Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 62
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 62: Yogurt and Fruit
Both of them were full after tonight's dinner. After Xie Xun finished eating, he went back to the study to read as usual, but he was back after a while, with a book in his hand.
"The study room is too boring," he explained.
Jiang Shuyao said "Oh" and then lowered her head to write and draw.
Xie Xun failed to attract her attention and sat down obediently at the table, reading with her.
The east wing was very quiet. There were cicadas in the yard, and the breeze blew into the house, bringing a unique quietness to the summer night.
After Jiang Shuyao finished drawing, she stretched her hand out and asked Xie Xun, "Are we still sneaking into the kitchen tonight?" She ate too much in the afternoon, and now she was not very greedy.
Xie Xun raised his eyes and replied, "It's up to you. If you want, then we will go."
Jiang Shuyao touched her chin and said, "Isn't it bad for us to do this, sneaking every day."
Xie Xun comforted her, "It will be over in a few days."
"Forget it." Jiang Shuyao sighed, "We have to be more restrained." You can't eat supper every night.
She patted her belly. These days had been a lot smoother.
Xie Xun nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, you still have to pay attention to your body." Controlling appetite was the foundation of good health and longevity.
Bai Zhi, who had just walked into the room, covered her mouth in surprise.
God, what did she hear?! "Secretly sneak every day," "restrained," "pay attention to your body"...
After listening to these thought-provoking words, she secretly took a small step forward and happened to see Jiang Shuyao touching her belly.
The amount of information she received was so great that Bai Zhi was frightened.
She calmed her mind and hurriedly back out quietly.
Jiang Shuyao didn't know about Bai Zhi walking back with shaking hands ready to write to Mrs. Xiangyang. She stood up and walked to the corner of the wing, "Come here. I will show you something good."
Xie Xun put down the book and walked with her.
In the inconspicuous corner, there was a low table with a thick blanket.
Jiang Shuyao walked over and opened the blanket, revealing two porcelain bowls covered with wooden lids.
"We don't have to eat supper, but we can eat two bowls of yogurt, which happens to promote digestion." Jiang Shuyao opened the lid.
"Yogurt?" Xie Xun looked into the bowl. The celadon bowl was filled with white yogurt. The surface was smooth as curd, like white egg custard or tofu pudding.
Yogurt had already appeared at this time, but it was only popular among the nomads. Also, they didn’t call it yogurt, so Xie Xun had never heard of this food.
The "Compendium of Materia Medica" contains a record that states: “The method for making yogurt involves using half a ladle of milk, which should be cooked in a pot. The milk must be boiled for ten minutes, continuously stirred with a ladle. Once done, pour it into a jar and allow it to cool. To this, mix in a small amount of old cheese, and it is then ready to be sealed with paper.”
Jiang Shuyao made ancient yogurt according to this method. She boiled fresh milk early in the morning, put the primer she bought the day before, covered it with a blanket for five hours, and the thick and delicate yogurt was ready.
Because the small kitchen was closed, the celadon bowls and spoons came from the second branch, making the two bowls of yogurt especially precious.
Jiang Shuyao was unwilling to eat it, "It would be great if I could mix some cut fruits in it. In summer, we should eat yogurt and fruit."
Xie Xun said, "Then let's get some fruits."
It was now approaching Hai-shi (9*-11pm). Most people had returned to their rooms to go to bed, except for those on guard duty at night.
In the evening, sometimes the masters would call people to cook soup, and some masters would call to make sobering soup, but no one would ask for fruits to be delivered at night. It would definitely arouse the suspicion of the grandmother, who was always watching.
After discussing over and over again, Xie Xun and Jiang Shuyao sneaked out of the yard while holding the yogurt bowls.
The two went into the large kitchen, where they retrieved watermelon, grapes, and bananas from the water tank. They cut the fruits and added them to the yogurt. As they stirred the mixture with a spoon, the thick yogurt wrapped around the fruits of various colors, creating a visually appealing dish. The watermelon pieces turned a bright, vibrant red, while the grapes sparkled with crystal clarity. The banana slices had softened and taken on a waxy texture, giving the entire dessert a cool and refreshing appearance.
The two sneaked out of the kitchen with their big bowls and went to their old fort, the small garden behind the rockery.
After some tossing, they can finally enjoy the fruit.
Jiang Shuyao picked up the bowl to "toast" Xie Xun's bowl.
With a crisp ‘clink,’ she smiled happily, "Cheers."
Xie Xun was amused, "We can't toast with yoghurt."
"Since you said that, we should have a drink at the bar when we are finished."
"Didn't you say something about eating moderately?"
"Wine is not food."
Xie Xun had no choice but to helplessly shake his head.
The tip of his nose was tingling with the sour milk scent of yogurt. Xie Xun stopped arguing with her, picked up the spoon, and stirred it.
The yogurt was indeed very thick, yet it had a delicate and silky texture when mixed with the fruits. As he stirred, the diced fruit created slight resistance, but that only added to the enjoyment of the experience. He set aside the diced fruit for a moment and scooped up a spoonful of the thick yogurt. As he tasted it, a rich, mellow milky fragrance blossomed on his tongue. There was no need to chew; the yogurt effortlessly melted in his mouth, delivering a wonderful blend of flavors and creaminess that was simply delightful.
The yogurt was sweet and sour, with the sandy sweetness of coarse sugar, and the mellow milky aroma, and the flavor was rich. The smooth and tender yogurt had a plump and long lusciousness, with the sweet and fruity fragrance, which injects a refreshing coolness into his whole body.
"Is it delicious?" Jiang Shuyao bit the spoon and squinted with enjoyment.
"Yeah." Xie Xun licked the yogurt on his lower lip, also bubbling with happiness.
The banana slices are soft, tender, and smooth. When chewed together with thick yogurt, it was waxy, with a slight sweet fragrance, adding a unique fragrance to the yogurt.
He took a bite of the watermelon. The refreshing sweet juice splashed in the mouth, the outside was wrapped in plump and smooth yogurt. It tasted sweet and sour, thick and moist.
There was no wind at this time, but he felt a refreshing, fruity breeze blowing across his face. The heat from his whole body was blown away, and it turned into a bright, watery moonlight.
Perhaps it is because the yogurt comes from the nomadic people in the northwest, and it contains the unique flavor from the region, with the breeze of the vast grassland and the bright moon by the Qinghai Lake.
Jiang Shuyao held the bowl, looked up at the sky, and exclaimed, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight."
Xie Xun also raised his neck.
"It's a pity that there is no wind," she said.
"Then let's go to a windy place."
Jiang Shuyao turned her head to look at him suspiciously.
Xie Xun's face showed a rare and hearty childishness, "The moonlight on the roof is more beautiful."
"The roof?" Jiang Shuyao was slightly surprised.
Xie Xun stood up and reached out to her.
Jiang Shuyao placed her hand in his, and he gently pulled her up to the roof with him. The roof was not high, and she felt stable stepping on the tiles. Though she experienced a slight fear, it quickly faded, leaving only a sense of novelty and joy as she sat down.
The roof offered a wide view, with the moonlight casting a beautiful, bright glow and a refreshing, gentle breeze flowing through the air. If neither of them were holding bowls, the scene would feel even more romantic.
"Let’s climb roofs more often in the future," Jiang Shuyao suggested, a smile on her face. "And bring wine."
Xie Xun listened to the first half and was about to nod his head. After hearing the second half, he frowned, "Is there any girl in the boudoir who loves wine like you?"
Jiang Shuyao said uncomfortably, "What's the matter, do you dislike it?"
Xie Xun quickly explained, "No, it’s just a little weird." He has never heard of any woman who loved wine.
But Jiang Shuyao is different from everyone else.
He loosened his eyebrows and smiled, "It's exactly what makes who you are. It's weird, but it is something that no one else has."
"Are you praising me?" Jiang Shuyao hummed.
Xie Xun nodded, "Of course, it is a good thing."
He suddenly turned his head to look at Jiang Shuyao and said seriously, "You are so good."
Before Jiang Shuyao could react, he spoke again.
"We had too many misunderstandings when we met." He didn't open his eyes and dared not look at Jiang Shuyao. "I knew you just from few words. When I didn't know you enough, I had a prejudice against you, even neglecting you and didn't treat you with kindness. Sorry."
He apologized so solemnly, Jiang Shuyao was a little uncomfortable and smiled awkwardly, "It's okay." It was embarrassing to talk about it, and it was impossible to explain it clearly.
Xie Xun was silent for a few seconds, hesitating to take out something from his arms, "... this is an apology."
Jiang Shuyao said, "Huh?"
Xie Xun hesitated and squeezed the thing into Jiang Shuyao's hands.
A cool object was stuffed in her hand. Jiang Shuyao looked it up and found it was a finely carved wooden hairpin.
The hairpin was polished to be extremely soft and smooth to the touch. A pair of double lotus carved on the hairpin, which was lifelike, and the corners of the layered lotus leaves were also smoothly sanded.
"This is?" She was a little surprised.
Xie Xun's ears were red in despair, and his tone was still flat, but his expression revealed his nervousness.
"I carved this by myself. It's not a good thing, but I thought about apologizing, so I was very careful and I did it myself."
Xie Xun carved at least one hundred or eighty wooden hairpins. Every day, he sneaks and polishes hairpins in the East Palace. The craftsmanship is unfamiliar to him. He has a lot of holes in his fingertips, and Lin Cheng ridiculed him.
Jiang Shuyao suddenly received a gift and could not react for a while. She stared at the wooden hairpin in a dazed manner. After the surprise, she accepted it well.
Xie Xun felt ashamed for a while and afraid that she didn't like it. He wanted to jump off the roof.
"Well, if you don't like it, just throw it away. It's not worth a lot of money. I'll buy you other pretty things." He pretended to be calm, "Something more gorgeous than the reward from Concubine Lin."
Jiang Shuyao ignored him and touched the smooth wooden hairpin. She felt that the temperature from his hands still lingered on the hairpin.
Xie Xun's cold face appeared in her mind, sitting up and down with the intricately carved and magnificent double lotus while looking alienating, clear, and handsome. She couldn't help but laugh.
"It is very good," she said.
Xie Xun suddenly became even more upset and shy when he heard her words.
Jiang Shuyao raised her hand and inserted the wooden hairpin into her hair bun. She poked Xie Xun with her elbow, "Does it look good?"
Xie Xun turned around, and the two eyes faced each other, and the moonlight shrouded Jiang Shuyao like a light gauze mist, giving her a surreal beauty.
Jiang Shuyao felt Xie Xun's eyes fall on her face. Her cheeks were slightly hot, and she was waiting for his praise.
"...You are really more suitable for gold jewelry." Xie Xun said seriously.
The ambiguous atmosphere was broken before it arose.
Jiang Shuyao's heart was slightly moved in one second, and the next second she almost wanted to kick Xie Xun off the roof.
Before she could follow her impulse, a strange sarcastic voice suddenly came from downstairs in the courtyard, "Third Master, Third Madam."
Xie Xun and Jiang Shuyao were startled and looked down.
The grandmother sent by the old madam looked up at them with a stretched face, followed by a group of maids. The group of people was staring dumbfoundedly at the two fools, who stayed on the roof instead of sleeping.
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