Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

When Jiang's mother heard Jiang Shangxian say he had found work at Lexianlou, she frowned for a moment before saying, "That place... has already been agreed upon. Then stay in the kitchen and don't go out front easily."

Jiang Shangxian nodded in understanding, "I get off work at 5:00 PM every day, so I'll definitely be home in time for curfew."

"Amitabha, that's good!" Jiang's mother breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. She felt at ease and was now in the mood to gossip. "Lexianlou is said to be one of the best restaurants in Chang'an, frequented by famous scholars and literati. People who don't know the place might think it's a great place, but I know that those famous scholars...are not good people!"

Although she didn't say it explicitly, the expression on her face was somewhat mysterious, which aroused the curiosity of the two children who had never seen the world. Jiang Wangri stared at her eagerly: "Mother, how can scholars and celebrities not be good people?"

The literary style was extremely prosperous in the Tang Dynasty. Ordinary people would write a couple of doggerel poems. Anyone who wrote an excellent poem would have it spread throughout the Tang Dynasty in a very short time.

"Those scholars, when they're drunk, look no better than us ordinary people. They even like to visit prostitutes. Even though they write poems about deep love and longevity, the singing girls in their mansions are constantly changing, more frequently than we ordinary people change our clothes. That's fine, but I heard of one man who was already very old and still kept dozens of prostitutes at home. When he was drinking with others, if he met someone he liked, he would just give one away."

Jiang Shangxian opened his mouth slightly, and after a long while, he finally said, "Even though she's a prostitute, she's still too..."

She still felt that they were not treated as human beings at all. These women were no more than teenagers, who in modern times would still be in school. Yet here they were treated as playthings for amusement, and were sent here and there at the beck and call of others.

"That's why." Jiang Pan patted her hand and warned: "If you can avoid going forward, then don't go forward. Those people are making trouble!"

"Mother, how do you know so much?" Jiang Wangri was young after all, and didn't understand matters between men and women. He seemed to understand what he heard, but he became curious about where his mother got the gossip from since she seldom went out every day.

Jiang's mother glanced at him, quite proudly saying, "Every day I go to Yong'an Canal to fetch water and wash clothes. People from three or four neighborhoods wash there. When there are too many people, there will be a lot of gossip. Plus, those scholars don't think there's anything wrong with visiting or keeping prostitutes. They just think it's a romantic thing!"

Jiang Wangri seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and said to the two of them with a serious face, "Then Sister, please don't go to that Lexian Tower. It's a messy place, and those scholars are not good people. Sister is beautiful, and it would be bad luck if they offended her!"

He spoke with confidence, but his little thoughts were all shown on his face. Jiang Shangxian and Jiang's mother could see it clearly. This guy just didn't want his sister to go out to work!

Jiang's mother slapped his forehead in annoyance. "Your sister only has to work during the day at Lexianlou. How could so many people make a scene in the restaurant in broad daylight? Those people are the ones who make noise at night and sleep during the day. Besides, who is your sister doing this for? It's all for you!"

What's your child best at? Talking back!

Jiang Wangri was no exception. He stiffened his neck like a stubborn donkey and said, "It's not like our family can't afford to live. We can save money by selling mutton. What's the problem with my sister getting married later? Isn't it good for her to stay at home for a few more years?"

As we all know, traditional parents can't stand their children talking back. They immediately slap their children on the head three times in a row, making loud thuds: "You are the one who calls the shots in this family, right? You are not even a grown-up kid, and you have no reason to open your mouth!"

Jiang Shangxian laughed gleefully, not stopping his mother from scolding her son. However, Jiang Wangri went out to sell braised mutton alone, which was inconvenient in the hot weather. "Mother, if the weather gets hot, why don't we move this mutton stall to the entrance of our neighborhood?"

Jiang Wangri's eyes widened, and he immediately jumped up in displeasure: "How many people can come to our gate? And how many kilograms of mutton can we sell?!"

"This..." Jiang's mother was also a little entangled. The location of Yong'anfang could not be said to be good. At best, it could only be said to be average. The Fangs in Chang'an City were oriented so that the north was more valuable and the south was less important. The further south a Fang was, the fewer people lived there. Yong'anfang was only three Fangs away from the city wall, and it was not next to Zhuque Avenue, so there were indeed not many people coming and going every day.

Although she felt sorry for her son, she had to make money. After much thought, Jiang's mother said, "When the time comes, bring a bamboo hat and choose a shady spot in the West Market. If that doesn't work, go there an hour or so later to avoid the midday sun."

"Mom is right! I run outside every summer and don't feel it's that hot, I just get a little darker." Jiang Wangri quickly nodded in agreement, indicating that he was not afraid of the sun.

Jiang Shangxian glanced at the silly boy. Is running around outside and setting up a stall in the hot sun the same thing?

Forget it, when the sun starts to smoke from his head, this kid will know that he regrets it. It’s useless to say more now.

The next morning, Jiang Shangxian reported to Lexianlou on time.

When Shopkeeper Wang saw her coming, he put down his abacus and took her to the backyard. "Aunt Jiang, we've already bought everything you asked for yesterday. Even the tomatoes, we don't have many. I'm afraid we won't be able to supply this dish in large quantities."

He was being euphemistic when he said there weren't many of them. This thing is just like a bonsai. Who knew it was edible?

In total, I bought about twenty pots.

Tomatoes have two seasons a year, and the fruits are in bunches. Jiang Shangxian thought for a moment and said, "This thing is not fully ripe at once. If it is made into sauce, it will not last long in hot weather. It is better to make it every day."

The supply is limited, so the price is naturally higher than other dishes.

It’s season, so let’s try some new dishes.”

Not to mention the eight major cuisines, there are also local dishes and ethnic dishes from all over the country. The Manchu-Han Banquet alone has more than a hundred dishes. Twelve months in a year, if three new dishes are served every month, they still can't be used up. Moreover, she doesn't plan to work in this Lexianlou for a long time. As long as she completes the first task and gets the reward, it will be fine.

As for what to do after completing the task, just look at the next task.

Shopkeeper Wang nodded. He thought so too. He'd decided on the price, but as for whether the customers would find it too high, he thought, "A maximum of ten servings a day. If they think it's too high, they can just not eat it. Some people don't mind the price."

His fingers started itching at the thought of this. Last night, many people came to ask him about his new dishes. They all heard about the new dish trial during the day and came to inquire.

He has already announced that new dishes will be served at noon today. Lexianlou's business has always been better at night than during the day. This time, I'm afraid that the daytime turnover will also increase.

There were twenty-six pots of tomatoes in total, all planted in red pottery pots and neatly arranged against the wall in the backyard. Jiang Shangxian took a look and said to Shopkeeper Wang, "If you want to grow these tomatoes well and get big fruits, you still have to plant them in the ground and put up wooden racks. They can grow very tall."

She thought for a moment and said, "We can keep the seeds inside and grow seedlings at the end of August. We can save some every time and then we won't have to buy them outside. We can make so many dishes with them."

This is also considered a good start for the new job, and there are so many dishes that Tomato can cook, but I just can't make squirrel mandarin fish, tomato scrambled eggs, tomato fish soup, red chopped three, tomato stewed beef brisket??

There are so many of them that you can’t count them all. You can just cut them into pieces and make cold dishes, or sprinkle them with sugar. They are sweet and sour and appetizing in the summer.

After hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang was delighted. He waved to the maids who were washing vegetables not far away, called one over, and gave her a few instructions. The maid nodded and began to arrange the tomato pots.

The more unique dishes the better. As long as Jiang Shangxian can continue to bring business to the restaurant, she will work the day shift. Anyway, she has agreed to take an apprentice.

This is the advantage of being a leader. As long as you speak, people will naturally do the work.

Jiang Shangxian was a little envious, but when he thought that he would soon have an apprentice, he felt a little excited.

Apprentices at that time were completely different from those in modern times. Once a master accepted an apprentice, he would be treated as half a child. Apprentices would often respect their master more than their parents. Not only would they tolerate being beaten or scolded, but they would also be filial to the master at all times.