Chapter 240: Miao Chu Chapter 242: Bundle

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

"Lao Liang" had just finished speaking when someone immediately chimed in: "I think so too! Everyone eats glutinous rice, eats snow steamed cake, I don't dislike the texture of rice noodle skins, if that sauce isn't tasty, just dip less, after all you have to taste it to know if it suits your taste."

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to add another line, and said: "I'm not greedy for those that many people like, I'll just eat the rolled noodles no one eats, surely I'll be able to buy them? Furthermore, as long as it's made by Song Xiaoniangzi, it surely won't be unpalatable no matter what!"

The moment this person's words came out, the surroundings instantly fell quiet.

At first he still thought himself proud, laughing heartily, but halfway through his laugh he suddenly felt the atmosphere in the arena was a bit off, looked up, and saw quite a few people nearby looking over, expressions varied — some with a pensive look, another portion glaring at him in anger.

And those glaring at him in anger looked awfully familiar — they seemed to be exactly those who shouted the loudest and most enthusiastically yesterday.

Yesterday the crowd said Song Ji's rolled noodles tasted ordinary, told everyone not to buy, and also said if they absolutely wanted to try, at most buy one roll, or everyone chip in together to buy one roll to taste and that would be fine.

At this very moment, they glared over at him looking as if he had stumbled upon some great secret, each with a "you unfilial son selling your father's land without heartache" hate-that-iron-won't-become-steel expression.

This person froze, stunned, then his heart stirred, he suddenly realized, regret arose, he didn't say a single superfluous word, just slapped his head, and said: "Aiya, I forgot, today I still have to take the recitation exam, I haven't finished reciting, I'd better hurry and buy breakfast and go back to recite books!"

While speaking, he walked quickly toward the outside.

This person left, and everyone around changed color, at first they still smiled at each other, but tacitly, stealthily they lengthened their strides, faster and faster chasing after him.

This one quickens a step, that one naturally has to chase two steps to catch up.

So you one me two, me two him three, him three you again four.

Originally brisk walking, brisk walking and brisk walking, forcibly turned from brisk walking into fast running, hadn't even exited the rear gate before seeing a group of people chasing each other, like piglets rushing the trough, ducks entering water, hua-la-la rushing outward.

Taixue was a bit better, after all they just rushed out the door and ran fast, Nan Lu was much more miserable.

The dog holes are just those few, seeing the people lined up behind the holes increasing more and more, "knowledgeable persons" immediately detected something was wrong.

"What's going on? Why are there so many people today?"

A student who had diligently spread the word for a day, seeing such a scene, couldn't help but anxiously say: "Didn't I say that rolled noodle isn't tasty, told you all not to buy?? Didn't you all also say you weren't going??"

"You say don't go and we don't go? You say not tasty and it's not tasty?" Someone at the side immediately sneered coldly, "Do you think you're Shan Chang Xu??"

Hearing the three words "Shan Chang Xu", people all around turned their heads back and giggled.

"Even if Shan Chang Xu said don't go it wouldn't work — these many dog holes, weren't they dug out precisely to deal with him?"

"Tasty or not, I have to taste a bite myself to know! I not only have to go, I have to buy one roll of every flavor to try!"

"Do you take us for fools! Yesterday we gave you face, didn't expose you, you actually thought you really got away with monkeying around?!"

At once someone else hurriedly said: "Early morning, don't shout nonsense! Shan Chang Xu long, Shan Chang Xu short, be careful you actually summon him!"

But this kind of cheerful atmosphere couldn't last long.

Crawling through dog holes takes time.

Seeing the dog hole team lining up longer and longer, experienced people all felt something was bad.

"Must be faster, in a bit the Instructor will come on patrol!!"

"Hey hey, you people in front know how to crawl or not! Lower waist, lower head, pull in shoulders — don't stick your butt out ah that big butt is blocking!! Aiya you're making me anxious to death!! A grown man, and a scholar at that! Don't even know how to crawl a dog hole, where did all your learning go??!"

"If you can't crawl then go line up at the back ah, delaying so much! Studying badly is one thing, can't even crawl a dog hole! If I can't taste Song Xiaoniangzi's rolled noodles today, I'm coming back to scold you useless lot a battle!"

By rights being scolded like this the front should've gotten angry long ago, but the one being scolded was stuck right in the dog hole, a whole team of people each with the same thought as the scolder, urging him nonstop.

Unfortunately that particular one stuck was exceptionally sturdy, large frame, lots of flesh, stuck in the middle, didn't budge for half a day.

People behind anxious beyond endurance, someone urged: "No good, really won't make it in time — push him!"

— Pushing didn't move him, the crowd started using feet, some pushing, some kicking.

Not to say, kicking really was more useful than pushing.

And this person, a buttock full of gray-white simple footprints, emerged from the dog hole, didn't even bother to dust off, still had to crouch low, didn't forget to turn back and poke his head into the dog hole to say to the crowd "Brothers, thanks ah!"

Speaking, like a bear shaking a tree he carried the belt he'd accidentally rubbed off, swaying left and right dashing toward Song Ji's stall.

Seeing this person so fast, the people behind instantly got anxious.

"Aiya, brother, when I crawl later, you also help kick me a foot, give me a boost, make me faster ah!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Brother, can you wait for me a bit outside, pull me a hand!"

A group of people here pooling strategies, each displaying their skills, the final result was, this batch of Nan Lu students crawling out of the hole, to snatch that one breath, each had many extra footprints added behind their buttocks.

Also because they were all rushing to queue, no time to dust clean, causing the remaining Taixue students watching and the various stall owners, seeing this group of scholars with footprints all over the back of their clothes and pants, couldn't help but wonder in their hearts.

— These Nan Lu scholar uniforms, how come the backs suddenly have so many gray-white footprints? Could it be some fresh new pattern, design??

The students of both academies in such a state, simply swarming, one can imagine how great the pressure on Song Ji would be.

This day setting up stall, clearly the speed of serving glutinous rice in big pancakes was already much faster than the previous day, but facing the dense black mass of crowds behind, truly scared to even lift their heads more, afraid of seeing those hungry thirsty anxious expressions, scared hands would shake, delaying the serving of rice.

Portions of rolled noodles and glutinous rice were both prepared in greater quantity, but the people coming were even more.

Two people in just a little over an hour, sold out all food.

Speed got faster, customers' queue time shortened, but unhappy people became more.

"Song Xiaoniangzi, there's no one who does business like you! Been back two days, I haven't bought once! Before you went to Hua Prefecture, I came out at the same hour, clearly could always buy, how come this trip out and back, you've changed?? Do you still want old customers?? Every time queue, every time can't buy! You like this, how am I supposed to help speak for you later? How to praise you??"

"Exactly! I already came this early, even during the imperial exam crunch I only tried this hard! If tomorrow I still can't buy rolled noodles, I'll! I'll! I'll get angry with you!"

"You keep this up, I'll later! Just... sigh, you should just prepare more ingredients! If there's too much food and you can't push the cart, you can call us ah, we'll take turns pushing for you!"

"Too excessive! Song Xiaoniangzi! You keep this up, I really will scold you! You heartless stall owner, not letting people eat rolled noodles is one thing, but not even preparing enough glutinous rice!"

Song Miao almost fled under the scolding, before leaving she didn't dare make a single extra promise, could only hem and haw, and urge everyone: "Come tomorrow, come tomorrow!"

Song Miao left, the other stall owners in Food Alley all laughed until their flowers bloomed.

Especially the two stalls left and right of Song Ji, rarely also got to enjoy a round of being queued for treatment.

Hearing the students cursing and grumbling, they still chimed in.

"Exactly, this Song Xiaoniangzi prepared far too little! I wanted to buy a juan Portion to eat, and even though she set up her stall right next to hers, I couldn't buy any! Next time we'll have to say something about her—how can she just leave business undone!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, tomorrow we'll also grab this spot for you all; you just come line up here!"

That day, almost every stall in Food Alley had sold out of its early food early on.

The stall owners were busy until their arms ached, each laughing heartily, rarely idle, not forgetting to say one thing after another, expressing their feelings.

"Sigh, Stall Owner Song is finally back! What kind of days have we been living these past two months!"

"It's just that I'm timid; business has been too poor lately, selling less than half of what it used to, so I didn't dare prepare more ingredients. I originally thought that even though Song Ji was back, it would take a few more days to gather the crowd, so today I only prepared thirty percent more! If I had known, I would have made more—looking at this, even seventy or eighty percent more wouldn't be afraid of not selling out!"

"Hey, I'm the smart one; today I made half more, thinking that even if it didn't sell out, taking a loop around the dock would be about the same! I still have some regular customers over there; this time they just can't eat it!"

Then they all went together to complain to the stalls on the left and right of Song Ji.

"Hey, Auntie Liu, you can't keep Stall Owner Song occupied every day, can you? Is this stall your ancestral property? Is Song Xiaoniangzi also your ancestral property? At least let us take turns standing on the side!"

Some were laughing and joking, some were cursing and grumbling, but overall they were still happy; only the two Gong Chu from the canteen stood at a loss facing the many early foods left over today.

What happened?

So much left over today??

What to do??

Forget it, can't waste it! Heat it up at noon and it's fine!

So many students who didn't get to buy early food from Song Ji waited until noon, sighing to the canteen, facing the steamed buns, meat and vegetable buns, porridge, and other staples taken out again after being reheated from the morning, along with several dishes that obviously didn't taste good at all; one heart after another was like old wounds not healed, new wounds arising again, they could only call out "bitter" and "bitter wow" without stopping.

Among the two groups of students, the students were either missing or imagining Song Ji's various foods, while in He Mansion, at high noon, a large ice plate was set before He Lao Furen's table.

Large chunks of meat coated with sugar vinegar coating were covered in the middle of the ice, along with similarly red small red apple fruits; the plating looked very beautiful, emitting white cold smoke.

The Head Cook's wife stood to the side and introduced: "Because the young one hasn't eaten it, only heard what our sisters said, and heard the description from the one who went along, guessed and made it; although I don't know how similar it is, the taste is indeed not bad—Old Furen, please taste, see if next time it should be changed."

She also said: "I heard that young lady uses pork to make it; she opens a door to do business, naturally must consider cost. Our mansion eats at home; the young one, besides pork, also made some mutton..."

Nowadays pork is cheap, and people consider mutton more precious; with the He family's status, the old lady at home naturally eats more mutton and other meats, less pork.

He Lao Furen nodded and immediately picked up a piece with chopsticks.

Indeed, after the meat chunks were coated in flour paste and fried, they were crispy, wrapped in sweet and sour sauce that was pleasant to the mouth; because it was iced, cold outside and hot inside, the taste was quite good.

She tasted a few pieces, smiled, and said: "A bit like Sugar Vinegar Pork Tenderloin."

"No wonder Old Furen has discernment—it's made exactly by that method, just cut into chunks, with thicker flour paste coating; how do you find it, Your Ladyship?"

"It tastes quite good, but after all it's fried, and the meat is large, so it's hard; the flour paste is also fried a bit too old; my teeth are a bit unable to bite it; it can be made more sour."

She also said: "This dish is indeed rare; actually pork is more suitable to eat than mutton."

He Lao Furen said while the cook's wife noted it down; finally she said: "The young one will try changing all of these next time."

When Zhu Jie'er came back to eat dinner in the evening, a plate of freshly made Bing Zhen Suan Cu Gu Lu Meat was set before her.

This time it was indeed improved quite a lot; fried more appropriately, the meat cut a bit smaller, and the sweet and sour degree was just right.

He Lao Furen smiled and said to her: "See, Grandmother didn't coax you, right? I said let you eat this Bing Zhen Gu Lu Meat today, and you've eaten it now, right!"

Zhu Jie'er was overjoyed, hugging He Lao Furen, calling "Grandmother, Grandmother" without stopping.

Children like sweet and sour tastes; at the meal, Zhu Jie'er ate quite a lot of this dish.

But when preparing to return to her room to rest, she still clung to He Lao Furen's embrace, rubbing and asking: "Grandmother, when will we go find Song Jiejie? I want to eat that Bing Zhen Suan Cu Gu Lu Meat, and I also want to play with Xiao Lian—I've found the medical book!"

He Lao Furen was somewhat surprised.

She didn't find it strange that her granddaughter wanted to go to Song Ji; after all, children have a playful heart, meeting peers, they definitely think of them every day, but—

"Didn't you just eat Bing Zhen Suan Cu Gu Lu Meat tonight? If you haven't eaten enough, I'll have the kitchen make it again tomorrow?"

"Not the same!" Zhu Jie'er shook her head hard; "Song Jiejie's is different from home's!"

"How is it different?"

Zhu Jie'er was about to reply, her mouth already open, then suddenly closed it; she turned to look around the room, seeing no one from the kitchen, and no one nearby; then she leaned close to He Lao Furen and said: "I'll whisper, Grandmother, don't tell anyone else, otherwise they'll be sad if they hear—our kitchen's is delicious, but Song Jiejie's is, especially, especially, especially delicious!"

Three "especiallys" in a row made He Lao Furen's anticipation in her heart be hung high.

Although sometimes children's tastes are strange and can't eat together with adults, but... that salty bone porridge from that day was indeed quite good!

The Bing Zhen Gu Lu Meat imitated by the kitchen last night had quite good taste and texture; but how exactly was that portion Song Xiaoniangzi made last time "especially, especially, especially delicious," to make Zhu Jie'er miss it so much?

The messenger who delivered the letter this time said he delivered the invitation card to the door; that Song Xiaoniangzi said starting tomorrow, these few evenings are all convenient; just have the mansion make an appointment one day in advance for the date and hour, and explain dietary restrictions and so on.

He Lao Furen originally had just asked someone to reply again, appointing the day after tomorrow; now she actually felt some regret.

—If only I had known to set it for tomorrow!

Could it be that under Zhu Jie'er's praised reputation, it's actually hard to live up to it?

In Sanzao County Alley, after seeing off the He family's servant who came to deliver a letter, seeing it was not early, Song Miao was about to close the door when she heard a burst of horse hoof sounds.

Soon, a rider stopped at the door, dismounted, and one person came down.

That person looked around; seeing the Song Ji signboard, he hurried forward, first asked Song Miao whether this place was Song Ji, then asked about Song Xiaoniangzi; upon learning that the person before him was indeed her, he immediately sighed in relief, then announced his family name—he was an attendant under Cen Dezhang's staff from Hua Prefecture.

"My master went to the Capital on business; Young Master Han Han Li entrusted him to help deliver something to Song Xiaoniangzi at the end of Sanzao County Alley..."

The other party said while taking down a small bundle from behind his back and handing it over.

Song Miao thanked him and received it with both hands; she originally wanted to have the person sit for a while, at least drink some water before leaving, but the person said there was someone waiting at the alley entrance, he had urgent matters and couldn't delay, so he bade farewell.

Song Miao received the bundle, feeling very curious in her heart; she closed the door, didn't delay, immediately lit a lamp, and opened it.

?? Thank you to parent Qing Mei Shou for the sachet for Zhu Jie'er; little Zhu Jie'er says thank you, Sister!

? Thank you to book friends, Han Shan Hui, book friend, Ke Ke Ke Ran for each sending me one Peace Talisman: )

? Thank you to my family's cat named Egg Egg for sending me three Small Gifts; thank you to parents Ba Ka Lu Hui and Ding Dong 797 for each sending me one Small Gift =3=

? Thank you everyone for all kinds of votes^_^