Miao Chu

Chapter 66: Door Call
At this moment, Song Miao, whom Liao Dangjia said would soon "enjoy happiness," was still rushing to cook.

He Qi and Zhu Jie'er came over unexpectedly, which caused a delay, and her original plans were not in time.

Seeing that the people Qin Zong had arranged had already brought back lunch from the backyard, Song Miao first went to check the dishes. Seeing that they were all large portions of meat and vegetables, almost the same as yesterday's lunch and dinner, she immediately felt reassured.

Let's not add anything more to what's already good.

Although chicken, duck, fish and meat are delicious, after a course of heavy oil and sauce, frying, stir-frying and cooking, the same dishes may be satisfying the first time, but by the second time, the excitement is gone.

This is my third meal today.

Human stomachs have a limited capacity and cannot digest too much. If you feed people like this every day, they won't be able to eat much, unlike ducks.

She thought it best to make two dishes to cut through the richness.

But unlike yesterday's stuffed pomelo peel and stuffed bamboo shoots, today's meal even has less meat.

With both stoves running at the same time, one for boiling water and the other for stir-frying vegetables, all simple and quick home-style dishes, her dishes were ready by the time the table in the backyard was set up, the food was laid out, and the bowls and chopsticks were prepared.

In the backyard.

Having learned from yesterday's experience, even though all the food bought from the restaurant was laid out, no one touched their chopsticks for a long time, instead politely deferring to each other.

Someone suggested, "There are still two people on duty ahead, and then there's Han Zhengyan. He went to the yamen yesterday, and although we don't know why Judge Qin kept him there, he should be back today no matter how busy he is. He has a family to support, so shouldn't we set aside some food for him?"

Almost everyone agreed.

Qin Zong was particularly enthusiastic, saying, "Leave some extra. The main dishes we ordered today are all durable. We can keep them warm in the pot so they can eat them whenever they want!"

As he spoke, he stood up abruptly and began to help divide the dishes himself, while also turning his head to look behind him.

Han Li wasn't there at noon today, and everyone tacitly agreed to this, scrambling to sit near the middle gate.

In the end, Qin Zong insisted that he was the least senior, and since he had treated everyone to the meal, no one dared to argue, so he shamelessly took it.

Having learned from Han Li's example yesterday, he followed suit, taking advantage of the opportunity to leave food for others and clearing out the space on the table in front of him.

It was so obvious, so blatant cheating. When Han Li did it yesterday, others were unfamiliar with it and couldn't see it at first, but today, after doing it twice, they would know Qin Zong's intentions.

Although it's true that you're obligated to accept gifts and favors, people can't control their emotions.

Suddenly, everyone looked at him with more condemnation.

Qin Zong simply pretended to be stupid.

Just kidding, if someone else were in this position, he doesn't believe they could resist doing the same thing!

Unlike the others at the table, Qin Zong had been raised in a wealthy family since childhood, never lacking in good food and meat. Since entering the Kyoto government office, in order to get along with others, he often treated his colleagues to meals and drinks outside.

To be honest, even the most delicious food gets tiresome if you eat it every day.

Moreover, for some reason, the food from fancy restaurants often has a greasy feel. It's fine at first, but after eating it a few times, it's not as palatable as the home-style dishes from small eateries.

Yesterday, he ate the stuffed pomelo peel and stuffed bamboo shoots made by Miss Song. Although they weren't exactly heavenly delicacies, they were quite comforting to eat.

It's comfortable to eat, and it feels good to be full. It's not oily or greasy, which is perfect for his taste!
Home-cooked meals are the best for your health!
Thinking this, Qin Zong not only left some vegetables for himself, but also kept urging them to eat more meat, calling this person and that person to eat more good meat.

The others at the table verbally agreed, but the two chopsticks seemed to be firmly welded together by a blacksmith, stuck tightly together and impossible to separate.

It was rare to find one or two people who actually picked up their chopsticks, but their hands seemed to have forgotten how to use chopsticks at all. After trying for a long time, they could only pick up one or two small pieces of food. They didn't even bother with the good parts like the legs, wings, or belly of the fish.

"Eat up, everyone! Why are you all being so polite today!"

Qin Zong hurriedly urged the vegetables to be cooked.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one said anything.

In the morning, Miss Song left them glutinous rice, shumai, and two kinds of drinks. It was the first time they had tried them, so they inevitably ate a bit too much.

Keeping watch without having to move around much, some people stayed in the storage room, some caught up on sleep after a night of guard duty, and a few others, although keeping watch outside, didn't go very far and weren't very hungry. Looking at this table of food, they could eat it if they wanted to, but they didn't really have much of an appetite.

Besides, isn't Miss Song going to ask for more dishes later?
My stomach wasn't very empty to begin with. If I eat all this meat, what will I do when they bring out more vegetables and I can't finish them?
Is Qin Zong the only one in the world who can calculate?!
The table was quiet when Zhu, who had only arrived the night before and was unfamiliar with everyone at the table, suddenly stood up and said, "Young lady, you've arrived!"

Immediately, everyone at the table looked over, and sure enough, they saw Song Miao walking over carrying a plate.

Qin Zong hurriedly said, "Miss Song, just put it here, there's room here!"

As he spoke, he stepped out from under the bench, intending to follow Han Li's example and go to fetch him.

However, he had only walked halfway when he turned around and looked up, and suddenly felt something was wrong—Zhu Shi had somehow already gone forward to meet him, taken the tray from his hands, and turned back to walk to her own seat.

"Miss Song said there's one more dish ahead, and she told the officials to eat first." Madam Zhu chuckled. "Everyone works very hard, so please sit down. Miss Song isn't here, but Old Sun and I will take care of things!"

Zhu was quick-witted and efficient; she arrived at her destination in just a few steps and gave her husband a sharp look.

Sun Lizheng had just picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, hesitating whether to put it in his mouth, when he saw his wife's look and quickly stood up to help move the plates and bowls in front of him.

Soon, the two dishes were set out.

One dish is stir-fried minced pork with pickled vegetables, and the other is mixed vegetables.

As soon as the pickled vegetables were served, everyone at the table started using their chopsticks, as if in the blink of an eye, the two chopsticks that had been stuck together had been separated by a blacksmith.

"This is good! This is appetizing!"

Inspector Xin was the quickest, grabbing the spoon from the plate and scooping a large spoonful into his own bowl. Before even taking a bite, he already praised it.

However, he only had time to say that one compliment before he ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice with the pickled vegetables and minced pork, and then he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

It's so refreshingly sour!
The pickled mustard greens had more stems than leaves. They were soaked in water and not stir-fried for too long, which preserved the crisp and tender texture of the stems. They made a "crunching" sound when you ate them. The leaves had a slightly chewy texture, which was very fragrant and satisfying to eat.

The minced meat was chopped very finely, with more fat than lean, resulting in a delicate and tender texture with a slightly charred, oily aroma. The lard rendered from the minced pork was used to stir-fry the sauerkraut, allowing the meat's oil and aroma to permeate the sauerkraut beautifully, neutralizing the harsh, fermented sourness and making it much milder. The sauerkraut's acidity was then incorporated into the minced meat, giving the slightly fatty meat a pleasantly tangy flavor.

When Song Miao was stir-frying, she also added a little dogwood, which gave the dish a slightly spicy flavor.

Crispy, sour, refreshing, and spicy, it's an absolute perfect match with fragrant white rice.

After two days of feasting on meat and fish, the sudden arrival of this bowl of pickled cabbage made everyone at the table incredibly eager. Those who couldn't wait for a spoon grabbed as much as they could with their chopsticks, just to taste it as a sign of respect.

Inspector Xin buried himself in his rice, finishing one bowl with just two spoonfuls of stir-fried minced pork with pickled vegetables, and then went to get another bowl.

When he came back, he couldn't get a spoon anymore, so he turned around and picked up the mixed vegetables.

This dish uses cabbage, bok choy, water celery, and bean sprouts, all of which are lightly blanched in boiling water until just cooked through. They are then rinsed in cold water, squeezed dry, and mixed with a spoonful each of Sichuan peppercorn oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, along with a touch of sugar for flavor.

When we ate them, the spring vegetables were still crisp and tender, not much different from when they were freshly picked, with green leaves and stems.

Spring vegetables are in season, and the unique aroma of Sichuan peppercorn oil brings out the natural sweetness and crispness of the various spring vegetables. A touch of vinegar and sugar enhances the original flavor of the vegetables, and a dash of soy sauce adds a refreshing touch. To describe it as wonderful might seem exaggerated to others, but for those who taste it, it is by no means an exaggeration.

Inspector Xin ate three bowls of rice with just these two dishes.

After swallowing the last bite, his stomach was already a little full. He hesitated for a moment, then walked to the rice cooker to get two more bites.

This time, we'll eat it slowly.

However, as soon as he opened the rice cooker lid, he was completely stunned. When he went to open the other lid, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Where's the rice?!"

Two pots full of rice, how did they disappear in the blink of an eye, even the crispy rice crust was gone!
Upon hearing his question, several people looked over and, seeing the empty rice pot, all let out a disappointed "ha!"

Someone exclaimed, "This stir-fried minced meat with pickled cabbage is so delicious! It's impossible to eat rice without it!"

Inspector Xin held the bowl, somewhat disappointed, but had no choice but to sit back down.

But as soon as he sat down, he saw a bamboo basket covered with a cloth on the table in front of him. On a whim, he lifted the cloth and found that the basket was full of steamed buns, mantou, and baozi.

Inspector Xin's hand moved like lightning, his target clear, and he immediately grabbed an old steamed bun.

In an instant, "swish, swish, swish," everyone rushed to grab the basket.

Steamed buns with pickled cabbage and minced meat go very well together!
They were all away on business trips year-round, and their meals were practically like those of starving ghosts reincarnated, which made Zhu's scalp tingle.

When Song Miao brought out a bowl of soup, the mixed vegetables and pickled cabbage with minced meat were all eaten clean, leaving only a small bowl for her. The rest of the meat and vegetables were left untouched.

Upon seeing her come out, Qin Zong finally rushed forward and took the soup from her.

It's a bowl of boiled white radish soup.

There was no meat or oil added; just a few slices of ginger, a handful of chopped green onions, a little salt and pepper for seasoning. The flavor was purely the sweetness of the white radish.

It was already late season for white radishes, so Song Miao blanched them and added a small handful of raw rice to remove the bitter taste of the white radishes.

A bowl of soup followed by a few pieces of sweet white radish—simple, light, and perfectly complementing this heavy, meaty meal—it's so comforting.

Everyone at the table was drinking soup and eating radishes. As they ate, someone remarked, "This wild boar can't eat refined grains; it needs home-style dishes!"

After a while, someone else added, "It still has to be the home-cooked dishes made by Miss Song!"

***
After lunch, Song Miao steamed the soaked wheat and barley together. She then busied herself preparing vegetables for her stall the next day. Seeing that it was getting late, she went back to her room to rest.

She took out the invitation that He Qi had given her at noon.

It was made of mulberry bark paper with a very beautiful bamboo pattern. The cover had the words "He Ying's Worship" written on it and was sealed with wax. A small "Ying" character was also placed on the seal.

The characters were written in a vigorous, flowing style, and were very beautiful.

Song Miao didn't plan to use the post for the time being, so she didn't open it and just carefully put it away.

She took a nap and woke up in the afternoon.

Han Li still hadn't returned. Not only that, the Left and Right Military Patrol Offices sent someone over to hastily summon Xin Feng away, along with two patrolmen.

The remaining guards inside the house, having somehow received some information, began to watch even more closely.

As evening approached, several more patrolmen arrived from the backyard. This time, they brought many stern rods, as well as shackles, cangues, ropes, black cloth, and leg bindings for the other people in the house.

The soldiers, who were always in civilian clothes, immediately wrapped the leg wraps around their legs without saying a word.

Starting in the afternoon, Song Miao clearly noticed that the guards' rotation time had been shortened considerably.

Everyone else could take turns sleeping, but Sun, the village head, was the most pitiful. Because he had to recognize people, he spent a whole day and night in the common room. He hadn't slept well the day before either, and his eyes were all bruised. He could only lean against the wall for a short rest, but he didn't dare to fall into a deep sleep.

Zhu felt sorry for him but didn't say anything.

But since she had already arrived, without guards accompanying her, she couldn't come and go as she pleased, just like Song Miao. She could only sigh from time to time. She said to Song Miao, "Actually, I know most of the people that Lao Sun knows. I could also do this surveillance work for him, but he won't let me, saying that I can't stay up all night now. But I can't stay up all night!"

"He never does anything normally, but now he's putting on a brave face!"

He kept muttering to himself.

Song Miao comforted her, saying, "It'll only be a day or two. Just get through it, and maybe Uncle Sun will be able to get a good night's sleep tomorrow."

I don't know if it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That night, after midnight, as darkness fell, Song Miao mixed the steamed barley and highland barley with yeast, put them into a ceramic jar, and placed it on the stove where the fire had been extinguished, letting it ferment on its own. After checking the gate, she was about to turn around when she suddenly heard a loud knocking sound from outside the door.

The knocking continued for a while, then someone called out softly, "Is anyone inside? Miss Song?"

In the stillness of the night, the sound was particularly eerie.

Thank you so much, Xiaoxiangyblack, for the peach blossom fan, sachet, and amulet! Thank you so much! =3=
Thank you, Qingmei, for the golden sachet you sent to Sister Zhu :)
Thank you so much to my cats, Egg and Softie, at the bookstore for this little gift! Thank you both so much, muah! ^_^
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(End of this chapter)