Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 22
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure and unsaltedfish
Chapter 22: Prawn Wontons
After Xie Xun returned to the mansion, he didn't stay long before going out to drink with his friends and did not return until dark.
He was so upset that he drank until he was full of alcohol. When he returned to the yard, he asked people to fetch water so he could take a shower. After that, his body was refreshed, and the alcohol was gone.
He only drank alcohol the whole day and didn't eat much, so now his stomach felt empty.
When the chilly wind of the late spring night contacted his skin, the cold instantly woke him up.
Xie Xun did not call anyone, and walked out of the courtyard with a lantern, looking for leftover soup in the main kitchen to cushion his stomach.
As soon as he walked to the moon gate, he ran into Jiang Shuyao.
His hair was loosely tied, with a thin layer of moisture trapped on his body. His expression was not as straightforward as usual and his eyes were soft, like a cat just waking up.
Jiang Shuyao rarely saw him like this, and the embarrassment in her heart was forgotten. She smiled and asked, "Drinking?"
Xie Xun reacted slightly, blinked, and nodded "Yes" slowly.
Jiang Shuyao inexplicably liked this slightly confused side of his. With a soft heart, she said, "Do you want to drink the sobering soup?"
Xie Xun shook his head, and as if shaking his head was making him uncomfortable, his brows furrowed as he said, "No."
Jiang Shuyao took the lantern in his hand, "I'll make some honey and water for you. Drink it and your stomach will feel better."
After that, she led Xie Xun to the east wing, went to the room to get a honey jar, and mixed a cup of warm honey water for Xie Xun.
The candlelight was soft, the room was quiet, and not even a maid could be seen. Xie Xun took the honey water, sipped it, and his stomach instantly felt better. Then he asked, "Where is the maid in your yard?"
"I go to bed late, so I dismissed them for the day. And they aren’t like me, they have to get up early to work during the day. They’re just a group of little girls, it’s not good for their bodies to lack sleep." Jiang Shuyao turned to ask, "How about you? Why don't you even have a servant to make you a cup of honey water?"
Xie Xun finished drinking the honey water, put down the cup, and said: "I like quiet, I don't want to call people to serve at night."
"We are quite alike." After Jiang Shuyao finished speaking, Xie Xun didn't answer, and the room fell into a strange silence.
After Xie Xun finished drinking the honey water, he sat still in place, with his eyes down. His long and thick eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, and he seemed a little fragile as he sat quietly. Only then did Jiang Shuyao discover that he was somewhat similar to his little nephew Xie Yao.
She wanted to tell him that he could get out after drinking. But seeing how he hesitated like this, she said: "Where did you plan to go just now?"
Xie Xun regained a bit of his senses, but was still speaking a lot slower than usual. He replied, "I'm a little hungry, so I want to go to the kitchen to find something to eat."
"Oh." Jiang Shuyao nodded, and the two fell silent again.
After Xie Xun answered, he took a long time until he felt that he should leave. He stood up obediently, picked up the lantern, and prepared to exit.
He wore a loose, thin gown, and his back looked almost frail in it. Jiang Shuyao stared at him as he stepped over the threshold and suddenly called him, "There should be no food in the main kitchen by now. Why don't I make something light for you?" She planned to go to the small kitchen to have some supper. If she could make it for one person, she could do it for two as well.
Xie Xun was taken aback for a moment, turned around to look at her, and burst into a rather childish smile, "Okay." It was rare for him to wear his emotions so openly; like this, he almost looked like a youth of seventeen or eighteen.
Jiang Shuyao got up and went to the small kitchen, Xie Xun quietly followed, carrying a lantern next to her to help light the way.
There were still a lot of wontons made that night, neatly stacked on the chopping board, looking exquisite and cute. Jiang Shuyao didn't eat much at night. She planned to have a small bowl, and the rest would be left for breakfast tomorrow morning. But now there was an extra Xie Xun, so it probably won't be enough for breakfast.
Xie Xun saw the wonton, and his clear eyes were shining, "What is this?"
"Wonton." Jiang Shuyao replied that the firewood under the stove was not extinguished yet, and the fire was ignited with a gentle pull. She set the pot and boiled the bone soup.
Xie Xun still had the wine in his mind, and unlike the person who was usually reluctant to talk, he talked a lot and asked, "Do you love cooking?"
Jiang Shuyao waited boredly for the soup to boil, and replied, "Yes. I’ve liked to eat food since I was a child. Every time I cook, I feel peaceful and relaxed inside. I’m also happy to see others enjoying the food I cook."
"Every lady pays attention to their fingers and won't let them touch water, you sure are strange."
Neither the original owner nor she could be regarded as a lady. She said: "It is fun to cook. I enjoy cooking and sharing my food with others. When the other party eats happily, I am happy. Being alive, don't you just ask for comfort and joy?"
Xie Xun nodded, "Your craftsmanship is very good, no one will dislike what you cook."
Jiang Shuyao widened her eyes slightly when she heard this. She never thought that Xie Xun had such a... sweet side.
It seemed that he was not only like the little nephew Xie Yao, but also the sweet-mouthed Xie Zhao.
She asked, "So do you like it too?"
Xie Xun replied without hesitation, "Of course. I'm so used to the food you cook, I won't be able to eat very much at work at noon."
Jiang Shuyao didn't expect that she could get such a high parity price, and asked him why.
Xie Xun began to complain that the food in the East Palace was lackluster, the food was cold, and there was nothing new...
Jiang Shuyao laughed straight upon hearing it, and was really curious about what Xie Xun's reaction would be when he woke up tomorrow morning. She guessed he couldn't wait to go to work.
The soup was boiled. She picked up the chopping board and counted the wontons.
Seeing this, Xie Xun said, "Just put it in the soup, I can finish it."
"It's not good to eat too much at night. You won't be able to sleep."
Xie Xun glanced at the wontons and said aggrievedly, "I can eat it. I'm barely full."
Well, he always had a big appetite.
Jiang Shuyao took a big bowl, added some seaweed and shrimp skins, and scooped a spoonful of hot soup. The seaweed was soaked, and the soup instantly had a delicious flavor.
Similarly, she prepared a bowl of soup for herself in a small bowl.
After the wontons were cooked, she scooped seven or eight for her small bowl, and then scooped the rest to Xie Xun.
After that, she sprinkled chopped green onion, a small amount of salt and white pepper, and finally added a drop or two of sesame oil to make the fresh and hot shrimp wonton.
Xie Xun took two spoons first and put them in the bowl for the two of them. The scent of rich umami wafted in the air, and he couldn't wait to pick up the bowl and walk to the east wing.
He had long legs and walked fast in front of her. Jiang Shuyao comfortably trotted to keep up with him. She kept pursing her lips when she saw him.
Xie Xun put down the bowl, pushed the small bowl to Jiang Shuyao, then held his big bowl and blew air. The steaming heat rushed on his face with a delicious smell, and his uncomfortable drunkenness was suddenly resolved.
The soup was clear, with shrimp skins and seaweed floating around, and a light oil floating on the surface, while the emerald green onions on top raised people's appetite even further.
He scooped up a piece of wonton. The skin of the wonton was extremely thin. After cooking, it turned crystal clear, and when softly wrapped in the filling, the tender red meat was faintly visible.
Jiang Shuyao sat down across from him, but her appetite also roused. She said, "Let's eat."
Before she finished speaking, she planned to remind him to be careful about the heat. However, Xie Xun had already put the wonton into his mouth.
Even with the piping hot porcelain spoon, his complexion changed as soon as he bit the hot wonton. He was used to the rules, closing his mouth tightly and breathing, and did not start chewing as he endured the pain.
The wonton filling was made of fat and thin pork, and fresh shrimps. The meat filling was not chopped until very soft, but retained a little texture and tasted slightly tough.
The fresh shrimps fully aroused the savory taste of the meat filling. The skin was thin and the filling was tender, the soup was clear and delicious, except for the word "fresh", other descriptions were superfluous.
Jiang Shuyao asked, "How?"
Xie Xun nodded. There was no need to say more, he answered with his eagerness to eat.
A bite of two, the delicious juice splashed in the mouth. The more you chewed, the fresher it was. The savory taste would last for a long time after swallowing.
The seaweed and shrimp skins floating in the soup also become supplementary dishes, giving a bowl of wontons a rich taste. The wontons were salty and fresh, and the clear soup tasted light. The combination of the two was extremely delicious.
After sipping the refreshing and delicious soup, Xie Xun's stomach melted. Although he was uncomfortable due to the drinking, he instantly felt the warmth.
He didn't speak but immersed himself in the food, eating fast but quietly, making no sound.
Before Jiang Shuyao noticed, he had already eaten half of the bowl.
She was still worried about whether he would like her food, and now she was beginning to wonder if he had enough.
Seeing other people eating the food she had made, Jiang Shuyao felt very happy, and her appetite followed. She also felt that the wontons were a bit more delicious than usual.
After eating, her whole body was stretched out.
Jiang Shuyao put down the porcelain spoon, wiped her mouth, propped her head, and watched Xie Xun eat.
He looked good and ate happily. Such a person was also good at feeding every day.
She watched with satisfaction as Xie Xun ate the wontons in the bowl until it was empty, not even letting go of the soup. He only put down the spoon when he finished the last bite of the clear soup.
His uncomfortable stomach feels better, and a thin layer of sweat is coming up on his body. The fatigue of the day melted away in a bowl of hot wontons. Xie Xun stretched his eyebrows and praised sincerely, "If you weren't born in a nobleman's house, you could’ve made a fortune with this craft."
Jiang Shuyao was amused by him again, and joked, "You'll definitely regret it when you get up tomorrow."
Xie Xun didn't quite understand what she meant, and didn't know how to answer.
His gaze fell into the empty bowl, and he sighed, "It would be nice if I could eat this every day."
"That's not good. If you eat too much, you will get tired of it."
"No way. Even if I'm tired of eating it daily, it’s still better than the food in the East Palace."
He seems to have a deep resentment for the kitchen in the palace. Jiang Shuyao found him very pleasing tonight. In addition, he was stained with the embarrassment caused by the original owner today, but he did not blame her. She feels a trace of guilt for him. After thinking about it, she said, " I will think about how to cook some food. You can bring it to work and take it out to eat at noon." Something convenient for ordinary government offices. After all, the East Palace was in the imperial palace, and delivering meals was impossible. He can only bring a lunchbox with him.
When Xie Xun heard this, he was a little surprised, but his surprise turned into a brilliant smile. As he laughed, a row of white teeth emerged, his eyes were crescent-shaped, and a pair of small pear-shaped dimples appeared on his cheeks.
He said, "That's settled, you can't go back on your words!"
Jiang Shuyao saw him like this, her heart was inexplicably poked and she smiled. She covered her face and laughed.
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