Chapter 27: The three siblings ate mutton slices until they were stuffed, and later they even ate more...
After eating that meal of shepherd's purse spring rolls, Xie Qi felt full and comfortable, and even slept well that night, enjoying a peaceful and dreamless sleep.
The next morning, he was awakened by the increasingly heavy rain outside. He looked out the window and saw that the rain was quite heavy, with the eaves pattering incessantly. His two pageboys, Yanshu and Qiuhao, along with other servants, were sitting on the veranda watching the rain, reaching out to catch the raindrops, splashing each other and playing around.
He watched the laughing servants and the rain through the half-open carved window, which was used for farming and reading.
The rain continued into the afternoon, leaving everything damp and the wind growing cool. Xie Qi had spent half the day reading, practicing calligraphy on dozens of sheets of paper, and casually finished all the poems, essays, and policy proposals left by the scholars. Looking at the endless rain, he found himself utterly idle.
He put on a white silk robe and strolled to the corridor, looking around.
In the distance, the mother had already ordered the servants to surround the reed shed with tarpaulins and had also prepared a large pot of ginger and honey tea for the monks sitting inside the shed chanting sutras. The sound of the sutras, mixed with the sound of the rain, and the sandalwood incense, tinged with the dust of the mortal world, seemed ethereal and otherworldly.
Nearby, his servants, who were in charge of sweeping and cleaning in his courtyard, had also put on straw raincoats and hats and changed into wooden clogs. They were holding long bamboo hooks and diligently sweeping the overflowing rain gutters under the eaves, which were blocked by fallen leaves.
Xie Qi straightened his clothes and suddenly thought of Lady Shen.
Yesterday, when she went out with the gatekeeper, Xie Qi stood in the stone pavilion, silently watching her leave. Once she was out of the Xie family's gate, she would have to shoulder the carrying pole, with her two younger siblings following behind. They would then have to walk all the way back to Jinliang Bridge on their own two legs.
It rained again today, and the road is muddy, so it will probably be even harder to walk now.
The Xie family produced numerous great Confucian scholars throughout its history, a family renowned for its flourishing literary tradition, even retaining elements of the Wei-Jin period, with a fondness for philosophical discussions and Buddhist practices. Around the age of ten, Xie Qi began traveling with his studious uncles to explore the world, learn about its wonders, and comprehend its ways. Therefore, despite his young age, he witnessed much of life's hardships and lacked the arrogant and ignorant airs of typical aristocratic children. He was also far more empathetic than others to the struggles of those who toiled for a meager meal.
Although he was plagued by bad luck since childhood, which easily turned a good trip into a life-or-death adventure, each trip brought many unexpected trials and tribulations to Xie Qi's uncles. However, Xie Qi also possessed the open-mindedness and optimism of his mother, Lady Xi. If an ordinary mother knew that her son had gone through so many hardships, she would probably have kept him from going out.
Only Mother Xi sat by the candlelight, sewing clothes, and smiled as she looked down, saying, "Ninth Brother, don't be afraid. Although you always encounter misfortune, you always manage to turn it into good fortune, don't you? These kinds of dangers are things that other people will never experience in their entire lives, but only you do. Besides, who is perfect in life? It's common to have eight or nine regrets. In this world, everyone naturally hopes that everything will go smoothly, but if things don't go as planned, does that mean we should stop living? Don't be discouraged because of this. Your mother always believes that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. As long as you do good deeds and have a clear conscience, one day you will have good luck and everything will go smoothly."
Xie Qi couldn't help but smile at this thought.
Yes, just do good deeds and don't worry about the future or the outcome. Just be true to yourself.
So he called Yanshu, who was soaking wet from playing in the rain, and carefully instructed him: "Go and find Zhou Da, who is in charge of the carriages. Don't worry about Auntie San's lack of manpower. Just ask them to spare one of my carriages, and then have Zhou Da drive to pick up Madam Shen at the appointed time. Although our family has spent money to hire her to bake vegetarian pastries, we shouldn't make her carry such a heavy load and come all the way in the rain. The purpose of performing rituals for Grandfather is to pray for blessings and accumulate good fortune. We only hope that everyone can benefit from this ritual and be safe and sound. How can we cause trouble for others because of this?"
Yan Shu nodded in agreement, grabbed the umbrella, and ran off.
Halfway there, he remembered something, turned back to his own room, took his own raincoat, and borrowed a larger one from Qiu Hao, who lived with him. He then handed them to Zhou Da, who was grooming the horses in the stable, and gave him a long and detailed instruction.
Xie Qi went back inside and played chess with himself for a while. A little while later, Yan Shu came back. He put the umbrella by the door and was eating a handful of fried beans that he had taken from Zhou Da. He said, "Ninth Brother, everything is settled."
He nodded and didn't think about it anymore.
Afterwards, his father sent someone to tell him to go to the front hall to meet the guests, so Xie Qi reluctantly got up and went.
My father was good in every way, except that he was a bit vain.
Yan Shu went to fetch the large umbrella again, muttering to herself as she left, "Those people must have been flattering me, making my lord lose his head again."
Xie Qi glanced at him indifferently, and Yan Shu chuckled and pinched his own mouth shut.
But he only closed his eyes for a short while. He had only taken a couple of steps into the rain when the rain pattered against the umbrella. Yan Shu couldn't help but tell Xie Qi a joke he had heard: "Ninth Brother, I heard that some time ago, before we even returned from Chenzhou, a guest asked to see the young master's 'unicorn son.' The young master had no choice but to call Third Brother. Who knew that Third Brother had been drinking all night in a brothel, and when the servants hurriedly dragged him up, he staggered to the guest and was about to greet him when he opened his mouth and vomited all over him..."
Xie Qi moved his lips, recalling the scene, and could almost picture his father's face, his beard bristling, filled with terror.
"Young master... Young master was so scared that he jumped onto the table!" Yan Shu couldn't help but laugh. That day, Xie's father specially wore a newly made cloud-patterned round-necked, wide-sleeved gauze robe to receive guests. The graceful cloud and crane patterns on the robe were embroidered by two embroiderers over half a month. When he saw his son suddenly vomit on the floor, his first reaction was not to rescue the guests, but to protect the robe and instinctively jump onto the table.
Xie Qi shook his head, both amused and exasperated: "No wonder when I came back I heard that my brother was locked in the courtyard and not allowed to go out. So that's why he was being punished."
"How could that possibly keep Third Brother confined? He climbed over the wall and went out the very next day." Yan Shu shrugged, recalling the pancakes from that day, and took another big bite of fried beans with reminiscence. "Otherwise, how could it have been such a coincidence that I bought Madam Chen's pancakes and sent them over?"
"Once we're in the outer courtyard, you're not allowed to eat anymore. Don't let the people in the next room see you and then complain to Mother and scold you." As the two were about to cross the second gate of the inner courtyard, Xie Qi couldn't help but give them these instructions.
Yan Shu hurriedly poured all the fried beans in his hand into his mouth.
Although Xie's grandfather had passed away, his great-grandmother was still alive. In the Song Dynasty, there was a rule that the family did not separate while the parents were alive. Therefore, the Xie family had always lived together as three branches of cousins, and the younger generation all followed the generation name "Shi". Thus, although Xie Qi was called "Ninth Brother", he actually only had one improper older brother - Xie Shi, who was the third in the family.
With such a large family, naturally some minor disagreements are bound to occur.
The other two cousins from the other branch of the family were older, and some had even gone to other places to serve as officials, though they were all minor ones. But they were still officials, so there were some unpleasant rumors that they were more successful than the two children from the first branch of the family. That's why the aunt from the third branch of the family always wanted to take over the power to manage the household from the mother, and that's why the father always wanted to use him to make a name for himself and build up his connections in officialdom, just waiting for him to pass the imperial examination and reap both fame and fortune.
It's also good for the eldest son's family to prove themselves.
"It's been two days since I last saw you, brother." Xie Qi thought for a moment. Xie Su had mentioned going to some Pearl Curtain Lane earlier; he was probably sleeping in the room of one of his favorite courtesans again. He couldn't help but sigh softly. For the past two years, he had always been like this, getting drunk and sleeping, waking up and drinking again, wishing he could drown himself in a vat of wine. Sometimes he wouldn't go home for several days.
His mother ignored him, continuing to work on the abacus without looking up, only saying, "Let him drink, let him drink himself to death."
Sighing again, Xie Qi thought to himself, if his brother continues to live such a dissolute life, he'll probably get a beating from their father again when he comes back.
After turning through a long corridor, they arrived at the front hall, where they could faintly hear people discussing poetry and songs with great intonation. Xie Qi sighed again, paused for a moment, and waited for Yan Shu to put away his umbrella and follow him. Then, he resignedly went in to become his father's mascot to show off to others.
The rain intensified, and the raindrops dripping from the eaves formed a curtain. Not only was the Xie family immersed in the misty rain, but the entire Bianjing was desolate because of the heavy rain. Many people on the road hurriedly packed up their stalls, and the Bian River under Jinliang Bridge rose considerably. The narrow alley of Yangliu East Lane was already muddy and filled with puddles.
Early this morning, Shenmiao was startled by the sound of rain and got up quickly. She threw off the covers and rushed to the kitchen, but couldn't find the oilcloth. She hurriedly went to the yard and found that Jige was already up and was standing under the leaky porch, quietly reciting his lessons.
Looking away, the earthen kiln at the base of the wall, which hadn't completely dried, was now covered tightly with tarpaulin and weighed down with old tiles to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
He even brought the chicks from the yard inside, covering them in a corner where they wouldn't get wet with an old bamboo net he found somewhere. Now, the three chicks are huddled inside, chirping and preening their downy feathers.
Shen Miao leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Shen Ji turned around and saw Shen Miao. She hadn't even had time to put on her coat, and her long hair was loose. She smiled and said, "Sister, you should go back and put on a coat. It's raining today, and it's much colder."
"When did you get up? I didn't hear you."
"I got up at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
Shen Miao then realized that it was already Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
The rain made the sky dark and gloomy, and Aunt Li's rooster didn't crow, causing her to oversleep. But with the rain so heavy, going to the early market was out of the question, and she probably wouldn't even be able to light a charcoal fire. It was a good day to rest.
So she relaxed, slowly washed up and dressed, yawning as she went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Yesterday, Xie's ninth brother had insisted on giving her a lot of food to take back. There was a leg of lamb, two bags of fine noodles, a basket of eggs, several kinds of vegetables and fruits, and he even had Chef Fang specially give her a ball of dough that had already been kneaded and rested, saying very considerately, "It's getting late, and it will be too much trouble for you to go back and make dinner. It's cheaper to take some things that can be cooked and eaten right away."
Fearing that Shen Miao might not accept it, he added, "This is also Ninth Brother's idea."
So last night, Shen Miao and the other two had a very sumptuous and warm dinner. She sliced the lamb leg meat into paper-thin slices, used the lamb bones to make soup, and shaved the kneaded dough directly into the boiling water with a knife... A bowl of rich and delicious lamb knife-cut noodles washed away Shen Miao's fatigue from the whole day.
Xiangjie and Jige haven't eaten so much mutton in a long time since their parents passed away.
Since coming into this world, Shen Miao has never handled such good mutton.
An experienced chef like her could tell the freshness of a lamb leg just by its smell. Moreover, the meat, even without lighting, possessed a vibrant pink color, giving the impression that the lamb had been lively and energetic in life. Once cut open, the evenly distributed white fat added to its rich and succulent appearance.
Lamb legs should be cooked like this. If the fat turns yellow, it could be due to poor feed or oxidation from being stored for too long. Such lamb usually has a strong, gamey smell. Lamb with a thick layer of fat will also be particularly greasy. Conversely, if there's too little fat, it will be dry and tough.
This combination of lean and fatty lamb leg is just right.
Shen Miao scrubbed the lamb leg as if caressing a beautiful woman's long legs, swallowing hard as he did so.
Moreover, the lamb leg that Chef Fang gave her was clearly a foreleg. Lambs have less movement in their forelegs than their hind legs, resulting in fattier meat with fewer tendons and fascia, making it tender and juicy—perfect for hot pot, quick in and out for maximum freshness. A hind leg, on the other hand, would have more lean meat and tendons, making it more suitable for stewing, braising, or marinating.
Therefore, when Shenmiao cooks noodles, she chooses to slice off pieces of lamb leg meat and blanch them in lamb bone broth until cooked. This way, she can not only enjoy the rich and original flavor of the lamb, but also taste its tenderness and smoothness.
She has excellent knife skills, slicing lamb leg meat so thin it's translucent, and when you eat it, it's so tender it seems to melt in your mouth without needing to chew.
Moreover, the noodles shaved by Shenmiao are thick in the middle and thin at the edges, with distinct ridges, and each piece is perfectly shaped like a willow leaf. After being cooked in a pot, they are smooth and chewy, with an excellent texture. They are delicious with just a little chopped green onion and ginger, without even needing spices, and there is not a trace of fishy or gamey smell.
The mutton bone broth, in particular, is so fragrant that it fills the whole house and makes your mouth water just by smelling it.
The noodles, meat, and soup were combined, and the three siblings sat around the small square table in the kitchen. The fire in the stove was warm and dim, and each of them had a large bowl in front of them, with mutton covering the noodles. They ate with great relish.
The three of them finished the soup, put down their bowls, and then burped in unison.
Shen Ji hadn't eaten so much in a long time. She turned to look at Xiang Jie'er, whose forehead was sweating and her cheeks were flushed. Xiang Jie'er lowered her head, patted her chubby little belly with her small hands, and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, look at me, I've turned into a big, round belly!"
This made Shen Miao laugh.
The three siblings ate until they were stuffed, and then lingered on their chairs for a while, savoring the meal.
Finally, Shen Ji got up first, put away the bowls and chopsticks, and fetched water to wash them.
Shen Miao then took Xiang Jie'er for a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion.
The three chicks they raised were already tame. When they saw people, they would not run away but would follow them thinking there was food. So when Shen Ji was washing dishes in the kitchen and turned to look at the yard, he could see his older sister in front and Xiang Jie'er behind, with a string of chicks flapping their wings following behind them. The two of them and the three chicks were taking a walk together.
The sudden death of his parents, followed by three years of living as a dependent, turned Shen Ji into a child who rarely smiled and was very wary. But at this moment, he didn't even realize it himself. He looked at his older sister and younger sister, washing the dishes diligently, and even his eyes were full of smiles.
It seems that this family truly became a family the day my older sister returned.
Now, he occasionally dreams, but his dreams are devoid of his parents' two dark coffins and the ever-swirling ashes of paper in the mourning hall, as well as the deep, dark sky where he would get up before dawn every day to work at his uncle's house.
His dreams were finally filled with sound and color again: the tender crowing of roosters, the delicate colors of wildflowers, the laughter of Xiangjie, and the silhouette of his elder sister kneading dough and cooking in the early morning.
And... he also tasted the warmth of the noodle soup, the fullness of the black rice and yam steamed buns, the tenderness of the spinach dumplings, the aroma of the "Family Reunion" pancakes, the sweetness of the crispy red bean steamed buns, and the freshness of the mutton and knife-cut soup... From then on, he was well-fed and clothed.
That's...wonderful.
He lowered his head to hide the growing heat in his eyes.
Shen Miao and the others were enjoying their meal behind closed doors, unaware that the aroma was spreading everywhere. The alley was narrow, and the smell of meat had already reached every corner. Aunt Gu was still clumsily trying to make the cabbage and egg dumplings that Shen Miao had sent last time when she was suddenly overwhelmed by the fragrance.
She wiped her hands on her apron, came out, and even took a deep sniff.
Just then, Gu Tusu's father was home. He was sweating profusely as he wiped every wine jar in the yard. When he smelled the rich and fragrant aroma of mutton, he couldn't help but tilt his head back and take a deep sniff: "It smells so good! I can't smell any other spices. This must be the best mutton."
Uncle Gu is a master brewer with a very keen sense of smell. He could smell it even through two courtyard walls. The key to this pot of mutton soup being so delicious lies in the quality of the meat. Therefore, the rich aroma of the meat is not masked by other spices, but rather makes it even more mellow.
He was a little tempted, so he craned his neck to look and saw on the kitchen counter the crooked, oddly shaped vegetarian buns his wife had made. Disappointed, he withdrew his neck.
Aunt Li opened the door, looked around and sniffed, and finally fixed her gaze on the newly built wooden door of the Shen family.
The eldest daughter of the Shen family was never idle. A few days ago, she dragged two rickety benches, blackened by fire smoke, from somewhere, propped them up with stones, and placed them at the doorway to make a platform. She planted some unknown wildflowers in broken earthenware bowls and jars, and placed a wooden board next to the pots, pasted red paper on it, and wrote two lines of words on it. Aunt Li only found out after Li Gou'er looked at it and read it to her. It read: "Spring is blessed, summer is peaceful, autumn is tranquil, winter is joyful." She even nailed a small square wooden board to the wall by the door, on which the character "沈" (Chen) was written.
At night, the lanterns cast a dim yellow light, illuminating the tiny petals and ink marks, creating a warm and rustic atmosphere.
Most importantly, the characters were neat and upright, with strong and powerful strokes, which made Aunt Li's face even worse—only Ji Ge'er in the Shen family could write, but she didn't know that Ji Ge'er, who had been kicked out of the private school, could write so well, much better than Li Gou'er, whom she was so proud of.
But her dog was just as good, Aunt Li nodded emphatically to herself.
The aroma of mutton seemed to grow even stronger in the wind. Aunt Li glanced at the Shen family's door again, pursed her lips, and shrank back to close the door.
The Shen family is actually making mutton soup? Such extravagance! Mutton isn't cheap... Aunt Li swallowed hard, thinking to herself, "They've only had their stall for a few days and they're already so wasteful, buying mutton. Eating like this, no matter how much money they earn, it won't be enough!" Sister Shen is still young and doesn't know how hard it is to earn a living; she doesn't know how to manage money.
Shen Miao was unaware of the gossip in the alley, and even if she had, it wouldn't have stopped her from eating meat.
This meat is so good, wouldn't it be a waste not to eat it while it's fresh? Shen Miao dislikes wasting food the most.
Moreover, perhaps because she ate mutton, she felt warm in her stomach and hands and feet all night, and slept exceptionally well.
That's probably why I overslept today.
Large raindrops fell one after another, and after noon the rain not only did not stop, but became even heavier. Chen Miao sat in the kitchen making red bean buns to be sent to the Xie family today, and looking at the water curtain hanging under the eaves, she began to worry.
The rain wouldn't stop, so she had no choice but to go out and hire a donkey cart with a canopy, otherwise she would get completely soaked if she walked there.
She's fine, but the raw bread dough can't get wet in the rain.
She thought with a glimmer of hope that the rain might stop soon.
Contrary to her wishes, after Shen Miao finished making 150 red bean buns for the day, the rain not only didn't stop, but the wind picked up, making the wind strong and the rain slant, causing the trees outside to sway and the leaves to rustle. She hurriedly grabbed her umbrella and went outside to take a look, but the streets and alleys were all flooded, and there wasn't a soul in sight. She didn't know where to hire a car.
What should she do now? She sighed and turned back. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw that the back door of the Gu family was open. Gu Tusu, wearing a straw raincoat, was pushing a cart and carrying wine jars into the house in the rain. He glanced at Shen Miao, then lifted his straw hat, revealing a dark face with layers of sunburnt skin on his neck. He stopped and asked, "Big sister? What's wrong?"
"It's alright, let me check the rain."
Shen Miao smiled. She had originally considered that the Gu family had a cart, but in such heavy rain, a dirt cart was no more useful than carrying things on a shoulder pole; it would easily get stuck in the mud, and if it got stuck and overturned, it would be even worse. Besides, even if she wore a raincoat and pushed the cart, she would still get soaked. Therefore, she had actually made up her mind to brave the rain and rent a covered wagon from the carriage shop. Although it was more expensive, at least she wouldn't be in such a sorry state, and it would be safer to take Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er with her.
Gu Tusu noticed her distress and walked straight out, his dark face serious as he looked at her and said, "If you need my help, just ask. You've been setting up your stall these past few days, why haven't you come to ask me for a hand?"
Shen Miao opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the sound of clattering hooves came from outside. The wheels of a brand-new tung oil carriage cleaved through the torrential rain, and the chestnut horse, snorting, stopped in front of her in an instant.
Shen Miao was startled and looked up.
A hexagonal glass lantern, inlaid with silk gauze, swayed in the wind and rain, with the character "谢" (xie, meaning thank you) painted on it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
