The small village of Nanshangou got its name because it is located in the middle of a ravine. Naturally, the road leading to the outside of the mountain is inevitably narrower, and the heavy wind and snow in winter often block the intersection.

Fortunately, during these days, the wind and snow were heavy, and the ox cart walked all the way before encountering two or three snow cols that were not very deep. Dong Si jumped down with the shovel that had been prepared a long time ago, and dug it a few times, and he passed smoothly.

When they got off the mountain road and went to the official road, the old cow got brisk at his feet, and the three of them were relieved.

Pu Cao put her hand into the straw curtain and tested the temperature, and felt that the cold wind that blew through the turban and cut her face was not so unbearable.

At the end of the most prosperous shopping street in Cuiluan City, there is a three-story restaurant, which is not as rich and compelling as its counterparts on the whole street, but is extremely elegantly decorated. If you are not familiar with it, you will even mistakenly think that this is a teahouse for passers-by to talk and sit.

However, all the rich families or some famous people in this city know this good place.

Baiyunju is famous for its fine wine and food, and it is the best place for many peers with its elegant appearance.

It is also strange to say that if the same dish is placed on the table of Baiyunju, the diners will praise it, but if it is placed in other restaurants, it is definitely just a plate. The grievances and grievances really made many peers annoyed, and they couldn't find a clue after exploring for a long time, and finally gave up.

Of course, there are some other reasons for this, such as that the aunt of the owner of Baiyunju is the second wife of the Sun family...

But not everyone has died down, after all, there is no shortage of birds in the world. Fuguilou, opposite Baiyunju, relies on some connections in Beijing, and has exhausted its means since it opened two years ago, and is bent on grabbing the name of Cuiluan No. 1 Restaurant as a lifelong career.

So, everyone looked for a plate of melon seeds, drank tea, and watched the excitement.

No, the day before yesterday, the owner of Fuguilou didn't know what benefits he promised, so he actually invited the red peony to sing a song every day. Lustful people from all walks of life naturally moved when they heard this, and the business in this restaurant was also booming.

A gray-clothed young man in Baiyun Ju was lying at the door, looking at the bustling and lively opposite, and then looked back at the sparse seven or eight tables of guests in his lobby, and couldn't help but sigh and mutter, "How can it go on like this?" ”

As soon as his words fell, he was slapped on the head, and Shopkeeper Luo scolded in a low voice with a calm face, "Don't greet guests, what are you muttering here?" ”

Where did the young man dare to express his worries, he secretly rubbed his head and ran away with a smile, leaving the shopkeeper Luo couldn't help but look out. But his gaze swept over Fuguilou and turned to look at the end of the street, anxiously hoping that the turning point in his son-in-law's mouth would appear earlier.

The day after tomorrow is Mrs. Zheng's birthday banquet, and all restaurants are fighting for it. If you can make a splash, Baiyunju will definitely be the most lively place in Cuiluan City in the future.

He looked forward to it so eagerly, but unfortunately the streets were covered with snow and wind, and no one appeared except for the occasional carriage hurrying by. He closed the door in disappointment, called a young man to guard so that he could wait for the guests to leave, and then shook his head and went to the backyard, thinking about whether to persuade Gongzi to send someone to Nangou Village to ask for news.

It's just that as soon as he walked into the backyard, he heard someone banging on the back door. A rough boy ran up to him and shouted, "Who is smashing the door, and if you break it, you will have to pay for the money!" ”

A woman's voice came from outside the door, and she answered, "We are from Nangou Village, please ask the little brother to help report to your shopkeeper." ”

The little guy wanted to ask again, but the shopkeeper Luo almost jumped up, and rushed to the door in three or two steps and opened the latch, and when he saw the woman outside the door who was so cold that her face was red, and her eyebrows and sideburns were covered with frost, he immediately shouted excitedly, "Oh, sister-in-law Zhang, you are here." ”

Pu Cao let out a mouthful of white haze and said with a wry smile, "Shopkeeper, it's really difficult to close the road in the heavy snow, so you are worried." ”

"Sister-in-law Zhang, come in and warm up, let's talk about this later." The old shopkeeper was about to let Pucao into the door as he spoke, but Pucao turned sideways and motioned to the old shopkeeper to look out of the door, and whispered, "I sent something here, and the shopkeeper should find a safe place to settle it first." ”

The old shopkeeper looked at the ox cart not far behind the door that was covered like a small mountain bag, and his eyes immediately became bright, and he shouted to the little man behind him to call the little steward who was the most confidant.

The little guy didn't know why, but he didn't dare to slack off, so he spread his legs and ran.

Soon, the little steward dressed in green clothes with a shrewd face rushed over, and the shopkeeper Luo directly opened the east wing and beckoned him to come forward to help Pucao and the others move all the big baskets in.

Pu Cao took off his gloves, rubbed his frozen fingers, and then untied the hemp rope and opened the big basket, and carefully checked to see that the vegetables and vegetables inside were not frozen, so he smiled, "Fortunately, the preparations are complete, and the vegetables are all good." ”

Shopkeeper Luo looked at the basket full of green vegetables and vegetables, and his face lit up with joy. beckoned Pucao and a few people to sit down and drink tea, and sent the same happy little steward back to the garden to invite his master.

Fang Jie also rushed over quickly when he heard the news, wearing a stone blue brocade robe with an extra fox fur with a dark gold silk dark pattern, which made his already handsome appearance more extravagant.

Dong Si looked at the sheepskin jacket on his body and the big cotton boots that were becoming more and more clumsy because of the stuffed ula grass, so he quietly moved back a few steps.

Pu Cao had already taken off the hat and headscarf on his body, and when he saw Fang Jie coming in, he got up and saluted, Fang Jie hurriedly returned the salute and took the initiative to greet Dong Si and Chunni, and said with a smile, "Originally, I was waiting for my sister-in-law to deliver the letter, and then I sent a car to pick it up." Where did I think that my sister-in-law personally delivered the dishes, it was really hard. ”

Good words are warm in three winters, and bad words are hurtful and cold in June. Regardless of whether he meant what he said or not, Pucao and the others felt extremely ironed in their ears, and the hardships they had suffered along the way seemed to be forgotten.

Dong Si and Chunni's restrained faces were much better, and they said straightly, "It's not hard, it's not hard!" ”

Pu Cao secretly praised Fang Jie's mellow methods in his heart, and then crossed the price without mentioning it, and said first, "When I drew the deposit, I asked Fang Gongzi to teach a few novel foods. It just so happens that we are hungry and cold at this time, so why don't I go to the stove to offer ugliness first, and also ask Fang Gongzi and the shopkeeper to taste it, whether my craftsmanship is still on the table. ”

Shopkeeper Luo stared at those little cabbage, spinach and shallots for a while, and the abacus in his heart had already crackled, and he arranged the dishes that his chef was good at from beginning to end, and even thought about how much to price. Only the thin garlic sprouts were very raw, and he didn't know how to cook them.

At this time, when he heard that Pu Cao took the initiative to ask for food first, he hurried to see his master's face, for fear that his master would refuse, after all, no one wanted to buy back a bunch of useless things at a high price.

Fang Jie looked at the appearance of the old shopkeeper and was amused, thinking of a few home-cooked side dishes made by Pucao that day, and suddenly felt a little empty in his stomach, so he said, "Then it's bothering the little sister-in-law, what seasonings and manpower are needed, the little sister-in-law will take care of her own orders." ”

Without waiting for Pu Cao to answer, Shopkeeper Luo immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the old slave is waiting on the side, and the sister-in-law can't stand the slightest grievance." ”

Pu Cao smiled, and before walking to a few vegetable baskets, he took some of each fresh dish, and the shopkeeper Luo carefully received it and stuffed it directly into a large food box, which can be said to have done the confidentiality work at home.

Baiyunju is famous for its simplicity and elegance, and the stove room is also different from the dirty and crowded kitchens of other restaurants, which is very spacious and clean.

The stove was the size of three rooms, with a stove leaning against the wall and rows of wooden shelves in the middle.

On the shelves are all kinds of dried meat, and many large round cutting boards are placed under the shelves, kitchen knives, axes for cutting bones, dishes, spoons and chopsticks are neatly arranged.

Pu Cao followed the shopkeeper Luo into the house and only glanced around and completely liked this place, she was inevitably lonely in her previous life, and she often pondered and studied some food to pass the time. Although her small kitchen is not large, it is also equipped with all kinds of kitchen utensils.

Shopkeeper Luo looked at her with a happy face, and was very proud in his heart, so he opened his mouth and sent the apprentices and servants who were sitting in the corner gossiping out, leaving only a fat chef to help.

The fat chef must be very valued on weekdays, and he was a little angry when he heard that he wanted to help a little daughter-in-law.

The old shopkeeper was afraid that he would annoy Pucao, so he whispered a few words in his ear. As soon as the fat man was about to refute, he saw Pucao take the fresh vegetables out of the food box, so he immediately closed his mouth obediently, stepped forward and asked with a smile how to pick them up.

Pu Cao was not polite, and asked him to pick up a pound of pork belly and chop it into minced meat, and then wash vegetables, pick vegetables, scoop noodles and knead dough, and his hands were very sharp.

After the fat chef finished chopping the meat filling, he helped to blanch the fine powder and blanch the spinach, and a pair of small eyes were always staring at the hands of the grass, for fear of missing any step.

Shopkeeper Luo was so strict just now, but he still left the fat man to help in the stove, Pu Cao naturally guessed that the fat man's loyalty must be undoubted. So she didn't hide her selfishness, and every step she took would say a few words of caution, which made the fat man's eyes narrow into a slit with joy.

The cooperation between the two is quite tacit, and the ingredients are complete, and soon a large bowl of cabbage and meat balls and vermicelli soup and a large plate of minced meat and spinach will be out of the pot. Pu Cao instructed the fat man to move these two things to the side of the cauldron to warm, and then took the chopped garlic seedlings mixed into the simmered meat filling, and added vegetable oil and sesame oil and stirred evenly, and finally pulled open the dough that woke up and rolled the dumpling skin quickly, and wrapped a dumpling with three pinching and two pinching, which was small and delicate like an ingot.

The fat chef also took the opportunity to try to pack a few, but naturally he was not as good as the pampas grass, but he was not as embarrassed as the oil in the sauce.

When the hot water in the cauldron boiled, the white and fat dumplings lined up to get out of the pot, and after boiling a few times, they lay down in two large white porcelain plates.

Shopkeeper Luo personally found a tray and sent it to the east wing to offer Bao'er, which made the fat cook swallow saliva reluctantly. Pu Cao looked funny, so he pushed the small bowl that he had left in front of him and said with a smile, "I've been busy with my eldest brother for a long time, so I'll leave these dumplings for my eldest brother to taste fresh." ”

For a chef, the cruelest thing in the world is to make a dish with your own hands and not be able to taste it. Hearing Pu Cao's words, the fat cook thanked him again and again, and he didn't care about the heat, so he grabbed a dumpling and threw it into his mouth, shouting with surprise on his face while hissing, "This taste is so bright!" ”