Miao Chu

Chapter 266 Paying the Bill
Soon, Madam He's voice rang out again: "Alright, alright! Don't be in such a hurry, you little monkey, you're blocking my view."

As soon as Song Miao entered the second gate, she saw several people under the eaves. Old Madam He was sitting with a small iceberg behind her, and two maids were also sitting on small stools, fanning her gently while watching the opera performance with smiles.

Zhu Jie'er cried out "Hey hey!" and stomped her feet, obediently stepping aside. Then she looked at Xiao Lian and said hurriedly, "Let's be louder, don't be afraid!"

Two maids, two nannies, several servants, and Old Madam He and Zhu Jie'er all looked over. Xiao Lian was actually a little timid, but when she looked up and saw Song Miao, and then turned to see Zhu Jie'er, she braced herself and introduced herself, saying, "...I have memorized thirteen chapters of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic and recognized more than one hundred and thirty kinds of medicinal herbs in the Materia Medica..."

Her voice was still a little weak, but as soon as she finished answering, Zhu Jie'er took the lead in clapping and said very seriously, "Xiao Lian spoke so well, much louder than the first time!"

Immediately, everyone under the eaves joined in applause.

Xiaolian blushed, feeling a little embarrassed but mostly relieved.

Tomorrow she will be meeting Dr. Lin, who was recommended by Mr. Chen. She is filled with anxiety. Her mother keeps reminding her to do her best and not to let her wife and the old man down. This is a rare opportunity, and if she misses it, she will regret it for the rest of her life.

Although she knew this was the right thing to do, she could only memorize those books over and over again—but she couldn't memorize many of them anyway, as there was too much content in the medical books, and she could only memorize a lot of them by rote, which made her memorization slow. She had no other way but to become more and more anxious.

Since becoming friends with Zhu Jie'er, although the two could not meet often, they could still exchange letters. Sometimes they would ask Mr. He or other people from the East, West, South, North and South branches to help carry the letters, and sometimes they would ask the He family servants who came to deliver the letters to take them back.

It's just chatting about everyday things, what we ate, what we learned, what we did, and what we're going to do next. There are also things like "I miss you," "Do you miss me?" and "You're not as much as I miss you." It's all very casual and leisurely.

The last letter was different from the previous ones. She mentioned the date she had set for visiting Doctor Lin and expressed her concerns. She received a reply from Zhu'er that same day, followed by an invitation from the He family. The next day, which is today, Zhu'er accompanied Madam He to the door.

As Sister Zhu said, she couldn't memorize much anyway, so she might as well use the time to practice her courage. It would be better than having knowledge but being unable to express it. Even if she didn't have much knowledge, she would still be more likable if she looked impressive and spoke fluently.

—As a result, the drill lasted all afternoon.

Zhu Jie'er was in charge, not only directing who stood where and what role they played, but also designating who asked what questions—she had drafted a long two-page list of questions yesterday, consulted several doctors, and was now putting it into practice.

As she practiced, Xiaolian felt that although she hadn't made much progress—after all, she still didn't know how to do things—she was much better than before when she stood in front of people! She even dared to speak!
Seeing the serious rehearsal behind them, Song Miao stood for a moment without disturbing them. Just as she was about to leave, Zhu Jie'er turned around and saw her. With a cry of "Oh dear!" she ran over quickly with her short legs, calling out "Sister Song," and then circled around her in a coquettish tone, saying, "Sister, you've been watching us all afternoon, and you've been so busy!"

She added, "Xiaolian has worked so hard, and I've been working really hard too—can Xiaolian and I have an extra pigeon tonight? Grandma is so kind and loves us so much! Seventh Brother is good too, he studied this afternoon! They should all have an extra one too!"

After Zhu Jie finished speaking, she turned back and looked longingly at Old Madam He.

Having received approval from her granddaughter, Madam He, who was about to speak, fell silent. Meeting Song Miao's gaze, she thought for a moment and nodded.

Song Miao had heard He Qi say that because Zhu Jie'er was not properly cared for in the womb, she was born prematurely, her nails had not even fully grown, and she was weak from a young age, especially her spleen and stomach. If she ate even a little too much, she would easily have food stagnation.

Because meat is particularly difficult to digest, her family always kept an eye on her and didn't allow her to eat too much.

Children are often greedy, and Zhu Jie'er was no exception. However, she knew very well not to make things difficult for the maids and nannies. Whenever she had a craving, she would always ask an adult who could speak before she could eat.

Madam He nodded, hesitated for a moment, perhaps feeling that eating an extra pigeon was going too far, and then added, "Then you and Xiaolian share one, don't try to eat it all by yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jie pouted and said unhappily, "Grandmother, why do you always look down on me lately! Do you think I, Zhu Jie, am such a stingy person? I was just going to share the food with Xiao Lian, and your words break my heart!"

Madam He laughed heartily and waved her hand, saying, "I was wrong, I was wrong! Our Zhu'er is good to Xiao Lian and is very generous. She will share the food on her own without anyone reminding her!"

He then smiled and said to Song Miao behind him, "Young lady, please choose the fattest one for them. Consider it my apology to you, my old woman!"

Zhu Jie'er was really easy to coax. When she heard that she and Xiao Lian had won the fattest pigeon, she immediately calmed down and started circling around Madam He, just like before. She kept repeating phrases like "I knew Grandmother was the best" over and over again. After saying a few words, she slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, that pigeon has made me forget about important things—Grandmother, you still have so many questions to ask!"

"If you say, 'Well, she's barely considered a willing learner,' then Xiao Lian, recite a few herbs from the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' and let me hear it!"

As she spoke, she kept an eye on Old Madam He, urging her to keep a straight face. After she finished urging her, she urged He Qi, who had just come in, to either hurry back to the front to read or come sit down instead of standing there in the way. She also encouraged Xiao Lian with her eyes and, in between her busy schedule, gave Song Miao a pouty smile, as if to say, "Look at me, am I great? Praise me, Sister Song!"

Song Miao smiled and nodded vigorously at her, stepping aside so as not to disturb the "serious business" here.

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Miao went to the large kitchen at the back.

The kitchen had many multi-tiered shelves, on which were stacked bamboo winnowing baskets. Da Bing and two female helpers were weighing dried meat and dried cuttlefish, which were then packaged in oil paper and labeled with glue.

Song Miao entered the room, asked a few questions, checked the dried meat situation, estimated the time, and called Dabing to go to the front to help prepare the food and start the fire.

Madam He didn't order any dishes, only told her to cook whatever she wanted, saying that the grandmother and granddaughter, along with He Qi, could just have a simple meal. She also said not to treat them as guests, but as children visiting each other. But Song Miao naturally wouldn't be so casual.

Although today's main dish included char siu and steamed buns, Song Miao still prepared rice for Madam He because she usually prefers rice.

There were three guests at the table. Besides He Qi, the other two were an old man and a child, and neither of them had a big appetite. Xiao Lian was just accompanying them. Since the main meat dish was roast pigeon, the rest of the dishes had to be prepared according to the situation. The quantity of dishes should not be too much, but the variety of dishes should not be too little.

Knowing that Madam He and others had seen many fine things at home, and that her shop was too small to compete in terms of ingredients, she simply decided to only cook home-style dishes.

Since grilling meat requires a fire, the soup should be cooling. Song Miao prepared a dried cabbage and pork bone soup for it. The dried cabbage is slightly cold and can clear heat and benefit the intestines, while the pork bone is neutral and can nourish yin and moisten dryness. She also added a small handful each of north and south almonds to moisten the lungs and stop coughs, as well as dried figs to strengthen the spleen and moisten the intestines. She added a little soybean, a piece of dried tangerine peel, two honey dates, and a piece of ginger that was flattened. She brought it to a boil over high heat, skimmed off the foam, and then simmered it over low heat.

Once Tang is seated, he can free up his hands to do other things.

Halfway through their work, Cheng Erniang and Zhang Siniang, who had gone out to buy and deliver various foods, returned. One of them busied herself in the back helping to turn over and pack the dried meat and dried cuttlefish, while the other assisted them. Wang Sanlang parked the cart, fed the mules, and cleaned and tidied the cart and wheels. Then he found a corner and went to fetch water, chop firewood, and move things around.

With the help of Zhang Siniang and Dabing, Song Miao quickly prepared all the necessary dishes. Assuming the main kitchen was already ready, she instructed the two to move everything to the back so that cooking fumes wouldn't affect the guests' appetites. After starting a fire, she then arranged for Zhang Siniang and Dabing to select ingredients to prepare meals for the He family's servants.

"See what we can use, and pick the ones we're good at to put together a meal."

It was the first time for both of them to actually cook for guests, so they immediately got nervous and busied themselves with their own tasks.

When Song Miao had been helping them, it was naturally easy. Now that she was on her own, she was just as skilled. She stir-fried what needed to be stir-fried and pan-fried what needed to be pan-fried, and finished cooking according to the time Madam He had instructed her to do, without wasting any time. She then invited the guests to the table.

Today, let's set aside the grandmother. The granddaughter was running around and constantly thinking, so she was really busy and hungry. He Qi, on the other hand, had been reading two books all afternoon and was also hungry. So the two of them, big and small, were both looking up at the second gate, waiting for the food to be served.

The first dish is naturally roasted pigeon.

A batch of these dishes had already been baked at noon, and the scholars were so impressed that they wanted to write books about them. Now, as soon as they were served, the aroma wafted out before they even left the second gate, causing even the usually composed Madam He to take a deep breath and look up.

The skin of the roasted pigeon is a caramel yellow, a shade deeper than golden yellow. It is oily and shiny, and the whole body is covered with a thin layer of oil forced out by the hot charcoal. At first glance, it looks even thinner than paper, truly like a cicada's wing. Through the skin, the juices of the meat underneath flow very slowly in the gap created by roasting between the thin skin and the tender meat.

Song Miao served this dish herself.

She placed the hot plate on the table and explained softly, "This pigeon is very hot, so be careful when eating it. It was supposed to be chopped into pieces, either in two or four, but once you cut it, the juices will escape. I thought I'd ask first—should we cut it or not?"

“I won’t cut it. I want to see for myself how the juices actually flow—but I do want to cut that fat pigeon of Sister Zhu’er’s.”

Because they were sitting at a square table, which wasn't particularly large, Old Madam He didn't need any maids to help her serve the food; in fact, she found it a nuisance. But upon hearing Song Miao's introduction, her sharp eyes caught her attention, and before she could even finish a sentence, she reached out with her chopsticks and immediately picked up a roasted pigeon from the front of her bowl.

He Qi quickly followed suit, picked one up for himself, and said, "I don't need to cut it, I have a big mouth, I know how to eat it myself!"

Only Zhu Jie'er, who considered herself to have a big mouth as well, had to wait for the food to be cut open because she wanted to share it with Xiao Lian. She was so anxious that she almost stomped her feet on the small table next to her.

When the prepared pigeons were delivered, an old man, an adult, and two children were blowing on them almost simultaneously.

The pigeon was so hot that the heat started to hit people's faces even before they got close to their beaks. The skin was extremely thin and crispy, with a slightly dry feel inside. When chopsticks touched it, it made a distinct "crunching" sound.

Old Madam He held two pigeon legs, intending to break off one and take a bite to see what it tasted like. But as soon as she tore it open, "plop!" hot meat juice mixed with oil spurted out, almost spraying onto her face.

Startled, she dodged and quickly threw the pigeon back into the bowl. Only after confirming it was a false alarm did she breathe a sigh of relief. Looking down, she saw a thick layer of broth had accumulated at the bottom of the bowl.

Even after losing so much juice, when she finally took a bite, her mouth was still full of juice—the juice burst forth in a truly magnificent way, piping hot, bright, and savory, without any greasiness. It was smooth with a perfectly balanced oily texture, incredibly sweet and delicious.

With another bite, the skin is thin and crispy, incredibly fragrant, and the pigeon meat inside is tender, even the breast meat is not dry at all—it's a seventeen-day-old pigeon, the meat fibers haven't fully developed yet, the fat-to-lean ratio is just right, and it's full of juice, so it won't get stuck in your teeth. Even an old lady like Madam He can bite into it easily.

The seasoning is excellent, and the marinating is even better. There is absolutely no unpleasant fishy smell. The marinade is thoroughly absorbed, so even the thickest parts of the meat are flavorful. Even sucking the bone is fragrant, but the thinner layers of meat are not too salty or the seasoning is too strong.

The seasoning is so good that you can't taste any extra spices. Your mouth is full of salty and savory flavors and the natural aroma of the meat. It's almost as if you only added salt, highlighting only the meat's fragrance.

The pigeons were roasted so fragrantly and tenderly that every bite was bursting with oil and juice. There were clearly six pigeons, yet everyone at the table still wanted more.

But by this time, the dishes had been served one after another—the soup had already been uncovered and was very sweet and mellow. After a few sips, it moistened the throat and went down to the stomach.

A plate of char siu, fresh out of the oven, is incredibly fragrant, rich but not greasy, and leaves a lingering aroma in your mouth.

A small dish of stir-fried pork strips with chrysanthemum hearts. The chrysanthemum hearts are tender, crisper and juicier than bean sprouts. The pork strips are only lightly marinated in soy sauce and stir-fried until very tender. One bite is the aroma of meat, and another bite is the fragrance of chrysanthemum hearts.

There was also a small plate of stir-fried bitter melon. This dish was stir-fried first and then stir-fried again at the end. It was very oily, but not greasy. It was stir-fried until soft and cooked through, with a bittersweet aftertaste. Xiao Lian and Zhu Jie'er refused to eat it, and He Qi frowned and didn't like it. Only Madam He kept nodding and frequently picked up her chopsticks, almost finishing it all.

Then there's the stir-fried lotus root tips, which are fresh, sour, crisp, and tender, with a wonderfully fragrant lotus root aroma. There's also the "蓑衣黄瓜" (a type of cucumber dish) that Sister Zhu specifically requested, and the "紫弗黄瓜" (a type of cucumber dish with perilla leaves) that Old Madam He wanted to eat again.

The after-dinner snack was a small bowl of rock sugar mung bean soup, just the right amount of sweetness.

After the three of them finished eating, they were clearly full, but still felt it wasn't enough. Before they left, before Zhu Jie'er could even speak, Old Madam He said first, "Let's see what Doctor Lin says tomorrow. No matter what, I'll send someone to ask him and let us know first. If there's good news, I'll bring Zhu Jie'er to celebrate with Xiao Lian tomorrow night!"

He Qi couldn't interrupt, so he could only frantically wink at Song Miao, nodding and pointing at himself with his index finger.

The three of them ate breakfast and dinner, then left by car while it was still broad daylight.

Just as she saw the person off, the front hall was still being tidied up. Song Miao didn't have to do anything herself and was about to have a couple of sips of tea before going to the back to sort out the division of labor when she heard an excited voice coming from outside.

The man called out through the door, "Young Lady Song, are you there or not? It's me, Old Xin!"

Upon hearing this, Song Miao quickly put down her teacup and went outside. Sure enough, Xin Feng was standing there.

He no longer used his cane and was now grinning as he stood outside the door. Seeing Song Miao come out, he looked very happy and proud, pointing to a middle-aged man beside him and saying loudly, "Look who I brought you—it's a craftsman from Niuxing Street, surnamed Gan. He can make stoves! Didn't Miss Song say she wanted a big stove?"

“Come on, let’s go to the backyard and see what kind of stove you want to build. Tell him—your sister-in-law has already paid for it, she’ll build it for you!”

(End of this chapter)