Miao Chu

Chapter 90 Rose
The sixty-year-old man hurriedly asked, "Old Chen, has your skilled chef arrived? Why does it smell off to me? Didn't you say you were making braised pork trotters rice and taro with braised pork belly?"

Master Chen shook his head and said, "How would I know! This little You has been gone for ages without any explanation. I wonder where he's wandered off to!"

Regardless of whether it was the aroma of fried fish or braised chicken, the four people, who hadn't had a proper meal in two days, all quickened their pace without prior arrangement.

Master Chen walked ahead, and when he returned to the pavilion, he looked up and saw Song Miaoren busy inside.

He was overjoyed, swallowed hard, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, saying, "Thank you for coming all this way, young lady. You've had a hard time!"

He then pointed to several old men behind him and said, "These are all my old friends from back then."

He didn't make any introductions, only briefly mentioning it to both sides.

Song Miao greeted them and bowed.

Several elderly men, some carrying buckets and others holding fishing rods, had been playing all day and were in a disheveled and rather embarrassed state. At this moment, they could only put on a dignified appearance. Some nodded and smiled in response, while others hummed in agreement and smiled in acknowledgment.

Song Miao said, "Because we were in a bit of a rush and didn't have time to make braised pork belly and pig's trotters, I discussed with You Xuelu and we changed two dishes."

"This time it's a picnic, and I'm not very good at anything, so I can't really do anything special. I'll just have two or three simple dishes. I don't know if that's appropriate?"

The group was already starving, and although they were disappointed by what they heard, they were not picky and all nodded.

Master Chen said, "It's alright, young lady, do whatever is convenient for you—we are really hungry, so it would be even better if we could hurry up!"

Yesterday we attended a banquet, today we strolled through the garden, recited poems and painted pictures, and even fished for a long time—but we didn't catch any fish. Even a young person would be tired, let alone several old men in their sixties and seventies.

Smelling the aroma, everyone wanted to ask what dish it was, but wanting to maintain their composure, they could only turn back every few steps and go outside to rest at a stone table and benches.

The four of them had only been sitting for a short while, and had just taken a couple of sips of tea, when the page boy came over carrying a jar and a basket.

The jar contained leftover lunch, which had been kept in the food box delivered by the restaurant. The restaurant had placed charcoal at the bottom of the food box, and the rice was still warm, though it looked a bit dry.

The basket contained pastries shaped like flower rolls, only finer than flower rolls, with distinct strands, and without any scallions.

"What is this?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Is it shredded shrimp?" The only old man who came back with two shrimp and a fish he had caught recognized it. "I ate it when I was in Chenzhou. It's soft and sweet. You never went south when you were young, did you?"

Master Chen said, “Don’t say he’s ignorant. I’ve been to Chenzhou, but I’ve never eaten this kind of rolled shreds.”

The old man carrying the fish was surnamed Min. He had long since retired from officialdom and was now quite old, but he still refused to be idle and was teaching at the Luzhou Academy.

He then picked up a silver thread roll with his chopsticks and put it back in his bowl, but instead of eating it, he showed off, saying, "There's a trick to making this roll. If it's done well, you can pick up the middle thread and just give it a shake..."

As he spoke, he indeed picked up a strand of curly noodles with his chopsticks.

However, before he could even shake it, as soon as he lifted the chopsticks, the rolled-up strands of dough fell down like stars falling from the Milky Way, their long tails trailing behind them. The strands were oily, glossy, and very beautiful.

Looking at the rolled noodles, not only were the others who had never eaten them before stunned, but even Master Min himself was taken aback.

He didn't say anything more and stuffed the silver thread roll directly into his mouth.

It tasted similar to the shredded pork rolls I've had before, but this one today, I don't know if it was because I was too hungry, or because it was fresh out of the pot and still hot, was especially soft, slightly sweet, and had a very clean and pleasant pork fat aroma.

It's quite fun to shake it apart and eat it piece by piece.

The noodles were almost imperceptible, soft, sweet, like biting into a thin, milky cloud.

If you bite into it whole, the layers are distinct and the texture is incredibly soft, sweet, and delicate, requiring no teeth at all.

Seeing this, the other three followed suit, picking up a piece, putting it in their bowls, shaking it, and playing with it for a while. But they were hungry, so they didn't bother to comment and quickly buried their heads in their food.

Just as he finished a silver thread roll, the young servant brought over a rough earthenware pot, placed on a cloth.

He put the pot down, lifted the lid, and steam billowed out, releasing a long-suppressed aroma.

good smell!

It smells like chicken!

It's very rich and quite unique.

The chicken pieces were sizzling in the earthenware pot—the oil was still very hot, crackling and popping as it fried, releasing a fragrant aroma of hot chicken oil everywhere.

"what is this?"

As he asked the question, Master Chen, not one to back down, had already taken a bite with his chopsticks and said, "Gentlemen, I won't stand on ceremony!"

The chicken pieces were cut into roughly the same size, and the one he picked up was from the middle of a large chicken leg, still piping hot.

Master Chen blew on the chicken a few times, chewed it whole, and immediately tasted a flavor unlike any chicken he had ever eaten before.

The meat was so tender that he even had the illusion that his teeth were working again, like new teeth replacing old ones.

The natural coconut aroma of the five-finger peach has already permeated the chicken, making it even more fragrant and flavorful. It is also coated with the aroma of ginger and scallions. When you bite into it, the chicken skin is smooth and fragrant, the chicken meat is tender and fragrant, and the juices inside flow into your mouth, making it extremely rich and fresh.

Master Chen ate with gusto, blowing air into his mouth. Before he had even swallowed the meat in his mouth, he reached his chopsticks into the pot again, picking up piece after piece of meat and putting it into his bowl.

The boy stood to one side and honestly said, "Miss Song said this is braised chicken with five-finger peach."

The aroma of the meat still lingered on Master Chen's tongue as he savored it, when he heard this sentence and for a moment he couldn't react, asking in a daze, "What? What baked chicken?"

Several old men nearby were busy eating chicken nuggets, and none of them had time to pay attention to him.

The pageboy was also a little uneasy and said, "Miss Song said it was five-finger peach—I'll go ask again?"

"Is this what Five-Finger Peach tastes like?"

Master Chen kicked the old man beside him and shouted, "Old Feng, stop eating! Was that five-finger peach you brought me fake? Did Dezhang get cheated? It tastes like mud to me. Is the one that Miss Song uses really that good and fragrant?"

Old Feng was lucky he didn't spit on him. He cursed, "Dezhang specially asked his family to find a familiar mountain man to dig it up. It couldn't be better or more fragrant. Don't try to act innocent after getting a good deal!"

Master Chen was skeptical, but after studying it for a while, he looked down and saw that most of the chicken in the rough earthenware pot had been eaten, leaving only a few pieces.

He was terrified and exclaimed, "There will be other dishes later, why are you eating so fast? Leave some for me!"

Everyone was starving after a day, and no one paid him any attention.

Master Chen could only regret that his curiosity had prevented him from speaking, so he quickly rolled up his sleeves and joined in.

The chicken was a young one; after being chopped into pieces, it was just enough to cover the bottom of the coarse earthenware pot, and it was quickly cleaned up.

Only then did everyone have a chance to wipe their mouths and talk.

"It smells so good."

"It's so tender, and fragrant!"

"Actually, I could have one more. I think I could eat one by myself!"

"Give me a break, 'Can you still eat?'"

"A mere chicken? Go ask that young lady to cook it again, and I'll eat it right now!"

As they slowly tore off the silver thread rolls and ate them, they chatted idly. Before they knew it, the whole basket of rolls was gone.

They were staring at each other blankly when, fortunately, a servant brought over a tray.

There was a large bowl on the tray, and four soup bowls on the side.

The large bowl contained a rich, white crucian carp soup, filled with many tender white fish slices, along with emerald green spinach. The white and green colors were complemented by a few bright red goji berries, making it a feast for the eyes and the palate.

The boy helped serve the soup, putting two large spoonfuls of fish, one large spoonful of spinach, and half a bowl of soup into each bowl.

Master Min looked at the boy who had filled a bowl and asked, "What kind of fish is this?"

"It's crucian carp, crucian carp slices and spinach soup," the boy replied.

"That's troublesome. There are too many bones in this fish, I can't eat it. Just give me more spinach and fish soup instead," Old Min said regretfully.

The waiter who was serving the dishes had just witnessed Song Miao deboning the crucian carp and slicing it, and he found it quite remarkable. Now, he couldn't bear to have his knife skills questioned, so he hurriedly said, "Miss Song has already removed all the bones. I didn't see any left when I was washing it. You can eat with peace of mind!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the other old men at the table all look over, and whether it was his imagination or not, their eyes seemed to carry a hint of murderous intent.

"Fool, just do your job, why are you babbling on like this?" Master Chen sighed. "He doesn't eat fish, so why don't you just share his portion with us!"

Everyone here is a friend of several decades. They joke around and tease each other, but it's all just a joke.

The servant quickly divided the soup, and the four of them took their share. Master Min was still a little timid and didn't dare to eat the fish first, but instead drank the soup.

He couldn't help but laugh as soon as he tasted the soup.

The fish soup is fragrant and rich.

The fish had been cooked until it had a gelatinous texture, almost sticking his lips together.

Master Min was not good at eating fish, but he loved the taste of fresh fish, so he often drank fish soup. Over the decades, he considered himself to have a good understanding of fish soup, but he rarely encountered a bowl like this.

In early spring, crucian carp are not as plump as they are in winter, and they often have a slightly muddy taste.

But somehow this soup wasn't fishy at all; it was just delicious.

Crucian carp is considered one of the freshest fish. This time, Song Miao used more than twenty crucian carp of various sizes to first fry and then simmer them, until all the collagen in the fish skin and bones was extracted, making the soup extremely delicate.

After swallowing it in one gulp, Master Min felt that the fish soup was so thick that it created a lingering sensation in his throat when he swallowed it, while the unique sweetness of the river fish lingered around him.

But just as he was about to think it was too strong, a slight ginger spiciness mixed with the peppery aroma spread across the tip and back of his tongue, then slid into his stomach.

What a comforting sip of soup.

Although he was reluctant to admit that his body was not as good as before, after two busy days, being able to drink a bowl of hot soup to warm his stomach did indeed relieve a lot of his fatigue, and his energy slowly returned.

After taking several sips, Master Feng finally exhaled a breath of stale air and picked up another piece of spinach with his chopsticks.

Song Miao didn't put the spinach directly into the pot; instead, she blanched it first, wrung it out, and then cooked it in the fish soup.

The shriveled spinach soaked up the rich crucian carp soup, and now its leaves and stems have regained their plump appearance, just like when they were lying on the ground. It is soft but not mushy, and bursts with juice with every bite.

Spinach has a very slight astringent taste, somewhat like grass, but with a brighter and more distinct flavor.

Even without teeth, the moment the palate touches the fish, juice bursts out, mixing with the somewhat thick broth, adding a wonderfully sweet and harmonious flavor to the crucian carp soup. After drinking the soup and eating the vegetables, Old Feng's chopsticks unconsciously reached for the fish slices next to the spinach.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up two slices and put them in his mouth, smacking them tentatively a couple of times, and then a few more times.

The crucian carp slices are less than an inch thick, so you can clearly feel the meatiness. They are delicate, tender, and smooth, with a crucian carp flavor that is both unfamiliar and familiar, and it is very delicious.

After swallowing it, strangely enough, Old Feng felt a strange sense of unfulfilled expectation.

So tender and sweet!

No wonder this crucian carp is considered the most delicious food in the world!

But how did they manage to do that?
—Can crucian carp really be boneless??

So, who's to blame for all those years I've lived without daring to eat crucian carp?

A bowl of soup the size of a washbasin was devoured in no time by several starving old men, who even scraped the bottom clean to mix with their rice.

With this delicious fish soup, even rice that has been sitting dry for half a day becomes flavorful again.

Those who missed out on the last few sips of soup were pounding their chests in frustration, wishing they could write a long and scathing proclamation to curse this unkind and unhelpful friend, when they smelled a delicious aroma, and when they looked up again, the servant boy was there again!

This time, however, he was holding a large plate of fragrant and spicy tender tofu.

The fragrant minced pork is mixed with scrambled eggs, seasoned with peppercorns, mustard seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns for a spicy and numbing flavor, and further enhanced by a touch of fermented black beans.

The tofu was so tender, it had already been crushed, and it was coated with the aroma of pork and eggs. It was spicy, numbing, fresh, and fragrant. You could even eat the bowl clean if you mixed it with rice.

The old men ate until they were so full they didn't want to move, so they just slumped down there.

At this age, with no outsiders around, and no concern for appearance or demeanor, holding in one's breath for a while, then letting out a long burp feels incredibly comforting.

As everyone took turns sitting down, someone remarked with a sigh, "If only we had taken the chair out of Old Deng's carriage—it would have been much better to sit on this bare stone with a backrest and a cushion!"

"I'll have Xiao You arrange for someone to fetch it," Master Chen said instinctively.

He paused suddenly as soon as he finished speaking.

Where is Xiao You?

***
On the east side of the forest garden, a small yu bird circled around.

The garden was very large. He walked around the lake, clearly following the directions given by the page, but it took him almost half an hour. He was sweating profusely in the spring sunshine, but he still couldn't find a single person.

He walked along, muttering to himself.

"Where did they go? These old men have been fishing for so long, they must have caught a hundred or even a thousand fish by now?"

"I'm starving, aren't they hungry at all?"

***
After a satisfying meal, the old men naturally invited the chef over to chat, each having questions to ask.

Master Min wanted to know how to remove the bones from crucian carp so he could go back and instruct the kitchen to learn how to do it, so he could often enjoy these boneless crucian carp slices.

Another person wanted to learn how to make the silver thread rolls, planning to have them on the dinner table for breakfast often in the future.

Song Miao answered in detail.

As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and the methods for removing fish bones and removing fish bones, as well as the recipe for silver thread rolls, all gave the old men a headache.

Song Miao then agreed to wait until she returned, drew the diagram, and wrote down the prescription.

The old men had no choice but to express their gratitude.

Just as Song Miao was about to speak, Master Chen said, "Don't just thank me verbally, do something too!"

These words seemed to come out of nowhere, leaving everyone stunned.

Master Chen continued, "Old Min, I remember you had a student who entered the Three Departments, in charge of purchasing and buying, and later he even married your niece, isn't that right?"

"She's not my niece, she's my grandniece. What, what are you up to now?"

Master Chen then said, "Miss Song's family has encountered some troubles. She wants to know where the records that were originally posted to inform the people after the bet are now kept."

"I asked around, and everyone said it was under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments. Only Lao Lü was in the Three Departments, but I didn't get along with him, so I couldn't approach him."

"Why don't you ask your nephew-in-law to inquire and see if he can find the records of the Zhuque Sect's gambling activities over the past two years? After eating such good food from stall owner Song, shouldn't he lend a hand?"

As Master Chen spoke, he glanced at Song Miao and winked at her.

Master Min chuckled and said, "I wondered what it was that was worth going through all this trouble for you."

He then said to Song Miao, "Posting notices and conducting investigations afterward is the duty of the government. Since you are useful, I will ask you when I get back—where do you live? Once I have the information, I will send someone to deliver a message to you."

What is a great trouble for him is, in his opinion, something that can be solved simply by "asking".

Song Miao was overjoyed and quickly thanked him.

***
Here, Song Miao received an unexpected surprise. She led three squads of patrolmen and several constables to surround Han Li and Xin Feng at Guangji Temple, but she also encountered an unexpected surprise.

Guangji Temple was not large to begin with; including those staying there and passing monks, there were only thirty or forty people inside.

The patrolmen sealed off the front and back doors, guarded the walls, and searched each room one by one. Soon they found a large box of gold and silver valuables, as well as several contraband weapons, in a guest room.

Upon seeing the longsword, spear, and other weapons, Xin Feng was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Whoever finds these items deserves the greatest credit!"

The people searching ahead immediately became even more enthusiastic.

But this time, after searching for half a day, they found nothing else.

The house, especially the one called "Xu Da," was thoroughly searched, with even the tables and chairs being dismantled, but nothing else was found.

Since the "second daughter and her daughter" that Song Miao mentioned were not there at the moment, and no one asked about them, Xin Feng ordered people to go out and look for the mother and daughter while cursing under his breath.

Han Li, who had been keeping watch on the side, saw that everyone had exhausted all their information, so he also walked around the room a few times.

They searched all the common places, and even searched most of Guangji Temple, but they still couldn't find the abducted victim they had originally suspected was hidden in the temple.

Han Li carefully reviewed the case details and recalled what Song Miao had said that morning. Without looking at anything else, he carefully examined the bedding and clothes that had been shaken off the bed.

Sure enough, although not every piece had the character "许" embroidered on its sleeve, and it was even in the style of the hairpin flower script.

He had already looked the room over carefully when he entered.

The room was a mess, with chairs scattered about, dry towels left lying on the backs of chairs instead of being hung up, and even a set of used bowls and chopsticks that had been left unwashed and moldy.

A meticulous person wouldn't be so casual in their daily life.

Judging from these details and the large confession that was specially retrieved this morning, this person acts without considering the consequences, prioritizing convenience and ease of doing things.

If he were to hide, he wouldn't hide far away; he would definitely choose a place that is convenient for him.

Han Li thought for a moment, then searched carefully again, and sure enough, he quickly found several pairs of shoes under the bed.

There were wooden clogs, cloth shoes, and straw sandals, all of which were very dirty. The straw sandals, in particular, were half-rotted and almost unwearable.

Han Li ignored the other shoes and examined the pair of wooden clogs for a long time.

It rained heavily all day the day before yesterday, and according to Xu Da's confession, he did not go out that day.

The gaps in the wooden clogs were filled with mud, among which a leaf and half a flower were stuck, already dried, and their shapes could only be vaguely seen.

Han Li summoned two monks from Guangji Temple and asked them, "I've seen yellow mud all the way here. Where is there any black mud? There are also white roses growing nearby."

The two monks exchanged glances, and one of them quickly said, "There are plenty of roses in this temple. It's not easy to answer your question right now."

The other person said, "I didn't notice where the black mud was."

Han Li didn't waste any more words with them and said directly to the person in front, "You lead the way. You can leave when you've found all the white roses in the temple."

He then said to the next person, "Take your men and look for this black mud. If you can't find it during the day, we'll keep looking for it at night with lanterns, until you find it."

He then called out a few patrolmen.

His eyes were icy, and when he said "until it's found," his tone was particularly cold and hard.

When the patrolman with the knife stepped forward, the two monks almost simultaneously changed color.

One of them shouted, "South! There are a few dilapidated houses to the south! I've seen Xu Da loitering around those houses a few times!"

***
The group followed the two monks and headed straight for the South Courtyard.

The dilapidated house the monk mentioned was very well hidden, concealed behind a low wall and a grove of trees. It would be easy to miss if no one led the way.

Before long, Han Li saw a patch of blooming roses not far away next to the rightmost house, with white petals covering the ground.

Unlike other places, the soil here is darker.

He went up and searched around on the ground.

Perhaps because not many people come here, and because of the heavy rain the day before, deep footprints matching the wooden clogs could still be found.

"Search that place carefully."

Looking at the winding marks on the ground, he pointed to the room on the far right.

There was a brand new lock hanging on the door.

The leading monk hurriedly said, "It's not a lock from the temple; nobody's been taking care of this place for a long time!"

A patrolman quickly found an axe and chopped at the lock, while another soldier behind him charged in with a knife.

Almost immediately, the man who went inside shouted, "Someone come quick! Someone come quick!"

We've reached 2,000 monthly votes! Some friends on Xiaoxiang also helped by casting their votes. Thank you everyone.

Today's update is the third chapter, including an extra chapter to thank everyone for voting. Thank you all for your monthly tickets and all kinds of votes~ Mwah (#^.^#)
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(End of this chapter)