The county slaughtered those livestock as soon as they were brought back. The pork, chicken, duck, and goose meat didn’t need salt for preservation – they just buried them in the snow, and within two hours they were frozen solid.
Now with heavy snow blocking the roads, supplies were cut off everywhere. Fortunately their county magistrate had made advance arrangements and everyone had stored some grain, but wanting to eat meat wasn’t as easy as before.
This time when they slaughtered the pigs, even the pig blood that was usually looked down upon was kept. They added eggs and various seasonings to it, steamed it, cut it into blocks – pig blood cake stewed with sour cabbage had no fishy smell.
This time cooking the sour cabbage was supervised by He Zifeng. They used a huge pot, said to be a large iron ladle used by the army. One person couldn’t stir it – it took three or four people each holding a shovel as big as a spade to prevent it from burning.
They stewed a pot of sour cabbage, blood sausage, and white meat. The county had its own tofu workshop and had frozen over two hundred pieces of frozen tofu in advance, adding them in batches. The big pot cooked for several hours. When it was done, they ladled it out and stewed new ingredients in, cooking faster this way.
Even the county magistrate didn’t eat at home, waiting to eat this communal meal. Soon a bowl of steaming hot stew was served. Just smelling it made his eyes light up.
The county magistrate’s small kitchen had steamed rice. He picked up a piece of pig blood cake and tasted it – tender and smooth. Then he picked up some sour cabbage. It was said that over ten kitchen women had spent all last night cutting it. Crisp and refreshing with sourness, it opened his appetite, and he immediately ate some rice with it. After this bite, he wanted the next.
The county magistrate then picked up a piece of frozen tofu. The county’s frozen tofu was made from firm tofu, like a honeycomb with sour soup hidden inside. Eating it, he immediately followed with a big mouthful of rice – so satisfying!
The big pot cooking wasn’t as refined as small stoves, but eating it was more appetizing than small stove cooking. With the continuous snow, the county magistrate’s heart felt shrouded in fog. He hadn’t been in the mood to eat for several days, but today from the moment he arrived at the government office and smelled this aroma, he began craving it.
Once he started eating, he couldn’t stop. When his stomach felt full and bloated, he had already added rice three times. Even eating the sour cabbage soup with rice and a few soy sauce chili peppers, he felt he could eat another bowl. It was so good with rice.
Those soy sauce chili peppers were brought by He Zifeng, originally for himself. But these bailiffs always came to share his side dishes. He had no choice but to bring a small jar, which was empty within two days. The spicy, crispy feeling was especially good.
He heard those bailiffs all wanted to pool money to have him buy more. He Zifeng brought another jar, saying his family didn’t make much either. Now the bailiffs were reluctant to eat them, limiting themselves to two chili peppers per person. They wouldn’t let anyone take more.
Captain Zhu had told the county magistrate about this as a joke, but who knew the county magistrate would take it to heart. He also got some chili pickles to eat with proper ceremony. Who knew that once he started eating, he couldn’t stop. In winter, without these chilies adding spicy, salty, and fiery flavor, it always felt like something was missing.
If he had known earlier, the county would have paid to stockpile several jars. The county magistrate knew He Zifeng had this talent for making things, so he had him handle this government office sour cabbage stew. Indeed, it didn’t disappoint at all.
The county magistrate wouldn’t even let them throw away the small half basin of sour cabbage soup left at noon! With food shortages now, as county head he couldn’t waste, and he loved eating this. What a pity his appetite wasn’t bigger, otherwise he could eat more.
The stew that He Zifeng supervised was loved even by the county magistrate, someone accustomed to fine things, let alone the bailiffs. Ever since the continuous snow here, outside supply routes had been cut off, and restaurants had all closed. There was nowhere to buy food.
The vegetables stored for winter were either radishes or cabbage. Eating them every day, even when made by master chefs, they had long grown tired of them. This sour cabbage stew was just perfect.
These people were all like piglets diving into feeding troughs, eating with their heads down and eyes closed. The kitchen women had made steamed buns for them, originally for morning and noon meals, but they finished them in one meal.
They had heard early on that this time it was for those shoveling snow, the tofu workshop, the cutting shop, and delivery to the poor villages. Usually these people who casually spent one or two taels of silver now had developed some food-hoarding instincts, afraid that if distributed, they wouldn’t get to eat.
Their mouths had been bland for so long – it was rare to eat something so appetizing.
He Zifeng saw his brothers coming over eagerly to ask and said: “Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone.”
The big iron pot kept stewing. There was still a large basin of unsimmered sour cabbage, quite a bit of frozen tofu, and though the pig blood cake and white meat were gone, they could throw in some pork bones for freshness. If the big pot fire didn’t stop and they kept adding vegetables, it could cook for three to five days.
Hearing He Zifeng’s words, the bailiffs beamed with joy.
A nearby bailiff joked with him: “Such little promise. Before, didn’t you say the food at Juxian Building wasn’t good? Now one bowl of stew has you this fragrant?”
The person being teased was thick-skinned and completely indifferent, saying: “You’re the same too.”
People who could be friends had some similarities – they were two of a kind, and neither should laugh at the other.
Eating so full in the morning, their whole bodies carried a lazy feeling, extremely comfortable, even a bit drowsy. Now they had people under them and weren’t as busy as before. But strangely, while they used to always want to be idle, now they couldn’t stay idle. It was still more solid to do some work.
Before, when anyone called them, it was “Official Sir,” but seeing them was like avoiding the plague. Now wherever they went, common people brought them wild vegetables, thanking them! This was a feeling they’d never had before. Wearing bailiff clothes made them very proud.
Even Xie Rui, that timid one, now straightened his back. This change even they weren’t aware of, but it was really happening.
Soon the portioned large buckets of big bone sour cabbage stew were distributed everywhere.
“Oh my, you’re really giving it?”
“I smelled it this morning – so fragrant!”
“Boss, I still have a sixty-year-old mother at home. Can I not eat mine and take it back?”
This was good food that even money couldn’t buy.
The supervisor said: “Sure.”
Everyone was even happier. Bringing this food back home would make adults and children happy.
…
At the government office, bailiffs looked for Captain Zhu to assign work. Captain Zhu was busy talking with the county magistrate and merchants below and had no time to handle this, saying: “Go ask He Zifeng.”
So the bailiffs all came to find He Zifeng.
He Zifeng said: “If there’s nothing else, how about selling sour cabbage soup along the streets? One coin per bowl.”
Use less sour cabbage and add more soup. Buying one bowl could let you taste the flavor. This was based on bone broth with bone marrow oil – drinking it wasn’t greasy and was nourishing. Let the county’s poor people also taste the flavor. Sour cabbage soup was easy to make and came out quickly pot after pot.
Hearing this, the bailiffs said: “Alright.”
Then several people pushed handcarts loaded with four buckets of sour cabbage soup and went out to sell.
Ever since the snow, money wasn’t worth much. The county magistrate tried hard to control prices, but some people still raised them slightly. One coin couldn’t buy anything. Being able to drink the same soup as the county magistrate for just one coin received great enthusiasm. In one alley, the four buckets of sour cabbage soup sold out.
The neighboring alley asked if they could buy some too. Several bailiffs had cheeks frozen red, but their spirits were good: “We’ll sell.”
Everyone in the city, as long as they didn’t mind, could drink the first bowl of sour cabbage soup of winter.
R : See you next week !
