Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Zhang Yan had expected to see long queues, just like last night.

But there wasn't even a stall in front of us, let alone a long queue.

Are they sold out? Have they closed up shop?

Zhang Yan was completely dumbfounded, and a visible disappointment appeared on his face.

"Are you here looking for crystal xiaolongbao too? Don't bother waiting, Madam Shen probably won't be setting up her stall today." A nearby customer noticed Zhang Yan's dazed expression and couldn't help but remind him.

"Not setting up your stall today?" Zhang Yan's eyes widened even more.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened, it's really frustrating. I didn't get to eat crystal soup dumplings tonight, I'm so upset..."

The diner kept rambling on and on, but Zhang Yan couldn't listen to a word he said.

His mind was filled with thoughts about Shen Qing not setting up her stall.

Could it be because of the county magistrate?

The county magistrate issued an order today that all vendors who set up stalls at the ghost market are not allowed to set up stalls at the morning market.

The government can't control the ghost market, but it can control the morning market. Besides, there are more ordinary people at the morning market.

But the order had only been issued for half a day, so Lady Shen should not have known about it yet.

Besides, Madam Shen doesn't set up a stall at the morning market...

Zhang Yan's mind was filled with thoughts that he couldn't quite sort out.

My longing for crystal soup dumplings grew stronger, the wonderful taste still lingering in my mouth.

"Oh dear! I'm so hungry!" Zhang Yan sighed, a slight regret creeping in.

If I had known, I wouldn't have rushed to have Wang Yuan report the situation of the ghost market to the county magistrate.

......

Shen Qing slept comfortably in the mansion.

It wasn't that she intentionally made diners make a wasted trip; rather, her mind was entirely focused on preparing the food, and she didn't think about anything else.

She had a good night's sleep and woke up early the next day.

After tidying up, she opened the system's purchasing module.

The most important ingredient in braised pork ribs is, of course, the bones; the other ingredients are basically just seasonings.

The initial purchase limit of the system was still 200 portions, and Shen Qing did not hesitate to purchase the ingredients for 200 portions of braised pork ribs.

Before long, fresh bones were delivered to the door.

Old Chen, the gatekeeper, carried a pile of bones into the kitchen of the house with a puzzled look on his face. When Shen Qing arrived, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, are we going to finish all these pork bones?"

"This is for setting up a stall," Shen Qing said directly, without hiding anything.

Old Chen was stunned for a moment. What?

What did he hear? Setting up a stall? The host family is going to set up a stall?

Living in such a luxurious house, why would you set up a stall outside? Is it just for fun?

Old Chen felt his worldview shattered, but as a servant, he dared not ask any more questions and could only respectfully go to the gatehouse.

Okra, who was in charge of the kitchen, was equally shocked. Because of her young age, she asked without thinking, "Master, are you going to set up the stall yourself?"

"Hmm, is there a problem?" Shen Qing sensed Old Chen and Qiu Kui's attitude and was somewhat puzzled.

"No, no," Okra smiled awkwardly. "You must really enjoy setting up a stall."

She doesn't understand the lives of the wealthy; perhaps she's just setting up a stall for fun.

Living in such a large house and employing servants, how could they possibly be setting up a stall to make a living?

Besides, the host looks so delicate and fair-skinned; she doesn't look like someone who knows how to cook at all.

Shen Qing didn't say much. After all, her main reason for setting up a stall was to complete the system tasks and get rewards, which was ultimately for a better life in ancient times.

However, this is something that cannot be explained to others.

She examined the bones carefully; they were all large at both ends and small in the middle, and they were covered in blood, indicating they were very fresh.

These bones are the most delicious when cooked.

She poured the fresh bones directly into the cold water and instructed Okra, "These bones need to soak for two hours, and the water needs to be changed three or four times in between. Remember to change the water."

"Aren't you going to blanch it?"

"No need. Blanching will cause the meat flavor to be lost from the bones, while soaking them slowly in cold water can preserve the meat flavor and allow the blood to 'come out' on its own. Of course, this only applies to fresh bones."

Okra nodded blankly. She had only ever heard of blanching bones, but this was the first time she had ever heard of slowly soaking them in cold water.

I don't know if it's true or not?

As a servant, Okra didn't say much and just silently did as she was told.

After all, these are bones; they'd taste good even if you just threw them in a pot and boiled them.

Two hours later, Shen Qing saw that the blood had soaked in the water for a while, and then he started to stir-fry the sauce.

The most important thing about braised pork ribs is the savory flavor of the sauce.

Heat oil in a pan, add spices such as scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise, then add soybean paste. Stir-fry over low heat, and soon the whole kitchen will be filled with a rich aroma of soybean paste.

"It smells so good!" Okra couldn't help but exclaim.

Although I don't know what that dark thing is, it smells really good.

Soybean paste didn't exist in this era, so okra simply couldn't resist its rich, savory aroma.

Shila-

Put water into a pot, bring it to a boil, add the soaked bones, then add rock sugar, cooking wine and other seasonings, skim off the foam, and cover the pot.

"Keep an eye on the fire and simmer over low heat for an hour."

Okra nodded quickly, her nose filled with the aroma of soy sauce, and her mouth watered.

As time went on, the aroma of meat grew stronger, mingling with the previous savory sauce and filling the entire kitchen.

It even drifted far away and reached the next house.

Zhao Wan happened to be in the house next door.

Song Wenqian had lived in this house for a long time, and she felt it was unlucky. She had already sent people to clean it several times, and she also went to the street to buy some things to redecorate the house so that it wouldn't be so annoying to look at.

Just as she was directing her maids and servants to arrange things according to her wishes, a wonderful fragrance suddenly wafted into her nostrils.

It has a rich, warm aroma, mixed with the scent of meat, exuding an honest and unpretentious fragrance.

The fragrance is so enchanting that it makes you want to stop and linger.

"This taste..."

Zhao Wan couldn't control herself at all; her mouth was constantly drooling.

Looking around at the busy maids and servants, they all had expressions of enjoyment on their faces, carefully sniffing the scents.

"It smells so good!"

"It smells so good! What are they doing next door?"

"It's probably stewed meat, but other people's stewed meat doesn't smell this good."

"..."

Listening to the whispers of the maids and servants, Zhao Wan had to admit that the fragrance was indeed extraordinary.

Her family was wealthy, and meat was a staple food, so she wasn't tempted by it at all.

But today's meat smells different; anyone who smells it can't help but want to try it.

Zhao Wan swallowed hard, and her feet moved uncontrollably as she walked out of her own house and arrived at the door of the neighbor's house.

Without thinking too much, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

With a creak, Old Chen, the doorman, opened the door, looked Zhao Wan up and down, and asked, "Do you need to see our master?"