Qing Mulam claimed she was not greedy for drink, yet she still overdid it. Before the meal was even finished, she slumped over the table. In the end, it was A Mei who carried her back.
Tang Dongdong had eaten her fill too. As usual, she headed to the textile mill for a look around. She left with A Mei.
Xiao E yawned her way back to her room to sleep.
Zhou Jin had taken two sips of wine too. His face was now somewhat flushed. His eyelids drooped heavily. Yet he did not dare leave until Jin Feng dismissed him. Then he bowed properly and departed.
Only Guan Xiaorou and Run Niang remained in the room.
Jin Feng noticed Tie Hammer at the door, his eyes always glancing inside. He called out: “Tie Hammer, come in!”
Tie Hammer slapped himself stealthily. Then he entered the room with his head lowered.
Da Kang’s class thinking was extremely rigid. There had been many womenfolk in the room just now. He had kept stealing looks inside. By Da Kang’s rites and laws, such conduct was highly improper.
If he encountered a harsh master, a servant like that might be beaten to death with random sticks on the spot. At the very least, he would face a thrashing under house rules.
Tie Hammer was usually very dutiful. It was just that today the aroma of the wine had stirred the glutton in his belly. For a moment, he forgot his manners.
Tie Hammer had braced himself for a caning. Instead, he heard Jin Feng ask: “Has the night shift arrived?”
“Yes, they took their posts just now,” Tie Hammer replied glumly.
“Then why have you not gone back to rest if you are off duty?” Jin Feng asked.
The quadrangle where Jin Feng lived, along with key spots like the iron-smelting workshop and the textile mill’s warehouse, were guarded round the clock by veteran soldiers.
At night, another squad of personal guards took over.
Tie Hammer was the captain of Jin Feng’s personal guard. He basically worked long shifts.
If Jin Feng needed to work overtime in the iron-smelting workshop at night, Tie Hammer would sleep in the side room by the door to ensure he was on call.
But if Jin Feng stayed in at night, once the night shift arrived to relieve them, Tie Hammer was off duty.
“I will leave once the sir rests,” Tie Hammer said.
“Since you have not left yet, have something to eat before you go.”
Jin Feng said: “Run Niang, bring over some more stewed meat and side dishes.”
“Very well.”
Run Niang quickly cleared the used bowls and chopsticks from the table. Then she fetched two plates of side dishes and a basin of stewed meat from the kitchen.
“Head of the house, you and Brother Tie Hammer chat. I will go check on Xiao E.”
Guan Xiaorou knew Jin Feng had words for Tie Hammer. She rose, gave Tie Hammer a slight curtsy, and left with Run Niang.
“Sit. Eat some.”
Jin Feng pointed to a stool.
Though Jin Feng cared little for Da Kang’s worldly rites, he generally did not invite guards to the table during meals.
For one thing, he liked the casual air of family dinners. Calling in a guard felt like currying favour.
For another, with so many guards, whom to call and whom to leave out would be awkward.
So this was Tie Hammer’s first time eating at table with Jin Feng. But he felt no joy in it. Instead, he grew tense and stammered: “Sir, I know I was wrong. Beat me or punish me as you see fit… but I will skip the meal…”
“Why would I beat or punish you for nothing?”
Jin Feng said: “You are off duty, are you not? There is still some wine left here. I was thinking of letting you taste it. But if you do not want any, then never mind…”
Before he finished speaking, Tie Hammer plonked down on the stool. He grinned sheepishly: “Sir, I was only joking. For you to keep me for a meal shows you think well of me. If I left now, would that not be ungrateful?”
“You had your chance and let it slip. Too late for regrets now.”
Jin Feng made as if to put the wine jar away.
Tie Hammer grew frantic at the sight. He leapt up, hugged the jar, and begged: “Sir, I was wrong. I was wrong.”
“Enough, enough. Wipe that drool.”
Jin Feng saw that Tie Hammer’s saliva was nearly dripping. He lost interest in teasing him. He pointed again to the stool: “Have you drunk before?”
“I worked as an escort in a convoy firm for a spell once. The chief was fairly generous. When we lodged at inns, he would generally let us take turns at a drink.”
Tie Hammer said: “Later the chief died. The firm disbanded. I have not drunk since. Just now, one whiff of that scent, and the glutton came out.”
“Then taste it. See how my wine is.”
Whether wine tasted good was a very subjective thing. It might differ for each person. Take the jar on the table, for instance. Qing Mulam had praised it as peerless in the world. Xiao E found it impossible to swallow.
Tang Dongdong and Guan Xiaorou had never drunk before. They had no idea how to judge it.
So Jin Feng wanted to hear Tie Hammer’s take on the wine.
Tie Hammer chuckled foolishly. First he poured a small bowl for Jin Feng and offered it with both hands. Then he poured one for himself.
Qing Mulam had sipped the wine in tiny tastes. Tie Hammer was different. He lifted the bowl, sniffed once, then gulped a big mouthful like an ox drawing water.
“Good stuff!”
Eyes wide, he praised it. Then he drained the rest of the bowl in one go.
He followed with two more small bowls in quick succession.
“This wine is far fiercer than anything you have drunk before. You cannot take it so fast.”
Though Jin Feng drank little himself, he knew that knocking back spirits on an empty stomach was a grave error at the table.
He pushed the wine jar aside with one hand. With the other, he slid the basin of meat towards Tie Hammer: “Do not just drink. Try Run Niang’s handiwork.”
“My thanks, sir.”
Tie Hammer picked up a piece of stewed meat and popped it in his mouth. Then his eyes bulged. He stuck up a thumb in awe: “The flavour is too good. No wonder Miss Mulam, from such a noble house, praises Run Niang’s cooking every day. Sir, you are truly blessed with fine fare!”
“Even if you mean to flatter Run Niang, must you overdo it so?”
Jin Feng looked at Tie Hammer’s exaggerated face. Unbidden, the diners from that cartoon about the little Chinese chef came to mind.
“Sir, I am not flattering Run Niang. It is the plain truth.”
Tie Hammer thumped his chest: “I have wandered the rivers and lakes too. I have seen some of the world. This is the first time for stewed meat so fine. It has a unique fragrance.
After eating Run Niang’s stew, my wife’s version tastes of nothing at all. It is simply a waste of good meat. When I get home, see how I sort her out!”
“That is hardly your wife’s fault,” Jin Feng said with a smile: “This stew has no small amount of spices in it. The taste is bound to be richer.”
In Da Kang, things to season food with were very scarce too. Many spices came from Hu merchants who braved thousands of miles across endless deserts or distant seas. They were exceedingly costly. Common folk could not afford them.
The spices in Jin Feng’s pot of stew cost several times more than the wild hares themselves.
But ordinary folk had little need for them anyway. They so seldom got meat that even without any seasoning, they could gnaw the bones to splinters and swallow them down.
“No wonder the taste is so succulent. It has spices in it.”
Tie Hammer saw the light. He ate the meat no longer in great gulps, but chewed it slowly and savoured it, for fear of wasting such a rare treat.
“What do you make of my wine?”
Jin Feng pressed on: “I want the honest truth.”
