Song Shixue stared at the translucent, white liangpi (cold skin noodles) sizzling in the flat pan and swallowed hard. "Elder Sister, how many sheets are we making?"
Song Jinzhao peeled off a bubbling sheet, brushed it with oil, and laid it aside to cool. "Soon, it'll be ready in a moment."
Setting up a stall at the docks wouldn't be enough with just medicinal drinks; they needed a staple food too.
After much thought, she decided selling liangpi and cold noodles would be simplest.
As the weather grew hotter, the dockworkers unloading cargo would be drenched in sweat. Something spicy, sour, and refreshing would cut through the grease best. Pair that with a cup of iced tea, and it would be incredibly satisfying.
After finishing the batter, Song Jinzhao first mixed a bowl of liangpi and handed it to Song Shixue. "Try it. How does it taste?"
The pure white, translucent noodles were coated in a red chili oil and dotted with crisp green cucumber shreds, looking immensely appetizing and making one's mouth water.
The moment it entered her mouth, the sour and spicy flavors exploded on her tongue, shooting from her throat up to her ears. The refreshing crunch of the cucumber held the vinegar's tang in her mouth, making her fingers itch to eat more.
Song Shixue nodded in praise while stuffing liangpi and peanuts into her mouth. "Delicious, really delicious."
Curious, Song Anhao, who was sprawled on the bamboo mat, pawed at her bowl, his chubby little mouth open, a tiny tongue visible.
Song Jinzhao held him back by his arms, keeping him at a distance. "You can't have this."
He didn't have enough teeth yet to chew it.
"Eee-ya, eee-ya—" Seeing the delicious food moving further away, Song Anhao wriggled and struggled in Song Jinzhao's arms with all four limbs.
Song Shixue put down her bowl and chopsticks and brought over the steamed egg yolk custard that was being kept warm in the pot.
The little rascal's attention was immediately captured by the custard, and he opened his mouth wide to be fed.
"Give him to me. You finish the liangpi in your bowl." Song Jinzhao took the bowl and began feeding him spoonful by spoonful.
After finishing her meal, Song Shixue came over to take over.
Song Jinzhao took a bite of the liangpi. It still tasted the same as before.
Back in university, there was a noodle shop near campus. During her freshman year, the owner had to go back to his hometown for a week due to a family matter. Not wanting to close the shop, he asked Song Jinzhao to look after it.
Since she was on good terms with the owner, she didn't ask about the wages. Unexpectedly, when he returned a week later, he only gave her one hundred yuan.
Too embarrassed to argue, Song Jinzhao took the money and left. Fortunately, she had at least learned how to make liangpi and cold noodles; otherwise, it would have been free labor.
"The well water isn't cold enough. It loses its chill soon after being drawn. It would be much better if we could add some ice cubes."
Dark purple dried plums floated in the bowl. She had added licorice root and hawthorn while brewing it, but drinking it at room temperature made the flavor much less impressive.
Song Shixue used a handkerchief to wipe the egg custard from Song Anhao's mouth. "How could there possibly be ice at this time of year? It's already very tasty as it is."
Song Jinzhao took another sip. The taste still wasn't right.
The weather wasn't that hot yet. When true summer arrived, transporting it from home to Xining City would turn even cold water lukewarm.
High temperatures also meant the liangpi and cold noodles would spoil easily. She needed to figure out a way to get ice.
She found time to inquire at Shi You Ji (Food Friend's Record). A restaurant would surely use ice in the summer.
"Summer hasn't arrived yet, Miss Song. What do you need ice for?" Manager Li asked, puzzled.
Ice was expensive. Even wealthy families with ice cellars used it sparingly.
Instead of saying she wanted to sell cooling medicinal drinks at the docks, Song Jinzhao made an excuse: "The weather is getting hotter. I'm thinking of setting up a stall in the city to sell mung bean porridge. Adding some ice would help keep it from spoiling."
Manager Li's mouth twitched, and he stared at her as if she were a fool.
Did she think summer ice was like winter ice, easily found everywhere in the river?
"Ice costs five wen per jin. Miss Song, how much would you have to charge for a bowl of mung bean porridge just to cover the cost?"
Song Jinzhao's pupils contracted sharply, and her eyebrows shot up. "What did you say? Five wen per jin!"
Manager Li nodded emphatically. "One ice brick, thirty jin, costs one hundred and fifty wen. It's stored in ice cellars in winter and only taken out for use during the hottest days of summer."
"The restaurant's ice cellar cannot be opened without the owner's order. In Xining City, only our restaurant and Tingyun Lou use ice in the summer. We barely have enough for ourselves, let alone enough to sell to others."
Walking along the street, Song Jinzhao lowered her head in thought.
She had been mistaken. This place didn't even have fireworks, so why would anyone think of using saltpeter to make ice?
Storing winter ice for summer use would inevitably make the price exorbitant.
She stopped in her tracks. But since there were neither fireworks nor gunpowder here, where could she get saltpeter?
The frost-like substance on old latrine walls could be used to produce saltpeter, but that required walls a century old. There probably weren't more than a few such places in all of Xining City.
She certainly couldn't go around wealthy households' latrines with a bowl, scraping the wall frost.
Remembering that saltpeter could be used in medicine, she decided to ask at medical clinics first.
After visiting four clinics, all said they didn't have any. The physicians here weren't in the habit of using saltpeter in medicine.
Seeing Song Jinzhao staring towards the back mountain after returning home, Song Shixue thought she wanted to go up.
"Elder Sister, if you're going to gather herbs on the mountain, can you take me with you?"
She was worried and wanted to accompany her.
Song Jinzhao pulled her gaze back. "Wait until Elder Sister has scouted out the mountain's situation properly before taking you. I need to make sure the wild beasts have retreated deep into the mountains."
Just now, she wasn't thinking about gathering herbs, but about entering the mountains to find caves inhabited by bats and birds. There might be saltpeter there.
When Song Qiming returned in the evening and saw Song Jinzhao sharpening arrowheads and a dagger on a stone, he put down his book bag and quietly asked Song Shixue, "Is Elder Sister going up the mountain?"
Song Shixue nodded. "Elder Sister says she needs to assess the situation in the mountains. We can't avoid going up forever just because we're afraid."
Song Qiming walked to the water vat to scoop water and wash his hands. Most of the family's money came from Elder Sister's hunting.
Relying solely on the grain from the fields, buying even a piece of clothing would be difficult.
Not to mention the dozen or so taels of silver it cost for him to attend the private school each year.
At the dinner table, Song Jinzhao said to the two of them, "I plan to go into the mountains in a couple of days. I might not be back for four or five days. I'll ask Granny to come stay and look after you."
The outer peaks certainly wouldn't have limestone caves. She would have to go deep into the heart of the mountains.
Song Shixue and Song Qiming were stunned.
"Why so long?" Song Shixue's voice held a slight tremble, her heart uneasy.
Song Qiming asked, "Going to North Mountain, one can return in a day. Where is Elder Sister going?"
The mountain range behind the village stretched on endlessly. To truly explore it all would take half a month.
Song Jinzhao put down her chopsticks to reassure them. "Don't worry. I won't be hunting this time. Even if I encounter jackals, wolves, tigers, or leopards, I'll avoid them and not provoke a conflict."
Song Shixue blinked rapidly a few times. "Elder Sister isn't going into the mountains to gather herbs?"
Song Jinzhao nodded. "I'm going to find something that can turn water into ice. Ice in the city is too expensive; buying it for chilling drinks is really not cost-effective. So, I want to make it myself."
Song Qiming frowned slightly, confused. "What thing can turn water into ice?"
Apart from water freezing in winter, what other method was there?
Song Jinzhao focused, speaking seriously. "You'll know when I bring it back. You must not tell anyone about this, not even Grandfather."
"If anyone asks, say I went into the mountains to hunt and gather herbs."
Once the method of making ice with saltpeter became known to others, ice would become dirt cheap, and what she wanted to sell would lose its advantage.
Seeing her solemn expression, Song Qiming and Song Shixue nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Elder Sister. We won't tell a soul."
