Border Cook

Chapter 85 Ice powder
Zhou was of a gentle nature, efficient, diligent and clean in her work. Her parents-in-law were also very sensible people. After trying her out for a day, Xia Mingyue felt that Zhou picked up the skills quickly, so she kept her. She started with a monthly salary of 400 wen, which increased to 500 wen after a month, and then made up the difference of 100 wen from the first month.

Zhou was very happy with the amount of wages and worked very hard. He came early in the morning before dawn every day and left in the evening when it was dark.

Xia Mingyue was also quite satisfied with Zhou.

At the end of the dog days, Xia Mingyue planted cabbage seeds.

The radish and mustard seeds planted earlier have begun to sprout and grow into tender seedlings.

Xia Mingyue thinned out the densely growing seedlings, and did not waste them. She just picked out the roots, washed them clean, and mixed them with onions, garlic and chili oil to make a crisp and refreshing side dish.

Have a plate of this dish in the morning or while drinking porridge at night. It is refreshing and has a special flavor in this hot summer day.

When the radish and mustard seedlings were almost finished, He Shunzi came.

Brought a small basket of false nightshade seeds.

The seeds of Physalis are small, and He Shunzi was afraid that they would be exposed, so he put a cloth bag inside.

Xia Mingyue looked at the pile of small brown particles, her eyes lit up like little stars, "Please trouble you, Brother He."

As he spoke, Xia Mingyue wanted to pay.

And he took out a little more money than he had originally intended to give.

The seeds of the false nightshade were much more difficult to obtain than she had imagined, and the price had to be commensurate with the work put in.

"Ms. Xia, you're welcome."

Facing the money given by Xia Mingyue, He Shunzi repeatedly declined, "I won't accept this money, but I would like to ask for some food made from these little lanterns from you, Madam Xia. I wonder if Madam Xia agrees?"

"No problem." Xia Mingyue agreed readily, "But the food needs to be hung on the ice in the well for a long time. Brother He can get it early tomorrow morning. Bring a clay pot with you and I will fill it up for you."

"okay."

He Shunzi agreed and drove away in the ox cart.

And Xia Mingyue started to get busy.

First, pass it through a sieve to remove other debris, then quickly rinse the false nightshade seeds with water to wash off the dust on the surface, then put them in a cloth bag, soak them in boiled water for a cup of tea, and then you can start making ice powder.

The force should be even when rubbing, and don't be impatient. You need to hold the cloth bag slowly and rub out all the gum in the false nightshade seeds as much as possible.

As Xia Mingyue continued to rub her hands, the water in the basin began to become viscous and produced a large number of small and dense bubbles. The longer she rubbed her hands, the thicker the water became and the more bubbles she produced.

Xia Mingyue didn't stop until she felt that the Physalis seeds in the cloth bag were no longer sticky. She then passed the ice powder in the basin through a sieve to filter out the impurities that had escaped the net and the Physalis seeds that had escaped from the cloth bag.

Add a little clear quicklime water, stir evenly, pour into a clay jar and hang it into the well to achieve a refrigeration effect.

After dinner in the evening, Xia Mingyue took the earthen jar out.

Scoop it up with a large iron spoon and use it to simply cut it into small pieces, pour on the brown sugar juice that had been boiled in the afternoon and cooled, sprinkle with some crushed peanuts and white sesame seeds, and Xia Mingyue also specially cut a little watermelon that she bought from the farmer in the afternoon.

After it was done, Xia Mingyue specially invited the Lu family of three to come and taste it.

The ice jelly is translucent, and with the embellishment of brown sugar water and watermelon, it is pleasing to the eye and beautiful even under the moonlight.

It has a chewy and smooth texture, is icy, sweet and refreshing, and the aroma of crushed peanuts and white sesame seeds makes the aftertaste rich, while the sweetness of the watermelon adds a refreshing feeling.

After taking a sip, it feels like it is no longer summer, but a cool and comfortable autumn. You don’t even need to spread out a mat when sleeping at night.

"This is as delicious as cold shrimp!" Everyone exclaimed, and half a bowl of ice jelly had already been swallowed while they were talking.

Seeing that the earthenware jar was now empty, everyone slowed down the pace of eating the ice jelly, trying to enjoy this rare delicacy for as long as possible.

"Sister-in-law, what is this food called?" asked Mrs. Lu.

"It's called ice jelly." Xia Mingyue replied and put a spoonful of ice jelly into her mouth.

Ok……

Excellent enjoyment!

Xia Mingyue even narrowed her eyes.

"Ice jelly?" Jiang Zhuguo murmured, "It's as transparent as ice, and has the same texture as jelly. It tastes cool and delicious, and it's very refreshing. It really should be called ice jelly."

Zhao Dahu and Zhao Erhu didn't say anything.

First, the two of them didn't care what such delicious food was called.

The second reason was that at this moment, in order to eat the ice jelly as slowly as possible, the two of them only put a spoonful of ice jelly in their mouths and could not open their mouths at all.

Seeing that the two of them were like squirrels with puffed cheeks, Xia Mingyue couldn't help laughing, "Eat now, I'll make some more later, two bowls per person tomorrow!"

There are still so many false nightshade seeds. If I just make them for myself and eat them without selling them, they will definitely be enough for me to eat for a while.

Although Xia Mingyue originally planned to sell ice jelly, it is not as easy to collect the false nightshade seeds as it is now, so she had to give up the idea for the time being.

With Xia Mingyue's promise, Zhao Dahu and Zhao Erhu swallowed all the ice jelly in their mouths.

But the rest still ate slowly.

After all, even if I can eat two bowls of ice jelly tomorrow, that’s tomorrow’s, and I have to wait a whole night.

It’s been too long!
Or maybe you should just enjoy it for a while now...

Looking at a group of people enjoying the cool air and eating ice jelly in the yard, Wu Jin blew out a breath through his nose, raising the dust on the ground.

Why can't dogs eat many things that humans eat?

Dog life is boring!
Taking advantage of the bright moonlight, Xia Mingyue rubbed out a lot of ice jelly.

With the experience gained in the afternoon, Xia Mingyue was familiar with making ice jelly this time.

Pinch powder, chill, boil syrup...

The next morning when He Shunzi came with the clay pot, Xia Mingyue had already prepared everything. She simply filled it with ice jelly, poured syrup, and added the ingredients.

In addition to the earthenware jar that she took away, Xia Mingyue also served an extra bowl to He Shunzi so that he could taste it.

He Shunzi's eyes lit up after taking a bite, "This ice jelly made by Madam Xia is really delicious!"

And it’s very rare!
Thinking that the ice jelly was very cold and could not be left on the ox cart for too long, He Shunzi finished the ice jelly in the bowl in a few bites and hurriedly drove the ox cart to Dexinyuan.

Jin Bao at the corner gate was very happy when he saw He Shunzi bringing food again, "After all, Brother Shunzi is thinking about us."

"Of course, I appreciate your care, and it's my due." He Shunzi smiled. "This is freshly made ice jelly, it's cool and refreshing, and it's great for cooling off. I've asked for a big earthenware jar, and I'll give some to Steward Fu and the people in the kitchen, and you can divide the rest among yourselves."

　Physalis seeds are native to South America and were later introduced into China. They are now found in many provinces. The time of introduction is not considered here. They bloom in summer and the seeds begin to mature in August. Physalis seeds can be used to make ice jelly, a summer heat-relief tool. There are some discrepancies in the time written here, but it is necessary for the plot. Don't be picky.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)