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Xiao Lihua often cooked Tea Eggs and frequently made Pickled Eggs herself. She was very good at it, even better than those bought outside. Sometimes when there were no groceries at home, she could make a meal with Pickled Vegetables and eggs, saving quite a bit of money. She didn't expect that Xie Youshun and Stone and Wood had never heard of this. It was one thing for the two kids not to know, but how could Xie Youshun not know? If such things were sold, they would be available on the streets, right? Had he really never eaten or even heard of them?
Xiao Lihua explained that they were eggs boiled with tea leaves.
Xie Youshun asked, "Tea leaves can be used to boil eggs? Is it tasty?"
Xiao Lihua replied, "Of course it's delicious! Eggs can be pickled to enhance their flavor; why can't they be boiled?"
"Pickled eggs? How do you pickle them?" Xie Youshun inquired. Xiao Lihua was genuinely surprised. Could it be that he didn't know what Pickled Eggs were? Was there a different term for Pickled Eggs in this world? But she had mentioned enhancing flavor, so Xie Youshun should have understood what she meant. Could it really be possible that he had never encountered Pickled Eggs?
Xiao Lihua briefly explained to Xie Youshun, but he truly had never eaten or seen them before, nor had he ever heard of them. He only knew that eggs could be boiled, fried, made into soup, or mixed into fillings, but he had no idea that eggs could be pickled. Xiao Lihua thought about what kind of time and space this was; they had all the essentials like oil, salt, Soy Sauce, and vinegar—how could there be no Pickled Eggs? It should be a very simple way to prepare eggs. If he claimed not to know how to make Salted Eggs, she might believe him; after all, novels often mentioned people getting rich from Salted Eggs. Yet here, even the simplest Pickled Eggs had not appeared.
Xiao Lihua wondered if she was just too lucky. Could her path to prosperity rely on this little egg? Oh, any egg would do—duck eggs, goose eggs—any kind of egg was fine. Even if Tea Eggs were easy for others to learn, there were still Salted Eggs. She thought maybe this was a benefit of being a time traveler. While others traveled to places where they didn't recognize potatoes or sweet potatoes, she had ended up in a time where no one knew about Pickled Eggs.
Thinking about this made Xiao Lihua unable to suppress her joy.
"Since you haven't eaten them before, I'll make some Pickled Eggs for you! I'll also make Tea Eggs; I have many different recipes! You’ll get to eat your fill!"
In her excitement, Xiao Lihua picked up Little Wood and thought about showing others what she made once it was done to see if there really were no methods for making them. If there truly weren't any, she could profit from this.
When Stone and Wood heard they could eat delicious food, they were all very happy. They knew their mother cooked well. Xie Youshun smiled silently as he saw his wife and children happy; he thought they should eat more eggs since they were all quite thin.
There are several methods for making Pickled Eggs; the simplest is naturally salting them. Xiao Lihua didn’t pickle too many; she took a jar used for Pickled Vegetables and removed the vegetables inside. Then she placed fifteen eggs inside the jar. Unfortunately, there weren’t many eggs left at home, so she could only pickle these for now. After placing the jar properly, she told the two kids not to touch it and that they would have to wait a few days before eating it; by then, the yolks would ooze out oil. Not only were the two kids craving it, but she was also feeling hungry.
"Mother will make you all Tea Egg to eat."
Xiao Lihua saw the two children staring at the jar and said to them, as she couldn't bear to see them go hungry.
There were six eggs left, and Xiao Lihua found some tea leaves. In fact, good tea leaves are naturally better for making Tea Egg, but since there were no good tea leaves, ordinary ones would suffice. There was no need to be so particular at home. She added sugar, salt, and various spices. Although not all the ingredients were available, she was sure she could still make Tea Egg. The only thing left was time.
When the Tea Egg was ready, it was also time for dinner. The aroma filled the yard, and the two children squatted nearby, waiting. Xiao Lihua didn't mind them; she stewed some Cabbage Vermicelli and simmered Bone Broth, then made a few flatbreads before starting the meal.
Xie Youshun looked at the Tea Egg with curiosity. He had never known that eggs could be cooked in such a way. Remembering the previous good fortune with Pickled Egg, he thought his wife knew quite a bit. After waiting for one Tea Egg, he found it quite delicious. When Xiao Lihua saw he finished one, she gave him another. Seeing that the two children were almost done, she divided another one for them, leaving one for herself. Tasting it, she thought it was really quite good. Despite the lack of ingredients, it tasted so good because the eggs were from Free-range Chicken, after all, not from chickens raised on feed but those that grew up eating wild vegetables.
"Youshun, have you never seen this kind of egg preparation? Not even once? You've been to many places; have you ever seen anyone eat such eggs in those big restaurants?" Xiao Lihua asked Xie Youshun.
Xie Youshun shook his head and said, "I've never heard of eggs being pickled or cooked with tea leaves like this. If what you say is true and it can preserve the eggs for a long time while tasting this good, many people would surely do it. I know about dishes in restaurants but didn't know about this one. Wife, where did you learn this?"
"I learned it from an old lady before; at that time, I didn't think much of it and thought only our family couldn't make it. Turns out even you didn't know. You don't think this is a Secret Recipe, do you?"
Xiao Lihua explained while creating an imaginary old lady.
Xie Youshun listened without suspicion and said, "I'll inquire more about it later; but it seems like a Secret Recipe."
"Can we use this to make money?" Xiao Lihua asked.
Xie Youshun pondered for a moment and said, "I think we should sell it to restaurants or wealthy families. If this really is a Secret Recipe, we could definitely make money; but we're just common folks and can't keep it safe." He then told Xiao Lihua about a family that had a brewing recipe; they ran a small business but suddenly got killed by wolves, and soon after that type of liquor started selling in big wineries under a different name.
Xiao Lihua was startled and thought that there were injustices everywhere; without power, even treasures could not be kept safe.
"Then let's sell the methods for Pickled Egg and Tea Egg to earn some Silver," Xiao Lihua suggested. She did not mention Salted Egg, thinking that since someone was after the Secret Recipe, it might come in handy in critical situations in the future. At the same time, she considered that if she had other ways to make money, she would need to collaborate with others. She didn't feel too discouraged; partnering with someone would make things easier and still bring in money. As long as they didn't choose a bad partner, it would be a guaranteed profitable business, and they could become wealthy together.
Xie Youshun nodded, but he hadn't figured out who to sell the recipe to yet and needed to think it over.
However, the whole family was very happy. They enjoyed a delicious meal, their bellies full, and they had found a way to make money. It was easy to imagine that for at least this year, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
The next morning, after breakfast, the family locked the door, took some belongings, and then headed to Xiao Lihua's family home.
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