Miao Chu

Chapter 82, Page 3
Cheng Zijian's mind was filled with the article he had just written.

He felt that his approach to the problem was much better than before, his ideas were the best in recent years, and his writing was a smooth and coherent piece.

However, I still didn't have enough time this time, so I wrote it more slowly and the ending was a bit rushed.

He was filled with both anticipation and anxiety; for once, he couldn't wait to see the results announced.

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Cheng Zijian was momentarily distracted and didn't quite catch it. He asked in surprise, "What?"

The man repeated himself, saying, "There's a woman from Fuzhou outside who says she's looking for you."

There were classmates nearby.

His classmate couldn't help but ask, "Zijian, you're married? I've never heard of that before."

"No, I'm not married."

Cheng Zijian was also somewhat bewildered.

His parents died early, and he was raised by his eldest sister. In order to study, the family's land was sold off, and the travel expenses to the capital were raised by his sister and brother-in-law. He was focused on studying and only hoped to get a good position so that he could repay his family. He had no family at all.

Moreover, although he was in the Imperial Academy, he was in a lower-level dormitory and had not been promoted in two years. If he could not be promoted this time, he would be sent back to his hometown in the blink of an eye. What good family in the capital would want a son-in-law from another prefecture like him?

Without even asking a question, Cheng Zijian already had a bad feeling and ran away.

Who else could this woman from Fuzhou be but my own sister?

But the two places are thousands of miles apart, and there is a niece at home. If something hadn't happened, why would the eldest sister have abandoned everything and gone to the capital?

Cheng Zijian ran all the way to the main gate, looked around but still couldn't find anyone. Just as he was getting nervous, he heard someone whisper from behind: "Xiao Jian".

He quickly turned his head and saw a person standing in a corner not far away, wearing a coarse linen shirt and with a cloth wrapped around his head, waving at him.

The man's features were still distinctly the same as he remembered, but his face and expression had aged considerably, making him momentarily afraid to recognize him.

"sister!"

Cheng Zijian was filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy, but in the end, his joy was overwhelming, and he practically skipped over.

He tugged at the woman's sleeve, looked her up and down, and asked, "Sister, what brings you here! How was your journey? How is everything at home? Have you eaten?"

"All is well, all is well," the older sister replied, first brushing off a speck of dust that had somehow gotten on Cheng Zijian's shoulder, before pulling her daughter, who was hiding behind her, out. "Xiaolian, quickly call him Uncle. Don't you always talk about Uncle at home?"

Xiao Lian didn't dare to raise her head much, and called out "Uncle" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. She then hid behind her mother, only peeking out half an eye to examine the "uncle's" appearance.

At a glance, Cheng Zijian couldn't see his niece clearly at all, and exclaimed in surprise, "How come Xiaolian has grown so tall in the blink of an eye! When I was holding her and putting her to sleep, she was just a tiny little thing!"

"It's been years! You've even grown a beard, shouldn't Xiaolian grow up a bit? She's six years old, a proper little girl now!" the older sister laughed.

The siblings, separated for a long time, were reunited and shared a deep sense of kinship.

If Song Miao were here, she would most likely recognize at a glance that this older sister and niece were the mother and daughter who had taken shelter from the rain outside her door the day before yesterday and had met again by chance outside the grain shop today, claiming to have come to the capital to visit relatives.

Upon learning that the woman, Cheng Erniang, had arrived with her daughter two days prior and was currently staying at Guangji Temple, Cheng Zijian couldn't help but scold her, "You've been here for days, why didn't you come to see me first?"

“I’ve inquired and heard that you’re taking exams, so I’m afraid it will distract you,” Cheng Erniang explained. “Besides, the temple is quite nice, and I’ve taken on some mending and patching jobs, which will help me make ends meet.”

However, when asked why she had suddenly come to the capital, Cheng Erniang's smile faltered, and she forced a reply: "Your brother-in-law is gone, so the clan arranged for a son to be adopted by his branch of the family, saying that he should carry on the family line. They asked me to take Xiaolian back to my parents' home and make room for him."

"This...this is blatant exploitation of someone who has no descendants! This is outrageous!"

Cheng Zijian was enraged and couldn't help but curse, "Isn't Xiaolian a member of his family? How can they force her to be adopted if her own mother, Sister, doesn't agree! Wait for me... wait for me..."

However, after waiting for a long time, all he got was, "When I get back, I'll go to the yamen and file a complaint!"

"That's enough. Your studies are the most important thing. Don't let these trivial matters distract you," said Cheng Erniang. "It's not just me. Last year, the person in charge of managing the household along the street was also sent back. She had a son and a daughter to rely on, but she was forced to marry them off by the clan."

Cheng Erniang knew that her younger brother was honest by nature and dared not say that she had already filed a lawsuit, but it was to no avail—the clan chief had bypassed her own status and directly registered the adopted son under the names of his parents-in-law. Even if the government intervened, what could they do?

“I’m a widow with a daughter, and life is hard. I might as well come to the capital so you can take care of me and I can make a living. It costs two coins more to mend a piece of clothing here than back home!”

Seeing Cheng Erniang's forced smile and looking at Xiaolian hiding behind her, Cheng Zijian felt extremely angry, but had nowhere to vent it, so he could only vent it on himself.

Who can blame it?
A widow with her daughter—everyone wanted a piece of her flesh.

If he could improve, his brother-in-law and his relatives might have some reservations, thinking that his sister had a capable relative.

Having failed to get promoted in two years, it's no wonder that fellow villagers have gotten wind of it and sent it back. No wonder all sorts of strange and monstrous things have come out.

Cheng Zijian felt stifled and wished he could pass the imperial examination and become an official immediately, return to his hometown and slap the faces of everyone in the clan until they were swollen, and then take back his sister's house.

He suppressed his anger and said, "Guangji Temple is not a good place to stay. It's full of all sorts of people. You and Xiaolian are both women, and it will be inconvenient for you to come and go, even to wash up. Let me find a room for you to rent."

“Where can’t you stay?” Cheng Erniang said. “Don’t worry about it. Your monthly allowance is only a few yuan, not even enough for yourself! Your older sister knows how to work!”

As she spoke, she picked up a basket from the ground and said, "I brought some local produce from the countryside. Take this and give some to your teacher, and also some to your classmates and friends. It's not much, just a token of my appreciation..."

Cheng Zijian had no choice but to agree, but he felt increasingly uneasy.

He dared not say more, and was even more afraid that once the list was posted, if he could not be promoted and was sent back to his hometown, not only would he have nowhere to go, but he would also have no idea what the future held for his elder sister and niece who had come from afar to seek refuge.

***
Not to mention that Cheng Zijian was happy to reunite with his close relatives, but also had some worries. Meanwhile, at the home of Li Dutou, a matter also arose because of his close relatives from his hometown.

As Song Miao followed Zhu Shi through the door and greeted Li Dutou's wife, she was walking inside when she heard the other woman say, "It's fortunate you've come—you're a native of the capital, do you know where to find a good cook from Qingzhou?"

These words seemed out of nowhere, leaving Zhu Shi somewhat confused. She could only say, "What's going on? I haven't heard anything about the cook from Qingzhou!"

"And speaking of which, Old Li has an aunt whose mother-in-law married and moved to the south. Today is my mother-in-law's sixtieth birthday, so she specially asked someone to send some local gifts to the capital from afar, and also asked someone to write a letter to congratulate her on her birthday, talking about some things from the old days."

"Somehow, the letter mentioned a kind of rolled pancake that the two of them ate when they were little. They said it was very soft and thin, and it tasted amazing when used to wrap meat and vegetables. But they couldn't find it anywhere later."

"Because she married into Hongzhou, a place where people eat rice all year round, there aren't many good pastry chefs. So in her letter, she specifically asked if there were any such cakes in the capital. If so, she asked me to write down the recipe and send it to her because she really wanted to eat them." "My aunt's mother-in-law is older and has been ill for the past two years. She's been bedridden all year round. I heard from the messenger that she's become extremely thin. The doctor said that we should prepare for her passing, as she could leave us any day now."

“You know my mother-in-law. When she received the news, she cried and urged us to go out and help search. We’ve bought a lot of cakes for her to try these past few days, but none of them are right. When we ask her again, she says that she ate those cakes in Qingzhou before…”

Zhu asked curiously, "Aren't all pancakes soft? Why not just make them a little softer?"

"They just said no, it has several layers, one layer on top of the other, the middle layer is especially soft, and the beginning and end are very fragrant..."

"I haven't heard of that. When I get back, I'll ask Old Sun to keep an eye out for it too," said Madam Zhu.

Li's wife nodded quickly and said, "Our two families are family, so I won't stand on ceremony. My mother-in-law is very anxious and wishes she could find it right away. She'll turn into a bird and fly over with the recipe to her sister that very day!"

Song Miaoyuan, who was just standing to the side, suddenly asked after hearing this, "Is that soft pancake called a three-page pancake?"

Upon hearing this, Li's wife quickly turned to Song Miao and asked, "Has the young lady eaten?"

"I don't know if it is, but those three pancakes were about the size of a small plate, quite thin, and softer than other pancakes, making them perfect for rolling meat and vegetables."

"Once it's done, stack it up. Even after two days, it will still be soft. But this doesn't seem to be the way it's done in Qingzhou, but rather in the Mizhou area. I've heard that the locals like to eat this as dry food."

Before Li's wife could speak, a man stepped forward, his voice booming, and shouted, "That's it! That's it! I think it's this 'Three-Page Pancake'!"

Song Miao looked up and saw an old woman coming towards her.

Although the old woman's hair was white, it was still thick and full, her complexion was rosy, and her back was straighter than some young people's.

"Although we ate this cake in Qingzhou that day, it was a person from Mizhou who gave it to us—young lady, have you ever eaten this cake? Where can we buy it? Who knows how to make it?"

Song Miao then said, "I do know how to do it, but I don't know if it's really right."

The old woman was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "If it's not too much trouble, could you please make it for me?"

She glanced at Song Miao, then at Madam Zhu, and finally asked Madam Zhu, "May I ask which young lady you are?"

Madam Zhu hurriedly explained Song Miao's background to Old Lady Li, and then praised her, "Her cooking skills are excellent. The inspector from the capital prefectural government praised her cooking repeatedly!"

Old Mrs. Li became even more excited and hurriedly said, "So your family has a long history of running restaurants! No wonder you're so knowledgeable and have such good cooking skills!"

Then he asked her if it was convenient for her to do it at this time.

Making a pancake is just a piece of cake; for Song Miao, it's nothing more than a small favor, so there's nothing difficult about it.

She readily agreed, then added, "But it seems Aunt Zhu has some matters to attend to at home..."

If there were no other matters, Madam Zhu would have been happy to stay and eat the pancake, but she had no choice but to learn about the messy affairs at home from the Li family. She added, "If any bad news comes from outside, please ask the constable to take a look. He doesn't need to do anything. If it's not too difficult, we would be extremely grateful if he could come and inform us in advance so that we can prepare."

The two families had always been close, and the two people on the other side immediately agreed, saying they would pass on the message to Chief Li when he returned.

After seeing Zhu off, Song Miao didn't linger and went straight to the kitchen with Li's wife.

Old Lady Li couldn't just wait, so she quickly followed her inside and waited to see what was happening.

The Li family were all from Hejian. Their ancestors ran a security escort agency. By the time of Li Dutou's father's generation, they had established themselves in the capital and finally settled down. Later, by chance, they entered the government office.

Many northerners prefer noodles to rice, and the Li family is no exception.

Not only did he always keep white flour at home, but he also had a griddle for making pancakes. Moreover, the kitchen was filled with fresh meat and vegetables, presumably in preparation for the old lady's birthday feast.

Since they were going to make pancakes anyway, Song Miao asked, "If you don't mind, would you like some side dishes to go with the pancakes?"

The two people opposite naturally had no objections.

Without further ado, Song Miao first boiled a small pot of water, then took out a basin and filled it with flour. She scalded half of the flour directly with the boiling water, and the other half with warm water.

The three-layer pancake is made by stacking three layers of dough together and dry-frying them. After being scalded with boiling water, the resulting dough becomes softer and stickier, making it less prone to shrinking or cracking. However, if boiling water is used entirely, it lacks elasticity and is easy to break when rolling out the dough.

Using half boiling water and half warm water creates better layers when making pancakes, making them easier to separate and softer—but you need to use a little skill in your hands.

While the dough was rising, Song Miao asked for a clean broom, took it apart, found some thin branches and made a small broom, which she then boiled in hot water—this was to be used to sweep away the air bubbles on the pancakes and the burnt residue on the griddle when making the pancakes.

After making the small broom, she cut a piece of lean pork about half the size of her palm from the kitchen, washed it, and cut it into thin strips. She also picked out usable white radishes, carrots, celery, and scallions, washed them, and cut them into thin shreds.

After tidying everything up, she heated up the pan, mixed flour with soy sauce, granulated sugar, and oil to make a sweet bean sauce, quickly stir-fried tender shredded pork over high heat, beat eggs, fried a small plate of them and cut them into thin strips, and also stir-fried some pickled vegetables with dogwood and mustard seeds.

Seeing a small patch of mint growing behind the house, she specially picked a handful of leaves, washed them, and fried them in hot oil.

The side dishes included hot shredded pork, shredded egg, pickled vegetables, and fried mint leaves, and raw shredded white radish, shredded carrot, shredded celery, and shredded scallions, along with a small bowl of sweet bean sauce.

The side dishes were ready, the dough had risen, and the griddle was heated.

Song Miao had already divided the dough into portions and oiled them. Now, she simply flattened three portions, stacked them together, rolled them into an extremely thin sheet, and put them on the griddle to bake. While baking the pancakes, she used the small broom she had just made to constantly sweep away the air bubbles that rose to the surface of the pancakes, as well as the fine crumbs that fell onto the griddle.

The pancakes are extremely thin, and the dough is made with half-boiled water, so they cook very quickly. Before long, fine, golden-brown patterns appear on the surface of the pancakes.

The aroma of noodles wafted out slowly, mingling with the unique fragrance of fried mint leaves, the eggy aroma of fried egg strips, and the meaty aroma of shredded lean meat, causing the two people in the kitchen who had been waiting for half a day to swallow hard in unison.

After the first three-layered pancake was baked, Song Miao first put it in a small basket to cool before handing it to Granny Li and asking, "Please try it—I wonder if this is the taste?"

Old Lady Li reached out and took it, but without tearing it with her hands, she just gave it a gentle shake, and the pancake immediately spread out into three thin pancakes, each with a stronger aroma of wheat and a soft, satin-like feel in her hand.

As a native of Hejian, eating pancakes was something she was born knowing how to do. Without Song Miao saying anything, she hurriedly spread a layer of sauce on her pancake according to her own preferences, then spread shredded meat, fried egg, and various shredded vegetables on the pancake. She didn't even look at the pickled vegetables or the fried mint. She added another layer of sweet bean sauce, and then added more shredded meat and fried egg. She wanted to stuff as much stuff as her head into the thin pancake.

Although she was over sixty years old, Grandma Li still had strong teeth. After finally wrapping it up, she opened her mouth wide and took a big bite into the left side where there was the most meat, egg shreds, and sauce.

Thank you so much to the generous patron of Konggu Liuyun's online reading account! It's far too generous; I feel guilty accepting it.

Thank you so much!

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(End of this chapter)