Chapter 101 (Sandwich (Part 1)...)

The overall color of beggar's chicken is much lighter than that of honey roast chicken, but its taste is not inferior to that of honey roast chicken.

After being simmered over residual fire, when the chicken is cooked little by little, the fat in the chicken skin slowly melts into the chicken. The exposed part is tender yellow but not greasy, and the aroma is so fragrant that it makes people's mouths water.

Yan Qiushu made five beggar chickens, just enough for each person. After taking out all the chicken meat, she didn't want to cut it into pieces with her hands, so she just used a knife.

Yan Qiushu and Zhuo Ning both prefer to use their hands. They grab a chicken leg and pull it off with force, skin and meat included. You can even see the juice overflowing from the chicken.

When you put it in your mouth, it is an even better enjoyment.

The chicken that has been marinated for a long time and the onions, ginger and garlic in the chicken's stomach have effectively removed the fishy smell of the meat, and the lotus leaves have added a touch of fragrance. The tender and smooth chicken is neither dry nor tough. Chew the hot chicken a few times, move the root of the tongue slightly, and the meat will slide into the stomach.

Even though there was ice all around, everyone was still sweating while eating. Yan Qiushu wiped her own sweat and looked up to see that everyone at the table was doing the same.

But the chicken was not strong in taste, not oily or greasy. Even though it was a whole chicken, they were reluctant to stop, and there was no need to stop. They just ate quietly.

After eating chicken legs, you can eat chicken wings. After eating chicken wings, there are chicken necks, chicken breasts, etc.

The only thing that needs to be a little dry is the chicken breast.

Yan Qiushu silently took out the chili powder she made. She added a lot of spices, white sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, etc. to the chili powder and stir-fried it. It was salty and spicy with a slight numbness, and the aroma of sesame seeds and crushed peanuts was even more prominent.

Once you dip the chicken breast in it, the slightly woody texture is negligible, and the spicy taste dominates your lips and tongue, making the chicken seem even more tender and smooth.

"You can eat it like this?" Xiao Huaiya was jealous and came over to dip it in the chili powder. Then he put it in his mouth and his eyes suddenly lit up: "It's delicious!"

Zhao Shuhong and Shui Yu also followed.

Zhuo Ning looked at it with envy, but he was a man and couldn't do that.

Yan Qiushu wiped her mouth and gave him some of the chili powder: "Would you like to try it too? It's a bit spicy, so take it easy."

"Thank you, my lady!" Zhuo Ning accepted it with a smile. He didn't take her reminder to heart and greedily rolled the chicken in, covering every part with red chili powder.

Seeing this, Xiao Huaiya wanted to say something but hesitated. But after thinking about it, he smiled as if he was enjoying the show and said nothing.

The chicken still had some juice, which was definitely a great way to dip it in chili powder. After rolling it like this, the chicken was so densely packed with juice that its original color could not be seen, and then Zhuo Ning put it into his mouth.

In less than two seconds, Zhuo Ning's face flushed red, and her eyes were filled with tears. She wanted to vomit, but she saw that the four girls were looking at her, especially Xiao Huaiya: "You can't even eat spicy food, right?"

Zhuo Ning pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, chewed quickly twice, and swallowed the spicy taste in his mouth. Suddenly, his throat felt like it was being scratched by sand, and it was burning hot.

The kind-hearted Shui Yu brought him a cup of milk tea. He took a big gulp to suppress the pungent spicy taste. When he wiped his tears, his eyes were red.

Zhuo Ning took a moment to calm down before saying in disbelief, "What is this? It's so spicy!"

Yan Qiushu coughed lightly and said guiltily, "The chili powder I made uses a new type of chili pepper. It's much spicier than cornus officinalis and Sichuan peppercorns..."

Zhuo Ning: “…”

He didn't know the difference between grains and didn't notice it. He just thought it was another dipping sauce with some cornus officinalis added. Who knew it was so strong? He shook his head in fear and didn't dare to dip it in the food again.

After finishing lunch, he returned to his room dejectedly.

When he left, his ears were still red and his steps were getting faster and faster.

Yan Qiushu looked at him with sympathy, as if she had embarrassed him in front of his sweetheart?

She nudged Xiao Huaiya with her arm: "Why don't you go and comfort him?"

Xiao Huaiya frowned, as if she was slightly disgusted, and also seemed embarrassed: "What are you trying to comfort me for? I'm not familiar with him!"

Seeing this, Yan Qiushu said nothing more: "Okay, I'm going to take a nap, you can play by yourself."

Xiao Huaiya waved his hand: "Go ahead, I'll play for a while."

Yan Qiushu turned and left, Shui Yu followed. Zhao Shuhong also needed to rest, so she went to another yard. Xiao Huaiya was the only one left in the living room.

She supported her chin with both hands and looked out the door. The summer sun was so scorching that it hurt her eyes just by looking at it, but her eyes were fixed at this moment and she didn't feel much. It was not until she could no longer suppress the thoughts in her mind that she suddenly stood up.

But because he stood up too quickly, Xiao Huaiya's eyes suddenly turned white and his body shook.

"Be careful!" With a panicked shout, Zhuo Ning's figure quickly approached and ran over to support her.

Xiao Huaiya steadied himself, looked closely and saw that it was him, and asked in confusion, "Didn't you go back?"

Zhuo Ning coughed lightly. His throat was a little hoarse from the spicy food, but it made his voice seem even deeper and more pleasant. "No, I'm just a little embarrassed."

Xiao Huaiya said with a smile: "Aren't you embarrassed now?"

Zhuo Ning said: "You are different."

Xiao Huaiya's face, hidden under her veil, flushed red. She crossed her arms over her chest and no longer tried to avoid him like before. Instead, she squinted at him and said, "I heard that you've done quite well in the local area these past few years, and you were even able to be transferred back directly."

His tone was still not particularly friendly, but his attitude had completely changed compared to before. Zhuo Ning was immediately surprised and delighted, and smiled ingratiatingly: "Of course, I worked hard to be transferred back. I was just afraid that once I came back you would..."

His rude words at that time completely hurt Xiao Huaiya, who was already feeling inferior due to the scar on her face. After that, he admitted his mistakes many times, but was driven away every time he came to the house. Zhuo's parents were also unhappy, so they specially transferred their youngest son to a local position to keep him away from Kyoto.

But in order to come back, he was also afraid that if he was too late, Xiao Huaiya might have already married, so he worked extra hard and achieved outstanding political achievements. That was why when he returned to Beijing to report on his work this year, he was noticed by the old emperor and kept.

The childhood sweethearts thought that everything had changed, but suddenly found out that it was just a misunderstanding.

When Yan Qiushu saw the two men again in the afternoon, the estrangement between them caused by Xiao Huaiya's deliberate alienation had dissipated, and they were playing and joking like old friends.

Of course, usually Zhuo Ning was beaten and ran away in fear, while Xiao Huaiya was amused from ear to ear, and sometimes he would go over to him angrily and make a few moves.

Yan Qiushu and Zhao Shuhong looked at each other, and they took Shui Yu away from the couple who were showing off their affection and ran to the kitchen.

"Ouch, my teeth are so sore. Let's make something to eat." Zhao Shuhong deliberately rubbed her cheeks and said with a smile.

Yan Qiushu nodded: "Yeah!"

If it was a TV drama or something, she would jump for excitement when she saw others showing affection, but when she saw people she knew showing affection in real life, she felt awkward no matter how she watched, so she usually wouldn't stay in front of Xiao Huaiqi and his wife for long. Now, seeing Xiao Huaiya and Zhuo Ning being so affectionate, she felt embarrassed and thought it was better to stay away.

However, facing the stove, Yan Qiushu couldn't think of what to cook for a moment. There were too many things to cook and too many choices. Her stomach was still full. She had eaten meat at noon to resist hunger, so she couldn't think of anything at this moment.

"Why don't we make some snacks?" Shui Yu asked with a smile, "We're all full and not hungry. We can make some snacks and eat them anytime."

Yan Qiushu thought it made sense and searched in her mind for suitable snacks. Suddenly, a food called Sanzi popped up in her mind. This was a food that was often made in her hometown in her previous life. She had a relative who was particularly good at making this Sanzi. Every time she went there, she would bring back a bunch of it to eat slowly.

Thinking of this, she immediately said, "Why not make Sanzi? Have you ever eaten it?"

Shui Yu and Zhao Shuhong shook their heads: "No."

Yan Qiushu smiled and took the two of them to knead the dough while explaining the method. After the dough was kneaded, it was pulled into thick noodles and placed in a bowl. Oil was added to the bottom of the bowl and soaked for an hour.

The noodles pulled out in this way are easier to pull and will not break easily.

This method will make your hands greasy and uncomfortable.

Apart from this shortcoming, there is nothing else. When the noodles are pulled thinner, they are put on chopsticks in circles and then put into the oil pan. "Sizzle" is a familiar sound, and the originally off-white noodles turn golden yellow.

After this thing is fried in the oil pan until crispy, you can take it out, wait for the fat to drip off, and the temperature to cool down, then you can eat it directly.

Taking the eating method into consideration, the Sanzi made by Yan Qiushu are not big, but in small pieces, so they can be finished in two bites.

With Shui Yu's help, Zhao Shuhong had no more work to do after she finished kneading the dough. Now she washed her hands and waited for the fried Sanzi to cool down. She couldn't wait to reach out to taste it.

Yan Qiushu caught a glimpse of it and reminded her, "If it's not salty enough, just sprinkle some pepper salt or chili powder on it, it will taste just as good!"

"I know." Zhao Shuhong said with a smile, breaking off a piece of Sanzi strip with two fingers and putting it into her mouth. It was a small piece, still retaining some warmth. When she bit her teeth, it made a continuous crispy sound. The texture was very crispy, and she didn't even need to use much effort to eat it.

Salt is added when kneading the noodles, so they taste very salty and fragrant, and there is no need to add any other seasonings!

Yan Qiushu also took the time to taste it. It was crispy and delicious. Her skills had not declined, maybe even because of the buff. She felt that the taste was very similar to the one made by her relative. It was so delicious!

Yan Qiushu has always thought that Sanzi might be an alternative to instant noodles, because it tastes very good whether eaten directly or cooked. The only bad thing is that it will break into crumbs with a little force during storage. Instant noodles, on the other hand, are not so easy to break once they are set.

Unfortunately, with the current technology, making instant noodles is too difficult, so she gave up. Now that Sanzi is made, it would be a good late-night snack?!

A lot of Sanzi were made, and Yan Qiushu had some delivered to the Xiao Mansion. By the way, she asked if Chen Pingyu, Dongdong and the others would come over.

We got the news that they will come over in two days.

However, Xiao Huaiting temporarily left Kyoto for official business.

It was already very late at this time, and Yan Qiushu was just about to go to bed, but because of the news, she couldn't sleep.

It's a very strange feeling.

She seemed a little disappointed, but she was well aware that the Xiao family was in a special situation and was now the busiest time. Besides, their relationship was far from being in love. It was just like the steps of modern love, where they were probably just at the beginning stage and the ambiguity was not yet complete.

Fortunately, Yan Qiushu is not a love-brained person and does not yearn for a passionate love, so she can accept this relationship.

However, the Xiao family may have been afraid that she would be unhappy, so they asked the servant from the farm to bring back the news along with a lot of gifts, as well as a letter from Mrs. Xiao scolding her son to comfort her.

This made Yan Qiushu feel both amused and helpless.

She covered herself with a thin quilt, her mind full of all sorts of thoughts. She couldn't fall asleep yet but felt a little drowsy. Suddenly, she heard a noise in her ears, and she was startled. The sleepiness she would feel in the future disappeared at this moment, leaving only the pounding heartbeat.

What happened? She seemed to hear someone's footsteps?

No way? She had specially arranged for someone to keep watch at the manor, so could it be that the thieves were still targeting her?

Yan Qiushu took a look and lifted the quilt, picked up a stick on the bedside, clenched her hands, and stared at the door and window, two places where someone might come in.

Until the noise came again, clearly entering her mind in this quiet night.

It's not an illusion!

Yan Qiushu was so nervous that she stopped breathing. She wanted to call for help, but she was afraid that the other party would be too late. In her yard, besides herself, there was only Shui Yu sleeping next to her. They were two weak women, so it would be useless to call for help.

Just as her heart was beating so hard that it seemed like it was about to jump out of her throat, she suddenly heard a gentle knock on the door.

Yan Qiushu: “?”

How can a thief be so polite?

The fear in her heart subsided a little, and she hesitated, not daring to move. At this moment, she heard a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice outside the door, saying in a low voice: "It's me..."

The voice also revealed a sense of weakness.

Yan Qiushu jumped forward and opened the door.

Immediately, a bloody body fell on her shoulders, and the heavy weight pressed down on her. She panicked and dropped the wooden stick in her hand, trying to hold the other person and move into the room. The smell of blood in her nose became stronger, and the places her hands touched seemed to feel wet.

Yan Qiushu's face turned pale. Fortunately, Xiao Huaiting was still unconscious. He forced himself to sit on the soft couch in the room. They both breathed a sigh of relief: "You...what's wrong with you? Didn't you say you had to leave the capital on official business?"

There was no candle in the room, and Yan Qiushu tried to light it with trembling hands, only then could she see his appearance clearly. There were two bloodstains on his arms, and possibly on his back as well. He was dressed in black and looked like he was going to steal.

The exposed lips were also pale, and she looked so weak that she seemed like she could faint at any time.

She also turned pale when she saw it.

Xiao Huaiting raised his eyes to look at her, smiled, and said casually: "I'm going to kill someone, are you afraid?"

Yan Qiushu glared at him and asked, "Should I ask someone to find a doctor?"

Xiao Huaiting shook his head: "If you really go to kill someone, don't find a doctor, try not to alarm others, and let me hide for two days."

Yan Qiushu's eyebrows jumped, and she became even more nervous. She lowered her voice and said, "Take off your clothes, and I'll apply medicine on you first."

Fortunately, when she came here, Doctor Yao thought that she often used knives when cooking and was easily injured, so he gave her some medicine for treating external injuries, which she took out from the cabinet.

Xiao Huaiting looked down at his blood-stained body, took a deep breath, and reached out to her: "I'll do it myself."

"Take off your clothes quickly!" Yan Qiushu said unhappily.

Xiao Huaiting was stunned by the yelling and looked at her with some grievance. Wasn't he afraid of scaring her?

Besides, although the two of them are in a relationship, they are still unmarried, which is not good for her.

Yan Qiushu was filled with anxiety and didn't pay attention. Seeing that he didn't move, she simply went to untie his belt.

Xiao Huaiting's pale face turned red at this moment. He did not dare to hesitate and took off his clothes obediently.

He looks tall and thin, but when he takes off his clothes, he is very well-built. Under normal circumstances, Yan Qiushu would definitely take a second look at his strong chest and eight-pack abs.

But at this moment, she didn't care about these things. She was afraid that she couldn't see the wound clearly, so she held the candle and approached him. When she saw the bloody wound, her heart tightened: "Can this medicine be used? Do I need to clean it with hot water?"

She didn't dare to do so, fearing that the disinfection would fail and she would get infected instead.

"It's okay, just apply it. There's no need to be so nervous about this minor injury." Xiao Huaiting comforted him.

After hearing what he said, Yan Qiushu, with shaking hands, tried to sprinkle the powder on the wound bit by bit. The medicine must be very painful. Every time she sprinkled a little, she could clearly feel the man's muscles tense up, and the bleeding that had stopped originally began to flow out again, which made her heart skip a beat.

When applying the medicine, she discovered that there was more than one wound on the smooth back, but many of them were old wounds. Some of the scars were clear, while others were not obvious and could only be felt by touching.

Her fair fingertips accidentally brushed against a spot. The warm skin seemed to feel similar to the surface, but when her fingertips moved over it, she could feel that the skin there was a little uneven.

Looking closely, the largest scar almost spanned the entire back, like a hideous centipede coiled on his back.

No wonder he said it was a minor injury.

Yan Qiushu gritted her teeth and exhaled slowly to relax herself a little.

Some hot and humid breath hit Xiao Huaiting's back, and a tingling sensation that overwhelmed the pain made his tailbone tremble. He quickly straightened his back and said casually, "You're not scared to tears, are you?"

"No!" Yan Qiushu denied, and continued to carefully apply the ointment to all the wounds. Then she wiped her hands with a handkerchief, swallowed the bitterness in her heart, and whispered, "I'll go out and get some hot water to wipe it for you."

When she turned around, she found her sleeve was pulled.

The young man who had just treated his wound had a relaxed smile on his pale lips: "Ashu, could you please make me something to eat? I'm a little hungry."