Tea eggs seem simple, but there are still some skills to achieve a level that is suitable for all ages and is not enjoyable.

In terms of cooking time, most people prefer to cook for a long time, set up a coal stove and put the eggs on it to boil slowly, so that the tea eggs tend to become saltier and saltier the more they are cooked, and gradually they are not so delicious.

The earliest record of tea eggs appeared in the Qing Dynasty gourmand Yuan Mei's "Suiyuan Food List", which recorded: "100 eggs, boiled with one or two salts, coarse tea leaves, and two incense sticks." For example, 50 eggs, only use five coins of salt, add or subtract according to the number, and you can make snacks. ”

At that time, there were almost no clocks and watches, and most of them were dedicated to incense, twelve hours a day, and one stick of incense was worshiped at each hour, so the "two incense" that Yuan Mu said was four hours.

We always think that the ancients were stupid, but sometimes you have to admit that the three words "ancestors" are not called in vain. Li Yadong once did an experiment for this purpose, boiling 24 eggs over low heat, taking out one every hour, serving them separately, and finally tasting them in turn, and found that the tea eggs that had been boiled for four hours were moderately salty and the most fragrant taste.

As for why he did this, it was also to meet the needs of customers, he started from the catering industry in his previous life, and later had two restaurants.

Li Yadong didn't occupy the stove all the time, just boiled the raw eggs in white water, and then filtered the water to crush, just Cai Xiaohui's house had a coal stove, put in the tea wrapped in gauze, and then re-add the water, and then put it on it to boil. If you really want to occupy the stove for four hours, you will definitely delay people's cooking, then you will be embarrassed.

A large iron pot was boiling on the stove, Zhang Chunxi saw that he didn't pay attention to it after putting salt and soy sauce in three times and dividing five by two, and asked suspiciously, "That's okay?"

"Okay, just wait for the pot to come out. ”

"Isn't this just a boiled egg, at most it tastes a little salty, so dare to sell it for a dime and seven a piece?" Zhang Chunxi was deeply suspicious of this, feeling that he had been cheated.

Li Yadong glanced at him, too lazy to pay attention, it doesn't work to reason with this kind of person with fixed thinking, it's better to speak with facts.

After a little effort, Cai Xiaohui's husband Feng Guoqing came back, and he was still riding a little hairy child wearing open crotch pants around his neck.

"Liangliang, come, let my cousin hug. ”

The little hairy boy was a little resistant at first, but after being teased by Zhang Chunxi for a while, he directly ignored his parents and became a little follower behind his cousin's ass.

When it was noon, Cai Xiaohui burned a big pot of rice, naturally Zhang Chunxi and Li Yadong were indispensable, Zhang Chunxi didn't feel anything, but Li Yadong was a little uncomfortable.

This is something he didn't think about before, he thinks about long-term business, today's meal is okay, relying on Zhang Chunxi's face to rub it again, but if he rubs his rice every day in the next month or two, he will become a hooligan.

The four of them sat under an unpruned orange tree in the courtyard to eat, Liang Liang was playing with his iron jumping frog in the open space on the side, Li Yadong pondered for a while, and said, "That...... Uncle, aunt, we will definitely have to bother for a while in the future, and there is no place to eat at noon, or we will make a fire at your house, and give each person three cents a day. ”

"This kid, what are you talking about, can your aunt's family send you two to eat in one bite?" After hearing this, Cai Xiaohui put down her chopsticks and straightened her face.

Feng Guoqing, who was on the side, glanced at his daughter-in-law and did not speak.

Although his family lives in the town, they are not necessarily richer than the countryside, at least the villagers don't have to worry about rations. He also got a job in a small factory in the township, and he had a little money on hand, but he usually bought everything.

"Auntie, don't get me wrong, you see, we're here to do business, there's no reason why we made money, but we dragged you down, if that's the case, I don't have the face to eat this meal." Li Yadong said sincerely, and put down the dishes and chopsticks.

"This ......"

"Okay, Auntie, just do it!" Zhang Chunxi opened his mouth to play a round, "I think Xiaodong has a point, my brother still settles the account, if you don't agree, I won't eat it!"

Cai Xiaohui saw that he also put the rice bowl that had seen the bottom to the side, and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, my aunt will promise you, but three cents is too much, I will do it with one dime." ”

Three cents is almost enough for two taels of meat, not to mention three cents per person. No matter how hard and poor she is, she can't take advantage of her nephew.

"Auntie, that's not how the account is calculated, a dime is enough for us to eat at most, what about the dishes? And the briquettes that are boiled and burned? What don't you need money to buy? If you refuse, you will really treat us as outsiders. Li Yadong broke her up for a while, and the three-cent partner fee was estimated in his mind, not too much and not too little, which can ensure that the family has a little surplus.

When it came to this, Cai Xiaohui really couldn't shirk it anymore, and scolded with a smile: "You are the most clever, can you be admitted to college? Chunxi, this kid doesn't have the brain like you." ”

"Eh, auntie, you are obviously turning your elbow outwards and pouring salt on your nephew's wound!" Zhang Chunxi protested with a look of resentment.

"Haha......"

It was really not easy to say some words, but after saying them clearly, there was less estrangement, and the meal was very pleasant, and even Feng Guoqing, who had never spoken, persuaded the two of them to eat more.

"Liangliang, don't hurry up and come over, shout hungry again in the afternoon, see if I don't spank you. ”

Cai Xiaohui was holding a small porcelain bowl printed with dragon and phoenix Chengxiang, which contained a small half bowl of rice, mixed with the red soup of Chinese vegetables, urging his son to come over to eat, but when he turned his head, he found that the little hairy boy was gone, and even his favorite iron jumping frog was buried in the soil, and it looked like it was abandoned.

His eyes swept around the yard, only to find that the little guy was at the door of the kitchen, and he didn't know what he was attracted to, and he stood there motionless.

"Liangliang, what a daze, I haven't come to eat yet. ”

"Mom, I want to eat this. Liang Liang glanced at his mother, stretched out his chubby little finger and pointed inside the kitchen.

"What is it?" Cai Xiaohui didn't know why, so he walked over and took a look, "Ouch, why does this smell so good?"

At this time, the tea eggs have been boiled for almost two hours, and the fragrance gradually begins to diffuse outward, in this era when stir-fried vegetables are reluctant to put oil, where have ordinary people eaten any good things? This kind of fragrant aroma is difficult for even adults to control, let alone children.

"This ......"

Cai Xiaohui was in a difficult situation for a while, the key is that these eggs are not her own, and other children's children still point to them to sell for money, and she has just discussed giving her three cents a day, even if she has no cheekiness, she is embarrassed to ask for food.