Chapter 190

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Right now, farmers can't plant, axes can't be used, and fishermen find it hard to cast their nets; if they could suddenly get an extra reward, who wouldn't be happy?

Fortunately, the reward money isn't much: thirty wen for first place per person, and no more than twenty wen per person for second place.

Wang Silang comforted himself, dodged his father and brothers' scolding and side-eye, and let it go.

But when it was time to serve the meal, they actually handed out the rewards on the spot.

A table was set at the very front, beside it a huge bamboo basket filled entirely with copper coins.

Today's patrol team stood in front; one called out names, one counted on the spot, and one handed them out on the spot, the copper coins clinking on the table with a ding-ding-dang-dang sound. After the money was distributed, they gave out a bamboo token; with that token one could get a meal. First place got an extra large bone and one lujiao egg, while second place got just one extra lujiao egg.

Seeing the line of people in the squad, who had been no different from himself just a moment ago, holding bowls waiting for food, suddenly had their names called.

They ran forward, then returned happily holding money and wooden tokens, some tucking them into their pockets or sleeves, while some show-offs, relying on their thin belts and not fearing embarrassment, directly untied their trouser belts on the spot, clamped them with their pants, and wrapped them around their waists, instantly becoming "big shots" with thirty wen wrapped around their waists.

"What are you acting so high and mighty about! It's only thirty wen, not three hundred wen!"

Seeing others with money, Wang Silang talked tough with his mouth, but his heart was already feeling sour.

When it was his turn, seeing the noon dishes—leek stir-fried pig blood, evodia dried tofu with mixed beans and mixed grain rice—normally this would have been a pleasant surprise, but today he just couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

Wang Silang handed his bowl forward, not forgetting to speak kindly: "Sister, could you give me, your little brother, some more pig blood?"

The auntie said: "All the same, all the same, three pieces of pig blood per person; my hand is very steady, I definitely won't short you a bit!"

Speaking, she indeed gave him a level ladle of leek stir-fried pig blood into his bowl.

Wang Silang counted carefully; indeed there were three pieces. He thanked her with his mouth, but his nose couldn't help sniffing again and again, and his eyes uncontrollably glanced toward the big pot beside them.

He had smelled it while queuing earlier; now, the closer he got, the more impossible the aroma was to ignore.

The brine made from multiple spices, slowly simmered with meat bones and eggs for half a day, had soaked up the rich aroma of the bones, with the pungent sweetness of cassia bark, the pungent coolness of tsaoko, the warm intensity of star anise, the freshness of bay leaves, the pungent fragrance of Sichuan pepper, and the warm spiciness of evodia.

Especially since the main seasoning was soy sauce and bean sauce—beans are naturally fresh—and at this moment they were completely fused into the meat bones, producing that utterly natural flavor that rudely burst into Wang Silang's nose.

Wang Silang only wished his lungs were bigger and stronger, so he could inhale more of that soul-stirring, soul-stealing aroma of braised meat bones in one breath.

An extremely deep pot, an extremely dark soy-colored brine, with oil floating on top in large sheets—not ordinary oil spots, but oil rendered from the sauce bones themselves after long braising.

Because there was a low fire underneath, the pot was half-open, slowly and continuously boiling, making the few pieces of sauce bone and lujiao eggs piled on top play hide-and-seek with people, occasionally poking out half a head.

Meat attached to bone, in a color between soy and reddish-brown; even from several steps away, one could still clearly see the texture with the naked eye. One piece had toppled over, revealing the part lying horizontally below, where a white marrow connected to the fascia inside. Without eating, just looking, one could imagine exactly what the texture would be.

After working all morning, even if slacking off, one was tired; who could refuse such a big piece of bone and meat?

Glancing aside, with a "Antique" sound, Wang Silang couldn't help but make the sound of swallowing saliva.

This sound was a bit loud—so loud that he himself felt dazed—is my throat really that thick?

When he turned back, he discovered it wasn't just him; everyone in line was staring at the big pot, swallowing saliva. Though the sounds weren't loud, with no one speaking, gathered together, it was actually quite noticeable.

Wang Silang not only had no qualification to eat the sauce bones, but even the lujiao eggs had nothing to do with him; he could only walk away, looking back every few steps.

By the time he reached his usual eating place, a group of people were already squatting, standing, or sitting on the ground eating.

Seeing his family gathered in a corner, he hurried after them. Just as he got close, his eyes lit up and he called out: "Second Brother, Third Brother, did you separate the meat and eggs??"

Old Man Wang glared at him, gave him a chopstickful, and said: "Eat quickly, what's with all the chatter!"

Wang Silang knew deep down he hadn't contributed, and felt very guilty, not daring to take more meat. He grabbed the spine frame that had been picked clean of meat and put it in his bowl.

He lowered his head and hastily shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, one of which was mixed with that chopstickful of meat.

The moment the meat entered his mouth, Wang Silang couldn't help but silently exclaim in his heart—indeed, his own father!

This mouthful of meat was lean on the outside, but near the bone it was connected to fascia and a bit of fat. Eating it carefully, the lean meat was indeed a bit dry, but because it had been braised for a long time, it was already extremely tender and falling apart, coated with brine, plus a bit of fat oil and gelatin released from the fat and fascia.

The four mixed together—the meat flavor was extremely rich, the braised flavor extremely strong, the aroma extremely mellow—making even the coarse-voiced, coarse-mouthed rice taste incredibly delicious.

At this very moment, even if knives were falling from the sky, he wouldn't bother to look up to dodge; he had to swallow this mouthful of meat with rice no matter what.

Having tasted the meat flavor, Wang Silang no longer had the heart to eat anything else. He hurriedly grabbed that half piece of bone and stuffed it into his mouth.

The chunks of meat had all been pulled off, but after all it was a spine; in the nooks and crannies of the horns and corners, and in the crevices of the bone, there was always some meat not easily stripped off.

He first sucked on the bone, tasting the brine flavor mixed with meat juice and oil aroma—salty and fresh. Originally standing, he plopped down onto the ground, feeling he had no strength left to stand, needing to put all his energy into carefully eating this bone frame.

The more it was the bone crevices, the more fragrant the meat was, with plenty of fascia, fat and lean intermingled. And because of the many grooves, it could hold a lot of brine. Once a mouthful was pried out, the meat aroma, oil aroma, and brine aroma would plaster his mouth.

Gnawing and eating, fully using hands, mouth, and chopsticks together. Especially when splitting it open and eating that tiny bit of white marrow in the center of the bone core—his mouth was full of grease, smooth, delicate, heavy, mellow, with the salty fragrance of the brine, and a faint, barely perceptible spiciness. That taste—even if given an emperor, he wouldn't do it!

Anyway, there was no emperor to be had!

He was also tired and hungry, also craving food, and moreover had always been a gluttonous and lazy person since childhood. When there was food to eat, he never cared about anything else.

One piece of sauce bone frame—Wang Silang ate it completely heedless of others, as if only he and the bone remained in heaven and earth. He ate it cleanly, then slowly savored and chewed that small piece of lujiao egg.

The egg white was reddish-brown on the outside; who knew if it was because it had been brined for too long, even slightly wrinkled. The yolk inside also carried a bit of brine color. Eating the egg white was very firm, even with a bit of a bounce against the teeth. Eating the yolk was delicate, soft and sticky, sandy. Although a bit dry and choking, that choking sensation made the root of the tongue taste even more fragrant.

When all the food was finished, Wang Siglang finally exhaled a big breath, contentedly licking the grease and brine off his lips. He felt that this life was great—slacking off a little, eating a good meal, occasionally adding some meat—truly wonderful beyond words!

When going back to work in the afternoon, his father and brothers naturally urged him repeatedly, but Wang Silang remained lazy and listless.

Old Man Wang said: "That meat and egg at noon—even a dog wouldn't eat as greedily as you. You're so greedy, why don't you put in some good effort? The three of us could scrounge up some meat to eat tomorrow. Wouldn't that be good?"

Wang Silang thought about the meat flavor at noon, then looked at the yellow mud, gravel, and large stones before him. He felt his hands go soft again and his body grow tired. With a fawning face he said: "Father, wasn't I premature? I've been sickly since childhood and can't do hard work. You and Big Brother take on more. Tomorrow we'll eat Second Brother and Third Brother's share—that would be just fine!"

Old Man Wang picked up the shovel in his hand to hit him. Wang Silang threw down his hoe and ran, squatting in the toilet for a while before slowly sneaking back.

He thought this matter had long passed by now. But when he returned, seeing it was nearly time to finish work, he hadn't even had time to be happy before he heard his father say: "Old Four, I told the team leader. In a moment you go hand in your number token."

Wang Silang was stunned, feeling he hadn't understood, and asked: "Hand in what number token?"

Wang Dalang said: "Sanlang is getting married at the end of the year. The Zhang family is good, and that Zhang Siniang is also broad-minded. The betrothal gifts only require twenty-four rites, and nothing else is rushed. But after all, it's a wedding. We can't just take advantage of the new wife's family being good and not show any gratitude ourselves, can we?"

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, Father, Second Brother, and I are preparing to earn more—just treat it as saving up a bride price for Sanlang. You don't put in effort, but don't drag us down!"

Wang Silang was both anxious and embarrassed, unable to help but say: "You only earn twenty or thirty wen a day. What can you save??"

"You've got quite the nerve! Twenty or thirty wen a day — if you could get that every day, that's nearly a thousand wen a month, and the four of us would get nearly four thousand. I wouldn't even dare dream of such a good thing!"

Old Wang also said, "Sell a couple months' labor, buy some materials, and we can add two more rooms afterward — just right to give one to the second son and one to the third, so we won't be cramped!"

Wang Silang simply couldn't believe his father and brothers had planned everything behind his back. He hurriedly said, "Th-that doesn't mean I have to quit my job! If I quit, who'll take my spot? What am I supposed to do??"

"Hu Laoer will take your place. His father's sick, he desperately needs this thirty wen a day. Only his crewmates are all slackers — right now they can't just swap, so you all have to quit and re-register."

"Th-then what if I get put in a crew of slackers and we can't finish the work? Won't they dock our pay??"

"So you DO know you're a slacker??" Old Wang wanted to slap his own son. "Your father's over forty and still huffing and puffing here working, and you're young — you have the nerve to make this old man and a few brothers keep an eye on you? When you marry a wife, are you going to make her wait on you too??"

"If you want to work, work. If not, then don't — starve to death for all I care!"

Old Wang was so angry he kicked out a foot, cursing, "I'll beat this lazy ghost to death! Send you underground to meet your great-grandfather!"

The kick hadn't even landed when Wang Dalang hurriedly blocked it, and desperately signaled his younger brother across from him, saying, "Fourth, stop jabbering here. Why aren't you going to quit yet?!"

Wang Silang was afraid of being beaten, but also afraid of actually quitting. He thought of Hu Laoer's crew — though they were all acquaintances, precisely because they were acquaintances, they knew each other's bottom line. All lazy gluttons.

Put the three of them in one crew, everyone slacks off — who's going to do the work? Forget the bonus, they probably won't even get their full wages!

Then he thought of how Third Brother had always been honest and kind, looking after him in many ways. The whole family was now saving up for his marriage. He was already this old — if he didn't put in any effort, where would he have the face to meet his new sister-in-law later? He'd probably not even dare look Third Brother in the eye.

With today's big framework, if he hadn't dragged them down, the whole family would definitely have shares. Though they couldn't eat their fill of meat, they'd have money AND such good meat — it's only a month or two. Grit his teeth, tough it out, and it'll pass...

Wang Silang thought back and forth, and in the end turned back around, returned to his own worksite, thick-skinnedly called out to his father, then to his eldest brother, and finally said, "Give me one more chance! Tomorrow I'll definitely work hard, won't hold anyone back — I want to help Third Brother save up for a wife too!"

On a worksite of thousands, where there are diligent workers, there are naturally slackers. People like Wang Silang are not rare. Before, they'd all been put in one crew, and everyone, for the sake of face, even if they suffered silent losses, though they quarreled a few sentences, in the end endured it.

Now there's meat AND money, and everyone's changed their tune. Quite a few people want to re-form crews.

After a round of reshuffling, those who originally worked hard used every method to get into one crew, while the lazy ones inexplicably ended up together. Either they changed their attitude and worked seriously, or they failed inspection every time and were eventually dismissed.

And on the river channel, it seemed they only paid out a little money and provided some meat and vegetables, without increasing headcount, yet daily progress actually sped up by nearly thirty percent, and work quality also improved considerably. As for when Wu Gong came by, he no longer grumbled about the newly dug channel ground being uneven and hard to sweep.

This is an afterthought, mentioned in passing.

Affairs on the river channel advanced according to schedule. That afternoon, Song Miao led the cooks' wives and finished the kitchen matters early. Since it was the Start of Summer, a festival day, even though an accident had occurred, they still followed the previous plan without a moment's delay, arranging for everyone to quickly return to the city, each to reunite with family and friends.

She had already heard the news that a brawl nearly broke out on the river channel, plus the matter of the barren beans in the kitchen. She knew Han Li and the others must be terribly busy, so she sent someone to ask. Sure enough, they all said they'd only be back late.

The messenger reported, "Originally Wu Gong and the two Korean foremen were going to sleep in the shed tonight. Hearing that the young lady sent someone to ask, they immediately changed their minds and all said they'd return to the official post station."

Song Miao knew everyone had been busy lately. Just when they'd gotten a handle on things and she thought she could breathe, two more incidents popped up at once.

Though she still had some lingering fear, the moment she thought of the rare Start of Summer festival, such a fine day, she was very unwilling to let these messy things affect her mood. She planned to make a good meal for everyone and herself, to comfort their stomachs.

Just back at the official post station, entering the kitchen, Chef Zhang and his nephew saw her and the big pancake, and immediately greeted her, teasingly complaining, "Finally see you! Last time you told me to help prep your shrimp, I thought it'd be two or three days, so I agreed right away. Result: you disappeared for so many days, not seen in the morning, not seen in the evening. The rare times we met, there wasn't time to say a few words. Made me wonder every day on my way here where to scoop up some duckweed and water insects!"

The apprentice nephew also laughed, "Young Lady, you're not thick-skinned enough — made me dig earthworms day after day. I'm afraid your big shrimp got fed thin!"

Hearing their teasing, Song Miao hurried to look at the big bucket in the corner. Sure enough, the shrimp Zhang Siniang had sent last time were still alive and well, waving their claws and teeth. Not only that, but she couldn't tell if it was her imagination — they'd even grown quite a bit larger.

She smiled and curtsied, "Many thanks to you two for helping tend them. You've had such trouble feeding them. Tonight when they're cooked, I really must taste a bite before I leave!"

"No need for you to say it!" Chef Zhang laughed heartily. "Today's Start of Summer, and I happened to buy some new shrimp too, same variety as your bucket. Last time I heard you wanted to make Braised Head Shrimp — that method I've truly never heard of. If you're not afraid of us stealing your technique, the two of us can be your assistants?"

Song Miao smiled in reply, "Such a simple dish, what's there to steal? Chef Zhang takes one look, eats one bite, and he'll know how it's done!"