Miao Chu

Chapter 106 Calculation
Although the police officers left, they made sure to clarify things before they left.

After receiving the news from his brother-in-law and hearing the explanation from his father, Tang realized that he had wronged Song Miao earlier.

Feeling embarrassed, he honestly admitted his mistake, bowing repeatedly and saying shamefully, "I apologize to the young lady. I really didn't know that I, as her father, would remember such a mistake... Alas!"

Song Miao was naturally displeased at being smeared for no reason, and said, "I am the only one who can hear your apology now, but you came to my door this morning in such a menacing manner. Hundreds of people in Liangxue Food Lane saw and heard it with their own eyes and ears. People are born with mouths and tongues. I wonder how it will be spread around after you go back."

“I run this business by myself, making a living by setting up a stall. I do everything with care and believe I’m doing my best to earn this hard-earned money. But now, just because of something you said casually, my reputation has been tarnished—what are you going to do about it?”

Tang Huo, along with his neighbor and cousin, went to the Song family's house and witnessed their situation firsthand. When Song Miao asked them a question, they were all ashamed and speechless.

Tang Huo said, "I did as Miss Song said this morning, banging drums and gongs, and went to the intersection to apologize to you. I explained to everyone in the alley that I had misunderstood you, but you ended up taking the blame..."

He apologized repeatedly.

His two assistants also joined in apologizing.

Seeing that the three of them admitted their mistakes quickly and had a proper attitude, Song Miao naturally decided to stop while she was ahead, nodded, and promised not to hold it against them anymore.

Tang Huo continued, "This time it was my fault that I caused this trouble. I should have come to apologize much earlier, but my old man is still not well, and my family is still in the countryside, and they have fallen seriously ill..."

Song Miao wasn't the kind of person to be unreasonable. She said, "I'll give you two more days. You can't delay any longer!"

The three thanked her repeatedly, one calling for a car, the other for a doctor, and the other kindly saw Song Miao off at the door.

After saying goodbye, Song Miaogang walked out of Qiaotou Alley and saw several people pacing back and forth at the alley entrance, peeking and looking around.

Upon seeing Song Miao, the men's eyes lit up, and they stepped forward, tentatively asking, "Are you Miss Song?"

Song Miao nodded and asked, "May I ask what advice you ladies and uncles have for me?"

She had an excellent memory; with just a glance, she recognized several people across the street who looked familiar. They must have come to the Song family's house that morning to watch the commotion.

"I heard that if you order thirty servings at Song Ji, they can deliver it to your doorstep, whether it's glutinous rice, shumai, or steamed rice cake. Is that true?"

Song Miao said, "That's true, but it can't be too far away, and we have to pay in advance, so that the food arrives but we don't want it."

Everyone nodded, and taking advantage of the few pedestrians around, they pulled Song Miao aside and started counting money from their waists or pockets right there on the street, one after another, as they began to order things.

Five or six people ordered more than two hundred portions.

Song Miao wrote down everyone's needs, repeated the quantities and addresses, and after confirming with each of them, she said to the person who had asked for the most: "Sir, you've bought so much, and the glutinous rice is all in large portions. Can you finish it all? Glutinous rice is easy to cause indigestion, and with the hot weather, it's best not to miss any food by noon."

"If they can finish it, I bought it for their bodyguards!"

The man replied.

He was in his early forties and looked very capable. He didn't seem like a bodyguard who made a living by martial arts and strength; instead, he seemed more like a manager.

"It was Grandma Li who mentioned your cooking skills to me, but I live in Qiaotou Lane, which is a bit far, and I've heard there's a queue, so I've always been too lazy to go. I just happened to pass by today and found out that you can deliver to my place. I'll deliver to your place tomorrow, and if you like it, I'll buy from you again in the future!"

Song Miao agreed, thanking everyone for their business. Then, she asked curiously, "That Mr. Tang said my food made his father sick. You don't know what happened afterward, so why did you still dare to buy my breakfast?"

One of the women laughed and said, "We're not stupid. We've seen what your kitchen looks like with our own eyes. Isn't that more reliable than that Tang Dahan's nonsensical ramblings?"

Someone else said, "Besides, the officials just made it clear that Old Man Tang fell ill because he ate dried venison outside, and they even asked us if we had seen any vendors selling dried venison!"

Song Miao chatted with them for a few minutes, asking if they had bought any dried meat to eat, but everyone shook their heads.

"I rarely buy things from street vendors!"

"That's the idea. I have children at home, so I eat out as little as possible throughout the year, just in case they get sick."

"Exactly! If I hadn't seen your kitchen with my own eyes, and noticed how clean your hands and feet are, and that even the shop assistants order breakfast from you, I wouldn't have dared to buy from you!"

—Turning out of the blue, they even gained some new customers!

So when Song Miao left the alley at the bridgehead, the food she had packed in the bamboo basket on her back to prove her identity was untouched, and there was also a heavy pile of copper coins at the bottom.

Today, I can barely say that I came with a bad name on my shoulders, but I'm leaving with a clean slate.

With this information, the patrolmen have discovered the source of the food poisoning and should be able to find the culprit quickly, which is a good thing.

Tang Huo promised that as soon as he had free time the next day or two, he would come to Shixiang to apologize immediately. Although he could not completely undo the damage to his reputation today, he had at least made some amends.

Song Miao felt much more relaxed, and her steps became lighter when she went home.

The alley where Tang lived was further north, so she rarely came here and had never seen many of the shops before. She couldn't help but take a few more glances at them. As she walked, she suddenly smelled an extremely sour, fermented odor mixed with a faint stench. The further she went, the stronger the sour smell became, and the stench seemed to fade as she got used to it.

When Song Miao approached the source of the smell, she found that there was a pickled vegetable stall next door with a large vat at the entrance, and a worker was taking something out of it—indeed, it was pickled bamboo shoots, which were thick at the bottom and pointed at the top.

Just like quenching thirst by looking at plums, the smell and sight of the pickled bamboo shoots made Song Miao's mouth water.

Pingyang Mountain has its own bamboo forests, and bamboo shoots are always available in winter and spring. In addition to eating fresh bamboo shoots, people also love to eat pickled bamboo shoots.

The most skilled person in this craft is Lady Liu. Her pickled bamboo shoots are both sour and fragrant, and they don't smell bad at all.

However, Lady Liu often went down the mountain, and sometimes when others couldn't wait, they would pickle the food themselves. If they didn't estimate the time and method well, it would more or less develop a bad smell.

When Lady Liu returned, she found that the large jar she had brought to pickle was not only full, but also had a sour and foul smell. So she bared her teeth and claws and cursed at the door.

Those who pickled bamboo shoots had to shrink back and act like quails, not daring to speak, and none of them were willing to admit that they had done it.

Then someone tried to persuade him, saying that even the smelly ones tasted good, and he finished them in no time. This inevitably led to another round of scolding, such as "How can something that smells bad be called pickled bamboo shoots?"

The pickled bamboo shoots at this restaurant smelled a bit pungent, probably because they were over-fermented.

Song Miao didn't care about anything else and couldn't help but ask the price. She learned that there were still a few vats of pickled vegetables left, so she bought a small vat from the shop, picked out some bamboo shoots from the new vat, and also asked for some pickled white radishes. She planned to go back and wait a while, and take them out to cook when the time was right.

With the pickled bamboo shoots in hand, she'd been planning what to cook with them. Pickled bamboo shoot fish was a must, braised duck would be delicious too, and if she could find beef, the combination would be even better.

There's another perfect match – around the time of Qingming Festival, it's said that Qingming snails are better than geese. Stir-fry snails with pickled bamboo shoots, add plenty of dogwood and mint, and you can eat a bowl of rice just by soaking them in the sour, spicy, and fresh broth, without any other vegetables.

While the season is still on, the snails are plump and have a milder fishy smell. Since they don't have seeds yet, they can be used not only with pickled bamboo shoots, but also with the mint we have at home. We can stuff them into a dish called "stuffed snails," which is also a delicacy.

It just so happens that I made an appointment with Han Li when we met last time. It won't be long before it's the day I accept Cheng Zijian's request to hold a banquet to thank my teacher.

At the time, Han Li said not to cook too much, just three or four simple dishes, and everyone could eat them together in one meal. He also asked her to pick the ones she could easily make.

After several visits, Song Miao could tell that the other party wasn't just being polite. So she decided to cook some seasonal dishes. They might not look like a proper banquet, but the taste would only be good, not bad.

She carried the bamboo basket and walked back. She saw the patrol post not far away, and then she saw Cheng Erniang hurrying towards her from the main road behind. She quickly went up to her and called out, "Erniangzi!"

The other person turned around, both surprised and delighted, and said, "What are you doing here, young lady!"

He added, "After I sold all the food, I went home and heard what Xiaolian had said about what happened next. I was worried that the man wouldn't give up, so I said I'd come and check on the shop to see what was going on."

Song Miao said, "It's all over now."

He then recounted the situation at Tang Huo's home, how his two children fell ill, and how it was eventually discovered that the problem stemmed from the venison jerky.

Cheng Erniang couldn't help but curse, "I don't know where this heartless dealer came from, using such things to harm people!"

He added, "Those Tang family members are so ignorant. They've been causing all this trouble, they're blind and deaf, they've only dragged us down with them, and they're both pathetic and annoying!"

He then reached out to take the bamboo basket from Song Miao's back, saying, "Your shoulders have been so heavy all the way here, let me carry it back!"

Song Miao was indeed tired from carrying it, so she didn't try to take it from her. She only told her that there was money inside, which is why she accepted deposits for more than two hundred breakfast orders.

Cheng Erniang's expression immediately changed, and she beamed with joy, saying, "At least the young lady didn't suffer for nothing. She deserves it!"

The two chatted as they walked, and then went to buy some dried goods. When they passed a fish stall, Song Miao made a special detour and bought a large bag of snails.

Seeing this, Cheng Erniang couldn't help but say, "Snail meat has an earthy taste, it's not easy to cook."

Song Miao smiled and said, "The snails need to be kept alive for a few days. When cooking them, add plenty of oil, mint, and dogwood. The snail meat will be plump and fresh. I've also added pickled bamboo shoots, so it'll be sour and spicy. Just wait and see, you'll know when you eat it."

As Cheng Erniang listened, she couldn't help but drool, and quickly said she wouldn't mention it.

After buying everything else, it was almost noon, but we still hadn't found a meal.

Although there was still some fresh meat at home, Song Miao had been craving sour food ever since she bought pickled bamboo shoots.

Cheng Erniang and her daughter had been there for a while, eating and living together. Song Miao knew their tastes; they had no dietary restrictions and both had rather strong palates.

Even though Xiaolian is quite young, she can already handle spicier food than Song Miao, who is an adult.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go to the chicken, duck, and goose stall again, and bought a few pieces of chicken giblets from the stall owner. She then turned to Cheng Erniang and said, "Let's have a simple lunch. I know Erniangzi eats offal, and Xiaolian does too, right?"

Children from poor families naturally don't have picky eating habits.

The two returned home in no time. Without being told, Xiaolian had already washed and cooked the rice according to the time.

She was actually quite flustered when she saw many people come to her house in the morning, and the three men, Tang Huo and his companion, were not very friendly. But now that she saw Song Miao and Cheng Erniang return and knew that nothing was wrong, she was overjoyed and stayed around the two of them, wanting to hear what they had to say.

Because the pickled bamboo shoots weren't ready yet and the flavor wasn't strong enough, Song Miao took some pickled radishes, shredded one and diced the other. She also made incisions on the chicken kidneys and cut them into small pieces, split the chicken heart into four pieces, and cut the chicken liver into pieces according to size. She blanched them briefly with ginger and a little salt, drained the water, and then cooked them in a wok over high heat with the pork slices. Then she stir-fried them with ginger slices, dogwood, mustard seeds, pickled radishes, and pickled bamboo shoots over high heat.

While it was being stir-fried, the whole house was filled with a sour and fragrant aroma.

At this point, the pickled bamboo shoots hadn't been pickled long enough and lacked flavor. Only the pickled radish was extremely flavorful, almost pungently sour, with the aroma of pork and offal stir-fried in lard, the fragrance of celery, and the spiciness of mustard seeds and dogwood.

Because salt was added when blanching the meat, only a small amount of soy sauce was added for seasoning, but it was enough to enhance the flavor.

After preparing the spicy and sour chicken giblets, Song Miao quickly stir-fried a cabbage with vegetable oil.

This dish is purely for enjoying the fresh, sweet flavor of spring cabbage; it's meant to cleanse the palate.

By the time the two dishes were ready, Xiaolian's rice was already cooked.

The meal for three people, consisting of one meat dish and one vegetable dish, seemed very simple, but it included meat, vegetables, and the pork rib soup that Song Miao had brought back that morning, enough to soothe the fatigue of the day.

The adults sat around the bench, holding prayer cushions.

Xiaolian's smile never stopped. She took over the task of serving rice, holding a spoon in one hand while secretly glancing at the spicy and sour chicken giblets, especially staring at the chicken hearts in the middle, wondering if she could get two.

***
Song Miao was already waiting for her meal, but the constables and soldiers who had gone to the Tang family with her had just returned to their post when the men left behind saw them return and hurriedly said, "Why did you take so long? Someone from Tonghua Lane came to report a case—someone has died!"

The patrol officers encountered petty theft, fights, and neighborhood disputes every day, but murders were not common.

Everyone was shocked and asked, "How did he die?"

Someone else asked, "Has it been reported to the military patrol academy?"

"We've already sent people there, but it won't be long before we get back. They went up to Tonghua Lane and haven't returned yet. The person who reported it said a young woman died; she was eight months pregnant, and now both she and her unborn child have perished."

For a moment, everyone in the room was speechless.

The man continued, "They said they ate something wrong, and after seeing a doctor and getting medicine, they still aren't better. They're now arguing about finding the vendor who sold them the food."

After giving his explanation, the man asked, "How did things go? Did the Tang family still cause trouble after you went to see Miss Song in Suanzao Lane?"

The constable hurriedly said, "It has nothing to do with Miss Song. It was the old man from the Tang family who ate something bad. There are three people in the family, and they all have the same symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, and a persistent high fever. They most likely ate some venison jerky sold on the street. We were just about to ask the shop to send people to find him..."

Before the man could finish speaking, a police officer entered from outside. Upon hearing this, he exclaimed, "Potent and vomiting, with a persistent high fever? The pregnant woman who died in Tonghua Lane had the same symptoms!"

　Thank you so much to my cat, Egg, for gifting me this typing tool! Here are five as a small token of my appreciation. Thank you so much! =3=
　　
　
(End of this chapter)