some more particular ones will also add chicken soup. When Wang Kuang was in middle school, there was a small shop at the school gate that specialized in selling tofu balls. On cold winter days, during class breaks, he would buy a hot bowl and eat it down, feeling warm from head to toe, and it was very comfortable.

  The pot edge paste is very simple, it's just rice soaked overnight and then ground into a pulp with water. It can't be too thick or it won't spread, but it also can't be too thin or it won't stick to the pot. After heating the pot slightly, add scallions and garlic and stir-fry, then sprinkle wine, salt, and add water (you can add bone broth or chicken broth if you're making it for yourself). At the same time, add in the ingredients for the pot edge paste, usually bean sprouts, radish strips, shredded cabbage or zucchini, etc. You can also add meat shreds or shrimp, whatever suits your taste. After adding all the ingredients, use a large spoon to scoop up some of the rice pulp and spread it evenly along the upper part of the pot's edge, making sure not to get any in the soup. It's best if the rice pulp just sticks to the side of the pot. Then cover the lid and wait for the soup to boil. When the rice pulp on the side of the pot is cooked, scrape it into the soup and add scallions or other seasonings you like, then serve.

  The tofu ball is a bit more complicated, first you need to mash the tofu (must be gypsum tofu, not too coarse or too tender) and flour in a ratio of about three parts tofu to one part flour into a paste (the ratio is not that strict, generally speaking, beginners put a little more flour, it's easier to make, when you get familiar with it, you can put less flour, the tofu ball will be smoother). Cut the lean meat into small pieces like green beans (can be marinated or not). Then take the cornstarch and grind it into a fine powder similar to flour (this is very important, the finer the better, don't leave any granules), take a wide-mouthed bowl, fill in the ground cornstarch, press it down, the surface should be slightly lower in the middle and higher on the sides. Now you can start rolling the tofu balls. Generally, tofu ball makers roll them while cooking, put the mashed tofu paste in a big pot next to the stove, the meat filling is directly placed on one side of the tofu paste, then use one hand to hold the cornstarch, and the other hand to hold a spoon, scoop up a piece of meat and put it into the paste, together with the paste, flick your wrist and knock it against the pot edge, "ding" sound, flip it over, repeat this process three or four times, the filling will be in the center of the tofu paste, and the olive shape of the tofu ball will have a rough outline. Now move the tofu ball wrapped with filling to the cornstarch bowl, shake it back and forth, let the tofu ball evenly coat with a layer of cornstarch and further take shape, then tilt the bowl, one tofu ball rolls into the pot and sinks down, not long after, it floats up again, that's when it's cooked. When you have enough, scoop them to one side, add seasonings, sprinkle some scallions on top, a bowl of smooth tofu balls is done! If it's winter, add some chili sauce, that's absolutely a warming delicacy.

  After the family moved out, a tofu ball shop opened in just a few days. Due to its cheap price and fresh goods, especially during the cold winter, a bowl of steaming hot tofu balls could warm one up instantly. The shop became extremely popular overnight, making the couple very happy. Some people found out that this was another food business started by Wang Kuang, and after learning about it, they came to ask Wang Kuang to teach them his skills, even offering to sell or give him their own courtyard at a low price.

  Wang Kuang didn't need that many houses, and besides, even if Jian'an City was far from the capital, its population wouldn't exceed one million in a few hundred years. The price of houses would definitely not rise, so having that many would be useless. However, Wang Kuang saw that there were many people coming to ask for help, and he had an idea. He thought, why not let them go out and spread all over the country? It wouldn't be bad if they opened up shops everywhere. So, he spent a few days with Jiang Da and tried out the recipe for Jian'an Guangbing (note: I won't write down the recipe here because it's not simple and requires some key steps that can't be done without guidance. Moreover, the equipment needed to make Jian'an Guangbing is not something that ordinary families would have, so if readers want to try it, they should buy it from shops along the national highway when they pass by Jian'an. The driver will usually stop the car and let passengers buy some. Guangbing must be eaten hot, as it will be crispy and fragrant at this time. If it gets cold, it will become hard and not tasty. However, you can also buy it back home and bake it in the oven for about half a minute to restore its crispiness). Then, Wang Kuang taught the people who came to ask for help how to make tofu balls, pot edge paste, and Jian'an Guangbing, and told them to go out and do business in other places after they learned. He said that if all the shops were concentrated in Jian'an, it would be difficult to make a living. Some people originally wanted to learn and sell in Jian'an, but after listening to Wang Kuang's words, they thought it made sense. With such a small population and limited disposable income, those who learned quickly left early to occupy territory in nearby counties.

  Lin Ming saw that during this period, so many people came to open roads and lead the way. For a time, he was worried that the people of Jian'an City would leave the city empty, and when the time came, the imperial tax task would not be completed. It was Wang Kuang who gave him an idea. For those who went out to do food business, it was stipulated that each person could get a plaque and a tax payment certificate at the end of the year by paying a certain amount of taxes. The plaque had the words "Jian'an Xiaoshi" (Jian'an Small Food) engraved on it, with the words "Jian'an County Issued" and a serial number on the side. If someone was unwilling to receive it, it didn't matter. After the reputation of Jian'an Xiaoshi was established, if they wanted to receive it again, they would have to pay the taxes owed from the day they received the plaque to the day they came to receive it. The next year, a team of people would be organized to form the Jian'an Xiaoshi Association, and they would go to various places to inspect. The inspection team members would all be family members of those who went out to do small food business, so they would not be afraid of being partial.

  Lin Ming was overjoyed when he got Wang Kuang's method, and from then on, the tax revenue would definitely exceed the target every year. Moreover, those who went out to make money would still have to spend it in Jian'an, wouldn't they? As a result, every household would have money and grain, and naturally, thefts and robberies would greatly decrease. His own evaluation at the end of the year would definitely be excellent. Lin Ming thought for a moment and ran to find Huang Liang to discuss this matter. He directly changed the office that issued the plaques to the state government office, which was more attractive. Besides, if some achievements were shared with other counties, people would remember his kindness. Who knows, maybe one day those county magistrates or accountants would produce a notable figure who could think of him and help him out. It's better to burn a cold stove than a hot one.

  However, the effect of Wang Kuang's move will not be known until the end of this year. But there are also clever and somewhat wealthy people who have heard that they can get a plaque issued by the state government if they pay their taxes early at the end of the year, so they come to the door willingly and pay their taxes first to get the plaque ahead of time. Therefore, for Huang Liang and Lin Ming, this year's tax reduction will not be much less even if it is reduced, and other places can make up for it.

  Division -

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