Running a Food Stall to Support My Deceptive Omega - Chapter 27.1

Mu Jinyu had only bought three fish in total. After cleaning them, she handed them over to Rong Heng to mince. Once the fish meat was completely reduced to a paste, it was placed in a wooden tub and stirred and beaten by hand.

The grass carp were large. Converting all three fish into fish cakes yielded a full ten catties, filling a massive steamer basket to the brim.

Mu Jinyu did the math in her head: the grass carp cost fifteen wen per catty, totaling one hundred and eighty wen for the three fish. Eggs, fatty pork, and salt cost another one hundred and ten wen. Including scallions, ginger, and other ingredients, the total cost was three hundred wen.

Ten catties of fish cake for a cost of only three hundred wen was not expensive at all.

She didn’t need to buy special bowls to pack the fish cakes; she could simply use the oilpaper stored in the utility room. Mu Jinyu sliced the fish cakes into neat, long thin strips—about half the size of a palm and as wide as a grain of rice.

Selling them at one wen per slice, with one catty yielding sixty slices, ten catties would produce six hundred slices, totaling six hundred wen. Alternatively, five slices could be sold as a portion for a slightly cheaper price of four wen, making it a high-quality yet affordable option.

Her fish cakes might sound a bit pricey, but elsewhere, diners wouldn’t be able to find food for one wen that contained meat, oil, and eggs. While customers might not be able to afford a large amount, spending one wen to try something new was definitely within reach. Furthermore, these cakes were cheaper than ordinary pastries; even a thin slice of regular pastry usually cost two or three wen, not to mention the more exquisite and beautifully presented varieties.

Mu Jinyu calculated the price of the fish cakes several times, and once she was certain there were no issues, she finalized the decision.

Selling fish cakes slice by slice made oilpaper seem somewhat inconvenient. After some thought, she decided to use wooden skewers so customers could hold them and eat while walking.

Action followed thought. she hurried out to a carpenter’s shop and asked the carpenter to make several hundred skewers for her. Skewers were disposable and small, so they could be made from the leftover scraps in the shop. Since Mu Jinyu was a regular, the carpenter only charged her for the labor and not the wood.

Delighted by the discount, Mu Jinyu went home, cut a large piece of fish cake, and brought it back to the carpenter as a thank-you gift. The carpenter had never seen such a novel food. She held the fish cake to her nose and inhaled; the savory, oily scent of meat immediately made her stomach growl. Though she usually skipped the midday meal, she was suddenly famished.

She hesitated, then pinched a tiny piece—no bigger than a fingernail—through the oilpaper and put it in her mouth. The taste was refreshing and savory, with the dense, fine texture of the meat spreading across her taste buds.

“Fish… fish cake, right? It really is like a pastry, but with a meat flavor! Boss Mu, you are truly amazing at inventing these strange and wonderful things!”

“Delicious! So delicious!”

The carpenter had actually never eaten traditional pastries before. When her daughter offered her some, she couldn’t bear to take them, telling her daughter to eat them herself or give them to her wife. But now, tasting the fish cake, she felt that this was exactly what a pastry should taste like. Traditional pastries were too expensive; she hadn’t expected to ever enjoy something like a “fish cake.” The carpenter felt deeply moved.

She wrapped the remaining cake back up and smiled at Mu Jinyu, explaining she wanted to save it for her wife and daughter.

Mu Jinyu said, “I’ll be setting up my stall at the night market after the evening meal. You can have more then. It’s not expensive—a piece this big is only four wen. It’s a great deal!”

The carpenter nodded in agreement. A piece of cake for four wen was much cheaper than other pastries. Even as thrifty as she was, she felt this price was acceptable. Since she learned Mu Jinyu was at the night market, she had visited a few times. The taste of that knocked fish noodle was… even now, the memory made her mouth water! She thought Mu Jinyu would only sell the noodles, but who knew she could make even more novel foods. She wondered how that brain of hers worked—it was so brilliant!

After their chat, the carpenter immediately began making the skewers, occasionally asking Mu Jinyu about the desired thickness and length. The two worked together, adjusting the dimensions several times until they reached a level Mu Jinyu was satisfied with.

Once the length was confirmed, the carpenter devoted herself to the task. It wasn’t difficult work; she could finish the three hundred skewers in an afternoon.

Meanwhile, Mu Jinyu took a few skewers of varying lengths back home. After washing them, she began threading the fish cakes onto them. There was a technique to it: she threaded them back and forth in a zig-zag pattern. This gave the fish cake a wave-like shape on the skewer. With a little adjustment to make the waves larger, the fish cake looked more substantial and appetizing.

Rong Heng, who had finished slicing the three fish, was resting her head on the stone table. She wasn’t tired from the physical labor; she was just mentally exhausted from the repetitive task. But seeing Mu Jinyu threading the fish cakes like flowers onto the skewers, her interest was piqued. She leaned in close to Mu Jinyu, watching intently.

Seeing her curiosity, Mu Jinyu handed her the skewers and said, “Here, take these to play with.”

Given the flower-like fish cakes, Rong Heng was no longer bored. She gestured with them in the air and even showed them off to the little calico cat. The little cat stood up on its hind legs, waving its paws in the air.

Seeing them having fun, Mu Jinyu returned to the stove to continue stirring and beating the fish paste, putting the rest on to steam. However, if she was going to sell another type of food, her small pushcart wouldn’t be large enough and would become incredibly crowded. One stove wouldn’t be sufficient either; both the knocked fish noodles and the fish cakes required heat.

Mu Jinyu thought for a moment and decided to utilize the second stove. Her stall was larger than others because her mothers had rented two adjacent spots and combined them. Now was the perfect time to put that second stove to use.

Busy as she was, Mu Jinyu didn’t cook a new meal for lunch; they simply made do with fish cakes. Rong Heng’s brow furrowed and her eyes widened as she stared at Mu Jinyu, looking very unhappy. Fish cakes were delicious, but you couldn’t eat them every single meal! Mu Jinyu quickly promised that they would have something delicious for the evening meal, and only then did Rong Heng grudgingly forgive her.

In the afternoon, after finishing the fish cakes, Mu Jinyu started on the knocked fish noodles. It wasn’t until nearly four o’clock that she was finally done. By now, Rong Heng was much more alert than before and even knew to pour her a cup of water.

This earned her a bright smile from Mu Jinyu. Mu Jinyu had a fair complexion, an oval face, and sparkling amber eyes like honey. When she smiled, she was sunny and cheerful, more radiant than the sun in the sky. Rong Heng leaned on the stone table, fanning her while thinking to herself that it would be wonderful if Mu Jinyu could always be this happy.

After resting for fifteen minutes, Mu Jinyu stood up and clapped her hands, ready to prepare the evening meal. Yesterday she had bought a lot of pig liver, and today she planned to make stir-fried pig liver. Liver was good for enriching the blood, which was exactly what Rong Heng needed, and the spicy flavor of the stir-fry was something Rong Heng loved.

One lobe of liver had already been partially used for the little cat yesterday. Today, she sliced the remaining liver in half. One half was diced finely for the little cat’s wooden bowl. For the other half, she held the knife at a slight angle, slicing diagonally through the middle of the liver. Cut this way, the slices were pointed at the ends and thicker in the middle, shaped like small triangles or long willow leaves.

Then, she sliced the liver into thin pieces. Mu Jinyu’s knife skills were excellent; each piece was not only thin but also uniform in size and thickness, looking very elegant.

Once the liver was sliced, she added a little salt, rubbing it in with her fingers until the salt dissolved. Then, she rinsed the liver with water, moving slowly and gently. She continued until the water was no longer cloudy. Pig liver is very tender; every step must be gentle to avoid ruining its texture.

After washing the liver and setting it aside to drain, Mu Jinyu took out scallions, ginger, garlic, and a small handful of Cornelian cherries (Zhuyu) she had bought. She crushed a large piece of ginger and several cloves of garlic, then minced them finely. She separated the white and green parts of the scallions and cut them into segments. To ensure the spiciness of the Cornelian cherries was fully released, she also crushed them slightly so they were broken but not mashed.

By now, most of the water had drained from the liver, but it was still a bit damp. She used a cloth to blot away the remaining moisture. Next, she added salt, soy sauce, and a small spoonful of jarred wine to the liver. She then prepared a few spoonfuls of sweet potato starch, mixing it with water to create a slurry. The consistency of the water starch was perfect when it felt sticky in the hand but looked like a watery paste in the bowl.

She poured the water starch over the liver. Using her hands, she thoroughly coated every slice of liver with the seasonings and starch. This marinating process ensured the liver would be flavorful and maintain a tender yet crisp texture. Once the liver and seasonings were fully combined, she set it aside to continue draining.

Mu Jinyu heated the wok and added oil. When the oil was warm, she added the strips of fatty pork she had sliced earlier. She let the lard render out of the pork over a low flame. Once the pork strips were crispy and golden and the fat had completely melted into the wok, she added more wood to the stove to turn up the heat. She tossed in the minced ginger, stir-frying it vigorously until the fragrance filled the air.

Next, she added the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the Cornelian cherries, continuing to stir-fry. Before long, the ingredients in the wok smelled incredible. She added a pinch of salt, white sugar, and pepper—to enhance the flavor and freshness while removing any lingering gamey scent, making the liver more palatable to most people.

With the fire blazing, she tossed the ingredients with her spatula several times before pouring all the drained liver into the wok. Her movements were constant as she stir-fried. The clumped liver was immediately separated, each slice evenly seared by the hot oil. The dark red, shiny color began to turn a pale hue before her eyes, and the shapes began to contract. This was the sign that it was cooking.

After about one “breath” of vigorous stir-frying, all the liver had turned a brownish-red. The slices lay scattered evenly among the white and red ingredients in the wok. Just before it was finished, she added the remaining green scallion segments, gave it a few more tosses, and it was ready to serve! At this moment, the liver had just finished cooking, reaching its absolute tenderest state.

Mu Jinyu couldn’t resist. She used her chopsticks to pick up a slice, blew on it twice, and held it to the mouth of Rong Heng, whose eyes had been shining with anticipation for some time. She let her try it.

In the past, whenever Rong Heng saw Mu Jinyu making something new or stir-frying a dish, it was a slow process, and she would have to wait a while to eat. But this stir-fried liver was different. She stood by, watching Mu Jinyu toss the wok while vigorously stir-frying with the spatula. The tongues of fire from the intense heat crackled from the stove, licking the bottom of the wok. The sizzling sound of the oil was like the sound of a torrential downpour.

The contents of the wok were constantly changing shape. Sometimes, with a flick from Mu Jinyu, they would form a beautiful crescent moon in the air before falling back into the wok, without a single drop of oil spilled. Mu Jinyu cooked this dish incredibly fast; it was done only a few “breaths” after the heat was turned up. Yet despite the speed and the large movements, she handled it with ease and composure. It was simply amazing!

Rong Heng watched from the side, her hands clenched in excitement, nearly ready to clap for Mu Jinyu. Seeing the liver offered to her, she trusted her completely. Unafraid of being burned, she opened her mouth wide and took the entire large slice in!

The slightly hot, oil-slicked liver was chewed in her mouth; the exterior was crisp while the interior was tender. The pungency of the scallions, ginger, garlic, and Cornelian cherries blossomed, combined with the dense, soft richness unique to liver. It was as if a grand banquet was taking place in Rong Heng’s mouth. It was incredibly fragrant! She almost swallowed her tongue along with it!

Usually, offal has a distinct gamey smell that people who don’t like it find hard to tolerate. Furthermore, the pigs in the Great Rong Kingdom were incredibly gamey; only families in dire straits who wanted a taste of meat would eat them. But the liver processed by Mu Jinyu had absolutely no unpleasant smell; instead, it was so fragrant it made one forget it was an internal organ. It was a wonderful experience, proving that there are no bad ingredients, only bad cooks.

Seeing Rong Heng enjoying it so much, Mu Jinyu indulged her for once. Standing by the wok, she picked up slice after slice of liver and held them out to Rong Heng, letting her eat her fill. A plate piled high with stir-fried liver was nearly half-eaten by the two of them before it even reached the stone table. Mu Jinyu also boiled a pot of vegetable soup, and the two of them ate their meal with these two dishes.

Since Mu Jinyu had earned a little silver, she had bought some fine rice to stock up. They couldn’t afford to eat fine rice every meal, but occasionally, when making a big dish like this, having a bowl of fine rice was possible. The snowy white rice paired with the brownish-red liver. Their chopsticks moved rapidly, stuffing food into their mouths. With mouths full of fragrant food and cheeks bulging, they chewed vigorously, enjoying the deliciousness. The sense of satisfaction was indescribable.

Both ate a great deal, clearing away all the rice, liver, and soup before finally stopping. The little calico cat was the same; a full bowl of liver and chicken breast was an irresistible temptation. It ate with its head buried in the bowl, with only its two ears sticking out.

Before five o’clock, the two people and one cat had finished their evening meal. They slumped by the stone table, stuffed to the limit. Mu Jinyu planned to rest for a bit longer, then head to the night market at five to put the second stove to use.

Night fell, and every stall hung a lantern or two alongside their signs. The lanterns gathered into a long dragon, winding through the night market street. This made the market as bright as day, bustling and vibrant.