Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 664 Swim bladder

It is in charge of household registration management and marriage registration, which is similar to the household registration and marriage registration office for newborns in the previous life.

In fact, it is a relatively leisurely job, and of course it is not a very important position. Hua Lei was relieved after hearing this. It was good enough that she could still keep her position in the court. If she didn't get promoted, she wouldn't get promoted.

Thus, Hua Lei got a desk and started her work as a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. Rong Jin was promoted to a fifth-rank attendant lecturer, in charge of publishing and editing classics.

The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue were not difficult. After a period of hectic activity at the beginning, Hua Lei became familiar with the operational procedures of these matters.

So she had some free time. Sometimes, she had nothing to do for more than ten days in a row. In addition, Rong Jin would pick her up and drop her off every morning and evening, so she didn't have to worry about the affairs of the Marquis' Mansion. Hua Lei had even more free time.

When people are free, Hualei's hands are itching to do something. A few days ago, Uncle Fu came to tell me that there are several fish ponds in Yuanying Village, two of which have already had several kilograms of fish, and they are going to sell another batch of fish.

This time they were going to make fermented glutinous rice fish, which meant descaling and killing fresh fish, digging out the internal organs, and then marinating it with fermented glutinous rice. When Hualei heard this, she had an idea.

He told Uncle Fu to collect all the fish bladders and scales, and Hua Lei to prepare some fish maw and fish bladder glue.

A few days later, taking advantage of the good weather during the day off, Hua Lei took a carriage to Yuanying Manor, where several baskets of fresh fish maws had already been collected.

Clean the fish maw and carefully peel off the outer membrane of the fish maw, which is fish maw.

Add ginger and salt and rub twice. After rubbing, add some vinegar and white wine, and ash to rub for about a cup of tea to remove the oily smell of fish glue. Then rinse several times with clean water until the water becomes clear.

Put the cleaned fish glue in a ventilated place and dry it until it becomes transparent and can be stored. When eating, boil a pot of water first.

Then steam the transparent fish maw for about a cup of tea, take out the fish maw and soak it in cold water. During the soaking process, you can add ginger slices and white wine to continue to remove the fishy smell.

After the fish maw is soaked, add clean water and start cooking. After boiling, add minced meat and vegetables, add salt to season, and then beat in an egg. The fish maw and minced meat soup is ready.

It can be eaten as a dish or as a snack. It not only beautifies the skin, but also nourishes the body and replenishes blood. It is a very good Chinese medicine.

Because fish maw is rich in collagen, it can increase skin elasticity, supplement a variety of nutrients needed by the human body, enhance physical fitness, and help improve anemia.

After making a lot of fish maw, a new batch of fresh fish bladders came. So Hualei began to prepare fish maw glue. Fish maw glue is a kind of glue made from fish maws, which is used to mount calligraphy and paintings.

During the Great Sheng Dynasty, there was a lot of animal glue, which was usually extracted from animal bones, skin, horns, fish scales and other parts. It was an important branch of adhesives.

Fish bladder glue is a type of animal glue with the best viscosity. In the Great Sheng Dynasty, fish bladder glue was very rare. Many people used fish bladder glue to glue expensive jewelry, ancient books, high-end wooden furniture and other items.

It is considered a very precious item and is rarely sold outside. Most of them are made by mounting bookshops.

In the past two years, several book-mounting shops in the capital have asked me about the fish maws I have purchased many times. The price is quite good. This is what Hua Mancheng told me in a letter, and that’s why I thought of making fish maw glue.

Because in order to send Jinnian's portrait to Lord Pei and Madam Pei, Rong Jin not only painted a portrait of Jinnian, but also painted a portrait of Hua Lei.

Later, when he was free, Rong Jin would paint portraits of Hua Lei from time to time. Now, he has five or six portraits, but they have never been framed.

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, portraits of women could not easily fall into the hands of strangers. Therefore, even if there were bookshops on the street that specialized in mounting calligraphy and paintings, Hua Lei's portrait could not be taken out for mounting.

Therefore, Hua Lei wanted to make some fish bladder glue by herself and asked Rong Jin to help frame it.

Clean the fish maw, pierce it, put it in the pot, and blanch it in water for about a cup of tea. Then cut it into thin strips with scissors, put it in the steamer, and steam it over high heat for about three quarters of an hour.

After the fish maw becomes soft, put it into a stone mortar and pound it into mud. This process is relatively long, usually taking more than two hours, and the stickiness in the fish maw becomes very obvious.

Put it in a small pot, add some water, stir well. Put it in a large pot with water, boil it for three hours, then filter out the residue with gauze, and the fish bladder glue is ready.

Hua Lei didn't know how to frame pictures, so Rong Jin took advantage of the day off to frame all of Hua Lei's portraits. This way, the portraits would not fade or deform.

Hualei was very happy looking at her own portrait. In the prosperous times when there were no cameras, portraits were extremely precious.

Hualei was already familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, so she had more free time. That day, Gu came to Qixia Court with a few account books to talk to Hualei.

The barren hills that the Marquisate bought a few years ago and put in the public treasury were basically all in line with the preferences of Emperor Shengwu. In recent years, the corn and rapeseed harvests on the barren hills have been good and sold very well, and the public treasury of the Marquisate has made a lot of money.

The rest of the land purchased by each family is based on their own opinions and the specific conditions of the barren mountain. They can plant whatever they want, and the profits also belong to each family.

This time, Gu came to ask Hualei whether to adjust the planting situation on the barren mountain. After all, crop rotation is also important for yield.

Hualei thought about it and increased the planting of sweet potatoes and potatoes. Emperor Shengwu still attached great importance to food. Even though the selling prices of sweet potatoes and potatoes were relatively low and not as good as corn and rapeseed, the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion still needed to keep a low profile.

At that time, if the sweet potatoes and potatoes in the public house are difficult to sell, they can be sold to themselves. Their own sweet potato wine and vinegar require these two raw materials.

As for other economic crops, such as tea, medicinal herbs, etc., it is better not to jump around under the nose of Emperor Shengwu.

In Mobei, Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and Hualei, on the surface, also followed the footsteps of Emperor Shengwu and reclaimed wasteland for planting. It was best to make money and win the favor of Emperor Shengwu.

Thus, from the outside, the Zhenbei Marquisate was loyal to the court and Emperor Shengwu, and followed their lead. Internally, each family benefited and was happy.

After receiving Hualei's hint, Gu left with satisfaction to arrange the next planting. Hualei was free again.

So, she picked a sunny day and went to the printing house in Xicheng District with a big belly to ask Gui Jijiu for help.