Miao Chu

Chapter 115 Grasp
Song Miao smiled and said, "Since I don't know everyone's tastes, I've prepared a few kinds for you to choose from."

There were two large pots on the stove. One contained a thick soup, which looked amber in color, with a layer of oil floating on top and some dogwood fragments. It was very fresh and fragrant. The other pot contained plain water, which was bubbling gently around the edge.

There were two small stoves on the side, each with a small pot on it. One had a long wooden handle on one side, was as big as a large bowl, as deep as a hand, and had very thin walls. The other was a regular small deep pot with two handles, covered with a lid, and was bubbling with white steam.

Song Miao first opened all four stove doors, then lifted the lids of each pot and pointed them out to Han Li, saying, "Because I thought this noodle dish should be appetizing, I first made two kinds of hot and sour soup bases, but then, fearing that some people don't eat spicy food, I made a milder one..."

After saying that, she pointed to a basin covered with a cage next to her and said, "There is some smooth dough in there. It is something that we always keep at home. If you are from Shaanxi and don't like rice noodles, I can just make some noodles with that smooth dough in the blink of an eye."

Han Li wasn't in a hurry to answer whether he liked it or not, but simply praised, "This rice flour has a very strong aroma."

Hearing this compliment, Song Miao couldn't help but smile and said, "The streets were flooded today. On my way back, I looked for several rice noodle shops, but they were either sold out or closed. These flat rice noodles were made by my second wife and me by grinding the rice ourselves. Perhaps because they were freshly made, they have a stronger rice aroma."

Han Li said, "Since the noodles were made by Song himself, we should eat a few more bowls."

She then asked, "If I want to eat everything, which one should I eat first?"

Seeing that he was talking about other things, Song Miao thought about the time with the pig liver and guessed that this person probably didn't eat rice noodles often. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'll make you a small bowl to try. Eat something light first to fill your stomach. If you don't like it, don't force yourself. Noodles are ready too."

Han Li nodded, pointed to the water vat in the corner, and after receiving Song Miao's approval, he went over to get a ladle, filled it with water, washed his hands in a basin, poured out the remaining water, cleaned the copper basin again, and then put it back.

At this moment, Song Miao ladled soup and ingredients into the small pot with a handle. After it boiled, she picked up a small ball of flat rice noodles, heated it slightly, and then ladled it out and handed it to Han Li. She pointed to the table and said, "There are many seasonings. Young master, please add as you like. This soup has been simmering for half a day, and not much salt has been added. If the taste is not good enough, just call me."

Han Li readily agreed, took the bowl and chopsticks, went to the square table to the side, walked around the table, and specially chose one of the chairs to sit down.

Only then did he take a closer look at the noodles in the bowl.

The broth is very clear, with a light yellow hue, and it smells wonderful. A spoonful of minced soybeans and lean meat is placed on top of the noodles, which are flat, very thin, and almost transparent.

He first took a sip of the soup, a rich and flavorful meat and bone broth, but with the fresh taste of soybeans, making the soup appear even clearer and milder.

The saltiness was just right, leaning towards the milder side—no wonder the stall owner, Mr. Song, wanted to fill his stomach with this soup first; it was indeed very comforting to drink.

After drinking the soup, Han Li didn't add any more condiments to the table; instead, he took a bite of noodles first.

The rice noodles had a particularly strong rice aroma, and were smooth, tender, and flavorful. It might seem a bit strange to describe the noodles as tender, but Han Li still thought they were very tender. They were also refreshing and wouldn't fall apart or break when picked up. They were coated with the broth, as if they themselves had become part of the broth.

The soybeans were still in perfect shape, but once you tasted them, you would find that they were completely soft and mushy. They melted on the tip of your tongue, smooth and delicate, with a rich and fresh soybean flavor. Soybeans naturally have a sweet and savory taste, which is very mellow. The minced meat was quite tasty, with more lean meat than fat, and it was very fragrant. After swallowing it, a hint of Sichuan peppercorn flavor returned.

A particularly comforting bowl of noodles, light and fresh, which further highlights the aroma and sweetness of the rice itself.

In front of him was a small jar containing pickled cowpeas, pickled radishes, pickled vegetables, pickled bamboo shoots, pickled daylily, as well as scallions, coriander, minced garlic, chopped dogwood, celery granules, and so on. He didn't add any seasonings, and finished the bowl of noodles in just a few bites, leaving not a drop of soup.

So this is what freshly ground and pressed flour tastes like—completely different from anything he'd ever had before. If his senior brother knew what he'd missed, he'd be crying and screaming in despair.

The quantity was just too small!
Just as Han Li was about to get up to add more water, people began to arrive one after another.

When Song Miaohou received the people, he introduced them to everyone one by one.

"This is a soup base made by simmering pork bones and mountain snails for half a day. It's made with thin rice noodles, which is called snail rice noodles locally. There's a lot of dogwood powder, so it's quite spicy. It's best to add pickled bamboo shoots when eating it."

"This is Sanxian Suanlafen (Three Delicacies Hot and Sour Rice Noodles), which includes pork liver, lean meat, and pork intestines, cooked together with pickled bamboo shoots and pickled radishes stir-fried with dogwood flakes and vinegar. It uses flat rice noodles—which we make ourselves."

"This is soybean and lean pork soup with rice noodles, and it also uses flat rice noodles."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions: some wanted hot and sour noodles, some wanted snail rice noodles, and others wanted soybean and lean meat flat rice noodles.

Luosifen (river snail rice noodles) only needs to be blanched, while hot and sour rice noodles and soybean and lean pork rice noodles need to be boiled.

Song Miao then called Cheng Erniang to help cook the rice noodles, while she used two small pots to cook the noodles herself.

A policeman stepped forward, ordered a bowl of hot and sour noodles, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Shopkeeper Song, could you give me more pork liver and lean meat? And lots of noodles too! I heard Brother Han say he wanted to eat noodles here, but he didn't eat a single bite of the flatbread that others gave him to fill his stomach. He's been starving until now, and his stomach is practically eating itself!"

Song Miao smiled and agreed, and sure enough, she gave him a big bowl with plenty of ingredients and noodles. The pork liver and lean meat were piled on top of the noodles, almost overflowing, with sour and fresh pickled bamboo shoots and pickled radishes interspersed among them.

The man held the bowl, steam rising from it, and the sour and spicy aroma wafted into his nose. As soon as he sat down, he didn't care that it was hot, blew on it a few times, and couldn't resist eating it.

When others cook three-delicacy noodles, they usually slice the pork liver thinly, but Song Miao slices it thickly. Although it has been sitting for half a day, hanging in the well, the freshness is still preserved to the maximum extent. Thanks to the good preparation of the pork liver, there is no fishy smell at all, and it is both powdery and tender.

The pork slices were thinly cut and chewy, with a rich meaty aroma. The pork intestines were cooked just right, bouncy and slightly chewy, with a burst of fatty flavor with every bite.

There's also a poached egg inside; the egg white is tender and smooth, the yolk is creamy, and the egg flavor infuses the broth. The broth is flavored with fermented bean curd and pickled bamboo shoots and pickled radishes, adding freshness and sourness. It's sour, spicy, and fragrant...

The rice noodles were fresh out of the pot, and this person, knowing they were scalding hot, still ate them while blowing on them and grimacing.

Seeing his appearance, everyone waiting in line behind him couldn't help but swallow hard.

Someone else hurriedly asked him, "Hey, Lao Ji, Lao Ji! How's your rice noodle? What does it taste like? How sour and spicy is it? Can I eat it?"

Old Ji had a mouthful of powder in his mouth, nodding repeatedly, unable to open his mouth to respond.

A moment later, the two people behind them in line both ordered hot and sour noodles. One asked for extra pork intestines, and the other asked for extra lean meat.

It was already cooked rice noodles, so it only took a little time to cook the pork liver, lean meat, and rice intestines. Soon, both of them received their own rice noodles.

However, when it was the next patrolman's turn, he called out, "Miss Song, I want a bowl of soybean and lean pork flat rice noodles—just a little less, I need to save room for the hot and sour rice noodles and snail rice noodles later!"

The two people in front of them who had just received the powder, along with two or three others who were starving and had specifically begged for more powder, and those who had hesitated for a long time before finally choosing only one type, all understood what this person meant and exclaimed, "How cunning! He can do that!"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have ordered less noodles in my bowl so I could taste everything!"

Just then, someone who had just come out from the backyard, upon learning that there were three options, became so anxious that he scratched his head and paced around the house. When he saw Old Ji's bowl of noodles, he stopped and asked, "Is this your hot and sour noodles? It looks so delicious. What's that white thing in there?" Old Ji didn't have time to answer. Someone else who had finished eating nearby blurted out, "A poached egg! Cooked with the noodles, the taste is unbeatable—fragrant and tender, the flavor is half infused. Oh, I want to eat another one!"

The man who asked the question swallowed hard and was about to order hot and sour noodles when he suddenly saw a person sitting on a cushion next to him, holding a pig's trotter in both hands and gnawing on it with great relish.

The pig's trotters were braised, then fried, and then fried again until the outer tiger-skin-like crust formed thick, large bubbles. As he ate them, a crisp "crunch crunch" sound echoed in his mouth.

The man hurriedly asked, "Xiao Ji, what's this? Why is there pig's trotters in it?"

Xiao Ji swallowed the meat in his mouth and mumbled, "This is snail rice noodles, eat mine! Ask stall owner Song for a pig's trotter, a big pig's trotter, it smells amazing! There's also dried bean curd in it, oh my god, that dried bean curd is just perfect, this noodle, this soup—eat mine!"

The fried pig's trotters have a fluffy, porous crust that absorbs the broth perfectly. The gelatinous layer underneath is sticky and chewy, and then there's a layer of lean meat that's tender yet not dry. Even the bones and marrow inside are infused with the flavor of the braising sauce, which carries the aroma of sand ginger and the unique fragrance of Guangnan fermented bean curd...

The soup, noodles, and toppings are all equally important in Luosifen (river snail rice noodles).

First, stir-fry star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices until fragrant. Then, stir-fry sand ginger, pickled bamboo shoots, a lot of crushed dogwood, and river snails to bring out their fresh aroma. Add perilla leaves to enhance the flavor, and then simmer with pork bones and a whole chicken for half a day.

How could a soup made with such ingredients not be fragrant, fresh, rich, and delicious?
The rice noodles used are dried rice noodles from Guangnan West Road, bought from Nanbeipu. They are soaked first and then cooked, with cold water added twice. The cooked noodles are slightly glutinous, neither hard nor soft. If I had to describe them, they are somewhat like hand-pulled noodles. They have a slightly chewy texture, but when you bite into them, they have a slightly "crisp" feel. If you push them with your tongue and teeth, they break easily and bounce around in your mouth.

This type of noodle absorbs flavor, but it also has a strong rice noodle flavor in the middle. It is not easily soaked by the soup, which makes this bowl of noodles even more special.

The soup is fresh, the noodles are smooth, and the pickled bamboo shoots are crisp and tender. The flavor is sour, spicy, and savory, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Song Miao added long pieces of dried bean curd sticks to every bowl of snail rice noodles. The bean curd sticks were fried and then boiled, and they were full of loose holes. They absorbed a lot of fresh soup, were soft and tender, and burst with juice with every bite. They tasted like bean, fresh and sour and spicy.

There were also fried soybeans, which were crunchy and crispy, and extremely fragrant; and the seasoned and cold-dressed shredded wood ear mushrooms were very chewy...

The Song family only had one square table, five folding chairs, and one reclining chair. The rest of the people who didn't have chairs sat on cushions and ate their noodles on the benches.

The room was full of people, slurping and slurping. Some were eating snail rice noodles, and after slurping the noodles, they would slurp up the snail meat in the soup. After everyone was full, Song Miao had eaten all the rice noodles, meat and vegetables she had prepared, leaving only a little soup.

Towards the end, almost everyone tried all the flavors.

Song Miao used a heavy hand to crush the dogwood powder; two of the three types of powder were sour and spicy, which was appetizing. After eating them, many people were sweating profusely from the spiciness.

Song Miao then asked Cheng Erniang to bring out a pot of soy milk and poured a small bowl for each person.

Besides soybeans, this soy milk drink also contains walnuts and red dates, which are ground together and kept soaking in a well. It tastes cool and refreshing, relieving heat, spiciness, and thirst.

This soy milk drink is rich and sweet, with a more nutty aroma and date sweetness than what is usually sold outside.

Those who got a recliner half-slumped back in it. After finishing their drink, they were so comfortable that they couldn't help but let out an embarrassing long burp. After that, they said, "Can we not go back? I feel so good after eating. I just want to sleep."

The room was immediately filled with laughter and curses.

The man muttered, "It's raining so hard outside, I really don't want to walk in the rain. We don't have to work tomorrow anyway, so why can't we just stay here with Miss Song? We can even get a free breakfast tomorrow morning!"

Upon hearing this, the cursing gradually subsided, and even some who were unmarried and not in a hurry to return home began to seriously consider the possibility.

Seeing this scene, Han Li, who had been sitting to the side, said, "It's getting late. Everyone has had a hard day. Go home and rest early."

As he spoke, he got up first and went outside.

Before long, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage could be heard outside.

Only then did everyone realize that the two carriages from earlier hadn't gone far; they had been parked there all along—Han Li had booked them for the whole night.

The carriage stopped at the door, so there was no need to brave the rain or walk any further. Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and there was even a carriage to take them home. Normally, the patrolmen and constables were exposed to the sun and rain, and walking around half of the inner city was commonplace. Suddenly, everyone felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking, "I've finally got my day!"

Han Li saw everyone off onto the carriage, then instructed the driver to ask for their addresses one by one and take them home along the road before getting off the carriage himself.

As the carriage slowly started moving, he heard a coachman ask the people inside, "Sir—is this a restaurant?"

Another driver chimed in, "This is the first time I've heard there are eateries in Suanzao Alley. You guys are eating noodles inside, but the aroma outside is making our mouths water—how long does this shop stay open?"

There were bound to be patrolmen and constables inside to help explain.

Seeing that the two cars had driven away, Han Li returned to the house. He found that Song and Cheng had already packed away most of the pots and pans, so he helped tidy up the tables and chairs before sitting down with Song Miao and telling her what he had told Inspector Zhang during the day.

“If the government issues a commendation order, both you and this restaurant will gain some fame, and more people will know about them. But since neither case is closed, there might still be some fugitives out there. If you want to stay safe…”

"Peace is the most important thing," Song Miao replied. "Young master is very thoughtful. It would be best if we could get some reward money, but if not, it doesn't matter. Without your help, how would the yamen know who we are?"

She smiled and said, "There's too much to thank you for, so I won't thank you every day—if there's anything you'd like to eat, just let me know, and even if I don't know how, I'll learn to make it."

Han Li smiled and nodded earnestly.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Has Mr. Song ever left the capital in recent years?"

Song Miao thought for a moment and asked, "Do spring outings and tomb sweeping count?"

He then asked with a smile, "What is it, young master? Please speak."

Han Li couldn't help but laugh and said, "Last time you came to help out at the Kyoto Prefecture's kitchen, you were able to cook for hundreds of people perfectly on your first assignment. I want to ask, if you had enough manpower to manage the food for thousands or even tens of thousands of people, would you be confident in your ability to do so?"

　We've received so many monthly tickets, Xiaoxiang tickets, recommendation tickets, and all sorts of other votes for Xiaomiao! Thank you so much! I'm already so happy regardless of whether we get the operating funds or not. Thank you everyone!

　　(End of this chapter)