Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 106: Fish are hung on bamboo poles to dry and cured fish are not accessible to cats and dogs

The next morning, the sun shone warmly in the yard. Yu Yu got up early, feeling energetic, and the sleepiness from yesterday was long gone.

She looked at the cured fish and fish ready for drying in the yard and excitedly called out to Xiaoyu, Lihao, and Chef Mi, "Mom, brother, Chef Mi, we can hang the cured fish and fish for drying out today."

Everyone nodded, and Li Hao found a sturdy bamboo pole and carried it to the middle of the yard.

Xiaoyu and Yuyu carefully tied the cured fish with ropes and hung them one by one on bamboo poles. The cured fish glowed faintly under the sunlight, and the spices wrapped around the fish seemed to emit a unique aroma.

As Yu Yu was hanging them, he said with a smile, "Once these cured fish are dried, we can eat them for a long time. In winter, we can stew them and the soup will be very delicious."

Then, they began to arrange the fish that were prepared for drying, placing them neatly on bamboo poles so that each fish could fully bask in the sun.

Chef Mi watched from the side, giving instructions from time to time: "Yes, it's best to place it like this so that the wind can blow through it. It will dry faster this way, and the dried fish will taste more authentic."

After working for a while, the bamboo poles were hung with cured fish and dried fish, swaying gently in the breeze.

Yu Yu stood aside, looking at the bamboo poles full of cured fish and dried fish, with a satisfied smile on her face.

Just as I was looking at the cured fish and dried fish hanging on the bamboo poles, the voices of Ah Fu and Ah Cai came from the gate of the courtyard: "Hey, good morning, everyone, we are here to clean the tavern." As they said that, the two of them strode into the yard.

Yuyu greeted them with a smile: "Brother Afu, Sister Acai, you came quite early, thank you for your hard work."

Ah Fu waved his hand and replied with a smile: "It's not hard at all. This tavern needs to be cleaned every day, so customers are happy to come."

Ah Cai also nodded in agreement, his eyes sweeping over the cured fish and dried fish drying in the yard, and he exclaimed in admiration: "These cured fish and dried fish look good. Once they are dried, they will surely taste great."

Li Hao came over, patted them on the shoulders and said, "Of course, we did this with all our heart. You guys go clean up the tavern first, and we'll stay here to check on the drying process. If you need any help, just give us a shout."

"Okay, then let's get to work first." Ah Fu responded and walked into the tavern with Ah Cai.

After a while, the sounds of sweeping the floor and wiping tables and chairs were heard from inside. The two people were cleaning every corner deftly, and the dust was flying in the sunlight coming through the doors and windows.

Not long after, the sound of diners' laughter could be heard outside the tavern, and diners came in in groups of three or four.

"Wow, I can smell the fragrance as soon as I enter Zuixianlou. I have to try Chef Mi's cooking today." A diner said with a smile.

Ah Fu and Ah Cai hurried over to greet them warmly, asked the diners to take their seats, served them tea, and handed them menus for them to order.

Chef Mi heard the noise and gave a few instructions on drying the cured and dried fish. Then he quickly turned and headed to the kitchen, tying on his apron as he walked, muttering, "I have to make sure the diners are satisfied with their meals."

After entering the kitchen, Chef Mi started to get busy. He poured oil into the pot, and when the oil was hot, he began to stir-fry various dishes with skillful techniques.

In the yard, the cats and dogs were happily chasing and playing with each other. Suddenly, their noses seemed to be attracted by something, and they all ran towards the bamboo pole where the cured fish and dried fish were hung.

The calico cat tilted its head back, staring at the strings of cured fish, and occasionally stretched out its little paws to scratch in the air, but the distance was too far and it could not reach it. It meowed, and the sound was full of eagerness and desire.

The puppy was even more excited, jumping and dancing around the bamboo pole. The Bichon Frise even tried to stand up on its hind legs and stretched its front paws upwards, but even though it tried its best, it was still a long way off. It was so anxious that it turned around in circles and barked, as if protesting against the salted fish and dried fish being hung too high and being too bullying to the "dog".

Seeing their expressions, Yuyu couldn't help but laugh as he walked over and jokingly said, "Don't waste your energy. These cured and dried fish haven't been dried yet, so you can't eat them now."

The cats and dogs didn't care about all this and continued to play around with the bamboo pole. Their silly appearance made everyone laugh.

Li Hao also came over and looked at the cats and dogs who were tossing and turning. He smiled and said to Yuyu, "Look at them. They are crazy about these cured fish and dried fish. They are really greedy little guys."

Xiaoyu echoed, "Yeah, it's so funny how greedy they are. But we have to keep an eye on the cured fish and dried fish. We can't let them chew them."

Chef Mi poked his head out of the kitchen, saw the lively scene, and laughed out loud, "Haha, they can't move just by smelling the aroma, but they can't steal any food."

At this time, a diner heard the commotion in the yard and came out. Seeing the funny appearance of the cats and dogs, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Your tavern is really interesting."

Yuyu waved at the cats and dogs still fiddling around the bamboo pole and said with a smile, "You guys can take your time fiddling around here. We have to go have breakfast. You can't reach it anyway."

Having said that, he walked into the house with Li Hao and Xiao Yu.

Yu Yu and her family came and sat down at the dining table. Steaming hot breakfast was already placed on the table, including soft and glutinous rice porridge, fragrant buns, and a few delicious side dishes.

Xiaoyu greeted everyone with a smile: "Come and eat quickly. You've been busy all morning, so you need to fill your stomach."

Li Hao picked up a bun, took a bite, and said contentedly, "Well, homemade breakfast is still the most comfortable. I never get tired of it."

Yuyu also filled a bowl of rice porridge, blew on it gently, took a sip and said, "Mom, this rice porridge is really well cooked, fragrant and thick, and it warms me up when I drink it."

At first, the Husky followed the other cats and dogs, jumping and dancing around the bamboo poles with cured fish and dried fish hanging on them.

But there is always a long way to go to get cured fish and dried fish, and it is simply out of reach.

After jumping for a long time without any results, the Husky seemed to find it boring and simply stopped jumping.

It hummed twice, walked slowly to the side, found a place where the sun could reach, and lay down with its four legs facing the air.

It rested its head on its paws, half-closed its eyes, but it would still glance towards the bamboo pole from time to time, and it was obvious that it was still thinking about the cured fish and dried fish.