Miao Chu

Chapter 122 Escape
The small fish that can be seen everywhere in the eleven or twelve streams and rivers are cute, but they are not tasty to eat, and they don't have much meat. Even frying them into dried fish is too much oil. Whether it is a fisherman or an angler, as long as they catch them, they will curse their bad luck first and then quickly throw them back into the water.

As for buying groceries, if a family accidentally gets two fish caught by a fishmonger, they'll complain that the owner is too salty and is taking advantage of their weight!

Song Miao felt no burden at all in keeping such a thing.

The more she watched the fish swim aimlessly in the water, the more she liked it. She quickly thanked them and then asked for their names again.

Whether a person is truly happy or not is actually quite obvious.

Song Miao smiled, her eyes crinkling, and asked the question without looking up, only staring at the fish and observing it closely.

She watched the fish, and Han Li watched her watch the fish, unable to help but smile along.

The encounters and relationships between people are truly mysterious.

It was incredibly comfortable being around this stall owner, Mr. Song.

He felt so comfortable that he unconsciously wanted to help with some tasks, whether it was setting up tables and chairs, moving things around, or even, yesterday when he was looking for books in the library, after finishing his work, he couldn't help but look through the fish tank. This morning, when he went to buy tung oil, he happened to pass by the river and, before he even realized it, he had already paid the fisherman to buy some wild fish.

When he did these messy things, he didn't even think about the purpose or meaning behind them.

I simply thought it was something, and that's how I did it. After I finished, I saw that the other person liked it, and I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Even if there aren't many good meals to eat each time, I'm still very happy.

Of course, it would be best to have it.

He was used to seeing these fish, so he didn't need to look closely. It wasn't polite to look closely at people either, so he just glanced at them and watched her smile as she looked at the fish, studying their fins and tails. He also wondered how a fish that was so thin and slender could have such a bulging belly.

Even though it was just a glance, he still felt that her face was like a small lotus bud, just about to bloom. The dimples on her cheeks were like clear water droplets on lotus leaves in the early morning, swaying gently in the wind, appearing slightly, and then quickly falling into the water and disappearing again.

Han Li was momentarily stunned. For a strange instant, he had a strange urge to sit down on the ground and wait to watch it slowly open.

He composed himself before answering the name.

The names he came up with on the spot were rather perfunctory, just names like A, B, C, and D. He squatted down and introduced the names and appearances of the fish to Song Miao one by one—it was remarkable that he could actually distinguish them and wasn't just making things up randomly. He added, "When you have time, you can give them some nicer and more pleasant-sounding names."

He added, "Take your time thinking about it. There's no rush. I'll check them against you one by one next time."

Knowing he had other plans, Song Miao asked, "You have something to do this afternoon, will you be able to come back for dinner tonight?"

He added, "Young master, you've helped us make so many tables and chairs, how can you just offer us a meal as a reward?"

Han Li couldn't stand her questioning, so he mentally calculated the time and arrangements and said, "It should be possible. If it's too late, I'll send someone back to deliver the message."

Song Miao agreed and lifted the wooden bucket up—only then did she realize that the bucket was half-filled with tung oil used for brushing wood.

Although the fish were small, there were still about ten of them. Since these fish were all to be named after Song and become her own fish, Song Miao was reluctant to use the rough porcelain basin that she used to grow moss to hold them, fearing that the space would be cramped and restrictive.

She looked around and found a broken oil vat in the house. She quickly moved the vat out, washed it, and put the stone that Xiaolian had given her inside, thus giving the fish a home.

After raising the lucky little fish, it's the turn of the unlucky big fish.

Yesterday, she and Cheng Erniang bought a lot of meat and vegetables, just in case it rained and they couldn't go out. At this moment, they caught a big carp and killed and deboned it.

The carp had five odors on its body: gills, teeth, blood in the black membrane inside the abdomen, and mucus on its body, all of which Song Miao carefully removed.

Actually, it's best to use fish chunks for braised fish with pickled bamboo shoots, because the fish bones can support the fish meat, making the meat firmer. Once the bones are removed, the meat will easily fall apart.

But Han Li had other plans for today, and there was a child at home. Fish and meat had bones, which were not only troublesome to eat, but also easy to choke on.

Song Miao thought for a moment, then removed only the small bones between the meat and the large bones along the spine, keeping the belly bones. She cut the rest of the fish meat into large chunks instead of slices, and didn't use any batter. She heated the pan with cold oil and first fried the fish meat, bones, and head, using only salt to fry them until they were set. After they cooled slightly, she fried them again until both sides were golden brown. Then she added boiling water and a few peppercorns, and simmered them over high heat until the broth was thick and white.

Fish soup was simmering here, and the rice smelled delicious. Song Miao opened another pot to stir-fry pickled bamboo shoots, and then opened another pot to fry tofu puffs.

The tofu puffs only needed to be slowly heated in oil, and Cheng Erniang had to keep an eye on the fire and turn them over from time to time as instructed. However, she had to stir-fry the pickled bamboo shoots herself.

First, stir-fry a little fermented black beans until fragrant, then add plenty of chopped dogwood, mustard seeds, and pickled bamboo shoots and stir-fry together.

Hot oil and a roaring fire instantly release the sour and spicy flavors, filling the room with pungent and spicy fumes.

Song Miao stood in front of the stove and was choked by the fumes. Tears streamed down her face as she couldn't help but feel tempted by the sour and spicy smell. She quickly sent Xiao Lian, who was wiping the table and playing behind her, to the backyard to avoid being bothered by the fumes.

Cheng Erniang was quick-witted and, without Song Miao's instruction, she went forward and opened the gate wide.

The front hall of the Song family restaurant was originally a large eatery. Normally, only two of the eight doors were open. But now that the doors were open, the wind blew in, which finally dissipated much of the pungent smell of cooking oil.

Cheng Erniang hurriedly grabbed a fan and fanned Song Miao, saying, "The fumes are so strong. It's alright now because we're cooking less. But if the restaurant really opens in the future, it's best to cook less. Otherwise, how will you manage by yourself?"

He added, "It's a pity I'm clumsy. Even with dishes like glutinous rice and shumai, after making them for so long, following my wife's recipes and methods, the food still doesn't taste right. Otherwise, I could have helped much more."

Song Miao laughed and said, "The size of the fire and the order in which the seasonings are added all have different habits from person to person, so the taste will naturally be different. If it were that easy to make them all the same, wouldn't every street and alley be filled with my Song's brand of glutinous rice and shumai? Who would still come to buy from me then?"

Cheng Erniang laughed for a moment, forgetting to check the fire, and hurriedly fanned away the oil smoke blowing towards Song Miao.

Song Miao said, "This place is a windy spot, and the fumes from cooking oil tend to blow into your face. The kitchen in the backyard would be better—after all, this stove was originally just used for cooking noodles and rice noodles in the morning. It's only being used temporarily, so it's not as convenient as a proper kitchen."

He added, "I heard someone made a water fan. If we had one too, and since there's a window in the kitchen in the backyard, we could blow the water out and maybe reduce the amount of smoke." As they were talking, the pickled bamboo shoots were already thoroughly cooked.

Song Miao waited a while longer before casually chopping the fried and drained tofu puffs a few times, putting them into the pot and stir-frying them. She then removed the fish bones, poured in the fish meat and fish soup, and added a head of yellow cabbage to cook together.

Once the flavor of the pickled bamboo shoots has permeated the fish soup and fish meat, and the cabbage has softened, sprinkle in some chopped celery, and the tangy and fragrant braised fish is ready in one pot.

Because the pot was so big, it was difficult to pick up the food with a bowl, so Song Miao simply put an iron rack on the wooden table and carried the pot over.

When it was time to eat, a huge, imposing pot was placed on the table, almost completely full. It was supposed to be braised fish, but there was a lot of broth in it, making it almost half braised and half soup. It was so fragrant that it was indescribable.

Han Li had been making tables and chairs for a long time, and his stomach was already empty. When he saw this pot, his stomach almost started growling.

Xiao Lian, the rice server, whether because he was tall, a guest, or because of the "lotus" chair, filled his bowl with rice that was almost overflowing.

This time, the rice is pearl rice, which has a rich aroma of rice oil and rice fat.

There are two kinds of fish pieces: one with bones, consisting entirely of long bones from the belly, which can be easily removed with a gentle slide of chopsticks; and the other without bones, which is pure fish meat, so you don't have to worry about bones at all when eating it.

Regardless of the type, they have all been fully cooked to absorb the sour and spicy flavors.

Compared to the snail rice noodles from the other day, today's sour bamboo shoot fish is milder in both sourness and spiciness. Most people only notice the sourness of sour bamboo shoots, and sometimes the fermentation flavor is so overpowering that it can even smell pungent. But actually, that sourness is supported by the freshness and sweetness of the bamboo shoots.
When cooked together, the fish's freshness is brought to its peak by the sour and spicy flavor, which blends perfectly with the sweetness and freshness of the pickled bamboo shoots. The rich and full-bodied taste is truly mouthwatering.

It's been raining a lot lately, and the river water is murky. The fish used to have a stronger muddy smell than usual, but the flavors of pickled bamboo shoots, dogwood, and mustard seeds have masked the muddy taste, leaving only a rich, sour, spicy, and savory aroma.

This fish is a bit bigger, and its meat isn't as tender as the other smaller fish, but that's not the point of this meal.

Carp of this size, when used to make soup with fish bones, produce a white, rich broth with plenty of collagen. The meat is also just right, neither too coarse nor too dry, and the flavor is not too bland.

Song Miao intentionally cut the fish into large pieces and fried them twice, resulting in a crispy outer layer and fragrant fish meat inside.

When eating the belly meat, the area around the belly is very gelatinous, even a little sticky, and sticks in your mouth with the sour and spicy soup. When eating the boneless meat, you can take big bites. The meat is bouncy and firm, and it still tries to maintain its own fishy flavor inside, while the outside is mainly sour and spicy, with a hint of caramelized aroma.

The tofu puffs were fried by hand, and the white tofu inside was only a small piece attached to the edge, which is completely different from the tofu puffs bought outside that are solid in the middle. By this time, they had absorbed the soup, and the fresh sourness of the pickled bamboo shoots, the spiciness of the dogwood, moringa seeds, old ginger and peppercorns, and the richness of the fish soup made each bite burst with flavor.

If you have a mouthful of rice in your mouth at this moment, the flavor of the sour and spicy fish soup, mixed with the aroma of tofu puffs and the fragrance of rice, will make you savor the aroma with every chew. Your mouth, tongue, and nasal cavity will be filled with the sour and spicy taste of bamboo shoots. But when you swallow it, the fresh taste of fish will suddenly burst out, catching you off guard.

There's also the Chinese cabbage, which is already sweet and tender. When cooked in this fresh, sour, and spicy broth, its sweetness becomes even more pronounced. The celery, on the other hand, is very refreshing and crunchy.

Four people shared a large carp, which was cooked into a full pot with side dishes. They also had a pot of rice, and they ate it all up, leaving not a single drop. They even used the broth to mix with the rice and finished it all. This sour bamboo shoot and fish soup was so delicious that it made people want to cry out for their mothers.

During the meal, almost no one had time to talk. After finishing, everyone sat in their chairs, seemingly still savoring the meal.

After a long while, it was Cheng Erniang who said, "I have to learn this dish well—if we ever open a restaurant here in the future, Madam, this sour bamboo shoot fish should be our signature dish. No matter how much it costs, people will still want to order it!"

Not only Xiao Lian, but even Han Li nodded in agreement.

After lunch, due to time constraints, Han Li applied tung oil to all the tables and chairs and then took his leave.

After he left, as Cheng Erniang was packing her things, she suddenly took a straw hat and an umbrella and showed them to Song Miao: "Young Master Han brought back rain gear today, but it seems he made a mistake."

He added, “Ours has a hat-shaped top, this one is pointed—this one is woven more finely, and the umbrella is wrong too, his umbrella is much bigger.”

Song Miao took a look, and sure enough, the item was wrong.

"Even Young Master Han can make mistakes sometimes." She couldn't help but laugh. "He'll be back for dinner tonight anyway, so let's not put it away for him. We can just return it later."

However, in the afternoon, after 1 p.m., a patrolman hurriedly knocked on the Song family's door.

When Song Miaoying looked at the door, she realized it was an acquaintance who had come to her house before to keep watch on the other side of the street. She quickly asked what his purpose was.

The patrolman said, "I just came back from the Kyoto government office. Brother Han asked me to pass on a message, saying that there is something going on at the government office and he can't come tonight. So the meal we agreed on doesn't need to be prepared. He will come to visit another day when he has time."

Having just finished his leave, he rushed back to the yamen. Song Miao was somewhat surprised to hear this, but she thought it best not to ask too many questions, so she simply nodded her thanks and exchanged a few more pleasantries with the patrolman.

She had only intended to ask a few questions, but the patrolman sighed and said, "I'm fine, but Inspector Xin, who came with us last time, seems to have run into trouble."

Song Miao was startled and quickly asked the reason.

The patrolman said, "I don't know the specifics. I only heard it from the yamen. They said they received an urgent message last night that several people were injured outside. Inspector Xin was the most seriously injured and should be being sent back now. He should be back in the next day or two."

He added, "We don't know what's going on, but we've all been discussing it and thinking that once he comes back, we'll go visit him together."

Xin Feng was a hot-tempered and somewhat rough man, but he was a very kind person and took good care of Song Miao that day.

In particular, his leadership in setting up and arresting the gambling den across the street can be considered a major relief for Song Miao.

Hearing this seemingly random conversation, she became genuinely worried for the other party and quickly said, "If the officials are pooling their money to see Inspector Xin, please include me!"

He then went to get the money.

The patrolman quickly waved his hand and said, "It's still early. I'll tell you when I get the news."

***
At that very moment, in the Kyoto government office, just as Han Li stepped into the room, Qin Jie, who was behind the desk, immediately called out to him. Before Han Li could even approach, Qin Jie came over himself, looking extremely grim, and said, "Zhengyan, Xin Feng has made a mess of things—he found Lü Mao in Yanjin County, but unfortunately, he let him escape, and he was also stabbed."