Miao Chu

Chapter 243 First and Second
Song Miao smiled and said, "I was just about to ask the old lady if it's safe to eat right now—the glutinous rice has just been steamed. If it's left to simmer for too long, it will lose its flavor. If it's left to cool, it will harden immediately and become completely different."

Humans find it hard to give up their appetite.

Although this trip was to accompany her granddaughter to find new playmates, Madam He had also been thinking about the glutinous rice cakes and chilled sweet and sour pork. When Song Miao asked, she immediately replied, "Yes! I can eat them! But not too much, just a little bit—I'm old and can't digest glutinous rice well."

Song Miao responded and immediately began to work.

As soon as the pot was opened, the aroma of freshly steamed glutinous rice filled the air along with the steam.

Although one is steaming rice and the other is steaming glutinous rice, they are not entirely the same upon closer examination. However, Madam He immediately recalled the scene when she and her sisters secretly slipped away to watch the fun of making rice cakes in the main kitchen when she was a child.

The stove was right next to her, making it a completely open kitchen. She couldn't help but get up and stand over there, watching as Miss Song skillfully scooped glutinous rice into a gauze cloth and gently rubbed it through the fine gauze.

The young lady at this eatery didn't prepare the glutinous rice, fried the soybean powder, or made the seasonings in advance; she did it all on the spot.

Soon, Madam He could smell the aroma of roasted soybeans, fried egg rolls, roasted walnuts, black and white sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and other nuts.

Everything was prepared in small quantities, with several pots boiling together and two helpers, the person cooked with remarkable ease and skill.

Watching the food quickly take shape or change form in front of you, the aromas gradually become richer, filling the room with all sorts of strong, light, nutty, and fried smells, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere. It's as if a dozen or so martial arts performers have all gone up on stage, while a band of musicians is playing instruments and instruments below, each clearly doing their own thing, but to the audience, it's truly dazzling.

At this moment, Madam He was not only dazzled by her eyes, but also by her nose.

She wasn't hungry yet, but looking at the scene before her and smelling the many aromas of roasting, she could almost hear her stomach rumbling.

The assistants worked well together, but the young woman was the main force. Everything was handled exceptionally smoothly by her. After the food was cooked, her hands didn't touch it at all, but she didn't become clumsy or slow in the slightest. It was as if she was just doing it casually, and the food knew how to avoid touching it.

As she watched as the various dipping sauces were served into small dishes and placed on a tray along with a small plate of mochi, and then brought to her, Old Madam He was still a little taken aback.

She blurted out instinctively, "How come it's done so quickly??"

We haven't had enough yet!!
Song Miao smiled and said, "It's ready—madam, would you like to try some?"

The four small glutinous rice balls, each the size of a jujube, were picked up by Madam He, who took a bite with her chopsticks.

Soft, glutinous, and smooth, with absolutely no off-flavors, not even sugar. It was kneaded right after steaming and was still warm, with only the pure fragrance of glutinous rice and the natural sweetness of rice products. It was very palatable and, indeed, didn't stick to my teeth—how could it not stick to my teeth? How did they manage that?
She was too busy being curious about the taste to notice the first one.

The second bite was coated with soybean powder.

The soybean flour was mixed with extremely fine rock sugar powder, making it fragrant and sweet. Because it was ground and poured out right in front of her as soon as it was roasted, Madam He had already given it a special place in her heart, so even if the taste was just average, she would still give it a higher score.

But once you taste it, wow! It's really incredibly delicious. It doesn't need any special treatment to get a high score. It clearly deserves to win on its own merits, but she's just here indulging in wishful thinking and self-pity!

It's easy to imagine how strong the dry, pungent aroma and roasted bean fragrance of freshly roasted soybean flour are; how could it possibly taste bland?

—The second one, she was so focused on savoring the flavor and texture of the rock sugar and soybean powder blended with the delicate mochi that she seemed to have not yet had enough of it before that bite slipped into her stomach.

Waiting for the third bite... the fourth bite...

Huh, why is the plate empty? Where's my mochi?

"One more...one more, no, two more so I can try them?"

Madam He couldn't help but say.

She hasn't had a chance to try either the black and white sesame and brown sugar crumble or the roasted almond, walnut and hazelnut crumble dipping sauce yet!
Song Miao hesitated for a moment and said, "The old lady knows this herself. After all, this is glutinous rice, which is very filling. She has already eaten four. If she eats more now, I'm afraid her stomach won't be able to handle it."

As she spoke, she glanced at the maid beside her.

Upon hearing Song Miao's words, the maid immediately cast a grateful glance at her and hurriedly said, "The old lady just said to eat only a little, how could she go back on her word? If you like it, you can come again another day. What if you eat to your heart's content this time and then get an upset stomach tonight?"

Madam He frowned, sighed, as if she were making a painful decision.

But after the pain subsided, not only was her resolve still not broken, she couldn't help but say, "I've been used to eating glutinous rice since I was a child. I even had a nickname when I was a kid, 'glutinous rice from birth.' My intestines and stomach are used to it. I only ate a couple more bites today, so why would I have an upset stomach?"

He added, "Two more would be perfect. This small one, I just managed to taste a bit of its flavor—it's quite similar to what I ate when I was a child. But I didn't get even a little bit of satisfaction before it was gone!"

Seeing that the maid had tried to persuade her again and again, but Madam He still looked like she wanted to listen but was reluctant to. So Song Miao said, "Glutinous rice is really hard to digest. You've been eating it since you were a child, so you must know it better than anyone. If you like this mochi, I can make it again another day. Besides, there will be chilled sweet and sour pork later. If you eat too much of anything else, I'm afraid there won't be any room left in your stomach."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I don't know about others, but I personally don't like eating mochi or rice cakes in the summer. I prefer to eat them when it's cold. If I'm eating mochi, I knead it with a thick gauze. If I'm eating rice cakes, I pound it with a wooden mallet. I eat both of them while they're still hot."

At this point, she smiled and said, "While I'm eating, I also exhale between my teeth to cool myself down. The white steam I exhale carries the aroma of rice, making it warm and cozy. The colder the weather, the warmer it feels when I eat."

"Fresh rice cakes are grilled and coated with sugar. The finer the rice cake, the better, but the sugar should ideally be a little coarse. When you eat it, the sugar is partially melted by the heat, so you can feel the granules when you bite into it..."

As Song Miao spoke, Cheng Erniang, Dabing, the maid, and the old woman standing at the other end all silently swallowed their saliva.

Madam He nodded repeatedly, saying, "Absolutely! Absolutely! I also love eating this in winter, preferably around the Lunar New Year, when we slowly roast it over charcoal!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but say to Song Miao, "When I was young, I could eat several rice cake strips in one go—but they just don't taste right in the summer. Not to mention summer, even spring and autumn don't feel right; it always feels like something's missing!"

Song Miao smiled upon hearing this and said, "It's best to bake it until the outer layer is slightly charred and light yellow, so that the rice cake puffs up and bulges out with big bubbles. Actually, glutinous rice cakes are also delicious when baked. You can stuff them with sesame seeds and brown sugar crumbs, or sugar granules, or you can add red bean paste."

Grandma He clapped her hands and praised, "That's exactly how we kids ate when we were young!"

He sighed again and said, "It's a pity that now that we're in the capital, even though the chef is a good chef and the cooking methods are the same as before, I don't know why, the taste is so much worse than before."

"A few of us from the same place were chatting together. We all guessed that the water in our hometown was different from the water in the capital. One year, someone was sent over by fast horse. We made some food and each family shared it, but it wasn't quite right. It wasn't the same as what we used to eat."

Song Miao said, "Whether it's glutinous rice or rice, it's easy for it to lose its flavor if left out for a short time. Even if you keep it in cold water, the taste will still change. If it weren't winter, it would spoil even faster."

She suggested, "If Madam likes it, why not ask the kitchen to make it and send it over immediately? Don't delay—the word 'fresh' is more important than any other skill or recipe." Madam He listened and nodded, but something touched her, and she seemed to feel indignant, saying, "Speaking of which, years ago when my sisters and I were eating roasted glutinous rice cakes, I said the taste was off. Although they were made in the same batch, the rice aroma was very strong a few days ago, but this time it was very bland... They just said I was picky!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "I suppose the old lady has had a sensitive tongue since she was a child. Actually, having a sensitive tongue has its advantages and disadvantages. If it's a disadvantage, while others can eat everything with relish and find everything delicious, a person with a sensitive tongue always feels that something is not right here or there, and it's hard to find something that suits their taste."

"If you're talking about good food, the most discerning tongue can truly appreciate the best flavors and know how to eat well—when you encounter something delicious, the joy is something no one else can understand!"

Madam He nodded repeatedly as she listened; she had nodded so many times today that her neck was almost sore.

Song Miaotong said a few more words to her before saying, "I always feel that chilled sweet and sour pork is especially suitable for summer. Once the weather turns cold, it won't taste good. It's a dish that tastes great if the seasoning and cooking time are right."

Finally, he asked, "Madam, are you really not going to take advantage of this sweltering heat to have a good taste and give me your opinion?"

She changed her words to persuade He Qi the day before, and tried to coax Old Madam He with the same effect.

Although one was older and the other younger, their reactions were remarkably similar.

Without further hesitation, Madam He immediately said, "As you say, young lady, I'll come back another day to eat the glutinous rice cakes!"

***
In the front hall, Madam He was watching Song Miao cook with great interest, while in the backyard, Zhu Jie'er and Xiao Lian were also watching the fish with great interest.

It was hot, and it was afternoon, so the fish were mostly still, with few swimming around. The two of them stood around pointing at a group of fish, commenting on how long this one had a long mouth and how sparse that one had sparse scales. If any of the fish suddenly flicked its tail and swung forward, it would immediately elicit a series of exclamations and chatter from the two of them.

Although Xiaolian was looking at the fish, she hadn't forgotten what she was doing. Seeing that it was getting late, she said, "I'm going to rub the beans now—I'll bring the basin over. If you see any fish that you like, tell me, and we can talk together, okay?"

Zhu Jie'er had never rolled beans before, and she immediately became interested, saying, "What's so interesting about doing it alone? We can watch it together when you have time! Shall I help you roll the beans? How do you roll them? What kind of beans are they? Is it fun?"

"It's mung beans, you rub off the skins and use them to make glutinous rice—Sister's mung bean paste glutinous rice is so delicious!" Xiaolian said, praising the beans as she spoke. But after praising them, her face fell. "I used to think it was fun when I first started rubbing them, but now that I've done it a lot, it's not fun anymore."

The two children indeed got together and started rolling or kneading beans.

As Zhu Jie'er tried to roll out beans with a rolling pin, she kept talking, looking like she was showing off and wanting to prove herself: "You don't know, I really wanted to play with you, so I put in a lot of effort!"

She recounted her thoughts about coming, how her family tried to stop her, saying it wasn't appropriate to visit without an adult, and how Old Madam He had instructed her not to choose good books, giving reasons for selecting those books, and how she refused to accompany her any further.

Xiaolian quickly praised her and said, "I've been thinking about you these past two days. Why haven't you come yet? My sister said there were some leftover walnuts from last time, so she made some amber walnuts for me. I haven't been able to eat them yet, and I was thinking of sharing them with you when you come!"

She then asked, "So you had already chosen the books and thought of all the reasons before your grandmother agreed to let you come, right?"

Zhu Jie'er held her head high and said, "Of course! I've already chosen one for you. I've picked out a set of the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' and the 'Inner Canon of Medicine'..."

She mentioned the five or six books she had chosen, and then said, "Just yesterday, one of my elders caught a cold and kept coughing. The family called a doctor, and I went to stop him and asked him what books we should read first if we wanted to learn medicine at our age. As he spoke, I took notes and found them for you when we got back."

"There are some words in there that I don't recognize!"

Xiaolian thanked her again and again, then said with a troubled expression, "I didn't give you anything nice, and you went to so much trouble to give me such a useful book. I feel so embarrassed!"

"Oh, you gave me your salted bone porridge before you even knew me—it was so delicious! I haven't thanked you properly yet!"

He added, "You should study those medical books carefully, and it would be best if you became a very skilled doctor in the future. When I grow up, if I feel unwell anywhere, I will come to you for help!"

Xiao Lian hurriedly said, "If I become a great doctor, I'll definitely have money. Then I'll come find you and buy your flowers to put in my home!"

The two chatted happily, splashing water everywhere while still kneading beans, and were already dreaming about the future.

***
Around dusk, Song Miao had prepared all the dishes.

Because there were few dishes, and there was no particular order, they were all served at the same time.

Madam He was immediately captivated by the chilled sweet and sour pork.

It looks really good.

The outer layer of sweet and sour sauce is like glass. Because it is wrapped in sweet and sour sauce, it has a thicker and more fluid feel than glass. It is like amber, but darker in color than amber. At first glance, it even has a crystal clear and translucent feel.

She had eaten it just yesterday, and the cook at home made it very well, but just as her granddaughter said, Song Ji's version looked completely different, even to the naked eye.

Madam He couldn't resist taking a bite with her chopsticks.

When you place your chopsticks on the sweet and sour pork, it makes a "rustling" sound. Even before you put it in your mouth, you can already feel its firmness and crispness.

Is it too hard?

The thought flashed through my mind.

But as soon as that piece of sweet and sour pork entered her mouth, Madam He had long forgotten what she had been thinking.

The piece of meat was icy and crisp, not hard at all. With a gentle scratch of the teeth, its outer shell would shatter into pieces, immediately oozing out a pool of hot, sweet and sour meat juice.

So this is what "crisp" means and what its texture is like.

The sweet and sour sauce is sour but not pungent, sweet but not cloying at all. The balance of sweet and sour is just right, and the consistency is also perfect. It's bursting with fresh and rich meat juices, and every chew is bursting with juicy goodness.

Chilled, the sweet and sour pork is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. The meat inside is tender, crispy, soft, and juicy, with these four qualities emerging one after another, yet all present at the same time, which is truly wonderful.

　Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets, Xiaoxiang tickets, recommendation tickets, and all kinds of tickets. I especially want to say that if you have extra tickets, please use them for Xiaomiao. Please, please don't collect monthly tickets just to get votes!

　　(End of this chapter)