Miao Chu

Chapter 135: Joking
Before cooking this rice, a layer of lard is brushed on the bottom of the pot. When it's almost cooked, another layer of oil is poured around the edge of the pot. The pot is then turned around and heated over high heat. This double attack causes the oil to splatter and create a thick, crispy crust on the bottom of the rice.

The crispy rice crust was soaked in the aroma of oil, and the rice itself was flavorful. All the ingredients were stir-fried in oil, making it very fragrant. If we were to eat this on a normal day, it would be a bit greasy if we ate too much of it. But today, a group of people had been busy all day from morning till night, doing all kinds of physical labor, and what they wanted to eat was something with lots of oil and salt.

Lu Wenming was filled with regret, regretting that he hadn't chewed it properly before swallowing it whole. He was ashamed that the two Hu's, carrots and scallions, and the two La's, cured meat and sausages, couldn't even settle their score.

Having a rare opportunity to serve as a judge, he secretly favored the man surnamed La and was willing to give him another chance.

After all, meat with the surname "La" is firmer, has a stronger flavor, and is more robust. Even if it's just meat, if you compare meat to people, meat with a strong character should be favored, just like myself—besides, if you don't chew it long enough, you can't fully extract the wonderful aroma of preserved meat.

He hurriedly shoveled down another mouthful of rice, but he was so hungry that he couldn't help but chew a few more times and swallow it. As he swallowed, he inwardly condemned himself for not being able to eat such good food properly and savor it. What difference was there between him and wasting such a precious meal?

This time, however, I found the scallions and carrots to be exceptionally sweet and fragrant, with a hint of oil and rice aroma from the preserved meat, making it seem even more appealing.

No wonder the official prefers to have those sweet-talking but lazy and slippery retainers accompany him!
When eating cured meats, you need to chew them thoroughly. When eating soft, boneless foods like carrots and scallions, you can taste their sweetness with just a couple of bites.

This judge was indecisive, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. He wanted to be fair and just, but he was in a real dilemma. He kept chewing on his words and his mind was also in turmoil.

Just then, I heard a few loud "bangs" and "clangs" in my ears, followed by a few more. When I looked up, I saw that the students eating around me had all stood up rudely and were rushing to get more rice.

He almost choked, but no longer caring about wasting food or making a fair judgment, he quickly swallowed it in a few bites and then went to make up for it himself.

Only when the granaries are full do people know etiquette. After eating dry rations for three days, everyone was starving. There was rice, meat and vegetables. At first, they declined each other's food, but as they ate, all they could see was the delicious food, and their movements were eager.

Several large pots of miscellaneous braised rice with preserved meats were quickly devoured.

Only then did everyone realize they needed to go see the soup.

One student, whose family was poor and rarely saw seafood, couldn't help but ask, "What kind of soup is that?"

Lu Wenming, who was more knowledgeable, was still astonished and exclaimed, "It's seaweed! Leader Han has suffered a great loss!"

Everyone busied themselves serving the soup.

The egg drop soup is very tender, and when you put it in your mouth it's like the finest silk. It sticks to your tongue and slides down on its own, like wisps of cloud. It's almost imperceptible, yet it's undeniably there.

Seaweed is just as soft and tender. If you look hard enough, you can find it. It has a slight chewiness, but if you're not careful, it will carry a hint of the sweetness of the sea and go down into your stomach with the egg drop soup.

With dried shrimp and seaweed, this soup is naturally not bland, but its umami is subtle, its saltiness is also subtle, the sweetness of the seafood and egg drop is faint, and there is also the slight spiciness of Sichuan peppercorns and a touch of sesame oil flavor. Everything is very light and refreshing.

After eating cured meat, the lingering, unpleasant taste remains in your mouth. But this soup washes over you, cleansing your mouth instantly, leaving you feeling refreshed and completely clean.

Those who hadn't eaten enough then set their sights on the steamed buns on the side.

The freshly baked steamed buns were fluffy and fragrant with the aroma of wheat. On the table were several plates of stir-fried rapeseed flowers, finely chopped and stir-fried with plenty of dogwood, making them very spicy, perfect for adding to the buns.

Because it's chopped so finely, this spicy stir-fried rapeseed flower is especially flavorful. Its natural sweetness is masked by the intense spiciness, but after swallowing it, the sweetness slowly returns in your mouth.

Lu Wenming dipped the bun in the last bit of broth on the plate and ate it all. After swallowing the last bite, he unconsciously stretched his legs and relaxed his shoulders in comfort.

The room was filled with people rubbing their stomachs, kicking their legs, and some who were so full that they couldn't help but stand up and walk around a few steps.

Someone exclaimed, "This is what life should be like!"

Many people immediately echoed his sentiments.

Only then did everyone have a chance to talk and discuss what was the best part of the braised rice. Some people loved the crispy rice crust, saying it was incredibly fragrant. Others liked the cured meat, and some said the sausage was the most delicious. Still others insisted on praising the scallions, saying they were particularly good at absorbing flavors, especially since they were already enjoying their sweetness.

Some people said that the seaweed and egg drop soup was something they had never eaten before, and they only just realized what it tasted like. It was quite unique and delicious, but it was too expensive, and they would never buy it for themselves.

Seeing the group chatting animatedly, Lu Wenming, who was also rubbing his stomach, suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Has anyone seen Leader Han? Why don't we see him at dinner?"

The room suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Someone recalled, "Just now, Leader Han told us to come back first, saying that he and Kong Fuyang would be a little later."

"Oh no, we didn't seem to leave them any food?"

The group's expressions immediately changed, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Lu Wenming quickly looked for Song Miao to ask if there was time to prepare some more food.

Song Miao then asked, "Are some people not full? Would it be best to give them some more food?"

Upon learning that the food was for Han Li and Kong Fuyang, she said, "It's alright, I've left some food here—if either of you isn't full, just let me know, there's still some left."

Hearing that there was "still some left," Lu Wenming couldn't help but feel a surge of greed, wanting to freeload. The words "I'm not full either" were already on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down with a burp.

They had all been busy outside all day, and knowing that Han Li and the other two had food to eat, everyone was relieved. Knowing that the road ahead was not yet open and that they would most likely have to continue measuring tomorrow, they hurriedly went back to prepare to rest early.

This time, as soon as everyone returned to their lodgings, the hosts brought out hot water – also "as instructed by Lady Song," so that "it's fine whether you want to soak your feet or wipe your body."

Hot water was naturally hard to come by in the village. Although they didn't need to buy firewood like in the capital, fetching water, chopping wood, and tending the stove to boil water all required manual labor.

It's obvious that money was spent to get such a good deal.

After a long day, coming back to such a delicious and satisfying meal, soaking my feet in hot water, wiping myself with a hot towel, and having my clothes taken away by the host who offered to wash and dry them—it truly soothed away much of the day's fatigue.

Life is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Although it's tough and tiring, if I continue to receive treatment like this, I can endure it a little longer—I can endure it a little longer.

After soaking his feet, Lu Wenming went out to empty the remaining water and overheard two people talking in the next room.

"I finally finished packing this morning, why did you spread your luggage out again?" "Hey! Didn't we say we're going to take measurements tomorrow? We'll be staying another day anyway, and I have some things buried underneath, so I need to spread them out to get them out."

"The day before yesterday you said you were going to resign and return to Beijing, but I haven't seen you resign. Yesterday they left, but you didn't go with them. And tonight, you're even thinking about going to take measurements tomorrow—are you going or not?"

"Let's take a look first, let's take a look first, there's no rush! The water is rising all the way here, and I've already come this far. Today, Han Li was teaching the 'repeating the ruler' method, but he's only taught half of it and hasn't figured it out yet. Let's talk about it after we've figured it out!"

He added, "Besides, didn't that young lady Song just say that she would make us pancakes to take with us tomorrow? She also said that the pancakes would be soft even when they were cold, both soft and chewy. She also said that she would stir-fry some pickled vegetables with chopped dogwood and pickle some pickled carrots for us to take with us, so we could roll them up and eat them."

"Oh, I love vegetable wraps the most! I have to eat them before I leave!"

"What if there's something delicious to eat or something to learn the day after tomorrow?"

"Oh dear, why are you so inquisitive!"

Hearing two students who are old enough to be his sons arguing like this, Lu Wenming would probably have been extremely annoyed if it had happened yesterday or during the day today. But now he had the leisure to smile, shake his head, wash the basin clean, and then go back to his room.

These two rooms, which were vacated by ordinary villagers, were where the children used to live, so naturally there wasn't much extra furniture.

The student in the same room sat on a small wooden stool, and used a taller wooden stool as a table. He picked up a pen and was writing something.

Lu Wenming stepped forward and casually asked, "What are you writing?"

The student said, "There were a few parts when Leader Han was talking about the water valve today that I didn't understand. I'll write them down and ask him about them tomorrow."

Lu Wenming, who was about to go to bed, suddenly stopped in his tracks after hearing these words.

He was very ambitious when he was a student. At that time, he felt that his future was limitless and that as long as he worked hard, getting an official position would be a piece of cake.

However, after repeated failures and more than twenty years of wasted effort, he was finally forced to face reality.

After becoming a retainer, Lu Wenming initially tried hard to prove himself and obtain an official position through the appreciation and recommendation of his master. However, after realizing that this was impossible, he became increasingly muddled and just drifted through life.

Seeing his roommate like this, he couldn't help but take out his own book and sit down next to the oil lamp.

After watching for a short while, the student next to him suddenly looked up and asked, "Hey! Brother Lu, do you think that Miss Song will cook for us again tomorrow? If so, what will she cook?"

***
At this moment, the students, who were talking about "Young Lady Song," also asked Han Li and Kong Fuyang, who had just returned.

"Young master, where did you get so many fish?"

Han Li put the many fish hanging on the rice stalks into a large basin. While washing his hands, he turned to Song Miao and said, "When we were measuring today, we saw many people selling fish at the river crossing. The price was very low. We were worried that you would be stuck here and unable to get out, so we bought some. If we can cook them tomorrow, they can be used as a substitute for meat. If we can't, then forget it."

He then asked, "What are we eating today? Have they all eaten?"

While serving them rice, Song Miao first answered their questions, then introduced each dish one by one, explaining what ingredients were used and how the dishes were prepared, thanking Young Master Han for his many helpful tips.

They also said it was a pity the two of them came back so late, because the food wasn't as good as when it was freshly cooked, especially the crispy rice crust which had become thicker and harder.

Kong Fuyang had been standing to the side, holding a fish in his hand. Because he was talkative, he tried to talk to Song Miao several times, but Han Li had already said everything, so he had no chance to interject.

After putting the fish away, he heard these words and became extremely anxious. He had no mind to pay attention to anything else. He thanked Song Miao and immediately buried himself in his food, completely unaware of the outside world.

Han Li took the food but didn't rush to eat. Instead, he asked Song Miao, "Has the stall owner eaten yet, Song?"

Only after Song Miao smiled and nodded did he feel relieved enough to start eating heartily.

While the two were eating, Song Miao led Da Bing to look at the many fish.

Han Li said he would use the fish to cook tomorrow, but she was too lazy to wait until tomorrow.

"With the recent heavy rains, both pond and river water are very yellow and turbid. The fish develop a strong muddy smell due to the water, so we use strong flavors to mask it."

She watched as Dabing killed a fish before she taught him how.

There were quite a lot of fish, and it took some effort for the two of them to clean them, chop them into pieces about an inch thick, add shredded ginger, strong liquor, soy sauce, salt, fermented black beans, Sichuan peppercorns, etc. - the latter two were lightly fried in oil - mix well, and cover with lotus leaves.

It just so happened that the family they were staying with was particularly wealthy, and they had a well that had been passed down from their ancestors.

After obtaining permission from the owner, Song Miao placed several large basins containing fish and meat into large buckets, which were then lowered into the well to allow the flavors to infuse throughout the night.

After Han and Kong finished eating, Han Li first sent Kong Fuyang to inform everyone of the departure time for the next day. Then he called someone over and made an excuse to collect the dishes and chopsticks to wash them, saying he would go out later. He went to the kitchen in the back.

He glanced at the dishes before washing them, and then glanced at them again after they were washed and left to dry. Seeing that Song Miao was teaching Da Bing how to kill and cut the fish, he realized it was inconvenient to speak, so he had no choice but to leave and walk outside.

But he had only gone halfway when he suddenly stopped, turned back, stood at the kitchen door for a while, and then called out to Song Miao, saying a few words about tomorrow's arrangements in front of Dabing.

Finally, he said, "Last night was rushed and I didn't have time to say anything—Kong Fuyang and I switched rooms with this family and are now staying in the room opposite yours. If you encounter any trouble tonight, just come and knock on my door."

***
While Han Li was talking to Song Miao, Cai Xiu, far away in the capital, was looking at the long roster over and over again. After finishing it, she went back and looked at it again.

Unable to find the person he was looking for, he couldn't help but ask, "How strange! Why hasn't Han Li's name appeared yet?"

After saying this, he suddenly found it funny—this wasn't the capital's government office, so who would know anything about Han Li?

Just as he was about to explain to the clerk who had brought the flower list who Han Li was, the clerk laughed and said, "Young Master Cai is joking. You mean Han Li from the Imperial Academy, right? How come his name is on there? He led his men to Huazhou a few days ago."

Cai Xiu was stunned, feeling as if there was something wrong with her ears.

He rushed forward, grabbed the other man's sleeve, and asked, "What's going on? What Huazhou? Why is he going to Huazhou?! Didn't he want to go to Liutahe?"

(End of this chapter)