Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"These cases between Baolu Palace and Zaozomen..." Tang Zhengzhang began.

Tang Zhengzhang was a Legal Officer in Kaifeng. True to his name, he had a sharp, angular face. Some of the younger officials behind his back called him "Donkey Officer" due to his long face.

"Of course, they are connected," another colleague agreed. "Pei Zhao, what's your take?"

Pei Zhao stood up straight and snapped out of his reverie: "The elder at Baolu Palace, the young merchant at Zaozomen, and the tea seller living in the nearby alley—all were killed with a single knife strike. Their hair was cut off after death, and a rhinoceros horn pendant was left at the scene. These cases are definitely connected."

"But there's no connection between the victims," Tang Zhengzhang said, scratching his head in frustration. "The three deceased were of different ages, hometowns, occupations, and social backgrounds. They didn't know each other in life. Who could they have possibly offended?"

Just as the discussion was heating up, the distant sound of the watchtower bell rang out, striking a hundred and fifty times.

"It's quitting time! Noon has arrived!"

A quick-handed clerk pushed aside the towering stacks of official documents on his desk and rushed out excitedly. "It's time for lunch!"

Some yamen had good welfare and provided meals;

Some yamen were conveniently located near the inner city, allowing officials to go home for lunch;

But Kaifeng was too congested, making it impractical to go home for lunch without wasting time in traffic. Therefore, the officials usually ate out. Luckily, there were plenty of small eateries around Kaifeng, catering to all tastes and budgets. Some enthusiasts even compiled an unofficial guide to rate the nearby eateries during their spare time.

Now, the officials began discussing: "Today, I'm craving some street-side water rice, paired with Cao's side dishes."

"By the way, I had fried noodles yesterday. It's such a delicious dish that I thought it'd be perfect for someone as impatient as you," Tang Zhengzhang said with a smile, recommending it to his colleague.

"Sure, let's go together today."

Tang Zhengzhang nodded and invited Pei Zhao: "Xiao Pei, would you like to join us for lunch? Cases are endless. Eating is more important."

Tang Zhengzhang had a good impression of this colleague.

Despite his youthful appearance, Pei Zhao had recently moved from the prestigious Jinwu Guard to the less glamorous Left Patrol Division in Kaifeng.

The Jinwu Guard was the elite royal guard, after all. To leave behind a promising future there and take up a thankless position as the Left Patrol Officer in Kaifeng's Left Patrol Division showed that he had his own ambitions.

"I won't go today. Please go ahead," Pei Zhao said, cupping his hands.

"You’re not planning to review cases during lunch, are you?" Xi Zhengjun asked sarcastically. "Well, after all, you're the Left Patrol Officer of the Left Patrol Division!"

As fellow officers, Xi Zhengjun, being a Judicial Officer, saw Pei Zhao as a rival, which fueled his envy.

All eyes turned to Pei Zhao, curious about his reaction.

But Pei Zhao ignored him completely, scribbling on a piece of paper as if he hadn't heard anything.

Xi Zhengjun, having made a fool of himself, left in embarrassment.

The two servant boys beside Pei Zhao watched as the yamen officials left one by one. They sat in the stable, chatting idly.

"Why do you think our young master left a promising position near the emperor to come to Kaifeng?" Da Fu rubbed the pockmark on his face. "Wouldn't it be better to hunt and show his face in front of the emperor occasionally?"

"You don't understand," Ming Di said, playing with a horse hair. "Kaifeng isn't just any ordinary capital."

The Pei family had served as clerks for generations. While not rich or aristocratic, their ancestors had married into families of mid-to-low-level officials. The boys, having grown up around the intricacies of officialdom, had picked up quite a bit about the ways of the world.

"Only the most trusted officials of the Emperor can become the prefect of Kaifeng."

"Don't be fooled by their current low ranks; they are only here to gain some shine on their résumés. Young Master has a keen eye and is aligning himself with someone on the rise. Once they rise to power, Young Master will be a trusted confidant from their humble days. And we two will also rise with him!"

"But, but..." Big Axe stammered, "The Golden Guards are also good. You can get familiar with the nobles there."

"The mistake with the Golden Guards is that everyone knows it's good! Brothers of imperial sons-in-law, the eldest princess's sons, and royal family heirs are all in there." Ming Di pointed out confidently, "Our family background is not impressive compared to theirs. When there's glory, their young masters take the credit. When there's blame, it's our young master who takes the fall."

"Isn't that unlucky?"

"Besides, those in the Golden Guards are just young men in their twenties, without official ranks themselves. By the time they could help our young master, it might be too late."

"It's better to stick with the high-ranking officials of Kaifeng." Ming Di analyzed confidently but felt an invisible pressure on his back, giving him an inexplicable chill.

He turned around to see his young master standing quietly: "Finished?"

Ah?

Ming Di fell off the carriage in fright: "Young Master, I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"Watch your words. Go receive your punishment when you get home today." Pei Zhao ordered, "Go fetch the horse."

"Young Master, are we going to eat now?" Big Axe perked up, "They're all going to eat fried noodles, should we go too?"

"No, we're heading to the Southern Division." Pei Zhao's expression was calm, "I'm going to see the judge of the Southern Division to request some case files. We'll have some cold snacks on the way."

Big Axe's shoulders visibly slumped.

After some thought, Ye Zhan decided to add small dishes for sale. After considering, she thought pickled sour vegetables were most suitable for summer.

First, she bought some mustard greens and cabbages, washed them, and rubbed them with coarse salt for pickling.

After some time, the cabbages began to release water, filling the bottom of a basin. By tradition, this saltwater should be discarded, but Mi Fengniang insisted on keeping it to enhance the flavor of dishes.

Once the vegetables were pickled enough, Ye Zhan went to the neighboring Zhao family and borrowed a bowl of rice water. Yes, the Ye family was so poor they didn't have leftover rice; they bought it fresh each day.

The rice water was boiled and then cooled. The already cleaned mustard greens and cabbages were placed inside.

Finally, scallions, ginger, garlic, rock sugar, and a splash of strong liquor rescued from Mi Fengniang's wine flask were added. That completed the process.

The next day, after sitting in a cool, shaded area overnight, it was ready.

The whole family praised Ye Zhan's culinary skills. Even before the pickles were served, family members gathered around, eager to taste them.

Jade Sister grabbed a slice of the pickled vegetable and popped it into her mouth, then exclaimed: "Sour!"

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she almost spat it out. But as the sharp tang on her tongue faded, she found the sourness to be just right.

The light lactic acid was refreshing and light, making one's appetite open up in the hot summer.

"We need to take it one step further." Ye Zhan began grinding mustard seeds.

"It’s already delicious; why do we need to do more?" Jade Sister licked her lips and voluntarily took over the grinding task: "My sister's hands are the hands of a master chef; they must not be hurt."

She ground the mustard seeds into a powder, added a bit of water, and steamed it to create yellow mustard sauce.

She mashed the garlic scallions into a paste, and Ye Zhan evenly spread the yellow mustard sauce, garlic scallion paste, and ginger-garlic paste on the pickled vegetable leaves.

These three condiments can create a spicy flavor, though not quite as potent as chili peppers, they add an extra layer of complexity.

Jade Sister couldn't wait to pop the pickled sour cabbage into her mouth.

In addition to the comfortable sourness from earlier, this sour cabbage had a hint of spiciness.

The sharpness of the yellow mustard made her eyes water, but it was incredibly satisfying.

The spiciness of the pickled shallots, ginger, and garlic all came together, flooding the mouth with complex flavors that felt almost like a celebration.

Jade Sister ate one and couldn't help but grab another piece with her hand.

When Mi Fengniang saw this, she yelled, "That's what your sister made to sell! You're not allowed to eat it!"

"It's okay, I only serve the ones from the jar that haven't been touched yet," said Ye Zhan, who was always strict about food hygiene as a former executive chef.

She then took down the abacus hanging from the ceiling beam and carefully washed off the soot.

"Your father and I worked hard to smoke this bacon," Mi Fengniang said, looking at it with deep affection. "This bacon has to last until the 12th lunar month, and we'll only make the next batch after the year-end pigs are slaughtered."

"Our family is really thrifty," Jade Sister casually remarked.

"This is nothing compared to how frugal people used to be. Your great-grandfather told me that in the countryside, some families wore the same pair of pants for generations, passing them down from one brother to the next."

"What did they do when working in the fields?" Ye Zhan asked skeptically.

Ye Dafu laughed as if he had heard something funny. "Fieldwork is tough—who'd want to ruin their clothes? They just worked shirtless."

He recalled that when cutting bacon in the countryside, there was a technique to it. Skilled housewives would slice it very thinly so it would last longer.

Before the family's decline, Mi Fengniang was a wealthy landlady, so she didn’t possess this skill and could only watch Ye Zhan cut.

Ye Zhan’s skills were excellent, and the family watched in admiration.

Ye Li held a slice up to the light and exclaimed, "You can see right through it!"

After slicing the bacon, Ye Zhan tested the dishes at home.

She made stir-fried bacon and steamed bacon.

The crispy cabbage and soft amaranth had a salty tang that instantly whetted the appetite.

The steamed bacon was placed in the steamer, and the unique flavor of the dried meat spread with the steam.

When stir-frying the bacon, it was even more amazing. Hot oil poured in, bacon into the pan, and the fragrant aroma immediately captivated everyone.

The family ate with great satisfaction, and even Mi Fengniang, who was always frugal, didn’t mention anything about the oil being wasted.

The next day, Ye Zhan started her preparations, and by mealtime, many customers arrived, including several from the previous day.

Ye Zhan was well-prepared. Her stir-fried noodles could also be made into soup noodles, with three types of toppings ready in advance to ease the queue situation.

She warmly welcomed the customers, "Today, we've got a new side dish—pickled sour cabbage—and a new dish, bacon and sour cabbage stir-fried noodles. Want to give it a try?"

The customer was curious. "Let's give it a try."

Ye Zhan was a bit excited herself. While her family enjoyed the new flavors, would the customers like them too?