Chapter 439: Chapter 440, Jiu Niang is Polite
It wasn’t that the girl was particularly beautiful or particularly ugly, but that one half of her face was very delicate, while the other half was scarred.
It looked like a burn injury.
A few men, realizing it wasn’t polite to stare at the girl, quickly lowered their heads and found seats to sit down.
Even the usually boisterous Han Tianci was unexpectedly quiet.
Yun Jinnian watched and smiled faintly.
These noble descendants can also show pity and sympathy. Each of these masters in the Capital City struts around, but today proved to be quite the surprise.
As he sat down with a slight smile, the woman approached cheerfully, "What would the customers like to eat?"
"Bring us a bit of everything you have, and if we eat well, our master will reward you!" Tongge said, laughing to himself.
Jiuniang smiled, "Please wait a moment, sirs. The food will be served shortly!"
Soy milk, deep-fried dough sticks, steamed buns, rice porridge—the taste was superb. The soy milk was rich and fragrant, without much of a fishy taste; indeed, it was very good.
Han Tianci had two bowls and still wanted more, but Yun Jinnian smiled and shook his head in refusal.
"Sister..."
"Drinking too much is bad for your health!"
Han Tianci hesitated for a moment, "Then I’ll wait to eat wontons!"
He looked toward the elderly couple busy boiling wontons, eagerly waiting.
When the wontons were served, they tasted extremely delicious. Han Tianci ate most of the bowl, and then Yun Jinnian signaled Shi Jiayu to go and inquire about the recipe.
The soy milk had a strong bean scent; how did this woman achieve this?
The wonton wrappers were thin and the meat tender, particularly the skins, which had a hint of fish flavor.
Shi Jiayu approached Jiuniang and bowed, "Miss, my young lady sent me to ask for guidance, and we hope for your gracious instruction!"
Jiuniang quickly shook her head, "I dare not!"
"Miss, it’s like this: Our young master really loves the soy milk and wontons that you make. May I ask if you have any secret tips?" inquired Shi Jiayu, adding, "Don’t worry, Miss—these will not be sold to the public. They are just to satisfy the young master’s cravings privately, and my mistress will surely not forget your kindness!"
Jiuniang paused slightly and then smiled, "Actually, there’s nothing much, just some little tricks!"
For the soy milk, she added something during the soaking of the beans. After the wonton dough was ready, she’d steam fish meat to remove the fishy taste and mix it into the flour before rolling it into thin skins. As for the meat, it required more effort to make the aspic, all of which Jiuniang taught to Shi Jiayu one by one.
Fearing Shi Jiayu would not remember, she even found pen and ink to write it down.
Jiuniang was so meticulous that Shi Jiayu asked, "Miss, what happened to your face?"
"When I was a child, I was helping my parents with work and accidentally fell, my face pressed against the stove, and then I overturned it and got burned by the charcoal fire," Jiuniang said with composure.
Now, her parents were doing well, and her breakfast stall was doing good business, leaving some Silver for the family after covering their living expenses.
She had no intentions of getting married. If push came to shove, she thought of picking up a beggar from the streets to sleep with for a few nights and have a child.
There was someone who liked her, but his parents didn’t approve of her, not even his brothers, sisters-in-law, or sisters, so she had given up on the idea.
"Didn’t you get proper treatment at the time?" Shi Jiayu looked at her, feeling sorry for Jiuniang.
"We weren’t well-off when I was a child; my grandparents weren’t in good health, and we needed a significant amount for medical expenses every year!"
The bitterness of the past couldn’t be fully expressed in just a few words.
Shi Jiayu carefully stored away the recipe. Jiuniang’s parents, who were quite old, treated this rare visitor with warmth, kindness, and enthusiasm.
When Shi Jiayu came out, everyone had finished eating and was waiting.
Tongge placed two bars of gold on the table, startling Jiuniang’s parents. Jiuniang, however, collected them calmly and thanked them with a bow.
Yun Jinnian gave Jiuniang one last glance before heading back to the inn.