Tled by Serena Love

Unedited

Chapter 100: Bamboo Rice

Xie Xun did not expect this would happen. Jiang Shuyao took a basin of chicken wings and returned with a lot of rewards.

He looked at Jiang Shuyao's humiliated look and thought for a while, "Have you offered a recipe to the Emperor?"

Jiang Shuyao was rummaging through her boxes and cabinets looking for something, but she raised her head when she heard his words, "No, I just made a meal for the Emperor, and the Imperial Concubine Lin gave me some rewards because the Emperor was in a good mood."

Xie Xun originally thought that Jiang Shuyao's recipes should be given to the crown prince in the future, but then it would be a while before the prince boarded the throne when he thought about it. Besides, the crown prince would support her without her having to offer recipes. Maybe instead, they should present the recipes to the Emperor while the iron is hot.

"Have you ever thought of offering recipes to the emperor?" Xie Xun asked.

Jiang Shuyao didn't think her recipes were so great. It was just food recipes, not recipes to make iron and steel. Where would the Emperor need it?

Xie Xun understood her thoughts and explained to her carefully, "Don't talk about anything else, just say over-rice sauce. It is good with vegetables or meaty dishes to eat with rice. When the soldiers were marching to war, it was hard. If they get a bottle of sauce and dry food, they will be very happy. Besides, the sandwich you made for me last time, if it is properly sealed, I can guarantee that it will still be soft and fragrant after three days. All of those would be much easier to swallow than dry buns. Let alone instant noodles. If this thing can be spread all over the country, whether people are marching to war, visiting relatives, or doing business, they will be able to enjoy hot food on the road from now on."

Xie Xun said, "Don't worry, the Emperor will not interfere too much after he gets the recipes. He will definitely let the Lin family sell these foods. You will then guarantee a small profit from these three foods to the Emperor, but not too much. The small profit will be exchanged for the Emperor's backing. Just imagine if the Lin family has become a merchant appointed by the royal family. Who else would dare to compete with you?"

Jiang Shuyao was stunned by this, "Is it really okay? That's all?" She put down the things in her hand, "It doesn't matter whether the profit is small. The Lin family doesn't need this business to make money anyway."

Xie Xun walked up to her. He bent over to look at her, smiled, and said, "Don't you realize how precious your craft is?" He rubbed her head, "Furthermore, this is not a sale. If there is any food like instant noodles in the future, they must first be offered to the Emperor."

Jiang Shuyao didn't understand these political interests, so Xie Xun was right. She nodded and agreed.

Seeing her answer, Xie Xun said again, "Don't worry about the recipe for instant noodles. First, give the recipes for the sauces and toast."

Jiang Shuyao nodded, "Then I go now?"

"No, just leave it to me." He said as he walked out, "I will discuss with the crown prince first."

After he left, Jiang Shuyao reacted. Discussed it with the crown prince? Since when did the crown prince become one of them?

When the crown prince and Xie Xun were discussing how to deal with those things, Zhou-shi was in the woods.

After an arrow shot through a hare, Zhou-shi put down her bow and arrow, and strode forward to pick up a bloodless hare.

She looked up at the sky and realized that she was hunting too vigorously. She had forgotten to eat.

When she came out in the morning, Jiang Shuyao saw that she had only taken a bow and a dagger and stopped her. She gave her a few small packages and told her not to forget to eat.

Zhou-shi had forgotten this as soon as she got into the woods. Now she remembered and took the packages off the horse.

A long bamboo tube is wrapped tightly inside the bag, and the top of the bamboo tube is tightly plugged with a wooden stopper.

Thinking of Jiang Shuyao's explanation in the morning, although Zhou-shi was curious, she did not open the wooden stopper. Instead, she searched for a flat piece of dirt, picked up some dry wood, set fire quickly, and place the bamboo tube on it.

Since Jiang Shuyao figured out instant noodles, the mansion has purchased a lot of bamboo tubes so that she can continue to think about portable eating. Zhou-shi also learned from Jiang Shuyao how to make zongzi with bamboo tubes, which are more fragrant than bamboo leaves. If it weren't for the glutinous rice that is hard to digest, she could eat several in one go.

So she thought that the bamboo tube was filled with glutinous rice, but when the bamboo tube was getting hot, a burst of salty fragrant aroma gradually emerged.

She was about to get closer when she suddenly heard a noise not far away and quickly became alert.

In the outer circle of the hunting ground, there will be no beasts. Only people will come to this area.

She grabbed her longbow and stared at the sound.

A dark-skinned young man showed his face first. His mind was half-empty, and his nose was smelling around. After a glimpse of Zhou-shi, his whole body was shocked, and he quickly raised his hand to signal not to shoot him with an arrow.

Zhou-shi put down her bow and arrow, and the person walked out of the forest, followed by several men of the same skin color.

"Lady boss?" Lian Liu was taken aback when he saw Zhou-shi.

Zhou-shi put down the last layer of vigilance and nodded to him.

Several people came over smelling the scent, and when they saw that Zhou-shi was cooking, they were embarrassed to step forward.

They look at each other, scratching their heads to leave, but Zhou-shi stopped them, "I can give you some." Anyway, the bamboo tube is so long. She can't finish it alone.

They hesitated for a while but came over. Each one looked very well-behaved.

This novel is hosted on pure tl. com / do not repost or steal!

"Thank you, Madam." Naturally, she cannot be an ordinary businessman if she can come to the Royal Hunting Ground.

They sat down on the big rock opposite Zhou-shi. Although they were uncomfortably crowded, they were so greedy and reluctant to leave.

"Madam, what are you making?" Their Mandarin is substandard, but for Zhou-shi, it sounds very kind.

When Zhou-shi saw them, she thought of her friends in Mobei who used to ride horses with her. She smiled subconsciously, "I don't know. This was given to me by my younger sister-in-law."

Her answer didn't give any clues, so the people shut up.

Seeing small blisters on the edge of the wooden stopper, Zhou-shi estimated that the food was almost done, so she skimmed the bamboo tube out of the fire, placed it on the stone, took out the dagger, and smashed it forcefully.

The bamboo tube split in half, the steaming white mist overflowed, and the salty wax smell instantly rushed out.

Everyone looked into the bamboo tube. It was filled with white rice, mixed with emerald green peas and fat and thin sausages. There are red and green paired together, really eye-catching.

When the sausage is heated, the fatty part turned into oil and immersed the rice, making the rice in the bamboo tube shiny. The sausage slices are thinly sliced, the lean meat is dark red, the fat is transparent, and is as delicate as jade.

Sausage with white rice is a must-do, not to mention the rich, salty aroma and the soft bamboo fragrance after heating.

All of them were rough-skinned military men. They waited a bit until the bamboo tube was a little bit cooler, and then they started.

Zhou-shi gave them half of it, took the other half by herself, squatted aside, and ate it all.

"That... Madam, can you give us a pair of chopsticks?" Lian Liu said with a flushed face, but unfortunately, his skin was too dark to tell.

Zhou-shi was more patient with a fellow from the North. She took out the spare chopsticks Jiang Shuyao had prepared for her and handed it to them.

Lian Liu and the others broke the chopsticks into several sections. They didn't mind this unlucky practice. They divided a pair of very short bamboo chopsticks and ate the bamboo rice head to head.

The sausage and rice smell good and taste more delicious.

After picking a chopstick of rice into their mouth, the fat-soaked rice has a light waxy taste. Meaty but not fishy. The mellow rice aroma makes the flavor a little more mellow, with a fresh bamboo fragrance. Plump but not greasy, fresh and delicious, but not bleak.

The first impression of the sausage is salty. After the thick saltiness is gone, you can feel the plump flavor. The saltiness turns into deliciousness until the rest of the flavor emerged. The lean meat is very chewy but not annoying at all. It is very tasty. The fatty meat is tender and does not need to be chewed. It melts with a light touch, giving the lean meat a tender and smooth taste. The green beans mixed in the rice enrich the taste. When occasionally eating a few, it is refreshing and relieving greasiness, even the most common beans have become extremely fragrant.

The Northerners also marinate meat during the winter, but their marinated meat has never been so fragrant.

The few people were dull and silent. Each one has one chopstick, and they quickly finished the meal, not even a single rice grain left on the bamboo tube.

Obviously, only a little bit of protein is on the sausage, but after eating, their mouth is full of delicious meat flavor, and the aftertaste is endless.

After six consecutive smacks, the brothers once again thanked Zhou-shi.

She was kind enough to feed them, and they were too embarrassed to stay longer after eating. After thanking her again and again, Lian Liu couldn't help but ask before leaving, "Boss, how do you make this sausage? It's really fragrant. It's all rounded, small, and it looks good to watch."

Zhou-shi replied, "The fat and thin pork is chopped and seasoned, stuffed into casings, and hung to air dry. These sausages were not hung for long enough, the cured flavor is insufficient, the moisture is not exhausted, and it is not the best time to eat."

"This is delicious enough. We also often preserved meat in the Northland, but the flavor is completely incomparable. If we can have this bacon or sausages in winter, it will be more flavorful..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Zhou-shi stop her chopsticks, and her expression became unwell.

Lian Liu recalled it carefully and didn't remember if he had said something wrong. He didn't dare to say anything more and quickly apologized, "Boss, I'm sorry."

Zhou-shi didn't know why he was apologizing, but she lost her appetite. She put the bamboo tube aside, looked down, and said, "Yes, the winter in the North is very difficult."

Lian Liu and the rest of people were dumbfounded, not knowing how to continue the conversation. When they were scratching their heads to talk, Lian Liu saw the dagger Zhou-shi placed aside.

"Zhou?" Lian Liu stared, "Are you the daughter of General Zhou's house in Mobei?"

Zhou-shi's dagger was stained with oil, and she planned to wipe it off with a blade of grass later, so she didn't put it back immediately. At this time, Lian Liu recognized the dagger, and she did not deny it. She nodded and replied, "Yes."

Lian Liu was very excited, "Then can you do the Zhou family backhand sword move? My grandfather had a match with old general Zhou and lost under his backhand sword. He has been talking about it for decades. In my life, I want to see the Zhou family backhand sword the most." At this point, he suddenly stopped.

The woman in front of them is wearing a married woman's bun, and her accent is similar to the local accent. Even if she sits on a rock, she still has the attitude of a Beijing woman. If he thinks about it, she must have been married and stayed in the capital for many years. Probably she can't remember things in the North clearly.

When he was thinking like this, he suddenly heard Zhou-shi said, "Naturally."

She raised her head, and her eyes were very different as if she could see through Lian Liu's mind at a glance, making him a little guilty.

"I thought that I forgot about it myself, but I picked up my sword a few days ago and found that every move was engraved in my bones." She got up, pulled a blade of grass, and wiped the dagger, "Some things are destined to be forgotten in this life. But some would never let go. Obsession, love, and hatred will eventually dissipate, but the martial arts learned when I was young can accompany me throughout my life."

Her tone was very plain, but the people on the other side were inexplicably sad for her.

They were waiting for the right time to comfort her, but Zhou-shi suddenly turned around and said, "Come out. You follow me all the way. What do you want to say now, can't hold it anymore?"

When they looked up, they saw a person walking out of the forest. His face is handsome, his eyebrows are picturesque, his figure is long and shadowed in the dark, but there is a sense of elegance like jade and a gentle breeze.

They turned their gazes to Zhou-shi, and they understood his identity. After they greeted Zhou-shi, they walked away silently.

Zhou-shi cleaned up the fire, took out a water bag from his bag, and poured a few mouthfuls. After this long series of actions, Xie Lang remained silent.

This novel is hosted on pure tl. com / do not repost or steal!

She also won't ask actively, stuffing the water bag on her horse and preparing to turn around.

Xie Lang spoke at this moment, his voice as steady and soft as ever, "Do you want to go back?"

Zhou-shi sullenly replied, "Naturally, it's getting dark. Should I spend the night in the forest?"

"I mean Mobei."

Zhou-shi's movement on the horse became stiff, and there was no sound for a long while.

Xie Lang walked over, stepping on the wooden branches with the soles of his shoes, making a slight crisp sound, "Really?"

Zhou-shi took a deep breath, turned around, and said, "It has nothing to do with you." She rolled over neatly, "Whether I think about it or not, is there any difference?"

Xie Lang stood in front of the horse and looked up at her, "I'm thinking a lot these days."

Zhou-shi's eyes are disinterested.

A bit of bitterness flashed across Xie Lang's face, and he answered her previous words, "There is a difference."

"After you married me seven years ago, you lost everything that you have in Mobei. You learned how to be a woman in Beijing and became nothing like you. I never asked why you wanted to change, and I never thought about why you were different from the "you" I first met in Mobei. I used to think that it is unreasonable for a noble mistress to practice swords and martial arts, so it is normal for you to change after entering Beijing." He thought Jiang Shuyao and Xie Xun laughed at themselves, "But is it reasonable to cook all day? Is it reasonable to open food stalls and a street food market?"

"If I could ask you a question, or if you could tell me what you thought in your heart, would we not become what we are now?"

Zhou-shi did not answer, while Xie Lang stood in front of the horse and waited.

She did not speak for a long time, and Xie Lang understood the answer. He nodded and brought up the topic again, "I don't want to repeat the same mistakes again, so I will ask you today. Do you want to go back to Mobei?"

---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6YJunFUaVc

This novel is hosted on pure tl. com / do not repost or steal!

Back Index Next

If you enjoyed Serena’s work, buy her a ko-fi!