Jiang Miao had to consider the dishes for dinner. Last time, he prepared early, so he would not be impolite. This time, it was more sudden, and there were not many dishes left at home. He couldn't let the guests eat leftovers, right
After Jiang Miao sent the two children to the Children's Home, he went to the canteen. The cook had already gone to rest, leaving only a few helpers in the kitchen to wash and scrub.
Jiang Miao called one of the helpers named Li, who was the person who usually brought them food. After dealing with him several times, they became quite familiar with each other.
"Brother Jiang, do you have something to talk to me about?" The helper named Li was a little confused.
"Brother Li, I just want to ask, do you have any extra dishes here that you can give me? I have guests to entertain in the evening, and we have almost finished what we brought back in the morning." Jiang Miao said.
Li the helper hesitated for a while, then whispered, "Yes, there are, but... there are too many dishes, we can't move them around."
Jiang Miao was very happy: "It's okay, I'm not taking it for free, you guys name a price, I'll pay for it, it's okay if it's a little more expensive."
Li the helper glanced at the man not far away and lowered his voice even more: "Brother Jiang, you don't understand what I mean. I mean, this dish is under the charge of Chef Hu, and he has the final say on how to deal with it."
Jiang Miao understood: "Where is Chef Hu now? I'll go talk to him and see if he can give me some." Jiang Miao was deeply impressed by the chef named Hu because he had a big head and thick neck, which perfectly replicated the appearance described in the skit.
Li the helper showed him the way and told him that the first room to the left was where Chef Hu lived. Jiang Miao thanked him and walked in that direction.
Before he even got close to the door, he could hear the deafening snoring from inside. He could tell how soundly he was sleeping. Inexplicably, Jiang Miao felt somewhat fortunate that Pei Che didn't snore, otherwise, sleeping together with him every day would be too uncomfortable.
The courtyard where they lived actually had three rooms. Jiang Miao originally thought that one room for each person would be just right, but Pei Che said that it would be inconvenient for three scholars in the courtyard without a study. In the end, he had to convert one of the main rooms into a study, and he and Pei Che continued to sleep together as before.
The snoring inside continued. Jiang Miao thought about it and finally gave up the idea of knocking on the door. Others were sleeping so soundly. If he disturbed them rashly, they would definitely be angry because they didn't get enough sleep. Forget about sharing the food.
How about trying your luck at Jingcui Garden? Jiang Miao thought of its booming business and shook his head. How could they sell food to others
Jiang Miao turned and left the dining hall, walking down the mountain along the path paved with bluestone slabs. When he passed the mountain gate, the doorman Fang saw him coming out and asked, "Mr. Jiang, where are you going?"
Jiang Miao said: "I want to go down and have a look. Aren't there farmlands and vegetable fields at the foot of the mountain? I'll see if I can buy some vegetables."
"Buying some food?" Brother Fang said, "There are some downstairs, but they are all ordinary dishes. I'm afraid they won't suit your taste."
Jiang Miao couldn't help laughing when he heard him say that. In the eyes of this young man Fang, rich people probably eat abalone, shark's fin, and bird's nest every day. In fact, before he met Pei Che, he also thought that rich people should be very particular about food. After getting to know Pei Che and the others, he found that they were not that picky. As long as the food was delicious, they would eat it with relish.
There were only more than 200 steps down the mountain. Jiang Miao usually worked, so he just strolled down. After reaching the foot of the mountain, he walked towards the low house hidden by trees.
The doors of the first few households were all locked, and Jiang Miao guessed that they were probably working upstairs. When he reached the fifth household, he found an old lady, who was sitting under the eaves with her eyes half closed, mending clothes.
"Excuse me, old lady." Jiang Miao greeted the old lady from a distance. He was afraid that he would scare her if he approached her suddenly.
Although the old lady's eyesight was blurry, her ears were still sharp. When she heard the voice, she looked up at the source of the sound and asked, "Young man, who are you looking for?"
Jiang Miao walked a few steps closer and said, "I'm not looking for anyone. I just want to ask you if you have a vegetable garden at home. I want to buy some vegetables to take back."
"Vegetable garden, we have vegetables, what kind of vegetables do you want to buy?" The old lady suddenly became enthusiastic, and from her tone, it seemed that this was not the first time someone came here to buy vegetables.
"What vegetables do you have in your vegetable garden?"
The old lady said without hesitation: "Cucumbers, eggplants, cowpeas and so on."
"I want some of each." Jiang Miao was very happy. Except for the cucumbers and the heavy vegetables from the morning, the other two were not usually delivered.
"Okay." The old lady got up quickly, went inside to grab a scale, and then led Jiang Miao to the vegetable garden.
Her vegetable garden is only about 100 to 200 meters away from the house. The vegetable fields are green and full of vitality. There are upright cucumbers, purple eggplants, and long cowpeas, each hanging on a tree. It can be seen that the owner has taken good care of this vegetable field.
Jiang Miao went forward to pick some, and after the old lady weighed them, she put them in the basket. Such a large basket of vegetables only cost more than twenty coins, which was much cheaper than what was delivered by the canteen. Jiang Miao thought that in the future, whenever the meat was good, he would buy vegetables, which were fresh and cheap, and he could treat climbing the mountain as exercise.
Now that they have vegetarian dishes and a piece of meat at home, they still feel uncomfortable if they don't serve a big meat dish to the guests. Jiang Miao asked, "Do you have chickens at home? Can you sell me one?"
The old lady shook her head: "The chickens have to be kept for laying eggs, they can't be sold. If you want to buy some, you might as well buy ducks. The Zhang family has a flock of them in the paddy field over there, they're perfect for eating now."
The old lady told old man Zhang what Jiang Miao wanted. Old man Zhang looked at Jiang Miao and said in a muffled voice, "Which one do you want?"
Jiang Miao looked carefully for a while, pointed at the duck that stretched its neck to look for food and said, "Let's take this one."
Old man Zhang walked over and startled the ducks so much that they fluttered around in panic. No one knew how he did it, but when Jiang Miao came to his senses, he had already come over with the duck that still had a snail in its mouth.
It's a pity that even if you catch a snail, you have to let it spit out the mud. Otherwise, Jiang Miao would definitely roll up his trouser legs and go in. He looked at the paddy field with regret, but his sight suddenly froze.
"Crayfish?" Jiang Miao exclaimed. Aren't those black things waving their big claws in the fields a must-have for night snack stalls in summer
Old man Zhang and old lady Zhang followed his gaze and looked: "Isn't this a crayfish?" They didn't understand why Jiang Miao looked at this thing as if it were a treasure.
"Yeah, don't you guys want to eat this?"
"The shell of this thing is hard and there is no meat in it. I pick it up and chop it up at home to feed chickens and ducks." The old lady said with disdain.
Jiang Miao also understood this principle, but isn't eating this thing just for the taste? He put the tied duck on the ground, took off his shoes and socks, and walked to the field.
The two old men were a little confused. They looked at it for a long time, but crayfish were still crayfish. Why was it worth going to the fields to catch them
Half an hour later, Jiang Miao returned with a full load, humming a song. He processed the other ingredients and then began to clean the crayfish caught in the field. This thing is delicious no matter how it is cooked, but it's a pity that there was no ice beer in ancient times. It would be perfect if you could drink it with it.
After processing the shrimp, Jiang Miao heated up a small pot of oil, and when the oil was hot, he poured the shrimp into the pot. In a few seconds, the crayfish immediately turned red. He picked up the fried crayfish and put them aside, waiting to show his skills in the evening.
In the evening, Han Qin and others followed Pei Che to eat together. Before they entered the house, they smelled a strange fragrance. This fragrance was something they had never smelled before. Everyone was excited and full of expectations.
After entering the main room, everyone found that there were already quite a few dishes on the table, including braised duck, minced pork eggplant, smashed cucumber, stir-fried cowpea, etc. Each dish looked delicious, but everyone's attention was still focused on the unknown dish in the kitchen.
Compared to Han Qin and others who wanted to know but had no idea what to do, Pei Che was much more direct. He walked into the kitchen and looked into the pot over Jiang Miao. He saw red crayfish wrapped in white minced garlic, sizzling, and the fragrance came from the pot.
Jiang Miao noticed him and said while stirring with a large spoon: "You guys eat first, there is wine outside and the food has been served."
"How can it be that the guests eat first without the host coming to the table?"
"Okay, it's almost done anyway, just pass me a basin."
"Pin?" Pei Che was a little confused. How could vegetables be served in a bowl
"Yes, there are so many, how can the plates hold them all? Bring them here quickly and put them on the table over there." Jiang Miao felt that he was being too slow.
Pei Che was urged by him to go over and hand the basin to Jiang Miao. Jiang Miao took the basin and scooped in spoonful after spoonful until the basin was full, and then he finished putting the crayfish in the pot.
When this huge bowl was brought out, Pei Che's friends and the two children were all stunned. How long would it take to finish such a big bowl? Moreover, they had no idea where to start. Usually, when they ate sea shrimps, they would eat the shrimp meat directly. Now, how could they eat this crayfish wrapped in a hard shell
Jiang Miao picked up a shrimp and put it in his bowl, then peeled off the shell with his hands in a few seconds and ate the shrimp meat soaked in soup. As soon as this taste that he hadn't tasted for a long time entered his throat, Jiang Miao sighed with satisfaction. Sure enough, a summer without crayfish is incomplete!
Everyone else was stunned. Eating with your hands, isn't that a bit indecent
Jiang Miao noticed their looks and felt a little embarrassed: "If you are not used to this, try other dishes. They are also delicious."
Others also know that the other dishes are delicious, but this overbearing aroma keeps drilling into their noses. How can they be willing to only eat other dishes
Seeing Jiang Miao happily eating one crayfish after another, occasionally peeling a few and putting them into the bowls of Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu, Pei Che and the others, who were left unattended, finally let go of their reserve and started eating the red crayfish in front of them.
After finally peeling one open, the meat was only the size of a little finger. The meat was soaked in soup and was delicious. I was not satisfied with just one bite, so I had to peel another one! One after another, in almost no time, a pile of shrimp shells were placed in front of everyone. Judging from the precise and powerful movements, the word "indecent" had been thrown to the sky.
(End of this chapter)