Miao Chu

Chapter 35 Envy
As it turned out, even though Cheng Zijian was late, it didn't affect the others' interest in Song's lunchtime.

As soon as the teacher finished class, six or seven students who had rushed to help carry things out of the classroom.

"Why isn't Zijian back yet? It's getting too late!"

"That Miss Song's house is at the end of Suanzao Alley, two long streets away. How can we ask her to push her cart all the way here by herself?"

"Should we not wait for him?"

"Then who will lead the way?"

"He's never been there either, has he? Does he know the way? It's just the end of Suanzao Lane, the back gate of Nanlu Academy. He can just ask around when he gets there. It's just one lane, how hard can it be to find?"

The group quickly made up their minds and marched out of the back gate of the Imperial Academy with great pride, heading towards Suanzao Lane.

It was two streets away, and even though they ran and sprinted, it took them about two incense sticks' worth of time to finally see the "Song's Restaurant" sign ahead.

The signboard was originally gilded, but now the gold paint has long since peeled off, the wood is half-crooked, and even the words are barely legible.

But the students weren't focused on that; they were calculating the distance between the back gate of Nanlu Academy and Song's Restaurant over and over again.

"What luck people from the south are! No wonder they keep trying to get stall owner Song to come back and keep running his eatery. It's just too close!"

"Look at those clumps of flowers and trees blocking the way, it looks like a dog hole. It'll be so convenient for them to crawl in and out!"

"If we hadn't run fast, it would have taken us half an hour to go back and forth. If we had to eat—and eat slowly—we probably wouldn't have made it to class in time."

"It's still too far. We can't ask her to come back and open this restaurant, otherwise what will we eat?"

Someone quickly came up with a dirty trick.

"Actually, there's another way. We can also go through the dog hole on their south slope. That way, we can come and go as long as we pass through their academy!"

"Then we have to avoid their instructors."

"If people on the southern slopes can hide, why can't we? We don't know anyone here anyway, so even if they catch us, they can't do anything about it!"

"Alas……"

"It has to be you!"

"Tell me, is this a good idea or not? If the restaurants really reopen, will you actually go in?"

"If Miss Song wants to open a restaurant, I will definitely support her—lunch and dinner will be taken care of!"

"Me too!"

The group chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the entrance of Song Family Restaurant. Just moments before, they had been figuring out how to crawl through the dog hole, but now they were all shy and hesitant, too embarrassed to even knock on the door.

Song Miao had already prepared the rest of the food and was currently making the sauce inside.

No matter how much you braise it, it's still pig's feet, so it's a bit fatty. Besides the rich braising sauce, she also served it with a garlic and dogwood vinegar sauce to cut through the greasiness.

The garlic paste, after being soaked in water, loses its garlicky smell, so you don't have to worry about it being overpowering when eating it. Soaking it in white vinegar, along with some dogwood, makes it perfect for dipping meat. You can eat a whole pig's trotter without getting tired of it, and even an old pig would run away when it sees it.

Just as she was filling the covered bowl with the contents, she heard a knock at the door. When Song Miao opened the door, she saw six or seven students standing there shyly.

“Miss Song, Cheng Zijian has some business with the teacher and can’t come for a while. We’re afraid you won’t be able to carry it all by yourself…” The leader, who had carried glutinous rice that morning, looked very familiar with the man and said hesitantly, “But we don’t know what we can do to help?”

Song Miao smiled and let everyone in, saying, "Everything is ready. When we get to the back gate of the Imperial Academy, I'll just make a quick soup."

The other party replied, "It's not that complicated. You don't need the soup. If you really want the soup, we'll make it here and carry it away together, so you won't have to run back and forth!"

The others all agreed.

“It’s vegetable soup. It’s best to boil it fresh, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow,” Song Miao explained. “Besides, I was going out to buy things anyway, so it’s on my way. It won’t make a difference if I wait a little longer.”

Since she said so, although everyone felt embarrassed, they were even less willing to refuse. They were guided to move things, carry things, and push carts as the group went out the door.

Many hands make light work, and young students may lack other things, but they certainly have plenty of energy. Even if they don't have enough, their love of good food quickly makes up for the lost energy.

Upon arriving at the back gate of the Imperial Academy, the cart stopped, and while everyone was unloading things, Song Miao first opened the stove door of the small stove.

There was a pot of water sitting on the stove, but she moved it aside and placed a large soup pot on top, then added some oil and ginger slices to stir-fry the salted duck egg yolks.

From a distance, you wouldn't normally be able to smell the raw salted duck egg yolks, but Song Miao used a spatula to cut them into small pieces and then stir-fried them in oil, making a lot of them in one go.

When salted duck egg yolks are sautéed in oil, they develop a richer, salty and savory flavor compared to regular eggs. The ginger removes the fishy smell, as if it has concentrated the essence of the egg yolk. The brine soaking process has already refined and extracted the essence into the salted duck egg yolks. Now, after being deep-fried, the aroma slowly rises from the bottom of the pot. At first, it's fine, but it becomes more and more fragrant and intense.

The students carrying the pot on either side couldn't help but look over and ask, "Miss Song, what kind of soup is this?"

"Salted duck egg and mustard green soup," Song Miao said. "It's for clearing heat—I heard from Young Master Cheng that many of you have been suffering from internal heat lately."

He added, "Some people may find mustard greens bitter and not be used to eating them, so they can just eat them as medicine."

As she spoke, seeing that the salted egg yolks were almost cooked, she added the washed and broken mustard greens to the pot, stir-fried them briefly, and then poured in boiling water.

It was just boiling water, and it boiled in no time after being put into the pot, bringing out the flavor of the salted duck egg yolks that had been fried until they were golden brown. The soup quickly turned a milky yellow color.

Only then did Song Miao slowly add the sliced ​​pork shoulder. Before it even changed color, she poured in the remaining salted duck egg whites. There was no need for salt anymore, as the salted duck egg whites were enough for seasoning. She then used the residual heat to cook the vegetables and meat inside.

Once the soup boils, its color changes from milky yellow to clear.

She wrapped the pot handles with a cloth, stepped aside, and said, "Be careful, the soup is ready, but the pot is too hot, don't burn your hands."

Immediately, two more students thanked her and carried the soup pot away. As they left, they didn't forget to free up one hand and wave back to Song Miao again and again.

Seeing that most of the food had been moved, and with only the leading student left sitting to the side with nothing to do, Song Miao took out a food box from the cart and handed it to him, saying, "It's pickled radish crunch, to cut through the greasiness—this meal is a bit too fatty."

The student was both surprised and delighted when he received it, and asked, "Is it the crunchy radish from the sticky rice?"

"The taste is the same, just cut into larger pieces. I marinated it with white vinegar and granulated sugar for two days, and it's very flavorful. This time, I added more dogwood, so it's a bit spicy. I wonder if any of you don't eat spicy food."

"Eat up! Eat up!" The student didn't even ask any questions. He patted his chest and made a promise. He looked around and, seeing that no one he knew was nearby, first thanked Song Miao and bowed. Then he said, "After we finish eating, we'll send these pots back to you tonight."

The two parted ways.

The student, carrying the food box, was about to turn around when, under the guise of turning, he magically produced a cloth bag from behind his back, threw it onto the cart with a thud, and then ran towards the back gate of the Imperial Academy, looking back as he ran and shouting, "Young Miss Song, hurry up and put it away! If you don't, how will we have the nerve to beg for food and drink here again in the future!"

Having learned from Cheng Zijian's previous experience of throwing money, Song Miao already had some premonitions. However, the other party's movements were too sneaky, and the cart was too big. Since it was an inanimate object, it couldn't dodge, so there was no way to defend against it.

She chased after it a few steps, then gave up, put the cloth bag away, sighed, and found it somewhat amusing. She simply pushed the cart home slowly.
Carrying a food box of pickled radish crisps, Wang Chang ran until he was panting. When he turned around and saw that Miss Song had not caught up, he finally dared to stop slowly.

He stood and rested for a moment, first letting out a sigh of relief, then unable to resist swallowing hard.

My mouth was dry and thirsty from running.

He looked at the food box in his hand.

Wang Chang really likes the pickled white radish in Songji glutinous rice. It tastes different from what he has eaten elsewhere. It is very crisp, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour, about 60% sour and 30% sweet, and also has a spicy flavor.

Unfortunately, the quantity allocated was limited.

When he tasted that flavor in the morning, he ate it almost by counting the bites.

But right now, there's a whole box here!

He looked around and, seeing that no one was watching, secretly opened the food box.

The refreshing tangy aroma of pickled white radish immediately filled his nostrils, instantly invigorating his senses.

The radish chunks inside are cut into the shape of a broom head, with vertical cuts all the way through to make them easier to absorb the flavor. A little bit of the tail is left to keep them from falling apart. Soaked in vinegar, they are white, moist, and look very crisp. They smell delicious.

The food box also thoughtfully includes a pair of bamboo skewers!
—Who can tolerate this?!
Without further hesitation, Wang Chang immediately picked up a piece with a bamboo skewer and put it in his mouth.

Upon tasting the flavor, his mouth was so stimulated by the sour and spicy taste that he couldn't help but drool and chew frantically.

But the more you chew, the more saliva you produce.

So crispy!
It's damn crispy!

Song Xiaoniangzi wasn't lying to him; it tasted just like the pickled radish bits in glutinous rice, and it was his favorite sweet and sour ratio.

The difference this time is that the white radish is cut into pieces about half the size of a palm, preserving its crispness completely.

The white radish wasn't peeled; the peeled part was still a little tough, but if you used just a little bit of force to bite through it, you'd get tender flesh. It was extremely crisp, so crisp that it would break right through when your upper and lower teeth touched, making a crunching sound.

Once you bite into it, the flavor of sugar and vinegar inside rolls around in your mouth, and the juices overflow.

The radish's natural spiciness has completely disappeared, leaving only a mellow flavor tantalized by the vinegar and sugar. The sweet, sour, crisp, and spicy taste is truly indescribable in words; only by tasting it yourself can you experience its unique flavor.

Wang Chang ate five or six pieces of that large piece of pickled white radish in a row, and he was completely addicted to it.

He's actually a little afraid of spicy food. The spiciness is very noticeable, making people gasp and cough. Any more and he can't stand it, but if it's not spicy enough, something is always missing.

Pickled white radish is not filling, but it is very appetizing.

The more he ate, the hungrier he became. No matter how reluctant he was to part with the food, he thought of the food waiting for him ahead. He finally mustered all his strength to close the food box, while hurriedly sucking the snot that he couldn't wipe away from his nose because of the spiciness, and rushed to catch up with his companions.

At this time, quite some time had passed since classes ended at the Imperial Academy, and there were many pedestrians on the road.

Students are always the most enthusiastic about eating. Many people in the crowd had already finished eating and had just come out of the dining hall, while others had just filled their own rice bowls with food, preparing to go back to the dormitory to eat.

Everyone was walking their own way when, unexpectedly, several figures suddenly appeared from around the corner ahead.

Two people carried bamboo baskets, two carried soup pots, two others each carried a deep pot, and a third person followed behind carrying a food box.

Such a spectacle drew everyone's attention.

Someone recognized some familiar faces inside and called out to them, asking, "Where did you get all this good stuff? What's inside?"

Why keep good things to yourself when you can wear fine clothes in the dark?

Perhaps some people with great wisdom can do it, but the person being questioned clearly cannot.

The man, carrying a pot, replied with a hint of pride, "It was made by the owner of Song's Glutinous Rice stall—she said it was to thank us for helping her copy the book!"

He added, "I haven't eaten yet either, I'll find out what it is later—I've only heard it's pork trotter rice."

The crowd erupted in commotion.

When Miss Song gave the scribes glutinous rice and shumai to them in the morning, it had already attracted a lot of attention and discussion.

Those things are actually available for purchase at the stalls. Even if you have to queue up early, no matter how envious you are, you can just say a few sarcastic remarks and let it go if you're lucky.

Who knew they'd go too far and keep pushing their luck!
Braised pork knuckle rice!

Just from the name, you know it must taste good, but that young lady doesn't sell it, so you can't find anywhere to buy it if you want to.

It's just copying a book, is it really that big of a deal?

I can copy too!
The crowd was both angry and curious.

Classes had already ended, and everyone was free.

When people have free time, they love to watch the excitement, especially those who are already full and have nothing better to do.

Many people immediately followed, wanting to see how the so-called braised pork trotters rice differed from the braised pork trotters sold by others outside, just to walk a few more steps to digest their food.

There were also those carrying their own rice bowls who were originally going back to the school, and since it was the same road, they followed behind, though not intentionally.

A long, disorganized crowd quickly followed behind them.

No one paid any attention to it, and everyone continued carrying their own things.

As soon as they entered the school dormitory, the staff who were on duty there saw them and rushed forward to greet them, thanking them for their hard work and pointing out the empty tables and chairs in the middle so they could put their food there.

When the lids of the food boxes, pots, bowls, and so on were all lifted, the room was in an uproar, and everyone practically pounced on them.

Wang Chang, having finally had enough of the pickled radish in his stomach, felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly called out, "Don't worry, Zijian hasn't come back yet!"

"Leave him a few portions."

"Just set aside a few portions. It's not good to wait for him, otherwise the food will get cold. How can that be fair to Miss Song for her hard work!"

"That's right, that's right! Stall owner Song specially boiled the soup at the entrance so that the leaves wouldn't turn yellow. We mustn't let her kindness go to waste!"

As they talked, their hands never stopped; they grabbed one enormous lotus leaf-wrapped package after another from the pot and hurriedly opened them before even a minute had passed.

(End of this chapter)