"Guys, I've cooked some shrimp and crab porridge. Let's have some as a midnight snack to keep out the cold."
The door was opened, and Zhang Siqiao walked in carrying a casserole. The hot white porridge inside was steaming, and the aroma suddenly hit his nostrils.
"Sister, where did you learn this craft? The building probably won't teach you this, right?"
Zhang Sihai also knew what his sister was thinking. Instead of avoiding talking about the time in Yihong Building, he might as well put it on the table openly.
"This is much more delicious than what you cooked for me when I was little!"
Zhang Siqiao was indeed not annoyed. She kicked Zhang Sihai angrily, then pulled out a chair and sat next to a few people: "This is indeed a craft learned in Yihong Tower. There is a story behind it."
"story!"
Mao Mao finally got interested and quickly opened his eyes: "What story is it? The female ghost in Yihong Mansion? Or the scholar who is obsessed with it?"
Zhang Siqiao smiled and started talking while sharing the porridge with everyone.
————————
When I entered Hailou, I was still very young.
Girls who have just entered the building are not allowed to be on the stage. They must first take classes with other sisters, take care of their makeup, and learn a few things from them.
The girls who teach us are our sisters. Every sister has been a sister, and will always teach them the secret to living more comfortably in the building.
At that time, my sister taught me a lot of things and treated me well. She taught me how to play the piano, how to look at men, how to persuade people to drink, and how to choose makeup.
These are things that all sisters need to learn, but there is one thing that I have never seen other sisters teach their younger sisters.
"At this time, add the shredded ginger. It needs to be thin. The porridge needs to be hot enough to put it in. The ginger flavor is not produced by stewing it, but by blanching it. If the temperature is not enough when it is put into the pot, it will never be enough."
When she was saying these words to me, she took off her gauze and skirt, and leaned against the stove in the kitchen wearing cloth clothes.
I helped my sister prepare the powder. She showed off all day, but finally took off the powder and taught me how to make porridge.
"Sister, why are you making porridge?"
Now that I think about it, my question is indeed naive, but I am also really curious about the path behind it.
After hearing this, my sister looked at me with some relief and said with a smile: "Back then, I also asked my sister this question. Her nickname is Lan Hanying, and she taught me how to make this porridge."
Everyone's nickname is wine, but Qiu Hanying is more like a medicinal wine that few people like to drink.
The aroma of the porridge began to spread, and my sister continued:
"Of course these men like the heavy make-up and fancy clothes. With her beautiful face and good figure, she can attract a lot of people with her playing and chess skills."
She suddenly paused and asked me: "But in this building, why do everyone do the hours every day?"
Working as a guest, that is, accompanying guests, is of course to make money, I answered her this way.
"What do you do to make money?" my sister asked me again.
I was stunned, lowered my head and said:
"To get out of here."
My sister laughed, her lips were red and her teeth were white, and she rubbed my head: "Yes, if you make money, you can leave here, but if you meet someone who loves you enough, you might be able to leave here. "
Who came to Jianhai Tower voluntarily?
Just like I am doing it for Sihai, I know that I am humble when I see the sisters in Haihai Tower, but I can still have this little bit of hope.
"So it's porridge. People who like you like your makeup and skin, but my sister relied on a bowl of porridge."
My sister turned around and started stirring the porridge in the pot.
What she cooks is lean meat, bonito flower and yuba porridge, which has a very special aroma.
"My sister was the one who attracted people's attention all night long. It was just her appearance. But what really attracted that man was the bowl of porridge my sister cooked for him in the morning after they drank for a long time."
When my sister told this story, her face was full of yearning.
I was a little girl at that time, and of course I longed for such stories.
"Did that man fall in love with her?" I asked.
My sister nodded.
"Is that man rich?" I asked again.
Jianhailou is such a place. For a little girl, one of the most important issues is money.
My sister nodded again.
So I felt envious: "Then she must have been redeemed."
But my sister shook her head: "No, she doesn't have to entertain guests when she stays here in Jianhai Tower. She just stays here and takes care of my sister occasionally."
"Why?" I couldn't figure it out.
My sister smiled: "Because the man who fell in love with my sister was the shopkeeper here, the young master of Daqimen."
Mr. Xiaokai, I know that before Mr. Fortune, there was such a legendary shopkeeper in Jianhailou.
I heard that he was the younger brother of Mr. Fortune, and he was far less harsh on the girls in the building than Mr. Fortune. Now that I think about it, it was probably thanks to this sister named Lan Hanying.
If a shopkeeper falls in love with a girl in the building, can this girl be the boss's wife?
Of course not, one is the successor of the dignified Daqi Sect, and the other is the mule and horse slave who makes money for the Daqi Sect. They can't even fight together.
But Xiao Kaiye seems to be such a rebellious person. He doesn't want to get married, let alone Lan Hanying to leave. Later, he even lives directly in Jianhai Building, has a pot of rice with everyone, and listens to everyone calling Lan Hanying sister. He runs up and down the building all day long, even helping the waiters. Whenever troublemaking guests see the third young master of Daqimen watching the show in person, they often don't dare to make trouble.
"At that time, everyone was really good at it. It seemed that as long as I drank two more glasses of wine, I would really have a chance to go out from Jianhai Tower, or meet a man like Xiao Kaiye like Sister Hanying did."
My sister's eyes were shining, and I could smell the taste of the porridge, which was delicious and made with care.
I know a businessman from Youzhou who has eaten his sister's porridge more than once.
Naturally, I knew that my sister would have some expectations in her heart, hoping that he could take her away.
"But I haven't seen Sister Lan Hanying?"
Not only Sister Qiu Hanying, I have never seen that little Mr. Kai.
Hearing my question, the light in my sister's eyes suddenly dissipated a little.
"Later, it seemed that Daqimen suddenly wanted to take action against Xiao Kaiye."
"At that time, even I had just been in the building for two or three years. I slept in sister Hanying's lower room, and Mr. Kai would often come over to spend the night."
"That night, someone used knives and guns, and there was blood. It was nightfall, and I was frightened. There were people everywhere, and there were footsteps everywhere."
"Of course I didn't dare to go out, but I also heard voices shouting for death, and I also heard Mr. Kai's roar of filial piety. He was completely different from his usual self."
"The last thing I heard, Sister Hanying asked Mr. Kai to run away, run far away, and never come back."
"Of course Xiao Kai didn't agree. He said a lot of things like living together and dying together. You know, their men always like to say such things at such times, like children who have not grown up and are very willful. .”
"Then, I heard a crash on the wall, but Sister Hanying didn't make any sound again."
