Now that the schooling is settled, the "three ways to eat one lamb" that I promised to Shopkeeper Wang must be put on the agenda.
After Jiang Miao finished his stall, he went to the meat market and bought a large piece of mutton and a lamb rib. There are many ways to eat mutton, and Jiang Miao's favorite way is to stew it. The mutton made in this way is tender and tasty, and the soup is delicious. Eating a few pieces of meat and drinking a bowl of soup in winter will definitely warm you up. Another favorite is grilled mutton skewers. When the spicy and cumin mutton is roasted on the fire and the aroma hits your nose, the whole world will become colorful.
The best way to cook lamb ribs is to hot pot them. Unfortunately, Jiang Miao didn't have a copper hot pot that could be placed on the table, so he decided to braise the lamb ribs, which tasted very good.
Because the accountant of the store had taken a leave today, Wang had to take over by himself. He couldn't leave the store for too long. After Jiang Miao brought all the things, he went directly to the backyard of Wang's store. There was a small kitchen in the backyard. Wang hired an old lady to cook a meal for the shop assistants every noon to prevent them from running back and forth and delaying business.
When Jiang Miao was blanching the mutton and lamb ribs, Manager Wang came in. After smelling the fishy odor, he quickly covered his nose and said in a muffled voice: "Brother Jiang, you are not going to give me this to eat, are you?" The smell was obviously not as good as the one from that mutton restaurant.
Jiang Miao dropped a few drops of white vinegar into the pot to remove the fishy smell, and said casually: "How can I do that? I'm still processing them. If you want to cook the mutton deliciously, this step is indispensable."
Shopkeeper Wang was skeptical, but in the end his trust in Jiang Miao prevailed. But the smell was indeed unpleasant, and after saying "Come back when you're done," he quickly covered his nose and fled to the shop in front.
While the mutton was blanching, Jiang Miao washed the remaining piece of mutton and cut it into one-centimeter square cubes. He then marinated it with seasonings and put it on skewers.
This side was marinated, and the water over there was almost done. Jiang Miao methodically fished them out, cleaned them, and separated them, and then cooked them in different ways. While waiting for the mutton and lamb ribs to be cooked, he also took the time to pick up some charcoal fire and grilled the mutton skewers on it.
The cumin powder mixed with mutton fat dripped onto the charcoal fire and was devoured by the flames. The aroma was so overbearing that it soon drifted from the backyard to the front shop. Whether it was the customers shopping inside or the shop assistants, they couldn't help but sniff to smell the smell.
A regular customer joked with Shopkeeper Wang, asking what delicious food they were making inside and why they didn't take some out for everyone to try.
Shopkeeper Wang, who had been looking back frequently since a while ago, froze. Seeing that everyone was looking at him expectantly, he could only fake a smile and said, "I'm afraid it's not cooked yet."
"Don't worry, Erzi, go in and take a look. If it's cooked, take some out and let everyone taste it." The guest who spoke was Wang's old friend Chen. The two of them would go out together to look for food when they had nothing to do. As the saying goes, whoever sees it gets a share. This thing is so delicious, how can Wang enjoy it alone? He usually gets his share!
The waiter named Erzi looked at his boss, and when he saw him nod, he immediately ran to the backyard, and soon came back to the front with a handful of mutton skewers.
The shiny red skewers of meat, sprinkled with fragrant seasonings, were so tempting to the people at a time when their diet was not yet very developed.
Shopkeeper Wang took it with a painful look on his face, and gave a bunch to everyone in the store. After he took a bite of the meat, he regretted it even more. Such delicious meat should be kept for himself!
After finally seeing off these eager-to-eat foodies, Shopkeeper Wang immediately prepared to go to the backyard. However, he did not expect that Shopkeeper Chen, who had just pretended to leave with him, came back again.
"You, Old Wang, are so unfair! You are my brother but you are the only one eating alone?" Shopkeeper Chen looked at him sideways, as if he would break off the friendship with him immediately if he dared to say so.
Shopkeeper Wang sighed, knowing that the remaining delicacies could not be saved: "You old thing, you are very cunning! Come in!" Shopkeeper Chen immediately smiled and followed Shopkeeper Wang inside.
When the two walked out of the kitchen, they smelled a strong aroma of meat again. Different from the smoky smell from the burning fruit charcoal just now, this was an aroma that came from thick oil and red sauce. Just smelling it made people hungry and they wanted to eat a lot.
Shopkeeper Chen took a deep breath and said, "That's the smell!" He had smelled another smell when he was eating the skewers just now.
"You have a keen nose!" Shopkeeper Wang retorted to him, then asked, "Brother Jiang, is it ready?" He looked impatient and no longer had any doubts about Jiang Miao's craftsmanship.
"Done!" Jiang Miao said. He took out the lamb ribs with juice from the pot and sprinkled some chopped green onions on top for garnish.
Shopkeepers Wang and Chen had already served their meals and were waiting nearby. When the plates were brought to the table, they ate without even looking up. When they came across something tough, they just started eating. After they had finished the two or three catties of lamb ribs on the table, they raised their heads in satisfaction.
"Brother Jiang, your cooking skills are amazing!" he said, "If that mutton restaurant is willing to let you be the chef, the business will definitely be booming."
"Yes, I only thought your buns were delicious, but I didn't expect your dishes were so good too! What a great chef!" Shopkeeper Chen had also bought Jiang Miao's buns, but he was a pure carnivore and mostly ate food with some meat in the morning.
"Haha, I can't be a chef. I feel comfortable running my own small business. I would be timid if I went to work in someone else's store." Jiang Miao had been a chef in a hotel before, but who would have thought that in a kitchen with only twenty people, there would be three factions fighting each other openly and secretly. Jiang Miao, the newcomer, almost became a cannon fodder. Fortunately, he resigned after only three months.
"That's right," Shopkeeper Wang nodded. Being a small boss is definitely better than being a clerk. "Hey, that's not right. Didn't you say that one lamb can be eaten three ways? What about the other one?"
When Shopkeeper Chen heard what he said, he immediately became excited. He was still not full after the three of them shared the lamb ribs.
"Isn't this it?" Jiang Miao opened the lid of the jar, and a fresh aroma wafted out. He scooped out a few bowls of mutton and handed them to the two of them, asking them to taste it.
Shopkeeper Wang took a sip and his eyebrows trembled. The soup looked like nothing was put in it and it was a bit bland, but you could tell how good it was after you put it in your mouth. Even Shopkeeper Chen, who always liked thick and red pickled vegetables, felt the same way.
On the other side, Pei Che and his brother were also eating mutton. This was a braised mutton dish, which was made by the chef of the inn from the freshest and tenderest piece of meat cut from a newly bought sheep today, and was specially presented to the two gentlemen to taste.
Pei Che took a bite and found it tasted OK, so he asked Wen Jing to pick some for Pei Mu as well. Pei Mu sat on the chair, opened his mouth when the spoon was handed to him. He chewed it twice, frowned slightly, but still swallowed it.
Seeing him eat, Wen Jing picked up another piece and put it on the rice, bringing it to his mouth. Pei Mu stared at the spoon, opened his mouth and took it in, chewed it quickly twice, and swallowed it quickly.
"The young master seems to like eating mutton very much." Chan Yi said. She hadn't seen him eat so fast in the past two days.
Pei Che advised in a gentle voice: "Mu'er, even if you like it, you should eat slowly. Besides, these are all for you."
Wen Jing picked up another piece for him. This piece had some skin on it, and he couldn't chew it thoroughly and swallow it. Suddenly, Pei Mu's face changed, and he vomited out everything he had just eaten with a wow sound.
"Mu'er, what's wrong with you? Chanyi, go get a doctor!" Pei Che suddenly stood up and hugged Pei Mu. His brother had never vomited after eating. Could there be something wrong with the mutton? Thinking that he had only eaten one piece, while his brother had eaten several pieces, Pei Che's face changed.
"Wen Jing, ask the guards in the mansion to guard the front and back doors of the inn and don't let anyone escape." He said in a deep voice, with a stern look in his eyes.
"Yes!" Wen Jing was also frightened, and with tears in his eyes he hurried out to give the order.
"The doctor is here!" Chan Yi shouted. There was a resident doctor in the post station to guard against possible health conditions of officials traveling to and from the post station.
The doctor came in hurriedly and asked Pei Che to lay Pei Mu flat. Then he used various methods such as observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation to carefully examine Pei Mu.
"Doctor, what's wrong with my brother? Is there something wrong with the mutton?" Pei Che saw that he seemed to have come to a conclusion but didn't know how to start, so he immediately asked.
"This... The young master probably just doesn't like the taste of mutton, so his reaction is so strong. There's nothing wrong with the meat. You might as well feed him something else to prevent him from having this problem again." Mutton has a mutton smell. People who like it love it, but people who don't like it don't want to eat a single bite.
“…” No one had expected this conclusion, and the atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Pei Che recalled and found that mutton was rarely cooked in the mansion. His grandmother didn't like mutton, so the kitchen rarely bought it. If others wanted to eat it, they would go to restaurants outside to satisfy their craving. Mu'er had never eaten out before, so it was inevitable that she couldn't get used to the taste for a while.
Pei Che felt a little sad. He looked at Pei Mu lying quietly on the bed and apologized softly: "Mu'er, I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't like mutton. If you come across something you don't like in the future, can you tell me... or just shake your head?"
Pei Mu looked at him, and just like before, there was no reaction.
Pei Che sighed, carried him to the table, and asked Wen Jing to continue feeding him, but this time he didn't eat any mutton. He put down the meal he had only taken a bite of, and slowly walked out the door.
"Master, news has come from the front that Lord Feng's carriage is several miles away!" The guard came back to report as soon as he received the news.
"Grandfather is back?" The joy that surged in his heart cleared the haze just now, but then Pei Che thought of his grandmother's instructions again. He always felt that he came here with a certain purpose. Such impure feelings made him feel ashamed to face his loving grandfather.
"Tell the others to wait at the door together." He spoke calmly, trying to hide his fluctuating emotions.
The news of Mr. Feng's return to Beijing soon became a hotly discussed news in Liangjing City.
He has been holding the imperial sword and patrolling for nearly a year. During this year, officials from top to bottom of Daliang were in a state of tension and anticipation. Everyone knew that he was a veteran of three dynasties and had always been honest and upright. Many corrupt officials died under his hands, but there were also many more diligent and good officials who were promoted by him and became pillars of the region.
He was old, and this must be his last tour. So he was particularly ruthless this time, in order to let other officials learn from him and not dare to do bad things so blatantly for at least a few years.
Jiang Miao heard a lot about this old man's deeds and admired him very much. Although there is a saying that "officials who don't serve the people should go home and sell sweet potatoes", there is also a saying that "the government office faces south, and you can't come in if you have no money." There were many more corrupt officials in ancient times than in modern times, and their behavior was more arrogant. If such words like "the county magistrate who ruined the family, the prefect who wiped out the family" can be spread, it means that someone has suffered greatly from it.
Jiang Miao was glad that he came to the imperial city, because even if the people here were bad, they would not dare to be so obvious. Now that the ruthless Lord Feng has returned, not to mention the officials, even the ordinary ruffians and bullies will have to keep their tails between their legs for a while.
The words "crack down on gangsters and eliminate evil" are almost engraved on Lord Feng's face. Who among those who have done bad things would not be afraid
(End of this chapter)