It's the winter solstice
"It must be Wang Kui!!" He Yingchun was certain that apart from Wang Kui and the tall and thin man, they had not offended anyone.
Li Bin took the bowl, sniffed it, and cursed under his breath, "What a waste of food!"
The tall and thin man happened to pass by at this time and looked at them with contempt, "Hey! Are you eating? How is it? It tastes good, right?"
He had a defiant look on his face, his hair was messy because it hadn't been taken care of for a long time, and his triangular eyes were hidden under his bangs, giving him a malicious look.
No one paid any attention to him. He felt embarrassed and said "Pooh" and walked away.
"It's hard to guard against villains, Li Bin, you have to keep an eye on this guy. As for Wang Kui..." Wen Jingzhao rubbed his fingers, "Tsk, I have my own way."
Li Bin nodded and replied, "No problem."
He slept safely at the post station for a night. The next day, Wen Jingzhao went somewhere unknown and came back after breakfast.
After that, although Wang Kui and the tall and thin man caused some trouble from time to time, they were all minor fights and nothing to be afraid of.
He Yingchun privately thought that he had gone to find Zhao Wu. Although the general's mansion had been raided, Wen Jingzhao's mother's home was still there, so there should be some way. It's just that he didn't say it, and she didn't ask.
The yamen runners got some supplies from the post station and got ready to go.
The clothes they wore seemed to be thicker, wrapping themselves tightly, and the wounds on their bodies had been treated. He Yingchun looked at Wang Kui specifically, and the wound on his face had obviously been treated with a new dressing.
Starting over was not easy for the prisoners.
The sky was always covered with a layer of gray clouds, and every time He Yingchun looked up, she felt very depressed.
The scenery along the road was also desolate and depressed, and they entered a vast grassland.
The vegetation and animals on the grassland appear uniquely cold against the backdrop of ice and snow. Unlike the vibrant green land in summer, everything is now covered with ice and snow, and everything seems frozen.
Occasionally, when the weather is good, the afternoon sun will shine through the crystal ice flowers, reflecting star-like light, brightening people's eyes.
The sky was azure blue and very clear, contrasting with the floating white clouds, adding a touch of fresh charm to this long exile.
At the beginning, He Yingchun was very interested in watching, and Wen Jingzhao's eyesight had also improved a lot. From time to time, the two of them discussed the differences between this scene and that scene. When they saw an animal running on the mountain in the distance, they would guess what it was, a sheep or a deer. Xiaozhi was young and had never been far away, so he chattered and guessed.
But after watching such scenery for nearly a month, it became extremely boring. Some people froze to death or even starved to death on the road. The atmosphere in the team became even more depressing and heavy, and they no longer had the heart to discuss.
At night, there are no stars, only the moon hanging high in the sky, surrounded by inky clouds that appear and disappear from time to time, creating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.
The air in winter is cool and moist, with sporadic snowflakes falling. He Yingchun waved away the snowflakes that were about to fall into the pot.
Sleeping in the wild means poor sleep and high danger. When they make a fire, they are easily targeted by wild animals, just like the brown bear attack last time.
But He Yingchun has become their dedicated chef, and has plenty of opportunities to cook, which also means he can earn a lot of points.
I haven't eaten meat for a few days. "Tsk, my mouth is so bland I can taste bird!" A yamen runner smacked his lips. "Oh, it would be great if I could hunt some wild animals. The rabbit meat I had last time was so delicious!"
"I don't think it's possible! I've been to that mountain before, and there are indeed wild boars and pheasants there, but they're very sneaky and run very fast."
Zhao Wu took a few yamen runners to the nearby area to see if they could hunt some wild animals. They went there in the evening, and it was already dark, but they still hadn't returned.
He Yingchun didn't hold out much hope. It was true that a good cook cannot cook without rice. She could only bake, stew and fry the snacks and dry bread they brought with them, and there was nothing else she could do with them.
"Bang!!" A huge object was thrown to the ground with a loud noise, which scared He Yingchun so much that she dropped the spoon used to stir the soup into the pot.
She looked carefully at the ground.
Wow, wow, it’s a dead wild deer.
When I looked up again, I saw a few yamen runners who looked a little disheveled. There was blood on their bodies, which should be from the wild deer. It seemed that these people had put in a lot of effort.
Her brain was racing.
Wild venison is best braised. Put a little more oil in the pot, sauté the peppercorns and star anise, add the venison and stir-fry until cooked. Add water, rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cinnamon and bay leaves. After boiling, simmer on low heat for half an hour. It will be flavorful and tender.
Smoked venison is also an option. Take an iron pot, sprinkle some rice on the bottom of the pot, put tea leaves and sugar on it, put an iron rack on it, put the cooked venison on it, cover the pot tightly, turn on a strong fire, and burn until thick smoke comes out of the pot. Brush the venison with a layer of sesame oil. The meat is lean and tender.
Deer antlers are also very good for making wine.
She blinked her eyes, dozens of ways to make it flashed through her mind. Cooking was simply her, He Yingchun's, domain! !
"Can you do it?" Zhao Wu had some good feelings towards this chef who cooked delicious food. Who could go against his own mouth?
"Yes, yes, yes, please come in, sir!" He Yingchun nodded, but the deer was a little big, so she asked her mother to come and help.
This is a huge stag with a lot of meat, fat and bones, and most importantly, a very precious deerskin!
As for the meat, it is naturally partly roasted and partly stewed.
The roasting method is quite different. The meat on the leg is chewy and is cut into several even pieces. After being cut, it is marinated with coarse salt and then impaled with branches and let the mother roast it over the fire.
Mum controlled the heat perfectly. She swallowed and whispered to He Yingchun, "The meat still smells good."
He Yingchun smiled, picked up the wild deer liver,
"What are you doing with that thing?" Mom told her to throw it away quickly.
"Ah? Don't you eat liver?" He Yingchun had indeed never seen them prepare this kind of food in the general's mansion.
She strung it together with twigs. "This is good stuff!"
It’s a pity that it can’t be stir-fried. If it could be stir-fried with onions and peppers, and paired with a little wine, it would be perfect.
While roasting the deer ribs here, He Yingchun stewed the processed deer ribs in another pot. The first pot of soup was discarded, so it was poured out, and another pot of water was added to stew.
The water is mountain spring water, it has frozen and is taking a long time to boil.
At this time, He Yingchun planned to roast a leg, this time using a different roasting method.
She dug a hole in the ground. It was so cold that the ground was frozen hard. She put stones at the bottom, then put her legs on top, and surrounded it with a circle of stones, like a natural oven. She spread a layer of hay, branches, etc. on the top, lit a fire, and the small flame quickly burned, becoming brighter and bigger.
This mainly relies on heating stones, using the heat from the stones to cook the meat. It takes a long time, about two hours.
The barbecued meat and liver were ready, and the yamen runners were relatively confident in her. No one was watching her except Wang Kui, who was watching her like a thief, but no one knew where he had gone.
They packed some roast meat and liver, which were hot in their arms.
He Yingchun did not forget to redeem points,
"Ding Dong! A piece of roasted venison, 10 points, current points 53, please keep up the good work!"
"Ding Dong! A piece of grilled liver, 5 points. Current points are 58. Please keep working hard!"
"Is it done?!" A yamen runner couldn't help but come over to take a look, his mouth watering and he asked with anticipation.
He Yingchun nodded and said, "Okay, okay, the soup is boiling, it's done, you can eat the barbecue first!"
This brother insisted on eating barbecue with soup, so Wang Kui kicked him and scolded him for being a stubborn person.
After waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, the deer chop soup was ready. As soon as the lid of the pot was opened, an extremely tempting aroma came out, which made people close their eyes and smell it. The rich aroma of meat aroused everyone's appetite.
He Yingchun took a dagger and gently cut open a piece. The tender and juicy meat was easily cut open, revealing the slightly pink inside.
“It’s cooked!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the deer steak in front of him was taken away.
"Hmm... delicious! Delicious!" The little brother who insisted on eating barbecue with deer rib soup spoke the loudest. He could feel the elasticity and tenderness of the meat in his mouth with every bite.
He Yingchun didn't expect that the soup would be more popular than the barbecue. Everyone would probably only get a piece of tender venison steak, and the rest would be soup.
"Slurp, slurp"
The sound of drinking soup filled the air around the fire.
The grilled liver looked black, but no one was interested in it. Only the little brother was amazed and said he didn't expect it was edible. He ate it with his mouth full of oil.
Zhao Wu took a bite of meat and said, "Today is the winter solstice, let's put some meat in the big pot. Let's give each person a bowl of soup and a bread, and we can have a full meal."
He Yingchun and Mum looked at each other and nodded in response, "Yes."
The stone barbecue underground was not ready yet, so she gave Chen Rongxin some instructions and went back.
It’s the winter solstice, it’s the winter solstice!
After finishing the meal, He Yingchun was quite impressed on the way back, "It was so fast!"
"Yes, it's the winter solstice, and it was just the beginning of winter when we left..." Mom also sighed.
"What are you talking about? Winter Solstice? Today is the Winter Solstice?" Xiaozhi was given a bowl of soup with meat and was drinking it excitedly. When he heard the two people talking, he asked.
"Well, it's the winter solstice."
"Dongzhi, every year during the winter solstice, we always eat dumplings!" Xiaozhi took a bite of meat and recalled. "The pork and sauerkraut dumplings my mom made are the best!"
"You're just too greedy! I'll make it for you when we're settled down in the future!" Mom smiled and patted her head.
Yes, wait and see. The word "later" is really healing. They will definitely have many laters, and things will get better and better in the future!
Liver improves eyesight, so He Yingchun gave it all to Wen Jingzhao. Wen Jingzhao had never eaten this before, so he took a tentative bite. He frowned at first, but later his brows relaxed. Although he didn't say it was delicious, he ate a lot faster.
He Yingchun just drank an extra bowl of soup with the meat. The consequence of overeating at night was that she woke up in the middle of the night and had to urinate.
She came out of the tent with her back bent. The yamen runner guarding the door was drowsy, so she didn't say hello and went straight into the woods and went to the toilet comfortably.
At this time, the clouds in the sky have dispersed, and there are tiny dots of light, which is very beautiful.
He Yingchun was awakened a little by the cold wind and hurried back.
But I could vaguely hear a woman crying.
He Yingchun was so frightened that her hair stood on end, her scalp went numb, and her legs went weak.
The next second, a hand passed through her waist and picked her up.
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