After a trip to the capital, Mi Niang was very satisfied, Qiqige and Jiya were also satisfied. Later, when they went to the capital again to buy grain and alkaline, only Bahu went with them. The satisfaction from the previous day faded by nine points after spending the night. When they left, the three were still sleeping. When asked what else they wanted to buy, none of them gave a serious answer. The remaining one point of satisfaction also disappeared into the vast white mist.
After bringing back the food for humans and livestock, it was time to slaughter the cattle and prepare dried beef for next summer. Three buckets of beef tallow were piled up from the six cattle. Mi Niang moved the stove into the courtyard and boiled the beef tallow in an open space, greasy and fragrant.
After boiling the beef tallow for a while, she became nauseated by the fumes and thought of the spicy chili peppers. There was still about a bowl of beef tallow left in the pot with nowhere to put it. She took out a handful of chili peppers behind Bahu’s back, threw them into the hot oil, and immediately the pungent and spicy smell awakened her taste buds.
When Bahu smelled the aroma and rushed in, Mi Niang had already washed the pot and was preparing to stew beef bones.
“What’s wrong?” she pretended to be innocent.
“You used chili peppers to cook,” he asserted.
“No, I just fried a bowl of beef tallow with chili peppers. Weren’t you worried I would ruin my stomach with spiciness? From now on, when I use chili oil to cook, it won’t be as spicy,” Mi Niang slid the cleaned beef bones along the edge of the pot to the bottom. The pot still seemed to have a hint of spiciness. She suddenly remembered the sour fish soup made by Asyl. If she added two more chili peppers, the taste would definitely be even better.
“Do you have any pickled vegetables?” she suddenly asked.
Bahu turned to leave, “I bought some.” She liked to eat sour fish with pickled vegetables at Asyl’s house, so how could he not buy pickled vegetables.
Fresh beef was delicious just boiled in beef bone soup. While stewing the beef bones, Mi Niang was cutting beef and radishes in the kitchen. When the beef bone soup changed color, she added the radishes, and after cutting a basin of beef, she stopped. After being busy for a while, she felt a bit tired. If it wasn’t enough to eat, she would cut more later.
As the sky dimmed, the beef was all brought into the house, and the peeled cowhide was soaking in a dyeing vat. Outside, the bloody earth was sprinkled with the dung of cattle, sheep, horses, and camels. When spring came next year, it would be good land again for planting radishes.
In the evening, everyone gathered around the table to eat. In the middle of the table was the bubbling beef bone soup, and there was beef and mushrooms on the table. Each person had a plate of leek flower sauce in front of them.
“Let’s start, you’ve all worked hard all day.” It was only once a year that they slaughtered a cow, so they could seize the opportunity to eat beef to their heart’s content.
As others ate with enthusiasm, Mi Niang lost some interest. Her eyes kept glancing at the spicy beef oil solidifying on the stove. After some thought, she got up and took a small iron pot they used when eating with the family of four and Ajima. “Bahu, scoop me some beef bone soup.”
Seeing the others pause, she smiled and explained, “I like it spicy, but you can’t handle it, so I’ll have a separate pot.” It wasn’t that she was shunning them.
Bahu glanced at her, using a wet cloth to hold up the large iron pot, while placing the small iron pot on the stove. He scooped some soup and radishes, then reached out and asked, “Should I add chili oil or chili peppers?”
“Chili oil.” It wasn’t that she was afraid of getting diarrhea; she just wanted the chili peppers to have the right fried taste.
As two spoonfuls of slightly red beef oil entered the pot, the spicy flavor emerged.
“Achoo—” someone sneezed, turning away. “I’ll go open the door.”
The longer the soup bubbled, the stronger the spicy taste became. However, over time, they gradually adapted to it. Bahu brought two plates of cooked beef, and when the meat was done, he placed the small iron pot in front of her. He moved the large iron pot back to the stove and said, “Let’s continue eating.”
“Mama, I want to have a taste too,” Jiya leaned over and whispered softly, “It smells so good.”
Mi Niang picked up a piece of cooked beef and fed it to him. Catching Bahu’s glance, she said it was okay to give him some, “If we don’t let him taste, he keeps craving for it, can’t even sleep well, right?” At least she couldn’t.
Jiya nodded, chewing on the meat with just a hint of spice, but full of flavor.
“I want more,” he opened his mouth.
“Just one last piece.” After feeding Jiya, she also fed Qiqige, who had approached. “Just two pieces, that’s it.” The two children obviously still wanted more, but they didn’t persist.
Mi Niang stopped eating beef and radishes when she felt full. She scooped the remaining beef from the pot into Bahu’s bowl. “Try it; it tastes good.”
As soon as the man lifted his chopsticks, he frowned. After chewing a few times, his eyes widened. “Come on, let’s switch to another pot and taste the beef cooked in the spicy soup.”
“Don’t bother changing it, we still have spicy beef tallow anyway.” Mi Niang brought a bowl, scooped three ladles of beef tallow into the pot. Bahu, without hesitation, poured the remaining beef into the pot, moving so fast that no one could stop him.
While the beef was cooking in the pot, Bahu got up to cut more meat. He had just filled his stomach a bit and was far from being full. Unlike Mi Niang’s thin slices, his beef pieces were half a finger thick, about the size of a child’s palm. After cutting half of the beef, he sat back down to eat the cooked meat.
“Such a good taste when eaten together,” he remarked.
Xi Jil scooped up a spoonful, then another into his younger brother’s bowl before the beef was even fully chewed. Seeing this, others followed suit, each grabbing a spoonful, until only beef bones and mashed radishes were left in the pot.
“Boss, don’t rush to eat, pour the beef you cut into the pot first,” ChaoBao shouted, catching the bowl that Mi Niang brought over. “Following the boss, we’re also living the good life of eating well and enjoying spicy food.”
Someone asked what chili peppers were. Upon learning that they were the bright red things Mi Niang dried on the felt roof, they said, “The smell is choking, but it tastes pretty good.”
No one demanded seeds though. As soon as they heard they came from the Western Regions, they knew they wouldn’t be cheap to buy. Besides, even if they had the seeds, they might not be able to grow them successfully.
For these years, the best vegetables grown by the people of the Mobei were radishes. But there were too many pests. If they neglected them for even a short while, the vegetables they had been nurturing for a month or two would be reduced to stems. Over time, nobody bothered planting them anymore.
After washing up and lying on the kang (heated brick bed) in the evening, Bahu exclaimed with joy, “When Asyl’s family comes in the first month, I’ll make them spicy beef hot pot.”
Mi Niang chuckled, “You really get along well with Asyl, thinking about him all the time.”
“Besides you and the children, I have no one else to think about,” Bahu thought of the people living in Mao County, shook his head before he could ponder further.
“Invite the Hu family to dinner tomorrow. There aren’t many people who know how to cook with chili peppers. Let’s see if they can make use of them.”
Bahu hadn’t thought of this before. “It’s just a seasoning; it shouldn’t be of much use.” But he still agreed to go call them tomorrow.
…
When the Hu family arrived, it was already dinner time. Before they even entered the house, their voices could be heard through the door and window, “What delicious dishes are there? Stop playing dumb.” Seeing Qiqige and Jiya, Mr. Hu took out two purple-haired brushes from his sleeve, “Are they about four years old? It’s time to start learning to write with a pen.”
“They’re not even four yet. Come on in and sit down. The weather is gloomy as if it’s going to snow. The wind feels like you’re not wearing any clothes.” Bahu stood under the eaves and invited them in, “The meal is ready; just wash your hands and we can eat.”
The Hu family smelled the spicy aroma carried by the wind and asked, “What’s that smell?” The chili peppers used for decoration in the house had wilted and were taken away by the servants. The two gentlemen only remembered that chili peppers were pungent, forgetting all other smells.
When they realized halfway through the meal that it was chili peppers, they scolded Bahu for being audacious, “You dare to eat anything, not afraid of getting into trouble.”
“Only after a cat eats a person will it eat mice. Rest assured, you won’t lose your life over this.” Bahu replied sarcastically, hinting at Mi Niang’s intention, “I still have plenty of chili pepper seeds at home. I’ve saved dozens of them for planting next year. You can take the rest and see if you can make use of them.”
The Hu family faces brightened with joy. Wen Yin hugged Bahu’s shoulder, “Brother, you’re really thoughtful.” He felt like Bahu was his lucky star on his official career path. However, his father had only been promoted to Huxian Cheng for less than two years. At most, he would leave a good impression on the higher-ups and receive some rewards, but further promotion was unlikely.
“Don’t thank me, thank your sister-in-law. She bought the seeds, figured out how to grow them, and even thought of eating them because of her pregnancy cravings.” Bahu refused to accept the gratitude.
“That’s right, we should thank sister-in-law. It was also her credit for the previous corn incident.” Wen Yin turned to Mi Niang and bowed, “On behalf of my father, I thank Sister-in-law.”
“It’s just a coincidence,” Mi Niang waved her hand, “As long as you can make use of it, it’s fine.”
After sending the Hu family away after dinner, Bahu had just finished washing the dishes when it started snowing heavily outside. Just as the snowfall intensified, there was a knock on the door.
As Bahu opened the door, Wen Yin directed someone to bring two boxes inside. Without saying much, he quickly left.
“There are also ten silver notes.” Mi Niang took out a stack of paper from the box, totaling one thousand two. She felt a bit flustered holding it.
Bahu, on the other hand, remained composed. Seeing that the boxes mostly contained women’s hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and makeup, he sighed, “Officials are really rich.” He still remembered that the Hu family couldn’t compare to his current wealth when he was a child.
“Keep it. It’s probably just a drop in the bucket for their family.” He glanced at the contents of the boxes and wondered, “Just a few chili peppers, not much different from peppercorns or star anise. Is it worth such a big sum?” He didn’t want to regret it later if things didn’t turn out as expected.
“Maybe wealthy families use chili peppers as ornaments.” Mi Niang, being a beekeeper, knew that chili peppers were rare in the Mobei, and the Hu family had been eating them for two or three years, but they didn’t seem to have any particular attachment to them. “Just because honey is common in the Central Plains doesn’t mean it’s useful for officials and nobles.”
“Anyway, we’ve gotten rich again.” Mi Niang took out a pair of pink earrings, “We’ll give these to Qiqige for her birthday next year.”
