Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 54
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 54: Cold noodles
In the evening, after Jiang Shuyao came back from washing, she saw Bai Zhi leading the other maids to be busy in the inner room. She asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Bai Zhi said in a natural manner, "Miss, the servants are making the bed for Master."
"Making the bed?" Jiang Shuyao didn't understand.
"You, go and wait for the young lady to undo her hair bun. You, go and tell the master it's getting late and the lady is waiting for him." Bai Zhi smoothed the quilt, giving her orders with quiet efficiency as she directed the maids to carry out their tasks in an orderly manner.
Jiang Shuyao was dumbfounded and stopped the maid who was going to find Xie Xun, "Wait, what's the matter?"
Bai Zhi was surprised and said, "Miss still wants master to sleep on the bench today?"
Jiang Shuyao naturally didn't want Xie Xun to sleep on the bench. He was tall, and he wouldn't sleep well on the bench, but it was not right to share a bed with her!
Seeing Jiang Shuyao hesitating, Bai Zhi smiled comprehensively and gave the little maid a look. The little maid ran out happily.
Bai Zhi came over with a smile and said in a low voice, "Miss, you and your husband have been married for so long, and you still sleep in separate rooms. How can this be reasonable?"
Jiang Shuyao said doubtfully, "But we are not..." Not a married couple who are in love with each other, and she wished to sleep alone on the bed.
Bai Zhi thought she was shy and deliberately diverted the conversation, "Miss, this servant girl will undo your hair bun for you."
She invited Jiang Shuyao to sit in front of the mirror, half-pushing and half-supporting her. Only when Bai Zhi started to remove her hair, Jiang Shuyao finally managed to say, "But you can't deliberately invite him over. Maybe he was just afraid that I was scared last night and came here. Maybe he doesn't want to guard me tonight—"
Before she finished speaking, Xie Xun had already arrived.
Jiang Shuyao: ...
Is the study that close to the east wing? Why are you here so fast?
Xie Xun walked in and saw Jiang Shuyao still undoing her hair bun. He was subconsciously waiting for her.
He wasn’t sure since when, but he had become accustomed to waiting for Jiang Shuyao, quietly guarding on the side when she was doing things.
Bai Zhi had taken apart the complicated bun, and when only a golden hairpin was holding the black hair on the upper part, she suddenly stopped and bowed while stepping back, "This maid withdraw first." After she spoke, there was no shadow left.
Jiang Shuyao usually asked Bai Zhi to undo her hair bun and sleep with her hair loose. Now she still had a golden hairpin on her head. She thought that Bai Zhi had forgotten it carelessly, and she murmured and reached out to pull the golden hairpin.
Her jewelry was fine and gorgeous, with beaded tassels, which hooked a strand of hair at random. She tugged again impatiently, but instead of pulling it off her hair, it got more entangled.
The candle flame was dim, and the bronze mirror was blurred. Jiang Shuyao leaned forward, trying to see clearly to untie her hair.
"I'll do it." Suddenly there was a clear voice from above, Jiang Shuyao was taken aback, and Xie Xun took the swaying golden hairpin smoothly.
His fingertips touched Jiang Shuyao's fingers, and as if she was scalded, she immediately took her hand away.
The room was quiet, and even the crackling sound of the burning candle's heart was obvious.
His voice was very soft, and it had an indescribable tenderness.
After he was closer, Jiang Shuyao could smell the fresh ink fragrance on his body, and her heartbeat speeded up subconsciously.
Xie Xun leaned over and untied her tangled hair carefully.
After he pulled out the golden hairpin, her ink-color hair was like water and spread out in an instant, sliding across the back of his hand like silk. It felt cold and silky, and the touch crawled from his hand to his heart, and he couldn't help but hold his breath.
Jiang Shuyao looked at him from the bronze mirror, and when he also moved his gaze to the bronze mirror, she hurriedly lowered her eyes.
She stood up, pretending to be calm, and said, "Let's rest."
Xie Xun nodded and followed her into the inner room. He walked to the cabinet and found that not only was there no quilt, but the cushion was also gone.
He turned to look at Jiang Shuyao, very puzzled, "This is...?"
Jiang Shuyao was silent for a few seconds. She stopped thinking about those crooked thoughts, no longer feel tangled, and said directly, "Today, go to bed."
Xie Xun was hesitant. "What about you?"
When Jiang Shuyao heard his tone, she knew that he didn't want to go in the opposite direction, and she was even more embarrassed, "I also sleep in the bed."
The air was silent for a few seconds, and Xie Xun let out a hesitation, "Huh?"
Jiang Shuyao climbed into the bed on her own, pulled the two quilts apart, and created a wide line. She said, "You can't sleep well when you sleep on the bench." It was an explanation for him.
Xie Xun stood still, and there was no movement, which made Jiang Shuyao even more embarrassed. "Hey," her face was hot, but she was pretending to be fierce and said, "Why don't you sleep?"
After she finished talking, she lay down on the inside of the bed, facing the wall, wrapped in a quilt like a cicada pupae. Xie Xun looked at the back of her smooth head, walking over without knowing what to do with his hands and feet. He climbed onto the bed extremely lightly. His voice was as cold as ever, but he was a little stiff and trembled, "I'll turn off the lights."
"Ok."
Xie Xun blew the lamp and slowly lay down on the outside.
The room was too quiet, and he felt his own heartbeat across the room.
He raised his hand to hold his heart in fear that Jiang Shuyao would hear the sound.
Xie Xun lay on his side. Jiang Shuyao was not afraid, but it was harder to fall asleep compared to when she was restless yesterday.
She turned around, from lying on her side to lying on her back, and stared at the top of the bed in a daze.
Xie Xun didn't dare to move. Hearing her breathing that didn't sound like she was asleep, he couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence and said, "You can’t sleep?"
He rarely spoke in such a deliberately soft voice that made Jiang Shuyao feel like he was whispering in her ear. Her heart felt itchy.
"Yeah." She replied in a daze and hurriedly found an excuse, "It's too hot."
Xie Xun felt that it was so difficult to talk to people for the first time. He said stiffly, "Yes, it is a bit hot." After he said that, he was afraid that this sentence was too short and seemed perfunctory, and then said, "The East Wing is much cooler than the study. It is easier to breathe."
"..."
"The bed is also a lot softer and spacious, and the moonlight is brighter." Xie Xun continued to add.
Jiang Shuyao stared at the top of the bed, especially wanting to put her hands on her teeth and chew to prevent strange noises.
Was that what she was thinking? Was Xie Xun trying to imply something? Did he hint that he wanted to move back to the east wing?
Seeing that she didn't answer, Xie Xun looked at her sideways. He felt uncomfortable just by turning his neck, so he turned around and faced her on his side.
Feeling his movements, Jiang Shuyao stiffened.
Just as his sight was about to fall on her face, she suddenly roared fiercely, "You turn around!"
Xie Xun, who had just lay on his side and had not had time to adjust his posture, was shocked. He quickly turned back to lie down on his back and gave an obedient "Oh."
The air was silent again.
Jiang Shuyao realized that her tone had been a bit sharp earlier and wanted to explain, but she didn’t know how. However, Xie Xun, unable to bear the silence longer than she could, spoke again. "Are you going to accompany second sister-in-law for lunch tomorrow?"
"Yes." As Xie Xun mentioned lunch, Jiang Shuyao suddenly remembered. "By the way, I forgot to prepare a food box for you recently, sorry."
"No need to apologize." As Xie Xun spoke, he habitually started to turn his head to look at her, but then he recalled her earlier outburst and quickly restrained the impulse. "If you're busy or tired, you don’t need to prepare lunch for me. It’s not a problem."
"That won't work. I promised you before."
Xie Xun hesitated for a while, and half-heartedly said, "...Then it will be hard for you."
He tried to suppress the lifting corners of his mouth, but he couldn't. In the end, he simply let it be. It was dark anyway, and no one could see it.
Although the atmosphere was a bit ambiguous and stiff, there was a kind of warm peace. The two of them stared at the top of the bed and fell asleep after a while.
Jiang Shuyao woke up before dawn the next day. She sat up, stretched her waist as usual, and prepared to lift the quilt to get out of bed. Just as she touched the quilt, she instantly became sober and suddenly looked at Xie Xun, lying next to her and sleeping soundly.
His sleeping face was strikingly different, with his black hair contrasting against his skin, which appeared as white as jade. His eyelashes were long and thick. In sleep, he didn't seem as cold as when awake; instead, he appeared peaceful and well-behaved.
Jiang Shuyao didn't know what was going on. Suddenly she couldn't help but pursing her lips and grinning. She crawled gently to the side of the bed, struggling to keep the bed quiet and not disturbing him.
Xie Xun slept shallowly. He opened his eyes in a daze when he felt the bed slightly shake, and he saw Jiang Shuyao crawling out with her arms on top of his body.
The collar of her clothes drooped loosely, revealing a piece of white and delicate skin, the lines gradually undulating...
Xie Xun, who had just woken up, was still confused, staring at the inside scenery in a daze, and it took two seconds to realize what he saw.
No matter how heavy his drowsiness at this time, it was all gone. The shock was like an electric current rushing to the top of his head, making his scalp itchy and his cheeks numb.
He bounced off the bed suddenly, his movements were too big, and his hands were rushing, so Jiang Shuyao quickly avoided him.
In the chaos, Xie Xun almost collided with Jiang Shuyao.
"Bang—" At the end, it was him who leaned back and knocked his head on the bedpost.
"Pah-" This was him bounced back in pain and hit the bed.
Finally, with the sound of "Boom——," the room went completely quiet.
Jiang Shuyao crawled on the bed in silence, looked at Xie Xun, who rolled out from the bed, and asked cautiously, "Are you all right?"
＊
Xie Xun carried his food box, with a bruise on his forehead, to the East Palace.
It was inevitable for everyone to gossip quietly when they handed over files and discussed affairs. You guessed one sentence, and I guessed one sentence, and finally, they came to a terrible conclusion- The purple mark on Xie Boyuan's forehead was because his wonderful wife beat him.
That day, they ran into the husband and wife at the dock. His wife was a bright and charming woman, and she didn't look like that kind of rude and unruly woman.
It seems that no one was perfect, and life was hard. If you enjoyed the blessing, you might sometimes get beaten.
While everyone sympathized with Xie Xun, they quietly balanced their hearts shamelessly.
Now that the weather is getting hot, the cold soup prepared by the East Palace is not too unbearable.
Lin Cheng sat opposite Xie Xun and watched Xie Xun start to bring food boxes to pull envy again.
As he took a bite of the cold meat soup, Lin Cheng comforted himself. It's hot outside—no one cares about his hot food.
Xie Xun's daily meals only depend on the heat to fill the room with fragrance, making everyone drool.
However, to his surprise, Xie Xun did not heat his lunch as usual but directly opened the food box's lid and prepared to eat.
Facts have proven that Lin Cheng was wrong. Even if he didn't reheat his food, Xie Xun's delicious food could also fill the room with fragrance.
A sweet and sour fresh scent penetrated into the nose, faintly sandwiched in the savory scent. Lin Cheng couldn't help looking at Xie Xun's bowl.
Because Jiang Shuyao was afraid that the cold noodle soup would overflow, Xie Xun brought a huge celadon bowl this time. The clear light brown soup base was filled with rich ingredients, with dark cold noodles and yellow and white egg strands. The red hot sauce, the round egg, the verdant cucumber... With a sprinkle of roasted sesame on the surface. It was colorful and vibrant, which made people greedy.
Smelling the cool and sweet scent, looking at the colorful cold noodles, Lin Cheng swallowed with a "gulp". I hate it!
Xie Xun stirred the ingredients lightly. There was too much stuff in the huge bowl, and it was a bit laborious to stir.
Lin Cheng wondered, "Where did your house buy such a big bowl?" Can you even finish it?
Xie Xun replied, "I don't know, my wife bought it."
Lin Cheng left two lines of tears in his heart. Wasn’t this answer obvious? Why bother? Why did he even ask this sentence?
Xie Xun mixed the cold noodles and picked up a large serving with his chopsticks, bringing it to his mouth.
The noodles were made of buckwheat. The taste was smooth and glutenous, soft but tough. It was wrapped in a cooled soup base, sweet and sour, fresh and spicy, light and flavorful. The soup was watery. The more you chewed, the more flavorful it became.
The soup base was a stewed chicken soup, which was filtered until it was clear and delicious. Jiang Shuyao added chili, pepper, brown sugar, rice vinegar, pear juice, apple juice, and other seasonings. It tasted sweet, sour, pungent, spicy, fragrant, and cool. It moisturized the throat and increased appetite.
The cold noodles were wrapped in cucumber shreds and fried egg shreds. When chewed together, it had a refreshing taste and a mellow egg fragrance. The soup soaked every ingredient. The soup was not thick and will not take away the original taste of the ingredients. Instead, it dyed them with an umami taste.
The soup was plentiful, and there was inevitably a slight noise as he ate. Lin Cheng couldn’t hold himself back from swallowing and, feeling a bit embarrassed, humbly remarked, "There was a lot in that bowl."
"Hmm." Xie Xun was busy eating.
"Why does it smell sour and sweet? It looks cold?" Fearing that Xie Xun couldn't understand him, he simply said, "Can you give me a taste?"
Xie Xun looked at the cold noodles in his bowl. It was a little too much, so he agreed and gave Lin Cheng a small bowl.
After taking the small bowl, Lin Cheng couldn't wait to eat it. The cold noodles were fresh and refreshing, sweet and sour, and tasted better than it smells.
He ate the chicken meatballs first. The meatballs were springy, tender but chewy, and the soup was delicious. The chicken's freshness and the sweet and sour soup were perfectly combined. His lips and cheek felt fresh after he ate.
He rummaged through the chicken meatballs in the bowl and ate the side dishes on the way. The cucumber shreds were crisp, and the egg shreds were soft. Even the ordinary boiled egg dipped in the soup was mellow, with a long aftertaste.
Lin Cheng's favorite was the spicy red cabbage, which was crispy and raw. With the salty and spicy soup, it became sour and sweet. It was very appetizing. If this spicy cabbage was served with rice and white meat, he could eat a large bowl.
He turned his chopsticks to wrap around a large pile of cold noodles, opened his mouth wide, and stuffed everything inside. Then he chewed slowly, feeling the taste of different ingredients, which were extremely satisfying.
After eating the dry ingredients, he picked up the bowl and drank the soup. He felt the coolness slowly sliding down from the throat, and the irritation from the heat instantly became refreshing and comfortable.
The sweet and sour taste was not only from sugar and rice vinegar, but also pear juice and apple juice. So the sweet and sour taste was extraordinarily fresh, and it is set off by the savory flavor of chicken soup. It was not a heavy and strong taste.
Lin Cheng ate the small bowl cleanly, then smacked his lips and fell silent.
After looking at Xie Xun, who was eating upright, he looked at his own little bowl of soup and then looked at the East Palace's lunch in front of him.
Suddenly, he found the taste of the rice to be like chewing wax—bland and utterly tasteless. He couldn't bring himself to eat any more.
Lin Cheng was filled with frustration!
It would have been better not to have eaten at all. Not only had the bowl failed to satisfy his hunger, but it only made him even more hungry. Oooooo.
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