Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 144 Uncle Li’s stall sells pork. The sun is hot, so hurry back.

Xiaoyu brought everyone to a stall selling pork. The pork on the stall was neatly arranged and brightly colored.

The stall owner was an older man who greeted them with a smile: "Xiaoyu, are you here to buy pork today?"

Xiaoyu smiled and replied, "Yes, Uncle Li, I want a piece of pork with both fat and lean meat, preferably the hind leg."

Uncle Li picked up the knife skillfully. The knife was as nimble as a fish in his hand. With a flash of cold light, he easily cut off a piece of pork.

The pork fell on the chopping board, red and white, the color was very beautiful, and the fat was slightly shining on the surface, as if exuding a sense of freshness.

Uncle Li then placed the piece of pork on the scale and weighed it. The weight collided with the scale bar, making a slight sound. After the scale bar stabilized, he looked at Xiaoyu with a smile and said, "Xiaoyu, what do you think of this piece?"

Xiaoyu hurried forward, staring at the piece of pork, and first carefully examined its appearance.

The texture of the pork is clear, the lean meat is a healthy light red color, and the fat is as white as jade, distributed just right between the lean meat, giving it a firm and delicate texture.

Then, Xiaoyu reached out and gently pinched the pork, feeling its elasticity and firmness.

The moment you press your finger, the pork sinks slightly and then bounces back quickly, indicating that the pork is very fresh and firm.

Xiaoyu showed a satisfied look on her face, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, Uncle Li, this is it. This piece of pork has the perfect ratio of fat to lean meat, perfect for making bacon."

"Look at this lean meat, the texture is so regular. The spices must have seeped into it when it was marinated, and it's going to taste really rich. And this fat is crystal clear. Once it's made into bacon, dried in the sun, and steamed or stir-fried, it's going to be so juicy and fragrant."

After hearing Xiaoyu's praise, Uncle Li's smile grew even brighter, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Haha, Xiaoyu, your taste is still as good as ever."

"The pork we buy every day is carefully selected, just to satisfy you, our regular customers. Take it back and make bacon. When it's ready, you have to let me taste it too."

Xiaoyu smiled and replied, "Of course, Uncle Li, don't worry. When the bacon is ready, I'll send some over for you to try. I guarantee you'll be delighted."

Other customers who came to buy meat heard their conversation and gathered around, looking at the piece of pork curiously and talking about it.

An older woman came over, pinched the pork, and said, "Wow, this pork really looks good. No wonder Xiaoyu picked it. I was also thinking of buying some pork to make some pickled meat. I guess I need to learn how to choose from you."

Xiaoyu responded enthusiastically, "Auntie, when choosing pork for pickling, you have to choose the kind that's fat and lean, with firm and elastic texture. Look at the surface, it's shiny and bloodless, that's fresh meat. And if you pinch it like I did just now, if it bounces back, it's definitely good."

After hearing Xiaoyu's words, everyone nodded repeatedly. Several young wives also listened carefully and discussed in a low voice how to pick meat according to the instructions when they returned home.

Yu Yu, Li Hao and others stood aside, looking at the pork that Xiao Yu had picked, and they were full of anticipation.

Yuyu jumped up and down and said, "Mom, this piece of pork looks delicious. Let's go back and make bacon. I can't wait to taste it."

Li Hao also agreed: "Yes, mother, I feel that we can make a lot of delicious cured meats this winter, with cured fish, dried fish, and this bacon, it will definitely be a feast."

Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao looked at the lively scene and smiled at each other. Cheng Chumo smiled and said, "Xiaoyu's ability to choose meat is obvious to be an expert. I guess this bacon will taste good."

Qin Huaidao also nodded in agreement, "That's right, let's wait and eat this delicious bacon."

Yu Yu's family was about to leave after buying pork at the market.

Turning around inadvertently, I saw the child who had just received antipyretic medicine from Yu Yu's family to reduce his fever, standing not far away and watching them quietly.

The child's eyes were clear and held a hint of reluctance, while the woman's eyes were full of gratitude and warmth.

Li Hao smiled and waved at them, saying loudly, "Go back."

The woman nodded slightly and responded softly: "Okay, you can go back too."

Yu Yu and her family walked farther and farther away. Every few steps, Yu Yu looked back and saw that the mother and son were still standing there.

Only after Yu Yu's family completely disappeared around the corner of the street did the woman take her child's hand and slowly walk in the opposite direction.

Yuyu held Xiaoyu's hand, her eyes full of emotion: "Mom, do you know? When I turned around just now, I saw they were still there."

"I really didn't expect that they waited so long just to see us leave."

She tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Why did they wait so long?"

Xiaoyu looked into the distance and said slowly, "Maybe it's because we helped them, so they feel very grateful."

Yuyu frowned and said, "That's right, these pork bacon will need a lot of salt when we take it back."

Xiaoyu nodded in agreement: "Yes, this is a big portion. We need to prepare more salt, otherwise it will be wasted if the curing is not good."

Li Hao raised his eyebrows and said, "It's not that difficult. Let's just go buy some more salt. We can't let this good pork go bad."

Cheng Chumo patted Li Hao's shoulder and said, "That's right, but you have to control the amount of salt. Too much will make it too salty, and too little will make the meat spoil easily."

Qin Huaidao smiled and said, "Haha, leave it to me. I've learned a few tricks from watching people make preserved food at home."

Yu Yu fanned herself with her hands and squinted at the sky: "The sun is getting hot now, let's go back quickly." As she spoke, she pulled the clothes that had slipped off her shoulders.

Xiaoyu nodded quickly, reached out to tuck her sweat-soaked hair behind her ears, and quickly followed Yuyu: "Yeah, the sun is getting more and more scorching, let's go."

Li Hao lifted the pork in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and strode forward: "Then we have to hurry up, don't let the pork go bad on the way."

Cheng Chumo unbuttoned his collar, quickened his pace, and shouted as he ran, "Yes, don't dawdle, it's unbearably hot out there."

Qin Huaidao took off his coat, put it on his shoulders, and urged everyone: "Hurry up, if we go back too late, we will all be sunburned."

Yu Yu and others hurried back to Zuixianlou. As soon as they reached the door, the Husky and the local dog ran out happily.

They wagged their tails and jumped around the crowd, as if welcoming everyone back.