Miao Chu

Chapter 149 Looking for someone
Song Miaoxin's mind stirred slightly, so she asked a few more questions.

It turned out that the old woman had two sons and a daughter. Her younger son died early, and his wife remarried, leaving behind a daughter who was being raised by her eldest son and wife.

To earn a living, the eldest son went out to work as a peddler, traveling from village to village, selling goods from the south to the north. Although it was hard work, he earned only a small amount of money, which was enough to support his family.

The eldest son would be away for ten days or half a month at a time, and the eldest daughter-in-law would take care of most of the household affairs. The fields were also cultivated by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

“My wife is a very good person, quick and efficient. It’s just a pity that she didn’t enjoy our family’s good fortune for long. She has been busy taking care of us and helping to support our second daughter without ever complaining. Now she’s suddenly sick. The doctor has prescribed a lot of medicine, but it hasn’t helped.”

“There has been a lot of rain lately, and my son went out to sell goods. He hasn’t come back for several days. Seeing that we are short of money, I took out what I grew to sell. Every little bit helps, so I can at least go to town to ask a good doctor for medicine.”

Song Miao found the old woman's words quite agreeable and said, "I've ordered a pot of tea inside. Whether there's one more person or one less, the price is the same. Why don't you come in and sit down to get out of the rain?"

The old woman quickly declined.

Song Miao then smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? When you're traveling, who doesn't look out for each other? If a stranger comes to our house to take shelter from the rain, wouldn't you offer them a cup of water, Mother?"

The old woman said urgently, "That can't be!"

Song Miao then said, "I think your garlic leaves and water celery are quite good. I've been staying at this official post station lately, and I'd like some more next time you have them."

He then led her inside.

The old woman was very particular. First, she used the grass in the bamboo basket to wet the mud off her shoes, then she stomped on them and wiped the soles with a rag she carried with her to make the shoes less wet before she dared to enter the house.

Upon entering, she tried to sit down, but didn't forget to unwrap her headscarf and place it under her bottom. Seeing Song Miao looking at her, she felt embarrassed and explained, "I'm wet, and I'm afraid of getting this official post station bench dirty."

Song Miao smiled and chatted with her for a few moments. Seeing that she was acting awkwardly, she took a clean teacup and poured her some tea.

Dabing was writing on the table when he saw an old woman coming, her clothes soaking wet. He immediately put away the paper Song Miao had given him and ran to the back. He came out a moment later, bringing her a dry cloth, saying, "Grandma, wipe yourself. This cloth was given to me by Madam Song and hasn't been used yet!"

The old woman hurriedly waved her hand again.

Although Dabing was young, he was used to being an apprentice. Hearing Song Miao's words earlier, and seeing the old woman refusing, he took the initiative to wipe the wetness off her clothes a couple of times, and said, "Don't be polite - my grandparents are out there and would like someone to help take care of them!"

The old woman could only say thank you; she couldn't utter another word.

I wiped the water off my body, and although I wasn't completely dry, I felt more comfortable.

Song Miao chatted with her for a while, asking about her family situation and the harvest from the fields. Seeing that the rain was still pouring down outside and it was almost time for dinner, she knew she couldn't go out to buy groceries. Just then, the cook from the official post station ran in from outside wearing straw sandals and a raincoat.

As soon as he entered the door, he hurriedly ran to the kitchen and called to the courier beside him, "My nephew fell and broke his leg on the way here. He went to see a doctor. We're short-handed right now, and we can't keep up with the work in the back. Go and tell the officials that we don't have many options tonight, only two dishes!"

Upon hearing this, Song Miao followed over, greeted the cook, and looked at the ingredients for tonight's meal.

Huazhou is a large prefecture, and the daily supply of vegetables, meat, and grain to the official post station is based on the number of people staying there that day and the official rank. The food was delivered early today, and the cook used some at lunchtime, so there is still a lot left. There are pork and mutton, as well as fish and some vegetables.

Song Miao had just bought some green garlic and water celery from the old woman, so she decided to use these two ingredients for now. Considering that it was inconvenient to take away the good vegetables and meat, she looked around and greeted the cook, saying, "If you're too busy, how about I use these few pieces of pork to make a dish? Just calculate the portions for us and make sure it's not too much."

The other party breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was Song Miao and hearing her speak.

The steamed buns Song Miao made yesterday drew a lot of questions from everyone in the room. Her skills were undoubtedly excellent, but she was just passing through and wouldn't steal his job. In that case, the cooks at the official post station were paid monthly, regardless of how much they did. Who wouldn't want to do less work?

Now that the ingredients have been distributed, she can take care of the food for her own group of ten or so people. Even if she only has to cook one dish, it will make things easier for her.

The cook nodded quickly and said, "Take whatever you like. There are about ten of you, so the rations are enough. According to the rules, that official Wu also allocates one and a half catties of mutton a day. Do you want some?"

Song Miao then said, "Your mutton is extremely delicious. Yesterday they said it wasn't enough, so I won't make a fool of myself. I'll just take two pieces of pork and stir-fry a dish."

Chef Zhang received a compliment, but he also felt that he had cooked mutton well, and was secretly pleased with himself. He took the initiative to go forward and pick out the meat for Song Miao.

Hearing that she wanted pork shoulder and pork belly, he specially selected three or four nice pieces and put them in a large bowl.

Song Miao accepted it, thanked him with a smile, and put it aside for the time being. Knowing that the other party was in a hurry, she did not try to take the stove from him, but gave it to him to avoid getting in the way.

As she took a large basket and went to the front to fill it with green garlic and celery, she happened to hear the old woman asking about the time.

Big Pancake said, "It's almost Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

The old woman sighed and said, "It's really too late to get back now."

Song Miao knew that the old woman was struggling to make a living and wanted to offer her a meal, but the old woman hadn't even had a proper drink of water yet, so she didn't think she would eat and stay for free.

After a moment's thought, she said, "Grandma, if you have some free time, how about you help us wash some vegetables? Picking and washing garlic leaves and celery leaves is a hassle, and I'm afraid it's too much for Dabing to handle by herself. I don't have any money to give you, so I'll just cover your meals for tonight and tomorrow morning."

The old woman knew perfectly well that Song Miao was taking care of her, but she really had no power to refuse at the moment. She could only think to herself that she would bring a few more pounds of vegetables as a return gift next time, while hurriedly replying, "Thank you, young lady, I'll do it! I'll do it!"

When I went to the kitchen, she was indeed quick and efficient at picking and washing vegetables.

Seeing that the cook inside was too busy, Song Miao went in to ask what was going on, and when she came out, she asked the old woman to help her go in and wash the vegetables on the other side.

Chef Zhang was too busy to knead dough and steam buns, so he just cooked rice and made two or three easy dishes, including boiled mutton and two stews.

Seeing that most of the dishes were almost finished, except for a stew that was still waiting to be cooked, Song Miao pointed to the old woman and said to her, "Grandma Li lives far away and I'm afraid she won't be able to go back today. She said she wanted to find a dilapidated temple, but we couldn't persuade her to stay. Chef Zhang is familiar with the city, but he doesn't know where there is a suitable place to stay."

The cook thought for a moment and then said simply, "There is a woodshed behind our post station. There is a frame and a bedding set up inside. It is for the people who deliver and chop firewood to rest. Although it is a bit simple, it is a place to shelter from the wind and rain. It is better to sleep there tonight than to go out and find another place to stay—where the wind and rain are strong."

The old woman thanked her profusely and said, "My family grows a lot of vegetables, all on the hillside. The flooding wasn't too bad this time. When I get back tomorrow, I'll pick the best ones and bring them to you both!"

Even so, she had lived several decades longer, and she was grateful no matter what. She also knew very well that although the cook meant well, he would most likely have ignored her if this young lady hadn't asked him.

It rained for half a day, but it stopped around 3 PM. Seeing this, Song Miao asked Chef Zhang and learned that the stove was already used up. Without waiting any longer, she started cooking right when the students were returning from their studies.

Garlic sprouts are very fragrant, and water celery is also very fragrant, but both of these ingredients have strong flavors. Some people don't like the former, and some people don't like the latter. So she simply cooked two dishes in one way and added a dish of Hunan-style stir-fried pork.

Because it was a quick stir-fry, she specifically instructed Dabing to keep a close eye on the fire. This time, the fire was kept at a high level throughout, and the pan was almost red-hot. No oil was added; the pork belly was stir-fried directly in an empty pan.

The red broth is actually less likely to stick.

The pork belly slices were cut very thinly, with more fat than lean, almost 40/60, and cut to a thickness of only one-tenth of an inch. In the blink of an eye, the fatty parts turned transparent in the pot, sizzling and releasing oil, while the lean parts immediately turned white.

It's less of a high-heat stir-fry and more of a half-fry and half-baking process. It's more crispy and fragrant than just stir-frying. In no time, the pork belly slices all had golden brown edges, and after a while, both sides were golden brown.

At this point, add salt and a little soy sauce to stir-fry the pork belly until it is flavorful, then push it to one side. Add minced garlic and fermented black beans to sauté until fragrant.

The garlic cloves were smashed until loose but not crumbly, retaining their shape, and the fermented black beans were finely chopped.

This time, we used Liuyang fermented black beans brought from Beijing. They have a unique aroma and fermentation flavor. After stir-frying them, we added plenty of dogwood chips and mustard seeds.

Soon, the room was filled with choking white smoke, forcing the other three to flee outside.

Out of consideration for Song Miao, Da Bing went out for a short while and then brought in a wet wipe, covering his nose.

Song Miao couldn't help but laugh. She covered her mouth and nose with a wet wipe while pouring a bowl of hot water into the pot with her other hand.

When hot water meets boiling oil, it almost instantly produces a milky white broth.

Because of the soy sauce, as well as the crushed dogwood and mustard seeds, the soup quickly turned a lighter color than yellow, very thick and fragrant, with the aroma of pork and lard, but with a white base.

At this point, add a spoonful of salt to the soup to make it saltier, then add sliced ​​pork leg meat, stir-fry gently until evenly mixed, and then use the soup to "simmer".

As soon as the meat was stir-fried evenly, before it had even changed color, Song Miao scooped out half of it and sprinkled the chopped garlic leaves into the pot.

The soup was rich in oil, half stir-fried, half braised, and half stewed. Just as the garlic leaves were about to be cooked through but hadn't quite, Song Miao added a small spoonful of tea oil from the side of the pot. As soon as the oil was fragrant, she scooped it out, washed the pot, heated it up, put the meat back in, and repeated the process. She also stir-fried a portion of the last dish of water celery.

They stir-fried the ingredients in a large wok, and the finished product was served on an enormous plate. Just as it came out of the wok, a courier returned to report that the students had returned.

Dabing hurriedly took the food out.

There were an unusually large number of people returning tonight. In addition to the original dozen or so, Lu Wenming also brought three of his colleagues back from the county.

After a long day of running around, he returned to the prefectural government office and was busy reporting the situation to Han Li and Wu Gongshi. Now, after walking all that way, his legs were practically giving way to their own will.

But as soon as he entered, he saw Da Bing carrying vegetables out from across the street. The aroma was so enticing that it was as if some hook was pulling him up. Lu Wenming first sniffed the air, then raised his head, and then straightened his back. In a very short time, he transformed from being listless to being full of energy.

He practically shouted, "Is Miss Song cooking tonight???"

The students who were traveling with him had already half-shrouded Wu Gongshi as they moved forward. One of them excitedly turned to him and said, "The young lady is serving us more food!"

A bowl of rice, two large plates of vegetables, a bowl of stew, and a bowl of braised vegetables were all placed on the table.

Today, we were divided into two tables, but the people at each table could almost identify which dish was made by Song Xiaoniangzi just by looking at their eyes and nostrils, and which dish they should eat first.

The students even knew to serve rice to Wu Gongshi and Lu Wenming first, and then grab it for themselves. Once they got their rice, everyone's chopsticks went straight to the plate.

Lu Wenming likes green garlic; he picked up the plate with the garlic leaves.

The first taste is fresh and spicy, the flavor is direct and refreshing, followed by the salty, fragrant and spicy taste of the meat slices.

The first thing we tasted was the pork belly.

Dishes cooked in a hot pot usually have a strong wok hei (wok aroma), but this time, because the cooking method was "stir-frying and simmering," the wok hei was strong but not intense, and it also added a touch of rich broth flavor.

The sliced ​​meat was cut very thin and fried until very dry in an extremely hot pan. Although it was mostly fat with little lean meat, the fat was so rendered that it was completely greasy – the oil had all been rendered out, leaving only a caramelized aroma. Even though it had been simmering in the soup for a while, it still had a very crispy texture and made a "crunch" sound when you chewed it.

However, because it had been soaked in the soup for a while, the crispy sides didn't have that "dry" taste. Instead, they were soaked in a rich spiciness, fermented black bean aroma, and garlic aroma, becoming oily and juicy, spicy and fragrant.

With just this one bite, Lu Wenming shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice.

He couldn't wait to slowly pick up the food one bite at a time. He quickly grabbed a large soup ladle from the stew pot and scooped a spoonful of soup, meat, and vegetables from the plate into his bowl. He then ate a mouthful of rice.

The rice was old rice, and the taste was just average. The rice was also a bit dry, but after receiving this spoonful, Lu Wenming suddenly felt that none of these problems mattered.

The pork belly is crispy and fragrant, the foreleg meat is tender, and the garlic leaves are stir-fried in oil, bringing out their full aroma. They are not overcooked and retain the freshness of the garlic leaves. All of this comes with a broth, a thick soup made from emulsified oil, which is both spicy and fragrant. The rice is coated with this broth, like a child learning to write. Even though the strokes are not good, the upper right corner happens to have a dot from Wang Xizhi.

So everyone was so focused on that one dot that they completely forgot what the other strokes looked like.

This plate of stir-fried pork was just a tiny bit for Lu Wenming; no amount of rice could possibly be enough to go with it.

A group of students, an official, and a guest were all eating heartily, sweating profusely, completely forgetting that there were still two dishes on the table.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, they heard voices coming from the doorway.

"What brings you here today, Master Xie? Who are you looking for?"

"Is there a young lady surnamed Song who came from the capital with the Water Conservancy Bureau?"

(End of this chapter)