Chapter 39 A bowl of noodles with muddled soup is her tribute to this maternal love...
Shen Miao stood there watching them walk away before turning back to clean up the bowls of noodles that the soldiers had finished eating.
The instructor stared at the empty soup noodles for a moment, then took out a piece of silver and placed it on the table, saying, "Keep the change." He then told his noisy subordinates to get up and leave.
Shen Miao's frightened heart was immediately soothed by this small piece of silver.
Someone actually paid with silver!
She tossed it in her hand and felt it weighed at least an ounce, which was about a string of cash! She sold instant noodles with egg and meat for eighteen coins a bowl, and this small piece of silver could buy more than fifty bowls.
So she quickly tucked it into her bosom, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile, and warmly saw them to the door: "Sirs, you ate well, please come again next time! I also know many other delicious soup dumplings, please come and try them next time!"
Her attitude changed so drastically that the middle-aged man glanced back at her as he mounted his horse.
Shen Miao wasn't embarrassed at all. She smiled brightly and waved her little handkerchief: "Soldiers, ride slowly and have a safe journey."
The only response she received was a cloud of dust kicked up by the sound of horses' hooves.
Shen Miao hummed a song as she went back to wash the dishes.
After seeing off several more groups of diners, Shen Miao took the money jar and tallied up the accounts for the past half day.
She now offers two types of soup and six types of noodles in her shop.
A bowl of mutton soup costs thirty coins, and a bowl of mutton noodles costs thirty-five coins; these are the most expensive.
Instant noodles without meat and eggs cost twelve coins, while those with meat and eggs cost eighteen coins.
Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste) and steamed noodles cost twelve coins; hutumian (noodles without gravy) cost fifteen coins.
Vegetarian dumpling soup costs 15 coins; meat dumpling soup costs 18 coins.
The cheapest option is pork bone broth noodles for ten coins.
In one morning, she sold 25 bowls of instant noodles for 450 coins, 8 bowls of mutton soup for 240 coins, 3 bowls of mutton noodles for 105 coins, 16 bowls of fried sauce noodles for 192 coins, and 10 bowls of pork bone soup noodles for 100 coins. Not counting the extra money the instructor gave her, her turnover was nearly one guan.
In addition, Sister Xiang sold twenty-five baskets of xiaolongbao, forty red bean buns, and other miscellaneous buns and steamed buns this morning, so her breakfast income was quite substantial.
After half a day, I had earned more than two strings of cash, which was enough to break even.
Starting tomorrow, I'll make more xiaolongbao and red bean buns for breakfast. Since the response to other flavors of buns has been lukewarm, I won't make as many.
Shen Miao never expected that these "Lin'an Xiaolongbao" (steamed buns from Lin'an) would become the top-selling breakfast item on the first day of her small eatery's business—twenty-five baskets of xiaolongbao sold out almost instantly. When Xiang Jie'er skipped in to ask if there were any more, she was stunned. She had thought that the red bean buns, which already had a customer base, or the cheaper radish and shrimp buns with unique fillings would be the best sellers, but it turned out to be the xiaolongbao that she considered somewhat "ordinary."
These xiaolongbao are basically just smaller versions of braised pork buns.
Bianjing was not short of shops selling braised pork buns. There were four or five shops selling "steamed buns" right outside her house, all of which sold braised pork buns and were cheaper than Chen Miao's. A large meat bun usually cost around five coins.
Shen Miao's steamed buns look like eight buns per basket, each with a thin skin and a lot of filling. But the cost of making them is probably much lower than that of a large meat bun. After all, they are very small, and no matter how thin the skin and how much filling they have, they can't hold much filling.
Moreover, these xiaolongbao are much easier to make than other steamed buns! No need to knead the dough or roll out the wrappers. When adding water, simply stir with chopsticks until it forms clumps, then knead it into a ball and let it rest. To make a translucent, oily skin, just mince one pound of pork belly, take half of it and stir-fry it in a pan with sweet sauce, soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, and other seasonings to create a fragrant meat sauce. Then mix it together with the other raw meat filling, minced garlic, and chopped scallions. With just one pound of meat and one pound of flour, you can make forty-eight xiaolongbao, enough for six steamers.
If it were a cunning vendor, they would specifically buy leftover meat that had been sitting for two or three days to make these braised pork buns. They would add more scallions and garlic to the filling. Because the braised pork had a lot of spices and seasonings added, and was chopped into minced meat, and was also covered by scallions and garlic, it was impossible to tell whether the meat was fresh or not. They could make seven or eight baskets of these buns at a very low cost.
But Shen Miao didn't do that. Ultimately, she wanted to make delicious, healthy, and marketable food, not compromise her conscience for money. Although she might earn a few less coins per basket of buns, she felt at peace with herself, which was the long-term way to succeed in business.
Not only for xiaolongbao, but also for the meat toppings of other noodles, Shen Miao never buys the leftover scraps of meat from Zheng Tu. Moreover, she is very good at picking meat. The pork belly used to wrap these buns or make the toppings is perfectly balanced between lean and fat, rich in oil, and not greasy.
The sun continued to climb higher, and it was gradually approaching noon.
The number of customers has decreased significantly. Perhaps it's because the people of Bianjing mainly eat noodles for their three daily meals, resulting in excessive carbohydrate intake. Every household loves to take a nap at noon. Once the sun shines at noon, the entire street is not only deserted, but even the shop owners and waiters along the street are sleeping soundly. The phrase "carbohydrate addict" has become a true reflection of this.
Ji-ge'er and Xiang-jie'er were asleep, and it was quiet all around. As for Shen Miao, who didn't like to take afternoon naps, she was bored in the middle of the day.
With nothing else to do, she swept the floor, emptied the stove, washed a bunch of dishes, and then, with her hands on her hips and looking up, seeing that the sun was shining, she also washed the two dogs in the house.
The puppy and Thunder, who were taking a nap but were pulled out to take a bath, were so sleepy that their eyes were glazed over. They let Shen Miao scrub them from head to toe with an old loofah. In the end, she even trimmed the dog's paw hair and nails.
After there was no more work to do, Shen Miao reluctantly took a short nap. In her previous life, she was also a person with boundless energy. While others needed eight hours of sleep a day to be full of energy, she could work non-stop like a perpetual motion machine after only five hours of sleep.
Grandpa used to get exhausted from taking care of her, saying she had inexhaustible energy since she was little, and he couldn't handle her without giving her two Red Bulls.
To outsiders, she looked tired, but she actually found some enjoyment in it. Perhaps it was because she was enjoying doing what she loved that such busyness felt sweet rather than tiring.
Sometimes, when she has free time, she feels a little uncomfortable.
After waking up from his afternoon nap, Ji Ge'er told Shen Miao that he was going to Lanxin Bookstore to read. Shen Miao was very pleased. Even though the results hadn't been released yet, Ji Ge'er had already developed a daily reading habit, which would definitely benefit him in the future.
Xiang Jie, the breakfast vendor, had already finished her shift. With the two coins Shen Miao had given her as "wages," she excitedly took her little dog and went to find Li Gou'er to walk the dog and go to the candy shop to buy candy.
Since Shen Miao hadn't decided on a name for her dog yet, Xiang Jie kept calling the dog "dog-dog," which made Aunt Li very unhappy. She always felt that Shen Miao was implying something.
A few days ago, she angrily packed a bag of sesame seeds and a bag of salt and went to the private school where Li Gou'er studied to ask the old teacher with the goatee to give her son Li Gou'er a proper name.
Now Li Gou'er has changed his name to Li Bo, but no one can remember it, and everyone still calls him Li Gou'er.
Yesterday, Aunt Gu secretly came to tell her that Aunt Li had complained to the neighbors several times, saying indignantly that the results had not yet been released and Ji Ge'er might not be able to pass the exam for Biyong Academy. How come this Sister Shen made a fortune, opened a shop, and started showing off, even making a big fuss about her son's name? It's really despicable!
Shen Miao was truly wronged. She really didn't mean to raise a dog that shared the same name as Li Gou'er... Therefore, she was racking her brains to think of a good name for the dog so that people wouldn't continue to misunderstand.
But the squabbles between the adults didn't affect the friendship between Li Gou'er and Xiang Jie'er. When Li Gou'er was young, he was frail and his aunt treated him like a precious gem. She forbade him from fishing in the river, wandering the alleys, or climbing trees to steal bird eggs. Later, he was also confined to his studies. Only Xiang Jie'er didn't mind his frailty and often played house with him in the yard, and the two became very close.
Since Xiang Jie'er returned to live here, Li Gou'er has become the happiest person in this alley. While Chen Miao is busy, he often sneaks to the back door to find Xiang Jie'er. He also gave Xiang Jie'er two rough porcelain dolls made by his father, Li Tiaozi. They are like nesting dolls, with a smaller one inside each. They are rough yet exquisite. Now they are placed on the windowsill in Xiang Jie'er's room.
Although Aunt Li complained several times, Li Gou'er didn't think there was anything wrong with Xiang Jie'er's dog having the same name as him, because Xiang Jie'er had once solemnly announced to him that this dog was her younger brother and that she had finally become a big sister!
Currently, the Shen family is ranked as follows: Shen Miao is the eldest, Shen Ji is the second, Lei Ting is the third (Lei Ting is eight years old), she is the fourth, and the puppy is the fifth.
So Li Gou'er seriously discussed with Xiang Jie'er: "Since it's a younger brother, how about this: it's your dog brother, and naturally it's also my dog brother. From now on, I'll be the older dog, and it will be called the younger dog. That way, we won't both have to answer when you call it 'Gou'er'!"
Xiang Jie immediately shook her head: "Chen Er Gou's voice is too awful."
Li Gou'er got anxious: "Unpleasant to hear? How could it be unpleasant! Do you think my name is unpleasant to hear either?"
Xiang Jie watched him silently, her expression indescribable. This child was quite amusing, with his round face and slanted eyes, giving off an expression that seemed to say, "Whether your name sounds good or not, you should think about it yourself. Do I need to tell you whether it sounds good or not?" This amused Shen Miao, who was picking vegetables nearby, so much that she almost choked on her saliva.
As Shen Miao wiped the table, she thought about these trivial matters and found life quite interesting. She used to be too busy, opening branch stores one moment, participating in competitions the next, and inspecting new food factories the next. It seemed she had forgotten that life should be like this, whether good or bad, just like the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, adding different flavors to life.
Life is a mixture of all five flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. Regardless of the taste, I am willing to embrace, accept, and enjoy this life.
After wiping the table, Chen Miao stretched and prepared to go into the backyard to water the vegetable garden and feed the chickens. Just as she stepped inside, a tired and timid voice came from the doorway: "Is anyone home?"
"There's someone here. There's someone here."
Shen Miao hurriedly lifted the curtain in the kitchen and looked out. By sheer coincidence, it was the same hunched-back, aged-looking woman she had seen that morning, yet who was impeccably clean. Her gray hair was tied back with a flat wooden hairpin and wrapped in a piece of cotton cloth with a lotus pattern, not a single strand out of place.
She still held the simple-minded girl's hand tightly, and the girl followed her mother step by step, like a little bird easily frightened after leaving the nest.
The old woman seemed used to the strange looks from others. She didn't seem to care about Shen Miao's sudden silence after entering, but she didn't sit down abruptly either. First, she looked around the shop's furnishings, then looked down at the clean floor tiles and tables and chairs for a while. When she looked up again, she stared blankly at the menu on the wall. This shop was strange; there was no eager waiter to announce the dishes, and yet there was this kind of menu.
Could it be that all the customers of her shop are scholars? The woman regretted coming in. She had come in because she thought the shop's signboard was old and the storefront was small, and that it probably wouldn't be too expensive.
But since she was already there... she couldn't read at all and couldn't understand the menu on the wall, so she could only ask hesitantly, "Madam shopkeeper... do you... do you sell those vegetarian soup noodles that cost four coins a bowl? I only need one bowl, more... more soup is fine too."
Shen Miao snapped out of her daze, looked away, placed two bowls of water in front of them, and said with a smile, "Yes, please sit down and have some water first, I'll be right there."
The old woman breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and led her daughter to a secluded corner where they sat down. She didn't stop there; she first tucked a handkerchief into the girl's collar and then rolled up her sleeves. The girl let her mother take care of her, occasionally giving her a silly grin.
The old woman then gently raised her hand and lovingly tucked the stray hairs behind her ear.
Perhaps because her daughter wasn't very talkative, she got used to not speaking, and then the mother and son waited quietly.
Chenmiao's shop offers vegetarian noodles, but her vegetarian noodles rely entirely on the soup base, which is modeled after the Yangchun noodles of Jiangnan, so the cost is actually not very low.
Why does a bowl of plain noodles, originating from Gaoyou, Yangzhou, Shanghai and other places, get the name "Yangchun"? It is because in the past, the Jiangnan region called October "Little Yangchun", and gradually the metaphor of "ten" as Yangchun came about. Therefore, in Yangzhou and other places, a bowl of Yangchun noodles costs ten coins, hence the name.
Therefore, the pork bone broth noodles at Shenmiao's shop are priced at ten coins. In particular, the wheat flour she uses to make the noodles is sifted again from coarse flour, and the meat she uses is also of good quality, so it is worth the price.
Besides... let alone the prosperous Jiangnan region, you can't even find noodles for four coins in Bianjing city. Perhaps you can only find them in inns near the city's outskirts.
Could they be outsiders who came to the city? Shen Miao wondered to herself while secretly glancing at them out of the corner of her eye.
The old woman took out a small porcelain bottle from the cloth bag beside her, poured out a few small pills, and swallowed them with the water that Chen Miao brought her.
After taking her own medicine, she rummaged through her cloth bag and found another medicine bottle. She poured out a few pills and placed them in her palm. Turning around, she patiently coaxed the girl to take them: "Youyu, if you take your medicine obediently, your mother will buy you sweet cakes, okay?"
The girl, however, seemed to have seen some terrifying monster, shaking her head repeatedly: "No...no..."
"After you take your medicine, how about your mother takes you to get two pieces of candy? Do you remember? That candy that always makes a jingling sound."
The girl hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly swallowed it. Her somewhat unique face scrunched up in pain.
Shen Miao quietly withdrew her gaze, used her chopsticks to scoop up two portions of cooked noodles and a few slices of white cabbage from the pot. Amidst the rising steam, she turned around and ladled a spoonful of broth from the simmering pork bone soup to make the soup base for the vegetarian noodles. Finally, she topped the noodles with white cabbage, added an extra spoonful of braised pork topping, sprinkled on some chopped green onions, and drizzled a few drops of scallion oil. The simple yet fragrant clear soup noodles were now complete.
Then she took another bowl from the cupboard.
She put both portions of noodles into a large bowl and brought it out with a smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting, the noodles are ready. They're fresh out of the pot and very hot. Here's an extra bowl for you so you can eat them separately."
The old woman, staring at the large bowl of noodles, panicked. She hurriedly grabbed Shen Miao, who was about to leave, and said, "Oh dear, shopkeeper's wife, why did you make so much? I told you I only wanted one bowl of plain noodles, nothing else. Why did you add meat? I... my daughter and I came to the city to find work, and we have to be frugal with our food and drink. We really didn't bring that much money..."
Shen Miao could only smile and explain, "It's not a forced sale, so please feel free to eat. You've come at the right time; today is my first day of business, and you're the first person to come in for soup noodles at this midday. I have a rule that the first customer gets a 50% discount. Don't worry, even with meat added, it will only cost you four coins."
The old woman sat down with a hint of doubt: "Really?"
"really."
Shen Miao pulled her sleeve from her muscular hands and pointed to the kitchen: "Enjoy your meal, I'll go in and get busy."
"Ah...ah..." The old woman sat down somewhat awkwardly, her dazed gaze returning to the large bowl in front of her. After a long while, she shakily picked up her chopsticks, first dividing a large portion for her silly daughter, and then carefully picking out the meat from the bowl and putting it all into her noodle bowl.
Shen Miao went into the kitchen to tidy up the cutting board and wash the pots, but she couldn't help but secretly watch them.
The girl wasn't very good with chopsticks, so the old woman used a spoon to break the noodles into smaller pieces so she could scoop them into her mouth. Seeing her daughter enjoying the food, she then began to eat the noodles that were mostly soup left in the bowl.
Shen Miao watched as she took a bite and seemed to pause for a moment. Gradually, she began to wolf down her noodles, and finally couldn't help but drink the soup clean as well.
She smiled slightly, then lowered her head to knead the dough again.
At that time, there were no prenatal checkups, and the concept of "sugar babies" was unknown. The birth of these special children was not the mother's fault. Moreover… they might die within a few years due to the severity of their conditions, such as congenital deafness, intellectual disability, heart disease, or digestive tract malformations. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would likely be abandoned or even strangled by their clan or elders. Therefore, in ancient times, even in the wealthy Song Dynasty, ordinary people rarely saw special children, let alone grow up to adulthood, especially not as girls.
In such a patriarchal era, it's astonishing that this old woman raised her daughter to such an advanced age.
She had no idea she would give birth to a mentally challenged child. Even after she found out, she didn't abandon her; instead, she gritted her teeth and raised her to adulthood. Shen Miao couldn't even imagine how much effort she had put in, how many enemies and even her own family members she had to fend off, to miraculously raise her in such a world.
A bowl of noodles is her way of paying tribute to this maternal love.
She also had another thought in mind: she wanted to wait until they had a proper, peaceful meal before asking them more questions. But as soon as they finished eating, they left in a hurry, as if afraid that Chen Miao would change her mind or ask for more money.
"Thank you so much, madam. Here's the money on the table."
Hearing the sound, Shen Miao peeked out. The old woman had already hurriedly run out of the shop with her daughter. She quickly came out of the kitchen and called out to their backs, "Hey, wait!" But they ran even faster and disappeared around the street corner in the blink of an eye.
She had no choice but to go back.
On the table in the corner, there were two bowls of noodles that had been eaten clean, and four coins that had been rubbed until they shone.
After that, no one came to the shop anymore. Just as Shen Miao had expected, lunchtime was not yet a proper meal, and few people would give up their afternoon nap to come out and find food. Many shop owners simply put up half of their doors and went back inside to rest.
Inside and out, all was quiet. Chen Miao had finished her work and was idly propping her chin up. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her in small sections. It was so warm that she lay down on the table in the kitchen and dozed off.
Perhaps it was because she saw the mother and daughter, but in her dream she seemed to have returned to her childhood in her previous life. She stood on a stool and secretly fried the ribbonfish that her grandfather had just bought. She had been learning to cook since she was a child, and she was much faster than others. When they were sneaking food, she was the one who cooked, and her cousins would gather around the stove with chopsticks in hand, waiting.
The sunlight was orange, so this old dream was also tinged with orange. In the end, the girls sat on the kitchen floor and ate several ribbonfish. They were so salty that they had to search the whole house for water. They were scolded by their grandparents one by one, but the girls looked at each other and laughed even after being scolded.
She was not awakened until the sun began to set. The sound of her knuckles tapping lightly on the counter behind the wall was so loud that she could not hear them.
When she woke up, she was still a little confused about the difference between dream and reality, after all, she hadn't dreamed about her past life in a long time.
With several crooked red marks pressed into her face, Shen Miao obliviously gathered her loose hair and, with somewhat dazed steps, lifted half of the curtain.
Unexpectedly, the visitor seemed to be trying to peek inside to see if anyone was there. So when Shen Miao lifted the curtain, she was met with a pair of clear and bright eyes. Startled, she and the visitor leaned back and created some distance between them before they could see who it was.
Before me stood Xie Qi, wearing a scholar's cap, dressed in a traditional Chinese robe with a straight collar and wide sleeves, exuding an elegant and simple charm... but leaning on a cane.
Looking down a little further, you see Yanshu, his hands gripping the counter, his face upturned in a smile.
Shen Miao was fully awake: "Ninth Brother Xie?!"
"Well, Madam Shen, I wish you a grand opening, and may everything go smoothly and as you wish in the future." Xie Qi's gaze slid over the red mark on Shen Miao's face, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. He gestured for Yan Shu to bring over a long-necked white porcelain vase filled with jasmine. He took it and casually placed it next to the wooden carving of the God of Wealth on the counter. "The jasmine in my mother's yard has bloomed, filling the yard with fragrance overnight. I thought it looked nice, so I picked two branches to offer my congratulations."
Two branches? More than two branches! In his quest to choose the best branches for the vase, Ninth Brother squatted there, snipping away at the jasmine plants with his shears, nearly shaving them bald. When First Madam woke from her afternoon nap and saw the fallen petals scattered everywhere, she angrily grabbed the long stick from behind the door, rushed to the front yard, and gave Third Brother, still hungover, a good beating. He was so dizzy and disoriented that all he could do was run away, clutching his head and saying, "Mother, I was wrong..."
Poor Third Brother, he was never a decent person, and now he's been wronged and beaten.
Yan Shu scratched his head, not exposing his master's true intentions.
"Ninth Brother, you're too kind. Don't bring anything next time you come. Besides, didn't you already send Yanshu over with a congratulatory gift yesterday? There's no reason to send another one! However, your calligraphy is really good. It's almost beneath our little shop to have it hanging here. I haven't thanked you for that yet. Also, I heard from Yanshu that you were injured. Why did you still come out?"
Shen Miao gestured towards the two calligraphy scrolls on the wall, then bowed and thanked them again. As she looked down, she saw Xie Qi's leg sticking out from under his robe. His leg was wrapped in gauze and sandwiched between two pieces of wood. She added a concerned comment, "Is your hand better? This leg looks serious. You have to be careful. People say it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You should rest in bed more."
"This hand is fine; it's healed after applying medicated oil for two days," Xie Qi said without changing his expression. "I came out to change the dressing on my leg."
Yan Shu secretly muttered to himself: Originally, the old doctor from Zhao Taicheng's family was supposed to come to change the medicine every day, but today Ninth Brother insisted that he felt stuffy. After telling Madam, he said that he might as well take the carriage out to change the medicine himself so that he could get some fresh air.
As a result, they ended up changing the medicine at Shenji Soup Dumpling Shop.
As Yan Shu pouted behind Xie Qi, Xie Qi had already praised Shen Niangzi's shop, from the lanterns hanging from the beams to the blue bricks paving the ground.
When Xie Qi praised someone, he quoted extensively from classical texts, and each sentence was unique. Although it wasn't the kind of exaggerated and straightforward praise, it still made Shen Miao blush. She quickly said, "Did you only have snacks for lunch? Are you hungry now? Ninth Brother has helped me a lot. I've been thinking about thanking you these days, but I really don't know how. How about I make you a bowl of soup noodles?"
Xie Qi did not refuse, and Yan Shu was overjoyed. The two of them picked a table closest to the counter and sat down, saying with a smile, "Then we'll have to trouble Madam Chen."
"No trouble at all, you sit down... Let me think, you're still injured, it's not good for you to eat anything too strong-flavored, I'm afraid it will overpower your medicine, how about I make you some 'muddled soup noodles'?"
Xie Qi looked up at her. Madam Shen seemed unaware that she had a habit of unconsciously smiling whenever she relaxed, and when she smiled, she always curved her eyebrows and eyes first, and then naturally revealed two small tiger teeth.
Unlike other women who would cover their lips and teeth with a handkerchief or fan to maintain the dignity of a noblewoman and the demeanor of "not showing teeth when smiling," she never seemed to care about such things. She would laugh whenever she wanted, her cheeks flushed, her eyebrows and eyes curved, and in the afternoon sunlight, she appeared so bright and beautiful.
It also always reminded him of a lotus flower swaying amidst the endless green lotus leaves in the midsummer garden of the Xie family's mountain and water estate.
The sunlight slowly moved westward from the center of the sky, casting a slanting glow across the long street and gradually filling Chen Ji's small shop. Xie Qi gazed at her for a long time in the warm yellow light, and couldn't help but smile as well: "Yes, thank you for your trouble."
He didn't know what "muddled soup noodles" were, and at this moment, he himself became confused and didn't want to ask any more questions.
Only Yan Shu, whose mind was full of food, curiously followed: "Madam Chen, what is 'muddled soup cake'? I've never heard of it before!"
"You'll know when I've finished."
Shen Miao smiled, blinked, and turned to go into the kitchen.
The reason it's called "muddled noodles" is that whatever you have on hand is used. In the past, people were poor and didn't have enough food, so they used all kinds of vegetables and wild greens to make up for it. Whatever was on hand would appear in the pot. Like dumpling soup, it is nutritious and also has the effect of nourishing the stomach.
But later, when Shen Miao went to the Central Plains to try the "Hutu noodles" in those grand restaurants, this dish, born out of poverty, had become exceptionally refined. It wasn't just a hastily made dish; the master chefs made Hutu noodles with great care. The noodles were hand-rolled, and they used millet from the Taihang Mountains to make the broth. Then, they added all sorts of good vegetables and meats, and finally, they added noodles. A bowl of Hutu noodles could be made thick, fragrant, delicious, and nutritious.
Madam Shen didn't explain what "muddled soup cake" meant, which made Yan Shu feel like he was being scratched by a cat. He couldn't help but tiptoe, push open the curtain with his head, and lean over the counter to watch her busy at work.
Xie Qi then noticed her busy figure.
"Madam Chen, your kitchen is so clean!" Yan Shu exclaimed loudly after looking around for a while. Not to mention a small eatery like this, even the kitchen of the Xie family was sometimes so filthy that the cook was too busy to clean up. There was dirty water all over the floor that hadn't been swept away, and vegetable leaves and eggshells were scattered everywhere. The meat and vegetables on the counter were also piled up in a mess.
But not only were the pots, pans, bowls, and chopsticks spotless, but the long table was also neatly arranged with various ingredients that Shen Miao would need to make soup dumplings. Vegetables and meats were chopped and washed, covered with bamboo covers, and even the dough was kneaded and resting. Any leftover vegetables were cleaned up and piled in the corner vegetable baskets and on the wooden rack. A whole wooden board was nailed to the wall, with neatly arranged wooden wedges on it. The spatulas, spoons, and knives all had hemp ropes tied to their handles and were hung on the wall.
Although the kitchen was filled with things, it was spotless and orderly. Even the rags were washed clean and hung up or folded into squares on the corner of the table, which was very pleasing to the eye.
Yan Shu looked at it more and more and felt that it was not simple. She stretched her head and peeked at the vegetables in the basket. She was even more amazed: "Madam Chen, how come you even piled the radishes in the basket so neatly?"
On the wooden shelf opposite this table were several wicker baskets, filled with white radishes and carrots. Not only were they separated by color, but each radish with its leaves still attached had its top facing the same direction, stacked neatly layer by layer.
Shen Miao, prompted by Yan Shu's words, also peeked at the radish basket on the ground and smiled, "I didn't build it, Ji Ge'er did. He helps me clean the kitchen every day. The kitchen is so clean because firstly, I have good cooking habits, remembering to clean up as I cook, and secondly, Ji Ge'er is sensible and hardworking. Whenever he comes back, he comes to help."
She's gotten used to cleaning up after cooking; her father and grandfather's kitchen rules used to be much stricter. After all, kitchen hygiene is of paramount importance. If a junior apprentice dared to make a mess of the kitchen, with vegetable leaves all over the floor, they'd definitely get their head smashed open with a spatula.
Yan Shu sighed deeply and nodded earnestly, saying, "We should also call Chef Fang over to take a look and learn from him. As a cook, he's just too careless about the details!"
Xie Qi leaned against the counter, but his gaze remained fixed on Shen Miao's hands as she swiftly chopped vegetables. Shen Niangzi's hands could hardly be described as "hands as soft as tender shoots, skin as smooth as cream." Her hands were long and strong, with well-proportioned joints. Fine, light blue veins would undulate beneath her skin as she exerted force, and there were even some thin calluses on the web of her thumb where she habitually gripped the knife.
He looked down at his hands. His hands, calloused from martial arts practice and frequent injuries, were also quite different.
He was carefully watching Madam Shen cook the soup dumplings, and his heart seemed to be filled with the rich aroma of cooking. She was cooking on two stoves at the same time, one pot was frying peanuts and the other was simmering a thick soup. She was doing it in an orderly manner, busy but not chaotic, just like a female general commanding thousands of troops.
"Wow, Madam Shen is truly amazing." Xie Qi thought to himself, "I'm not good at farming, and all I know is reading and writing. I feel so ashamed of myself."
Just as they were engrossed in watching, a tall, dark-skinned figure suddenly pushed three vats of wine into the Shen family's backyard, which had its door half-open. He then walked directly into the kitchen and called out, "Big sister, where should I put the wine you ordered?"
Xie Qi quietly turned his eyes to look over, and the dark-skinned, muscular man also turned his head to look over.
Their eyes met across the distance.
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