Miao Chu

Chapter 119 Looking Up
Soon, Zhu the butcher pulled Xiang Yuan to a side hall.

Tables and chairs had already been set out in the hall, and as soon as people entered, a servant busied himself serving tea.

Zhu the butcher had been trying to persuade him and was now parched, so he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea is bright yellow, has a faint chrysanthemum fragrance, tastes slightly bitter but not astringent, and has a slightly sweet aftertaste, making it very thirst-quenching.

He finished his drink in a few gulps and asked Xiang Yuan, "Where's Lin Zi? Let's invite him to eat with us."

Xiang Yuan said, "Don't even mention it. He won't get up until the sun is right up to his backside. It's because I'm always out and about and don't have time to take care of him that the two old folks have spoiled him!"

He sighed again, "These days, he's always flirting with cats and fighting dogs. Even the dogs think he's cheap! He's not broad-minded either. He doesn't know how to tolerate others, and he even gets bullied! He recently learned to fight, but I don't know who instigated him. He caused a huge mess. He's so ungrateful. If I weren't his only child, I would beat him to a pulp!"

"He wouldn't listen to anyone else, but it was only when I hit him with a stick a couple of times that it had some effect."

When it came to his son, Xiang Yuan was clearly quite troubled.

Butcher Zhu said, "Let me presume to give you some advice. Don't keep chasing after other women all the time. Seriously, isn't it good to have a wife at home to live a proper life? Look at me and your sister-in-law, we've been a couple since we were young, and we're companions in our old age. That's exactly what we mean."

He earnestly advised, "Your two elders are getting old, and the forest is small. This time it was just a lucky coincidence. You can't always take them with you, can you? You'll need someone to help take care of them."

Xiang Yuan nodded and said, "Brother, I never took your advice seriously before. But in the last year or two, my child has been a disappointment, and several things have happened at home. Only now do I realize that you are a kind person and that what you say is the right thing to do. Don't worry, the matchmaker is already keeping an eye on things."

At this point, he added, "As you know, my family does have some assets, but unfortunately I'm getting old. If I look for something good, others won't take it; if I look for something less desirable, I won't take it. I'm stuck here."

Butcher Zhu said, "What kind of person are you looking for? I'll have your sister-in-law help me take a look too."

Xiang Yuan said, "I don't care about social status. It would be best if they could read and write and do accounting so they can help manage the business in the future. They should have a good temperament and a kind heart, and be beautiful. It doesn't matter if they have had children before, as long as they don't have any children to raise..."

Although she was a second wife, the Xiang family was wealthy, and Xiang Yuan was still capable and handsome. The conditions listed at this time, taken individually, were not particularly demanding, but when put together, they were hard to find.

Butcher Zhu was also somewhat worried upon hearing this.

Xiang Yuan said, "Let's take our time with the inquiries; there's no rush."

He added, “There is another matter. I heard that the rains upstream are heavy and flooding is inevitable. I received the news yesterday that the river embankment in Huazhou is likely to fail. Right now, the business of medicinal herbs, grains, and cloth is booming. To put it bluntly, the business of coffins and paper money is also booming. If you have some free time, you might as well send someone to make a trip and open a business. It can cover the expenses of two or three years normally!”

It has been said since ancient times that it is best to make money during times of disaster.

Zhu the butcher was tempted, but still shook his head and said, "I don't have that ability. I can't even manage this business. Right now, the capital is flooded, and there are things happening everywhere. I'm so busy that my eyes are practically glued to the ground. I'm just not destined to make that kind of money."

Xiang Yuan didn't try to persuade him further, only saying, "Alright, it's indeed been hard work."

As they were talking, someone brought out the food.

Xiang Yuan hurriedly said, "You've gone to so much trouble. It's so early in the morning, and you've gone to all this trouble. Just fill your stomach, and tell the kitchen not to bother you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a small steamer and a dish of sauce were placed in front of him.

The sauce was like soy sauce, but lighter in color and had a slightly spicy smell.

The servant opened the steamer lid, and through the rising white steam, three dumpling-like foods were placed inside.

Xiang Yuan glanced at the dumplings and said to the servant, "I prefer to dip my dumplings in vinegar, not soy sauce. Get me a dish of vinegar."

He added, "I want aged vinegar, the more sour and the older the better, preferably from Qingxu County."

After saying that, he put down his chopsticks and turned to talk to Butcher Zhu.

A short while later, the servant returned with four dishes of vinegar and placed them in front of Xiang Yuan and Butcher Zhu respectively.

He said, “Master Xiang, the kitchen said that the sauce in the first dish is not ordinary soy sauce, but Worcestershire sauce. It is specially made to go with these shrimp dumplings. Knowing that you are a discerning person, if you do not like it and want to go with vinegar, you can try Zhenjiang vinegar. It is more sour and will not overpower the sweetness of the shrimp.”

Upon hearing the words "shrimp dumplings," Xiang Yuan was quite unfamiliar with them. He paused for a moment before taking a closer look at the dumplings.

Previously, I had only glanced at it through the white, rising steam and hadn't seen it clearly. Now I realized that the food inside the steamer was quite different from ordinary dumplings.

The bamboo steamer was lined with long pine needles as a base, and three shrimp dumplings were placed on top of each one, with a piece of red stuff underneath – a slice of carrot.

The shrimp dumpling was small, somewhat resembling a white jade comb that had eaten its fill and was bulging with belly.

The skin is very thin; although it's not exactly translucent, it's already semi-transparent, and you can clearly see the red and white filling inside.

The red color is a shrimp red that is somewhere between pink and bright red. It is very tender, and the whole shrimp meat is so plump that it seems to be about to burst out through the crystal-clear skin. It is truly a feast for the eyes.

His hands trembled slightly as he held the chopsticks, and he quickly picked one up and put it in his bowl.

The chopsticks were heavy, and upon closer inspection, they looked even more beautiful. Counting them, there were thirteen pleats, spaced very evenly.

Xiang Yuan, who prided himself on having traveled all over the country, had never actually eaten dumplings like these before. Feeling very curious, he took a bite with his bare lips.

As soon as he bit into it, a pool of hot juice immediately slid out of the shrimp dumpling, carrying a fresh and hot aroma, flowing into Xiang Yuan's mouth, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Extremely sweet and fresh.

It has a particularly rich shrimp flavor, with no fishy smell, the sweetness of bamboo shoots, a touch of oiliness, and very subtle peppery and ginger spiciness.

The oiliness is very restrained, and it tastes like very clean pork fat, making the soup even more fragrant and smooth.

The shrimp dumplings were originally quite small; with Xiang Yuan's big mouth, one bite would have been just right. But out of curiosity, he deliberately bit them into two pieces to eat them so he could see the ingredients.

A whole fresh shrimp lay inside, along with some shrimp meat scraps, a mix of red and white, the red parts were pink, and there were also small pieces of bamboo shoots, sprinkled with very finely ground pepper.

It looks delicious.

There was another shrimp in his mouth.

The shrimp were also quite large—two whole shrimp could fit into such a small dumpling.

The skin looked so thin, yet it held so much filling without a single tear.

Moreover, even though it's filled with broth, it doesn't "float" up; it's soft yet chewy, oily yet dry.

That dryness doesn't mean the skin is very dry, but rather that it doesn't stick to your teeth. It's quite amazing that there's a kind of "tension" pulling between your teeth.

The shrimp meat was exceptionally firm, springy, fresh, crisp, and tender. It burst with juice when you ate it, and when combined with tiny bamboo shoots, the juice was sweeter and richer than any shrimp he had ever eaten before.

He had eaten dishes prepared by chefs in restaurants, and had also spent a lot of money to invite skilled chefs to prepare banquets. He had also witnessed many lavish family feasts and tasted many well-prepared and delicious shrimp, but this tasted completely different from the previous one.

It's so fresh and delicious!

It was so delicious that he couldn't help but have doubts—I usually pride myself on being knowledgeable, but is it really that unrefined?

After carefully chewing the half shrimp dumpling in his mouth, Xiang Yuan dipped the other half in the "Wort sauce" the chef had mentioned. The light salty and savory flavor, with a slight spiciness, perfectly enhanced the freshness of the shrimp dumpling without overpowering the sweetness of the shrimp; it simply added a touch of complexity.

These tiny shrimp dumplings aren't even big enough to fill a tooth gap.

There were still some in the steamer. He picked up his chopsticks, but before he could even reach halfway, he noticed that the person next to him had already stretched out his thick arm, holding another pair of chopsticks, about to touch the last shrimp dumpling.

Turning his head, Butcher Zhu also looked over. Suddenly realizing what was happening, he quickly withdrew his hand, pushed the steamer a little closer, and said, "Brother Xiang, you eat, you eat!"

He coughed awkwardly again.

Xiang Yuan wanted to reach out, but was too embarrassed to take any. Yet, he was really craving them and felt a strange sense of anxiety. He hurriedly said, "Why are there only three in this basket? I usually see at least eight or ten dumplings in a basket!"

He added, "Brother, you've hired a truly excellent chef. The dumplings are wonderful, and they taste amazing! I've never had dumplings like this before. I could eat ten or eight, or even ten or eight baskets! This is quite an eye-opener!"

Such a hint was no different from a shameless blatant declaration, so how could Butcher Zhu not understand?

He slapped his thigh and said, "Hey! The chef did prepare a list and even asked me for it. I originally thought that with Linzi, there would be three people at a table. I told him the number of people and went back, but who knew that they would prepare according to the number of people!"

He then hurriedly called out, "Go and fetch the menu that Madam sent back last time."

Then he urged, "Have the kitchen bring out another basket of these shrimp dumplings."

After speaking, he said to Xiang Yuan, "Let's just add one more basket first—I heard someone read the menu, there are more than ten kinds of food, and the names all sound good. I'm just afraid that if we eat our fill first, there won't be any room left in our stomachs."

Xiang Yuan agreed verbally, but in his heart he disagreed, thinking that no matter how delicious the other dishes were, they would never be as amazing as these shrimp dumplings.

Normally, I'd rather eat one peach than a whole basket of rotten apricots. But this time, even though there was a whole basket of peaches, or even if the apricots were good, they were just ordinary apricots. How could they possibly compare to peaches?

It's better to eat those shrimp dumplings until you're full, so you don't have to think about them every day later.

—He's thinking about it now!
Just as Xiang Yuan was staring at the last shrimp dumpling, another steamer was brought up. When the lid was lifted, a small plate inside contained a few chicken feet.

Even though he had eaten countless ways of cooking chicken feet, Xiang Yuan couldn't help but exclaim when he saw this plate in front of him, "These chicken feet are so beautiful!"

The amber-colored sauce was evenly coated on the claws, which were clear and shiny. The claws were slender and plump, the size was just right, and they were very well-proportioned, indicating that the person was very active in life.

The waiter hurriedly announced the dish: "The kitchen said this is braised chicken feet in black bean sauce."

Xiang and Zhu grabbed the chopsticks almost simultaneously, each picking up a chopstick and putting it into their mouths.

Just as Xiang Yuan was about to bite, his teeth barely touched the skin before his lips and tongue inadvertently sucked it off.

It falls off with just one suck.

These chicken feet tasted different from anything I'd ever had before. They were clearly fried and then steamed for a long time, but not over-fried. They were steamed thoroughly, and after all that cooking, they were completely tender and falling off the bone.

Its texture is soft and chewy, especially the skin, which is soft but not mushy, and retains the shape and gelatinous texture of the chicken feet.

The skin had become semi-tiger-skin shaped, with many holes, making it particularly absorbent of the sauce. It carried a strong aroma of fermented black beans, was salty, savory, and slightly sweet, with a hint of spiciness.

The umami flavor comes from stir-frying and steaming fermented black beans. The base flavor is very mellow, and the sauce is thick but not sticky. It can flow on the chicken feet, and it is flavorful without being overpowering.

The taste and texture are just right.

It's served on a bed of soybeans, which are soft, powdery, and absorb the aroma of soy sauce and chicken feet, just like eating meat, but with a refreshing touch.

The two grown men were spitting out bones here, and in the blink of an eye, they finished a plate of chicken feet.

Xiang Yuan wiped his mouth with his handkerchief, thinking to himself: This is so soft and flavorful, it's the perfect treat for my parents!
While I was still thinking about it, three more steamers came up.

One steamer contained shrimp dumplings that had been replenished earlier, another steamer contained two small bowls of glutinous rice, and the third contained shumai.

The two immediately went to pick up shrimp dumplings.

With three more, there were two for each person, so there was no need to keep pushing and shoving. To be honest, Xiang Yuan really felt a sense of relief—he had preserved his pride in being modest without feeling too much regret later.

But he regretted it almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

Out of curiosity, he dipped one of the two shrimp dumplings he was given in Zhenjiang vinegar and the other in aged vinegar.

As expected, Zhenjiang vinegar is milder, but it has already ruined the sweetness of the bamboo shoot pieces. When it was coated with aged vinegar, it completely covered the faint aroma of the wheat flour on the skin and the fresh and sweet taste of the filling inside.

"How about another basket of shrimp dumplings?" he couldn't help but suggest. "And another basket of chicken feet, too?"

"Two more baskets, please..." Zhu the butcher swallowed the shrimp dumplings in his mouth and, while instructing his servant, couldn't help but double the quantity.

The two ate the sticky rice and shumai while waiting.

These two items are Song Ji's signature products. If they weren't something special, how could they attract students from Nanlu and Taixue to think about them every day, forming long queues and drawing in people from various places, including the patrol stations and government offices, who had previously tried every means to persuade Song Miao to set up a stall near them?

At this moment, the glutinous rice was only a small bowl, enough for only three or five bites. Each person also received a different flavor of shumai. The two of them had just begun to taste the flavor when the bowls were already empty, and they both fell silent and looked at each other.

Before Xiang Yuan could even speak, Butcher Zhu had already instructed his servant, "Ask the kitchen if they can serve it in two portions later. This portion is too small; it's not enough for everyone."

The servant had no choice but to run back and forth, and as he ran, he couldn't help but grumble to himself: "The two masters could have finished the task at once, but they had to split it into four, five, six, seven, or eight trips. Luckily, this side hall is very close to the kitchen, otherwise my legs would have been worn out from running around!"

Soon, the fifth dish was served.

This time it wasn't a steamer, but a small bowl of cold dishes.

Chrysanthemum greens, served raw.

Use only the front half of the leaves of the very tender and fresh chrysanthemum greens. After washing and drying them, mix them with vinegar, salt, sesame oil, wasabi paste, mustard seeds, sugar, and soy sauce. Sprinkle a little garlic water to enhance the aroma, but do not use garlic cloves. Just garnish with white sesame seeds.

The flavor of garland chrysanthemum is very strong, almost overpowering, and irresistible to those who love it.

Xiang Yuan has loved eating chrysanthemum greens since he was a child.

He used to blanch chrysanthemum greens before eating them in cold salad, but this was the first time he had seen them prepared raw, which was quite an eye-opener.

Because he was eating too quickly, he was choked by the spiciness of the mustard seeds as soon as he put his mouth in, and he coughed violently.

Zhu the butcher, who was standing nearby, quickly handed him water and asked if he was alright.

Inside the side hall, the Xiang family steward and several prominent bodyguards and guards were sitting around a small table, all engrossed in their meal.

At that moment, the steward heard Xiang Yuan coughing loudly outside and suddenly looked up.

　Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets, Xiaoxiang tickets, recommendation tickets, and all kinds of tickets! Thank you for your support, fellow foodies. Tomorrow is the last day of the month. Whether or not I receive any benefits, I'm already very grateful. Thank you so much! ^_^
　　Many thanks to Qingmeishou and Book Friend 20211005072629096 for sending me the sachet =3=
　　Thank you to Bingningyanhan, Book Friend 20200221010953408, phone_QiDian, and kelp for sending me the amulet! :)
　　(End of this chapter)