Chapter 363: Miao Chu Chapter 364: Shun Shou

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Seeing Gui Zhi's strictly businesslike manner, Yu He distributed the snacks she had brought to everyone.

She spoke polite words, and Gui Zhi returned mere formalities; they went round and round, and not a single sentence landed on anything real.

Being able to serve as He Lao Furen's personal maid, she was naturally skilled at observing expressions and reading moods.

Yu He sensed the other woman's coldness at once.

Although she knew it was only reasonable that when doing proper work one couldn't attend to every meal and bite, she simply could not bring herself to keep pressing a warm face against a cold backside; she had explained things clearly and was just about to leave when, unexpectedly, a clerk arrived at the door.

The clerk entered and said: "He Guan Ren says there is a banquet tonight; have some sobering drinks prepared outside and sent in — prepare two extra portions!"

There were several people inside; Gui Zhi was the first to step forward and immediately became serious, grabbing the man to ask how many portions to prepare, when the banquet would end, who would be attending, whether there were any requirements for the sobering drinks, and besides the sobering drinks, whether anything else needed to be prepared, and so on.

The clerk was only relaying a message; he knew nothing of the rest.

But as soon as the man left, Gui Zhi still sprang into action at once: first saying that autumn had arrived and mornings and evenings were chilly, she sent this branch back to the residence to fetch two outer robes, then had another branch bring some pills for dizziness and stomachache, then sent another person to buy several portions of sobering drink outside, and also had a carriage readied early, since after drinking wine one certainly couldn't ride a horse, and so on.

Truly reliable.

Yu He had just stepped over the threshold; hearing all this, she nodded inwardly, and couldn't help turning back for a look — only to see Gui Zhi casually set the bundle and food box she had just given on the ground, clearing space on the desk, rummaging back and forth on the table, finding a few things she couldn't identify, hurriedly putting them away, and striding out at a fast pace.

He ran very urgently; at the start, he accidentally kicked the food box and bundle, knocking the food box into a violent shake; though it didn't overturn, such a violent motion surely risked spilling the soup inside.

Gui Zhi naturally felt the kick; he looked back, saw it was the food box, frowned, let out a "tsk" sound, looking slightly disdainful, as if displeased at having his path blocked, but his feet didn't pause for half a step, and he walked on.

He was very busy; passing by Yu He's side, he didn't even flicker an eyelid.

Yu He couldn't help but stop in her tracks.

She was also a senior maid; she knew that when a person is busy, they really can't attend to all those niceties.

But seeing the other's conduct, she genuinely felt a bit uncomfortable.

The bundle was her own gift of food, fine; but the former was the master's property — how could it be treated so negligently? Inside were roast-braised chicken and steamed meat cakes!

So fragrant!

Thinking more carefully, she actually understood.

He Ying was an official, and also the eldest young master to whom Gui Zhi belonged; being strict by nature, Gui Zhi naturally clung to him tightly.

He Qi was merely a student, usually very amiable, generous to subordinates, so everyone was a bit more casual with him.

But Xiao Qi Shao Ye had a very good personality, interacted most with the He Family, and everyone in the residence, high and low, liked him; Yu He was naturally no exception.

The more she thought, the more inexplicably uncomfortable she felt — both for herself and for He Family's Seventh Young Master; seeing there were still two people inside, she simply turned back, called Bei Zhi, the one she was most familiar with, then stepped forward and lifted the food box from the ground, unable to resist saying: "This was made by Song Xiaoniangzi herself — He Qi Shao Ye used to talk about it every day! If you really can't send it in, you eat it, don't let good food go to waste!"

Bei Zhi heard this, hesitated a moment, took the food box, greeted the remaining companion inside, and gave Yu He a meaningful look.

After the two left one after another and found a secluded spot, he said: "The young master craves a taste of Song Xiaoniangzi's warm cooking so much he's going crazy, but right now he can't send it in himself; let's try another way."

He brought Yu He and waited at the Second Gate for a while.

People went in and out inside; after a long time, a steward-like figure finally passed by.

Bei Zhi called the man in one breath, shouting "Brother, brother, brother," pulled him aside, said who knows what, first handed over the food box, then fished out two small packets and stuffed them into the man's bosom.

The man pushed back twice, couldn't push them away, first opened the food box, inspected it carefully, then left with a broad smile.

Bei Zhi turned back, smiling at Yu He: "He's the head clerk managing the kitchen in Si Fang Guan; I used to come here often with the young master, so we know each other, there's some incense-offering connection; he said he'll help send it to the young master along with dinner, and also said only this once, not as a precedent."

"Never mind that; if it's sent next time, we'll talk next time, and besides the young master will probably be done soon! When he comes out, a tiger entering the mountains — he'll naturally go to Sanzao County Alley to Song Ji's shopkeeper and eat his fill!"

Finished speaking, he sighed again, his face full of regret: "What a pity, what a pity — those two packets were the Song Ji food you gave — I had nothing else on hand, so I had to use them to grease the wheels! I didn't even get to eat a single bite myself, and still don't know what good things were inside!"

The two dishes in the food box were what Zhu Jie'er and Lao Furen said to send; they were originally her proper duty; that roasted perilla pigeon breast was Song Miao's kindness.

Seeing both matters had a settlement, regardless of success or failure, she had already done her utmost; Yu He burst into laughter and said: "I still have extra I bought; I'll bring you some separately later — the original packet had pork jerky, and also a new thing the Song shopkeeper made, called something Ba Lan Ren Tang; I ate it at Song Ji this morning, very delicious, just the price is too high, so I didn't ask for more, only a few pieces in a packet!"

Bei Zhi beamed with joy and said: "Really still have some? Then I won't stand on ceremony! Give me two to taste — next time I go to Song Ji, I'll secretly buy some too!"

The two talked as they walked out, reached the He Family carriage, Yu He climbed into the cart body, took out a small bundle, and stuffed it to Bei Zhi.

Inside were not just two packets of food, but a full seven or eight small oil-paper packets; the very expensive Ba Lan Ren Tang alone had three packets.

Bei Zhi opened it, looked, went "Ai ya" for a good while, pushed back, pushed twice, then said: "Then I won't be polite with you; been very busy lately, can't run around carelessly, this food comes at just the right time, extremely useful!"

Seeing the other party play along so well, Yu He felt happy inside.

Both being on kitchen duty, she casually asked: "Not easy following the eldest young master, right?"

Bei Zhi carefully cradled the bundle in his bosom, let out a "Hai" sound, and said: "Don't mention it!"

Then urged her onto the carriage: "Go back early — I'll keep watch; once I see the young master, I'll definitely tell him clearly it was Zhu Jie'er and He Lao Furen who sent you!"

Yu He hurriedly held the carriage door again, leaned her head out, and anxiously added: "That roasted perilla pigeon breast meat inside! That was Song Xiaoniangzi giving to Seventh Young Master to try the flavor!"

Bei Zhi waved at her: "Know it! Know it!"

And said: "Won't miss that sentence, rest assured!"

Actually she knew long ago she didn't need to emphasize it here; once He Qi Shao Ye left Si Fang Guan and reached Song Ji, he and Song Xiaoniangzi would naturally make things clear, but Yu He always saw things through properly; only now, with Bei Zhi's guarantee, did she finally set her heart back in her belly.

At dinnertime, when the kitchen sent the evening meal, in a courtyard behind Si Fang Guan, He Qi, who had been detained for many days, had a large food box placed before him besides the ordinary rice.

The one delivering was a petty clerk, who quietly told him: "They say it's from your family — does your maternal aunt's family have a Lao Furen?"

And said: "They say there's also a roasted thing, sent by a shop — the higher-ups specifically instructed this one sentence, I don't know what it means, just passing on the message."

He Qi understood at once; his originally wrinkled face instantly bloomed into a smile, and he hurriedly thanked the man, grabbing a few fruits from the side to give him.

His desk was covered in documents, mostly in Sanskrit, with a few in Persian, all mixed together, already half-translated; at this moment he glanced at them, then simply didn't touch the desk, but carried the food box to an empty table.

Lifting the lid, the first layer held two lotus leaf wraps, one large, one small, unknown contents.

He Qi immediately opened the large one.

Dried lotus leaves wrapped layer upon layer, stacked tier upon tier.

There was charcoal warming the bottom of the food box, so it was already quite hot; when he opened the innermost layer, steam and aroma surged together straight into He Qi's eyes and nose.

This aroma was very fair—not only did it assail He Qi's head and face, but it quickly drilled into the mouths and noses of everyone else in the room.

A very obvious chicken smell.

Recently, the Si Fang Guan had been holding banquets day after day to entertain visiting foreign envoys, and the head cooks could not spare themselves; the rest of the large-pot meals naturally had to be perfunctory, mostly steamed or braised dishes that did not need much tending to the fire and would not lose too much flavor even if left for a long time.

Although not bad to eat, having different ingredients every day but cooked the same way over and over, the people in the room were already tired of it; at this moment, smelling the aroma, they all looked over.

Someone asked, "Xiao Qi, what is that?"

Two young men who were somewhat familiar with him had already come over in a few steps.

This courtyard faced south with its back to the north, and the sunlight was very good; even at dusk, the room was still quite bright.

Seeing what was inside the lotus leaf wrap, the two of them exclaimed "Wow" one after another.

The exclamation immediately drew even more people, who all came to look.

Only to see that inside the lotus leaf wrap, a whole large fat chicken lay stately, its legs curled and wings bound with head tucked in, its skin golden and bright, looking like it was steamed, but the color seemed heavier than steamed, yet it was absolutely not roasted.

This chicken had no other smell at all, purely just the fragrance of chicken meat, steaming hot without stopping.

Such a large chicken, at least three or two jin; although He Qi was usually generous and knew he could not finish it, knowing it was Song Miao's handiwork, he still hesitated for a moment, then opened the second layer.

The second layer was a plate of steamed meat cakes; to call them meat cakes was not as accurate as calling them crab roe cakes, the surface had already been steamed into golden yellow crab roe oil, with a rich perilla fragrance, looking at it made people unconsciously unable to help but take another step forward to stare more closely.

Seeing that the crab roe perilla steamed meat cakes were also a very large plate, He Qi finally put his heart at ease, and said softly to everyone, "Knowing we have been working hard, my family arranged to have it sent over—come, let's eat together!"

Saying this, he washed his hands clean, pressed a lotus leaf for leverage, and used the lotus leaf as a barrier, tearing off a whole chicken leg with just his hand.

The chicken skin burst open, the chicken meat broke at the joint with the bone, and the meat juice inside surged out, dripping onto the lotus leaf.

The aroma was really too active, simply could be described as vigorous, with a posture of wanting to occupy the mountain as king in people's nasal cavities.

"Everyone eat by yourselves, I won't greet you!"

He Qi said this, and had already taken a bite.

Just one bite; his mouth had been bitter for too long, and he, who had long lost all spirit, ate so deliciously he almost laughed out loud.

A very original juice and original flavor bite.

This chicken had not used any other seasonings, only ginger slices and salt; the skin could still taste a bit of crisp elasticity, but the overall texture was still on the soft side, especially the side close to the chicken meat, where the fat was half-melted, and the chicken oil fragrance seeped into the chicken leg meat below.

Eating skin and meat together, the chicken skin would stick to the mouth a bit, and even the chicken meat would stick to the mouth a bit.

That chicken leg meat was also spirited, absorbing all the chicken oil; at this moment, when He Qi bit into it, mixed with the meat juice, it all came back at once.

He Qi was not one to take big mouthfuls, so naturally he could not quite keep up; the hot, clear chicken juice with a faint yellow chicken oil—or perhaps another name, called chicken essence, the essence of chicken meat juice—flowed along his fingers to his wrist.

He had no time to care about it, just casually wiped it with a cloth twice, then threw himself back into the battle with that chicken leg.

The meat's texture would not be very tender, but it was certainly not dry or tough; it was the most suitable tooth feel for people, with obvious rebound when bitten, eating the meat fragrance and texture; chewing a couple of times could tell this chicken must be extremely fresh, perhaps it went into the stove while still warm, and came out of the stove piping hot.

After all, it was a large chicken, raised for enough days; the chicken fragrance was enough to prove itself, the chicken meat itself was sweet enough, using salt to season instead made its fragrance, its richness, and its beauty more prominent, and among them the meat fragrance would return a fresh sweet meat taste.

After swallowing it down, because this chicken had no extra seasonings at all, the tongue, mouth, throat, and even the stomach all had a feeling of being washed once by natural deliciousness.

All flavors and textures relied on the chicken itself, and again on the cook's skill, making everyone in the room eat without speaking.

Then going to eat that crab roe perilla steamed meat cake, the Mei Tou Meat with three parts fat and five parts lean, chopped very finely, with a lot of crab roe added; but because of the perilla, relying on that special fragrant and rich aroma, it completely resolved the slight fishy smell of the crab roe, and also suppressed the extra half bit of greasiness of the pork.

When chewing, one could taste the fresh deliciousness of the pork, the exotic fragrance of perilla, and the crab roe.

Part of the crab roe was chopped extremely fine; inside the meat there was a fine sandy and glutinous feel, and it would seep out extremely rich and mellow crab roe oil.

Part of it was completely half whole pieces half whole pieces sandwiched inside the meat, substantial and dense; biting down it was a bit hard, like the most oily salted egg yolk, but compared to salted egg yolk it had an extra kind of Liangshan rich freshness, richer and more mellow, more fresh and fragrant, and also had a special crab sweetness...

—The seasoning of this dish was slightly half a bit more salty; used to go with rice, stuffed into cakes, or paired with steamed buns, all were perfect matches.

Everyone in the room buried their heads in eating, eating without speaking.

And when the sky gradually darkened, the banquet in the front had already dispersed; two clerks of the Si Fang Guan, however, brought two foreign envoy attendants and went specially to the canteen.

In the canteen, because there were other arrangements for the superiors, several people were on night duty.

The clerk in charge of the canteen went in to check the post; upon asking, everything had been cleaned up; seeing everyone sitting idly with nothing to do, drinking bland water, he casually took out two oilcloth bundles from his pocket.

"Today someone gave these; you all share and eat them!"

Thus, the foreign envoy attendants who came to look for hangover-relief tea casually took away several pieces of dried meat and two pieces of sugar.

Not two days later, at the end of Sanzao County Alley, the short-term hire young lady of Song Ji Dang Pu stared wide-eyed at two foreign envoys with deep eye sockets and high noses; beside them was also a Si Fang Guan official, along with several attendants.

She was frightened and hurriedly turned her head to call out, "Is the Young Lady in! Please quickly ask the Young Lady to come out!"

?? This recent update has made me not even have the courage to open the comment section QAQ

? I really went to the hospital several times for repeated fevers with no result, and there were many things at work; most importantly and most troublesome was that it needs to be concluded; I privately rehearsed several times, and all felt that the concluding little plot would be very ordinary and plain; I myself quite like it, but my preferences sometimes might not quite match everyone's...

? But whatever, I'll bite the bullet and slide forward stepping on watermelon rinds; otherwise, if stuck, it might really become a permanent hiatus; sorry sorry o(╥﹏╥)o