Chapter 356: Wonderful Cook Chapter 358: Remember It Well

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Song Miao

Once a person gets older, they are more prone to deficiency of both spleen and kidney, and waking up at night to urinate is common.

But that doesn't mean they can't drink any soup at all.

Song Miao said: "I happen to be making a restorative soup here to nourish blood and enrich yin, originally intended for an acquaintance. If you have time tomorrow, I'll stew a pot separately for us to try a little first?"

He Lao Furen immediately asked: "Is it medicinal diet?"

She added: "I really dislike medicinal diet. The kitchen has actually studied many soups and medicines, putting in great effort, but the older I get, the harder I am to please. Once I smell medicine, I lose my appetite."

Song Miao replied: "It's not medicinal diet, it's pig stomach and cuttlefish soup. This soup is warming and tonifying, and I hear it's very good for securing the kidneys. I'll add more Bai Hu Jiao San for internal cold—does Old Furen want to eat pig stomach?"

It was pig stomach, not large or small intestines, so He Lao Furen wasn't so particular and nodded, but added: "It's truly too much trouble, forget it! Not drinking soup doesn't matter."

She was still clearly hesitant about drinking soup or water.

Song Miao asked a few more questions and finalized the menu for the next day.

Seeing Song Miao ask so carefully, He Lao Furen couldn't help but smile: "Lately I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, but I'm very fussy, my mouth is picky—I don't want this, I don't want that. The kitchen in the mansion must have such a headache."

Song Miao smiled slightly and said: "We cooks are actually afraid when the eater doesn't make requests. First, we'd guess blindly and easily guess wrong. Second, if the guest doesn't make requests, how can we show off our skills?"

She added: "Besides, Old Furen is so generous and considerate. The last time I saw Tian Shenzi in your kitchen, she said that aside from the monthly silver, if the cooking is good on ordinary days, there are often extra rewards. Aside from money, most importantly, the master treats people generously. Which cook meeting a master like you wouldn't be happy? Who would be willing to give you a headache?"

Although she didn't respond, He Lao Furen was so pleased her mouth split into a smile.

She pressed down hard on the corners of her mouth and asked: "When I came, I heard your place has long lines all day, all coming to eat steamed buns. I also heard Her Majesty the Empress Dowager bestowed the house across the way. When will the food shop officially open? Even if Zhu Jie'er doesn't sing, I want to find some time to come join the excitement."

"It'll take a while. I've sent someone to look at the house. Many places across the way need cleaning and repairs. I thought not to make a big move, just tidy up a little, open the shop early, and once it's done, I'll properly invite you to grace us with your presence!"

Knowing He Lao Furen was a busybody, very patient, and didn't mind chatter, Song Miao told her several plans and asked if there were any taboos for repairing such a house.

He Lao Furen was indeed very concerned, listing one, two, three, four many conditions, and finally added: "I'll ask a Daoist from Sanqing Guan to calculate an auspicious day for you, to see which day is suitable for construction and which for opening. For business, whether it works or not, these superstitions can't be ignored."

She sighed: "Pity Xiao Qi isn't here. He had a connection with that monastery's abbot since childhood. If he went, I'm afraid he could even get you several talismans for attracting wealth!"

Song Miao said: "I was just about to ask. Last time Young Master He came, he only said he was seconded and got a troublesome assignment. Because of official business, he couldn't come out for a while. I thought it was just a short time, but who knew so many days have passed without seeing him. I don't know what the situation is?"

He Lao Furen waved her hand and said: "Don't mention it. I just asked his elder brother. I heard that assignment is troublesome, and they won't let him go based on headcount. Yesterday he finally got a letter home, but it turned out to be just ordering dishes from afar—He Ying was both angry and amused, could do nothing about this younger brother, saying it would take a few more days before he could come out. You just wait. Once he comes out, I'm afraid the first thing he'll do is run to your place! The He family kitchen is very light and nourishing for the body."

She sighed again and said: "His elder brother said the letter was written like a starving ghost reincarnated! That mouth of his, with nothing to eat, he's simply suffering terribly!"

Hearing this, Song Miao couldn't help but ask: "I don't know where he's on kitchen duty? Can't the family send food in?"

She added: "If that really won't do, I can send some over from my food shop. Wouldn't that work?"

He Lao Furen shook her head: "I asked too. He Ying was vague in his mouth and didn't say directly. I suppose there are some inconveniences."

The two were talking when they saw Zhu Jie'er run out of the Second Gate from the Back Courtyard.

She first winked and smiled at Song Miao, looking very embarrassed, then rubbed against He Lao Furen's side, leaning against her knee, pulling her sleeve, pulling her grandmother's head down, and whispering something into one ear.

After listening, He Lao Furen smiled and said: "Talk about it later. Your Song Jiejie is too busy lately and surely can't spare time."

Zhu Jie'er blinked her eyes, lingered for a while, then asked: "Then when the weather cools, will Grandmother still let me eat ice?"

He Lao Furen was stunned for a moment, then laughed again, couldn't help but pat her granddaughter's head, and said: "You little glutton, so young, and doing things requires such explanation?"

Song Miao heard her own name from the side. Although she didn't know what it was about, she also asked: "What is this about? Is it my business?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jie'er quickly turned around and asked Song Miao in a low voice: "Song Jiejie, I heard the aunties behind say that the food shop once made a kind of milk ice cheese. Take it out and it's crispy biscuits, fragrant and rich—what kind of ice cheese is that? Will you make it in the future? If you make it, can I catch up and still have some to eat?"

She added: "I asked Xiao Lian. She said she only ate it once! She often thinks of it!"

Song Miao recalled for a moment and smiled: "That was because someone sent a lot of cow's milk to the food shop before, and it couldn't be eaten up in time, so it was made on the spot. It wasn't sold to outsiders. If you want to eat, I'll make some specially for you later. Is that okay?"

He Lao Furen heard it curiously and interjected: "Is it the same kind of thing as milk curd cheese? Since it's so delicious, why not sell it?"

Song Miao explained the method to her and added: "This thing doesn't keep well. Without ice, in a day or two the texture will spoil. Besides, the cost is high and it's troublesome to make. It's really hard to set a price."

But hearing that three or four jin of cow's milk might not yield one jin of ice cheese, and there were so many steps, He Lao Furen immediately became curious and said: "You've been busy lately. Such a troublesome thing, let's talk about it when you have time another day—by then, just make a lot at once. I'll take some here to give to people, or distribute it among the upper and lower ranks in the mansion. It'll all be eaten up. It definitely won't come to spoiling!"

Song Miao agreed with a sound. Just as she was about to say a few more words, she saw Zhu Jie'er beside her looking eager from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but smile: "If you're afraid you can't eat ice when the weather turns cold, although there's no milk ice cheese now, you can still eat some milk ice sand. Zhu Jie'er, if you want to eat, while I still have a little time, I'll take it out. You and Xiao Lian go make it and play—want to play?"

Which child doesn't love to play?

Zhu Jie'er immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice. While nodding, she didn't forget to imitate He Lao Furen's way of speaking.

She said: "Sister, I like to eat whatever you make! If that milk ice cheese is too hard to make, forget it. Making it next summer is fine too—I know you're especially busy now! I heard it long ago! Now outside the food shop, there are more and more people lining up every day, all wanting to eat the steamed buns you make!"

Song Miao smiled and agreed, then turned to He Lao Furen to explain: "Milk ice sand is milk sand made from cow's milk. Nothing else is added, just a little fine white sugar. It's somewhat cold and cooling. A moment later when it's made, Old Furen help watch for a while. See how much Zhu Jie'er can eat."

With He Lao Furen's approval, soon a wooden bucket was carried out from inside.

Since Song Ji started selling quicksand steamed buns, ice had become a staple in the food shop. At this time, they took ice and filled the wooden bucket more than half full, then dug a large hole in the middle, placing two copper buckets of different sizes inside. The large bucket held the small bucket. The large bucket was filled with coarse salt, while the small bucket had half cow's milk poured in, with a little sugar added.

Seeing there was something to play with, the two children had already gathered around.

Once things were ready, Song Miao found a clean copper pestle and kept stirring the cow's milk in the small copper bucket with it.

Although this was hard work, it was actually very simple to do.

She stirred for a while, and the cow's milk closest to the bucket wall in the small copper bucket half-solidified, turning into extremely thin ice sand right before everyone's eyes.

Although it was only a little bit, it already made Zhu Jie'er widen her eyes and call out "wow wow" softly. Beside her, Xiao Lian couldn't help but widen her eyes and lean in to look.

Seeing the ice sand increase more and more, Zhu Jie'er became anxious. She hurriedly said: "Sister! Let me do it! Your hands must be sore and tired! Let me help you!"

This was originally just for the children to play with. Song Miao went along and stepped aside, handing over the copper pestle.

The two children took turns stirring here, playing happily. The maid beside them wanted to step forward to help several times, but Zhu Jie'er monopolized the copper pestle and wouldn't let go. She only allowed He Lao Furen to stir a couple of times to play too.

After a short quarter of an hour, a small bucket of milk was stirred by the two children's hands into a texture like ice sand.

After working hard for a long time, Zhu Jie'er only got a small bowl, but she wasn't unhappy at all. Like a little bee, holding the prepared milk ice sand, she served it to her own grandmother, then to Song Miao, and didn't forget to serve some to Cheng Erniang too.

Finally, she and Xiao Lian held small spoons and small bowls together and went to the Back Courtyard.

Song Miao held the bowl and tasted a bit too.

Milk ice sand, as the name implies, is ice sand made from milk, but that ice sand is extremely fine, with a bit of the dense texture of milk curd cheese, only more refreshing, more "sand".

It melts extremely fast; when scooping, the spoon sinks into the ice sand on its own, and by the time a small spoonful is lifted out, a small part at the edge has already melted back into cow's milk.

Upon entering the mouth, it is icy cool, like a spoonful of extremely minute, polished ice crystals, melting lightly in the mouth — at this moment the clarity of the ice and the milky fragrance of the cow's milk flow slowly into the throat, very smooth.

The cow's milk has a slight sweetness, and a tiny bit of soft white sugar was added inside, setting off the cow's milk aroma and sweetness to be fuller.

This one bowl, even Song Miao felt eating it was just like not eating at all.

She was not yet satisfied, and served herself another bowl; after finishing it, she cleared the several plates and cups on the desk and conveniently took them to the back courtyard.

Just as she entered the second gate, she heard Zhu Jie'er behind her exclaiming incessantly.

"Xiao Lian! You say, how is this milk ice sand so delicious! Definitely aside from relying on Sister Song, our two also exerted great effort to make it! We are too amazing, right!"

After praising once, she tasted a sip, then sighed again, saying: "So delicious! You say, when can we grow up — I see those adults, eating ice snow bowls can eat two bowls in one go, and no one cares! We two can only have a small cup of milk ice sand!"

Xiao Lian, however, said: "Actually two bowls is a bit too much; my master said, this kind of icy, cold thing, you don't feel it while eating, but it actually consumes the warmth of the five viscera and six bowels; eat too much, and the spleen, kidneys, many places, all become bad……"

"But she also said, a person's life actually lasts not many days; if even this requires health preservation, then one must also be cautious, unable to eat anything, unable to play anything, living equals living in vain!"

But speaking to here, Xiao Lian hurriedly added: "We two definitely cannot live in vain, but also cannot eat too much or eat until ruined, otherwise when old we'll have to take medicine — when we grow up, we'll eat one big sea bowl of milk ice sand, that way it both protects the kidneys and spleen, and eats good things!"

Zhu Jie'er was very hesitant, first slowly savoring another spoonful of milk ice sand, then asked: "How big a sea bowl? Cannot be too small, otherwise wouldn't we suffer a huge loss!"

The two seriously studied for a while, you gesture once, I gesture once; after deciding how big the sea bowl for eating milk ice sand must be when grown up, they specially took paper, padded it on the bench, drew the agreed sea bowl size on top, and wrote sentences on top, both signed and sealed, declaring that when grown up they must use bowls and cups of this size to eat milk ice sand and so on.

Eating milk ice sand, the two children not having seen each other for several days, had many words to say, especially Zhu Jie'er, who from childhood had a chattering little mouth, one person could top ten Xiao Lians.

Biased as she finished, every time she had to leave room for the latter to interject.

The two spoke of this and that; Song Miao had only walked out the second gate a dozen or twenty steps, and had already heard Zhu Jie'er change topics several times.

By the time she walked near, here they had already started speaking of the previous Empress Dowager's bestowal.

"Ai! How was I not there that day! You quickly imitate! Imitate how the palace came to give the bestowal that day!"

Xiao Lian was very regretful, saying: "I didn't see it either; that day I returned and heard Mother and them imitating speech, pieced out a few sentences, saying it was very lively, the palace official's voice was very loud, when he handed the deed to Sister, those people outside didn't even need to queue, each squeezing in to watch the excitement!"

"Pity I don't have Bingzi Ge's way with words — when you come tomorrow, shout for Bingzi Ge to tell you! He imitates especially alike! He said, a guest saw there really was the Empress Dowager sending someone to bestow, eyes staring huge, mouth also gaping huge, fortunately our food shop is clean, otherwise if outside, a big fly flying into the mouth he wouldn't even know!"

"Now the food shop has many many guests! I returned to Yi Guan, not old or young all came to inquire, also wanting to order steamed buns — ai, Sister is so amazing! Outside they even gave her a title, called 'Song Steamed Bun', ai, pity this title isn't too pleasant to hear!"

"Pleasant! So easy to remember!" Zhu Jie'er hurriedly insisted, "You say, when can we also receive Empress Dowager's bestowal and praise! Really want in the future I grow very amazing flowers, Empress Dowager praises me, then outside gives me a nickname…… just call it 'He Lianhua', does this sound good??"

Also said: "At that time your medical skill will also be especially high, don't know if you can get a nickname, let me give you one, okay? Called 'Cheng Shen Needle'!"

"But I haven't even memorized the acupoints firmly yet!"