Miao Chu

Chapter 145 manuscript
Wu Gongshi had no interest in listening to the courier's reply.

He wasn't hungry at all just now; on the way back, he burped and his throat still had that unpleasant taste of food. But now, smelling these two aromas, he suddenly felt hungry.

If it's a steamed bun, it seems... it's not impossible to eat half of it and taste it?
With that thought in mind, he followed the scent and quickly found the table in the left corner.

As we walked, we saw that almost everyone in the hall was looking towards that table, and every now and then someone would call out to the courier, asking what the fragrance was and whether they could buy it.

As Wu Gongshi approached, he saw that the small pancake had just moved away from the table, as if it had just been served—seven or eight familiar students were huddled together at the table, vying to reach their chopsticks into the large bowl on the table.

With just one glance, Wu Gongshi forgot about the students gathered around the table.

There was actually quite a lot of food on the table, including meat and vegetables, in seven or eight dishes.

But all he could see were the two large basins in the very center, filled to the brim.

The bowl contained layers upon layers of rolls, each layer of dough very thin, covered in a thick, brown sauce, resembling flower rolls but with more rolls, and looking even shinier and stickier.

The sauce was half-dried, so much of it that it almost completely covered the noodles, making it look incredibly tempting.

What's even more terrifying is that fragrance.

It has an exceptionally strong, sweet flavor with a hint of smoke and the aroma of roasted dried fruit—it's incredibly rich and full-bodied. Even before tasting it, he could already imagine its flavor.

Dabing, always quick-witted, had barely stepped aside when he looked up and saw the person, and hurriedly reminded the students at the table, "Master Wu is here!"

The people at the table were a beat slow to react. They were chewing their food but didn't dare to speak. Instead, they moved over to make room for each other, making the seats even more cramped.

Wu Gongshi then said, "You all eat your food, don't mind me, I'm just here to taste it!"

He took the chopsticks that Dabing brought, pushed the bowl away, and thanked him, saying, "I'll just have a bite, I don't need the bowl."

Because it was difficult to reach out and grab the food while standing, he leaned forward slightly. He only wanted one, but he didn't hold on properly. The chopstick went straight through to the bottom, piercing two plump rolls.

Wu Gongshi's heart skipped a beat.

How can it be so soft?
"What is this? A steamed bun?" he couldn't help but ask.

Dabing said, "Our Lady Song says this is a sugar flower roll, also called a brown sugar and sesame paste flower roll—it's made by mixing brown sugar crumbs and sesame paste into a filling, and then rolling it up layer by layer!"

She added, "Madam Song went to several shops before finding such good brown sugar. Sugar is expensive to begin with, but this bag is even more expensive! My lord, please try it!"

With his hair tied in two buns, Wu Gongshi hesitated for a moment, then nodded hastily. While thinking that he probably couldn't finish two, he was so enticed by the aroma that he couldn't care less about anything else and couldn't help but take a bite first.

A mouthful that is both extremely noisy and soft.

Fresh out of the pan and still very hot, when you bite into it, the hot, creamy sauce slowly flows out from between the layers of the dough.

It was hot in my mouth, the dough was already quite hot, and even hotter was the sauce—melted brown sugar and sesame paste mixed together, sticking tightly together, as if they were going to die together. When I ate it, the flavors blended together.

It is extremely rich and sweet, but not cloyingly sweet.

The dough was originally white with a wheat aroma, but now, because the brown sugar had been steamed until it melted, it mixed with the very dark sesame paste. The thick, semi-flowing sauce seeped into the dough layer by layer along the folds, making the dough as translucent as amber, and also the color of brown amber.

The brown sugar is homemade; it's not very sweet and has the aroma of wood ash from an earthen stove.

The sesame paste is very rich and thick, with a strong aroma of roasted nuts, and a hint of the subtle bitterness unique to roasted sesame seeds, which makes the flavor even richer and the aftertaste more lingering.

Wu Gongshi swallowed most of it in a few bites. When he took the last bite, which was right at the bottom of the sugar roll, his mouth was suddenly filled with a strong sweet and bitter taste—but he was actually tasting the glistening, hard, caramel-colored shell.

The hard shell consists of only a small piece, which is made up of brown sugar syrup, undissolved brown sugar granules, and sesame paste, all of which have accumulated in one place and been steamed for a long time.

This bite is an exquisite blend of sweet, bitter, and mellow flavors. The dough doesn't even taste like dough anymore; it's firm, fragrant, with a particularly pronounced burnt and bitter taste, and an exceptionally rich sweetness. The texture is even slightly crunchy.

Wu Gongshi couldn't help but gasp for breath after eating so much.

—It's so beautiful, the taste is absolutely amazing!
He thought he couldn't possibly finish the fist-sized steamed buns, but he ate two in no time and couldn't resist sticking them up again.

The man with the flatbread pointed to another large basin and said, "It's official business. There are also spicy pork rolls over there."

Wu Gongshi then realized where the fragrant and spicy smell he had just smelled came from.

After tasting the sweet flavor, this spicy pork roll offers a completely different experience.

The fermented soybean paste is stir-fried with dogwood and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, and then stir-fried with pork cubes. The pork cubes are of varying sizes; the smaller ones have aroma and flavor, while the larger ones have texture. The filling is also semi-cooked, and thanks to the oil from the filling, the surface of these savory flower rolls is completely shiny. Whether you gently break them apart with your hands or take a bite, the oily meat juice will seep out along the texture of the dough.

The fermented soybean paste is salty and savory, the dogwood is spicy, and the Sichuan peppercorns are fragrant and numbing. The minced meat rolls around in this stir-fried sauce, oblivious to its own identity, only knowing to burst with oil and juice in people's mouths.

It's savory, salty, and spicy, with a rich wheat flavor that's incredibly satisfying.

Watching Wu Gongshi devour one steamed bun after another, Dabing finally understood what the "one bite" in "just one bite" meant.

He had some doubts.

—How come there's such a big difference between the way an official speaks and the way a lowly apprentice like myself speaks?

Wu Gongshi is just a business matter, but one bite of his work is worth five large steamed buns!

No wonder people say that a prime minister's belly can hold a boat!
Sometimes, when the main course is cooked so well, people don't even want to eat the side dishes.

Seeing that the two large bowls of steamed buns were almost empty, and apart from a refreshing cold dish on the other plates, no one touched their chopsticks.

***
While everyone at the table was scrambling to eat the steamed buns, two streets away, Xiang Yuan was opening and reading a letter.

The Xiang family steward's prediction was correct; the reply from the capital arrived at the Xie family the following afternoon.

Xiang Yuan wanted to find out about Song Miao's situation, so he didn't go directly to Butcher Zhu, but instead sought out someone else.

However, the Song family was already quite remarkable, especially after Song Dalang passed away, the behavior of their youngest daughter made people want to take a second look.

Although the details of the missing person case and the gambling den case were unknown to outsiders, it was already extraordinary enough that a young woman with no relatives or protection could earn money to pay off her debts by running a stall on her own and escape from a tyrant like Liao Qingjiao, thus preserving her family business. Ordinary people didn't know the reasons behind it, but seeing how the students dealt with Qingjiao and that Song Ji delivered breakfast to the patrolmen and the yamen every day, they simply assumed that she had gained favor from these people because of her skills. By a twist of fate, when the gambling den was exposed and Liao the Boss was arrested—this idea wasn't entirely unfounded.

But Xiang Yuan was a businessman, so he naturally saw through the situation and knew that things might not be so simple later on.

How could someone running a brothel in the capital not have some connections and influence?

If Song Xiaoniangzi's escape from his clutches was purely by chance, it would demonstrate her exceptional luck. If it was her own idea, it would further prove her intelligence and resourcefulness.

Whether it was luck or shrewdness, Xiang Yuan was very satisfied.

He asked, "I see that this Miss Song is already approaching marriageable age. It turns out that the marriage has fallen through, and she is now in debt. She must be in a hurry, right?"

Liao the Boss was arrested, but the people leaning against him weren't.

A young woman, all alone and helpless, so beautiful, so intelligent, and with such outstanding skills, who can also earn money on her own, will only attract more and more suitors.

Isn't she afraid? Aren't she flustered?

The person in charge finally began to understand the meaning.

But he had a good impression of the young woman, especially after receiving a letter from the capital and learning about her experiences. He felt even more sorry for her and wanted to help. So he said, "Isn't her stall in the back alley of the Imperial Academy? There are academies on both sides, full of eligible men. With such skills, literacy, and good looks, I'm afraid she's not in a hurry, but plenty of others are!"

"It's not that simple." Xiang Yuan shook his head with a smile. "There are so many students in the Imperial Academy, and not everyone can get an official position. Even if you do get an official position, if you are assigned to a low-level government office or a remote area, or if your career is not going well, then being an official's wife may not be easy."

"Besides, given her circumstances, she doesn't have a single capable father, brother, or relative. The truly good ones wouldn't even look at her. Even if they did, they'd only think about taking her back as a concubine. Judging from her attitude, does she seem like someone who would want to be a concubine?"

It's unclear whether he was speaking to the person in charge or to himself.

After a pause, Xiang Yuan continued, "Marriage is a union between two families. Don't think those students are stupid. Every year during the imperial examinations, who doesn't try their best to get into the household of the wealthy and powerful?"

"To put it bluntly, although that young lady is beautiful and skilled, just looking at how weak she is, I don't know how many families would want to get involved with her."

"As for ordinary scholars—she's already running her own business, braving wind and rain, no longer the innocent jewel in her boudoir she once was. If she had a choice, do you think she'd be willing to suffer with a poor scholar!"

"This young lady may look good on the outside, but if you look closely, she's nothing special—how many people in the world don't care about family background or her tough fate?"

After a moment of silence, the steward asked, "Master Xiang, what do you intend to do?"

Xiang Yuanzhi smiled smugly and said, "Let's stretch it out first. It's still early. She is indeed very smart and beautiful. If we rush things, it might not be good."

He glanced at the time and said, "It's about time. Quickly find a few strong men to carry the prepared money to the door and come with me to find her!"

Taking advantage of the current mealtime, when people are coming and going at the official post station, it's the perfect time to deliver it.

If you're going to give, you should do it in a grand and impressive way.

Let everyone know that Xiang Yuan is a man of integrity and honor!
***
After dinner, Song Miao was in the house writing down recipes and ingredients for different portions of dishes, and calculating how to use the fewest people while taking into account the most movement flow—the kitchen is never a place where the more people the better.

Space is limited; if one more person stands there, it means one less person's space is taken up.

People are mobile, and once they move, a space will be occupied. When other people move around, they are very likely to be affected, or both sides will affect each other.

The two ran towards each other and almost collided, then quickly moved aside—it seemed like only a very short time, but one very short time after another could greatly affect the progress of cooking.

Especially when it comes to large-pot dishes, which are inherently difficult to cook well, if you're not careful and they get too thick, burnt, or charred, they're hard to clean up.

In addition, the placement of items, the location of the stove, the ingredient rack, etc., will also affect the speed of cooking.

Imagine if you want to add seasonings, but the seasoning station is far away or in the back of your hand, by the time you get it, the food may have been cooked for too long, or it may have stuck to the pot because you didn't have time to stir it.

As Song Miao was considering each option, she heard a knock at the door. When she answered, she saw Da Bing.

"Young Madam Song! A lot of people have arrived outside. The one leading them is surnamed Xiang. He says he's here to thank you for finding his son!"

Big Pancake was very excited and hurriedly said, "I saw it! They carried a load on a pole behind them, covered with a red cloth, and one corner was blown open by the wind—it was full of copper coins inside!"

He exclaimed happily, "Madam Song is truly amazing! The notices were posted everywhere, and it was all thanks to you that we were able to find the child! With this small sum of money, although it's not enough, we can pay back more of the debt, and we won't have to work so hard when we return to the capital! When we're tired, we can rest for a couple of days!"

He urged again, "Hurry up, hurry up, I'll lock the door!"

As expected, he snatched Song Miaoshou's key, locked the door for her, and then hurriedly followed her out.

When Song Miao came out of the main hall, she thought it would be a quiet corner, but to her surprise, Xiang Yuan sat down at an empty table in the center. When he saw her, he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. He didn't get up, but instead chose the nearest of the several carrying poles placed beside him, lifted the red cloth covering it, and said, "Miss Song, thank you for finding my son at home, which saved us a lot of trouble—I've come to express my gratitude!"

After saying that, he clapped his hands.

Upon hearing this, the servants all lifted the red cloth covering the loads in front of them.

Although it was an official post station, it wasn't only frequented by officials. As long as you paid, there were empty rooms and tables available, and it also served ordinary people.

It was lunchtime. Huazhou was originally a thoroughfare for waterways, but due to the Yellow River changing its course, the area was flooded. Some people were stranded here, while others had heard the news and wanted to come and do business in the flood. At this time, the front hall was quite crowded with people.

The large basket had a large round winnowing basket on top. The hundreds of coins were divided into six portions and piled on the six round winnowing baskets, making them look like small mountains of money. It looked particularly impressive.

A commotion arose in the hall, along with low shouts.

Before Song Miao could speak, Xiang Yuan continued, "Actually, many people have come to persuade me these past two days, saying that the child found at home does not meet the requirement of three hundred strings of cash, and that even thirty or fifty strings would be enough. But I always keep my word, and I will never compromise."

Seeing his demeanor, Song Miao felt somewhat uncomfortable. But seeing that Liang Yan also knew that the Xiang family's courtyard was a mess and was even less willing to get involved in their family affairs, she shook her head and said, "You're too kind. It's just a small favor, no need to go to such lengths."

Xiang Yuan said, "I knew the young lady wouldn't accept it. I have another suggestion."

“I invited Madam Song to come to my home to manage the kitchen, but you said it was inconvenient to be away from home. I know you are running a food stall in the capital, but running a stall is not a long-term solution.”

"Here are five hundred strings of cash. Young lady, please count them. I will use five hundred strings as capital to rent a shop in the capital for you to run a restaurant business. You will provide the skills, and I will provide the money. I can also help you purchase fresh ingredients from various states to sell. If there is a profit, we will split it 30/70. How about that?"

(End of this chapter)