Miao Chu

Chapter 154 Business
After taking the cloth bag and money, Song Miao did not take them with her. Instead, she went back to her room, put them into a small wooden box, and then came out again.

She inquired about the specific arrangements for returning to Linghe Town. After learning that the fellow villager was a Linghe Town resident who could guide them, and that Han Li and the others would return to the official post station in advance to pack their things and set off together, arriving at the ferry before noon to wait for the boat, she asked, "When will we arrive at Weizhou City?"

"Even if you walk as fast as you can, you won't get into town until midnight if you're in a hurry," said the fellow villager carrying the ducks.

The Great Wei Dynasty does not usually impose a curfew, and based on Han Li's usual behavior, he would definitely enter the city overnight.

But Weizhou is not as prosperous as the capital, and at this late hour, there is probably not much food left to eat.

Fortunately, we could bring some dry food with us. We set off after noon, so we still had time to have a full meal.

Song Miao had originally planned to go out to buy some things, but when she saw that several ducks had been delivered, she decided to cook whatever she could find. She first ordered a flatbread and asked him to boil water to prepare for killing the ducks and scalding their feathers. She then said to Granny Li and the people from Linghe Town, "Both of you need to lead the way. It's not good to go hungry. Let's have a bite together later."

Granny Li said, "That Scholar Han also asked me to discuss with the young lady whether we could help cook lunch for everyone and include the two of us, but I was a little embarrassed to say so."

After a few visits, Song Miao had gotten to know Granny Li's personality a bit, so she smiled and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? It's not like I'm eating for free—duck feathers are hard to remove, and I'm worried that I'll be too busy to handle everything by myself. If Granny has some free time, could you help me pluck the feathers?"

Granny Li was immediately overjoyed and said, "I'm free right now, how could I not have time!"

Immediately, the fellow villager next to him hurriedly said, "Let me lend a hand! I'm good at this! When I was young, I often helped out at banquets, specializing in killing chickens, ducks, and fish!"

This fellow villager was also an old woman, surnamed Huang, a few years younger than Granny Li. She didn't talk much at first, but once she did, she spoke a few words and seemed quite straightforward.

It's easy to imagine that the route from Linghe Town to Huazhou is inherently troublesome, involving both waterways and mountain roads. You have to set off before dawn, work all day, and then rush back home – it's incredibly exhausting.

If it weren't for my decisiveness and willingness to work hard, I probably would have been resting at home long ago in this kind of weather.

As they were talking, the three of them went to the kitchen.

During their casual conversation, Song Miao learned about Granny Huang's background.

It turns out that her husband passed away two years ago. Fortunately, she still has two daughters. Her eldest daughter went to the capital with her husband to make a living. Her younger daughter felt sorry for her mother, and her husband was also very understanding, so they brought his mother-in-law to live with them to take care of her. The old lady also helps to look after the children and do housework.

“My son-in-law runs a small business. He buys chickens and ducks raised by people in the countryside and sells them in town. Things were finally getting better these past two years, but who knew that this flood would wash away his chicken and duck shed.”

"Because of the continuous rain, my daughter and son-in-law had several batches of goods that they brought back from the countryside, but they hadn't had a chance to sell them yet. Suddenly, they all ran out of the market, and we were so anxious that we almost couldn't breathe!"

As she talked about her family, she sighed deeply and pointed to the ducks in the cage, saying, "We found thirty or forty of these Muscovy ducks. They said they've only been raised for about three months, so they're a bit timid and don't dare to go far."

"I'm afraid that there will be another flood in the summer and it will wash away the shed again. Also, since all the family's savings have been put into stock, the rice and flour are almost gone. I heard that everything is expensive in Huazhou City, so I thought I would bring these things out to sell, hoping to get more capital to get through this period."

Granny Li listened to each sentence and sighed, finally saying, "I used to think that farming was difficult for us, and I always envied you who raised chickens, ducks and geese. But it turns out it's not easy either."

"Every snake bites; nothing in this world is easy!" Granny Huang sighed. "I just hope I can have more capital so I can go back to the chicken and duck business after the flood is over—that's all I know how to do. I'm just afraid I won't have enough capital!"

Upon hearing this, Song Miao told them about the recruitment of laborers in Huazhou to dig rivers and repair dikes. She added, "Ten coins per person. The old lady's daughter and son-in-law go around the countryside collecting chickens and ducks. They should be familiar with the situation in various places. If they can recruit a hundred or so people, they can earn a reward of one string of cash. Although it is hard work, it is better than nothing."

Grandma Huang arrived in a hurry and was unaware of the news. Upon hearing Song Miao's words, she hurriedly asked for details, and then slapped her thigh, exclaiming, "Such a good thing!"

Then he went to look at Granny Li, who was standing to the side.

The latter naturally helped explain, adding, "I'm also in a hurry to get back; I'm eager to earn this money!"

The three of them arrived at the kitchen while they were talking.

Hot water was always kept on the stove at the official post station. Da Bing was about to kill a duck, but he was still a bit young. He used to work in the past, doing mostly pastry work, but since following Song Miao, he had mostly been doing fish and pig dishes. Now, carrying the duck, he was quite flustered as he killed it.

The two old women immediately went to help.

Seeing that no help was needed, Song Miao made a quick decision, gave some instructions, and went back out the door.

Ducks are waterfowl, and especially now that there is flooding, ducklings swim in the muddy water, making them more likely to have a foul and fishy smell. If not handled properly, it can be quite unappetizing.

Normally, blanching is used to remove the fishy smell, but Song Miao felt that since it was already a tender duck, blanching would destroy its freshness and meaty flavor. It would be better to use something else to mask the fishy smell.

There was also cloudy wine in the official post station. A bowl could be bought for one or two coins. You could use the wine instead of water to stew it, but using wine alone would definitely not be enough to mask the flavor.

When her family eats duck, aside from the ones with the best meat quality that can be used to make soup, or paired with dried bamboo shoots for a rich and savory flavor, or added with ginkgo nuts for a delicate aroma, they mostly stir-fry the rest of the time.

Especially in summer and autumn, when stir-fried with young ginger, the flavor is indescribably delicious.

Although it was almost summer and not yet the right time, coincidentally, a few days ago she overheard merchants discussing prices at the official post station, and they were selling young ginger.

She went to the front hall and, sure enough, saw the merchant sitting and talking with several of his men.

She stepped forward to greet him and asked with a smile, "I vaguely heard something the other day, saying that the rich man's shipment included young ginger, but I don't know if he's willing to sell it in smaller quantities? I'm not buying much, just five or six catties."

This group of twelve or thirteen people was led by a merchant from the south who was on his way to the capital, but the road was blocked and he was stranded here.

The goods were mostly ordinary, but some were seasonal items, especially young ginger still covered in mud and soil, which couldn't be stored for long. The merchants were very worried and were trying to find ways to sell the goods in Huazhou City to avoid excessive losses.

They were all familiar faces living in the official post station, especially Song Miao's cooking skills. Lately, every evening at dinner time, the aroma was so enticing that no one could escape it. Naturally, the head merchant recognized her.

When asked, he quickly put down the ledger in his hand and replied, "Sold, sold! If the young lady wants it, I'll give you a discount. We're all acquaintances, we see each other all the time!"

Young ginger from the Gyeonggi region isn't ready to eat until at least June, so even if you try to price it cheaper, this early-season ingredient from the south is still expensive. Song Miao knew the market price, so she didn't haggle. She thanked them and followed them to the backyard to get the ginger.

Seeing the baskets of ginger on the cart, all covered with mud and sand, and with the same stem attached, I noticed that some were still very tender, while others were not quite "young" enough, their outer skin thickened and dried, no longer fresh and juicy. They looked like an old man wearing a tiger-head hat to try to look young, but accidentally revealing his sparse white beard.

The merchant was quite kind; he had several baskets carried down and said, "Young lady, please choose for yourself. Pick some tender ones and be careful."

After picking out a basket and paying, Song Miao pointed to the large carts and asked, "Are all these young ginger, sir? Are they easy to sell?"

The merchant then poured out his grievances: "Some are seasonal, some are other kinds of fresh produce, but this time I'm really unlucky, it's so hard to sell!"

“Young ginger is not cheap to begin with. This is early-maturing ginger from Hepu County, which I specially ordered. It was delivered from afar. The cost of the carriage, the toll, and the escort fees have already added a lot of capital. So I must sell it at a higher price.”

"If we got to the capital, we could easily sell it. But we're stuck here in Huazhou, and it's been like this for days. When we try to sell it, nine out of ten local merchants will turn their backs as soon as they hear the price. If we try to force our way to the capital, it's been raining all the way, and my carts are big, so we can't get through many places..."

Song Miao was naturally aware of the trouble involved.

The group of students traveled from the capital to Huazhou in small cars, carrying mostly surveying and hydraulic engineering equipment that wasn't particularly susceptible to water damage. Even so, several wooden items became moldy, much to the distress of the students.

Now that the caravan carries both fresh produce and goods, it is naturally even more afraid of water damage.

Other merchants who traded ordinary goods would have been able to sell them easily, but he was dealing in rare items. Normally, people might have taken a second look and joined in the fun, but now that the market was flooded, prices for everything had skyrocketed. Even ordinary vegetables were selling for high prices, and people had to grit their teeth to buy them. Nobody wanted to pay attention to prices that were already high.

Although she was just a small business owner, she could understand the difficulties involved. Imagine if you worked hard all night to make a lot of food, but after a whole day of hawking it, no one bought it and it was about to spoil. How could you not be anxious?
"If you don't want to sell at a discount, you might as well ask someone to make pickled ginger. Although it will take more effort and you'll need to buy jars, it will at least delay the process and prevent it from all turning into old ginger. I think this rain has been falling for a month, and it might stop soon. When it stops, it can be sent to the capital and pickled just right, so you can sell it immediately."

Upon hearing this, the merchant seemed quite interested. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Thank you for the suggestion, young lady. I'll go and ask around to see if there's anyone in the city who can help make pickled ginger!"

If Xiang Yuan hadn't left, Song Miao would have really liked to introduce the other person's family cook to the man in front of her—that man's pickled ginger tasted quite good.

She thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be pickled ginger, or pickled into sugar ginger, or made into other kinds of ginger preserves. Although it will require additional investment, as long as it tastes good, it will sell well. It just depends on what the master intends to choose."

The merchant could easily see Song Miao's good intentions, especially since her suggestion could indeed solve his immediate problem, so he thanked her repeatedly.

After buying the young ginger, the two chatted all the way out, becoming quite familiar with each other. Song Miao then asked, "With so much rain lately, now that this batch of goods is sold, I wonder what your plans are, sir?"

There's no point in hiding it, the merchant replied: "I originally planned to sell another batch if it sold well, but seeing the rain like this now, I'm not so sure anymore. I'm afraid that if I come back, I'll run into the summer floods again, and it'll block the way for another 10 or 20 days, and I'll lose everything!"

Song Miao then said, “I’d like to say something, sir—the state of Huazhou is currently planning to build dikes and dig canals. Since they are building canals and digging canals, they will definitely need bricks, tiles, timber, bamboo and other materials.”

He added, "The master is used to doing business; he knows whether there's any profit to be made without needing anyone's guidance."

"Although the profit from these materials business is not as high as that from selling other seasonal or expensive goods, it has the advantage of being 'stable'. Moreover, bricks and tiles are not afraid of being soaked in water, so they can be placed at the bottom, with other goods placed on top, and then covered with a layer of oilcloth paper. In this way, unless there is a heavy rain, they are not afraid of getting wet."

"Sir, you may wish to consider this matter. If it is feasible, make some arrangements as soon as possible—the sooner it is delivered, the higher the price will be. If you are really worried, you can find some time to talk to our team leader, Young Master Han."

Song Miao gave a brief introduction to Han Li.

Upon hearing this, the merchant was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Is this the imperial student who just wrote an article criticizing Minister Cao?"

When he saw Song Miao nod, his expression relaxed even more. He didn't give a definite answer immediately, but said, "So it was him—when I went to the capital to sell kumquats at the beginning of the year, I heard people talking about his article!"

He added, "Thank you, thank you! I'll go back and think about it some more."

This couldn't be forced, and besides, there were still young ginger she had bought waiting in the kitchen. Song Miao didn't say anything more, bid him farewell, and turned to leave.

They had only gone halfway when they saw a familiar face emerge from a nearby house and head towards the kitchen. It was none other than Lu Wenming.

This man had been traveling for many days. Today, Han Li gave him and a few of his students a day off, which was a rare opportunity for rest. However, he was inexplicably absent-minded and seemed to be thinking about something. He almost turned a perfectly good road into a "V" shape and nearly tripped on the stone steps.

Seeing this, Song Miao quickly called out to him and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Wenming shook his head and said, "It was my own mistake!"

Then he asked, "Is there anything to eat in the kitchen? I went to bed too late last night and missed breakfast this morning."

Song Miao said, "I just saw that there seem to be some steamed buns inside. Why don't we eat some first to ease our hunger? It's almost noon, so we can have a proper meal later."

As soon as I entered the kitchen, it was just the right time—Da Bing had just chopped the duck into pieces, and Granny Huang and Granny Li were washing the duck's innards.

Song Miao then asked him to help Lu Wenming get the leftover breakfast from the official post station, and asked him to wash the young ginger. She washed her hands and started working.

Once the side dishes are prepared, and nothing else is needed, put the pot on the stove, without adding oil, and directly render the duck fat from the duck skin before adding the duck meat to the pot to stir-fry.

Stir-fry over medium heat. Because duck meat is prone to releasing water, the pot is initially full of steam and has a slight ducky smell. As you stir-fry, the steam dissipates, and when you hear the sizzling sound of oil, the duck pieces become smaller, the edges of the duck skin curl up, and the tender white turns into a golden brown and fragrant color. A thick layer of duck oil is also fried at the bottom of the pot.

At this moment, the fishy smell of the duck turned into a rich aroma of duck pieces stir-fried in duck fat.

As soon as the aroma is released, push aside the stir-fried duck meat, pour out half of the oil, add a lot of young ginger slices, a handful of dogwood pieces, star anise and cinnamon sticks and stir-fry, then stir-fry the duck meat and ingredients together.

At this point, use high heat to stir-fry vigorously, ensuring that every piece of duck meat is neatly placed next to the slices of young ginger and the surrounding seasonings. Since you can't escape the aroma, while the heat is high, add a circle of sake. Use the sake to react with the steam from the hot pan to remove the duck's gamey smell. Add salt and soy sauce for seasoning and color, and a few pieces of fermented bean curd to enhance the aroma and flavor.

When it's time to braise or stir-fry, don't add water, just add all the cloudy wine.

(End of this chapter)