Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 71
Tled by Serena Love
Unedited
Chapter 71: Cold Shrimp (Liangxia)
The carriage's window was knocked twice, and a clear voice came from outside, "Sister-in-law?"
Jiang Shuyao breathed a sigh of relief. She could escape from the three of them. So she raised the curtain.
Xie Xun saw her poking out her head, and his eyes warmed.
Jiang Shuyao smiled at him, got out of the carriage, and said to the three people inside, "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, Qingshu, I'll go with him first."
Three people inside responded.
Jiang Shuyao pulled Xie Xun's sleeve, "Let's go."
After walking a few steps, there was a sudden shout, which shocked Jiang Shuyao.
"Sister-in-law!" "Sister!"
Jiang Shuyao turned her head and found the group of East Palace's people all standing behind them.
Lin Cheng looked at the signs hanging on the street, with infatuation and expectation in his eyes, as if he had met his lover, who he had been waiting for years, and finally held her hand.
"It's finally opened." He sighed quietly.
Jiang Shuyao turned to look at Xie Xun.
Xie Xun's face was paralyzed as usual, but a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, and he explained in a low voice, "I was looking for you after I finished my duty. Lin Cheng found out that I was not walking back to the house. Then he yelled, and all my colleagues came to follow me."
If they came here to cheer for the Lin family's business, Xie Xun would be very welcoming. But when they ran over with such a mighty presence, Xie Xun feel helpless and feel a little embarrassed. With these many noises, no one could see the dignity and seriousness of the East Palace officials.
Lin Cheng sniffed and was being overly familiar. "Why don't you tell your brothers about the opening of my sister-in-law's shop? We must come and cheer."
A thick-skinned person replies, "Exactly."
Although the other thin-skinned people were a little bit ashamed, they also agreed with this statement.
Jiang Shuyao glanced at Xie Xun again.
Xie Xun's eyebrows twitched, and he stood silently in front of Jiang Shuyao to prevent the intrusion of these fools.
"Hey, don't stand here and chat. Let's go in to eat and drink, and drink and eat." Lin Cheng clapped his hands and swayed in, just like at his own home.
The rest followed quickly.
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Xie Xun stood still, and Jiang Shuyao asked, "Aren't you going with them?"
"No." Xie Xun said without hesitation, then looked at her, "I'm naturally going with you."
His tone has always been flat, but after getting along for a long time, Jiang Shuyao can always hear some differences.
For example, now, his tone is inadvertently with a familiar flattery.
Jiang Shuyao blushed inexplicably and pulled Xie Xun's cuffs, "Are you hungry?"
"It's okay." Xie Xun tugged at his neckline, "It's a bit hot, and I don't have much appetite." Because he thought that Jiang Shuyao was so worried yesterday, he rushed over immediately after getting off duty, trying to be with her, and now he is sweating himself out.
Jiang Shuyao slowly shuttled with him through the crowd, "Then let's drink something cold and take a rest."
She led Xie Xun to a restaurant with a narrow corner and said to the lady boss who was busy in the shop, "Please bring a bowl of cold shrimp."
After speaking, she looked back at the tall, thin, and handsome Xie Xun and quietly added, "The biggest bowl."
The proprietress covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh, I understand, it is the sweetest thing for a young couple to eat with the same bowl."
Jiang Shuyao: ...no, you misunderstood. Xie Xun can eat it all by himself.
In order to save Xie Xun's face, she chose to shut up.
The raw material of cold shrimp or Liang Xia is rice. After the pulp is cooked, it is filtered with a colander and drained into cold water to set the shape. It is short and fat, with a pointed head and a pointed tail. When floating in cold water, it is shaped like a shrimp, so this dessert is called a cold shrimp.
The proprietress used a slotted spoon to scoop out a large spoonful of cold shrimps from the cold water basin. Then she put it into the mixed brown sugar water, sprinkle it with red and green candied sprinkles, sesame, and peanuts. The white rice "shrimps" were swimming in the clear and rich brown sugar water. The black and brown sugar water looks cool, thirst-quenching, and full of fun.
Xie Xun and Jiang Shuyao took their seats. The lady boss handed over two spoons, and the two took them. Xie Xun pushed the bowl to the center.
Jiang Shuyao said, "I don't want to eat it."
Xie Xun thought about the lady boss' teasing just now and realized that Jiang Shuyao didn't say anything because she wanted to save him some face.
Well......
Xie Xun poked the plump rice "shrimps" with a spoon, sighed inwardly, and became ashamed.
Jiang Shuyao said, "Aren't you hot? Drink it quickly. This cold shrimp is sweet and relieves heat, perfect for summer."
Her ordinary care made Xie Xun happy again. He nodded quickly and scooped up a spoonful of brown sugar water.
The brown sugar water is mixed with the cold water from the well. It is sweet and cool, with a rich cane fragrance, and the sweetness is sufficient but not greasy. The taste is bitter and sweet but has a long aftertaste.
Because the brown sugar water is not too thick or too sweet, the taste is lightly sweet, so the proprietress is not stingy, and the large bowl is filled with enough brown sugar water to drink.
He scooped a spoonful of cold shrimps. The short and white cold shrimps are rippling in the black and red clear sugar water. His mouth is cooled, and the taste is delicate and sweet.
As the name suggests, the cold shrimp leaps on the tip of the tongue like a small shrimp. It is soft and smooth, sweet and tender. It sways in the sweet and slightly bitter sugar water.
The dessert was made from rice, so it has the scent of rice. Although the outer skin is slippery, the inside bites soft, waxy, and flexible. His tongue seems to be unable to catch the wandering and slippery cold shrimps. When it stays in the mouth, it is quite interesting when it collides with the brown sugar water.
He caught the creamy cold shrimps with a few bites. The glutinous and cool rice scent spreads in his mouth. There is no need to chew. The cold shrimp slides down the throat along the sweet brown sugar water. The coolness is swayed all the way, and the summer heat disappeared immediately. He was refreshed, and the whole body's heat and exhaustion melted in this simple sweet and cool taste.
[T/N: To clarify, the "cold shrimps" in this chapter are not real shrimps. It's a dessert made of rice flour, usually served with brown sugar or sour plum soup to make an ice-cold drink. It is originated in the Chongqing area.]
When Xie Xun ate these soups and waters, he still gave a stern look. The elegant appearance and sweet dessert were really incompatible, but the more Jiang Shuyao looked at him, the more she felt that this face pleasing to the eye seemed to be a little strange and lovely.
Xie Xun drank several mouthfuls before speaking, "Very good." He naturally praised her, "It's because of the recipe you came up with."
Jiang Shuyao quickly turned her head to look at the people around them, and she was relieved to see that no one heard him and said to Xie Xun, "How embarrassing to boast so much."
Xie Xun looked innocent and once again buried his head and quietly drank the cold shrimp. Seeing that he was drinking with appetite made her a little thirsty, so Jiang Shuyao used a spoon to scoop a small spoonful of brown sugar water.
Xie Xun was still drinking cold shrimp quietly, but when he saw her put her spoon into the bowl and put it in her mouth, his ears became red.
For him, it is too ambiguous to eat the same bowl, especially when he had eaten almost half a bowl.
Although he used to clean Jiang Shuyao's leftovers, but... but this is different. This time she drank the soup he had drunk.
"Why don't you drink more?" Jiang Shuyao asked.
Xie Xun's throat was itchy, unable to scratch, and he turned his head to cover it up, "It's okay." After a few seconds, he felt unwilling again, "I've eaten this. Don't you dislike it?"
Jiang Shuyao laughed when she heard his words, "What is this? You often eat the dishes I have eaten. Do you dislike it?"
"Of course not."
"Then I certainly won't."
This is different. Xie Xun thought, but it seems that this is not a good time to talk.
He was thinking about taking Jiang Shuyao to the lakeside pavilion that often appeared in the novels when a loud voice rushed from behind him, "Bo Yuan, so you are here."
Holding the unfinished fried skewers in his hand, an East Palace friend saw the cold shrimps in front of Xie Xun, and his eyes lit up, "What is this? Eh, madam, if you sell these in such a big bowl, I want to take it away. Let the servants come to pick it up later, and they will return the bowl at night."
After finishing talking, he took care of business and said to Xie Xun, "We have an appointment to swim the lake at night and already booked a painted boat. Are you coming? I have bought all the food on this street, and we will eat it later on the boat." To Jiang Shuyao, "Come on too, sister-in-law. It is cooler on the lake."
It was a bit presumptuous when he said this. After all, when a group of men gathered together, it seemed inappropriate to call a woman like her. They were about to apologize when they heard Xie Xun's decision, "Okay."
Xie Boyuan: Boating on the lake, this time I can't miss a good opportunity again.
Jiang Shuyao hadn't been on the boat before and was very excited. She urged Xie Xun to finish the cold shrimp and drove to the lake in a carriage.
At this time, the sun had mostly set. The light was dim and gloomy, the painted boats had lanterns, and it looks floating on the dark lake. The stars were dotting the sky, and the moonlight was hazy. You can imagine how beautiful the night is.
Xie Xun got on the boat first and raised his arm to help Jiang Shuyao.
Jiang Shuyao held his arm and strode onto the boat.
Inside, the East Palace people were enjoying snacks, laughing, and making a noise.
Jiang Shuyao didn't want to go in because the cool breeze feels nicer outside, much more comfortable than inside.
She hadn't spoken yet, but Xie Xun seemed to have guessed what she was thinking, let her cool down here for a while, and went inside the boat to find the boatman.
Jiang Shuyao watched him talking with the boatman, not knowing what he was going to do. She turned her head back, bored, and happened to look at the people from the next boats nearby.
The man was a little excited when he saw her and waved to her.
Jiang Shuyao barely recognized him as her little uncle with the light from the painted boat's lantern.
He has always been doing business on Lin-shi's side. It is not strange that he appeared here today. He must have just finished his work and come to the painted boat to rest for a while.
Jiang Shuyao's face was filled with an excited smile when thinking of the excitement of today's snack street and the business's success, and she waved to him as well.
A little far away, the little uncle put his hand around his mouth and shouted to her, "I will go to my second cousin in a while. See you on the shore."
Jiang Shuyao roared back, "Okay, see you on the shore."
When Xie Xun came back, he heard the two shouting, "See you on the shore."
His eyesight was much better than that of Jiang Shuyao, so he saw the person's appearance at a glance.
Handsome and romantic, with a little femininity. The man is the person who had a very happy conversation with Jiang Shuyao during the Dragon Boat Festival.
At that time, he wanted to give the double-lotus golden hairpin to Jiang Shuyao. But because he encountered the conversation between the two and felt uncomfortable, so he took the hairpin back and did not give it to Jiang Shuyao on the spot.
He only felt sad and bitter at that time, but he didn't understand why, but now he knew the reason.
When Jiang Shuyao turned her head, she saw Xie Xun standing silently behind her, half of his face sinking into the dark, looking a bit cold and terrible.
She was about to open her mouth to break the atmosphere when Xie Xun strode over suddenly, causing the planks to creak.
He frowned tightly with a solemn expression, and his already cold appearance became even colder, making Jiang Shuyao subconsciously cringe.
He bluntly said, "Jiang Shuyao, I will ask you, why did you want to marry me that day?"
This question was raised on an impulse, but Xie Xun did not regret it after asking it.
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The accumulated throbbing, entanglement, and sorrowful emotions were mixed together, making his heart flustered. The more he procrastinated some words, the more he couldn't say them.
What's more, he can wait. But can Jiang Shuyao wait? Although she married him, they are not a couple at all.
Sure enough, Jiang Shuyao was dumbfounded when she heard this question. She stammered and not knowing how to answer.
Xie Xun had expected her to react like this a long time ago. There was no shyness, no attachment like when she was rescued by him when she fell into the water, no obsession and madness when she forced himself to marry her by death threat. Her eyes only has some loss and panic.
Thinking of his rejection and estrangement when they just got married, he thought that she was obsessed with him, but it was a joke in the end.
He felt hot on his face. Recalling all kinds of past events, and his heart was stuffy, very embarrassed, but this embarrassment was more bitter. He was sad, not ashamed.
Xie Xun regretted it. He regretted his impulsive question, regretted not continuing to boil the frog in warm water.
Now that the facts are in front of him, he is willing to face it, and he must face it. She has never liked him.
He thought so and asked upfront.
"Have you ever like me?"
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