Miao Chu

Chapter 262 News
These past two days, when Song Miao set up her stall in the food alley, every now and then, the imperial students who lined up to buy breakfast would gather together and whisper to her, in a tone that said, "Stapper Song, let me tell you a secret!" They would describe to Song Miao how, when the emperor descended, he was given a spoiled steamed bun by Deng Jijiu's accidental and deliberate guidance.

"The plate of steamed buns that Your Majesty ate was bought by me!"

"Hey, I put the duck and goose buns in front of the chief priest—I ate that duck bun last time and threw it up on the spot. I'm finally letting him have a taste so he won't be a nuisance! Hehe!"

"Good placement—I wonder if he had a stomachache after he got back!"

Shh, shh, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear!

"What's there to be afraid of? Such a feat is something I want everyone to know about, so I can make a name for myself—don't you see Han Li?"

“Exactly. Even if Chancellor Deng knew, he wouldn't dare to hold it against us students, would he? What would that make him? But it's best not to spread it around—even if he doesn't give you a hard time, and the teacher writes down your name, he might call on you to answer questions more often…”

"what……"

Furthermore, how was Jia Chang investigated, how was he transferred to the Court of Judicial Review, and how did the newly appointed official instruct the kitchen to consult with superiors, subordinates, and students?

"The head of the kitchen asked us for suggestions on which steamed bun supplier to use in the future. I shouted 'Song Ji' three hundred times!"

"I raised both hands, and I was standing up! If my legs and feet weren't excluded, I would have raised them over my head!"

"I took the document and went around asking fellow students to sign it. When I heard it was a proposal to purchase 'Song Ji' steamed buns, everyone signed it in a great hurry—we've never been this enthusiastic when we receive our monthly allowance!"

"Absolutely! Whether you sign your name early or late, you'll still receive the subsidy. But if you submit it too late and it affects the progress, we don't know when we'll be able to eat Song's steamed buns!"

"You don't know, when that Mr. Jia was being escorted out, he stumbled and fell seven or eight times on the way from the schoolhouse to the main gate. He was so scared that he couldn't even stand up straight. I just wanted to clap my hands and make him fall harder—he deserved it!"

Having heard similar words countless times over two days, Song Miao had become very familiar with all the situations that had arisen at the Imperial Academy because of the steamed buns.

Having been reminded by Master Chen, Song Miao knew that Master Cao was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Although she didn't know how the other party had accomplished it or what methods he had used, and how it had involved such a large number of people, she was still impressed. In the end, he even replaced the Vice Director of the Imperial Academy and reformed the dining hall, so that the students could finally eat better three meals a day. Even though she couldn't ask for details, Song Miao was still very impressed.

At this rare occasion, the man, with his mustache twitching, came to her door asking for a piece of fatty meat, and she readily agreed. She then took out the cloth bag of copper coins from last time, intending to return it.

Master Cao waved his hand repeatedly and said angrily, "Here you go! The money I paid for the steamed buns is exact, what kind of nonsense is it to return it!"

They absolutely refused to accept it.

Before leaving, he specifically instructed, "If there is meat tomorrow, could I eat one more fatty piece than everyone else—one more than Old Chen!"

After Master Cao finished speaking, he stared at Song Miao and agreed. Then, with his head held high and hands behind his back, he slowly climbed into the carriage, turned around, waved, and slipped away with a sly smile.

After seeing Master Cao off, Song Miao returned to the front hall, where Cheng Erniang greeted her and asked, "Madam, the Imperial Academy's kitchen has many more steamed buns on the order tomorrow, and Master Cao also wants to eat fatty meat. Should I have someone go and tell Butcher Shen to order more good meat tomorrow?"

Then they brought over another list and asked if the ingredients would be purchased in the same way tomorrow.

When Song Miao took it, she saw that Cheng Erniang had already adjusted the recipe by adding meat and vegetables according to the usual proportions for making steamed buns, without her having to explain herself.

After a few months, Cheng Erniang was able to recognize simple characters and could do accounting very clearly.

This current purchasing list is not particularly difficult to compile, but the work in a restaurant is built up from these small tasks. As long as the person in charge thinks ahead of time, the work will not be chaotic.

She first praised him, then said, "I was thinking that the Imperial Academy is different from other places. The other orders are all for making breakfast, but the Imperial Academy also makes lunch. If we split it into two trips to make and deliver the food, will we be able to move our manpower around? It will just take more effort from us."

In the Central Plains region of Beijing, there are quite a few people who eat steamed buns, flatbreads, and noodles for all three meals.

The Imperial Academy purchased a considerable amount this time, and Song Miao specifically inquired that the kitchen planned to provide it in two meals, morning and noon.

In the morning, extra food was provided for the teachers and officials so they could get a good night's sleep and wouldn't go hungry if they arrived late. At noon, extra food was provided for the students.

When students came to buy steamed buns at noon, they would also buy other food items at the dining hall. For the Imperial Academy's dining hall, improving the students' meals was important, but finding a way to sell all the food they made was even more crucial.

Having followed Song Miao for a long time, Cheng Erniang immediately understood her meaning and said, "Is Madam worried that the steamed buns will not taste as good as freshly steamed ones if they are left to sit for too long?"

Song Miao nodded in agreement, and added, "Our small business relies entirely on word of mouth. Now that we've finally built up a reputation, we need to be even more careful in protecting it."

“What you say is true, madam! I’ll tell everyone about it in a bit. We’re splitting the orders at the Imperial Academy into two batches, and we’re doing it on a schedule. In the past, when we didn’t have many orders, I would rather earn less or nothing than hire a cart to deliver the food, just so that we wouldn’t miss out on the good taste. But now that we have so many orders, if all the people at the Imperial Academy don’t eat well, all the face we’ve earned from setting up our stall every day will be lost!”

Cheng Erniang, drawing inferences from one instance to another, said, "The vegetables are not the issue. Whether we go early or late, they are all picked and dug the night before. However, we should also tell Butcher Shen about the meat and have him slaughter the pigs and sheep in two batches, one at midnight and one in the morning. Otherwise, in the hot weather, if we buy them and leave them for half a day, the meat will not be fresh. — Wife, am I right?"

Song Miao laughed and said, "No matter how they slaughter or dispose of it, once it leaves the slaughterhouse, we want the first cut. If Butcher Shen doesn't have a suitable one, tell Master Zhu. I heard Aunt Zhu say that the Zhu family sells meat to other butchers three times a day."

Then Cheng Erniang asked about the dishes for the lunch table tomorrow.

Because Master Cao expressed his desire to eat fatty meat, Song Miao thought for a moment and realized that the meats she usually ate were chicken, duck, goose, pork and mutton. The fatty ones were mostly mutton and pork. Since mutton was dry in the summer, she only had pork left.

Fat pork is greasy, so to get rid of that greasiness, she used to make taro braised pork, sweet braised pork belly, garlic pork belly, and even braised pork in soy sauce.

Besides taro with braised pork, the other dishes were served at the small dining table and were quite popular with the students.

Among them, Master Cao's favorite dish was braised pork. He ate it with great relish and even remarked that it would be even better if the pork were a bit fatter, so he could eat three more bowls of rice with it—which was met with a barrage of insults from the other masters.

Song Miao was in charge of cooking. After observing Cao Fuzi's eating habits over the past few days, she had a vague guess—although he kept saying he wanted to eat fatty meat, what he actually wanted was not real fat, but the rich and heavy taste of fatty meat that was not greasy, and the satisfaction of eating large pieces of meat.

If he can't have both, he certainly won't be satisfied with his meal.

Since Master Cao had been so helpful this time, Song Miao considered his tastes and thought of trying a different approach to make him enjoy the meal more, as a way of expressing her gratitude.

She moved to the backyard.

Uncle Yang and his workers were still building the kiln when they saw Song Miao come over. He put down the scraper in his hand and said to her, "Shopkeeper Song, you've come at the right time. The large kiln is just waiting to be dried. After two more layers of plaster, it should be ready in a day or two. The small one can be used tomorrow. You can try it first. If there's anything wrong, we can still fix it now."

Song Miao looked at the small stove, reached out and touched it. Sure enough, it had been thoroughly heated and shaped, and was being left to cool and ventilate.

With a stove, there are many more things you can make.

***
While Song Miao was helping Master Cao choose dishes, a chorus of wails erupted throughout the Nanlu Academy.

If one could console oneself that the Nanlu Academy sealed the dog hole in advance on the day the emperor descended and had the instructors and teachers repeatedly patrolled it, in order to welcome the emperor through the empty space behind the wall and avoid losing face, then the fact that the patrol personnel near the dog holes had not relaxed their efforts even after several days was simply unbearable.

Xu Shanzhang, the headmaster of the southern slope, focused on discipline and paid no attention to anything else.

In the headmaster's view, people's energy is limited. If they devote themselves to food, clothing, shelter and transportation, they cannot concentrate on their studies. As for students, it is enough to have enough to eat and enough to keep warm. As for entertainment, they should not even think about it. They can think about it after they have achieved fame and success!
The headmaster held this view, and besides, private academies, unlike the Imperial Academy, didn't receive subsidies from the court. One could only imagine what kind of mess the kitchen on the southern slope could possibly be like. The students had endured this for two days, and seeing that it was going to go on forever, they were naturally not going to behave themselves, especially since they were at their most impetuous.

The dog hole was filled in, and people patrolled the courtyard wall from time to time—but not all the time.

So some people kept watch, while others formed a human ladder, stacking themselves like a human pyramid, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, they found a secluded place to climb over the wall and escape.

After being locked up for so long, as long as I can go out, even just taking a few extra breaths of fresh air outside tastes wonderful.

People went out to have fun, bringing food, buying books, and even gambling equipment—there was no way around it, the more strictly they were told not to play, the more they wanted to play.

However, some also went to exchange information with their friends at the Imperial Academy.

When this group of people climbed over the wall and returned, they naturally brought back news from the outside world.

—The Imperial Academy received the Emperor!
—The emperor ate spoiled steamed buns!

—They drove away an academic official!
—They can actually buy steamed buns from Song's shop! Outrageous!! Damn it!! We're all students, why, why?! This is unjust!!!
Besides these reports, another rumor is circulating among the students, albeit vaguely.

—I heard that the reason why the school blocked the dog hole and increased patrols this time is because Lin Yiwen's father was unhappy that the students were isolating his son, and even more unhappy that Song Ji had too much of a reputation in the food alley. He went to the headmaster's house to complain!
In an instant, everyone was in an uproar, cursing Lin Yiwen. Although no one dared to make things difficult for him to his face, no one was willing to pay any attention to him.

Using a VPN is too troublesome, too conspicuous, and too obvious.

Before long, several students were caught by the school inspectors.

One of them fell on his buttock, another twisted his ankle, and they were all severely punished.

Ordinary people who go out for food might at most curse Lin Yiwen a few times, but these guys were addicted to gambling. When their addiction kicked in while they were looking for a gambling den, they were both angry and furious. They deeply hated Lin Yiwen and were just waiting for the right opportunity to take revenge.

***
Song Miao was unaware of the situation inside the southern foothills.

The next morning, when she returned from her stall, she didn't pay for Cheng Erniang's purchases. Instead, she took advantage of a break to go shopping with her in the cart.

The weather is hot and humid, and the teachers have been teaching for years, which easily aggravates their liver fire, causing their throats to become dry and they often produce phlegm.

She went to a general store and bought salted olives, dendrobium, and other items to make soup, and then went to the butcher shop to choose meat.

If you want to eat fatty meat, pork belly is the best choice.

As she selected items, she explained them to Cheng Erniang in detail.

Pork belly is divided into three types: upper, middle, and lower. Upper pork belly is close to the pig's back and usually consists of two or three layers, with thick layers of both fat and lean meat. The fat part tends to be greasy, while the lean part tends to be dry, so it is naturally not used.

The lower pork belly, located near the pig's belly, has the most layers, with layers of fat and lean meat overlapping each other. If you encounter a good pig, it can even grow ten or more layers, regardless of whether others agree or not, and it's officially renamed "Ten-Layer Pork"—the pork belly that Song Miao used for making taro and braised pork belly last time.

However, the fat layer in this area is relatively soft, making it easy to become greasy, and it also tends to fall apart after prolonged cooking.

Song Miao chose the medium-sized five-flower dish this time.

This meat is located below the ribs, in the middle section of the belly. It has the most even distribution of fat and lean meat. Although it has fewer layers than the lower-grade pork belly, it still has five layers. The layers of fat and lean meat are very nice, with each layer being half a finger to a finger thick. The whole piece of meat is about an inch long.

After choosing the large one, she selected another small one, which had only four layers and was mostly fat with little lean meat—it was prepared specifically for Master Cao.

After purchasing all the ingredients, they returned to the restaurant. While the others went about their business, Song Miao took Da Bing and began processing the ingredients.

The first thing to do is prepare soup.

Wash the fresh pork shank, wash the salted olives and cut them in half, then make more slits with a knife. Add dendrobium, ophiopogon japonicus, polygonatum odoratum, and dried figs. Add enough water, bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat. This is salted olive and dendrobium soup, which is best for calming the liver and moistening the lungs. It can also resolve phlegm and relieve dry mouth and tongue.

The meat was marinated only after the soup was cooked.

She plans to make char siu this time.

According to my mother, char siu means "meat skewered and roasted," and it comes in flavors such as honey-glazed and crispy.

Now that we're here, although there's a similar dish in the capital called roasted meat, the taste is different.

Considering that many of the teachers had bad teeth, and that Master Cao wanted to eat fatty meat, Song Miao finally chose black char siu to make it.

Remove the skin from the pork belly, wash and dry it, then marinate it with various seasonings, including ordinary soy sauce, yellow sugar, ginger and garlic, spices, a little fermented red bean curd for color, fish sauce for flavor, and rose syrup for aroma.

In the hot summer, even with ice, the meat shouldn't be marinated for too long to keep it fresh. To ensure the flavor penetrates, it needs to be kneaded frequently so that the seasonings can seep into the meat as quickly as possible.

Since char siu is the main dish, the lunch meal, in addition to rice, also includes white flour pancakes, and several light or appetizing stir-fried, steamed, or stewed dishes.

She started cooking only after calculating the time.

The rest were prepared in the usual way, except for the black char siu, which was first pan-fried and then boiled. At the same time, a small stove was preheated in the back, and after the sauce was reduced, it was brushed with sauce and roasted in the stove for a while.

Because I was afraid of burning the food, and it was my first time using a stove, I had to keep an eye on the fire.

Almost as soon as the char siu was put into the oven, the teachers' carriages arrived at the door.

Master Cao took the lead this time, quickly washed his hands and wiped his face, and sat down in his seat.

Besides a few small dishes of cold appetizers, soup is served first.

The stew pot was still hot to the touch, and Dabing helped open the lid, releasing a delicate aroma of olive and meat soup.

It was too hot, and the scholars, having grown accustomed to Song Ji's food, were not in a hurry to drink it. They simply asked it to cool down a bit. As they were talking to each other, suddenly, one by one, they all shut up and turned their heads toward the second gate.

"It smells so good!"

What are you grilling?

"Barbecue? I'm afraid my teeth can't chew it... But it smells so good. Oh well, even if I can't chew it, I'll just grind my old teeth and eat a few bites!"

Master Cao, who had been waiting excitedly, unconsciously turned to the side, holding onto the chair with one hand, and couldn't help but stand up, almost wanting to go forward to greet him.

(End of this chapter)