northernbook Chapter 130 Making Butter
Chapter 130 Making Butter
Above? Above that? Could it be...?
“You mean…” Song Jiaojiao pointed to the sky.
Liu Xuewen nodded.
No way! It's just as Song Jiaojiao thought. She never expected that this seemingly approachable young master had such a powerful backer.
"You can decide this, but if it's to be offered to the higher-ups, can we still sell it?" Song Jiaojiao thought that in TV dramas, items that are usually offered to the palace are probably not allowed to circulate among the common people!
"It's alright. He's a very generous person. How about this, we'll sell our half-days in Tongan County for now, and we'll talk about other places later," Liu Xuewen said after thinking for a moment.
"Then let's not teach them for now. It wouldn't be good if something unexpected happened. But there's something I need to make clear: pregnant women shouldn't touch this stuff. It contains hawthorn, which can easily cause a miscarriage." Song Jiaojiao thought about what would happen if some unlucky pregnant person drank it and then blamed her. She didn't want a good thing to turn into a bad one.
"I know what I'm doing and I'll give them a clear warning." Liu Xuewen nodded solemnly, knowing the methods those people above used.
"Drinking a little won't hurt, just try not to drink too much, since it's a cold drink and you shouldn't be greedy for temporary comfort," Song Jiaojiao explained, worried that she might have exaggerated the situation.
“Okay, I’ll have someone I trust come and learn from him later. This person has been by my side since childhood, so there won’t be any problems,” Liu Xuewen said.
"You can arrange it," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
That day, Song Jiaojiao taught Mu Qingxin recipes, but she didn't share all of them for the next day. Tomorrow, she planned to make plum juice, mung bean soup, and the grape jam she brought with her.
The next day, before dawn, Ban Ri Xian had already started preparations. Yesterday, Song Jiaojiao had already sent people to distribute advertising flyers. For the first three days after the new product was launched, all drinks in the shop would be 20% off. Early August is the hottest time of the year. After August, the lingering heat of late summer will arrive, and then the summer will officially end.
At the beginning of the Si hour, Ban Ri Xian officially opened the door, and many guests had already arrived outside, all of whom were discussing the matter.
"I've been really upset that Banrixian has been closed for the past two days. The other beverage shops can't compare to Banrixian at all."
"Exactly. Yesterday I saw that Banrixian wasn't open, so I went to the other side of the street. Goodness, the milk tea there was as bland as water, it had no flavor at all, and they didn't even have ice."
"That's right, that's right. Only Peach Blossom in town is somewhat similar, but they don't add ice there either. Adding ice costs extra, unlike Half-Day Leisure which is free."
"I wonder what new product Half-Day Leisure will release today, and whether it will taste good?"
"Whether it tastes good or not, you'll know once you try it, right? Oh, the door's open, come on in!"
……
Mu Qing saw a lot of customers standing in front of the store, smiled and told them about today's event time and new products, and then invited them into the store.
If it weren't for the help of the people Liu Xuewen brought, Mu Qing and the others probably wouldn't have been able to handle it at all. After drinking other beverages today, everyone has grown to love Banri Xianli's drinks even more.
Song Jiaojiao and Liu Xuewen watched the booming business in the shop from the backyard, smiling with satisfaction.
"Sister Song, this is what you mean by 'no comparison, no harm'," Liu Xuewen said, fanning himself with one hand and sipping his plum juice with the other.
“Yes, with reference points, we can understand which is better.” Song Jiaojiao said while eating the mung bean soup covered with toppings. On this day, a bowl of cold mung bean soup is really refreshing.
After this incident, the reputation of "Half a Day of Leisure" spread far and wide.
"Mom, you said you were going to make butter last time, is that done yet? Today is the second day already." Mu Qing reminded Song Jiaojiao early in the morning.
"Ah, right, I forgot again if you hadn't mentioned it." Song Jiaojiao patted her forehead in annoyance and hurriedly went to check the milk that she had sealed and put in the room last time.
She opened the bucket, and thankfully, there was no mold. Looking at the thick, yellowish-white substance on the surface, Song Jiaojiao knew that she had at least succeeded halfway this time.
She took a bucket and a spoon, scooped out the chewy bits from the top, and after the milk from the fifteen buckets had fermented, Song Jiaojiao carried the bucket to the kitchen to prepare to start making butter.
Pour the chewed parts from the bucket into a pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, and once it starts to release oil, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue boiling while stirring.
An hour passed, and the oil in the pot was ready. The oil residue was filtered off with cheesecloth, and the oil would solidify after cooling. It smelled different from lard, with a milky aroma. After chewing for most of the pot, only one basin of oil was produced, weighing about three pounds.
Song Jiaojiao didn't wait for the butter to cool down. She scooped a spoonful of butter and a spoonful of milk of the same size, poured them into a pot and boiled them. After boiling, she scooped them out and whisked them with a hand whisk for five minutes until the milk and butter were combined. She then sealed the pot and put it in the cellar. Whether the cream would be successful depended on tomorrow.
After the butter solidified, Song Jiaojiao divided it into six portions, wrapped them in oil paper, and stored them in the cellar.
Song Jiaojiao stared at the dozen or so buckets of yogurt-like milk left in the room, deep in thought. Logically speaking, this shouldn't be possible in our region; the air is too humid, and it would spoil in less than two days. But it was the hottest and driest time of summer, which was why she managed to succeed. Song Jiaojiao didn't know if the yogurt was safe to eat, but adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, she poured it all into a pot and simmered it over low heat until the protein separated. She then filtered out the water, leaving only the milk residue.
Add an appropriate amount of milk and sugar to the milk curds and continue to stir-fry until all the milk curds stick together and become smooth. Then, break the stir-fried milk curds into small pieces and put them in the sun to dry for two days. At this point, they will look a bit like milk curds.
After two days of sun exposure, Song Jiaojiao still hesitated to try the crispy milk curds. They didn't smell like milk, just a slightly sour milky smell. Just then, Liu Xuewen walked in, fanning himself.
"Sister Song, what are you doing?"
When Song Jiaojiao saw Liu Xuewen arrive, her eyes lit up instantly. Here comes the excellent experimentalist! Following the principle of "better to die than to die," Song Jiaojiao unceremoniously stuffed a milk curd into Liu Xuewen's mouth.
"Try it, this is my new product, how does it feel?" Song Jiaojiao stared intently at Liu Xuewen.
Caught off guard, Liu Xuewen instinctively began chewing.
"It's a bit sour, with a strong milky flavor, and very chewy. Sister Song, what is this? It didn't taste like much at first, but the more I ate, the more I wanted to eat."
“These are called milk bumps. Do you feel anything else besides these?” Song Jiaojiao stared at him without moving.
Liu Xuewen felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't feel anything else, so what?"
"Really not?" Song Jiaojiao asked again in disbelief.
"So should I feel something or not?" Liu Xuewen was completely baffled by Song Jiaojiao's expression.