Since he wanted to investigate someone, Jiang Miao couldn't do it alone. Pei Che's men came into play at this moment. Pei Che understood with just one look from Jiang Miao.
"I'll have someone investigate, and bring the work contract he signed from your store when I return." Pei Che said.
Jiang Miao nodded. The work contract is equivalent to a modern contract. There is a lot of information on it, such as the family address and population composition. This formal work contract can be taken to the government for stamping to protect the interests of both parties.
Jiang Miao cooked lunch. Cooking was a great pleasure for him, especially when he had the best ingredients. When Second Uncle Jiang took out the "moldy" pork leg from the gift brought by Pei Che with a puzzled look on his face, Jiang Miao's eyes lit up.
"Why is this piece of bacon like this?" Uncle Jiang was a little disgusted, but he didn't say anything. He guessed that it had been stored for too long and the two of them didn't know about it, so he brought it to them.
"Uncle, this is ham, not bacon. Judging from the quality, it must be more than three years old..." Jiang Miao touched the ham, as if he had seen his beloved. He had never bought authentic Jinhua ham in modern times. Although there was no Jinhua ham in this dynasty, the one in front of him was not inferior to it at all.
Among the dishes made with ham, Jiang Miao thinks the most famous one should be the "樒汁火方". This dish is made from the top of Jinhua ham, which is steamed and boiled three times before it is made. It tastes very sweet and fresh. Jiang Miao tried to make it before, but the ham was not authentic and the taste was not satisfactory to him. He thought at the time that he must make it again if he had the chance in the future, but today was not a good time to make this dish because it took too long.
Jiang Miao felt a little regretful, but looking at such a big piece of ham in front of him, he couldn't help but feel happy. It doesn't matter if I can't make 樒汁火方, I can make 咸杜鲜! Although there are no spring bamboo shoots at the moment, winter bamboo shoots are not impossible.
After Jiang Miao prepared the ingredients, he put them into the pot one by one and cooked them without covering the pot. The smell wafted out, and not only was the whole kitchen enveloped in this delicious and tempting smell, but other people who smelled it couldn't help but sniff hard, as if this could relieve the desire for food in their hearts. The cooked pickled pork soup was thick in white sauce, the winter bamboo shoots were fragrant and crispy, and the meat was crispy and plump. A bite of it left a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth, which made people linger for a long time.
"The food cooked by Brother Miao is so delicious!" Jiang Miao's chubby third sister sighed with a bitter look on her face after finishing a bowl of food.
"It's delicious, why do you have this expression?" Jiang Miao teased her.
The third sister glanced at Jiang Miao and said, "Because after we eat today, we won't be able to eat again for a long time!"
Jiang Miao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't expect that she was troubled by this matter. The others laughed. After they finished their meal, the first thought that came to their mind was exactly the same as hers.
After dinner, everyone returned to their seats. Jiang Miao carried the ham that had been cut into pieces and walked happily towards the carriage outside.
"Why don't you stay at your second uncle's house to eat?" Pei Che went out earlier than Jiang Miao. When he saw Jiang Miao coming over and getting into the carriage with a ham in his hand, he asked.
"I did want to, but my second uncle and second aunt said that this thing wastes firewood, and they will just eat bacon when they go back." Jiang Miao said, "They also said that if I don't take it, they will just hang it there and not touch it when they go back."
They had never heard of ham and were not very clear about its value. To them, it would be more practical to go home and cook some bacon instead of going through the trouble of eating ham.
Pei Che said no more, took the box of ham and put it aside. Jiang Miao sat down next to him and asked, "I wanted to ask you just now, where did you find this ham?" The gift was bought by Pei Che, and Jiang Miao didn't know what was inside.
Pei Che said: "Didn't a lot of people give gifts yesterday? One of them was this thing. I saw that the wooden box outside was exquisite and beautiful, but I didn't expect that there was this thing inside." He felt a little embarrassed. He didn't expect that he would make such a mistake.
Jiang Miao's thoughts were so easy to understand that Pei Che could only sigh. He wondered if this guy could be more enthusiastic about other things besides eating.
The two took a carriage to the Jiang family's shop. Although they no longer sold cold noodles and crayfish due to the cold weather, they were still crowded with customers at noon and in the evening because they were selling hot dishes.
The hot dishes are placed in strings, and the customers are asked to take them with a basket. After they are taken, they are put into the pot and cooked. Then a spoonful of thick white soup is scooped into the pot, and then various seasonings are added in order. When the weather is cold, a bowl of this dish is enough to make people sweat all over.
In fact, this is the common Malatang in modern times, but it was a rare thing in ancient times. Unfortunately, this thing is too easy to imitate. They only had a one-month exclusive business, and other stores started selling it in the second month. The taste of each store is slightly different. The most authentic one is still sold in Jiang's shop. People with slightly better financial conditions still like to eat here. Although it is a little more expensive than other stores, it is worth it!
When Jiang Miao went in to get the work contract, he also deliberately observed the status of Li Ping and Jiang Yu. He found that the two seemed to have no contact, but when their eyes occasionally met, the lingering affection in them was really heartbreaking.
Fortunately, Jiang Miao is not a single dog, he can also exude the sour smell of love, and his man is much more powerful than a chicken like Li Ping! He looked at Jiang Yu proudly, turned around and left in a chic manner.
Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Miao blankly, not understanding why her brother looked at her like that, as if he was showing off something. Uh, what was it
Pei Che didn't know about this little episode. When Jiang Miao handed over the work contract, he looked at it for a few seconds, then folded it and put it away.
After the banquet for the successful candidates and the banquets held by Han Qin and others, Pei Che and Jiang Miao took the two children back to the Imperial College. The two children had not been to school for several days. Although they attended classes and did their homework, it felt not as good as listening to the teacher's lectures with their classmates in the Children's Hall. So when they came back, they got up early the next day without being called, put on their backpacks filled with books, and rushed out when Jiang Miao gave the order.
They missed their teacher and classmates, and those people missed them too. After all, only when they came back would the morning snacks be delivered as usual. They were used to eating the snacks made by Brother Jiang Lei, but they didn't have them these days, and they felt that they had no energy to go to school.
Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu didn't know that the reason they were popular was because of Jiang Miao. They just felt that it was good to be back. It was not like back home, where one teacher only focused on the two of them and didn't even give them time to rest. It was so sad.
A few days after Jiang Miao and his team came back, Pei Che's men delivered a detailed investigation report. The subject of the investigation was naturally Li Ping, and it even listed how old he was when he wet the bed, which made people praise his thoroughness.
Jiang Miao looked at it for a long time, and finally concluded with two words, reliable! Although there are many people in Li Ping's family, there are no demons, they are all hardworking and simple farmers. Although each of them has some small thoughts, they are never confused in the face of major issues. Moreover, the rule of his family is that once they get married and start a family, the couple can support each other and live together, and then they will share a share of the family business and let them be the masters of the family.
This is better than anything else. There is a family in Jiang Miao's village. The granddaughter-in-law has been married into the family, but the grandmother has to be humble in front of her mother-in-law. She has not tasted the taste of being the master of the family for decades, and she can't save a few cents throughout the year. Who can live like this? Anyway, Jiang Miao doesn't want the girls in his family to marry into such a family.
Jiang Miao also knew why Li Ping was carrying a big bag and looked miserable when he was recruiting workers. At that time, Li Ping had been away from home for half a year. Half a year ago, he followed the villagers to the city to find work. He was new and had no experience, so he was tricked by others and signed a black contract for half a year. He worked for others for half a year at a very cheap wage. The employer treated him like an animal and made him do all the dirty and tiring work.
As soon as the time came, he left. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar streets, he felt very confused. Should he go home? Or continue to look for work? While he was hesitating, he heard that the shop in front was recruiting workers, so he went there with the idea of trying his luck. Unexpectedly, he settled down there, learned a craft, and met the girl he liked. All this made Li Ping believe that the hardships he had suffered in the past six months were all difficulties set for him by God. If he could survive the disaster, his life would be smooth from then on.
(End of this chapter)