Goldfield
Chapter 84: The Eater

At this moment, Xiaocao only had a few packages of boiled dishes in his basket, and he had previously promised Foreman Sun that he would leave one pack for him. So, he only had one serving of pork ear tape, one serving of pork lips, and two servings of pork intestines.

“Good! That would be four copper coins! ” Xiaocao quickly used a piece of oily paper and packed all the boiled food into one. Little Shitou reached out her hand to receive the money.

Shopkeeper Jin was stunned for a moment. Four copper coins? He had invited Great Student Yuan to eat a meal worth four copper coins? Isn't that too embarrassing? This did not show the proper respect to Grand Scholar Yuan! What's he supposed to do? Master Yuan was still waiting for him there. Ah, why would he take this upon himself and volunteer to carry out tasks like this?

“Sorry, do you still want this boiled dish?” Xiaocao had noticed that when the man took the money from his wallet, he had acted as if someone had paralyzed him and frozen. He asked calmly as he was a little confused and bewildered by this change in attitude.

Little Shitou made an expression ‘I understand everything’, and he said sympathetically, “Sister, do you think this fat old uncle has stolen his money? I heard on the dock there is a pickpocket..Second Brother, he is quite pitiful, how about we give him a portion of boiled food for free to try .. ”.

Some dock workers around those who arrived late and had not bought boiled food repeatedly asked the man, “Master, do you still want it? Xiaocao, if he doesn't want to, sell me some of this —— money. ”

Shopkeeper Jin clenched his jaw and stomped his foot, “Who said I didn't want it? Don't you still have leftovers in the basket? Give me all that's left! ”

Xiaocao hurriedly replied, “Please no offense, some of these portions have already been ordered by others. I really only have four pieces left, so I'm very sorry about this. I would come every day to sell my boiled food. The price of one copper coin per serving is a specialty of my family. If you're happy to eat it, sir, please come back again. ”

Shopkeeper Jin was afraid that Master Yuan would lose his patience from waiting for too long, so he picked up a packet of boiled food and threw a piece of silver that was worth about a hundred copper coins to them. He turned around and ran away, as if something was scorching his butt. Xiaocao held onto the piece of silver and pondered what to do as they most likely did not have enough money from selling food today to give the person his change. When he saw the fat and glittering man had left, he quickly shouted, “Hey, hey! I haven't given you your change!

“No need to give me change, take the rest as a gift for you!” This type of silver piece was usually used by the Jin Shopkeeper to reward the lower ranked maids in his residence. In his eyes, this piece was no more valuable than a copper coin in the eyes of an ordinary person.

Yuan Sinian and his young grandson were already sitting in a nearby noodle shop run by the Wang Family. They had ordered two bowls of unsalted noodles and were bowing while waiting for Shopkeeper Jin to come.

“Why has he been so long? What if it sells out? You brat, you know how much I am your grandfather, loves to eat, yet you don't even bother to buy a serving to make me taste, hmph! If I can't try these ‘boiled foods’, then just wait! ”

At this point, Yuan Sinian had completely given up his scientific personality and started to increasingly resemble a stubborn urchin. Yuan Yunxi managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes towards her grandfather and quietly sighed inwardly …

“It's here! It's here!” Yuan Sinian immediately sat up straight and changed his posture. Once again, he continued his outward appearance as an elegant and mysterious scholar. The corner of Yuan Yunxi's mouth twitched as she looked down.

Shopkeeper Jin had a bright smile on his face as he borrowed the bowl from the noodle stall and politely put the boiled food one by one into it. He then asked, “Master, do you happen to have sesame oil? Adding a little sesame oil will help make it taste better. ”.

Xiaocao, who was chasing after the man to give him change, heard their conversation and smiled, “That's a good idea, that's, if you add a little sesame oil and then put a few pieces of garlic on it, it will definitely produce a more delicious taste! Sir, I have ninety-six of your copper coins as a change here. ”.

Master Yuan lightly looked at the copper coin in his hand and said, “He already said that you can keep the change, so just keep it for yourself. After all, this man was so rich that a larger amount of money would not be his concern. ”

Shopkeeper Jin inwardly trembled in fear! How could he offend this impressive old man again? Is there anything wrong with having a lot of money? If Master Yuan was willing to accept his son again to the academy, he would gladly dissolve his family's wealth and live a poor and poor life …

“Ah ... Master Yuan, they do not have sesame oil here, let me go elsewhere to search ..” Shopkeeper Jin took advantage of this opportunity to escape from this awkward situation. He managed to find a stall selling stir-fry and threw another piece of silver to pick up the remaining sesame oil in the stall, which cost about half a small bottle.

When Xiaocao noticed that the brightly dressed fatty and the elegant old scholar were the ones who lived a life where they did not need to do much alone, he said, he naturally began to crush the garlic head with trained air and season the food boiled with sesame oil. Then he said, “Please eat!”

“Good!” Yuan Sinian used all his willpower to resist the hunger urge and unhurriedly stretched out his chopsticks and took out a piece of sliced pig ear. He then slowly stuffed the piece of food into his mouth.

Yuan Yunxi, who was next to the old man, once again stopped herself from rolling her eyes. No one understood his grandfather as well as he did. Had no one else been present, which made the old man aware of his status, he would have long since started devouring the food in front of him, this little girl looked somewhat familiar to him!

“Old grandfather, you have to slow down a bit! You must chew the slices of pig's ears carefully in order to actually taste the food! ” The kind and adorable Little Shitou felt an increased sympathy in her heart when she saw the Great Scholar filling her mouth with boiled food. ‘This old grandfather must have not tasted meat for a long time, right? He looks very hungry and greedy. ‘ Great Student Yuan, with the help of a kind reminder from Little Shitou, realizes that there are people around him! However, in his eyes, his outer appearance and reputation were not as important as when enjoying a delicious meal to the fullest. But, he was also aware that discarding appearances altogether might not be a very wise decision in the end.

Gradually, she slowed down her eating speed, and she began to chew each bite thoroughly before she swallowed. As he continued eating, he slapped the table with praise and said, “Little girl, is this called ‘pita pig ears peppered with chili’ oil? That's fantastic! The color is bright red, soft and shake texture, spicy savory, concentrated taste...hm, if this one is called what? ”

It's called boiled pork intestines! Xiaocao's voice sounded very clear and bright as he replied.

Yuan Sinian took out a piece of pig's intestine and put it in his mouth. Slowly he tasted the food and kept nodding his head, “The rich and flavorful taste, the chewy and soft texture, fatty without being greasy, greasy, this is something that a person can eat every day without getting bored..it is delicious, it is delicious! Boiled pork intestines, huh? So you used animal offal to make it? ”

“Honored man is wise, I use pork intestines and various kinds of seasonings to boil them. It has a savory taste and luxurious taste, and it is a type of dish that is perfectly suited to alcohol. Boiled pork intestine is very versatile, you can eat it cold with spices, you can also fry it with a large fire, and can even be used to boil soup. Each way has a unique taste and feel! ” When Xiaocao noticed that the man did not seem to reject the concept of eating offal, he excitedly introduced the ingredient with his various cooking methods.

Shopkeeper Jin initially followed the man's judgment and continuously moved his head. However, when he heard what it was, he suddenly froze and his chin almost fell to the floor. Pork intestine? He had actually invited Grand Scholar Yuan to eat pork intestines, he was done, he was done! His son's chance to regain the academy's entrance pass was gone by now.

—Argh! How could his son have such a stupid father? Shopkeeper Jin wished he could slam his head into the table and die right now!

“Good! Alrighty! This old man had previously heard the emperor emeritus reminiscing about food from his hometown. His favorite food is ‘spicy pork intestines’. When I heard how he described food deliciously, how soft and tender, how full his mouth was with an amazing taste. Listening to it made me want to drool, oh — almost dripped straight. ”.

“Ahem, ahem!” When the young and successful Yuan Yunxi saw how her grandfather had forgotten his modesty when he was constantly cleaning food, she coughed several times to remind the old man of his status.

Yuan Sinian's eyes widened into a circle, and he complained in annoyance, “Why are you coughing now? Food is the God of the people. In fact, emperor emeritus himself once said, ‘someone cannot function on an empty stomach, skipping a meal will make him anxious’. What's wrong with talking about food? Is it a shame to like to eat good food? Bad boy, stay away from me, so I don't need to see your face — hmph, indulgent sport! ”

“Eh? You will not be that person.. ”When Yu Xiaocao looked better at the face of the beautiful young man, he instantly recognized who he was. However, he could not remember his name. “You must be a friend of Third Young Master Zhou, right? Did you just get off the boat? ”

Yuan Yunxi could finally remember where she saw the little girl. He smiled faintly and said, “Nona Yu ..”

“Good grandson, you know this young lady? Why have I never heard you talk about having a friend who can cook well? ” Yuan Sinian looked at his granddaughter sharply and then turned to face Yu Xiaocao with an unexpected friendly smile, “Young lady, your boiled pig intestines are pretty good, you know, you have a very nice, where is your ancestral home? Are you also from the same hometown as emperor emeritus? Do you know how to make a delicious and flavorful pork head meat as well? ”

Yuan Yunxi's delicate brows fused into a frown and her entire face had a helpless expression on it.

Yu Xiaocao was greatly comforted by the interaction between this jerk old geezer and his elementary school-aged granddaughter. He had watched the two fight happily when this unexpected question gave him goosebumps. His smile froze for a moment, and he immediately shook his head, “My ancestors from generation to generation all lived in the small fishing village nearby. They all rely on fishing for a living. My family was a little poor, so I had to think about how to make food from food that no one else would eat. This is how I make pig ear bands and pork gut plates. I am a nobody, so how could I come from the same hometown as the esteemed emperor emeritus.

He was already convinced that emperor emeritus was a transmigrator like him. Only a transmigrator would change history and build a Great Ming Dynasty that was completely different from the one he remembered in his previous life. Ah what a joke, he had long planned to make money quietly and had no desire to make himself a target. He did not want to get involved with a famous transmigrator from his own world.

On the other hand, Little Shitou, who was next to him, replied proudly, “My second brother's boiled food is the best. Old master, we have sold out the boiled pork head meat you spoke of. However, the lips of this pig are also quite good. They are fatty without greasy and full of savory taste. If you don't believe me, please try! ”

“Ha ha! Goody! Little boy, your tongue is pretty sweet. How old are you? Have you started learning to read? ” Yuan Sinian lifted some vegetables and noodles from the bowl and put some pork lips into the bowl. He mixed them into one and started eating noodles and boiled food in a big bite.

Little Shitou grinned, “I'm six years old, and my second brother told me that after he made money from selling boiled food, he said, he would send me to school in the city to study. Our village was too poor and there were no schools there to attend. However, our next-door neighbor, Brother Xiaowen, often came back for a vacation and taught me and Brother Xiaowu how to recognize words. I already knew how to write my own name and I could read about a hundred and fifty-six characters! ”

“Oh? Looks like you know some characters and can write your own name, that's great, that's great! Can you write your name and let this old man see it? ” Great Scholar Yuan was apparently interested in this little boy. It has been almost two years since its academics began holding beginner classes with the aim of educating the bright and intelligent children of the area.