Chapter 163: Exquisite Cook Chapter 162: Temper

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

This person had a frivolous smile, speaking in a sarcastic tone while staring straight at Song Miao's face, his gaze drifting down to her waist.

Seeing the other party speak and behave so disgustingly, Song Miao was already thoroughly disgusted.

But she did not show the slightest sign of anger, acting as if this person did not exist, turning directly to the next person, confirming the remaining few names and origins, then said: "This time you are all assigned to corvée labor, and you have been assigned to the river works kitchen."

"The kitchen is different from other tasks; you don't need to dig earth, nor suffer sun and rain, but that does not mean it is an easy task—this task requires careful attention, and the most important thing is one word: 'clean.' One grain, one dish; if there is the slightest mistake, and what goes into people's mouths makes them sick or causes problems, it will be too late to regret."

She went through with everyone one by one, explaining exactly how to be "clean."

While explaining, she led twelve laborers to the rear kitchen; when they reached the well, she said water must be stored in separate jars: one for drinking, one for washing. If it is well water, it can be drunk; if it is river water, it must be boiled before drinking.

She also said that daily wastewater from washing pots and vegetables must have the residue skimmed clean before being poured into the sewage channel, and after using the pots each day, the ash at the bottom of the pot must be shoveled clean, and so on.

Upon entering the kitchen door, she said food storage must be kept more than two feet above the ground and more than one foot away from the beams; rat cages must be set up on the beams and on the ground, and checked daily.

She also said people must tie up their hair and wear a baozi head covering; if they have beards, they must also wrap them. Every day upon entering, they must first wash their hands with soapberry water; when they go out and come back, they must wash their hands again. Their bodies must be wrapped in a layer of cooking clothes, which must be changed and washed once a day, without delay.

Furthermore, kitchen laborers must trim their nails every day, and check their tongue coating, features, and skin. If they have scabies or any unnamed illness, they must be transferred away.

When she reached this point, the previously carefree laborer interrupted: "Young lady, why do you need to wash your hands again when you come back after going out—it's not like you go to the toilet every time you go out—besides, for defecation you use leaves, so your hands don't get dirty, and for urination, hehe, young lady, you sure know your stuff, you know we men use our hands to urinate!"

Dabing followed behind, his face already changed color, stepping forward to open his mouth and scold him fiercely.

Song Miao made a stopping gesture with her hand.

At this moment she was standing by the kitchen counter in the rear kitchen of the official post station, not hurried or flustered. First she went to one side to wash her hands clean in the water basin, then drew a cleaver from the knife rack, took a sheep shank bone from the meat basin beside it and placed it on the counter. Her left hand pressed the bone, her right hand wielded the knife, and with one forceful strike, she chopped heavily into the very center of the bone.

The sheep leg bone was extremely hard, but actually, to split it open, there is a knack to it. Choose the right spot, and a light smash will naturally crack it.

Song Miao's chop at this moment was precise, hitting exactly that point. Sure enough, with one chop, there was a heavy "clang," and the bone broke with the sound.

After chopping one bone, she did not stop, but took another. While chopping, she did not look at it at all, but turned her head toward the crowd and said: "If knives and cutting boards are used, they must be divided into two types: raw and cooked. Raw meat uses the red-handled knife and red-edged cutting board; cooked meat and other vegetables use the ordinary wooden-handled knife and ordinary wooden-edged cutting board. They cannot be mixed."

Just as the word "use" left her lips, there was another heavy "clang"—the second sheep shank bone cracked in response to the sound.

After finishing the sheep shank bones, Song Miao lifted an entire pork hind leg from a large basin beside her.

She used a sharp knife, inserted it into the pigskin, I don't know what spot she found, and very soon, she had pried the bones out.

The bones removed included fan bones and pork shank bones. Finally, she also cut out the pork shank and pork trotters.

In front of everyone, as if showing off, in just the time it took to speak, she had processed an entire pork hind leg neatly and properly—meat with meat, bones with bones, tail with tail—all arranged neatly on the large cutting board.

Such impressive butchery skills, seen by Dabing, left him deeply shaken, filled only with admiration, almost wishing he himself could have such a pair of skilled hands.

But in the eyes of the other laborers, seeing this young lady facing a raw, bloody whole pork leg, chopping two bloody sheep shank bones, wielding the knife and smashing and prying bones with such ease, it was rather frightening.

Using a knife so easily...

Deboning a pig so calmly...

If...

As if to deepen the fear in everyone's hearts, Song Miao at this moment put the knife on the counter and said: "Knives, after use, must be washed immediately. After washing, hang them back in their place. They cannot be used and left randomly..."

Saying this, she lifted the knife in her hand again and said: "There are thirteen rules in total, each with four clauses, adding up to fifty-two clauses. It sounds like a lot, but it's actually easy to remember. As long as you listened carefully to what I said on the way here and saw the things along the way, you won't fail to remember them."

After speaking, she raised her head toward Dabing beside her and said: "This is your master today, Liu Bing. He has memorized the fifty-two clauses. It is now the initial Mao hour. I give you two hours to do two things."

"First, memorize these rules well. I will test you when I return."

"Second, some lettuce stems and large clay jars were bought this morning. They need to be peeled and washed. Master Liu Bing will teach you how to peel them and how to do it."

"A master is not judged by age, but by skill."

"If you fail the test, or cause trouble indiscriminately, I, a cook's wife, am either facing raw flesh and blood every day, or facing knives and axes. My temper is not that good. You people have come, but you can also be sent back. My temple is small; I can only send you back to the yamen!"

After speaking, she said to Dabing: "I'm going out for a bit. Please wash the cleaver and cutting board for me."

Then with a "clang," she flicked the knife. I don't know how she applied the force, but the back tip of that cleaver stuck firmly into the cutting board.

After fixing the knife in place, Song Miao stepped out. After walking two steps, she turned back and looked at the twenty-year-old laborer who had just spoken of "defecation" and "urination," asking: "What did you just say about men?"

That urination man subconsciously looked at the cutting board.

On the chopping board, because the back tip of the knife was deeply embedded in the wood, only the front tip of the blade was exposed. Seeing its sharp appearance, his heart inexplicably felt a draft, cool and chilly. Not only that, even his crotch felt cool and chilly.

He was a rascal, but mostly flirted with cats and teased dogs on streets and alleys, stole chickens and touched dogs, and bothered young ladies everywhere.

Ordinary respectable families avoided him a lot. Those with explosive tempers would curse a few sentences. But like today, directly wielding a knife, using it so skillfully, chopping bones and meat no worse than a butcher, made him somewhat afraid. He inexplicably dared not speak again, and sweat even seeped from his back. He hurriedly said: "No! No!"

Since he said no, Song Miao naturally couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him anymore. She nodded at Dabing and walked straight away.

Dabing straightened his small chest, stepped forward, and with both hands pulled out the cleaver Song Miao had stuck in. He turned to the laborers and said: "You watch how I wash the knife and wash the cutting board. Later we still have to wash vegetables—these are all things to memorize and be tested on!"

He had long known that being young, he was easily not taken seriously. Just now Song Miao gave him an opportunity, just right to take this bit of intimidation to teach people how to work.

On the other side, after Song Miao left the main gate of the official post station, she headed toward a vegetable stall on a street outside.

Today twelve kitchen laborers had suddenly arrived. First, after they finished memorizing things, they couldn't be left idle. Second, that urination man just now couldn't be kept. But whether the others were wanted or not, it was better not to be so hasty for now, because she had formed a prejudice too early due to preconceptions.

Whether they could be used or not, doing one thing would reveal their attitude.

The vegetable stall was one she came to every day. First to buy things, and second to record and compare prices.

But today, before she even got close, just seeing the many small stalls set up outside, Song Miao felt it was not quite the same as usual.

For some reason, there were many more vendors along the way, mostly selling vegetables, with lettuce stems being the most numerous.

She stepped forward and asked a few stalls, only to learn that many were from Weizhou.

One small vendor was very talkative, chattering nonstop.

"I am from Jixian. I heard that up and down, boats are being requisitioned to deliver grain and people to Hua Prefecture. Only now did I learn there is also a small path leading to Hua Prefecture. Although it's farther, involving both boating and climbing mountains, to make a living, I can only work hard with my own two legs!"

"Young lady, buy some more. At such a cheap price, if you miss this village, there won't be this shop."

Song Miao heard the price was astonishingly cheap and felt it was strange. She half-squatted down to flip through and look, saying: "Your lettuce stems have absorbed too much water and have many cracks. They will be less sweet to eat."

The stall owner then said: "Young Lady knows her goods, but there's nothing to be done—you don't know, our Jixian has had much rain lately, and much land has flooded. Right now is the lettuce stem season; with more rain, the ground soaked too long, the lettuce stem skin and flesh easily crack and swell open. Though it doesn't much hinder eating, in the end it's not as good-looking as uncracked ones."

He added: "How about this, I'll give Young Lady a cheaper price."

Song Miao had walked all the way, and almost every stall selling lettuce stems had cracked ones open; she also knew this flaw was mostly unavoidable.

But the price was truly cheap, very worth stocking up on.

Especially the weather in April, like a child's face, crying when it says cry, laughing when it says laugh.

These past two days Hua Prefecture had no more rain, instead all clear skies; just one day dried up much water in many places.

She looked last night, from now on at least half a month, it should all be clear skies, not a drop of rain will be seen.

Lettuce stems don't keep well, but in such weather, it's very suitable for drying lettuce stems.

This ingredient is quite special; when eating, soak it in water, stir-fry with lard, or stir-fry with cured meat, add a bit of Xun Guan, slightly spicy, with a tough-crisp tough-crisp texture, both spicy and clear fragrant, especially delicious.

It's just that drying lettuce stems is troublesome, need to peel skin, need to slice, very labor-consuming.

Right now what she lacks least is manpower, just right to try people.

Thinking thus, Song Miao bought lettuce stems from over ten stalls in one go, over eight hundred jin—there is an extremely large drying yard in the courtyard behind the Official Post Station; these past two days since the rain stopped, the drying yard is just right to use.

Settled accounts, told the stall owners to send the lettuce stems to the Official Post Station, find a receiver named Liu Bing, then Song Miao continued walking inside.

Walking a stretch, she was looking at vegetables and asking prices, when suddenly she saw ahead a small stall with several wooden buckets set out; walking closer to look, the rest were just ordinary river fish, but the small bucket on the far right was full of small river shrimp, only the size of melon seeds, all very lively, darting and jumping, occasionally many jumping high up—this high is relative to themselves, actually at most no more than the height of a palm standing up—then falling back into the water.

The other fish were nothing, very common; only that bucket of river shrimp, though small, tasted very fresh and sweet, rare to see; Song Miao hurried forward to ask the price.

Just as she opened her mouth, the stall owner said: "You are Young Lady Song, right? Just give two copper coins as you see fit—these are all netted casually by my wife's husband when fishing; this shrimp doesn't grow big, can't sell for a price, accumulated overnight only to have these small two buckets; I'm carrying them around here, myself feeling a bit embarrassed!"

Song Miao heard the other party call out her name in one breath, somewhat surprised; she looked up, indeed familiar.

She had always been good at remembering people's appearances, immediately recognized her as the laundress who last time helped carry copper coins and came to the door to find Xiang Yuan of the Xie Family Grain Store.

"Auntie, why are you minding a stall here? No work today?" Song Miao couldn't help but ask.

The auntie said: "Ai, don't mention it; lately often no work—our work is rough labor, mostly dirty and unclean clothes that can't be washed are sent from docks, shops, food shops and such; lately the water has risen too long, many places aren't working, where would dirty clothes come from? Even if working, business is bad, simply wash them ourselves, unwilling to send them out to spend these few coins."

Song Miao understood at once.

When business is good and busy making money, generally whether master or steward, they won't be stingy with these few coins.

But once times get tight, everyone will shout about "increasing revenue and cutting expenditure."

In the end, revenue definitely can't be increased, expenditure must certainly be cut.

She sighed, couldn't help but comfort a few words, and added: "Minding a stall to do business when you have spare time is also good, better than selling all to fish buyers, can earn a few more coins."

The auntie sighed: "Though earning a few more coins, it ties me down here, yet I can't find other work!"

Then said to Song Miao: "Still, Young Lady is better, with a skill, won't starve no matter what!"

Song Miao chatted with her a few sentences, wanted to pay at the market price; then the other party insisted on not taking so much, only willing to take half, so she could only first say: "These shrimp will be left in Auntie's care for a while; I'll go buy some fresh leeks..."

Her words had just fallen, when the auntie hurriedly pointed inside a path on the right and said: "Last time we carried the pole together for Young Lady, there's one usually called Dog Niang, selling vegetables inside; they're grown by her and her mother-in-law and father-in-law together; there are leeks now; I saw them this morning, and praised that though the leek leaves aren't fat, the fragrance can be smelled from afar!"

Song Miao heard and went over as told to look; indeed it was rare small-leaf fragrant leeks, different from those fat-leafed big leeks, extremely fragrant, and the fragrance was also very special.

Just as Song Miao was buying various ingredients here, in the Official Post Station Rear Kitchen, while taking advantage of the big cake going out to greet stall vendors, over ten kitchen hands stayed in the kitchen, all stopped working, some complaining, some cursing.

"Carry carry carry, carry your mother's dog fart carry! Where did this little dog bastard come from, showing off here, and daring to teach Laozi to do things—from now on don't walk night roads; when you meet Grandpa me, I'll cover your head with a covered dish, sooner or later beat you until you know what it means to piss and shit yourself!"

"You cut it out, just all flowery mouth; if you have the ability, give him a slap later, so he won't dare to randomly tell tales!"

The one disliked for having a flowery mouth was precisely that Xiao Jie Nan.

This person snorted from his nose and said: "Laozi isn't someone who only uses a mouth!"

Everyone was originally washing pottery jars.

Those jars were very large, inconvenient to wash; needed two people to hold them, one person reaching inside to exert force.

Xiao Jie Nan coldly laughed, then "haw~ spit~" twice, spat a mouthful of thick mucus into the pottery jar.

The whole kitchen laughed heartily.

Xiao Jie Nan still not relieved, said: "Pity everything is locked; otherwise I'd add two mouthfuls of spit to their meat for flavor."

Saying this, he told the person by the door: "Brothers, keep watch for me!"

Speaking, he untied his trousers, facing the mouth of the pottery vat, urinated inside with a pattering sound, and said in his mouth: "Clean, I tell you to be clean!"

After finishing urinating, this person lewdly laughed: "Good to make this young lady, hehe... though her temper is bad, her face is indeed born very good-looking!"

He asked again: "Anyone else who needs to urinate urgently?"