Miao Chu

Chapter 327 Exchange
Zhong Cao calculated and recalculated, so that he could legitimately and reasonably visit that Miss Song at the most appropriate time—such as noon or late afternoon—to slowly "confirm" the details.

When Cao returned to the Imperial Academy, his belly was full of ginger fried rice, winter melon with crab meat, mutton and other dishes. He was all warm and cozy. He carefully rolled up his sleeves before coughing and stepping inside.

Hearing the commotion inside, everyone looked up and began to greet each other in turn.

"Hey, Old Cao's back! Which one is your 'distant' nephew?"

"Could it be Cao Xiaofu? He came all the way from the Imperial Street, it would take him forever to get here, from the highest heavens to the deepest hell—did it take him more than half an hour?"

"Your distant uncle, I have to see him the day before yesterday, I have to see him tomorrow, and I have to see him again at midday today, and I also have to invite him to eat—I hope it's still Song's restaurant? It's so hard on him, and it's also hard on you!"

A group of people are being sarcastic and sarcastic here.

Old Cao hummed and hawed, chuckling to himself. After everyone had finished speaking, he said, "Sigh, Xiao Fu really had something to do, that's why he rushed over to find me—what did you have for lunch?"

It would have been better if they hadn't asked. Once they did, the crowd, who had just been about to catch their breath, started cursing again.

"How dare you say that!"

"Old Chen covered for you for half a day—he's still entertaining those officials from the same circle as Vice Minister Zhang, talking about the selection of scholars and the appointment of people to the capital. I'm getting a headache just listening to it. And you, on the other hand, went to Song Ji's place, didn't you?"

"You even asked us what we ate? Haven't you ever eaten before? Who's the one who's been complaining and groaning about food every day, calling out 'Where's Xiao Song?' Isn't it you? What's wrong? Now that you've seen Xiao Song and eaten her cooking, you don't remember what suffering we've endured yesterday and today?"

Seeing the crowd's agitated state, Old Cao hurriedly offered a cartload of apologetic words, but to no avail. He could only open his wide sleeve and take out two bags of things from inside.

"Hey! Don't make me sound like I'm some kind of heinous criminal! Even though I went to Song's, I didn't forget about everyone! Look—what's this!"

With two gentle taps, the rope bag landed on the table with a "thud".

"What?! You think you can shut us up with this little bit of food??"

"What is it?"

"Where did it come from? Did Xiao Song give it to you?"

Although everyone was cursing and swearing, they all gathered around when they heard what was being said.

The rope bag wasn't big, and it was lined with oiled paper inside, containing various things. As soon as it was opened, everyone swallowed back the words they were about to say.

"It smells so good—are these quail eggs?"

"Are they pigeon eggs? They smell so good!"

"So many dried fruits—this bag smells delicious too! Old Cao, did you get them from Xiao Song?"

Did she say how to divide it?

"Have you paid yet?!"

Master Cao snorted and said, "What do you take me for!"

He added, “There are pigeon eggs and quail eggs, as well as torreya nuts, walnuts and pine nuts. The two kinds of eggs and the edamame underneath were all sent by Xiao Song to you old folks. The rest is what I brought back—I thought you worked hard to set the questions, and I was too lazy to do anything myself, so I brought back some food!”

"How can you be such a person! Such a way of doing things! Shouldn't you praise me as pure as a laurel blossom and lush as an orchid leaf!"

We lingered at Song Ji for quite a while, and by the time we got back to Taixue, it was already afternoon. The group of old men had lunch at a banquet that was essentially a social gathering, and the cook was also handling the front-of-house cooking duties. They just threw together a haphazard meal, which wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't particularly delicious either.

It is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Since Song Miao returned from Huazhou, these teachers had been eating at Song's restaurant almost every day at noon. But one day, they were all caught in one fell swoop, locked up to write exams, and their lunches were changed from Song's to food delivered regularly from the kitchen. The suffering they endured was indescribable.

Upon learning that the gifts were for their own people, the previously noisy old men immediately changed their expressions.

"Hey! Old Cao! It has to be you again!"

"I knew you were of noble character—let me try it, is it boiled in plain water? Little Song's cooking skills are amazing, how can a few eggs taste better than others'!"

After half an afternoon of exam questions, the teachers were busy flipping through criminal records, searching for old cases, and even modifying existing cases, adding characters and relationships, and creating side stories to confuse the test takers. It was really a brain-draining task.

Soon, almost everyone in the room put down what they were doing and gathered around.

Hands reached into the rope bag, grabbing a few eggs or a handful of dried fruit.

Old Cao couldn't resist grabbing a few eggs, tapping them haphazardly on the table, and peeling them.

The first one is a pigeon egg.

As you peel it, the aroma becomes increasingly rich and pungent.

After removing the shell, a small, translucent egg lay in his palm, like warm yellow jade, with an extremely smooth outer layer and an inexplicable moist feel. The yolk could be clearly seen through the egg white.

The two places are close by, and we were traveling by car. The weather was also hot, so much so that the eggs were hot too.

Having eaten too much at noon, Master Cao took a bite before he even had a chance to sneak a snack.

He opened his mouth—but bit into nothing.

His teeth slipped on the surface of the pigeon egg, and he accidentally swallowed it whole.

Only after taking a few more bites can you finally taste the flavor of the pigeon egg.

It has a very soft, frozen texture, yet it's also very bouncy. The egg white is incredibly delicate, while the yolk is smooth and fluffy, without any sand or powdery texture. It's so smooth that it won't make you choke. When you eat it, you only have a very slight presence in the texture, with the aroma of eggs, and it just slides slowly down your tongue.

It has a subtle saltiness, which comes from being baked with salt—the saltiness actually gives a very distinct aroma.

After eating one more, this one will be a quail egg.

Compared to pigeon eggs, quail eggs have a yellowish color, and the egg white wrinkles, causing the skin to shrink slightly. One bite gives you a different texture.

The egg white has a bit of chewiness, making it firm and bouncy when chewed. It's very dry and fragrant. It's smaller and has a thinner shell than a pigeon egg. Although both are salt-baked, pigeon eggs are milder and sweeter, while this one has absorbed all the flavors of the spices and is infused with saltiness. It tastes richer in both egg flavor and aroma. Chewing it slowly is a delightful and flavorful experience.

"These quail eggs are delicious! If only they could be paired with some wine..."

"Eat up, drink more wine. Next time Miss Song makes her special dishes, you won't even be able to tell what seasonings she put in them!"

No one had time or inclination to discuss anything else; they all started sharing which one tasted best.

"Don't just focus on quail eggs and pigeon eggs, try edamame—it tastes completely different from boiled edamame! The edamame is so soft and tender, a bit like chestnuts, incredibly fragrant, and the flavor is so intense, a perfect blend of salty and savory!"

"Great edamame! Give me a handful, I'll put it on the table and eat it while I'm quizzing—it won't get my hands dirty, I just touched it, the outer shell is dry!" "Dry shells aren't convenient for you to eat, you still have to peel them, right?"

"What are you peeling for? Just close your teeth and pull it out with your hands! If you really want to peel it, why don't you use your teeth to peel it?"

"I don't peel them either. I just chew them raw. I eat the beans first, then chew the outer pods. You know what? After the salt flavor seeps in, the beans are even sweeter and more tender! Old Cao—how exactly does Miss Song make this salt-baked dish? It's so delicious!"

A group of people stood there, eating one and calling out to another. Interspersed among them were people saying that the ginkgo nuts were glutinous and fragrant, and that the hazelnuts were milky salty and fragrant. Even people with bad teeth slowly gnawing on the hard kernels would eventually have a layer of rich, oily paste in their mouths, all of which smelled of hazelnuts.

There are even pine nuts, which are roasted and already split open, but you still have to peel them yourself to eat them.

Pine nuts are soft when you bite into them; they crumble easily with a tap or a bump, and can even be flattened if you're not careful. They have a unique pine aroma, a smooth and oily texture, and a distinctly sweet taste.

As everyone discussed, they stuffed this and that into their mouths. With so many people, they quickly ate almost all of the two bags.

Master Cao had already mingled in, grabbing handfuls and handfuls at a time, eating while also trying to claim credit.

He stretched out his palms, showing them to everyone.

—Several red marks on the palm.

Master Cao said, “Look at my hands—these are hands that can write and paint! They’re all red from carrying them all the way here, tied by the rope! If I hadn’t been thinking of you, why would I have gone to such lengths to bring them in?”

No matter how much Lao Cao boasted, he had actually brought something back and was a helpful assistant. Everyone praised him for his contributions.

After praising them for a while, they asked about the topic again, and someone brought over their newly drafted proposal.

Master Cao took it, glanced at it, and said, "We can add two more..."

He was still giving instructions when he suddenly heard footsteps at the door. He turned around and saw that Master Chen had returned.

Master Chen has always been kind and honest. This time, he went to the social event alone again. Although he has the qualifications and reputation, and doesn't need to do anything, he still gets very tired after sitting there for a long time.

When he arrived, everyone knew how hard he had worked and greeted him warmly.

"Old Chen, Old Cao brought back some delicious food from Miss Song's place—come and try it!"

"Old Chen, try this pigeon egg! Old Cao said it was salt-baked by Xiao Song! It's truly exceptionally fragrant!"

Then someone brought him a teacup and poured him tea.

Master Chen was quite tired, but he didn't refuse. He stepped forward, grabbed a few pigeon eggs and quail eggs, and before eating them, muttered, "What's this? Is it just eggshells?"

People immediately gathered around and examined it for a while, saying, "It doesn't look like an eggshell. What has those teeth-like things? Could they be teeth?"

"It doesn't look like teeth either..."

Master Cao suddenly sensed something was wrong. He quickly stuffed the manuscript of the question into his sleeve, without asking the other party to make any changes. He then hurriedly slipped inside and tried to gather up the two rope pouches with one hand.

"What are you doing, Lao Cao??"

Master Cao hurriedly said, "Save some! Save some for later! What will we do if we eat it all?"

As he spoke, he tried to pull the two rope bags back.

But it was too late.

Master Chen suddenly realized what was happening and said, "Old Cao, don't move—this looks a bit like a crab shell to me?"

Someone quickly chimed in, "It's the crab shell!!! It's the crab claw—Old Cao, did you eat crab for lunch??"

Master Cao inwardly groaned, quickly dropped his hands, and bowed as he retreated.

A group of scholars from the opposite side had already crowded around, their eyes wide as they tried to discern the truth.

"It's a crab shell! I don't even know what kind of crab it is!"

"There are crabs to eat, but Old Cao didn't bring any for us???"

Salt-baked quail eggs and pigeon eggs are certainly delicious, as are edamame and hazelnuts, but they're nothing like crabs!
"That's not fair!! What did we say that day! If we go to Xiao Song's place and there's anything good to eat, we all have to let each other know!!"

"Old Cao?"

Where is Old Cao?

A group of people went looking for Lao Cao.

Old Cao had already slipped out the door, not daring to linger for a moment, and quickly ran back to his room.

Oh dear! How do I explain this?
There was only one bucket of crabs to begin with, and Xiao Song was preparing a banquet for the evening. After keeping some for himself, there weren't many left—at most, eight or nine.

There are over a dozen old men here! How can that be enough to feed them!

It just so happens that there are six people in his family, so there are two extra crabs. The elderly couple can each have two! In terms of quantity, it's a perfect match with those crabs! So he immediately placed an order and asked Miss Song to salt-bake them that evening and deliver them home, along with some roasted pork and char siu. If it's convenient, he could also order a serving of ginger fried rice.

How can you say that?

I had originally asked Xiao Song to keep an eye out for these crabs called "Yanzi Crab" tomorrow, and if they came in again, to buy a bucket, salt them, and have them delivered to my door so I could find someone to go out and get them—but now I can't explain that, and it only makes things worse!
Old Cao dared not delay, fearing he would really be beaten if he was late. He hurriedly wrote a letter and sent it to Song Ji, saying that even if there were no baby crabs, crabs, or any other kind of crabs the next day, he could just send some food to help him get by.

Xiao Song! Come quick, I'm dying!!

***
While the teachers at the Imperial Academy were eating salt-baked quail eggs and pigeon eggs, Xu Da, the youngest son of the Xu family in Suanzao Lane, handed an egg to his roommate in a shed by the Liuta River.

The boiled egg was cold, but this was a riverbank, far from any village or shop, with little business and hardly any food. So even though it was just an ordinary egg, the man across the river was overjoyed, thanking him profusely and asking, "Where did you get this, Brother Xu? Have you eaten any yourself?"

Xu Da nodded and said, "They gave me four. I ate two myself, gave one to you, and gave the other one to Xiao Ma."

The person opposite was peeling an egg with a smile, but when they heard the name "Xiao Ma," their smile slowly faded.

He sighed and asked, "Has Little Horse eaten?"

"She didn't eat. Judging from her expression, she's still sulking—I'd be angry too if I were her. She made everything herself, so why should she have to hand over everything to someone else! And that person never even shows their face!"

"I heard that the canal will be opened in a few days, and we'll be exchanging places with those young masters in Chanzhou City two days in advance. Is this news accurate?"

　It's almost the end of the month, so I'm shamelessly asking my fellow food lovers for some extra monthly votes~
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　　(End of this chapter)