Chapter 116

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao smiled and said: "Since I didn't know everyone's tastes, I prepared a few kinds, just right for self-selection."

On the stove were two large pots; one held a thick soup, that soup appeared amber-colored, with a layer of oil blossoms floating on top, and some bits of cornelian cherry, extremely fragrant; the other was a plain water pot, the water gently boiling at the pot's edge.

To the side were also two small braziers, each with a small pot seated on it; one had a single long wooden handle, the mouth as wide as a sea bowl, deep as a palm, the pot walls extremely thin; the other was an ordinary two-eared deep pot, covered with a lid, white steam gurgling out from inside.

Song Miao first opened all four stove doors, then lifted each pot lid, pointing them out one by one to Han Li, saying: "Because I thought this fen should be appetizing, I made two kinds of sour-spicy soup bases first, and fearing some might not eat spice, I added a light one..."

Finished speaking, she pointed again to a basin covered with a cage basket at the side, saying: "Inside there is guangfen dough, a household staple; Young Master is from Yan Prefecture Pass, if you're not used to eating fen, I can boil that guangfen into noodles, also a blink-of-an-eye matter."

Han Li did not hurriedly answer whether he was used to eating it or not, only praised: "This fen's rice fragrance is very strong."

Hearing this praise, Song Miao couldn't help but smile, saying: "Today water flooded the streets; when returning I searched several fen shops, either sold out or not open — this flat fen was ground into slurry and made by me and Er Niangzi ourselves, perhaps because it was just made, the rice fragrance is fuller."

Han Li said: "Since it's fen ground and made by Stall Owner Song herself, one must eat a few more bowls no matter what."

Then asked: "If I want to eat everything, which one is best to eat first?"

Song Miao saw him evading left and right, thinking of the pig liver incident earlier, guessed this person most likely truly didn't eat fen often, couldn't help finding it amusing, saying: "I'll make Young Master a small bowl to taste, eat the light one first, pad the stomach; if not used to it, don't force it, noodles are also ready-made."

Han Li nodded, pointed at the water vat in the corner, got Song Miao's nod, then familiarly went over, took the water ladle and scooped a ladle of water, went to the water basin to wash hands; finished washing, he poured out that waste water, washed the copper basin clean again, only then put it back.

At this time Song Miao ladled soup base and soup ingredients into the handled small pot; waiting for it to boil, she only picked up a small clump of flat fen and briefly blanched it, then scooped it out, handed it to Han Li, pointing at the square table saying: "Condiments are many; Young Master just add according to preference — this soup simmered half a day, not much salt added; if flavor isn't enough, shout for me."

Han Li agreed in one breath, took bowl and chopsticks, went to that square table at the side, walked a circle around the table, specially chose one of the chairs to sit down.

Only now did he fix his gaze to look at the fen in the bowl.

Very clear soup base, tinged bean-yellow, very fragrant; a spoonful of yellow bean lean meat mince covered the fen; the fen was flat fen, extremely thin, nearly transparent.

He first drank a mouthful of soup; pork bone soup, very mellow, yet within it also the bean freshness of yellow beans, making that soup appear even more clear, gentle.

Saltiness leaned toward the light side just right — no wonder Stall Owner Song wanted to use this soup to pad the stomach first; truly drinking it was extremely comfortable.

After drinking soup, Han Li also didn't go add table condiments, first ate a mouthful of fen.

That fen had an especially full rice fragrance, also slippery, also tender, also flavor-infused — using tender to describe fen seems a bit strange, but Han Li still felt this fen was very tender, yet also refreshing; picking it up it wouldn't turn mushy or break, carrying the soup base, as if it itself had become part of the soup base.

Those yellow beans still kept very complete shape, but one bite discovered they were already completely soft-rotten; pressed on the tongue tip they melted open, cottony-dense, delicate, carrying full yellow bean fragrance — yellow beans originally carry a kind of fresh sweetness, very mellow; the meat mince had a bit of chew, more lean than fat, full of fragrance; swallowing down, a hint of Sichuan pepper fragrance returned.

An especially comfortable bowl of fen, light, fresh-fragrant, and thereby even more highlighting that fen's own rice fragrance, rice sweetness.

Before him small jars held sour cowpea shreds, vinegar-sour radish, sour pickled vegetables, sour bamboo shoots, sour daylily buds, also scallion, cilantro, garlic paste, cornelian cherry bits, celery bits, etc.; he didn't add a single condiment; in three or two mouthfuls he finished this bowl of fen, not a drop of soup base left.

So freshly ground slurry pressed fen is this delicious a thing, completely different from what he'd eaten before — if Shixiong knew what he missed, who knows what crying-heaven-shouting-earth state he'd become.

Only the portion was really too little!

Han Li was just about to stand up to get more, when people behind started arriving one after another.

Song Miao waited for people to come, then introduced to the crowd one by one.

"This is pork bone, mountain pit stone snail simmered half a day soup base, uses fine fen, locally called luosifen; cornelian cherry bits put in a lot, quite spicy; best to add sour bamboo shoots when eating."

"This is three-fresh sour-spicy fen; adds pig liver, lean meat, fen sausage, together with cornelian cherry bits and vinegar-sour stir-fried sour bamboo shoots and sour radish boiled together; uses flat fen — the flat fen is made by us ourselves."

"This is yellow bean lean meat soup fen; also uses flat fen."

The crowd clamored; some wanted sour-spicy fen, some wanted that luosifen, some wanted yellow bean lean meat flat fen.

Luosifen only needs blanching; sour-spicy fen and yellow bean lean meat fen need boiling.

Song Miao then called Cheng Erniang to help blanch fen; herself wielded two small pots, cooking fen left and right simultaneously.

A patrol officer came to the front, asked for a bowl of sour-spicy fen, pinching his throat saying: "Stall Owner Song, can you give me more pig liver, lean meat? Fen also plenty! I heard Brother Han say he was coming here to eat fen; others' padding-stomach biscuits I didn't eat a mouthful, hungry until now, my stomach's about to eat itself!"

Song Miao laughed and agreed, indeed gave him a full large bowl of both toppings and fen; that pig liver, lean meat piled on the fen, already mounded high, interspersed with sour bamboo shoots and sour radish both sour and fresh.

That man held the bowl; white steam rose; sour-sour spicy-spicy fragrance drilled straight into his nose; just sat down, couldn't wait for it to cool, blew hard a few breaths, couldn't help but start eating.

Others cooking three-fresh fen usually slice pig liver thin; Song Miao slices thick; though placed half a day, hung down the well, freshness still retained to the maximum; relying on good pig liver processing, not a trace of fishy smell, both fluffy and tender.

Pork cut in thin slices, still had chew, meat fragrance full; that fen sausage boiled just right, springy, a bit resilient, one bite a mouthful of fat fragrance.

Inside also a boiled pouch egg; egg white tender-smooth, egg yolk cottony-dense, egg fragrance wrapping soup base; soup added douban, fermented bean curd for flavor, also sour bamboo shoots sour radish to enhance freshness and sourness; sour, spicy, fragrant...

Fresh-out-of-pot fen; this person clearly knew it was hot, still blowing hu-hu while eating with grimacing mouth.

Watching his appearance, those lined up behind couldn't help but swallow saliva.

Someone hurriedly asked him: "Hey, Lao Ji, Lao Ji! How's your fen? What taste? How sour, how spicy, can I eat it?"

That Lao Ji held a mouthful of fen in his mouth, "wu wu a a", only kept nodding, simply couldn't free his mouth to answer.

For a moment the two people lined up behind both ordered sour-spicy fen; one extra asked for fen sausage, one extra asked for lean meat.

Originally cooked fen; just boiling that pig liver lean meat fen sausage takes a bit of effort; very quickly both each held their own fen.

However when the next patrol soldier's turn came, he instead shouted: "Song Xiaoniangzi, I want a bowl of yellow bean lean meat flat fen — make it less, I need to save stomach room for the sour-spicy fen and luosifen behind!"

A moment ago the two in front who just got fen, and the two or three before them, some hungry with front chest sticking to back, just specially begged for extra fen; some deliberated left and right half a day, finally only chose one kind; hearing this person's words, all suddenly realized, cursing: "Cunning! Can even do this!"

"Had I known earlier, I'd also ask for less fen per bowl, all taste the flavors!"

A moment later someone just came out from the back courtyard, learning there were three choices, anxious scratching ears and cheeks, turning round and round inside the room; seeing Lao Ji's fen, stopped to ask: "This bowl of yours is the sour-spicy fen? Looks very fragrant; what's that white-white thing inside?"

Lao Ji couldn't spare speech; another beside him who had finished eating rushed to answer: "Pouch egg, boiled together with that fen; this taste, not exaggerated — both fragrant and tender, flavor boiled in halfway; ai yo, I still want to eat one!"

The asker swallowed a mouthful of saliva, just about to order sour-spicy fen, suddenly saw someone sitting on a cushion at the side, both hands holding a pig trotter, gnawing with great relish.

That pig trotter braised then fried, then fried again; fried outer layer tiger-skin crisp shell bubbled up thick big bubbles; as he gnawed, his mouth emitted "ka cha ka cha" crisp sounds.

This person hurriedly asked: "Xiao Ji, what's this? How come there's pig trotter too?"

Xiao Ji swallowed the meat in his mouth whole, muffled shouted: "Mine is luosifen, eat mine! You ask Stall Owner Song for a pig trotter, big pig trotter, so fragrant! Inside also has fermented bamboo shoots, that fermented bamboo shoot simply amazing, this fen, this soup — eat mine!"

Pig trotter fried crisp shell fluffy, porous, soaked full of soup juice; underneath the gelatin sticky and glutinous; further down a layer of lean meat silk-threading, rotten but not fibrous; even reached the pig trotter bones, bone marrow all already braised with flavor; braised fragrance carrying sand ginger fragrance, Guangnan fermented bean curd's wonder fragrance...

Luosifen's soup, fen, toppings equally important.

The soup was first made by stir-frying spices such as star anise, cassia bark, and tsaoko until fragrant, then adding sand ginger, sour bamboo shoots, crushed cornel, and stone snails to stir-fry out a fresh aroma, followed by perilla to enhance the flavor, then simmered with pork tubular bones and a whole chicken for half a day.

How could a broth simmered from such a base possibly not be fragrant, fresh, rich, and delicious?

The rice flour used was Guangnan West Road dried rice flour bought from shops north and south, soaked first then boiled, with cold water added twice, resulting in noodles with a slight glutinous quality, seemingly firm yet not firm; if one had to describe it, they were somewhat like hand-pulled noodles, with a bit of chewiness when eaten, but upon biting down there was a slight "crisp" feel, and once the tongue and teeth pressed, they snapped crisply, bouncing and popping randomly in the mouth.

Such noodles absorb flavor, yet the middle retains a strong rice flour taste, not so easily soaked through by the broth, instead making this bowl of noodles particularly special.

Fresh broth, smooth noodles, crisp and tender sour bamboo shoots, sour, spicy, fresh, and fragrant, with a full aftertaste.

Song Miao added long yuba to every bowl of snail rice noodles; the yuba was fried then boiled, full of porous holes throughout, soaked with plenty of fresh broth, soft and tender, bursting with juice in one bite, tasting of bean fragrance, fresh fragrance, sour fragrance, and spicy fragrance.

There were also fried soybean grains, squeaking when bitten, hard and crispy, extremely fragrant, and seasoned cold-mixed wood ear strips, very elastic in texture...

The Song family had only one square table, five armchairs, and one reclining chair; the rest had no chairs to sit on, so they all took cushions and ate noodles on that bench.

The room was full of people, slurping slurping slurping; some were eating snail rice noodles, and after slurping the noodles they had to slurp the snail meat in the broth; once everyone was full, all the rice flour and meat and vegetables Song Miao had prepared were eaten clean, leaving only a bit of broth base.

By the end, almost everyone had tried every flavor.

Song Miao had added cornel crush with a heavy hand; two of the three types of noodles were sour and spicy and appetizing, but after eating, many were spicy to the point of hissing and huffing, with sweat all over their faces.

Song Miao then had Cheng Erniang bring out a pot of soy milk drink, pouring a small bowl for each person.

Besides soybeans, this soy milk drink also had walnuts and red dates ground together, and had been kept soaking in the well bottom; drinking it was cool and icy, relieving heat, relieving spiciness, and quenching thirst.

This soy milk drink was rich and mellow, fragrant and sweet, with a bit more nutty aroma and date sweetness compared to the ordinary ones sold outside.

Those who had gotten the reclining chair half-collapsed against it, and after drinking, felt so comfortable they couldn't help but let out an embarrassed long belch; after belching, they said again: "Can we not go back? It's so comfortable to be full; I just want to sleep."

Immediately the whole room laughed and scolded.

The person muttered: "It's raining so hard outside, I really don't want to walk in the rain; besides, we don't have kitchen duty tomorrow, so why can't we just mooch off Song Xiaoniangzi here? We can even scrounge a breakfast tomorrow morning!"

Once these words were spoken, the scolding voices gradually lowered, and even a few who had no families and weren't in a hurry to go back began seriously considering this possibility.

Seeing such a scene, Han Lidao, who had originally been sitting to the side, said: "It's not early anymore; everyone has worked hard all day, go home and rest early."

Saying this, he was the first to stand up and go outside the door.

Not long after, they heard carriage sounds from outside.

Everyone then realized that the two carriages from earlier had not gone far at all, but had been parked to the side—Han Li had actually rented them for the whole night.

At this time the carriage stopped at the door; there was no need to brave the rain or walk the road. Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and there was even a carriage to take them home. Usually they were patrol soldiers and patrol officers exposed to sun and rain, and walking half the inner city was a common sight; immediately everyone felt a satisfaction of "I've had my day too!"

Han Li saw everyone onto the carriage, then instructed the coachman to ask each person's address clearly and send them home along the road, before he himself got off the carriage.

The carriage was just starting to move slowly when he heard a coachman ask the person inside the carriage: "Sir—is this place a food shop?"

Another coachman also chimed in: "First time I knew there was a food shop in Suanzao Alley; you folks ate noodles inside, and we outside smelled the fragrance and were drooling—what time does this shop open until?"

Inside, there were surely patrol soldiers and patrol officers helping to explain.

Seeing the two carriages go far away, Han Li returned to the room and saw that Song and Cheng had already put away the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins seven or eight out of ten; he then helped tidy the tables and chairs, and only then sat down with Song Miao to tell her what he had said to Zhang Xunshi during the day.

"If the government office issues a Reward Order, both you and this food shop will gain some renown, and more people will know about it; but after all, neither of the two cases has been closed, and there may still be fugitives at large outside. If you seek safety..."

"Safety comes first," Song Miao replied. "Young Master has thought very carefully. If we can get some reward silver, that would naturally be best; if not, it doesn't matter. Without you helping behind the scenes, how would the government office know our names?"

She smiled and said: "There's too much to thank for, so I won't thank you every day—Young Master, if there's anything you want to eat, just ask; even if I don't know how, I'll learn to make it."

Han Li smiled and nodded seriously.

He thought for a moment and asked: "Stall Owner Song, have you ever left the Capital in these years?"

Song Miao recalled for a moment and said: "Do outings and tomb sweeping count?"

She smiled and asked again: "Young Master, what is it? Please say."

Han Li couldn't help but laugh too, and said: "Last time you came to the Capital Prefecture Office Canteen to help out, with over a hundred people's meals, you handled everything properly and properly as soon as you took over. I want to ask: for the food of over a thousand, even several thousand people, with enough manpower, are you confident you can manage it?"

?? Received many monthly tickets, Xiaoxiang tickets, recommendation tickets, and various tickets that everyone voted for Xiao Miao. Thank you so so so much! Whether or not we can get that operating fund, I'm already very happy. Thank you everyone!