Miao Chu

Chapter 215 Dreaming
Around 9 PM, Han Li finally led the boatmen back.

It was getting late. Although Huazhou was a superior prefecture, it was not as prosperous as the capital. There were no other guests in the front hall of the official post station. The postman then followed Han Li's instructions and put the tables together in two rows and arranged chairs.

Song Miao had bought some seasonal fruits and prepared a refreshing drink early in the morning, and everything was already set out.

As soon as everyone entered, they saw two long tables with many plates on them, each plate filled with various washed fruits—small green and red plums covered with white frost, large yellow apricots and red peaches with water droplets hanging from them, and apples the size of newly hatched chicken eggs. Each one was a mix of bright red and tender yellow, and just looking at them made one feel that the sweet and sour taste was already in their mouth, making them unable to resist swallowing their saliva.

The fruit varieties are very common, but the quality is exceptionally good. They are fresh, with vibrant colors and a beautiful appearance. Just looking at them makes one happy, even without tasting them.

Besides the fruit, each seat also had a large bowl full of herbal tea in front of it.

When everyone took their seats, they were a little reserved, but when Han Li offered them tea, they couldn't stand on ceremony anymore, given how hot and humid the journey had been, and they all drank heartily.

The tea soup is brownish-yellow, with a deep color, yet it is very clear. It has only a faint hawthorn tartness, and it tastes sweet and smooth. After drinking it, your mouth will naturally produce saliva, which is extremely thirst-quenching.

Seeing that everyone's bowls were empty in the blink of an eye, Han Li picked up the teapot and went to refill everyone's tea.

Everyone quickly expressed their gratitude.

After the tea was served, Han Li first explained the situation, and then called two people up to help distribute the government reward money.

Once the heavy strings of copper coins were stuffed into everyone's pockets, the atmosphere in the room instantly changed from a little reserved to an uncontrollable joy.

Only then did Han Li address the crowd.

Rather than asking questions, he was more like having a casual chat. He first inquired about how many kilograms of fish they usually caught, whether they were easy to sell, and which type of fish sold best. He then asked if they had any solutions in case the new river channel was opened in the future, the river would be diverted, and a sluice gate would have to be set up every ten miles, which might affect the fishing season.

After asking these questions, they then asked if, if the new waterway were to be used, the sluice gate would not only require regular repairs and maintenance, but also constant inspections. They asked if anyone present was willing to form a team to take turns patrolling the area, given that the pay for such a job was meager but the responsibility was extremely heavy.

He explained clearly, and finally said: "Because this matter is very complicated and involves people, you may want to think about it carefully after you go back. Once you have thought it through and are sure you can endure it, then come and talk to me privately. It depends on each person's wishes. If someone is too busy or unable to respond, that is understandable and there is no need to worry about it."

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than someone called out, "Scholar, I, Old Huang, will give you my name!"

He added, “My family relies on the river for our livelihood and has suffered a lot. My second son was swept away by the flood during a major flood and only survived by clinging to a tree. Even so, his leg was broken. If I join this group, I should be the first to know if there is any news from the government or from the river.”

Han Li nodded and said, "They must have known about it earlier, since if something really happens, the team will have to go around the river to spread the word."

As soon as the two finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a short while, another person hurriedly said, "Scholar, I, Old Meng, would also like to give my report!"

"Add me! No matter how troublesome it is, with more people, we can divide the work and finish it in no time. If everyone shirks their responsibilities and something breaks or gets damaged and isn't discovered in time, and a flood occurs, it's all our boatmen who will suffer!"

"Exactly!"

There was no need for the two tables of people to go back and think about it anymore; except for those who had special circumstances at home that prevented them from doing so, everyone else had signed up.

I only care about things when they concern me personally.

Naturally, people who make their living from the water are most concerned about things related to the river.

Relying solely on the few men in the government office to conduct regular inspections, it's likely that even if the sluice gate breaks and leaks, no one will be able to detect it in time—similar incidents have happened far too often in the past.

Han Li had visited many dams and river embankments, as well as water diversion gates, and made comparisons. He naturally knew that relying on the spontaneous efforts of the people to stop disasters in time was far more effective than relying on government agencies—after all, once the government agencies discovered a problem, it was often too late.

In that case, he intends to use the same staff as the government officials, fishermen, and boatmen this time.

Seeing everyone's cooperation, he confirmed some details before saying, "I am grateful to everyone for giving me face by sending someone to summon me in the middle of the night. They came as soon as I called and did a great job, finally catching the thief. After all, I have no official position or authority, so there are many things I cannot do in person. I can only take advantage of everyone's presence today to treat you to a late-night snack as a token of my appreciation."

As he spoke, he stood up, took two steps, and bowed deeply to all the boatmen and fishermen in the room. Everyone at the table was so startled that they quickly stood up to return the bow, only to be told that it was inappropriate.

Someone said, "Scholar, you're being too kind. You've already shown us a lot by coming to us this time. Besides, you've managed to catch such a big kidnapper. It must be incredibly lucky for your ancestors to do something like this. Once this person's case is judged and he's dealt with, I'll definitely tell everyone about this and make a name for myself!"

The room was immediately filled with voices of agreement.

As they were talking, Song Miao carried a large plate, followed by a courier carrying plates and bowls, as well as Da Bing, Liang Yan, and a few others.

She stepped forward and said with a smile, "I apologize for disturbing you all. I was instructed by Young Master Han to prepare some late-night snacks carefully. However, since it is late at night, it is not appropriate to arrange meat dishes, lest you have an upset stomach or heartburn in the middle of the night. So I made something simple."

"Even so, young master has spent a lot of money, and his sincerity goes without saying. I also used the best ingredients. If it's not delicious, I can only blame my poor cooking skills. Please forgive me!"

As she spoke, the courier and the flatbreadman began distributing bowls and chopsticks, while Liang Yan was busy serving the dishes.

Song Miao placed the soy milk on the table and introduced, "This soy milk comes in sweet and plain flavors, as well as flavored ones with added ingredients such as lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and barley. There is also freshly made tofu skin. If anyone doesn't like sweets, there is also salt here—please choose according to your preference."

As they were talking, dish after dish was placed on the table.

The freshly cooked fried rice noodles and fried noodles are all stir-fried with eggs, shredded pork, pickled mustard greens, pickled cowpeas, shredded carrots, mung bean sprouts, chopped scallions, and chopped dogwood—the side dishes are so plentiful that you'll be out of breath just reading about them, and even if you have enough breath, your tongue will get tied in knots.

When you bite into it, your mouth is filled with both the lively aroma of a cluster of flowers and the well-balanced, distinct flavors of a central star surrounding the moon.

All the side dishes complement the two main ingredients, rice and noodles, to enhance the aroma of rice and noodles respectively. However, these two main ingredients are also excellent complements, harmonizing all the side dishes and ingredients so that each of them has the opportunity to showcase its own flavor in people's mouths.

The ingredients are fresh and stir-fried to perfection, with a slight char. The char is just there to enhance the aroma and flavor—stir-fried noodles and rice noodles without a touch of char are simply soulless. At this moment, with the fire blazing and smoke, as soon as it's served, the aroma starts to waft around unruly, teasing this and that, only to disappear as soon as it's done, making you want to grab the noodles and rice noodles with your chopsticks as soon as possible.

Knowing that today's diners had all done a long day of hard work, Song Miao used more seasonings when cooking, adding two more drops of salt and soy sauce than usual. The food was piping hot, and the flavors of caramel, aroma, saltiness, spiciness, meatiness, oiliness, and freshness all rolled onto the tongue at the same time, leaving the tongue overwhelmed and wanting to eat this and that at the same time.

—If that tongue had grown a mouth, it would surely be cursing in a fit of rage by now.

If it's too oily and salty, you'll definitely feel thirsty.

Thirst is just the right time to drink soy milk.

The soybean milk basin was just pulled up from the bottom of the well. As soon as the basin came into contact with the warm air outside, large drops of water appeared on the side of the basin. As soon as the lid was opened, a cool breeze came out. A bowl was ladled out, and before you could even drink it, the cold air hit your face and the heat was almost gone.

I took a sip, and because my mouth was still coated with the previous seasonings, I hadn't even tasted the flavor yet when the soy milk slid into my stomach. The coolness traveled from my stomach straight to my limbs and bones, and once I felt cool, my mouth belatedly realized how rich and fragrant the taste was.

The beans are washed and soaked in hot water before being ground, boiled three times, and rock sugar is added. This three-pronged approach eliminates the beany smell, leaving only a mellow and fragrant taste. Once you take a sip, you can't help but want to gulp it down in one go.

Compared to maltose and granulated sugar, rock sugar has a more mellow and refreshing sweetness. Because it is cooled down at the bottom of the well, the sweetness is gentle and smooth, which perfectly complements the aroma and richness of the soy milk. The richness is not sticky, but very refreshing and crisp, leaving only a slight aftertaste at the back of the tongue.

Besides iced soy milk, there is also hot soy milk.

Hot soy milk is richer and more fragrant. If you eat the portion with added ingredients, Song Miao cooks them separately and then cooks them together with the soy milk. This way, you get the soy milk flavor all over you, while retaining the best taste and original flavor of each ingredient. Jianlian is particularly outstanding. It looks like a whole lotus seed, but when you bite into it, you can feel the distinct wall of the outer layer. It is very thin, and its existence seems to be just to cover the fragrant and powdery inside.

The powder inside is sandy, and it's the finest lotus sand in the world. It must have been gently kneaded with water by some fairy who loved playing with sand, giving it a seemingly solid shape. But with just a little effort and a movement of the mouth, the outer shell opens, and the inside turns into a ball of powder with a lotus fragrance, sweet but not cloying.

Ginkgo nuts have a glutinous texture and are very soft, with their own unique aroma. Job's tears, on the other hand, are soft and fluffy, with a tiny grain stubbornly resisting at the very center. Because of that grain, once you bite into it and chew it repeatedly, it not only has a bouncy texture but also contributes a very suitable touch of grain fragrance.

Besides these, there are also fresh dried bean curd sticks inside.

Born from the same root and cooked in the same pot, the wet bean curd sticks have a stronger and more fragrant bean flavor than soy milk. Because they are wrapped and separated by chopsticks, there are many gaps between the layers, and soy milk is hidden in those gaps. When you eat it, you can clearly feel the burst of soy milk in your mouth. But even the soy milk that bursts out from it is thicker, more fragrant and sweeter, so thick that it lingers in your throat.

Soy milk naturally goes well with fried dough sticks.

The large fried dough sticks are crispy on the outside, but the crispness is very subtle, and the inside is almost hollow. When you bite into them, they make a crunchy sound, but because it is a gentle crispness, it will never hurt your mouth. They are salty and fragrant. When you dip them in hot soy milk, before they get soggy, you can eat them with that little bit of crispness. The crispy and fragrant flavors, the rich and mellow taste, the salty and sweet flavors all blend together. Those who have tasted them will understand the taste.

The small fried dough stick is short and not crispy or crunchy. Although it has holes in the middle, the holes are fine and even a little solid. It is soft and slightly firm to eat. When used to soak in soy milk, it can be soaked for a long time. Even when it is soaked through, it is still fragrant and chewy.

As for fennel-flavored fried dough sticks, the fennel seeds are roasted fresh to fully bring out their aroma.

The fried dough stick itself is a long and thin strip, about the size of a small lotus stem. It combines the characteristics of both large and small fried dough sticks. The outside is crispy and hard, while the inside is fluffy and soft. When you eat it, you will occasionally bite into a small fennel seed, which is so fragrant that it makes you feel refreshed.

Besides various kinds of fried dough sticks, there are also fried glutinous rice balls.

Those fried glutinous rice balls were huge, made from glutinous rice, and deep-fried over high heat, testing one's skill.

As soon as the fried glutinous rice balls were served, almost everyone went to look at them, curious about them.

Because it's fried and looks like a football ball, hollow inside with a very thin outer layer, golden and crispy, and studded with white sesame seeds, it cracks open immediately when you tap it lightly with chopsticks. You can tear off a piece by hand and taste the aroma of glutinous rice, sweetness, sesame, and oil all blended together and bursting out.

Fried dishes, stir-fries, and stews—each had its own appeal. The fruits that had previously made people's mouths water were all unceremoniously pushed aside by everyone, who were annoyed that they took up too much space and interfered with their enjoyment of the delicious food.

The room was soon filled with the sounds of eating and drinking, and a few mouths could be heard talking in between their busy conversations—"This big fried dough stick is delicious, you should try this one, Lao Huang!"

Across from them, a boatman whose son-in-law had only had a couple of days of schooling was sternly complaining: "I hear you spouting nonsense! It's clearly this long, fried dough stick that smells better, don't you even know how to eat it!"

"Nonsense, fried rice noodles and fried wheat noodles are clearly more fragrant—you wouldn't eat that!"

"I don't think it's as good as this soy milk with lots of toppings."

As soon as this person uttered those words, he drew sharp, piercing stares from the people in front of him.

With ample portions prepared, there was no need for anyone to fight over the food. As they ate and drank, they couldn't help but vie for the title of "best" for their favorite dishes.

***
Everyone ate in the front hall, while Dabing and Liang Yan were busy serving.

After finally serving the dishes and watching for a while, seeing everyone wolfing down their food and hearing them praise the rich and fragrant soy milk, the two of them, who had been busy all afternoon and half the night, couldn't help but grin.

Just as he was smiling, someone asked, "Chef Song, why is your soy milk so delicious? Is there any secret to it?"

"If you're making it for your own family, there is a recipe: soak a handful of rice and millet together and grind them. If you have dried dates, you can add a few dried red dates. The resulting soy milk will be more flavorful, and you won't need to add sugar. But I don't like to use it, and the soy milk I'm making today isn't made using that recipe."

"What's the prescription for today?"

"It's just pure soybeans, good quality beans, and you have to be patient and grind them finely. Boil them three times and stir them repeatedly to prevent them from sticking to the bottom—it all depends on the ingredients and manpower. I have two good helpers today, which is why the soy milk is so fragrant and mellow. You've seen them, they're the two boys who came to serve the dishes just now."

"Wow, that's impressive! They look so small, but with this skill and patience, they could easily open a soy milk stall someday—it'll taste so much better than the ones at other stalls!"

Dabing and Liang Yan's faces instantly turned as red as monkey bottoms. No one knew who took the first step, but they ran back in a flash, trying to cover their faces as they ran—but both of their faces were full of smiles, which they couldn't hide.

They ran all the way to the kitchen, and as soon as they entered, they saw a plate on the central table containing several large and small fried dough sticks and three or four small fried dough balls. The latter looked like several hemispheres pieced together, with a rough surface, but their golden color was more tempting than the fried dough balls. Like the small fried dough sticks, they were all coated with a layer of rock sugar powder.

In addition, there were several bowls of drinks.

Dabing immediately went to wash his hands, then told Liang Yan to wash his hands as well, and handed him a sandalwood cake, saying, "Eat quickly, this is what my wife left for us!"

Liang Yan had been busy all afternoon and was still flushed from the praise. He took the gift and, imitating Da Bing, first took a sip of soy milk—it was indeed the best soy milk he made himself—and then ate a bite of soy milk.

He was completely stunned.

He also helped grind the rock sugar powder, and after it was ground, Song Xiaoniangzi ground it again. It was more like icing sugar than powdered sugar.

At this moment, the powdered sugar and sugar granules coat the sandalwood. When you take a bite, it is not like maltose, which is a thick and flowing sweetness that requires you to wait until it completely covers your tongue before you can taste it. Nor is it like brown sugar or granulated sugar, which requires you to chew or hold it in your mouth until it melts before you can feel that sweetness with mixed flavors.

The rock sugar icing gives you absolutely no time to react; the moment it touches your tongue, it becomes sweet, refreshing, simple, pure, and direct, not cloying at all, leaving your tongue feeling comfortably sweet.

Very few children dislike sweets; at least Liang Yan does.

He licked the candy off his lips and took a big bite.

The thin, crispy outer shell of the sha weng is incredibly sweet. With just a "crunch," you can immediately taste the hot, creamy filling inside. Because in addition to the frosting, there is also sugar granules, it has a crunchy texture that is quite unique.

Once you bite into it, the texture becomes even more amazing.

The middle part was so loose and soft, like a ball of sweet custard filled with air, but it didn't have that "custard" feeling. It was very moist inside, light and fluffy, as if it had no solidity at all. Liang Yan couldn't help but want to ask after eating it - are you a cloud?
Is it an organized, disciplined, and well-shaped cloud, or is it a cloud about to rain down eggs and milk?

As Liang Yan ate the sweet cloud and drank the soy milk he had ground himself, he felt as if he were floating on a cloud, so beautiful it was like a dream.

***
Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Song Miao found a moment to gently call out to Han Li and gave him a meaningful look.

The latter immediately looked over and saw that Song Miao had turned around and left. He quickly stood up and followed her to the backyard.

　Sorry for the late update. I thought it was just a little late, but it got so late while I was writing. I'll fix the typos tomorrow morning QAQ...

　　Thank you so much, Rock Lee, for gifting me the two He Shi Bi jades! It's such a waste of your money! Thank you so much!

　　Thank you to the Yellow Scorpio Palace for the two sachets (are they for me or for Xiao Liangyan? Do I need to pass them on?), and to Zheyangchun for the sachet I hung up :)

　　Many thanks to Feng Yichi, Book Friend 20250725094412084, Book Friend 20210301105364913388, and Agent Cat for sending me these amulets! =3=
　　Thank you to the bookstore owner Zuokanyunqi for sending me three small gifts, and to HY_RC, Kyoku Kin, sar., Mujiuxi, Book Friend 2021030176534806176 (I checked twice to make sure I didn't make a mistake ^_^), Wangxing, and I love Nongnong for sending me one small gift each!
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　　(End of this chapter)