Chapter 348 Yangchun Noodles (1)
Near noon, Wen Mingtang and Zhao You walked into a noodle shop at the end of Shengyefang Lane and each ordered a bowl of noodles and two side dishes.
It's not that he is reluctant to spend money. Although he is still far from being able to afford a house in Chang'an, Wen Mingtang still has enough money to buy a restaurant or something. In particular, Ji Caimai checked the account in advance. Wen Mingtang received the money he earned from working at the takeout stall in the past two days, and now he has a small savings.
There are many shops of various types in the Keshengyefang area, and buying and selling transactions are the most frequent. Noon is the time when there are the most people.
Although it was not too late when the two arrived at Shengyefang, both the restaurants and the famous restaurants were already full of people.
Seeing this situation, Wen Mingtang didn't say much. He just took Zhao You through the busiest street in Shengyefang and then went around the alley behind the street.
The noodle shop at the back of the alley is remote and narrow, making it difficult for carriages to pass, so there are not many people.
Wen Mingtang and Zhao You sat down by the window facing the street, opened the window and looked at the back door of the shop not far ahead.
The front door of this shop is directly opposite the busiest street of Shengyefang. The shops on this street are naturally not small. Several shops are connected, and the upper and lower floors are the same jewelry shop.
It is certainly not an ordinary person to be able to open such a jewelry shop on this street. The owner behind this jewelry shop is none other than Princess Liyang.
Looking from afar, among the shops on the entire street, apart from restaurants and shops that need to transport food in and out, only Princess Liyang's jewelry shop has a back door specially opened.
A jewelry store opened a back door? This may be a coincidence, or it may have another purpose, who knows?
As the waiter said "Come on", the Yangchun noodles were brought over.
Food like Yangchun noodles is quite popular in Jiangnan and other places. Get up early and go to a random noodle shop on the street and order a bowl of Yangchun noodles. A bowl of clear soup and smooth noodles is simple but delicious. It can be said to be a morning meal for many people. .
Looking at the two or three dots of noodles embellished with green onions and the thin noodles in the bowl, Zhao You said "oh" and said: "It turns out that these Yangchun noodles are smooth noodles with clear soup. The name is so elegant, what else do I think it is?" Here’s the noodles!”
Wen Mingtang said with a smile: "The name of this noodle is as elegant as Yangchun Baixue, but the origin is extremely simple. Because at first, a bowl of noodles with clear soup was sold for ten cents in Jiangnan and other places. October was Xiaoyangchun, so the lingo in the market was Yangchun. It represents ten, so it’s called Yangchun Noodles.”
Add a spoonful of lard, a spoonful of sauce, and a spoonful of clear soup as the base, add the noodles, and finally garnish with chopped green onions to form a bowl of Yangchun noodles. Although it looks plain and simple to make, the noodles used and the heat used to cook the noodles are quite particular. The soup is salty and fresh with the aroma of lard, and the aroma of chopped green onion blends into the soup. It is made with simple ingredients. Yangchun noodles are extremely delicious.
The bowl in front of me was cooked quite authentically. I drank the soup first before eating the noodles. After taking two sips of the Yangchun noodle soup, I poured the selected side dishes and toppings into the bowl.
The side dishes made of pickled vegetables, shredded pork and bamboo shoots are salty and delicious. The fried golden poached eggs on both sides are placed on top. It is quite tempting whether it is eaten empty or pressed into the noodle soup.
Zhao You on the side took a brief taste and then buried his head in silence. Listening to the loud slurping sound in his ears, Wen Mingtang glanced at the slightly shaking core of the poached egg. Seeing that it was a mess, he put down his chopsticks and gathered some strength, carefully picking up the poached egg soaked in soup. , just took a bite, and the runny egg yolk gushes out from inside.
Although this noodle shop is a bit remote and there are not many people, the noodles are delicious. Looking at the noodle shop, it is small and only has a few tables. It is simple but very clean.
The owners of the noodle shop are a middle-aged couple, busy in and out, making authentic Yangchun noodles. However, because the location is too remote, the business is mediocre.
The two couples were busy talking about trivial matters such as "dishes" and "noodles" in a low voice. Wen Mingtang bit the poached egg on his lips and couldn't help but smile: Wu Nong's familiar soft words, no wonder he did it so authentically.
While they were smiling, they heard the middle-aged woman suddenly say in Wu dialect, "It's almost time, it's time."
Just when Wen Mingtang was wondering about "it's time", he heard a "rustling" sound coming from not far away.
When he instinctively looked up to follow the source of the sound, he saw that the back door of the jewelry store that had been closed suddenly opened. Two women dressed as maids walked out of the back door of the jewelry store, and then turned around and locked it from the outside. Lived at the back door of the jewelry store.
After that, he instinctively looked left and right in the alley, then turned and left.
When Wen Mingtang was looking at it in a daze, Zhao You's voice rang in his ear: "Another bowl of Yangchun noodles, it's so delicious. This time I want the one with... three delicacies toppings."
The woman who was originally speaking in Wu dialect immediately said "Hey" and then said in authentic Chang'an Mandarin, "My guest, please wait", and soon there was a sound from under the bowl.
Wen Mingtang picked up a chopstick of noodles and put it into his mouth. While chewing, he thought about the situation just now: Although the two women dressed as maids seemed to be doing nothing, their hands were empty and they didn't take anything, but they looked around. His reaction really looked like a guilty conscience.
While he was eating noodles and thinking about the scene he had just seen, the woman came over with Zhao You's Yangchun noodles and toppings. When she put the noodles down, she did not forget to joke with Zhao You, "Your Majesty, you have a good appetite."
Zhao You said "Hey" and then said "That's right!" The woman then looked at Wen Mingtang who was eating noodles with a smile and said: "What was the little lady looking at just now? It was in the Liji Jewelry Shop in front of me. The two people who came out?"
Wen Mingtang did not raise his head immediately, but he ate the noodles for a moment, and said a vague "hmm" while holding the noodles in his mouth.
The woman didn't seem to hear her avoidance, and still said with a smile: "They come out at this time every day, maybe they take a shortcut back to the palace!"
The name of this Liji jewelry store has the word "笠" in it, which clearly shows that it is the owner behind the scenes.
Although there were not many people in the noodle shop, the woman's words were not hidden from everyone, so all the customers who were eating noodles heard it.
As soon as I think about some things, I know something is wrong.
"Why don't the palace take a shortcut and go this way!" A customer who was eating noodles said "Eh" and wondered, "Why did you go out of the back door?"
The woman smiled, brushed the hair hanging on both sides of her face, and said casually: "I don't know about this. I only know that it has been coming out every day for more than three months!"
As soon as these words came out, I don't know if it was Wen Mingtang's illusion, but she felt that the atmosphere in the noodle shop suddenly became quiet. The diners who were making noodles subconsciously slowed down their actions. She was the only one next to her in the entire noodle shop. Zhao You is still cheerful and cheerful.