Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 95
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure and CitrusP
Chapter 95: Autumn Hunt
Since the heat started to subside, the emperor wanted to go out of the palace to play. As the weather gradually became cooler, the emperor looked through the sky every day and said that he really couldn't sit still in the palace. He took a group of people out of the palace to hunt in the royal hunting ground.
Naturally, people had to keep up with the Heavenly Family's will. In addition to the imperial concubines, the minister's family members also had to follow in the hunt.
Jiang Shuyao was very excited when she heard the news. For the emperor and the ministers, going to the hunting ground was obviously for hunting. But for her, going to the hunting ground was like an autumn trip.
From the moment she received the news, she began to prepare supplies, and on the day of the trip, her items had piled up in a large box.
Xie Xun's injury was getting better, and after removing the bandage a few days ago, he no longer had to lay down to rest.
He came in from the yard and looked at Jiang Shuyao's big box and had a headache, "How much did you prepare?"
Jiang Shuyao saw him and patted her forehead, "Oh, I forgot to prepare your luggage."
Xie Xun helplessly said, "No, my injury is not very good. I am not suitable for hunting. I just go for a casual walk. It is enough to bring a few clothes. I don't need anything else."
This was because Xie Xun was an injured patient, and Jiang Shuyao should take care of him tightly. She should have taken a step back, and left space for Xie Xun's luggage.
But when Xie Xun said that, she was really reluctant to part with the items she had prepared, so she leaned in and said, "Thank you. Don't worry, everything I bring can be used. If you go out hunting, I will wait for you in the room. When you come back, I will wait for you with food and drink, so you can have a good time."
Xie Xun looked down at her and said nothing. He was moving his right arm, his left hand was still covering the chest wound, and he looked down at her so coldly as if he was trying to make her understand that she shouldn't be bullying a patient.
Jiang Shuyao knew Xie Xun's temperament. He looked cold but would not blame her for it, but she was still a little guilty.
She stood on tiptoe, leaned forward, and kissed Xie Xun.
Xie Xun didn't expect this. His eyes widened slightly because of surprise.
Jiang Shuyao smiled and said, "You are so kind."
Xie Xun only gave her luggage space and didn't feel that he had done anything. She praised him and thanked him so solemnly, making him confused and a little flattered.
After Jiang Shuyao kissed him, she went back to tidy up the luggage. Xie Xun held his chest and stood behind her.
Jiang Shuyao stepped to the left, and he followed her, mirroring her movement. She went to the right, and again, he mirrored her. The large presence of the man standing just behind her made it difficult for Jiang Shuyao to focus on what she was doing.
She turned abruptly to look at Xie Xun. Xie Xun was thinking hard about what he had done to be worth the praise. He was startled by her actions and then blurted out, "Don't thank me."
Jiang Shuyao smiled at him, nodded, turned around, and continued to clean up.
Xie Xun continued to stand still.
Jiang Shuyao thought he was a little strange and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xie Xun wanted to say something but stopped, the corners of his mouth pressed tightly.
When he usually looked at people, his eyes had a sense of arrogance to the extreme, but now his expression was still cold and detached, but his eyes were particularly clear, much brighter than before as if he was expecting something.
He hesitated for a while and said, "...I don't need to bring a few clothes anymore. If you need more space, I can just bring one. It doesn't take up any space."
Jiang Shuyao recalled the conversation just now and then reacted with hindsight. Xie Xun was... asking for a kiss?
She hesitated, then, on tiptoe, pressed a tentative kiss to his lips. Xie Xun's eyelashes fluttered, and he leaned down, eagerly returning the kiss.
Jiang Shuyao, confused, pulled back after a moment. A hint of reluctance flickered across Xie Xun's face.
Since that last kiss, Xie Xun had never been able to forget the sensation. But this was different from holding hands. After all, they could always find moments to hold hands—whether during the day or, more privately, sneaking a touch before drifting off to sleep. But a kiss... that was another matter entirely. He couldn’t simply lie in bed, wrapped in the quilt, and solemnly requested, "Can I kiss you today?"
Jiang Shuyao didn't know what Xie Xun was entangled with. After understanding Xie Xun's expectations, she was ready to turn around again to pack her things. She just turned around, but Xie Xun held her hand.
She couldn't stand firmly and almost fell into his arms.
Although he was slow to start with the kiss and had poor skills, he still taught himself and quickly lowered his head to catch her lips.
Such a restrained and cold person, even kissing people had restraint. Jiang Shuyao only felt that her breath was a little quick, his ink fragrance surrounded her, and his lips were printed on her lips. He was so stunned, he seemed to move forward and touched her lower lip tentatively.
Before Jiang Shuyao had time to react, his reaction was bigger than hers. His breathing was stagnant, and his body became stiff. He couldn't bear the irritation and said, "Emh," and backed away quickly while holding his chest.
Jiang Shuyao was frightened by his actions, and when she turned her eyes, a bloodstain appeared on his chest.
"What's the matter?" She leaned in quickly, wanting to see his wound.
Xie Xun clutched his chest and backed away in a panic, "It's okay."
"Let me see." Jiang Shuyao was even more worried.
Xie Xun's ears were red, and he backed away again, with a bit of gritted teeth, "It's okay." He was really going to be mad at himself. After all, everything went well, but his wound opened up.
Finally, Jiang Shuyao caught Xie Xun, who tried to flee, and escorted the doctor.
The doctor was an elderly imperial physician who had retired from the palace. After Xie Xun's condition stabilized, he came to change the dressing on his wound.
After checking the injury, he sternly asked Xie Xun whether he had done activities that were not following the doctor's instructions. Otherwise, how could a good wound open?
Xie Xun was about to feel ashamed and quickly explained that he did not do anything.
"Huh!" The doctor let out a knowing sigh, as if he had seen it all before. "You think the autumn hunt is nearing, and you can't afford to fall behind in your archery skills. So, instead of heeding the old man's advice, you're out here, practicing with your bow."
Xie Xun gritted his teeth, "I didn't."
The doctor was a weird old man. He felt strange when he heard that. How could the wound split if he didn't make big moves? Could it be that his medical skills had failed? So he asked straightforwardly and asked exactly what he had eaten and what he had done.
Finally, the doctor finished taking his pulse, changed the medicine, and came out to prescribe the prescription. As soon as Jiang Shuyao entered the inner room, he saw Xie Xun pressing his forehead against the bedpost. His face was so cold it was almost freezing.
She was confused. Did he argue with the doctor?
Turning to the outside, the doctor just finished prescribing the prescription, and without saying anything, he gave her the prescription and left.
Jiang Shuyao was even more puzzled. Looking at the prescription, the doctor wrote a few words.
"Mung bean lotus soup? Pork loin soup?" The doctor did not write medicine prescriptions but the recipes for medicinal meals.
Jiang Shuyao glanced at the last line and saw a few large, hastily written words: The young man has too much heat!
*
The royal hunting ground was far away, and the people couldn't get there quickly even if they were eager. A group of people went to the hunting ground with great momentum, and they finally arrived after a few days of tossing.
After arriving at the hunting ground, the eunuchs and maids arranged accommodation. The men could not help but change their clothes and went around the hunting grounds, while most of the women chose to stay in the house.
Of course, people like Jiang Shuyao, Zhou-shi, and some others could not sit still.
After Zhou-shi arrived at the hunting ground, without waiting for the maids to arrange her luggage, she put a big knife on her shoulders and arrows on her back, then plunged into the woods. Xie Lang had no choice but to follow quietly, fearing that she would go into the deep jungle to hunt tigers on an impulse.
On the other hand, Jiang Shuyao took two maids, and the three of them carried a small suitcase and went to the forest to play.
The hunting ground was surrounded all year round, and only a few people set foot inside on normal days. Jiang Shuyao and the maids picked wild fruits and some wild vegetables. Finally, after tired of wandering, they found a place to rest by the clear stream.
The view beside the clear spring was breathtaking. The shore was scattered with dirt and stones, and there weren’t too many weeds. Seeing the serene surroundings and feeling fatigued, Jiang Shuyao decided not to continue climbing the mountain. She planned to rest and have her meal here in the afternoon.
She had eaten a hearty breakfast, so hunger wasn’t pressing, but she simply wanted to have a light snack to tide her over. She had intended to nibble on some pastries, but when she opened the box, she was surprised to find sausages inside.
As there were a lot of things to bring, there would always be omissions when packing up. For example, the raw sausage was put together with cooked food.
Jiang Shuyao originally wanted to take out a pastry and eat it, but she was greedy when she saw the sausage. She asked the maid to pick up some dry wood from the forest and prepare to roast it.
After the maid entered the woods, she found out that she had no bamboo skewers and could not roast the sausages. She could only find a very smooth stone and wash it out under running water. She stacks two little pillars of stones and puts the stone slab across the top.
The maids found firewood and stuffed it under the stone slab. After lighting the firewood, the stone slab gradually became hot and red.
In fact, Jiang Shuyao preferred to use stones to roast. In modern times, grilling sausages or baking buns on volcanic stone were common. The food tasted good because the volcanic stones would heat evenly, which could ensure that the ingredients were heated in all directions. Food cooked this way had a natural and rustic taste.
After the stone slab was heated, she used chopsticks to hold the grilled sausage up, and the inside of the sausage casing shrinks with a sizzle.
The grilled sausages were homemade, stuffed generously with a mix of minced pork belly and lean pork. They looked plump, their casings stretched tight, almost ready to burst. Jiang Shuyao used her chopsticks to carefully turn the sausages, ensuring they were evenly heated. As the scent grew stronger, the casings began to crackle, and with a sudden burst, they split open, releasing the rich fat that had been roasting inside.
Even if the casing hadn't split, the stone slab beneath would have been stained with oil. The finely chopped fatty meat melted into rich oil, soaking into the leaner portions, leaking out through the thin, barely perceptible casing. The air was filled with a mouth-watering aroma, one so rich it made greed stir in the heart just from the smell.
Jiang Shuyao looked at the slate, thinking that if Xie Xun were there, he would be able to catch a fish and grill it. The taste must be very good.
Lost in her thoughts, a rustling sound suddenly broke through the quiet from the forest. This area was on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, where only high-ranking officials would come, making it quite safe. Anyone nearby would likely be other officials or their families enjoying the outing together. Just as this thought crossed her mind, a familiar voice echoed through the air.
"It's weird. I actually smell meat!"
"I can smell it too."
"Hey, I smell it—wait, how come I can't smell it? Lin Cheng, did you take the smell away with a deep breath!"
Jiang Shuyao looked at the entrance of the forest and saw that between the shaking shadows of the trees, a group of people in blue riding uniforms came out of the forest, lined up in a string of queue, their necks stretched out, and their chins were raised, sniffing all the way towards her.
These people were too familiar.
Lin Cheng first saw Jiang Shuyao, who was roasting sausages on the shore. He suddenly stopped, clapped his hands, and said with joy, "What a coincidence! Madam, we can also—ah!"
He was gone before he finished.
Jiang Shuyao shifted her gaze down in astonishment, only to see him lying on the ground blankly.
Lin Cheng stopped abruptly just now, and the mountain road was not easy to walk. The people behind him couldn’t stop in time, and they bumped him one by one.
Xie Xun was far behind him and sighed when he saw it. He covered his face with his hands. It was too shameful.
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