Chapter 21 Shangzao Yamen in Beiyang Era

This year's leap year in the lunar calendar happens to coincide with the leap month in June. There are no typhoons, and there is little rain.At the same time, energy is exhausted, and oil shortages are common all over the world. In order to save energy, the government prohibits the use of air conditioners in all institutions and schools when the indoor temperature is less than 28 degrees Celsius.In some wealthy institutions of consortiums, the towers are towering and the floors are hidden from the sky. At the beginning of the design and construction of the buildings, the windows are the same for sound insulation and cannot be opened and closed.This year's summer season is approaching, and when the air-conditioning cannot be turned on, everyone is frowning and complaining, so some people think of the feeling of the Beiyang government civil servants going to the morning yamen.

Now in Taiwan, there are not many people who know the term Shangchao Yamen.As for the people who went to the premature Yamen, it may be even more insignificant.Summer in the old capital is in ambush, although it is not as depressing as the hot summer in Beijing, Shanghai, Han and Chongqing, but the scorching sun at noon is still nowhere to hide!Therefore, in the three months of June, July, and August during the Beiyang period, the work and rest of the large and small yamen were all changed to the early yamen. The early yamen was from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 noon. Although the work was six hours a day, the time was tight and the work speed also increased.At that time, it was not fashionable to collect official documents and follow up with investigations, but I never heard of any masters in charge who suppressed the case for dozens of days, turned it into a delay and ordered the public to be punished.As for the general public, it is customary for all agencies to change to early office every summer, so as to avoid running around in a hurry in the hot summer, and have public and private conveniences, but they have not heard any inconvenient gossip.

During the Beiyang period, the various government ministries and committees, the Ministry of Finance, the general branch, the customs, salt tax and special tax were all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. A few discounts are paid to rescue officials in disasters, but the two ministries of finance and economic affairs belong to rich yamen with income. Zhang Daishan (arc) from the Ministry of Finance and Ye Yuhu (gongchuo) from the Ministry of Communications are all officials under Kuan Hexie , So the Ministry of Finance and Communications changed the morning office, and at 11:30, the big kitchen opened snacks and distributed them to each department for everyone to enjoy. The buns, steamed buns, pancakes and noodles were refurbished every day, and mung bean porridge and millet porridge were not enough to add.It’s beautifully called “Dian Dian Hunger”, but in fact, it can be used as a lunch in terms of quality and quantity. People who have a lot of business can continue to work after eating, and those who are idle can pick their teeth and drink a bowl of tea.Mr. Zhang Daishan thinks that during the summer season, when the nights are hot and the morning is approaching, most of the time breakfast is not prepared. Serving each colleague with a rich snack at 11 o'clock will not only wake up the fatigue, but also relieve hunger and cure hunger. For work Efficiency helps a lot.Mr. Ye Yuhu believes that when a person is at his most energetic from nine o'clock in the morning to eleven o'clock in the morning, if he adds some heat after eleven o'clock, the efficiency can still be extended.As long as you can concentrate on your work with a full stomach, you will have a tight schedule in the morning. If you arrange it properly, your work performance will be even better!It is indeed not unreasonable to prove the office situation of the two Ministry of Finance and Communications in those years!As soon as the yamen left, it was the scorching sun, and no one wanted to go home under the scorching sun. Fortunately, everyone had a solid stomach. Most of the people who lived in the northern city went to the Shichahai lotus market to drink tea, and those who lived in the eastern and western cities ran to the market. I went to enjoy the cool air in Beihai, and those who live in Nancheng like to go to the water pavilion in Central Park or come to Jin Yuxuan to catch a nap, and I have the right to be the master of the emperor, each suits its own personality and its own place.Although everyone is a group of disaster officials (the poorest organization has wage arrears for more than 20 months, and can only receive a small amount of living expenses with a 30% discount every month), but the prices were low back then, and the monthly expenses were limited, so they were willing to do so. Indifferent, happy.

In the 22nd year of the Republic of China, during the era of the Jicha political commissar, the office was changed to a morning office in summer, and the brother-in-law of brother-in-law Jin Shoushen, a colleague, built a mat shed in Shichahai to sell tea, and named it Ouxiangju.He chose a very good location, and the mat shed was set up in the shade of willows to cover the sky, the lotus leaf fields, and the center of Haozhu. Seven or eight colleagues coaxed everyone together, so it was agreed that one of the hosts would invite everyone to afternoon tea every day, the fee would not exceed two yuan, and the snacks were not allowed to be the same every day.Of course, the Su-made meat from Qianlong’s southern tour of the inner mansion, Dong Ertuzi’s spicy pickles with bean juice, Master Ji’s water burst gall bladder Rener, and Liu Sanguai’s horse oil canned sausage belong to the four treasures of Shichahai, and they are must-try exceptions. , the ice bowl of Ouxiangju, fresh lotus seeds, fresh walnuts, fresh hazelnuts, fresh almonds, cut a plate of snow lotus root with honey sauce, and serve two pots of Zhuyeqing (rice wine is not the bamboo leaf green of Taiwan liquor), and drink with friends A round of fruit wine can refresh the spleen, and friends who like to drink two cups are especially welcome.The owner of Ouxiangju has grown lotus root and gorgon seeds in Haidian for generations. Every day, they always peel the gorgon seeds belonging to Ercubini (the one who is not old and tender), and cook them with fresh cows and sugar. Served to regular customers, sip the dew, the condensed jade melts at the beginning, what the ancients called jade grits soup and golden oysters is nothing more than that.There is a cart in Shichahai that sells almond tofu. The almond tofu he makes is purely made of a kind of large flat almonds, which are peeled, boiled water, squeezed for juice, and soft white sugar is added. The rice pulp is coagulated (unlike Taiwan almond tofu, which is Almond extract, almond milk, made with agar).It is said that the almonds must be juiced with boiling water to get the flavor out. The ratio of rice milk to rice is also certain. If it is too thick, it will become glass powder, and if it is too thin, it will not condense easily. Only when the water is properly coordinated can it be cold and fragrant, sweet, smooth and tender.Because the almond tofu needs to be made today and sold tomorrow, the number of preparations is limited every day. As soon as the tea customers of Ouxiangju enter the tea shed, they will ask the tea room to order a few bowls for them to keep. Almond tofu can't be eaten, so let you try it first.

Near Huixiantang Restaurant, there is a three-room house. The owner of the house is Lao Xie, a retired cook in Dongya Building, Dong’an Market. One year, when the Lotus Market opened, he suddenly had a whim, and his relatives gave him advice. Make some snacks and sell them in various tea sheds.He thought about it, this way is good, it can be used for entertainment and some pocket money, so he prepares a dish, a porridge, and a little every day, and sells them in the shed in a carrying box.The porridge is barbecued pork, mussels, preserved eggs and lean meat porridge.This is the most common kind of porridge in Yangcheng. If Cantonese people think that their internal anger is too high, they can cook this kind of porridge to drink. It is said that it can relieve annoyance and reduce fire.This kind of porridge needs to be boiled until the rice grains are melted and almost turned into mince, so that the porridge can be humanized.Congee congee tastes better than pepper pulp. My colleague Tan Yusheng not only has a lot of experience in researching Cantonese porridge, but also can spoon it himself.He thinks that the porridge made by Lao Xie is better than Tingzi porridge in Lizhiwan, Guangdong.After sipping the porridge, resting on the rattan chair to cool off the heat, there is the joy of being king in the south.

Shichahai is irrigated by Yuquan, and the lotus root produced by the shallow water Fuqu is certainly fresh, tender and crisp.He plucked the green leaves before dawn and used tuckahoe instead of rice noodles to steam lotus leaf tuckahoe chicken.Brother Shoushen often takes a few packs home after drinking, and wraps them in fresh leaves. In the evening, when he is writing, he opens the lotus leaf packs and serves wine in a cold basin, which will help Wen Si to restore his hunger.Chen Shenyan and Jing Guxue from the press also praised Guangdong's steamed chicken with lotus leaf, which is more crude and careless than the Peking restaurant's method.

Shichahai did not bring lights because it was inconvenient to install lights and wires. It was late, the sun was setting, the heat was fading, and it was getting dark. Everyone returned home one after another. , but the passion and ease are not much better than now!