Chapter 156: Chopped Pepper Fish Head
Zhong Liyan smiled and nodded, picked up the bowl and took a bite: "This Miss Wen's cooking skills are indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Feng Jiaoran put down the bowl in her hand: "I'm starting to look forward to the next dish."
Wen Zhenyi didn't let them wait long. The prepared meals were brought to the table one by one. Just the smell and the appearance of the dishes made people's mouths water.
County Magistrate Lei looked at the food on the table, which he had never eaten before, and couldn't help but want to pick up his chopsticks: "Miss Wen, what are the names of these dishes?"
"This dish is Lychee and Shrimp Cup, made with lychee and shrimp meat. This dish is Chestnut Honey Chicken. This one is Chopped Pepper Fish Head, also known as Good Luck..."
Feng Jiaoran smiled as she looked at the dishes on the table: "This name sounds nice, and the dishes will look just as good."
"Madam, why don't you try it? I wonder if it suits your taste. But I have to say that this chopped pepper fish head is a bit spicy. If you can't stand spicy food, you'd better eat less to avoid stomachache later." After saying that, he sat back at the table where Ma Yinghe and the others were.
Mr. Shen did not sit at the same table with County Magistrate Lei and his family, but with several boys from Wen Chengwen's family.
Aunt You whispered, "Those who know that they come to your house are here to work, while those who don't think they come to enjoy themselves."
Ma Yinghe smiled and said, "This is all just a coincidence."
"I went there for two days and came back. My husband hardly recognized me." Aunt Ding joked with a smile.
Wen Zhenyi smiled and said, "That's perfect. It will save Uncle Ding from saying we're abusing you and not feeding you enough."
"You kid."
Wen Yongman on the other side approached Shen Hanxing: “Brother Shen, is that Xiao Abu?”
"Well, this is what he originally looked like."
"I'm still a little uncomfortable with his changed appearance." Wen Yongman frowned slightly.
"There's nothing we can do about it."
"Will I ever see him again?"
"Yes."
Wen Yongman was not very old, and it was inevitable that he felt a little reluctant to suddenly lose a playmate.
Zhongli Yan and his family enjoyed the meal very much.
Feng Jiaoran stood up and walked to Wen Zhenyi's side: "Miss Wen, come sit in the yard with me for a while."
Wen Zhenyi knew that she had something to say, so he said something to Ma Yinghe and the others and went to the backyard.
Feng Jiaoran sat on a stool in the yard, looking at the scenery in the yard: "Your place is quite nice."
"It's just a country courtyard, not a mansion for the lady."
"Don't call me Madam. Since little Abu calls you sister, if you don't mind, call me Aunt Feng."
"Aunt Feng is trying to elevate my status."
Feng Jiaoran was already extremely beautiful, and her smile made all the flowers pale in comparison: "If I wasn't afraid that you wouldn't agree, I'd really like to adopt you as my goddaughter."
Wen Zhenyi sat next to her: "How do you know I won't agree?"
"Do you promise?"
Wen Zhenyi shook his head: "I don't want to be caught in the middle and have a hard time that day."
Feng Jiaoran covered her lips with her fingers and chuckled: "I really like you more and more."
"It's my blessing to be liked by you."
"Don't you really need me to give you something?"
Wen Zhenyi shook his head: "No need. If I take your things, my relationship with Xiao Abu will change. It's better to stay like this. If we have the chance to meet again in the future, we can still sit here and chat."
"But even if you don't want ours, I think your superior will reward you."
Wen Zhenyi was speechless. Sometimes the less he wanted to be famous, the more things went against his will. "I actually hope you can help me turn it down."
"Why?"
"After all, I ruined some people's business. It's not good to make people jealous."
Feng Jiaoran frowned slightly: "Axiang."
As soon as she finished speaking, A Xiang came over from the darkness and knelt on the ground: "Master."
"You made a mistake this time, and it was originally a capital offense. However, considering your years of dedication and hard work, you can be spared the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. From now on, you will have to fend for yourself."
"Thank you, master, for not killing me." A Xiang kowtowed to her three times.
When Wen Zhenyi saw this, it made sense to her. She was afraid that she would be in danger, so she left one person for herself. She was also afraid that she would be suspicious, so she said this in front of her.
"Aunt Feng, you don't have to do this."
Feng Jiaoran knew she was smart, but she didn't expect her to be so quick to understand. "After this separation, it will be hard to see each other again. Ah Xiang is a loyal girl, and her martial arts skills are not bad either. We will feel more at ease if she follows you. I also want to have the chance to see you again and try your cooking."
Ah Xiang was also a very smart person. He immediately knelt in front of Wen Zhenyi and said, "A Xiang greets the master."
Wen Zhenyi was in a bit of a dilemma.
Feng Jiaoran looked at her with a smile: "If you don't accept it, she will be left alone in this strange country."
Wen Zhenyi was somewhat helpless: "If you give her to me, what will happen to little Abu?"
"This is also what little Abu meant. He hopes you will be safe in the future."
Wen Zhenyi really couldn't refuse them, so he turned to look at Axiang and said, "I'm sorry, I'll have to ask you to follow me from now on."
"Master, you're joking. It's my blessing to be able to follow you." After saying that, the man disappeared on the spot.
Feng Jiaoran stood up: "It's time for us to go too."
"Aunt Feng, I hope to see you again next time."
"I think so." Feng Jiaoran waved to the people in the hall.
Wen Zhenyi went back to the room and took out two strings of sugar figures. He gave one to Xiao Abu and forced the other on Zhong Lizhuang.
Little Abu looked at the candy man in his hand and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Wen."
"You're welcome."
Zhongli Zhuang's face was full of disgust: "Who wants to eat what this kid eats?"
Wen Zhenyi stretched out his hand towards her: "If you don't want to eat it, give it back to me."
Zhongli Zhuang immediately hid the sugar man behind her: "Can you take back what you gave to someone?"
Zhong Liyan looked at Wen Zhenyi with an apologetic look on his face: "The food is delicious, thank you for your hospitality today."
"Uncle Zhongli, you're so polite. If you pass by here again when you come back, please remember to come visit us."
"Okay." Zhongli Yan agreed with a smile.
Little Abu's smile slowly faded, tears welling up in his eyes: "Sister, if you have the chance, you must come to see me with Brother Shen."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
The other children also held back their tears and said goodbye to little Abu and the others with a smile. They chased them all the way to the gate of the yard. Only when they saw their carriage disappear did they burst into tears.
Aunt Ding and the others hurried to comfort them: "Didn't you say goodbye to little Abu in a cheerful way? Why are you crying?"
On the other side of the carriage, little Abu looked at the sugar man in his hand, tears streaming down his face.
Zhongli Zhuang wiped his tears with a handkerchief and said, "Don't cry. When you grow up, you can come and visit her again."
Little Abu nodded vigorously and licked the candy man in his hand: "It's so sweet."
Zhongli Zhuang also licked it with his tongue, and the sweetness on the tip of his tongue filled his mouth: This taste is not as bad as he thought.
——
Fun Fact: Chopped Pepper Fish Head is a Hunan dish whose origins are linked to Huang Zongxian, a renowned Qing Dynasty scholar. Legend has it that during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Zongxian fled to a small village in Hunan to avoid literary inquisition and stayed with a farmer.
These people were very poor and could not afford to buy vegetables. Fortunately, before dinner that night, the farmer's son caught a fish and brought it home.
So the hostess cooked fish soup with salt and chopped the chili peppers and steamed them together with the fish head.
Scout Huang Zongxian found it delicious and developed a special liking for this dish. After his refuge ended, he asked his family's chef to improve it, and it became today's famous Hunan dish, chopped pepper fish head.
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