Miao Chu

Chapter 265 Stern Face
Madam Xu followed her inside.

In the middle of the afternoon, she had been walking for a long time, and she was thirsty, hungry and hot, covered in sweat. But as soon as she reached the door, a cool breeze suddenly blew out from inside Song's shop. It was not an ordinary breeze, but a particularly refreshing one.

She looked up.

Hey!
What a huge mountain of ice!

No wonder it's so cool!

How much money would that cost?
Xu Niangzi subconsciously started doing mental calculations, but before she could finish, she glanced at the table again and couldn't help but stop in her tracks.

Whoops!

Another handsome young man!

The one sitting in front of the iceberg was younger, and even more handsome than the one who had come to greet him!
He was dressed in plain clothes, which looked unassuming but were clearly well-tailored and exquisitely embroidered. One glance was enough to tell that he was someone of importance—and yet he was all smiles and nodding at me.

"May I ask, young lady, what kind of steamed buns would you like to buy? On what day and when, and how many?"

Nodding, the young man spoke while moving a piece of paper and a pen from the table, looking as if he wanted to write it down carefully.

Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he doesn't look like an accountant at all, yet he's acting like one—could he be the young master?
Madam Xu gave a perfunctory reply, glancing at her servant and then at the "young master" opposite her.

She had a shopping list on her, but her handwriting was terrible and she was a little embarrassed to give it to him. So she simply held it in her hand and read it to the person opposite her, one item at a time, while secretly glancing at his handwriting.

Meanwhile, the attendant had already brought over a chair, invited her to sit down, and served her tea.

Seeing that she didn't have time to get it, they even moved a small table for her to put the tea.

What a day this is!

Even though she was surrounded by two handsome young men, Madam Xu gritted her teeth and mustered up her courage: What good is being handsome? You can't eat a meal!
After counting the money, she asked cruelly, "I bought so much, is there anything less than what I paid?"

Not daring to look at the person opposite her, she stared at the clean ground and said, "Young master, is this Song's Restaurant? Your steamed buns are too expensive! Mutton steamed buns are eight coins each, almost as expensive as Yunhelou. And what about those roasted pork and char siu steamed buns? Are they pork? How can they be more expensive than mutton steamed buns? They sell for ten coins each. Do you think eating them will make you an immortal??"

This was originally a clever way to negotiate the price, but the young man opposite him looked anxious when he heard this, and said: "Madam, Song's steamed buns are made with the best ingredients and taste the best. Whether they are expensive or not is another matter. Yunhelou... never mind, it's not good to belittle other places - just take a bite and see if they are worth ten coins each!"

As he spoke, he opened the steamer on the table and got up to come over.

The servant hurriedly went to receive and deliver the food, saying, "Madam, try it first. If it's delicious, then buy more!"

As soon as the steamer was opened, a fragrant aroma of flour and sweetness wafted out.

The large steamed bun has an extremely beautiful flower, which is square and fully open, dividing the bun into three parts, like a three-peaked mountain with a base, each peak being the same size, revealing the dark red filling in the center, which is oily and shiny.

A small piece of meat peeks out, half lean and half fat. Even though it's been wrapped in the dough of a steamed bun and steamed again, the browned edges are still conspicuously golden. The fat part is completely transparent, and the dark brown color highlights its beautiful glassy appearance, all coated in a thick sauce.

At this time, the steamed buns were mostly white with a hint of yellow, but these steamed buns could almost be described as snow-white. The aroma of the dough was also different from all the steamed buns I had ever eaten before. Instead, it had a milky fragrance. Just looking at them made them seem very sweet and delicious.

The two handsome young men opposite her had been stared at by Madam Xu for a while, but now she couldn't even bear to lift her head; her eyes and heart were only on the steamed bun.

There were clean chopsticks nearby. She picked them up and thought to herself, "This steamed bun is something special. I'll try it."

She took one of the three steamed buns and, being very polite, took a bite.

An incredibly soft and fluffy bite!
The steamed bun skin was so fluffy! It looked like a big bite, but when you put it in your mouth and pressed it between your teeth, it flattened out instantly. It had a milky aroma and was even softer than cotton, so soft that you could press it flat and roll it into a ball.

This steamed bun is not like the old-fashioned or fermented buns we usually eat. It is not a soft and fluffy kind. Its texture is light and dense, but not too crumbly. That softness is supported by countless tiny, fine air pockets.

It's hard to say which type of steamed bun skin is tastier, but when eating this one, Madam Xu is willing to secretly take a few more steps closer to it.

The steamed bun skin was already quite impressive, but when she tasted the filling, she was stunned again—how could this roasted pork and char siu filling be so delicious!
The flavor is so unique. The savory sauce makes the meat flavor stand out even more. There is less meat juice than in ordinary meat buns, but it is more fragrant. The combination of saltiness, umami, sweetness and aroma is perfect. The sweetness is a rich sweetness with a strong caramel aroma. The saltiness is umami with meat flavor and seafood flavor. The umami flavors intertwine, not in a simple layering, but in a flowing sense of layering.

The filling is so rich and flavorful that it defies description; it's hard to tell whether it's a mix of salty and sweet or sweet and salty, with the meat being intensely fragrant and the sauce sweet and juicy.

The perfect balance makes it incredibly delicious. The diced fatty meat is soft and tender, with absolutely no greasiness. It melts in your mouth without being oily at all, simply providing a satisfyingly rich flavor.

After chewing a few more times, the rich aroma of the lean meat emerges, and the steamed bun dough and char siu filling finally meet in the mouth—the sweetness of the dough and the salty-sweetness of the meat, along with the flavorful oil and meat juices, all blend together...

Indeed, meat buns are the best in the world, and these roasted pork and char siu buns are the absolute best!

The filling in the steamed buns wasn't much; there was clearly more dough than filling. But when Xu Niangzi ate them, she didn't feel at all that the restaurant had skimped on the ingredients.

—Eating the steamed bun skin alone is also extremely delicious. Moreover, it plays a very good balancing role. After all, it's a sweet and savory flavor, and this skin kicks away any pen that wants to write the word "greasy" far away, making it impossible for it to even get close.

Although the steamed bun was huge, it was still just a small peak. Xu Niangzi pretended to be refined with her first bite, but then she took a big bite with her second bite—damn, you have to eat steamed buns in big bites and chew them thoroughly, they're so delicious!
I originally only planned to eat one peak, but as I ate, all three peaks were in my mouth, leaving only the base of the mountain—that base held the char siu filling the longest and was soaked in the sauce the best, the sauce color was just too beautiful!

Upon seeing this "base," Madam Xu was too lazy to care about table manners or face.

It's just ten coins!
She tried the taste, and she'll pay for it!
With a quick probe of the chopsticks, the "mountain seat" also entered the mouth.

Soaked in meat juices and sauce, yet not completely saturated, with a little bit of clean batter remaining, this is the most fragrant and moist part to eat.

The eldest steamed bun was gone, perhaps because the dough was so soft and fluffy, or perhaps because Madam Xu had a martial arts background and a big appetite, she didn't even finish the last bite.

She worked hard to earn money, and even when she only had a steamed bun to eat, Madam Xu was never a coward.

She looked up and immediately asked for another one.

Before he could even utter the word "again," a person appeared from behind.

The man said as he walked, "Zhu-jie'er is pulling at the old lady, saying she wants to..."

The other person paused mid-sentence.

She was a young girl with a cloth wrapped around her head and a veil covering her face, revealing only her eyes.

Her eyes are so beautiful, like stars, so bright, like a clear pool, so clear.

When those eyes saw her, they immediately curved into crescents, like a moon. Even though the face was covered, Madam Xu could tell that the other person was smiling at her.

She couldn't help but smile back, and was about to speak when she saw the "young master" opposite her suddenly stand up, looking eager to take credit.

"Shopkeeper Song, this young lady is here to buy lots of glutinous rice and steamed buns!"

As he spoke, he handed over the manuscript he had just copied, saying, "I have written down the place and time to deliver it, as well as what she wants to buy—the young lady thinks the meat buns, especially the char siu buns, are a bit expensive, and asked the restaurant if they could lower the price."

"I didn't know there were guests ahead of us. I'm so sorry to trouble you, Mr. He, to entertain them for me—I'm truly sorry to have been so negligent on both sides!"

The young woman took the paper, then reached for the handkerchief in front of her, glanced at the contents, and bowed to Madam Xu. She smiled and said, "So you're a guest from the Xu Family Martial Arts School—what's your surname? Is this an order from Master Cheng's side?"

Madam Xu responded in a soft voice, trying her best to speak gently: "My surname is Xu, and I came here on behalf of Master Cheng and the others."

The young woman smiled and said, "You must be tired from walking so far. Let me pour you a chilled drink."

Then he asked, "Would you prefer plum juice or hawthorn leaf juice? If you usually like to relieve heat with warming drinks, we also have perilla juice—which would you like?"

So gentle and approachable...

She calls herself "little lady"! She clearly looks much older than herself, so it's hard to tell who's older!

She's also extremely beautiful!

What kind of restaurant is this?! Everyone here is so good-looking! Each one is better than the last!!
Not only is she beautiful, but she's also such a nice person. The moment she speaks, I feel like buying things from her.

On the other hand, ten coins each is expensive, but the char siu buns are so delicious, it's only reasonable to charge a higher price... right?
***
Helping to entertain Madam Xu was naturally He Qitong Beizhi, who came to visit.

Then Song Miao went out through the second gate and arrived at the front hall. She saw that He Qi handed her a piece of paper with the delivery time and location written on it, and she immediately recognized the origin of the order.

After serving the drinks, remembering that Madam Xu thought the price was too high, she said unhurriedly, "It is only natural that you think it is too expensive. Ordinary meat buns outside cost only four or five coins each, and six coins can buy a decent mutton bun. My mutton buns cost eight coins, and char siu buns cost ten coins. Everyone who sees them will ask more questions."

—It's as if it had been inside Madam Xu's belly before!

Madam Xu, holding a bottle of plum juice, downed half of it in one gulp. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly said, "I initially thought it was expensive, but after eating one just now, it's truly delicious—is it really not a penny less?"

Song Miao was taken aback and turned to look at He Qi.

He Qi laughed and said, "I treated this Mrs. Xu to this meal—I really like char siu steamed buns. But since she said they were expensive and even compared them to Yunhelou, I figured she probably hadn't had a chance to try them yet..."

Madam Xu had already realized that the person opposite her was also a customer. She said awkwardly, "It is indeed better than Yunhelou. I didn't know that you were a customer, sir. I thought you were the young master of this restaurant!"

He then took out some money from his sleeve and said, "This is a gift for you, young master!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "Even though it's a small shop, we can afford to treat you to a steamed bun. Since you're here to support my business, I can't be too hard to lower the price, but you can certainly eat more steamed buns!"

Then, he said seriously, "I also need to explain to my wife that the price of char siu steamed buns is due to three reasons: first, the ingredients; second, the seasonings; and third, the skill of the cook."

"The meat is made from carefully selected fresh pork neck and shoulder meat, and the seasoning is generously sweetened—you can taste it immediately, right?"

The meat was indeed exceptionally good, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, and incredibly fresh. As for the sugar... even if it's maltose, adding a lot at once is certainly not cheap.

Madam Xu couldn't help but nod in agreement, mentally calculating the costs for a while.

Song Miao added, "The meat isn't just marinated and seasoned before wrapping; it has to be roasted first—if it's not roasted, it won't be greasy enough, nor will it enhance the aroma."

Madam Xu began to calculate the cost of firewood and labor in her mind.

"The noodles aren't ordinary noodles either; they're made with fine wheat, specially ground by the noodle shop according to our requirements, with milk and sugar added..."

"My lady, you just ate. I wonder if you noticed that the steamed bun had a 'smiling' opening?"

Madam Xu nodded hurriedly.

Song Miao smiled and said, "The opening isn't from steaming; it's specially made by pinching it when wrapping so that the opening is so even. It's much more troublesome to make than ordinary meat and vegetable steamed buns. My family's steamed buns are more expensive than those outside, firstly because they taste better, and secondly because the ingredients are better. We earn money by making a living from our skills."

Madam Xu's mind began to flash through the prices of Yunhelou, Qingfeng Restaurant, Deshengfang, Pengji and all other restaurants and taverns.

Compare the steamed buns made by other eateries nearby, and then compare them to Song Ji's...

That's incredibly generous!

When the buyer mentally regards the seller as having a "conscience," the price naturally becomes unnecessarily negotiable.

Not only could she not continue speaking, but after eating the char siu bun, Madam Xu couldn't help but want to spread the word about it.

—She kept saying she was going to negotiate the price, but those martial arts instructors are all loose-lipped. In a few days, they'll be spreading rumors, and then everyone will know she's all talk and no action…

Unless you eat a bite of everything!
Once you've tried it, you definitely won't say anything about her again!

The Xu family martial arts school has many martial arts instructors, and this time they have already asked for quite a lot of people. In addition, the Xu family also has a security escort agency. A large shipment of goods just returned this morning. Xu Niangzi's second brother and sister-in-law led the shipment with forty or fifty security guards. She went there early in the morning to collect the debt from the employer.

Her sister-in-law told her to arrange a few more tables for the banquet tomorrow, so that her brothers could have a meal together.

But people can't just eat lunch and skip breakfast, right?
Madam Xu ordered a hundred more char siu buns in one go, and then wanted to add some dried meat.

“My brother and sister-in-law just took on a delivery job and will be leaving in a few days. I ate some dried meat that Master Cheng and the others gave me. It tasted great and was very filling. It’s perfect for taking out as provisions. If we eat it sparingly, it will last a long time. I want to buy some for them to take with them!”

"I can make steamed buns, but the dried meat might be harder to make." Song Miao pushed her business forward. "We've already received a lot of orders. If we want to make more, the waiting list will be for four days. It's really too late."

After calculating the time, Madam Xu said, "They won't be sending out the goods until next month. Let's wait, four days is fine, is that alright?"

"I'm afraid it's going to rain," Song Miao said. "This dried meat needs to be sun-dried. If it's not sun-dried, it won't taste as good even if it's just roasted. Besides, once the summer rains come, they won't stop in just a few days. The meat and dried meat will easily spoil and go bad in a few days, which won't be good for our customers. Don't worry, if you still want some after autumn, I'll definitely put you on the priority list! Come back then, how about that?"

Madam Xu could only nod regretfully, then asked, "Are there still char siu buns today? I'd like to buy some to take home, is that alright?"

"Since it's a new product, we've only been trying it out these past two days. We haven't made many, and we've eaten them all ourselves. If you want some, madam, there's also roasted pork and char siu coming out of the oven soon. Why don't you take a char siu home with you?"

So Madam Xu came full of confidence, determined to negotiate the price down as much as possible. After eating a char siu bun and drinking two cups of plum juice, and being served by the three men in succession, she paid the deposit, bought an extra hundred char siu buns, and left with four more pieces of fine char siu, full of anticipation.

As she walked, she weighed the thick, succulent char siu wrapped in lotus leaves in her hand, swallowing hard as she thought to herself: "Miss Song said she had roast pigeon, but unfortunately it won't be ready for a while. I really don't have time this time. Another day, when I go out to run errands, no matter if it's on my way or not, I'll make a detour to come here and buy one to try!"
Oh dear, my roast pigeon!

***
After seeing Madam Xu off, Song Miao turned to He Qi and said with a smile, "I came to ask about your arrangements, young master—the old lady said she doesn't want to make a fuss tonight and will stay at the restaurant for dinner. Do you have anything else to do, young master?"

He Qi rolled up the book in his hand and casually put it aside. His eyes lit up and he said hurriedly, "I haven't had an appetite lately. I don't care about anything else, I want to eat two more roast pigeons!"

He stood up and said, "I'll go ask the old lady if she has any other instructions!"

He excitedly headed towards the backyard.

Song Miao followed with a smile. As soon as they stepped out of the second gate, she heard someone behind her say, "Grandmother, Grandmother, be a little stern! Don't smile! Put on a stern face! Yes, yes! Be even more stern! That Doctor Lin will probably put on a stern face when we first meet tomorrow too—Xiao Lian, don't panic. Even if your master puts on a stern face, don't be afraid. My mother said that strict teachers produce outstanding students, and a stern master has its advantages!"

"Grandmother, ask me, ask me quickly: What's your name, child? How many medical books have you read? How many herbs do you recognize? Why do you want to learn medicine from me!"

　Many thanks to Bookstore Girl E, Mistman and Hoshino for each gifting me a writing aid! =3=
　　Thank you to the bookstore users 20240913560_ae, Miss Ultraman, and My Cat is Egg, for each of the three little gifts you sent me! ^_^
　　Thank you, Qingmei Shou, for the two amulets you sent to Beizhi. :)

　　(End of this chapter)