Chapter 60: Tea Eggs – Tasting the Ingredients, Yet Unable to Replicate Them

The next morning, Jiang Li made a trip to the town.

It was mainly because of the matter from yesterday; she had promised someone that if a large caravan contacted her, they should reach out.

However, the address she had given was the one in town, so she needed to inform Sister Zhang.

Having interacted a few times and getting along quite well, Jiang Li explained the situation, and Zhang smiled, saying, "These are such trivial matters. You didn't need to make a special trip."

Jiang Li smiled back, "I really am putting you to a lot of trouble. You are the only person I am close with in town."

Zhang gave a hearty laugh and said, "What trouble? It's nothing, don't be so polite."

She had always felt a little regretful; had Jiang Li not been married, they might have even become sisters-in-law.

Since they couldn't be sisters-in-law, being friends was quite nice too.

With the main task settled and nothing else to do, Jiang Li prepared to head home. Before even reaching the edge of the market, she ran into the steward of the Li estate.

Spotting Jiang Li, he hurriedly asked, "Young woman, do you still have any of those peaches you sold last time?"

"I haven't seen you carrying any to sell these past couple of days."

Jiang Li smiled and replied, "I don't have many left."

"Are you not selling them anymore?"

Guessing that the Li estate had finished the previous batch and wanted more, Jiang Li smiled. "Does the elder still wish to buy? I can spare at most a few dozen catties."

"Yes, yes, yes! Even a few dozen catties will do. Bring them tomorrow and deliver them straight to the estate."

Jiang Li agreed, pondering the matter.

Upon returning home, she took out sixty eggs, boiled them, and soaked them in spiced marinade before taking the brother and sister up the mountain.

It was their final time harvesting the fruit, and Jiang Li's back basket wasn't even filled to the brim.

Carrying the peaches, Jiang Li led the two children around the mountain and found a large patch of herba patriniae. After filling Xue Man's and A-Ning's back baskets, she managed to stuff two more hemp sacks.

It looked like a lot now, but once dried and shrunken down, there might not even be one full sack left.

When the three of them returned home at sunset, they washed their hands after putting down their baskets. Jiang Li scooped out three tea eggs, gave one to each of them, and they sat in the courtyard to peel and eat.

The tea eggs had thoroughly absorbed the savory flavors. The egg whites were dyed by the cooking broth, mostly turning a tea-brown shade. When broken open, the inside was slightly lighter, a pale yellow tinged with greenish-yellow. With each bite, they were powdery, glutinous, and texturally rich and smooth.

Jiang Li had added a bit of meat broth into the marinade during the second boil. While it might not match bone broth, it was still much richer and more fragrant. Combined with the complete set of spices and tea leaves, if left to steep until the next morning, it would undoubtedly become even more aromatic and savory.

Xue Man finished one and wanted another, but was stopped by A-Ning.

"Mother said we can only eat two eggs a day, and you already had one this morning."

He stuck out his tongue. Jiang Li said, "You can have more tomorrow; I've saved two for each of you."

The next day, she headed into town bright and early.

Jiang Li reheated the tea eggs, reorganized her clay jar by pouring out the spices and concentrated brine, and only carried the marinated eggs into town.

It was also the final batch of peaches to be sold, as there were none left in the mountains. She had kept a few at home to eat, leaving only half a basket to carry to town.

When she set out, the sun had not yet risen, and dewdrops still hung on the wild grass along the path.

A gentle breeze swept by, bringing a hint of chill.

Jiang Li snapped out of her daze with a start. The Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, and the weather was about to grow cold gradually.

She needed to quickly get clothes, shoes, and quilts sorted out.

Jiang Li headed straight for the back door of the Li estate. It was the same young lad as before. Opening the door and seeing Jiang Li, he smiled and said, "It's you."

Jiang Li smiled back, "Good morning, little brother. I ran into the steward yesterday, and he asked me to bring some more peaches over."

He remembered that Jiang Li hadn't come inside last time, so he proactively offered to help carry them in.

Before leaving, Jiang Li took out two marinated tea eggs and handed them to him. "Thank you for your hard work, little brother. These are seasoned eggs I make and sell myself. Have a taste."

The lad saw they were eggs and initially didn't want to accept, but hearing they were seasoned and noting their color differed from plain boiled water, he reached out and took them.

"The steward hasn't given me the money for the peaches yet. Could I trouble you to ask him about it in a moment?"

The lad acknowledged, inserted the door latch, and walked inside with the back basket on his back.

Jiang Li waited quite a while before he returned, bringing her the payment as well.

"The peaches come to four hundred and twenty-three wen. Please count it." He handed the copper coins to Jiang Li and then added, "The egg you gave me just now was taken by the steward. He asked me to check if you have any more."

"I do. I was planning to go sell them after delivering the peaches."

"How many do you have left? We'll take all of them, so you don't have to go around selling them."

"There are fifty left, at three wen each."

After hearing the quantity and price, the doorman lad let out a sharp hiss. "Eggs cost two wen for one, and after you cook them, you sell them for three wen each? That's far too expensive."

Jiang Li let out a helpless sigh. "Eggs might be two wen for two, but a single tael of premium spices costs over a dozen wen. These are five-spice eggs; if I sold them cheaper, I wouldn't even cover my costs. This is my first time selling this, so I'm just testing the waters. If too few people buy, I won't make them anymore."

They had already tasted the flavor of the tea eggs, so Jiang Li played up her hardship. People outside might think three wen apiece was pricey, but in a household of such a grand estate, what kind of money was that?

"Don't stop making them! Let me ask the steward in a moment to see if they'll need you to deliver them regularly from now on."

"Then I thank you, little brother."

Jiang Li handed over her clay jar. The young man ran another errand inside and returned with one hundred and fifty copper coins and her pottery jar.

However, he didn't mention anything further about future deliveries.

Sensing the situation, Jiang Li tactfully refrained from asking. As he had mentioned before, the chefs in this household hailed from the imperial palace; no doubt once they tasted a couple, they would figure out the recipe themselves.

The recipe for tea eggs wasn't overly complex, but replicating that exact flavor wasn't so simple either.

It all depended on whether the consumers would continuously crave this specific taste.

If they wanted it, they would naturally seek her out; if they didn't, and felt the versions researched by their own chefs were passable, then there would be no deal.

Jiang Li thought of the two breakfast shops near her old school gate, which both sold soy milk and tea eggs.

However, the shop with delicious soy milk had mediocre tea eggs, so customers usually bought soy milk from one and crossed the street for the tea eggs. Even when the owner bundled them together and sold them cheaply, it still failed to retain customers.

Therefore, in all likelihood, they would come looking for her again.

Since the eggs had been bought up by the Li estate, Jiang Li didn't need to hawk them in the market.

Yet, recalling the doorman's remark that three wen per egg was expensive, she realized retail sales in town might prove difficult.

She would give it a try first; if it didn't work out, she would brainstorm another method.

Meanwhile, inside the Li estate.

Everyone in the various quarters had just woken up and was preparing for the morning meal.

The Li household was large. The primary wife of Old Master Li had passed away long ago, having given birth to seven children—two daughters who had already married out, and five sons. Three of the sons served as officials away from home, the eldest stayed by the old master's side and had accompanied him back, and the youngest had rebelled and joined the army, his whereabouts currently entirely unknown.

The old master had a secondary wife and thirteen concubines. The secondary wife was the eldest among them yet not yet thirty, while the others remained quite youthful.

The secondary wife had three children—two daughters and a son, all around ten years of age—while a few concubines who had arrived earlier each had one or two children of their own.

The eldest son's wives, concubines, and children numbered over a dozen as well.

Merely counting the masters in this household brought the total to thirty or forty; with the maids and matrons of each courtyard included, the population exceeded a hundred.

In the main kitchen alone, there were over a dozen cooks and maidservants preparing food.

The morning meal was prepared according to routine, with each master receiving an extra five-spice egg as a treat today, alongside a beverage made from fresh peaches.

The previous batch of peaches had run out in less than two days, and even Old Master Li loved them dearly.

He remarked on how rare it was for this region to grow such sweet lung-fruit.

The children, in particular, pestered the adults endlessly, who in turn pressed the cooks and the steward.

So the moment supplies arrived today, they were immediately prepared and served.

Old Master Li had spent the previous night in the quarters of his secondary wife, so his morning meal was served in the main courtyard.

The eggs presented by the cook had their shells peeled. Seeing those tea-brown eggs, he felt a flicker of displeasure—why present something looking like this, entirely unappetizing?

The children, brimming with curiosity and drawn to novelty, ate first.

After finishing one, a child immediately declared it exceptionally delicious!

Once one praised it, another couldn't wait to try it, and upon finishing, clamored for more.

Old Master Li frowned slightly; what was so great about an ordinary egg?

Noticing his father's disdain, Li Qingyun's eyes lit up. Looking at Old Master Li, he said, "Father, you definitely won't think it's good. Give yours to me."

Seeing his son act thus, Old Master Li grew curious.

He broke off half and handed it over, eating the other half himself.

Yet the moment the food entered his mouth, he froze.

Was this still the taste of an egg? Why was it savory, accompanied by such a rich fragrance? The egg yolk melted softly in his mouth, while the springy egg white offered a satisfying chew. Having finished half, he instantly regretted giving the other half to that rascal and wished he could eat a few more.

He turned to ask the steward, "Which cook newly researched this? From now on, prepare two per person for the morning meal, and reward them with ten taels of silver."

Seeing his master pleased and eating with enjoyment, the steward smiled and replied, "Reporting to master, this wasn't researched by the household cooks. It was made by the young woman who sells the fresh peaches. She sells them at three wen each, and finding the flavor novel and pleasant, I had her deliver some over."

"To produce such flavor, she must be quite advanced in years."

The steward bowed slightly and lowered his voice, "Actually, she is still quite young, though she already has children."

Old Master Li said no more. The old steward added, "Early this morning, Chef Sun said the seasoning isn't complicated. She will experiment with it this afternoon and should be able to replicate the exact flavor."

"Mm, give it a try. If it can't be done, no matter; just instruct that woman to provide a fixed daily quantity. You can order a bit more—one per person vanished before anyone could even taste it properly."

The old steward smiled in assent, then said, "Once the cooks make it this afternoon, I'll bring some for the masters to sample."

With that, he departed. The secondary wife, Madam Qin, had remained silent from beginning to end, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, appearing almost numb.

In the large kitchen, two cooks shared a single egg. Since the total amount was scarce and several young masters had asked for more after finishing theirs, a few more had been dispatched and taken away.

They tasted it and immediately began preparing ingredients to replicate it.

Chef Sun hailed from the imperial palace and possessed a formidable palate; by merely tasting almost any dish, she could guess nearly all the ingredients used within.

Having tasted the egg, she managed to deduce the seasoning with considerable accuracy.

Learning that the masters of the house greatly favored it, figuring out how to make these marinated eggs became her primary task.

She took charge of a stove by herself, first placing all the spices into water along with fifty eggs. After boiling them, she cracked the shells and continued simmering, removing them only when she estimated the egg whites had fully changed color.

The entire kitchen drifted with the aroma of spiced marinade—it smelled wonderful. Everyone looked on in admiration; true to her reputation as a veteran palace chef, she could pull it off on the very first try.