Chapter 274

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song and Du, the two of them, had not walked far before they saw a carriage stopped outside.

Du Haoniang called out to the driver, who hurriedly jumped down and waded through the water to open the carriage door for the two of them.

Once aboard, Du Haoniang asked Song Miao: "Lately everyone in the capital is talking about the Six Liu Ta He, and also about Hua Prefecture; everyone is watching the waterways inside and outside the city. The other day when it was clear, the river water not only didn't fall, it actually rose quite a bit. Everyone guesses a flood has broken out upstream, and some guess things are bad in Hua Prefecture."

"You've just come back from there — how are the embankment repairs going? Are you afraid of a breach? How come from what I hear from people outside, it sounds like they're digging another river instead? Surely that's not just idle rumor?"

Song Miao said: "It's not idle rumor. Besides repairing the embankments, Hua Prefecture is also digging a new river channel."

She briefly explained the matter of rebuilding the Wang Jing River, saying: "Because they didn't know if it would succeed, Young Master Han and Wu Gong kept it low-key; they got approval from above and just buried their heads in the work — so that if the result was bad, others couldn't seize on it to make trouble."

She added: "I don't understand river engineering, but watching Young Master Han and Wu Gong and the others leading many people working from dawn to dusk, not a day of rest, with the river laborers exerting themselves and the yamen united as one, they have already done all that human effort can; the rest is up to Heaven's will."

Du Haoniang grew anxious at once, saying: "One can only hope Heaven opens its eyes — Lao Xin at home worries all day too. They all say the Yellow River only breached at Hua Prefecture, and sending Younger Brother Han into that rotten mess is worse than sending him to the Six Liu Ta He. Although everywhere they say it's bad, after all there are so many officials and corvée laborers there, the Court values it highly and has allocated much money and supplies; no matter what, there's a framework. Even if something goes wrong — though this sounds unpleasant — historically there's no saying of punishing the masses, and it won't implicate him!"

She nearly stamped her foot in frustration, saying: "Alas! It should have been kept hidden! What if it fails? But right now so many refugees are heading north, and their mouths can't be controlled; Han Li's name has spread widely along with that Wu Guiren, linked to the Hua Prefecture river affair. Listening to it, I sweat for them, just fearing something bad might happen!"

Du Haoniang, realizing she had spoken out of turn, hurriedly changed the subject: "Look at me, babbling nonsense — I actually wanted to discuss something with you. I want to order some dried meat; no rush, take your time queuing up. Whenever you're free, make it for me!"

Song Miao agreed: "Even if Sister-in-law didn't say so, I was planning to make some anyway — for Mid-Autumn gifts for you all!"

Du Haoniang hurriedly said: "Not as gifts — I want to buy it long-term!"

She explained: "Lao Xin is always running around outside; sometimes he remembers to eat, sometimes he doesn't. When he's arresting suspects or working a case, he might run into the mountains and woods. Before he could only buy random dry rations. Last time he came back saying he ate the dried meat Younger Brother Han shared — it kept exceptionally well and tasted good. I said I'd order then, but something sudden came up and delayed it..."

Finishing, she laughed again: "Who knew this delay would mean the queue for your dried meat is already so long! Even we insiders can't buy easily — excellent, excellent!"

Song Miao also laughed: "No way would Sister-in-law be unable to buy — we're just scrambling to find a courtyard right now!"

Dried meat has been selling very well lately, and increasingly so.

She had earlier given some to Lu Zhong and the Taixue students returning to Yushan, then later gave some to Han Li. Gradually the Taixue students and a whole crowd of yamen runners from the Capital Prefecture Office came asking. Once it was formally put up for sale, even more people came on the news.

The Xu Family Martial Hall's many martial instructors had just bought some, then many escort guards came, followed by escort guards from other bureaus running convoys, then attendants of traveling merchants, students on study tours, officials posted elsewhere — and so on and so on. Like pulling up yam beans, pull one root and the rest follow; you can't pick them all up.

This product has high cost and takes time to make; profit isn't large, but orders are steady and not urgent. Staffing is relatively easy. Once volume piles up, thin margins times high volume yield quite considerable returns.

Big shops and fangzi naturally look down on such thin-margin "considerable" returns, but some small fangzi and stalls see it and jump on the bandwagon.

Alas, though dried meat isn't hard to make, seasoning and moisture control — miss by a hair and you're off by a thousand miles. One careless mistake: either the flavor is wrong, or it spoils easily. A mistake ruins a whole batch. If you force-sell it, you ruin your reputation; if you don't sell, the ingredients are all meat — a huge loss.

Some can't bear to use pure meat and mix in other things to skim extra profit.

So, back and forth, customers who aren't truly desperate, once they've eaten Song Ji's and compared with others, even if it's pricier and the wait longer, still wait to buy from her.

Song Miao's urgency to find another courtyard was also to get this business framework set up as soon as possible.

As they spoke, they had already arrived. Estimating the time, it was about a teacup's worth of travel.

Today wind and rain were heavy, the carriage went slowly, but even on a normal clear day, since it's across a street, the distance is a bit far; even at top speed there's a limit.

Alighting, they saw an old woman standing at the gate. Seeing Du and Song, she hurried forward to salute — she was the broker for this viewing.

After a few words, the old woman said: "I've been knocking for half a day; faintly heard movement inside, but don't know what's going on — no one came to answer for a long while!"

As they spoke, a creak sounded, and someone opened the door — a monkey-cunning looking man.

This man was skinny, with shifty eyes. Hearing they were here to view the house, he was quite eager, hurriedly ushering them in.

Entering, inside was pitch dark, cobwebs everywhere, and a stench of dust and filth. Song Miao, a cook, had a nose more sensitive than most, and was choked into coughing, involuntarily stepping back two steps outside.

Even Du Haoniang covered her mouth and nose.

A two-entry house, extremely dilapidated, not just years of neglect — during the spring flood the house had clearly taken on water, and no cleaning had been done. A strong smell of dead mice, plus excrement odor.

But these problems don't count as major.

If they really decided to rent, they'd sign a long lease and then put in a major effort to clean and sweep it all.

The three followed the landlord to the back courtyard.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, desolate, but one advantage: the space was indeed very large. Judging by orientation, sitting north facing south, sunlight should be ample.

Though there was some standing water, it wasn't too serious; slightly fixing the ditches would make it usable.

Song Miao also had the back gate opened to look; outside was a small path that could also reach the main road.

The landlord then quoted a price — surprisingly very low, looking desperate to unload it.

Du Haoniang pulled Song Miao aside and whispered: "Don't rush; there are a few more rooms behind. Let's look at them all first."

She added: "If we really want it, this price can still be bargained down further."

The three then took their leave first.

The landlord unexpectedly pressed them to stay repeatedly, not needing them to bargain, lowering the price himself — only demanding the tenant pay two years' rent upfront.

Something abnormal must have a demon behind it.

Out the door, Du Haoniang asked the broker: "Why is he in such a hurry?"

The broker said in a low voice: "He used to gamble and whore. Now he's just out of jail. Heard he still has unsettled debts. Xiaotianshui Alley and several gambling dens have come to collect. Most likely he wants to grab the money quick to pay them off!"

The three rode the carriage to view the remaining rooms. Either they were farther, or the space was small, or orientation and drainage — each had its own flaw.

Song Miao wasn't very satisfied with even the first room, let alone these later ones.

Seeing she liked none, the broker, having other business, apologized and left first.

Running about all day, another wasted trip.

In recent days, Song Miao and Cheng Erniang, stealing time from busy schedules, had looked at almost every nearby house. Comparing them, picking the tallest among dwarves — surprisingly the first one viewed today was still the best.

She thought a moment, then told the driver: "Trouble you, go back to that street-front house. No need to go in again; I just want to calculate the distance."

Originally just to estimate time — who knew before they even reached that house's gate, they already saw the gate surrounded three layers deep inside and out by neighbors and passersby — in pouring rain, everyone holding umbrellas or wearing raincoats, even some standing under eaves, all watching the excitement.

As the carriage neared, the clattering heavy rain couldn't drown out the cursing voices.

"Turtle grandson! You shrinking head! Pus-filled turtle bastard! Owes money and doesn't pay! You don't open the door, I'll smash the door down!"

"Open or not! Open the door! Once I catch you, I'll smash your head!"

"Pay your debts! If you don't pay for a day, I'll come to your door every day! Hit you every time I see you!"

"Either use the house to pay the debt, or just pay the money honestly!"

Seven or eight people who looked like scoundrels surrounded the doorway, constantly knocking and smashing the door.

Seeing this, Du Haoniang said: "No wonder he's anxious to lower the price; seeing this, who else would dare to rent!"

She added: "But we're not afraid. If you like it, we can use this as leverage to press the price down further. Once rented, have the Patrol Soldiers come by often, have the old man sit here more, and guarantee no scoundrel dares to come to the door."

Though she said that, Song Miao had originally been three or four tenths interested, but seeing such a situation, she was now not at all interested in the house.

Xin Feng had been a Censor for many years, and had such a temper that even officials at the yamen avoided him a bit, let alone scoundrels and strongmen outside.

Du Haoniang had such a husband, so naturally she wasn't the least bit afraid of street ruffians, nor did she put such a small debt dispute in her eyes.

She meant well, feeling the two families were close and happy to help, but Song Miao understood better that no matter how familiar, they were still two families, and human feelings couldn't be used like that. She said: "Let's look some more; if there really isn't another house, we'll talk then."

She smiled again: "Today, Sister-in-law accompanied me out for half a day. Sanzao County Alley is just ahead. It's almost mealtime. Let's eat, rest our feet, then go back, and you can help me think it over again?"

Du Haoniang was just there to help, and quickly agreed: "Just right, I can learn a thing or two—let me see how you make your food, it's so delicious!"

After being out half a day, when they returned to Sanzao County Alley, the water on the ground was three tenths higher, and the sandbags at the alley entrance had been stacked two more layers.

The summer flood was not like the spring flood; it often came faster, more fiercely, and caused greater harm.

Seeing such rain and water conditions, along the way people stood under the eaves pointing and sighing.

Back home, Cheng Erniang immediately came forward, first greeted her, then said to Song Miao: "Young Lady, you previously instructed me, so I had Si Niang and the others go back first, in case the rain gets too heavy and there's flooding on the road."

Song Miao asked a few more questions, learned that everything in the morning had gone smoothly, and that she had already told all the families to stop orders for one day tomorrow, so she felt relieved. Turning to Du Haoniang, she smiled: "I expected Sister-in-law would come, so I asked Er Niangzi to buy some seasonal vegetables. Take a look, and if you want anything, pick it and tell me!"

She added regretfully: "I originally thought to roast pigeon at this opportunity, but unfortunately the rain is too heavy and it's not convenient, so we'll have to do it another day."

Hearing she could choose herself, Du Haoniang waved her hands nonstop: "I'm most afraid of choosing things. Last time I took two children to a food shop outside to eat, there were only ten dishes total, and I spent a whole teacup's time choosing without deciding—just make whatever is convenient, don't make too much trouble. It's just a few of us family!"

Hearing Du Haoniang say this, Song Miao didn't keep offering back and forth. She first looked over the dishes Cheng Erniang had bought, and couldn't help but be curious, smiling: "Where did you get the water bamboo?"

Cheng Erniang was also a bit proud: "I was just saying Du Young Lady has good fortune! The stall said they usually supply restaurants and proper shops, but today the rain was heavy, and no one dared to take much cargo, so some was left over—brought from Jiangning last night. Though it was delayed on the road and is a bit old, it's still a rare seasonal vegetable!"

Du Haoniang leaned in to look and said: "I've actually eaten this before. When we used to live in Pan Tao Lane, it was near the dock. Once I helped someone, and they sent a basket over, calling it 'tea bamboo shoots.' I thought the taste wasn't as good as bamboo shoots, but had a bit of sweetness. It was just too old—chewing it was all residue, and I couldn't taste anything."

Song Miao said: "This is a southern ingredient. It doesn't keep well. When fresh, it's tender and sweet, with a special clear fragrance. Unfortunately, the canal isn't smooth now, and it takes too long to bring to the Capital, so people can't taste its goodness."

She said, thought for a moment, and said: "There's a lot, but outside they're all old. One bite is all residue, with only a little edible. I'll take the tender core and stir-fry five shreds for Sister-in-law."

So-called stir-fried five shreds, also called Shaoxing-style stir-fry. The five shreds can be combined according to the season. "Five" is just a rough term; it can be more or less.

This time Song Miao's "five shreds" were water bamboo, carrot, pickled vegetable, dried tofu, chives, and pork—six ingredients cut into shreds and stir-fried together.

She used two kinds of meat: first pork belly, second tenderloin. The former went in first, stir-fried to render oil, then the tenderloin shreds were added, followed by water bamboo, carrot shreds, etc. Before leaving the wok, chives were added last, stir-fried only to five or six tenths done, relying on residual heat to cook them through.

Besides salt, a tiny pinch of sugar, the seasoning also used Shaoxing soy sauce, with Shaoxing yellow wine, both drizzled around the edge of the wok.

Du Haoniang originally said she wanted to seriously learn, but who expected that before her eyes had blinked a few times, Song Miao had already stir-fried a plate of dishes out of the wok.

Soon, the second plate—this was dried water bamboo stir-fried with cured meat slices. The dried water bamboo was soaked ahead of time to absorb water, and stir-fried with cured meat that had been boiled, sliced, and stir-fried until fragrant.

The third plate was also a seasonal vegetable: stir-fried lotus tips.

The fourth plate was cooked on another stove, stir-fried from start to finish, taking the longest time, and coming out of the wok the most fragrant—it was stir-fried ribs. High heat throughout, no water flying, half-fried half-stir-fried, using soy sauce to sear the wok, stir-fried until dry and fragrant.

Three adults and one child, four people, with four dishes and one soup. The soup was very simple—just a home-style mustard greens and minced meat soup to cut the grease. Even so, it smelled very fragrant.

Staple food was rice, and also freshly baked thin pancakes.

From entering the door to several dishes on the table—including time-consuming ribs—then to people sitting at the table and picking up chopsticks, altogether it was less than half an hour. The interval was really too short, and Du Haoniang could hardly react.

However, her brain was slow, but her hands were fast. Hearing Song Miao's call, her right hand had already very consciously picked up a piece of sizzling stir-fried ribs and sent it straight to her mouth...