Chapter 66: Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodles

Chapter 66 Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodles

Shen Miao carefully gathered her skirt and walked to the edge of the pond to look around.

The desolate pond before her was about one acre in size, surrounded by thick reeds, mostly withered and broken at this time of year. The wind scattered the reed flowers, which fell between the shore stones and the mud. Shen Miao only stood for a while, and her clothes were already speckled with them.

The shallow water by the pond was cluttered with debris, and a few fish corpses floated belly-up, entangled with algae and water plants, rendering the scene lifeless.

Shen Miao indeed wanted to buy a few acres of land. She couldn’t afford land in the outskirts of Bianjing, so she focused on nearby villages.

This was also one of the reasons why she agreed to Bai Laosan's invitation to go to Bai Village for a roasted whole lamb, despite knowing the pay was meager.

The "Old Yanzhou Roast Duck" had been on the market for several months now, sparking the Bianjing people's passion for roasted duck. However, Shen Miao could only roast twenty ducks a day, partly because she only had one duck roaster at the moment. She had already ordered a second one, but it hadn't been delivered yet. But the duck roaster wasn't the most pressing issue; the main problem was the shortage of ducks!

The supply of "small white ducks" from the duck farms around Bianjing was insufficient. Aunt Li had been tirelessly searching these days, scraping together barely enough ducks to meet the daily requirement of twenty. She’d repeatedly complained to Shen Miao, asking if they could buy the local green-headed ducks.

In and around Bianjing, there were more people raising pigs and sheep than chickens and ducks. Moreover, the local ducks were predominantly green-headed ducks or mallards domesticated from wild ducks. These two types of ducks had strong flying abilities, grew slowly, had tougher meat, and less moisture, making them inferior for roasting compared to the small white ducks.

When Shen Miao first tried roasting Beijing duck, she used the mallards raised by Aunt Li. The meat turned out dry, and although it was fragrant, the meat was chewy and grainy, and it even got stuck in the teeth—nothing like the roasted duck she recalled. In the end, they either ate it or shared it with neighbors; none were sold.

Later, Shen Miao described the small white ducks to Aunt Li and asked her to look for them in the outer city. They eventually located them.

Although the small white ducks later earned the grand name "Beijing duck," part of their ancestors were actually Nanjing lake ducks. Historically, the Zhu family, who were extremely fond of roasted duck, even brought Nanjing ducks with them when they moved the capital to Beijing, relocating southern ducks to the north.

It’s said that Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, brought these white ducks to Beijing's Nanyuan for breeding. After crossbreeding with Beijing's Baihe Pu ducks, they eventually became the Beijing duck.

Reflecting on history, it’s rather amusing that the Yongle Emperor, who led eight hundred soldiers from the north to the south, had to tie hundreds of quacking live ducks to the supply carts during his grand relocation to guard the capital.

Due to the flourishing water transport in the Song Dynasty, the small white ducks were still called Jinling lake ducks at that time. A few years ago, they were brought to Bianjing by southern merchants from afar. Initially, they were sold as pets because of their beauty, and only a few specialized duck farmers had them. They were scarce, and each pound was five coins more expensive than the mallards.

Why did Shen Miao value these small white ducks so much? Just look at how the emperor insisted on bringing them during his relocation; it shows they must have some advantages.

The small white ducks in Jinling were fed with rice husks and earthworms, making them not only tender and meaty but also fast-growing, large in size, with plump muscles and white feathers. They were beautiful yet not delicate, able to adapt to both the warm southern weather and the dry, cold northern climate.

From the inside out, they completely outshone the dull, green-capped, lean, and tough wild mallards!

Unlike the abundant supply of roasted fish and the cheap grass carp, there were too few people raising white ducks in Bianjing. Every time Shen Miao heard some customers complain that they couldn't buy roasted duck for several days in a row, and seeing that even pre-orders couldn't keep up, she gradually developed the idea of raising ducks herself.

She had already started asking Aunt Li to collect small white duck eggs, as many as possible, and then let Aunt Li's broody hens hatch them. Now, more than a dozen had hatched, but this wasn't a sustainable solution. Raising them in her own yard, she couldn't keep many.

Shen Miao had cooked at the Feng family several times and saved quite a bit of gold. It was unsafe and unprofitable to keep it hidden in the cellar, so she thought it would be better to use it to buy land, raise ducks, and start her own duck farm.

For a restaurant to grow, it must have a stable source of meat. In her previous life, Shen Miao had also contracted a small hill and set up a pig farm, specializing in free-range black pigs. The black pork produced not only supplied her own restaurants but was also made into bacon and sausages for live-stream sales. She even started a "year-pig pre-order" system, where customers could pick their piglets, and she would stamp the pig's ear and back with "So-and-so's pig." The next year, when the pigs grew up, she would help slaughter and deliver them, and the business was extremely popular.

With a stable meat source, the quality of the dishes wouldn't be affected by meat issues, ensuring long-term stable customer flow, and the reputation and brand would grow stronger.

She heard that Fanlou had its own sheep, cattle, and pig farms, covering more than ten acres and raising thousands of animals.

Shen Miao didn't dare compare herself to Fanlou, nor did she have such financial power, but she could still manage a small-scale duck farm for roasted ducks.

The wind stirred her clothes, pulling her out of her daydream about the duck farm. She glanced at Xie Qi, who had become cautious when mentioning the Guo family, and couldn't suppress her curiosity. She descended the slope, the withered grass crunching underfoot, and whispered to Bai Laosan's wife, "Since the Guo family's hidden land has been taken over by the government, how can they still cause trouble and prevent you from renting it? Aren't they afraid of being held accountable by the authorities?"

Bai Laosan's wife also whispered to Shen Miao, explaining the situation: "The Guo family is not to be trifled with. They live in Chenliu Town, and their mansion occupies an entire street there. When the government issued the decree to measure the land, their four thousand acres of hidden land were all registered, and they had to pay a lot more taxes! So, they gave up some of the poor land, mountain land, and pond land in nearby villages, turning them into government land. It's said that they even gained a good reputation in front of the authorities.

But after giving up so much land, it was like cutting off their own flesh. Although they didn't mention it openly, how could they not harbor resentment?

There was a newcomer in the village who didn't listen to our local advice and didn't believe in the rumors. He rented this land and pond from the government, thinking he could make a fortune by raising fish and planting rice. But he didn't know that the Guo family still had a large piece of land upstream! When it was time for the crops to head, they cut off the water. The newcomer went to the Guo family to demand an explanation, but he was beaten black and blue by their tenants. He reported it to the authorities, and when the officials came, the Guo family had already been informed and had restored the water, denying everything. But as soon as the officials left, they repeated their trick and even secretly threw rat poison into the pond, killing a large number of fish. The family had no evidence and couldn't keep up the fight. After a year, they were exhausted, the fish were dead, the crops withered, and last year, the man of the family, deeply in debt, hanged himself from a beam."

Shen Miao widened her eyes: "Did it really result in a death?"

"Exactly. If it weren't for our Bai family, with over a dozen branches living together here, making us a formidable group, and keeping watch over the canal's upstream almost around the clock every summer when water is scarce, and also because we have opened shops in Bianjing, gaining some clout, the Guo family wouldn't dare to bully us. Otherwise, they would probably want to drive us away too. They're probably biding their time until the land goes fallow to reclaim it."

Xie Qi's face burned with shame. Although his surname is Xie, he felt utterly disgraced at this moment.

Shen Miao immediately dismissed the idea of renting or buying this land.

She, too, was an 'outsider' and couldn't compete with the sinister Guo family. She figured it was wiser to scout out another plot. She then asked the Bai family's wife to help her keep an eye out for land connected to a pond, as ducks are waterfowl and need ample water sources.

The Bai family's wife nodded: "I'll have my man keep an eye out for you, Madam Shen."

After looking around, Shen Miao found that most of the wasteland in Bai Village was once owned by the Guo family. She reluctantly decided to turn back. Xie Qi accompanied Shen Miao through what should have been fertile fields, now barren, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest.

The government had rolled out the 'Boundary Law'. Whether they were official or civilian households, everyone had to report the area, location, and source of their land, backed by the village head, and then verified by county officials. Once verified, they'd draw up a 'Land Register'. After the county magistrate confirmed its accuracy, other capable and honest officials from different regions would double-check it. Based on the Land Register, if a household's land didn't match the register, even with deeds, it would be seized.

Of course, the powerful clans weren't about to surrender their hidden land. Some greased palms, while others cooked the books beforehand, but most came out worse, handing the government a trump card. Some were exiled, demoted, or quietly executed, sparking a bloodbath.

The Xie and Feng families, having experienced the palace coup during the previous emperor's reign, had suffered greatly. They were the most compliant, willingly surrendering some of their hidden land and coughing up extra taxes. With a plea letter from their border uncle, they managed to scrape through.

Back then, the Guo family went ballistic, even firing off a letter to berate Xie's father for being spineless, calling him a spineless coward, groveling like a dog. But then what? Empress Guo was later deposed and booted from the inner court, and the Guo family head got stripped of his military governor title. They quickly fell in line.

But who could've guessed their obedience was just a front, and they were still pulling shady stunts!

This was the first time Xie Qi had heard about the Guo family's behind-the-scenes misdeeds. He thought, that outsider really suffered. Why didn't he go to Bianjing to complain? Perhaps he hadn't heard about the emperor's search for pigs. If he had gone all out and submitted a complaint to the Imperial Censorate and the Kaifeng Prefecture, causing a big enough stir to reach the emperor, given the current situation, it would likely be the Guo family that would suffer.

The emperor was just looking for an excuse to confiscate their property.

Shen Miao, having failed to buy the land, was in low spirits on the way back to Bianjing. Xie Qi sat on the ox cart, his body swaying with the cart. He glanced at Shen Miao several times, seeing her frowning in deep thought, and his heart was in turmoil.

Powerful families often intermarried. His third aunt's sister's cousin's daughter was married into the Guo family.

Xie Qi struggled with the dilemma of betraying his class and relatives, but he couldn't deceive his own heart. It wasn't just about helping Madam Shen, but also because he had read books, understood principles, and seen many things in the world. He knew right from wrong but couldn't bring himself to strike that blow.

He despised himself for having wasted his education.

Meanwhile, the children were carefree. Xiang Jieer and Yan Shu played a clapping game on the cart, laughing together when they missed a clap, disturbing Chen Chuan's recitation. Ji Geer, annoyed by their noise, moved to sit next to Bai Laosan.

When they returned to the inner city, the ox cart stopped in front of Shen's Noodle Shop. A Tao came out with a smile: "Madam, you're back!" She proudly boasted, "Today, Fu Xing and I sold all twenty ducks! And thirteen bowls of mutton soup!"

Shen Miao also smiled, relieved. She got off the cart, thanked Bai Laosan, and then turned to praise A Tao: "Good A Tao, you're so capable. Next month, you'll definitely get double pay!"

"Thank you, Madam! If you have any errands, just go ahead. I'll take care of the shop!" A Tao's face was flushed with joy. She was happy, without any worries, just focused on earning money to buy her mother's freedom as soon as possible.

Xie Qi stared blankly at the smiles of Madam Shen and A Tao. He had heard about A Tao's background from Madam Shen, and it touched him deeply.

His uncle had once taught him that one should be like a straight pine tree, standing firm in the wind and showing resilience in the snow. Reciting this in his mind, he slowly felt a mix of determination and sorrow: since the powerful families were like a collapsing building, instead of being slowly cut apart, it would be better to let them face their fate decisively and then rise again.

Moreover, Xie Qi worried: did the emperor really not know about the tricks of the gentry? Or was he deliberately holding back, accumulating evidence for a final reckoning? Thinking about the hasty increase in imperial examinations this year, it was somewhat chilling.

Land measurement, increased examinations, stirring dissatisfaction among the gentry, the looming guillotine... It was as if a lightning bolt flashed through Xie Qi's mind.

He seemed to have guessed what the emperor was planning!

If the Guo family had such dark deeds, did the Xie family not have any? What about the Feng family? Xie Qi pondered deeply. Even though the Xie family had strict discipline, with such a large family, there were bound to be unseen corners where bad things could fester. Instead of waiting for the emperor to strike, it would be better to expose their own wrongdoings first, cut off the rot, and then deal with the rest...

"Ninth Geer? Ninth Geer?"

Xie Qi suddenly snapped out of his thoughts to see Madam Shen waving a hand in front of his eyes.

"What are you thinking about so deeply? There's still some duck soup left. Let's slice some pork fillet and have clay pot rice noodles for dinner, how about that?"

Xie Qi absentmindedly murmured, "Okay... okay..."

Seeing his agreement, Miss Shen prepared to go to the backyard to gather the ingredients. Although she said clay pot rice noodles, what she really wanted was Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles! Thinly sliced pork fillet, paired with vegetables like chives, bean sprouts, and black fungus, all cooked in a piping hot broth—it would be so fragrant.

Not finding the right land for now was unavoidable, but she could always look more carefully later or ask Yao Luoge if he knew of any suitable options. There would always be a way! Miss Shen had been thinking about it the whole way back and had already come to terms with it, her mind now filled with the joy of slurping noodles.

Just as she turned around excitedly, her arm was suddenly grabbed by Xie Qi.

She turned around in shock, looking down at her held arm, her heart pounding. But then she heard Xie Qi's unusually serious and formal voice from above: "Miss Shen, thank you."

Miss Shen looked puzzled, "For what?"

Xie Qi had already let go of her arm and gave her a deep bow. "Miss Shen, I... I won't be having the rice noodles today. I have urgent business to attend to at Spring Estate. I must leave now..." Before Miss Shen could react, he had already called for Yan Shu, telling him to quickly hire a carriage.

Yan Shu walked out with a sullen face, feeling wronged: Ninth Brother didn’t want to eat, but he wanted the rice noodles!

Soon, Yan Shu reluctantly led a driver back, hitched a carriage, and looked at Miss Shen with a pitiful expression.

Miss Shen shrugged, and Yan Shu looked even more like he was about to cry.

Before boarding the carriage, Xie Qi turned back and said to Miss Shen, "Miss Shen, don’t rush to buy land for now. Maybe wait until next month..." He gave a somewhat bitter and strange smile, "In a few days, there might be plenty of affordable and high-quality land up for sale."

Miss Shen was completely baffled. What was going on? Could land just appear out of thin air? And affordable and high-quality land at that? It sounded too good to be true.

But Xie Qi didn’t explain further. After saying this, he hurriedly left with Yan Shu, who kept looking back reluctantly.

In the wind, it seemed like Yan Shu’s voice floated back, sounding as if he were saying goodbye forever: "Rice noodles..."

Poor Yan Shu. Miss Shen shook her head with a smile. When he came back, she would make it for him again. Just as she entered the house, Fu Xing poked his head out from the kitchen, calling her to ask what to do with the soup now that it was ready. She quickly turned and went in.

The kitchen was warm, and the rich duck soup was milky white. Fu Xing had added some pork bones to the broth, which was now boiling.

She glanced at it and nodded. The soup was perfectly rich.

A Tao had returned with the coarse sour broth rice noodles. Miss Shen had specifically asked her to buy freshly made, springy sour broth rice noodles. Sour broth rice noodles were made by fermenting rice, filtering it, steaming the paste, and then extruding it. They looked slender and elastic, with a stronger rice aroma.

Tang Er had already sliced the pork fillet, pork liver, and fish fillets paper-thin, and the other vegetables were also prepared.

Having help was great. Miss Shen looked at the orderly kitchen and felt completely relaxed.

She took a large soup bowl, preheated it with hot water until it was scalding, then filled it with the rich, simmering broth. Following the order of meat first, then vegetables, she quickly added the sliced ingredients to the broth, gently stirring with chopsticks until they were cooked. Finally, she added the rice noodles and seasoning.

To make good Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, the broth had to be well-simmered, the meat had to be thinly sliced, and the cooking of the meat and vegetables had to be quick. This way, the meat and vegetables would be tender, and the noodles would be silky and smooth, allowing you to enjoy a steaming hot bowl of noodles.

In autumn, having a small hot pot for each person, eating a warm bowl, and scooping up some crispy soybeans and adding some ginger and chili oil, then blowing on it with chopsticks and slurping it in while it was steaming hot—it was even more hearty and flavorful.

By the end, you might even break a sweat.

Miss Shen brought the steaming hot Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles to the table. Xiang Jieer was already eager, sitting at the edge of the table, not even steady on the stool yet, but already holding her chopsticks. Ji Geer followed closely behind. Since he had been at the academy, he had become very eager to eat at home.

Chen Chuan also stared at the hot pot without blinking.

Tang Er had never eaten such rice noodles before. Smelling the steaming aroma, he swallowed his saliva and quickly picked up a chopstickful. With a "slurp," his eyes lit up. The noodles cooked this way were silky and smooth, coated with the fresh broth, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.

Delicious!

Tang Er’s cheeks puffed up as he ate, his mouth covered in broth, and he mumbled, "This is so good, I could eat three big bowls!"

He was truly grateful to have been sold to Shen Miao by the matchmaker, not only because he often got to eat meat, but also because every meal was utterly delightful.

Shen Miao made everything look so effortless, as if it were simple. Tang Er sometimes watched from the side and thought, "Doesn't look that tough, I could pull it off too." But when he actually picked up the knife and started cooking, it was a different story.

Everything Shen Miao made would leave him utterly delighted, while everything he made himself tasted like boiled water.

For a while, the courtyard was filled with the sound of slurping noodles. Xiang Jieer had a particularly long noodle that she couldn't seem to finish, making her stand up in exasperation. But she refused to let go or bite it off, determined to eat it all in one go.

Shen Miao was on edge, fearing she might choke, but fortunately, Xiang Jieer had good lung capacity and managed to finish it in one breath.

By the time Shen Miao and the others had finished eating, customers had started trickling into the shop. Many asked if there was any roast duck left, but A Tao had to repeatedly tell them it was sold out, instead promoting the grilled fish. She had crafted a persuasive pitch, smiling as she said, "Sir, in autumn, nothing beats fish for warming and nourishing your belly, besides beef and lamb. This grilled fish, served hot, will surely not disappoint you."

Indeed, they sold a lot more grilled fish that day.

However, something strange happened. Many scholars and students, dressed in their academic robes, came specifically for the roast duck. When A Tao told them there was no roast duck left, they looked crestfallen, muttering scholarly phrases before trudging off. Later, A Tao came in mysteriously and said to Shen Miao, "Madam, rumor has it a student penned an essay titled 'Ode to Shen's Roast Duck,' and it's supposed to be a real masterpiece. It's already making the rounds among the students, and many came today after reading that essay, determined to taste the roast duck it described, to savor its acclaimed flavor."

A Tao looked at Shen Miao with admiration, "Madam, you're a genius for coming up with this idea! Now folks say if you hit Bianjing and skip Shen's roast duck, you might as well not have come! Our shop's become a real hotspot!"

But then she sighed with regret, as if the people who didn't get to eat the roast duck had taken away piles of copper coins right before her eyes, "It's a pity we can only roast four or five ducks a day, and they're gone in a flash... No, I gotta check with Fu Xing if he's nailed the turning technique! Every extra duck's a win!"

Shen Miao was dumbfounded, watching the constant stream of people asking for roast duck, completely baffled.

She never asked anyone to write that! And since when did she become Shen's Duck Shop? She's a legit noodle joint!

The name was all wrong, it sounded misleading and gave folks the wrong idea.

*

"But see the duck, its skin golden and shiny, when cut, it sizzles..." In Funing Palace, the hall lit by a large sea lamp, Zhao Boyun was also reading the "Ode to Roast Duck," his square, dark face beaming with smiles, "Take a thin pancake, spread it on the palm, then add some scallion strips... Haha, this guy's got a way with words—concise and vivid. Reading a few lines, it's like you're right there, chowing down on roast duck."

He shook the paper in his hand and asked Liang Qian, who was standing slightly bowed beside him, "Who penned this?"

"I heard it's Ning Yi from the Pi Yong Academy, Class A." Before this food ode was presented to the emperor, Liang Qian had already found out, and to prevent the emperor from asking further, he added, "His ancestors are from the Ning family of Weizhou. During the reign of the previous emperor, his grandfather Ning Chun served as the governor of Lianzhou."

"A descendant of a century-old family, no wonder the writing is so flowery and quick. Despite his seemingly frivolous focus on writing these food odes, his family's scholarly heritage is still evident." Zhao Boyun's smile remained, but his tone cooled slightly. He placed the ode on the desk and picked up other memorials to read for a while before suddenly looking up at the night outside and asking, "Where are General Xi Junior and General Yue now?"

"Your servant thinks, given the pace of the two generals, they should have passed Zhengzhou by now, and with a few more days of fast riding, they will arrive." Liang Qian bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Should your servant send someone to inquire?"

"No need, don't rush them. They are already traveling hard in the cold, and rushing them would only make it worse. Safety on the road is the most important." Zhao Boyun stood up and stretched, sighing quietly, "These complicated matters are not related to the two generals, but I must explain them clearly, as it involves their relatives, so that in the future, the two generals will not be estranged from me."

Seeing Zhao Boyun's mood turn somber, Liang Qian asked again, "There's still one roast duck left, should your servant go heat it up?"

Zhao Boyun was indeed easy to please, immediately turning around and nodding vigorously, "Go quickly!"

He had just read Ning Yi's "Ode to Roast Duck" and was salivating, even though he had already eaten today, he couldn't help but crave it again. Fortunately, Grand Eunuch Liang was like a worm in his stomach, understanding without needing to be told.

Liang Qian smiled, bowed, and hurried off to heat the duck.

The intrigues and undercurrents of the capital seemed to have no effect on the small courtyard of the Shen family.

After slurping noodles, the weather grew colder day by day. Elder Liang even came in person to discuss the banquet menu with Shen Miao, saying that the host was entertaining two distinguished guests from afar. Besides specifically requesting spicy soup and roast duck, one of them loved tofu and sour dumplings, while the other had no particular dislikes but especially loved red-braised pork with flatbread, so these dishes must also be included.

Shen Miao noted it all down, as these dishes were not difficult. She also asked Elder Liang how many kitchen staff the host had and if she needed to bring her own helpers. Elder Liang replied, "There are quite a few kitchen staff, but if you have helpers you're used to, feel free to bring them along."

Shen Miao nodded, thinking it would be perfect to bring Tang Er and Fu Xing, as she had already developed a good working rhythm with them.

Elder Liang also went over all the required ingredients, seasonings, and spices with her, jotting down three pages of notes. The old man even had excellent handwriting. After that, they agreed on the time to pick her up on the eighth, as it was an evening banquet, so they would come after noon.

Shen Miao naturally went along with the Liang family—she had always thought it was the Liang family hosting the banquet!

Two days later, frost quietly descended on Bianjing. Shen Miao woke up feeling the icy air and, huddling in her cotton clothes, went out to check. The Chinese cabbages in the yard were covered in frost, and many of the weeds and ivy in the corner had turned yellow and white. Shen Miao squatted there, breathing out warm air, and suddenly clapped her hands: she had forgotten, it was time to make spicy cabbage and soybean paste!

Nowadays, unlike in later times, vegetables were scarce in winter, so it was necessary to store and pickle more.

Just as the frost made the cabbage more crisp and tender, today they would pick some to make!

While the Shen family was busy picking cabbages, on the frost-covered post road outside Bianjing, the sound of galloping horses echoed like thunder, shaking the fine yellow soil and pebbles on the road. Soon, two teams of soldiers in bright armor raced past like shooting stars, disappearing into the morning mist in the blink of an eye, leaving only hoof prints and crushed frost behind.