Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 34
Tled by Serena Love
Unedited
Chapter 34: Grilled Cold Noodles
Jiang Shuyao asked Xie Xun perplexedly, "What do you want to tell me?"
Xie Xun's expression was not very good, and he said, What Miss Ge said just now, don't take it to your heart. I think she is deliberately provoking the relationship between you and me."
Jiang Shu was shocked, "How is it possible? She just told me not to care about the rumors and not to wrong myself. Besides, what between you and me is worth provoking?"
Hearing what she said, Xie Xun maintained his cold expression, but he felt a little aggrieved. "I was worrying too much."
Jiang Shuyao looked at him, and her expression became weird. "Even though Miss Ge seems to be a bit distant, she is actually a very nice person. She wants to be friends with me and keep correspondence."
Although she was happy to be friends with Xie Xun, she was still a little unhappy when he said that about Ge Qingshu. Xie Xun hummed inwardly, turned his face to one side, and whispered in a low voice, "She looks like an ice cube. What is so good about it, she can't wait to freeze everyone around."
Jiang Shuyao: ...
"Would you like to borrow my vanity mirror to look at yourself right now?"
'He said that other people's faces are like ice cubes. The two of them are not that far off in the matter of a cold face, okay?'
Xie Xun's expression turned weird, and he pursed his lips with anger, "You...you...huh!"
Jiang Shuyao didn't know what kind of thing he had been drinking, so she no longer looked at him, and raised the curtain instead to look at the scenery outside.
The carriage drove on the avenue fairly smoothly, but after the carriage turned into the trail, Jiang Shuyao was a little dizzy. She lowered the curtain and leaned against the wall.
Xie Xun kept glancing at her and asked, "Do you want to drink tea?"
His voice sounded a little fuzzy, and Jiang Shuyao realized that she might be drunk.
Those fruit wines didn't taste like it had a high alcoholic content, but she drank too much and too quickly. Her stamina couldn't hold up.
She took out the small table and put it on the chair, then laid her head on it. She replied, "No, I will sleep for a while."
Hearing her voice, Xie Xun looked at her and found that her face was flushed, her eyes were stained with dim drunkenness, and he asked in doubt, "Are you drunk?" The few cups that she drank earlier didn't seem enough to make her drunk.
Jiang Shuyao ignored him. She closed her eyes and went to sleep, but she was frowning uncomfortably.
Xie Xun said, "I will ask the maid to come in to take care of you." As he was about to lift the curtain to call the driver to stop, he suddenly heard sobbing from behind him.
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He turned his head in confusion and saw Jiang Shuyao frowning. Her face was dark, and her eyes were filled with tears.
Xie Xun was taken aback, and he quickly sat next to her to help her. "What's wrong?" Thinking of what Ge Qingshu said just now, his heart was sour. "I am not angry with you. Why don't you tell me if you have been wronged? Don't find someone you just met to complain." At this critical moment, he didn't forget to kick Ge Qingshu away.
Jiang Shuyao's brain was dizzy, and she didn't know why she was crying. She was just feeling uncomfortable. It took a long time for her to find a reason. "I'm worried about my mother."
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Xie Xun's heart softened at once, and he leaned her against his arm, "Don't be afraid, mother-in-law will definitely get better."
Jiang Shuyao shook her head, "It's not that. I just think she's so pitiful. She was a carefree and spoiled eldest lady who has countless money, but in the backyard, she had to deal with the intrigues. She was jealous and tempered until her spirit became like now."
It was the first time that Xie Xun heard Jiang Shuyao say such things. He sighed and helped her wipe away the tears, "This is your mother's own choice. Everything is fate. At least she still has you."
"I know." She leaned on Xie Xun's shoulder, and her tears fell. "If she hadn't been in love with my father, she wouldn't need to marry and suffer. How did the love and congeniality end up like this? Why did she lose everything?"
Xie Xun didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only wipe her tears.
Jiang Shuyao was depressed, and she started to get crazy because of drunkenness. She didn't know what she was thinking or saying. She was just sobbing and scolding men for being guilty.
Xie Xun listened silently and saw her crying. Her makeup was smudged, tears and nasal mucus wetted her face. He tried to comfort her with a few words, "It's not all like that. Look at my eldest brother and my eldest sister-in-law, who have been married for so many years. Eldest brother still loves her as usual and treats her the same as before."
He helped her straighten her hair bun and sighed, "Maybe, your parents' feeling was not deep enough."
This sentence somehow persuaded Jiang Shuyao. She stopped her tears, leaned on Xie Xun's body, and stared at him in a daze. When Xie Xun thought that her drunkenness had already passed, she suddenly asked, "What about me? "
Xie Xun didn't understand what she meant, so he only looked at her.
Jiang Shuyao raised her head slightly, and wet tears fell on her black eyelashes. She looked confused and sad, and a bit pitiful.
"What about me? Will there be someone pleased with me, and will love me forever?"
Xie Xie smiled lightly, fixed up the golden flower petals on her forehead that had been rubbed up. "Yes."
Jiang Shuyao began to cry again, "Who would like someone like me who can gnaw off a whole chicken by herself?"
Xie Xun was stunned and quickly answered, "A butcher?"
Jiang Shuyao sobbed again, her eyes met with Xie Xun's, and the carriage fell into a strange silence.
Then, a crying sound resounded through the carriage. "Uuuuuu-"
Xie Pei was sitting in the back compartment and was shocked to hear the cry. 'Was it because Jiang Shuyao caused some trouble, third brother actually made her cry?'
She silently cursed Xie Xun in her heart. Although she didn't like Jiang Shuyao, a gentleman shouldn't swear at a woman.
Xie Xun carried the black pot on his back unknowingly, and Jiang Shuyao fell asleep after crying out loud a few times. She was leaning on Xie Xun. Her tears and snot had rubbed against him, and ruined his best satin.
[T/N: "carried the black pot on his back" means carried the blame or carried the bad impression.]
After the carriage arrived at the Duke Xie's mansion, Jiang Shuyao woke up leisurely and went back to her room with the help of her maids. After the maids helped her wash her face, she fell on the bed and slept until the next day.
---
After she woke up, she completely forgot that she was drunk yesterday and ruined Xie Xun's clothes.
It just so happened that her flat-bottomed, shallow iron pan was delivered on that day. She just woke up and had no appetite. She only wanted to have a snack, so she planned to make the cold noodles that she had thought about for a long time.
The cold noodles used for grilled cold noodles were very delicate. The flour used buckwheat and wheat flour, plus starch, salt, and alkaline water. Mix well, knead it with cold water to form a harder dough, and roll it out after letting it rise for half an hour. Then, boil the noodles with hot water and immediately rinse with cold water and then leave it dry.
She started to make ham sausage while the dough was drying. The chopped chicken minced by the main kitchen came in handy. She added seasonings to taste and finally add glutinous rice starch and mix it well. She took the minced meat and squeeze it into strips using a greased paper and bake in the oven. A ham sausage with full meat content is ready.
The sauce was made with homemade fermented sweet bean sauce, spicy soybean sauce, and garlic sauce. It is salty, sweet, and spicy, and very aromatic.
After the noodles were slightly dry, she poured oil on the iron pan, put the noodles in, and it made a sizzling sound.
She knocked an egg on it and spread the egg around with a spatula. The egg gradually solidified, and then she brushed it with a thick layer of sauce.
The most taboo when making grilled cold noodles is to let the noodles too dry. So, she continued to sprinkle water under the noodles, waited until the noodles and eggs were all cooked, then she put in the ham slices. Finally, she sprinkled it with green onion and coriander, wrapped it into a roll, and cut it, then served it into a plate.
The cold noodles were white and yellowish. After it was cut open, the layer of white and yellow omelet and the dark pink ham sausage were exposed, with green onion and coriander sandwiched between them. It was very colorful.
Especially the brown-red sauce and sesame seeds, which added in even more color. Some places were also sprinkled with emerald green coriander, which made it looked more delicious.
The essence of grilled cold noodles lies on the noodles, which should taste firm, chewy, and tough. During frying and roasting, water was continuously sprayed, so the outer layer would not be too hard, but a little wet and soft.
The freshly baked cold noodle sauce had such a rich aroma. The sauce is savory. The spicy garlic sauce and the slight sweetness of the sweet sauce were fused together. After a bite, the flavor of the sauce, egg, and meat would fill the whole mouth.
Jiang Shuyao didn't care about the spiciness, so she stuffed a few mouthfuls of cold noodles into her stomach, and she felt relieved.
It was indeed the grilled cold noodles she had been thinking for so long, and the resident contestant of the street food world. This deliciousness made all the preparations worthwhile.
She quickly finished one plate, baked another slice, and only stopped eating when she was too full.
When it came to lunchtime, she didn't want to eat anymore. But she prepared two more serving of cold noodles. It was still not enough, and she planned to continue eating during dinner.
However, Xie Xun came back at night. When she thought about the two servings of cold noodles left in the kitchen, Jiang Shuyao hesitated.
Xie Xun saw that her face was not good, and he thought she still minded the drunkenness from yesterday. He thought it was funny.
He walked towards Jiang Shuyao and handed her an oiled-paper bag. "I saw a fried dough twist seller on the way back, so I brought you a bag."
Jiang Shuyao opened the oil-paper bag, which contained a thick fried dough twist. It was still warm, and it was fried just right. The color is between golden yellow and maroon red.
She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The outer layer was crispy and oily, but the inner layer was not immersed in oil. There was a pure malt aroma, and even though it was fried, it was not greasy at all.
The taste was soft and sweet, crunchy when bitten, and had a light oily fragrance, which was very addictive.
Jiang Shuyao wrapped the remaining dough twist and decided to give Xie Xun a portion of the cold noodles.
She was going to cook, and Xie Xun had used to lean over to watch her. Naturally, he followed her to the kitchen.
Seeing a new iron pan in the kitchen, he asked curiously, "Why did you make an iron pan of this shape?"
Jiang Shuyao explained to him, "This kind of pan can cook a lot of dishes. We can even eat barbecue when the iron stove I ordered come."
After he had tried the cold noodles, he wanted to eat them day after day, for every meal. He thought that the iron pan would really be a hit if sold.
The two licked their mouths intently, and then Jiang Shuyao realized that she had forgotten to make dinner.
So the two had to go to the main kitchen for dinner.
---
The next day, Jiang Shuyao went to the Shouning Hall to greet the old madam, and it happened that the two elder brothers were also there.
Jiang Shuyao came in when they were talking. Both of them had a good impression of Jiang Shuyao, so they only nodded to her.
However, the old madam looked upset, and the corner of her mouth was pulled down.
The two brothers didn't realize this, and continued to pick up the topic from before. The vassal countries would come to pay tribute in a few days, and the emperor planned to open a court meeting to show off, and then went to the Emperor Temple to worship the founding emperor, Taizu.
From the prime minister to the junior officials, they had to stand in the field. Often they had to get to the area before dawn. From the imperial meeting to the imperial temple, the event would take almost a whole day.
The old madam was also very worried when they mentioned this. She said, "Remember to bring some pastries. Eat some to cushion your stomach when you are hungry."
Jiang Shuyao listened to this and asked Xie Xun when he came back. Xie Xun was accustomed to this sort of thing. "I'll only be hungry for a day. It won't be a problem. Besides, eating some sweet and greasy cakes when you are exposed to the sun makes your stomach upset."
Jiang Shuyao curiously asked, "So you won't bring pastries?"
"Usually, we don't take them. Steamed buns will be cold and dry, and pastries will be cold and fishy."
Jiang Shuyao raised her eyebrows and said, "How can it be fishy? Why don't you let me make it for you? There are various types that can ensure you won't be hungry for a whole day." She clapped her hands and was eager to try.
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[T/N: From Wikipedia: Grilled cold noodles (Chinese: 烤冷面, pinyin: kǎolěngmiàn) is a local specialized snack of the Chinese province of Heilongjiang. It is a side dish, usually sold at night markets or roadside stands rather than in restaurants.
Grilled cold noodles made with special cold noodles, thin like pieces of paper, with eggs, onions, and other supplementary ingredients. The main condiment is a sweet bean sauce or gochujang.
Traditionally, there are three ways to cook grilled cold noodles, including grilled, fried, and on the teppanyaki metal plate.
According to legend, a Korean man who sold snacks behind the second middle school of Mishan City liked to grill some cold noodles for himself as a dish to go with wine. Unexpectedly, students of the second middle school of Mishan City thought that grilled cold noodles were very delicious, and the noodles became very popular in Mishan.
However, the ordinary cold noodles were not soft enough, so it was a little hard to chew. After more people made soft noodles, the dish was gradually accepted by people all around China.]
[T/N: Mahua or Fried Dough Twist is a Chinese dough twist that is fried in peanut oil. It has a shiny and golden look. It is prepared in various ways with different flavors, which range from sweet to spicy, and usually has a dense and crisp texture. The sweet one would be a bit like twisted doughnut.]
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