Miao Chu

Chapter 124 Valuable
Having heard the whole story, Han Li asked, "Where are the others? Why are you the only one left here?"

Xin Fengdao said, "I was going to keep them here, but I sent them away to search. What's the use of them being here? They can't catch Lü Mao anyway."

As they were speaking, a loud "gurgling" sound, like thunder, was heard.

Han Li was startled and couldn't help but look down at the source of the sound. He saw Xin Feng blink his bull-like eyes twice, also looking dazed. After a while, he seemed to react and then looked down at his own stomach.

"It's well past noon, Brother Xin, haven't you eaten yet?"

Xin Feng lay on the bed, catching his breath after saying a few words, and said, "The people in front are busy and don't have time to deal with this. I'm thinking about Lü Mao, so I really don't have the appetite to eat."

He added, "They brought me some steamed buns this morning before they left, but I had no appetite then. Now I'm hungry, could you pass them to me?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li followed his directions and saw a large bowl of congee and two large steamed buns on a table not far away.

He placed the pancake in front of Xin Feng, who didn't pick at it and diligently ate it.

The steamed buns got cold and dry; when you bit into them, crumbs of dough would fall off in a rustling sound, and they were hard as a rock.

Xin Feng was injured in his ribs, and eating this hard cake would aggravate his injury, causing him to cry out in pain. He had no choice but to soak the cake in the porridge before eating it.

Han Li couldn't stand it, so he made a tough decision, took out an oilcloth package from his pocket, and pulled up a stool to place in front of Xin Feng.

The latter was still bewildered, chewing on half a steamed bun, and mumbled, "What's this?"

Han Li asked, "Scallion pancakes, want some?"

He then opened the cloth bag.

Once you peel back the outer two layers, the aroma of scallions immediately wafts out from the dried lotus leaves.

Because Lü Mao escaped, Xin Feng broke his leg and was stabbed, making it impossible for him to catch up. He was constantly anxious and in pain, feeling weak and listless, and had no appetite. But when he saw Han Li, he immediately felt at ease, his spirits lifted, his stomach felt hungry, and his nose smelled the aroma.

The aroma of cooked scallions and Sichuan peppercorns is a sweet and savory fragrance with a hint of spiciness, mixed with the aroma of fragrant lard flatbread. Even when it's cold, it's as if it's pulling his nostrils apart, as if shouting, "Can't you smell it? Can't you smell it!"

Xin Fengda heard a great deal.

He sniffed around, put down the steamed bun, freed his mouth, and grabbed a scallion pancake with his hand. Seeing Han Li turn around to pour water, he hurriedly asked from behind him, "Where did you get this?"

While asking the question, he had already stuffed the pancake into his mouth.

The first taste is a light saltiness and a strong aroma of scallion oil.

The cooled pancake, after being warmed up for half a day, was no longer crispy on the surface, but it was not hard at all; it was soft and slightly chewy, with a texture between firm and soft, a little chewy but not difficult to chew.

The lard is fried into a crispy paste and then layered with thin pancakes, leaving no fishy smell, only the aroma of scallions and a moist, oily feel.

With a single tug of his teeth, the pancake was torn into many strips, countless threads, and shattered into pieces.

As you chew, the aroma of wheat bursts forth in your mouth.

Xin Feng chewed slowly and deliberately, rarely acting so refined, his mouth movements alternating between large and small.

After a while, I was really hungry. I couldn't resist eating the fragrant pancakes and wanted to stuff them all into my mouth to eat to my heart's content.

The reason he slowed down was because during the larger movement, he accidentally used too much force, which aggravated his wound and caused him to grimace in pain, forcing him to slow down his movements and speed.

Xin Feng ate the big-mouthed, small-cake snack quickly and slowly, and soon he had the fourth one.

Han Li only needed to pour himself some water to come back and see that the pancakes he had deliberately saved for dinner were gradually disappearing.

His expression changed instantly, and he said, "Eat sparingly, this is for you to have some steamed buns."

He pushed the steamed bun further and placed it in front of Xin Feng.

After eating such a delicious scallion pancake, Xin Feng didn't even glance at the steamed bun, saying, "Never mind, let's enjoy this first!"

Having been hungry all day, he wolfed down the food, but was still not full. Yet he still had the nerve to ask, "Brother Han, is there any more?"

You're nothing!

"This is all that stall owner Song made. I can only bear to eat half of it. If I had known that I was going to feed you the other half, I wouldn't have left any."

As Han Li spoke, he stood up again.

Xin Feng was disappointed, then looked up and asked, "Where are you going?"

Han Li glanced at him helplessly and said, "You're so badly injured and can't move. You can't just eat steamed buns and porridge every day, can you?"

He knew that although this was an official post station, Xin Feng was just a patrol inspector in the capital prefecture and had no impressive rank. If any official came and went, the post station staff would not pay any attention to him. So he went out and found a shopkeeper, negotiated a price, and asked for meals to be delivered to his door every day. He also gave the waiter some extra money so that he could help him fetch some water and change his clothes.

They also asked the shopkeeper to help them find a laundry woman to come to their door to wash and dry their clothes, which was a simple way to settle Xin Feng down.

After the situation was handled properly, he and the team leader learned about the situation separately when everyone returned from their search that evening.

Since Han Li did not come under orders, nor did he try to take over the job, he only helped to sort out the division of labor by looking at the map. Seeing that there were not enough people, he took Xin Feng's dispatch order and went to the Yanjin County government office to ask for a number of yamen runners and patrolmen.

When the others went earlier, the county magistrate, using the excuse of being busy, only asked his subordinates to help deal with the situation and gave them a small number of people. However, Han Li had a notorious reputation, and Yanjin County was only half a day away from the capital. How could they not know about this evil star's past actions and the cruelty of his writing?
The most important thing is that this time Lü Mao has already left traces, and the situation is different from before. It's not good to refuse anymore. We should hand over the person quickly and hope to send the person and the case away as soon as possible.

So the men split into groups and searched for the thief along the river, upstream and downstream.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In Suanzao Lane, although Han Li was slow to return to the capital, the banquet that Master Chen was funding to host for Cheng Zijian and others, who were to host a group of professors, was just around the corner.

The group invited two tables, one for the seven teachers and one for the fourteen students.

Song Miao had already prepared a menu and sent it to Cheng Zijian, but since he wasn't the one paying, he didn't dare to place an order and had to cautiously go to Master Chen instead.

As a result, the day before the banquet, despite the bad weather, Master Chen still came despite the rain.

As soon as he arrived, he asked Song Miao about the specific flavors and cooking methods of each dish.

As the dishes were being finalized, with only the last main course remaining, Master Chen wiped the rain from his beard with a handkerchief and asked, "Last time, Zheng Yan casually mentioned that I had a dish of stuffed pomelo peel and another of stuffed bamboo shoots at your restaurant. Could you make either of those dishes?"

Where can you find pomelo peels now?
Song Miao had no choice but to explain to him, adding, "The rains have been heavy these past few days. I've checked all the markets and neighborhoods, and there's hardly any decent food for sale. Bamboo shoots are nowhere to be found. I'm afraid we really won't be able to eat any this time." Seeing that Master Chen looked quite disappointed, she said, "Actually, I have quite a few snails here. If you'd like some stuffed dishes, how about I make some stuffed snails? They taste pretty good. You just scrub the snails, dig out the snail meat, wash it clean, and then chop it together with mushrooms, mint, and pork..."

Although he only briefly mentioned the recipe, Master Chen couldn't wait to hear the rest and nodded hurriedly, saying, "It sounds delicious, why not put it on the menu?"

Song Miao said, "This is a home-style dish, but it's not really suitable for a formal banquet. I originally planned to serve it as the main course for Young Master Cheng and Young Master Han when Young Master Cheng hosted them..."

"How come Zhengyan gets such a good main course, but I don't?" Master Chen became anxious, feeling extremely unfairly treated.

Song Miao smiled and said, "Sir is a distinguished guest and is eating a formal meal, but Young Master Han is just having a home-cooked meal, so naturally there are no such formalities."

"These stuffed snails aren't meant to be eaten, they're meant to be sucked on. It's not a very elegant way to eat them. Just imagine, when this dish is served, a whole table of people will be sucking on the snail shells. Aren't they afraid of being embarrassed? They might only eat one before feeling too awkward to take a second one."

Master Chen's eyes lit up as he listened, and he said, "It's good that they feel embarrassed! They care about saving face when they eat, so they eat less. I don't care about saving face, so I eat more!"

"They can eat their chicken, duck, and fish, I'll eat my stuffed snails—this dish is just right for me. Although I don't have good teeth, I still have the strength to suck a snail. Miss Song, when you serve the dishes, this dish will be placed in front of me!"

He was speaking in a serious tone, but Song Miao couldn't help but laugh, and in the end, she had no choice but to agree.

After agreeing on the menu, Master Chen took out a string of coins from his bag and placed it on the table, saying, "This is a little something for the young lady."

Song Miao quickly declined, saying, "Sir, have you forgotten? You already gave me enough to serve these two tables, and I'll still make a good profit."

Master Chen shook his head and said, “What happened before was before. I didn’t know there had been so much rain lately. A few days ago, I asked someone to go to the market to ask about the prices of rice, flour, vegetables, and meat. Everything has skyrocketed. You’re just a kid, cooking for about twenty people. It’s so troublesome. You have to wash, dig, and chop all the stuffed dishes. You deserve it.”

Song Miao said, "I have two other people at home who help me, so it doesn't count as me doing it all by myself."

Master Chen said, "I'm already quite old, am I not an elder? Just accept it, don't keep arguing!"

Seeing his insistence, Song Miao obediently accepted the gift and thanked him again.

After she accepted the money, Master Chen smiled and asked, "Although it's neither early nor noon—what food do you have here? I can buy some to take home and have a little treat."

He added, "I heard last time that Zheng Yan had dried meat, but I can't chew it. Is there anything else?"

Song Miao was taken aback and said, "What would you like to eat, sir? I'll make you something fresh."

Master Chen shook his head and said, "Make whatever you need right away. If you have it, I'll bring some along. If not, then forget it."

Song Miao searched the stove for a while, and finally said, "There are only seven or eight red bean rolls left in the pot, which were left over from this morning. I'm afraid..."

Master Chen was delighted and said, "Don't worry, don't worry! These red bean rolls look delicious, and I can chew them!"

Sure enough, they wrapped it in dried lotus leaves, rolled it up, and took it with them, then demanded payment.

At this point, Song Miao refused to accept the person no matter what, and quickly sent them away.

Master Chen, carrying a bag of red bean rolls, walked with such pride that he practically swayed on his feet. After taking only a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back to ask, "By the way, did you take care of that old stock you asked me to buy last time?"

Song Miao shook her head and said, "Perhaps Mr. Min is too busy and doesn't have time to spare right now."

Earlier, when they were having dinner at Jinming Pond, after the meal, Master Chen called for Elder Min, who readily agreed to ask Song Miao a question.

Judging from his tone that day, it should have been a very simple matter, but there has been no news since.

Upon hearing this, Master Chen's expression turned quite unpleasant.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and ask. If he's not available, I'll find someone else for you."

Song Miao hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your concern, sir. But after these few days, I might have to take on some outside work, and I may not be in the capital for a while..."

Knowing that Han Li had a close relationship with this Master Chen, she had no reason to hide it, and besides, the matter couldn't be kept secret anyway. So she briefly mentioned that Han Li wanted to hire her to go out of the capital with him.

Master Chen praised, "I originally thought the young lady was only good at cooking, but I didn't expect her to also have such talent in managing and organizing."

He stood at the door, earnestly praising Song Miao. Being older, he focused on the distant rather than the near. Just as he finished praising her, he glanced around and noticed a character carved on the lower right leg of the wooden table in the room.

Master Chen glanced at it, then suddenly stopped, rubbed his eyelids, and looked again before asking, "I seem to be seeing things—these table and chairs weren't here last time, so who made them?"

Song Miao confessed honestly, saying that Han Li knew that the restaurant was going to host a banquet for the teachers and students of the Imperial Academy in the next two days, especially since Master Chen would be there. He was worried that everyone would not have a place to sit, so he kindly came to help. In two and a half days, he made a lot of tables and chairs.

Master Chen rubbed his eyes first, but after listening, he started rubbing his ears.

He knows his own junior brother well—he does take care of him and care about him, but when did he become so meticulous and start worrying about whether this old geezer has a table and chair to sit on when he eats?

Holding the red bean roll, Master Chen went back into the restaurant. He circled the table and chairs, and then went to study the character "Song" carved with a carving knife on the table leg.

Although it is carved with a knife, the structure is clear, the turns are sharp, and the fluidity of the knife strokes is no less than that of writing with a brush.

He said, "I never expected him to have this trick up his sleeve."

After a while, he raised his head again, looked at Song Miao, and smiled, "I originally planned to come for dinner tomorrow and write a screen and a central scroll for this restaurant for you, young lady—do you still want it now?"

Song Miao was already familiar with Master Chen's reputation, so she was naturally overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir. Such a fine piece of calligraphy is rare and my family would be more than happy to have it. How could I refuse it!"

Master Chen was delighted to see her so supportive. He stroked his beard and then offered a suggestion, saying, "Next time you see Zhengyan, ask him to write one for you too. His calligraphy is much more valuable than mine!"

Song Miao didn't suspect anything and responded in agreement.

Master Chen then truly left.

He carried a red bean roll between his legs, wore boots, and walked happily, splashing through puddles as he muttered to himself.

"You little brat, I've caught you red-handed! You wouldn't write a single character on a screen with just one South Sea pearl, complaining about the trouble and that someone had ulterior motives, but you've been making tables and chairs with great enthusiasm, even busy carving characters! Now you're not complaining about the trouble at all!"

"For stuttering! Ha, for stuttering?"

Many thanks to Yunshui Mofu for the peach blossom fan! ^_^ And thank you to Hanshan Hui, Book Friend 160502131413867, kelp, and Green Cola for the amulets! :)

Thank you to Furuanruan from the bookstore and my cat Dandan for each gifting me a typing aid =3=, and thank you to Zuozuoyouyou and Kyoku Kin for each gifting me a small token :)

Thank you Hongxiu Feifei a for sending me a good luck charm! ^_^