Chapter 92 Bobo Roasted Milk Patrols the Duck Farm, Makes Roasted Milk, and Kisses...
Once you get through that cold spell, it really gets warm in April.
Although there was a lot of rain, each rainfall turned the city of Bianjing greener. By the time of the Buddha's Birthday on the eighth day of the first lunar month, the hillsides around Jinming Pond were covered in green, and willow catkins were rising with the wind.
The plums in the suburbs are ripe, and the wheat fields are lush and green.
Under the blazing sun, just past noon, Shen Miao, covered in mud, rode in Yu Xun's oxcart, heading north along the ridges of the wheat fields. The wheels rolled in the sunlight, and soon they were back on the post road, returning to the inner city.
Today is the day to inspect the duck farm. After two rounds of meticulous construction before and after the Lunar New Year, the duck farm is finally completed today. The walls, fences, duck sheds, warehouses, and houses for people to live in are all finished.
Yu Xun helped clean the pond twice after the Lunar New Year, and today is the last time.
Previously, Yu Xun and the day laborers he hired used hoes and shovels to dredge the silt from the bottom of the pond and piled it up on the bank to dry. Once dried, this silt could be used as fertilizer in the wheat fields. After dredging, the pond would be deeper, which would not only increase the water storage capacity but also reduce the bacteria produced by the decaying silt.
Later, they came again, repaired the pond embankment, and built a fence and railing around it, even leaving a gate in the railing to allow the ducks to come and go easily. After clearing away the dead branches, fallen leaves, and frozen lotus leaves, they reintroduced fresh water. Finally, Yu Xun steered the boat and slowly rowed through the pond, evenly sprinkling lime as he went.
"Lime can prevent fish diseases," Yu Xun explained carefully and softly to Shen Miao after reporting the cost of several dozen kilograms of lime to her. Although he didn't understand what water pH was, he had still gained valuable experience in adjusting water quality and disinfecting with lime through long-term fish farming practice. Shen Miao thought to herself.
Yu Xun is indeed very good at raising fish.
Several days after sprinkling lime, he brought Shen Miao a bunch of calamus, duckweed, snails, and aquatic insects from his own pond today.
Shen Miao also wanted to see how the duck farm was being built, so she hitched a ride with him.
Under the blazing sun, Yu Xun threw snails into the water and said, "The pond water can't be too clear. If it's too clear, there will be no food, and the fish and shrimp will starve to death. It also can't be without aquatic plants, otherwise the water temperature will rise sharply when the sun shines directly on it, and drop sharply after sunset, making the fish and shrimp very susceptible to disease and death."
As Shen Miao listened, she helped sprinkle the duckweed, nodding in approval.
He takes meticulous care of the pond, no wonder the fish he supplies are all plump and healthy.
Shen Miao immediately asked him to manage the pond for her long-term purposes. He wouldn't need to stay there every day; he only needed to check the water quality and observe the fish every ten days. For this, she would give him an extra string of cash as payment.
In the era before vaccines, ducks needed clean water, as did fish in ponds.
Shen Miao also bought some minnows, whitebait, bitterling, loach, and crucian carp fry from him. After the new water in the pond had been left to stand for more than ten days to stabilize the water quality, she put them into the pond to raise. This was Yu Xun's suggestion. Her pond was for raising ducks, so she didn't need to raise large fish; these small fish were just right.
Especially the whitebait, which is small, fast-moving, and likes to swim in schools in the upper layers of the water. This type of fish is one that ducks can forage and catch themselves in the water.
To ensure the ducks receive adequate nutrition, fish and loach are caught from the pond, chopped up, and mixed into the grains for the ducks as a supplementary meal. The high protein content of the fish paste also helps ensure the ducks lay more eggs.
She had previously seen Aunt Li buy dead fish from fishmongers, chop them into minced fish, mix them with millet, and feed them to the ducks. As a result, Aunt Li's ducks became very fat and grew a lot of weight.
Besides raising fish, she also wanted to grow lotus roots in the pond. This way, they could eat lotus seeds in the summer and harvest lotus roots in the fall. According to Yu Xun's statement about water temperature, the broad leaves of the lotus should also provide shade for the ducks during the hot summer, which would be beneficial.
However, Shen Miao hadn't decided on the exact number of lotus roots to plant yet, because Yu Xun said, "Planting lotus roots too densely is not good either, as the sunlight won't reach the water and the ducks won't be able to swim freely."
Shen Miao decided to wait for Aunt Li to return before discussing and deciding together. Lotus root planting in Bianjing is about a month later than in the south, usually in late April or May when the weather is warmer, so there is still plenty of time.
Now everything is ready except for the ducklings.
For the past two days, Shen Miao had Tang Er wait by the outer city's water gate every day, estimating that Aunt Li and Uncle Li would be back soon. It had been over a month since they left.
I wonder how their trip to Nanjing went.
Shen Miao has been busy with the duck farm lately, thinking about Aunt Li and the ducklings. Even at night, she dreams of a flock of white ducklings swimming around in the pond.
It was already past noon when they returned to Yangliu East Lane. Shen Miao, wearing straw sandals covered in mud, stepped into her house.
The courtyard was quite peaceful and tranquil.
After the weather warmed up, the cotton cushions and kotatsu under the front porch were taken away. Softer, cooler mats were put on in their place, and the thick cotton curtains used to block the wind on the door were removed and replaced with light, breathable reed curtains.
A few cushions were casually tossed on the veranda, along with a low table.
Chen Chuan and his uncle Xie sat around a low table reading. Uncle Xie, as if instructing his own nephew, held a vermilion brush and carefully marked the characters Chen Chuan had written that day. For each well-written character, he would point out in detail which stroke was particularly brilliant. Chen Chuan craned his neck, listening intently.
Uncle Xie was wearing a new brocade robe today, the light brown satin fabric embroidered with shimmering gold thread patterns of auspicious grasses. As soon as Chen Miao entered, she was dazzled by his clothes, which sparkled in the sunlight.
Shen Miao rubbed her eyes, and caught a glimpse of Xie Qi out of the corner of her eye.
He leaned against a pillar, sitting cross-legged at the other end of a low table, dozing in the sunlight. His right hand held half a scroll of a book, while his left hand gently rested on the cat nestled between his legs. In the small nest formed by his two long legs, the Qilin was curled up like a glutinous rice ball, sleeping soundly, perfectly nestled between Xie Qi's legs.
The shed was empty. Niu Sanshi had taken the calf to graze by the river, and Shiyilang and Shierniang had gone out to deliver food.
Under the osmanthus tree, Xiang Jie'er, Yan Shu, and Liu Douhua used Lei Ting as a cushion and played grass-fighting games on the low bed where the puppies usually sunbathed.
Li Gou'er was trying to avoid the enthusiastic rush of Zhui Feng—in this house, only Li Gou'er could resist Zhui Feng's expectant gaze and would always pat its head with his sleeve.
Chasing the wind also loved to pounce on him.
Li Gou'er hesitated for a long time, but finally went to fetch water and washed Zhuifeng's mouth and face clean before reluctantly picking it up and stroking its fur. Zhuifeng obediently lay down, letting Li Gou'er pet it.
When Zhuifeng is being well-behaved, it's kind of cute. Li Gou'er couldn't help but feel indignant on its behalf and said to Xiang Jie'er, "You guys always treat Leiting better. Zhuifeng will be sad."
“It’s not that I don’t care about it, it’s just that it can’t change…” Xiang Jie’er held various kinds of grass in her hand, glanced back, and suddenly chuckled, “It had just eaten before you came.”
Li Gou'er's hand, which was touching Zhui Feng, stopped abruptly.
Just then, Xiangjie saw Shenmiao and waved with a smile: "Sister is back."
Shen Miao heard their conversation clearly, nodded to Xiang Jie'er, and forced a smile as she walked outside the stove.
She was filthy, so she asked Fuxing to fetch a bucket of hot water so she could go back inside and wash herself properly. Not seeing Tang Er in the kitchen, she asked, "Did Tang Er go to the outer city to wait for Aunt Li? Hasn't he come back yet?"
"Yes, I don't know what happened today, he hasn't come back yet..." Fuxing replied, picked up the wooden bucket and came out, "Wife, hold on tight, it's a bit heavy."
Shen Miao took the bucket and went inside.
As she washed, she wondered if Aunt Li and the others had arrived, which was why she was late.
She changed out of her dirty clothes, carefully washed her entire body with hot water, put on a light, light green spring shirt, recombed her hair, applied mutton fat ointment, and then stuffed the dirty clothes into the bucket.
When I came out, I casually put the stick and the pig pancreas into the bucket, intending to take them to the water room to wash them.
She felt refreshed and was about to go out when Yu Xun turned back, holding several plump shad strung together with straw, standing outside the courtyard gate: "Madam Chen, the shad are plump in April. My brother just caught them from the fishpond at home. Let Madam have a taste."
Shen Miao had completely forgotten about this. Yes, shad in April is a delicacy that should not be missed.
Besides shad, there are also plump carp that are spawning at this time!
"Thank you so much, I'll accept it. If you have any more tomorrow, please send some more to the shop. If you have any good carp or bass, please send some as well."
"Yes! I'll definitely bring you the best when I get back, and the price will be absolutely fair, not a penny more." Yu Xun agreed with a smile. He had gotten into the habit of sending the best fish from the pond to Madam Shen first, partly to thank her for her kindness, and partly so he could sell more fish.
Madam Shen must have known about his little scheme, but she didn't expose him or hold it against him. Instead, every time she received the fish he sent, she would ask him to send more. The chopped chili fish head and fried flatfish that were previously served as meals for the group were both dishes that he brought to recommend. Madam Shen immediately wrote these two dishes on the group meal menu.
Yu Xun didn't want to supply fish to Madam Shen only in the summer. He knew that Shen Miao was preparing meals for her family and that her demand for various vegetables and meats was increasing, so he thought he could cooperate with Madam Shen all year round. In this way, Madam Shen would get used to the fish he produced in different seasons and find it convenient to buy from him, so she would be less likely to buy fish from other fishmongers, and his business could continue for a long time.
Yu Xun left. Shen Miao put down the dirty laundry bucket, picked up the shad that was still occasionally thrashing its tail, and looked at it. But then she thought of delicious seafood noodles.
She once ate the best seafood fish noodles in Lianjiang, Fuzhou. The recipe involves stir-frying pork belly (fried until fragrant with lard), garlic chives, shiitake mushrooms, celery roots, and cabbage; stir-frying until the shiitake mushrooms are fragrant and the cabbage releases its juices; then drizzling a ring of Shaoxing wine and fish sauce around the edge of the wok, pouring in boiling water, and once the water boils again, adding sliced fish, clams, shrimp, and squid rings. A little salt and MSG, and a drizzle of scallion oil, make it so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue.
The noodles for seafood noodles there are also made with fish. Locals mince the fish, add flour, salt, and minced ginger, without adding a drop of water, and knead until the fish dough is elastic. They then divide it into small pieces, roll them out into fish noodle sheets, place them in a steamer, and steam them over high heat for 15 minutes. After that, they roll them up while they are still hot, cut them into strips, and dry them for two or three days before cooking them in a pot.
These fish noodles come to life when they come into contact with water, making them easy to store. When cooked in a pot, they quickly break apart into thick, elastic strips.
The fish ball noodles that McDull likes to eat in "McDull's Story" are fish noodles with fish meat added.
However, at this time, seafood such as squid and clams were not common in Bianjing, and river shrimp had not yet grown up, so seafood noodles sounded somewhat distant.
But Shen Miao wasn't discouraged: although she couldn't have seafood noodles right now, she could make handmade fish balls and fish noodles first. That way, she could enjoy delicious fish ball noodles in a few days.
Shen Miao swallowed hard, put the shad back in the kitchen, and then instructed Fuxing: "If Tang Er comes back later, have him take two fish to slice into sashimi, and kill the other two and cut them into decorative shapes. I'll steam them when I get back. Fuxing, keep an eye on the time and start cooking the porridge too."
Fuxing wiped his hands on his floral apron and replied, "Okay, don't worry, my wife."
She had already planned it out in her mind: tonight she would make fish porridge, steamed shad, and shad sashimi. The next day, when Yu Xun delivered fresh carp and sea bass, she would start making fish balls and fish noodles. Sea bass or mackerel were best for the fish balls, and ideally, the fish should be freshly killed; this would result in firm fish balls with less fishy smell.
After that, the shop will be able to offer a new dish: fish ball noodles.
As spring warms up, it's no longer advisable to eat spicy mutton every day. Instead, try some fresh fish, which is nutritious and light.
Thinking about fish balls and fish noodles, Shen Miao casually moved two small stools, put her arms through the stool legs, and prepared to sit on them while doing laundry. The other stool was used to temporarily pile up the clothes that had been washed but not yet rinsed.
She had only taken two steps when she turned her head and saw Xiang Jie'er, Yan Shu, Liu Douhua, and Li Gou'er squatting in front of the earthen kiln again, waiting. She laughed and said loudly, "I baked taro paste and milk, and you guys found out again?"
Xiangjie and Yanshu turned around and grinned at Chenmiao with their eyes crinkled. They had very sensitive noses; the fragrant aroma of roasted milk and the sweet scent of taro wafted out, and they immediately dropped the grass they were holding and slipped to the earthen kiln.
"It's not ready yet, it'll take at least another quarter of an hour." Shen Miao shook her head with a smile, recalling the row of small stools that had been sitting in front of the earthen kiln for so long because of the increasing number of greedy children. "Sister is going to do the laundry first. When it's ready, Atao will take it out for you to eat."
After saying that, she turned around with the stool hanging in her hand, only to find that the wooden bucket of dirty clothes that was placed by the gate of the courtyard was not on the ground, but was being carried by someone.
Shift your gaze upwards.
She saw Xie Qi, and a Qilin perched steadily on his head, pretending to be a large fur hat.
Today he was dressed in a straight-hemmed robe with a strong Wei-Jin style. The front of the robe was jujube-colored, and the base color of the robe was as white as flying snow. The robe was embroidered with swastika patterns in blue silk thread. The belt was also jujube-colored. The thin spring robe fit his tall and slender figure perfectly. Although it was not as expensive and gorgeous as Uncle Xie's clothes, it was very suitable for a tall and slender person like him.
Even carrying a wooden bucket stuffed with clothes, with two cat paws embracing her forehead, she still exudes an ethereal and otherworldly charm just by standing there quietly.
Xie Qi carried her bucket, his eyes darting around, looking at the sky and the ground but not daring to look at her.
Shen Miao walked over, looked up as if to say something, but first caught sight of his blushing ears.
There were stray hairs growing at his temples that he couldn't yet tie up; a few strands were tucked behind his ears, and a few covered them. But the skin on his earlobes was exceptionally thin, and once it flushed red, it became almost translucent. Shen Miao could even clearly see a few fine blue veins gradually emerging from the redness.
For some reason, she recalled the embarrassing incident last month when she accidentally bumped into him. At that time, she instinctively tried to steady herself by supporting herself on his arm and step back, but because she was too close and flustered, she suddenly looked up and her lips brushed against his Adam's apple.
At that moment, Shen Miao felt as if the air itself had frozen.
At that time, just like today, a taut blue vein suddenly appeared beside his Adam's apple, which was gently bobbing on his neck, extending all the way down to his tightly bound collar along with the hot, swollen blood beneath his skin.
She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she noticed that the small mole also appeared reddish.
After that day, Shen Miao and Xie Qi suddenly spoke much less. Their once habitual and natural interactions suddenly became like a shattered glass lantern, and whenever they met, they would inexplicably feel awkward and fall silent.
But the more this is the case, the easier it seems to be to notice, capture, and secretly spy on the other party's movements.
This awkwardness has persisted to this day.
Shen Miao calmly withdrew her gaze and reached out to take the wooden bucket: "I'm going to wash my clothes, give it to me."
"Let me carry it, you're still holding the stool." Xie Qi moved half a step to the side, and the back of his head bumped into the rainproof eaves on top of the courtyard gate, which made Qilin meow in dissatisfaction.
He had to lower his head slightly, his lips moved, but he swallowed his words back and slipped out the door first, heading towards the washroom.
Shen Miao clenched her fist, then released it, and had no choice but to follow him.
She stared at the boy in front of her with a cat on his head, the cat's tail swaying comically behind his head.
In the end, I couldn't help but smile and look down.
At this time of neither early nor late, there was no one in the water room. On the left side of the well, in the long, narrow trough specifically built for washing clothes, there was half a gourd ladle and a wooden brush that had been left behind by someone, the bristles of which were all curled up from brushing.
On the stone bricks along the edge of the well, a patch of gourd moss grew quietly, its short, thin stems and leaves clinging to the thin layer of soil between the bricks, trembling as Shen Miao and Xie Qi stepped in one after the other.
Xie Qi placed the wooden bucket beside the water trough, and then silently took off the Qilin and placed it on the ground.
The Qilin shook its fur on the ground, stretched, and then squatted down to lick its paws. After licking them a few times, it suddenly spotted a butterfly, abandoned its human companion, and excitedly chased after it.
Xie Qi turned around and walked to the well to draw water for her.
He brought the water over and filled the sink without saying a word.
Shen Miao walked over and put down a stool. She sat on one of the stools. She had originally intended to put the washed clothes on the other stool, but she didn't put them there. She just left it there without saying anything. She simply poured the clothes out and soaked them in water. She took out some pig pancreas and rubbed it back and forth on the wet clothes, then started rubbing them with her hands.
A moment later, a shadow fell around her. Xie Qi silently sat down on the small stool next to her, picked up the mallet, and with a bit of embarrassment and clumsiness, helped her pound the clothes that had already been wiped with pig pancreas.
Shen Miao lowered her head and smiled.
A warm breeze carried the aroma of pancakes being made in some unknown alley, and the smell of food immediately neutralized the embarrassment and annoyance that had arisen in Chen Miao's heart due to the Adam's apple incident. She rubbed her clothes and broke the silence first: "Ninth Brother, are you going to the academy tomorrow?"
"Hmm." Xie Qi responded heavily, his tone tinged with sadness.
After washing her clothes and rinsing her hands, Shen Miao rested her chin on her hand, turned her head to look at him, and said, "We've already exchanged our birth certificates, why are you still avoiding me?"
Uncle Xie has been busy making arrangements for the six-month wedding ceremony since he arrived a month ago. However, because each step requires choosing an auspicious day and consulting a highly respected monk or Taoist priest to calculate the birth charts, they have only just reached the "receiving auspiciousness" stage.
The funniest thing was that Uncle Xie asked someone to take her and Xie Qi's birth charts to various temples, monasteries, and Taoist temples to have them calculated. Then, he pragmatically discarded the ones with mediocre content and selected the best "Six Harmonies" divination slip, which he carefully pasted onto the birth chart.
Xie Qi slowly turned his eyes away, presenting the back of his head, which was tied up in a high bun, to Shen Miao, and denied in a low voice: "I... I have never been avoiding Madam Shen."
Shen Miao didn't want to drag this out any longer. She gritted her teeth, paused, quietly moved her chair closer to him, and tugged at his sleeve: "Turn around, I have something to say."
Xie Qi had no choice but to turn his head away.
But just as he turned his head to the side, Shen Miao forcefully pulled his arm down.
His shoulders and his whole body leaned towards her. His eyes widened as he suddenly felt soft, delicate skin, like a dragonfly's wing, lightly touching the corner of his lips.
A brief, trembling warmth, gone in an instant.
The wide, long sleeves of the silk were clenched until they were wrinkled, but the fingers that gripped the sleeves slowly loosened. Xie Qi, however, maintained his original tilted posture, his eyes frozen like a clay sculpture.
Shen Miao didn't dare to look at Xie Qi too much. She bent down and was about to irresponsibly pick up the wooden bucket and escape from this "place of trouble" when, as soon as she turned around, a force suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind. The palm was as hot as if it had just held a piece of red-hot coal.
With a loud crash, the wooden bucket fell to the ground.
The paving stones by the well gleamed from the water spilled from the bucket. The water pooled along the cracks in the bricks, quickly forming a shallow puddle that reflected two blurry, hazy shadows—a long neck, a clearly defined jawline, eyes that gradually lowered, and lips that were about to kiss.
Until a drop of water fell from the edge of the wooden bucket that had rolled on the ground.
In the reflection, only the tranquil ripples remain.
***
Steam rose from the stove, and thick rice porridge bubbled and churned in the earthenware pot. Fuxing stirred it slowly with a spoon. On the other side of the wide table, Tang Er, wearing a floral apron, hummed a little tune as he intently cleaned a fish.
"We still haven't seen Aunt Li today?" Fuxing asked casually as he stirred the porridge.
Tang Er shook his head: "No, I waited for half an hour longer today, but I still haven't seen anyone."
As he spoke, he pressed the still-struggling shad onto the chopping board.
The fish's gills would occasionally open and close under his palm, and sometimes its tail would suddenly flick up as it struggled and slapped against the cutting board, making a "slap slap" sound.
"This fish is indeed fresh. It's rare to find such a good one. We're in for a treat tonight!" Tang Er smiled, picked up the knife, and with a flash of cold light, cut open the belly of the shad. In a moment, he had cleaned the fish and prepared the knife. He then placed the fish in a basin to wash it.
After he finished filleting both fish, he muttered to himself in surprise, "They're all done. What's next? My wife went to wash some clothes, why isn't she back yet?"
Fuxing shrugged; he had no idea.
In the courtyard, Ah Tao, wearing thick cotton gloves, laboriously dragged out an iron plate from the earthen kiln. While blowing on it to warm it, she prepared to distribute the taro paste and baked milk from the large ceramic basin to the children in the family who had been eagerly waiting with their bowls in hand.
For convenience, Shen Miao used a large basin to bake this time.
The unique aroma of the soft taro paste mixed with rich milk flavor, after baking, filled the entire courtyard the moment it came out of the oven.
The enticing aroma even drew in Chen Chuan, who was diligently practicing calligraphy next to Xie's father. He immediately put down his pen, dashed over, grabbed a bowl, and stood behind Li Gou'er, eagerly waiting to savor the delicious treat.
Atao served everyone a bowl of taro and baked milk, and then handed each person a spoon.
Several children, slurping the saliva that kept seeping from their mouths, sat in a row on the veranda, holding their bowls.
Atao ladled out a bowl and handed it to Xie's father, who was sitting in the corner, swaying his head as he read: "My lord, you should also try our Lady Chen's excellent pastry-making skills."
Startled by the call, Xie's father quickly put down the book in his hand, sat up straight, and instantly regained his dignified and composed demeanor. He coughed lightly and said, "You're very thoughtful. Keep it."
Seeing this, Yan Shu suddenly stood up, hid his bowl behind Xiang Jie'er, and ran into the kitchen with his two chubby short legs. He then took two more bowls and asked A Tao for two more.
He struggled to carry the two bowls back to the kitchen, carefully placed them back in the kitchen cupboard, and meticulously covered them with plates—he had almost forgotten that he was saving some for Ninth Brother and Madam Shen.
After doing all that, he ran back, squeezed into the middle of everyone, picked up his bowl, and started eating heartily.
Taro and baked milk tea: The top layer is a golden-brown, tempting layer of egg and milk mixture, resembling a mille-feuille pastry. The bottom layer is soft, smooth taro paste. To eat it, insert a spoon into the bottom layer, scoop out a large mouthful from the bottom up, flip the taro paste over, and pop it into your mouth along with the baked milk tea.
Yan Shu's two chubby legs wobbled from eating so much.
The first sensation upon tasting is the rich, sweet flavor of the taro paste. The delicate taro paste gently spreads across the tongue, soft, smooth, and silky, carrying the fresh, natural aroma of taro itself. The sweetness is perfectly balanced, never overly cloying. Every bite offers a satisfyingly firm and creamy texture from the taro.
This reminded Yan Shu of the red bean paste made by Madam Shen, which was just as smooth and delicious!
Immediately afterwards, a rich milky aroma filled my mouth, mellow yet not cloying, like eating smooth tofu, the rich aroma of milk seemed to be concentrated in this one mouthful.
The baked milk still had a slight caramel flavor, and when I ate this layer, it tasted just like the egg and milk mille-feuille I had before.
Yan Shu ate everything clean, his mouth still full of the milky taste.
After finishing his meal, he smacked his lips, savoring the taste. The courtyard was bathed in the warm orange glow of the setting sun. Xiangjie, picking a crumb of roasted milk from the corner of her mouth, suddenly asked curiously, "Why haven't Sister and Ninth Brother returned yet?"
"Should we go find them?" Yan Shu asked, tilting her head.
Chen Chuan put down his bowl as well: "I'll go too."
Atao, who was eating roasted milk from a large earthenware pot nearby, quickly sat down, hurriedly opened her arms, hugged the three children who had just put on their shoes and run out, and said with an extremely serious expression, "You absolutely must not go."
"Why?"
"...You'll understand when you grow up."
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