Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 240 - 125 Another Money Lover_2

Chapter 240: Chapter 125 Another Money Lover_2
"Mother, aren’t you afraid of getting scalded?" Xiao Qi asked in surprise.
"Mm, Mother isn’t afraid of getting scalded," Lady Zhang nodded.
Everyone’s hands are made of flesh; how could they not fear getting scalded? But once someone becomes another family’s daughter-in-law and the mother of children, how can they still be fastidious? Watching the children grow up day by day, as a mother, even if it means losing smooth, delicate skin and the lustre of youth, becoming "thick-skinned and callous," there are no regrets.
Lian Manman then took the small jar used for vinegar at home, spread out the shredded cabbage, and slowly began adding vinegar. Not too much vinegar was needed—just enough so that every strand of cabbage was coated. After preparing everything, another basin was placed upside down on top of the wooden basin. With this method, just one day would suffice, and the pickled vegetable would be successful.
"Are we going to pickle this cabbage too?" Lian Zhizhi pointed at another head of cabbage and asked.
Of course, it must be pickled, but this time the method was a bit different and even simpler than before. The approach consisted merely of tearing the cabbage leaves segment by segment, arranging them in a basin, layering each with a bit of salt, and, finally, pouring into the basin the water that had scalded the shredded cabbage. The water, now cooled to warm, would cover all the cabbage. Then, a small spoonful of vinegar was added—the one used for eating and drinking would suffice.
To prevent the cabbage from floating, a stone was placed on top, the same one the Lian Family used yearly to weigh down pickling vegetables.
This pickling method was faster than the traditional one. Depending on the temperature, it generally took between seven to ten days to be ready.
The next day, also before dinner, Lian Manman brought out the first basin of pickled vegetables with some trepidation. As the covering basin was removed and the discolored cabbage shreds and the long-missed sour smell became apparent, her face immediately lit up with joy.
"The pickled vegetables are ready!" Lian Manman announced with a smile.
"...It really does look like pickled vegetables," the family gathered around and commented while looking into the basin.
"It looks good, but we’ll see how it tastes," Lian Shouxin said.
"Well, let’s try it then," Lian Manman said.
The way to try it, of course, was to cook it. Pickled vegetables are very much about the oil they are cooked with, and they must be cooked with animal fat to be tasty. If only vegetable oil is used, no matter the amount, the result would be bland and flavorless.
"I’ll go buy some meat," Lian Manman climbed up onto the kang bed and took out her little wooden box from the cupboard, unlocking it and counting out some copper coins. To stew pickled vegetables, pork should be used, especially pork with a decent amount of fat to make it tasty. This dish had a name: Sour Cabbage with Fresh Pork.
"Manman, we should spend money sparingly," Wu Lang said.
They had spent a large sum of silver buying land, and while Lian Manman still had some left, it wasn’t much—it was meant for emergencies. Only after the coming year’s harvest would they have income. During this period, they obviously had to live thriftily.
"I’ll just buy a pound. This money is worth spending," Lian Manman considered and shared her plan, "Right now, no one has pickled vegetables, but surely some people want to eat them. We’ll first sample this batch ourselves, and if they’re tasty, we’ll make more and sell them in town to earn some spare change."
Everyone understood then that Lian Manman’s eagerness to make pickled vegetables wasn’t due to her own craving, but rather as a means to earn money.
Lian Manman then took a basket and, accompanied by Xiao Qi, went to town and bought back a pound of streaky pork. Lady Zhang sliced the pork thinly and stir-fried it in a hot, fragrant pot until it didn’t require additional oil due to the fat. Then, she added the cleaned pickled cabbage, stir-frying it back and forth for a while before adding enough water, sealing the pot tight, and bringing it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, she switched to low heat to let it simmer slowly until the fat from the pork slices merged into the pickled cabbage and soup, making both the cabbage shreds and meat melt in the mouth. The pickled cabbage soup turned green, signifying the Sour Cabbage with Fresh Pork was ready.
Dinner consisted of millet rice and Sour Cabbage with Fresh Pork.
"How is it, tasty?" Lian Manman took a bite of the pickled cabbage herself and felt that it couldn’t quite compare to traditionally made pickles, but the flavor was already very good.
"Tasty, it indeed has the flavor of pickled vegetables," Lady Zhang, Lian Shouxin, Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi all nodded in agreement.
"The pickled vegetables are good, but I wonder if people will buy them," Lian Shouxin said.
"There will be buyers, didn’t our garlic-flavored peanuts sell well?" Lian Manman replied, "We won’t make the pickled vegetables too expensive. If cabbage sells for one wen money for four pounds, then we’ll sell our pickled vegetables for one wen money for two pounds. One head of pickled cabbage tops at three wen money. Right now, everyone is out of pickled vegetables, and for three wen money, a dog’s family could eat a meal, stew meat, make buns, dumplings, whatever they like."
Qingyang Town was a large town with a substantial population, numerous shops, and many well-off residents who were willing to spend money on food. Even if they were reluctant to indulge at home, they would need to offer a good meal when guests arrived. Pickled vegetables were inexpensive, fresh at the time, and a rarity, guaranteed to be popular.
"Manman is right; these pickled vegetables could indeed sell," Lian Shouxin agreed.
"Then what are we waiting for? We have cabbage at home ready to use; let’s pickle a few dozen pounds and sell them at the next market day in town," Lady Zhang immediately suggested.
Having tasted the benefits of the garlic-flavored peanuts, everyone was very enthusiastic about making money from pickling cabbage.
After a satisfying meal of Sour Cabbage with Fresh Pork, the family busied themselves, and by nightfall, they had a full wooden barrel of pickled cabbage ready.
"All this is money," Lian Manman sat on the kang, joyfully thinking.
"Sister Manman," Lian Yeye walked in from outside. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com with recommendations and monthly tickets, which are the greatest source of motivation for me.)