On the west side of Yizhou City, Zhang Xiaobao came out of the west gate and guessed where Liu Feng was going. There were two big rivers on the west side of Yizhou, which was an important part of the Yangtze River.
In addition to the two rivers, there were also mountains, one next to the other. In between, there were many ravines and other small rivers, and even small lakes.
The west side of the city was not the main road in Yizhou. The main roads were in the north and south. But now, there were people who took the west side of the road because it was closer.
Originally, the roads were all small paths. If you didn't take them for a few days, you wouldn't see any traces of people walking on them. At the same time, there were also various kinds of snakes and insects. Occasionally, a few wolves would appear to cooperate with the people who wanted to take a shortcut.
Now, it was relatively easier to travel. There were no cement roads, let alone asphalt roads.
Of course, the living standards and quality of people living in a country depended on the development of the country's science and technology, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
When these three things improved, handicrafts and commerce would inevitably prosper. People would have higher requirements for the variety and quality of goods, which was directly reflected in the price of goods.
Therefore, people who had the means would first think of transporting goods from other places to sell. With the money they earned, they would then buy the necessities they needed at home and the relatively luxurious things they liked.
Therefore, the caravan would naturally expand from its original size, and the number of people would also increase.
As a very important prefecture in Great Tang, the living standards of Yizhou were naturally close to that of the capital.
The locals found that by going out from the west side of the city, crossing mountains and rivers, they could exchange for things that were considered valuable in Yizhou from the west side.
On the way, they could even hunt, gather medicinal herbs, and wild vegetables.
It was said that people who walked a lot would become a road. This was passive. But the working people would change from passive to active when there was a possibility of improving their living standards.
There were mountains ahead. It was simple. They would use saws and axes to cut down trees, and use picks and shovels to level the road. There were stones nearby, which they would put in baskets and occasionally transport to the road to prevent the road from being washed away by heavy rain.
There was a river. If they didn't want to buy iron chains or couldn't afford them, they would use bamboo fibers to connect the two sides and lay planks on top.
When everything was ready, they could start the road.
In truth, the most important thing was the stability of the Great Tang. In the past, no one would be willing to go through the trouble of building a road from the Yizhou Prefecture to the west, unless they were tired of living.
Now, there was no need for him to worry about being bullied by the Tibetans. Tubo had already become a part of the Great Tang, and he didn't need to worry about being harmed by the locals when he went there.
Riding on his horse, Zhang Xiaobao had already felt the enthusiasm of the working people under the protection of the country's powerful military.
The road to the west of Yizhou was a dirt road, but there were many people coming and going. There were wheelbarrows, donkeys and mules, and some people even carried sticks on their backs.
Zhang Xiaobao, who deeply understood the relationship between stability and economic development, understood the thoughts of the passerby. An inexplicable pride filled his heart, as he had contributed greatly to this.
Without his wife's battle achievements and his last trick, Tubo would never give in. This had nothing to do with the ordinary people of Tubo. It was the ruling class that didn't want to lose their independent ruling status.
Although many of the passers-by in front of him had travel-worn faces, there was no hesitation in their eyes. When he pointed out a path for them, a lamp lit up in his heart. This was the joy of helping others.
While Zhang Xiaobao was riding on his horse and thinking, a caravan came in front. The other party must have calculated the time and arrived in Yizhou in the morning. After a short rest, they would be able to ship out the goods in the afternoon. At night, they would invite the local merchants to have a meal. If they were fast enough, they would definitely be able to ship out the goods tomorrow. After that, they would rest for the night and restock the next day before forming a caravan to rush back.
The reason for this was because there were no man-made risks on the road. They didn't need to be like the caravan of the past, where every trip was like a gamble, constantly worrying about being attacked by others. Some were bandits, some were fellow travelers, and some were people who happened to be nearby.
Who would dare to make a move now? Unless they were tired of living and couldn't think of a good way to die, so they attacked the caravan of their own country. Once they attacked, regardless of whether it was successful or not, once the caravan escaped back or was discovered by others, the Tang army would be mobilized. It wouldn't be the local yamen runners at all.
Then, you could lead a group of people to pray and escape. The prerequisite was that you could be sure that the military dogs, goshawks, and tracking experts wouldn't be able to find any traces of you. You also had to be sure that your internal personnel wouldn't be tempted by the high reward and exemption from punishment.
In other words, if you led your men to attack a caravan and earned a thousand strings of coins and divided it among everyone, everyone would get dozens of strings of coins. If you were discovered, the imperial court would offer a reward of ten thousand strings of coins and exempt the person who reported you from punishment. Do you think your men would be able to resist?
When Zhang Xiaobao saw the caravan on his horse, he deeply felt the safety of the other party. An organized caravan didn't seem to be very tired. Everyone was talking and laughing, and they felt that anyone by the roadside was like family.
Zhang Xiaobao smiled and nodded to four people in a row. For a moment, he thought that his identity had been discovered. Later on, he thought that as long as you looked at him, he would nod to anyone. He was probably a public relations staff member of the caravan.
"The brother in front, pay attention. The one riding the horse, stop scratching." Zhang Xiaobao was in a good mood when he heard a shout from behind.
Weiwei turned to the side. Zhang Xiaobao turned around and saw a caravan of more than a hundred people, twenty carriages, and many mules. A large flag was raised in the middle of the caravan. It wasn't accurate to call it a flag. It had two poles with a piece of cloth in the middle. The advantage was that people could see the symbol on the flag even without the wind blowing it. The disadvantage was that the wind would increase the resistance.
The design of the flag was very interesting. At the top was a row of slightly smaller words' Great Tang ', as if they were afraid that people wouldn't know that the caravan was from Great Tang.
Zhang Xiaobao's first impression was that the caravan was going abroad to do international trade. However, they wrote the words' Great Tang '. Would people recognize them after they left the country?
In the middle of the row of words' Great Tang ', there was a cartoon character. Zhang Xiaobao guessed that it was the character' Fan '. You have so many characters, but you still wrote it as a cartoon. It's too torturous. Cartoons are popular now, right?
Because there were no people on foot, the caravan moved very quickly. Although there weren't many people, it showed the caravan's strong financial strength.
Zhang Xiaobao's horse couldn't keep up with the caravan's speed. Naturally, he was overtaken by the caravan.
However, Zhang Xiaobao was very puzzled. For a moment, he felt that he had become very stupid, very, very stupid. The road to the west of Yizhou could be used by animals and people, but how could a carriage go there? Could it be that there was a special method? That was strange.
With infinite curiosity, Zhang Xiaobao hid by the side of the road. When the caravan brushed past him, he asked, "Hey, are you going to India? That's India. "
It couldn't be helped. After all, he had the impression that the caravan was in international trade. If they were going west, they would definitely be going to India. It was the same place that the monk had gone to previously, but the road was different.
Someone in the caravan slowed down and looked at the person who asked the question. He smiled and replied, "Why are we going to India? India is too far away. The food in the caravan won't be enough for us to eat. "
Zhang Xiaobao felt that his question was correct. A carriage could go over mountains, so what was there to be afraid of going to India? Since the other party said no, he could only continue asking, "Are we going to Tubo?"
"What Tubo? Have you ever seen a carriage going west? "the other party retorted.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded, "That's what I meant too. Then you …"
"Go over a few hills and you will be a few dozen miles ahead," the other party said.
Zhang Xiaobao felt that his thinking ability had deteriorated. What was the meaning of forming a caravan to take this route?
Seeing that the other party was about to speed up and follow them, Zhang Xiaobao had an idea. He took out a bun and handed it over. It was the first time they met, so it was better to have some etiquette. Actually, for those who had cigars, one was reluctant to give it to the other party, and the other party might not know how to smoke them.
When the other party saw the person who asked about the matter handing over a bun, his expression changed. He was very surprised, but after some consideration, he still took it. He did not believe that this person would use poison.
Similarly, out of courtesy, he took a bite in front of Zhang Xiaobao and nodded, "Good, good stuff. Good bun. Beef and onion stuffing. Your bun is fragrant and doesn't have a bitter taste. What's going on?"
As long as he could keep the other party for a while, Zhang Xiaobao did not care what topic they were talking about. He smiled and said, "When other people eat beef, they usually don't eat it fresh. The so-called taste is not very good. There are also people who put seasonings. The purpose of seasonings is to get rid of the smell, but too much of it will make it bitter. The ingredients of seasonings are one animal, one plant, and one mineral."
"Yes, yes, yes. You are absolutely right. Do you know what seasonings to put in wontons?" The other party took small bites and was reluctant to eat too quickly.
The skin of the steamed buns was thin, the stuffing was big, and the ingredients were good. Excluding Zhang Xiaobao's personal labor costs, just the cost of the steamed buns was five copper coins. If sold at the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water, it would cost at least sixty copper coins. Therefore, people who ate at the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water generally didn't want to waste money. It was too expensive.
Zhang Xiaobao saw that Duan Fang was eating happily, so he handed him another steamed bun. He also took one out to eat. He had not eaten in the morning.
"Thanks, brother. It's delicious. Hurry up, let's eat while we walk." This person was not polite at all. He took a bun and threw the leftover bun into his mouth, urging him to hurry.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded with a bun in his mouth and urged the horse to speed up.
When the two people finished all the steamed buns brought by Zhang Xiaobao, they started to talk about wontons again.
When it came to eating, Zhang Xiaobao could say that he knew a little about it. He was very modest.
Seeing that the other party was still staring at the wontons and asking, he said, "It depends on what you are pursuing. Is it fragrant or fresh? What kind of people are your customers? How much do you want to sell a bowl? Is the stuffing pure vegetarian or pure meat? Or is it a combination?
From the selection of ingredients to the preparation of the stuffing, the blending of the soup, the taste of the soup base, and the auxiliary dipping sauces, there must be a detailed arrangement. Otherwise, it is hard to say.
If you really want to say it all, it is estimated that you will not be able to finish it in a day. There are thousands of combinations of various aspects. Of course, people who are not into this kind of food will not be able to taste the subtle differences. What do you want to know? "
In the spirit of helping others, Zhang Xiaobao said very honestly. The other party listened with wide eyes and nodded from time to time.
When Zhang Xiaobao finished, the person was surprised and praised, "I met an expert. Brother, you are a chef, right? Absolutely. Where do you work? "
"Hobby, hobby. I have not considered a full-time job for the time being. In fact, my real identity is an official of a businessman who deals in goods." Zhang Xiaobao was afraid that the other party would pester him to become a professional chef, so he explained.
The person was more confused after hearing that. His occupation was a mess. After thinking about it, he felt that it was very reasonable, so he said, "Well, as expected, a businessman who is not a good cook is definitely not a good official."
"Thank you." Zhang Xiaobao smiled.
"Brother, to be honest, the best stuffing for the wontons we make is the mutton stuffing. There is not a lot of it. Mutton is expensive. Generally, pork is accompanied by vegetables, such as pork and celery, egg and chives, and cabbage, loofah, cucumber and dried shrimps, but it is not very much. Dried shrimps are expensive. The soup is soup. The water used to cook the wontons, add some sesame oil, chopped green onions, and salt."
The person chose to believe in Zhang Xiaobao, thinking that he could give him a better idea.
Zhang Xiaobao listened carefully and said, "In this case, I will teach you a simple method. It is not too troublesome. I guarantee that your wontons will sell well."
Zhang Xiaobao paused for a moment to give the other party time to listen carefully.
"There is no need to say much about the stuffing. I estimate that you can't afford the stuffing. The seller can't afford it. Let's talk about the soup. It must be chicken soup. Put pickled vegetables under the soup. It should be seaweed, but you can't afford it. Put the dried shrimps in the stuffing. If there is coriander, put some in as well.
Then prepare the vinegar and soy sauce, and some pepper. Chili … you don't have chili, so don't prepare it. Prepare the garlic. That's all. Just do as you say. You don't have any extra cost. If you think that chicken soup is expensive, pork bone soup is also fine. "
Xiaobao said a very common recipe. The first time he made it for his family, it was the same. The only difference was that he added seaweed.
After listening to it, the other party nodded, "So simple?"
"Simple? Yes, simple. Everything is simple. Do you know what the first test of the chef Between the Clouds and the Water test is? "Zhang Xiaobao was stunned and immediately followed the other party's words.
"What?" The person obviously didn't know how the chefs of the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water tested.
"Three dishes. One is Scrambled Eggs, one is Roasted Eggplant, and one is Cold Shredded Cucumber." Zhang Xiaobao stretched out three fingers.
The other party obviously didn't believe it. Between the Clouds and the Water was such a famous restaurant. The first test of the test was only these three dishes. It was impossible. "Impossible." He said it out loud.
"Do you think it is very simple? The first dish is Scrambled Eggs. You need to beat the eggs into the pot. They have to be cooked but not burnt, tender but not sticky. "Zhang Xiaobao introduced.
"You don't need to pour the eggs into the pot and stir them?" The other party was surprised again.
"Then is it possible that it is the test of Between the Clouds and the Water? Because it is simple, you can see the basic skills. If you don't have a solid foundation, even if you play tricks with the kitchen knife, Between the Clouds and the Water won't accept it. The simpler things are, the more challenging they are. The more common things are, the more details they pay attention to.
If you don't believe me, I will also make a bowl of wonton for you when I have the chance. You take the ingredients. If you use the same ingredients, I will roll the skin, mix the stuffing, and mix the soup by myself. Let's see if the taste is the same. If the taste is the same, it is for fast food. But Chinese cuisine is particular about spirituality.
For example, the steamed buns you just ate were filled with beef, scallions, and salt. Nothing else. The skill lies in the choice of the meat, the position of the scallions, the amount of salt, the degree of fermentation of the noodles, the strength of the hand when rolling the skin, the drawer of the steamer, the amount of water, and the heat. "
Zhang Xiaobao talked a lot, mainly because they got along well with each other.
The other party was used to acting surprised, so he showed the same expression again and asked, "Can you be more specific?"
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head, "No, if there is an absolute ratio, it will become fast food again. I have to see the meat, scallions, and where the noodles are produced before I can mix them. When I am cooking, there can be people watching, but it can only be understood and not explained."
"I understand. It's a pity that you don't work as a professional chef. Alright, I'll remember the wonton recipe you mentioned earlier. When I meet you in the future, I'll treat you to it for free. I'll take my leave first."
Seeing that he had fallen behind the group, the man clamped his legs on the mule and sped up.
Zhang Xiaobao waved at him. After the man was far away, he took out his binoculars to look for the water cloud.
The water cloud was still slowly circling in the sky. Below him was Liu Feng's position. Zhang Xiaobao looked at the road and roughly estimated that Liu Feng had not left the main road yet. The speed of the horse was not fast.
Zhang Xiaobao picked up the water bag on the horse and rinsed his mouth. Then he began to think about other things.
From time to time, there would be people coming from the opposite side, but there was no group behind them. Obviously, the other caravans were different from the previous one. With so many goods on their backs, they could not catch up.
After walking for about half an hour, Zhang Xiaobao saw the team that had just passed by. The flag was very eye-catching. What made him puzzled was that not only did he see the team, but he also saw the target he was following, Liu Feng.
The group stopped. Some people were busy there, and Liu Feng was helping.
Zhang Xiaobao took out a mirror and looked at himself. After confirming that there was a big difference from when he met Liu Feng yesterday, he urged his horse forward.
The man who had eaten Zhang Xiaobao's steamed buns and several people in the group were using shovels to repair the road. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao found out what was on the carriage. The bags were filled with sand and stones.
There were several obvious potholes on the road. The people in the group first paved the sand and stones, and then rolled them with stones. Liu Feng held a long iron bar with a sharp tip at the bottom. From time to time, he would insert the tip into the ground where the stones had rolled over to see if the road was solid.
Seeing the people working, Zhang Xiaobao did not understand. Were they a caravan or a professional road repair team? Could it be that they could make a profit by carrying sand and stones on the carriage?
"Brother, you also came? Wait a moment, I'll finish right away. These potholes are easy to flatten. The worst thing is that after a heavy rain, we have to go back and forth a few times to transport enough sand and stones. "
The man who had eaten the steamed buns raised his head and greeted Zhang Xiaobao with a smile. He did not forget to complain about the damage of the road.
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