139 Chapter 139 Salty Bones and Wild Vegetable Porridge
Chapter 139 Salty Bones and Wild Vegetable Porridge
Three people didn't sleep all night.
Fang Rushi was so engrossed in studying the illness that she couldn't sleep all night;
While standing guard by the campfire, all night long, my mind was filled with the scene of meeting my master back then, with the image of Old Master Qu.
Also, the more he looked at her, the uglier her expression became, but he still forced himself to endure the unpleasant look and spent the whole night looking at Ah Zhen at Bazhen Tower...
Although Ah Zhen has been shouldering the heavy responsibility of earning a living for the entire Xuanji Sect all these years, the Bazhen Tower is the brainchild of her master, Yu Daozi, and there is only one of its kind in the martial arts world.
She repaired and patched it several times.
But Wang Sumo was careful, and the Eight Treasures Pavilion was not seriously damaged.
On one occasion, the pot wasn't placed in its proper position, and many of the wooden boards warped and couldn't be put back in.
Wang Sumo learned her lesson after that incident.
At any time, a cross-check must be performed to confirm that there are no problems before putting away the Eight Treasures Pavilion.
Apart from that one time, Bazhenlou had been to many places, even traversing mountains and valleys, but had never been in such a state.
Although she didn't know what the town of Bewitching Souls looked like, just looking at the devastation, she knew that the journey had been very difficult.
They've used most of the usable mechanisms inside the Eight Treasures Pavilion, encountered plenty of wild beasts and snakes, and probably quite a few people as well. They've used up all the stored traps and nets. How many people have they encountered...?
Fortunately, the car only suffered minor damage, without any destructive damage.
There was something resembling snakeskin inside the wheel; it must have been cleaned, but it was still there.
So much snake repellent powder was used up, yet the wheels still managed to run over so many snakes. It's hard to clean it all up. I wonder what the situation was like back then...
No wonder Wang Sumo said it was "patching up and fixing".
It still needs major repairs and maintenance...
"Master, Sister Zhen was fine last night, but she looks rather pale now," Duan Wuheng whispered to Wang Sumo.
Wang Sumo felt ashamed and whispered, "The Eight Treasures Pavilion is her master's life's work. We caused it to be like this after going to the Bewitching Town. She has already restrained herself by not tearing us down."
Duan Wuheng: (｀Д′)!!
Wang Sumo warned, "So, be careful not to make her angry. Whatever she says goes now, understand?"
Duan Wuheng nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice: "Understood!"
"And one more thing," Wang Sumo took a deep breath and leaned closer, "If she looks for me, just say you didn't see me..."
Duan Wuheng: (⊙o⊙)…
Wang Sumo: "Got it?"
Duan Wuheng was a little confused, but he still nodded: "I'll remember!"
Then, to Duan Wuheng's astonishment, Wang Sumo tiptoed away, stealthily carrying it away like a thief.
Sure enough, a short while later, Ah Zhen poked her head out from behind the carriage: "Wang Sumo!"
Wang Sumo had already slipped away. Duan Wuheng's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough!
The landlord ran away quickly.
"Dongjia just left. I don't know where he went." Duan Wuheng tried his best not to feel guilty and not to appear to be in cahoots with Dongjia.
Ah Zhen stared at him, and Duan Wuheng was so frightened that his legs went weak!
Sister Ah Zhen can be radiant and charming at times, and terrifying at others.
"Go find her!"
"Okay!" Duan Wuheng couldn't wait to turn around and leave.
"Come back!" Ah Zhen called to him again.
Duan Wuheng looked utterly dejected, but a smile remained on his face: "What's wrong, Sister Zhen?"
"Go and find me some wood ash."
Duan Wuheng breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to have him do the work. "Okay!"
As I turned around, I heard Ah Zhen complaining from behind the carriage: "What a lousy town! Do we really have to go there? This place is terrible!"
"This Eight Treasures Pavilion is for cooking, not for fighting!"
"What kind of pit did I fall into? Why are there fish scales here..."
"Was this scratched by fingernails?!"
Duan Wuheng has already slipped away.
On the other side, Bai Cen, Zhao Tong, and Jiang Yutang were far apart.
Bai Cen took a deep breath: "See? Zhenniang is angry. No wonder the master ran away..."
Zhao Tong couldn't help but lower his head and smile.
Jiang Yutang: "..."
"So even the boss has moments of fear~" Bai Cen continued to sigh.
Jiang Yutang glared at him, and Zhao Tong also looked at him.
Bai Cen looked completely bewildered: "???"
Zhao Tong smiled again, said nothing, and turned to leave; Jiang Yutang said calmly, "This is like trying to hide something obvious."
Bai Cen: "..."
What, what does that mean?
But Zhao Tong and Jiang Yutang had already gone far away.
On the other side, the sound of "baa baa baa" indicated that Grandpa Weng had brought back the three sheep.
These days, the fierce and powerful tigers have someone to roam around, and the three white tiger cubs have someone to take care of them, but these three diligent sheep that follow people everywhere are left without a home. This morning, Grandpa Weng took the three sheep out to graze and only just returned.
"Where's the girl?" Old Master Weng asked.
Bai Cen whispered, "She was scared away by Zhenniang."
Old Master Weng looked at him in confusion. He whispered, "People were passing by and were happy to see the Bazhen Tower. But when they saw the carriage in this state this morning, they were immediately unhappy and are repairing it. They look very upset!"
Grandpa Weng understood. It was already a miracle that the Eight Treasures Restaurant wasn't completely destroyed after their ordeal in the Bewitching Town.
He, Lao Qu, Zhao Tong, and Bai Cen could easily tell that a building was intact, could walk, and wouldn't fall apart, but in the eyes of the Xuanji Sect disciples, the Eight Treasures Pavilion was no different from having suffered a great calamity!
"Don't approach a young woman when she's in a bad mood," Grandpa Weng advised.
Bai Cen: →_→
Grandpa Weng: ←_←
*
Huo Ling, standing to the side, seemed somewhat unhappy.
Although he knew that this was a desolate wilderness, the carriage was broken, and the only food available was the flatbread that Qingwu offered, he still couldn't eat it.
I don't know why, but I didn't feel like getting angry. I just didn't want to talk or eat.
He Zhen asked Ding Bo in a low voice, "Should we ask Miss Wang and the others if they have prepared any food?"
Although borrowing someone else's carriage to travel together is already a lot of trouble for them, it seems that the young master really can't afford to accept this.
Ding Bo nodded: "I'll go ask."
As they whispered among themselves, they saw that Zhao Tong had already begun preparing to cook porridge. Ding Bo stepped forward and said, "Alliance Leader Zhao."
Although Zhao Tong was known as the leader of the Rakshasa Alliance, who was said to be a ruthless killer, Ding Bo did not find him to be ferocious after spending most of the day with him.
Moreover, this is the Bazhenlou Restaurant, and they are guests of the Bazhenlou Restaurant, but Zhao Tong is a member of the Bazhenlou Restaurant. It is not their place to care if they want to; besides, right now, the young master cannot eat those cakes.
Zhao Tong has some porridge here...
Zhao Tong glanced at him, then looked at Huo Ling not far away out of the corner of his eye, and immediately understood.
"This morning I made salted bone and wild vegetable porridge. Everyone has prepared it. Let's first ask Doctor Fang and Young Master Huo if they can drink it." Zhao Tong said concisely, without any unnecessary words or embarrassment.
Ding Bo cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Alliance Leader Zhao."
"Uncle Ding, you're too kind. Just call me Zhao Tong." He actually didn't like the title "Alliance Leader Zhao."
He likes the present.
But he prefers not to explain rather than to explain.
"Salty bone and wild vegetable porridge?" Huo Ling was slightly surprised.
Although it doesn't sound like a delicacy, in this kind of place, the porridge is much more appealing than a dry flatbread.
Moreover, it was the first time he had ever seen anyone cook porridge like this.
Qingyun Manor is very large, with a large kitchen and a small kitchen, but the warmth and activity of cooking are nowhere to be seen.
Right now, seeing Zhao Tong put the clay pot in, add water to it, and boil it, with wisps of white smoke rising from the pot, Huo Ling suddenly felt that this kind of smoky atmosphere was unfamiliar, yet it brought her a sense of peace.
It was as if the unpleasantness in my heart had been dispelled, leaving only curiosity.
He stood up, and Qingwu exclaimed in horror: "Young Master."
"I'll take a walk," Huo Ling said calmly.
Qingwu looked at Hezhen and Dingbo. Dingbo had gone to find Doctor Fang. Hezhen had been with Huoling the whole way and probably knew what he was thinking. Hezhen nodded to Qingwu, meaning, "Let's put it aside for now."
Qingwu put away the cakes and earlier snacks.
Huo Ling walked behind Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong didn't need to turn around to know it was him. Among everyone, he and Duan Wuheng were the youngest and lightest. It was actually easy to tell who was who by their footsteps.
Duan Wuheng was skilled in light-footed techniques, and his footwork was graceful.
Huo Ling had been in poor health since childhood and was always sick, so her steps were unsteady.
It's not hard to recognize.
Zhao Tong didn't expose the truth. The rice was brought with the carriage, and a lot of water was prepared before entering the mountain road. The water was boiling in a clay pot, and Zhao Tong was rinsing the rice.
The rice water that was rinsed out was milky white, like it had been mixed with a layer of white ash.
Zhao Tong poured it out, rinsed it again, then poured the rinsed rice into the clay pot. Before putting the lid on, he scooped in a small spoonful of rapeseed oil.
Huo Ling frowned. The rice sank to the bottom, the water was clear, and there was a small clump of oil on top, which was completely different from the porridge she had drunk before.
Huo Ling couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
But perhaps the previous pancakes were too bad, so even though he was a little disappointed, he was still willing to wait for this one.
Fortunately, what followed was much more interesting.
Zhao Tong lifted the lid of a bowl, which contained what appeared to be salted bones that had been chopped up the night before.
He couldn't tell whether the salted bone was raw or cooked, but after it was cut into small pieces and put into the steaming hot casserole one by one, it suddenly made people's appetites rise.
Huo Ling swallowed softly. Although she didn't know if the porridge would turn out well, she suddenly found the act of watching someone slowly cook the porridge quite soothing.
He seemed to gradually forget his previous frustration and became somewhat absorbed in cooking porridge.
Add the salted pork bones and cover the casserole with the lid.
On the cutting board beside him, Zhao Tong began slicing ginger. Huo Ling didn't say anything, but his eyes were wide with amazement. He had never seen anyone wield a knife so smoothly. Everyone in Qingyun Manor used swords, and he could discern some of the techniques involved in wielding both.
An ordinary cook couldn't do it. He remembered asking He Zhen yesterday if there were any experts among these people.
He Zhen smiled and told her that, apart from Miss Wang, they should all be experts. But experts are divided into ordinary ones and experts among experts. Bai Cen, Duan Wuheng, and Miss Yu Tang are ordinary experts, while the rest should be experts among experts.
He looked at Zhao Tong, who had been silent and trying to make himself inconspicuous, with surprise and asked He Zhen, "Is he the same?"
He Zhen clenched his fist and coughed lightly: "Probably, among the top-tier experts."
He was surprised, though he didn't quite believe it.
But right now, as Huo Ling watched Zhao Tong skillfully slicing ginger with a kitchen knife, she thought again of what He Zhen had mentioned about the most elite type of expert…
Cut the ginger into thin strips and add them to the pot as well.
This time, when putting the food into the pot, I gently stirred it with a spoon, probably to prevent the contents of the clay pot from sinking to the bottom and becoming raw.
Huo Ling initially watched while standing, but later, perhaps because standing was too tiring, he simply sat down to watch.
The two of them tacitly agreed not to greet each other and tacitly agreed not to disturb each other, until Huo Ling gradually saw the rice in the somewhat bland pot slowly absorbing water, becoming plump, and starting to roll in the boiling water.
The small pieces of salted bone in the rice had a light, salty aroma that wasn't greasy and smelled very nice.
The shredded ginger added a fresh flavor to the porridge and removed the fishy smell from the salted bones.
A pot of food that didn't look very appealing just moments ago suddenly became tempting after the passage of time and the smoke from the fire...
Huo Ling forgot that she hadn't greeted anyone and should have watched quietly, so she couldn't help but ask, "It smells delicious, what are you waiting for?"
I really got into it.
Zhao Tong glanced at him and said calmly, "The wild vegetables from the master's house."
"Wild vegetables?" Huo Ling looked at him.
Zhao Tong calmly said, "Salted bone and wild vegetable porridge, both the salted bones and wild vegetables are important."
Huo Ling asked curiously, "Do you cook all the dishes at Bazhenlou?"
This child doesn't know how to speak or think. Zhao Tong said, "The boss is the head chef, and I am the sous chef. We work together. Today she will pick wild vegetables, and I will make breakfast."
Huo Ling understood, then stopped asking questions, her eyes curiously fixed on the pot, when she suddenly thought, "I want to stir it."
He thought the other party would refuse, or would be like the people in the manor, wondering why they should trouble the young master, but Zhao Tong gave it to him without even thinking about it.
Huo Ling took it and was stunned.
"Move it," Zhao Tong urged.
Huo Ling realized what was happening.
"Don't use so much force, the pot will tip over."
Huo Ling quickly softened her tone.
"A little faster."
Huo Ling continued to revise.
Suddenly not hearing Zhao Tong speak, Huo Ling asked, "Is it okay now?"
Zhao Tong nodded gently.
Huo Ling smiled, a rare sight for her: "So I can do that too."
“It’s not difficult,” Zhao Tong said calmly.
Huo Ling suddenly found herself drawn to his down-to-earth nature and calm demeanor, even though he didn't seem like a very good-tempered person.
"Master, you're back!" Duan Wuheng's voice could be heard from afar.
Wang Sumo went to pick wild vegetables. How can you make salted bone and wild vegetable porridge without wild vegetables?
On her way back, she saw Huo Ling and Zhao Tong together. Wang Sumo didn't expose them, but handed the wild vegetables in her hand to Zhao Tong, saying, "Here you go."
Zhao Tong accepted it.
The water from rinsing the rice wasn't thrown away; it was used to wash the vegetables. Huo Ling watched from the side. As the wild vegetables were rinsed in the rice water and then gently spun dry, he seemed to hear the sound of water droplets falling.
Huo Ling blinked.
Wash the wild vegetables, chop them into small pieces on a cutting board, and then pour them into the boiling clay pot porridge.
The steaming hot casserole was suddenly filled with green, as if it had gained a fresh morning air.
"How long will it take to cook?" Huo Ling asked again, curious.
"Soon." Zhao Tong said as he added salt, then told Huo Ling to continue stirring.
Huo Ling snapped out of her daze and quickly continued.
Gradually, the wild vegetables were evenly mixed into the salted bone porridge.
Fresh wild vegetables, pale yellow ginger shreds, savory roasted pork ribs, and soft, sticky porridge—Zhao Tong only took one bite, and the texture and flavor were just right.
Huo Ling thought it tasted delicious as soon as he tasted it.
"How is it?" Huo Ling asked expectantly.
Zhao Tong nodded: "Perfect."
Huo Ling immediately picked up a bowl, the steaming hot liquid hitting him, and he seemed to suddenly remember the time when his mother was still alive.
After taking a bite, Zhao Tong worried, "It's hot."
Huo Ling didn't realize it, but her eyes reddened slightly: "It tastes so good."
Like the porridge my mother used to cook...
[Author's Note]
The origin of Huo Ling's temper in childhood
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