"Peppercorns," Su Xi nodded, confirming his suspicion.
Speaking of these peppercorns.
Su Ting felt a pang of heartache—just a small amount cost dozens of copper coins.
His distress was reflected in his expression.
Seeing him like this, Su Xi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. She picked up a piece of sparerib with her chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, saying helplessly, "Peppercorns are indeed a bit expensive."
In ancient times, the main production areas for peppercorns were in Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the overall output was not very high, which led to their relatively high price.
"But the peppercorn salt spareribs made with peppercorns are quite delicious," Su Xi said with a light laugh.
Impartially.
She stuffed one piece into Su Ting's mouth and also gave one to Su Cheng.
Su Ting wanted to continue discussing the price of peppercorns.
But as soon as the peppercorn salt sparerib entered his mouth, he had no time at all to talk about peppercorns.
Biting through the crispy fried crust of the sparerib, the meat inside was tender and juicy, bursting with flavor in a single bite. The rich spareribs, fried at high temperature, were oily and smooth, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
As for the peppercorns he had been "brooding over," while chewing, the slight numbing sensation of the peppercorns contrasted with the savory saltiness of the peppercorn salt. The peppery numbness made his tongue feel as if it were dancing, and the granular texture of the coarse salt sprinkled throughout was just right.
Su Ting felt that with every bite, he could taste distinct layers of flavor—first the charred aroma, then the savory sweetness in the middle, and finally the salty spiciness.
Unconsciously, he had already finished the large piece of sparerib in his hand, leaving only a bare bone.
He instinctively licked his lips and then looked at Su Cheng.
He saw that Su Cheng had also finished a piece of sparerib at some point and was now staring wide-eyed at the large pot of peppercorn salt spareribs.
Seeing the cleanly gnawed bones in their hands, Su Xi smiled, raised an eyebrow, and asked him, "How is the taste of the peppercorns?"
The more confident he had been earlier, the more awkward he felt now.
"…" Su Ting, holding the sparerib bone, felt somewhat embarrassed, his ears slightly reddening as he honestly nodded. "The peppercorns taste very good and surprisingly pair well with coarse salt."
This was truly something unexpected for him.
He had never imagined that coarse salt, after being soaked in water, filtered with plant ash, dried, and then ground in a mortar, would turn into fine salt. Even less had he expected that the processed coarse salt would pair so perfectly with peppercorns.
The numbing, peppery, salty, and savory flavors they presented together were truly mouthwatering.
Su Xi didn't seem surprised by his opinion. She listened to him with a smile and then spoke.
"Actually, peppercorns can not only be paired with peppercorn salt to make peppercorn salt seasoning but can also be ground together with ginger, star anise, and cinnamon to make five-spice powder."
For example, the "spicy and numbing" flavor widely favored in later generations originally referred to the numbing sensation from peppercorns.
"Peppercorn salt powder can be used to make peppercorn salt spareribs or peppercorn salt prawns. Five-spice powder can be used as braising spices to make braised pork or to prepare peppercorn soup. In short, peppercorns have many uses," Su Xi listed some examples for him.
From her few words, Su Ting seemed to think of something.
So he asked, "Sister, are you thinking of…?"
"Growing peppercorns," Su Xi said with a bright smile, then pointed to the large plot of land behind the main hall. "I plan to buy that piece of land and grow crops there in the future!"
She had expected her proposal to be met with opposition or skepticism.
But instead.
It was neither opposition nor skepticism, but rather surprise.
Su Ting asked "strangely," "Sister, that's our land, why do we still need to buy it?"
Su Xi was taken aback.
?
What's going on?
Wasn't this supposed to be a difficult start? When did we have a piece of land??? And such a large one at that?
…
With the matter of having land weighing on her mind, Su Xi was somewhat distracted even while eating the spareribs seasoned with pepper and salt.
It wasn't until Su Ting explained the situation clearly that she finally understood the specifics about that piece of land.
"That land was allocated by the village head before." Su Ting seemed reluctant to elaborate on what happened during the land distribution, keeping his words brief. After a pause, he continued, "But the land allocated to us is right up against the mountains, where crops don't grow well. I'm not sure if it's suitable for planting Sichuan peppercorns."
Su Ting was somewhat worried.
Upon hearing this, Su Xi didn't need to ask to understand.
The allocated land was likely originally barren land in the village, which is why crops couldn't thrive.
However, barren land being unsuitable for crops might be a problem for others, but for her…
It probably wasn't an issue.
"Let's go take a look at the land tomorrow when we return, and if it's not suitable, we'll figure something else out." Su Xi didn't make any definitive promises.
Only then did Su Ting agree.
The next day.
As usual, a line formed in front of the small stall at the corner near Zhouqiao by the east gate of Bianjing City.
Bored while waiting, a customer teased Su Cheng, who was sitting nearby, asking him about the prices.
"Jianbing Guazi comes in three wen, five wen, and eight wen," Su Cheng said, shaking his head and gesturing with different fingers. He didn't forget to add, "Different prices, but the same taste and service. Would you like one, sir?"
The customer was amused by his manner and said to Su Xi, who was busy flipping the pancakes, "The young master is quite business-savvy, just like the proprietress. He knows how to do business."
Su Xi glanced at Su Cheng out of the corner of her eye.
"What's business-savvy?" Su Cheng blinked his round eyes and tilted his head to ask.
The customer was momentarily stumped by his question, unsure how to explain.
Su Ting, who was busy keeping accounts on the other side, noticed the situation and turned to him, saying, "It means someone is particularly skilled and full of ideas when it comes to doing business."
"Then A-Cheng is a business-savvy person!" Su Cheng eagerly accepted the explanation upon hearing it.
Su Ting paused but didn't agree, only saying to him, "Then recite the first two chapters of 'Arithmetic' when we get back later."
Su Cheng:…
He didn't respond, just silently turned his head away.
Seeing this, the customer smiled at Su Xi and said, "Both young masters are quite interesting." As he spoke, his eyes never left Su Ting.
Su Xi looked up just in time to see this.
"Miss Su," the man withdrew his gaze and then asked, "The eldest young master is exceptionally intelligent, upright, and diligent in his studies. With a few more years of hard work, he is sure to achieve great things."
"If financial constraints prevent him from pursuing his education, I have some modest resources and could offer assistance."
He didn't spell it out explicitly, but some things are best left implied.
Su Ting paused in his accounting.
"No need," Su Xi smiled gently, looking at Su Ting as she said, "He'll be returning to his studies soon."
The person who brought up the matter breathed a sigh of relief while also feeling admiration for the young woman before him.
"As long as Miss doesn't mind my meddling."
Su Xi did not think this person was meddlesome; it was quite evident that the man before her wore a plain-colored robe, with scrolls hidden in his sleeves—a classic image of a scholar.
Since he was a scholar, wasn’t it perfectly normal for him to encourage learning?
“It’s fine,” Su Xi chuckled softly, then deftly wrapped up his Jianbing Guazi and handed it over.
He gave a slight nod, accepted the Jianbing Guazi, and turned to leave.
After walking nearly to the end of the street and crossing an intersection, he arrived at a carriage parked there.
A servant standing in front of the carriage hurried forward upon seeing his return and said to him, “Young master, there is a visitor at the residence.”
The man was taken aback.
A visitor so early in the morning?