Miao Chu

Chapter 221 Along the way
Seeing He Qi's eagerness to kill the chicken and pluck its feathers, Song Miao simply smiled and said, "Don't rush, there will always be things you need my help with, young master."

She first examined the various herbs wrapped in the thick moss, carefully identifying them. She picked out several kinds, including patchouli leaves, willow, catnip, and coriander, leaving only two unidentifiable ones to set aside for the time being.

In this sweltering summer, when everyone is losing their appetite, it's natural to prepare something appetizing.

The most appetizing flavor has always been sour and spicy.

Now that there are so many herbs from Shanshan and black-boned chickens clucking, it's hard for Song Miao not to think of a regional dish called "Ghost Chicken".

This dish is both sour and spicy, making it an excellent appetizer. Although the ingredients are incomplete, it can still be made up to replicate about 70-80% of the flavor, which is enough to make it a good accompaniment to rice.

As she was thinking about what to put together, He Qi, who was standing next to her, said impatiently, "It's so good that Miss Song is back, and it's also rare to meet Brother Zijian. There's also a boy named Liang. I'll treat everyone to a meal!"

As he spoke, he looked at Song Miao and apologized, "It's just that the cooks who did the cooking are tired!"

Cheng Erniang and Cheng Zijian said almost in unison, "How can we ask the young master to treat us!"

At this moment, Xiaolian also came out from behind, wiping her hands as she listened, completely bewildered.

The two younger ones weren't qualified to speak yet; one looked at their mother, and the other looked at Song Miao.

Immediately, Cheng Erniang also looked at Song Miao.

At this time, although black-boned chicken was more expensive, it was not too difficult to buy. What was rare was the abundance of herbs and spices.

Song Miao smiled and said, "Young master, please invite me again later. I have just returned to the capital and would like to treat everyone to a simple meal. I will shamelessly ask for the black-boned chicken and herbs as a gift, and we can discuss future exchanges. How about you treat me to something today?"

She took on the favor herself, and everyone reciprocated. Now that they knew how good He Qi was, and didn't owe him any favors, it was as if He Qi had treated them to a meal, so everyone was happy and agreed.

With the matter settled, Cheng Erniang quickly laid out the basket in her hand and said, "I bought some vegetables on my way back. I was thinking that you could rest today, so I'll cook..."

When Song Miao went over to take a look, she saw two bottle gourds, a large bunch of garlic sprouts, and a piece of pork.

The bottle gourd is a large gourd, and the pork is pork shoulder, which is slightly more expensive than other meats. However, compared to black-boned chicken and many rare herbs and spices, it is naturally not presentable, which is why Cheng Erniang was embarrassed to speak up earlier.

People who cook all have their preferred methods, and the less skilled they are at a particular dish, the more limited their methods become.

Song Miao was already very familiar with Cheng Erniang. As soon as she saw this combination, she guessed that she was probably going to make stir-fried garlic sprouts with pork and braised bottle gourd with sauce.

Both dishes are delicious, but the weather is too hot right now, and stir-fries and braised dishes can easily become greasy.

Song Miao thought for a moment, then asked around, and sure enough, everyone said they didn't want to eat and would rather drink porridge.

So Cheng Erniang went to start a fire and wash the rice, while Beizhi led Ma Xian to the backyard to take care of things. Cheng Zijian wanted to fetch water, but Cheng Erniang stopped him with a "Wait!" She then whispered to her younger brother, "Go chop wood! Every time you fetch water, the ground is all wet. It's fine in the past, but this time we have guests, and it's not good for them to get their feet wet!"

Cheng Zijian wanted to refute, but ultimately he was powerless and slunk away.

For a while, only two small ones and one big one were left, eagerly waiting for Song Miao to assign them tasks.

Xiao Lian hurriedly asked, "Sister, are we peeling garlic again today?"

Song Miao had no choice but to grab a handful for her.

Knowing that waiting would be boring, she thought for a moment and first arranged for Liang Yan to help wash the vegetables, then gave him a knife and entrusted the important task of peeling the bottle gourd to He Qi.

Finally, everyone got their dues, and they left in high spirits.

After making arrangements for everyone and seeing that the fire was lit, Song Miaocai began to work.

There was hot water on the stove, so she took the chicken to the backyard, killed it, bled it, and plucked its feathers in one go. She then asked someone to bring a small table and sit in the back. One person peeled the chicken, another peeled garlic, and a third washed vegetables, all of which watched with wide eyes.

He Qi, in particular, saw a large patch of chicken feathers disappear with a "whoosh," and then another large patch disappeared with a "whoosh." In no time, a whole chicken was lying naked in the basin.

The feathers were removed so quickly and cleanly that it was a real treat for the onlookers. He wished he could conjure up ten or eight more chickens and ask Song Miao to pluck their feathers again so he could get a closer look this time.

When Song Miao is doing something, she is always single-minded.

Unlike other chicken breeds, the black-boned chicken is smaller. This chicken, even after removing its feathers and offal, still weighs more than three pounds, which is already considered quite large.

She cleaned the chicken thoroughly, then cut it in half, one half slightly more than the other.

Boil a pot of water, add ginger slices, cardamom, and a handful of raw rice. Put the chicken in the pot with cold water and cook until it is fully cooked. Then take it out and rinse it in ice water. Keep the chicken broth and use it to cook bottle gourd later.

Chop the other half into small pieces, soak dried shiitake mushrooms, red dates, and other ingredients in warm water, and spread them evenly on the bottom of a plate along with shredded ginger. Steam it over water. This is for children, but adults can also eat it.

One chicken, two ways: with the meat ready, it's time to add vegetables.

Cheng Erniang was very good at shopping; the garlic scapes she picked were very tender. Song Miao didn't plan to stir-fry them with meat, but instead prepared to make a cold dish called cold garlic scape salad.

After steaming the chicken, while the stove and pot were still hot, she first boiled a pot of water, added a little oil, and blanched the garlic scapes for a while. When the garlic scapes were almost cooked, she took them out and rinsed them in cold water. After rinsing, she handed them over to He Qitong and his two sons, asking them to use bamboo skewers to cut the garlic scapes into quarters from the root and tear them into strips. She then freed up her hands to prepare the sauce.

Place Sichuan peppercorns, crushed dogwood, mustard seeds, and minced garlic at the bottom of a bowl, heat the oil until very hot, and then pour it over the peppercorns.

As the hot oil was poured, the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns, chili flakes, mustard seeds, and a hint of garlic filled the air. The fragrance drew Cheng Erniang's attention, who was chopping meat, and she couldn't help but ask, "Wife, what are you doing?"

"The sesame dressing is for cold dishes."

After considering the name, Cheng Erniang immediately exclaimed, "How fitting! It's so fragrant it's making my head spin!"

Song Miao smiled and waited for the hot oil to cool down a bit before adding soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, aged vinegar, salt, and granulated sugar.

Just then, He Qi came out carrying a bowl of shredded garlic sprouts. Song Miao took the opportunity to pour the sauce over it, stir it evenly with chopsticks, cover it, put it in a wooden bucket, and submerge the whole thing in the well.

One steamed chicken, one cold chicken salad, one cold garlic sprout salad, and one stuffed gourd soup—only four dishes in total. Normally, even if Song Miao were alone, it would only take her half an hour or so to finish. Now that there were more people, it was much easier, but the speed wasn't much faster.

In fact, she always cooks by squeezing in every spare moment and doing multiple things at the same time, which is already extremely efficient. The time she spends is exactly the time it takes for the ingredients to cook, so it can't be any faster.

Half an hour later, all the dishes were served one after another.

Although there were only four dishes, each one was quite large. The table was decorated with red, white, green, and yellow dishes, all sorts of colors side by side, making it look lively and beautiful. Each dish also had its own unique aroma.

So everyone washed their hands and came to eat. The main dish was plain porridge.

Considering that He Qi and Cheng Zijian would have classes in the afternoon and were afraid they would get hungry, the porridge was cooked very thick. When it was done, the whole pot was poured into the water. It was now half-cooled, just right for eating.

Song Miaoyi invited everyone to start eating. The others either picked up the ghost chicken, or took a fancy to the stuffed gourd, or even the steamed chicken. Only He Qi took the first bite of the cold garlic sprout salad.

No other reason than that I tore it myself!
The moment He Qi put a chopstickful of garlic sprouts into his mouth, before he even had a chance to eat it, the aroma made him jump.

Garlic scapes are fragrant on their own, with a scent similar to garlic but not quite the same. They lack the pungent aroma of garlic, instead offering a fresher and milder flavor. Now, when shredded and coated in sauce—the sauce contains Sichuan peppercorns that have been thoroughly infused with hot oil, creating a numbing and fragrant aroma.

When he finally bit down, his teeth immediately felt a peculiar crispness.

The outermost layer of garlic scapes has a membrane. The white membrane of older garlic scapes is thicker, and it can even be a little difficult to bite. Even with young garlic scapes, there will be a slight delay when your teeth try to penetrate them.

But at this point, each one is torn into four small strips along the grain, leaving only a pitiful little bit of white membrane. When you bite into it, it's only crisp and tender, making a "crunching" sound as you chew.

An incredibly refreshing bite.

It's cool, sour and spicy, with a sweet aftertaste amidst the saltiness.

The two types of vinegar are blended together, resulting in a perfectly balanced and bright sourness. The mustard seeds are added well, and the spiciness is also quite pronounced.

Garlic scapes are in season right now, tender and sweet.

The sweetness was an irresistible sweetness; any stronger and it would be overly rich, any weaker and it would be too subtle. It was just right in between. And because Song Miao blanched it at the perfect time, the garlicky flavor was eliminated, preserving the crispness and sweetness to the maximum extent.

The aroma of garlic sprouts coated in sauce is fierce and domineering. After just a couple of chews, it takes over your mouth, just like a barbaric general who plants his flag wherever he goes to claim his territory.

Once swallowed, the aroma travels from the tongue to the palate, then to the throat, up to the nasal cavity, and down to the intestines. The rascal general waves that rich fragrance around, rampaging everywhere, as if to say, "I won't leave until you praise my fragrance. Go ahead and try to chase me away, I won't leave."

However, this kind of fragrance cannot be driven away at all.

After you finish eating, your mouth is filled with the lingering taste, and the spicy aroma of Sichuan peppercorns lingers behind you, hesitantly peeking out from your mouth and nostrils, as if to say, "Hey, I'm still here!"

He Qi ate one bite after another, mixing the cold garlic sprouts with the porridge, his appetite was awakened again and again, and he had long forgotten what it meant to have "no appetite".

It wasn't just He Qi who had his appetite whetted, but also Cheng Erniang across the street.

She felt embarrassed to pick up food randomly, so she could only take a bite of the ghost chicken in front of her.

The chicken skin was a color she had never seen before. If Song Miao hadn't explained that this chicken was called a black-boned chicken and that it was entirely grayish-black, she really wouldn't have dared to put her chopsticks down.

But as soon as she put it in her mouth, it invigorated her.

It's tangy, salty, and spicy, yet surprisingly refreshing.

The strong sourness of the lemon fruit is accompanied by the unique aroma of citrus. It is the sourness of the fruit, strong but not pungent. There is the spiciness of the mustard seeds, the unique aroma of coriander, willow, catnip, mint, garlic and other ingredients chopped and pounded in a stone mortar. All of these are to complement the flavor of the black-boned chicken.

The chicken is shredded into small pieces, making it very easy for the flavors to penetrate. It is firm by itself, and because the chicken has been raised for a long time, the meat is chewy and won't fall apart or become dry even after long cooking.

Soaking in ice water makes the skin very elastic and the chicken meat firmer.

This chicken is incredibly flavorful. Even with the sour and spicy seasoning in your mouth, the sweetness and umami of the chicken still emerge as you chew, making it more and more delicious with each bite.

Steaming this kind of chicken offers another unique way to enjoy it.

The steamed mushrooms, codonopsis, and red dates produce a fresh and sweet broth. The sweetness of the red dates and codonopsis is very mild, and the chicken is also fragrant. Song Miao chopped the chicken into small pieces and steamed it for a long time, so it has a good texture but is not too tough to chew.

The two children took spoons and took turns serving each other the sweet soup, then pushed each other to eat the chicken leg pieces.

Song Miao, however, particularly loved stuffed gourd with meat.

Bottle gourd, also known as calabash gourd, is also in season and is very sweet. Cut it into slices about an inch thick, making sure the first cut doesn't go all the way through, and only cuts it completely off on the second cut, so that the center is perfect for stuffing with minced meat.

The pork is fresh and sweet, the bottle gourd is refreshingly sweet, and the soup made from them is simply delicious.

Today's meal was just a casual one, so there was nothing fancy about it. Bei Zhi was called to the table by He Qi, but she kept busy serving food to everyone at the table with serving chopsticks from time to time.

He prepared a ghost chicken for the Cheng siblings, a steamed chicken for the two children, and stuffed meat into a gourd for Song Miao, which was furthest from her. After he finished eating, he saw that everyone had started eating and couldn't finish it all at once. They all told him not to bother, and he finally sat down and started eating his own food with satisfaction.

Everyone at the table had their own dishes to eat. It was supposed to be a simple meal, but unexpectedly, two appetizers were brought out. After eating for a while, even Cheng Erniang couldn't help but sigh, "I should have known to cook rice earlier!"

The meal consisted of hawthorn leaf tea. The ice had already been prepared, but He Qi didn't have time to drink plum syrup. By the end of the meal, he was too full to drink any more.

Seeing that it was almost time, He Qi said he had something to do and took his leave. Song Miao then gave him a porcelain bottle.

“Last time I heard you say that you like sweet and sour flavors, I made a bottle of plum syrup. It was originally a fermented plum, so the flavor was slightly lacking, but it was still edible. I didn’t bring anything else with me this time, so I just brought this small bottle as a gift.”

He Qi thanked him profusely, and without even asking Bei Zhi, happily carried the horse himself. Only after saying goodbye did he mention that he would come again in a few days, so that if he could come in time, he could let Song Miao try the new food.

After the master and servant rode away, Cheng Zijian said embarrassedly, "I originally came to deliver a message, but I never thought I would end up begging for food."

He added, "Shopkeeper Song asked Master Chen. I went to inquire, and he hasn't been at school these past few days. He was invited to the Jixian Academy, and I heard he won't be back until next month. I wonder what's going on? If you're in a hurry, I'll go there after school today and pass on a message!"

Cheng Zijian still had to go to school, and besides, Han Li had solemnly entrusted him with the task that day, so Song Miao naturally wouldn't leave it to someone else. She just smiled and said, "I happen to be going out on business these two days, and Jixian Academy is on the way. I'm just doing this on someone else's behalf, so I might as well make the trip myself."

They then inquired about Master Chen's exact location.

Cheng Zijian knew she would ask, so he inquired beforehand and repeatedly emphasized that he could help. Seeing that Song Miao was unwilling to budge and considering that it was getting late, he left with regret.

After watching her younger brother walk away, Cheng Erniang finally told him what she had asked Zhu Shi.

When Zhu heard that Song Miao had returned, she was very happy and said that she could accompany her, just like going back to her parents' home. As for the time, she didn't have much to do these days, so she could go anytime.

The Zhu family has many children, but only three are of Liang Yan's age: one boy and two girls. Coincidentally, the boy also practices martial arts at a martial arts school in the city.

　I'll correct the typos tomorrow QAQ
　　(End of this chapter)