As night fell, a bonfire was lit on the open ground by the river behind the village, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
Several smaller fires were set up around the large campfire, with regular stones piled up to form the shape of stoves.
Lu Jing'an carefully watched over his precious bamboo fungus soup over a stove. The pampered young master had never cooked for himself before, and this was the first time he had picked, washed, and stewed bamboo fungus into soup, so he seemed to cherish it all the more.
The others were also in front of their respective stoves, roasting the food they were responsible for roasting.
No one remains here.
When preparing the ingredients in the evening, Lu Zhao'an came first, followed by Lu Jing'an, and then the eldest prince, Princess Ruining, and Wang Zhilan.
The others had all grown up in luxury and had never lifted a finger before. Seeing this today, they found it strange and interesting, so they sent the servants to prepare the stove and charcoal and started doing it themselves.
Gu Yaoniang and the other two women were in charge of grilling the meat for the skewers. The eldest prince and his entourage had a bountiful hunt, and the variety of ingredients for the skewers was also quite extensive.
Honey-glazed chicken wings, chicken skewers, venison skewers, rabbit skewers, and various offal such as heart, kidney, and gizzard.
The fire crackled and popped, filling the air with the rich, oily aroma of meat. Before serving the skewers, more Shaoxing wine and oil were added to the meat.
As the three of them grilled the meat, Gu Yaoniang sprinkled whole cumin seeds and chili powder onto the skewers, carefully turning them over to ensure that any parts of the meat or bamboo skewers were not grilled properly and to prevent any meat or bamboo skewers from burning.
All three of them were meticulous, and with Yao Niang watching over them at all times, nothing went wrong.
Things were not looking good for the eldest prince and Lu Zhaoan.
They were in charge of roasting large cuts of meat, such as rabbit legs, turkey legs, and deer rumps. The marinated chunks of meat, sizzling with flavor, were brushed with honey water and glistened golden.
The problem is that these pieces of meat are large and rich in fat, and every now and then a drop of oil drips into the stove, causing the fire to crackle and the flames to leap up.
Lu Zhaoan was calmer and more composed in comparison. He flipped the thick iron skewers in his hand and occasionally used his dagger to cut a slit in the meat, exposing the uncooked parts inside.
The eldest prince, Zhao Yang, was afraid that the skewers wouldn't cook through, so he placed them extremely low, almost touching the charcoal fire.
He even mocked Lu Zhaoan: "Lu Erlang, you're so far away, when will you be cooked?"
Lu Zhaoan ignored the disdain in his words and simply replied, "Your Highness, please be careful not to burn the pheasant you chased for two miles!"
Just then, a string of glistening oil dripped from the chicken leg in Zhao Yang's hand, causing flames to leap up and singe off all the hair on Zhao Yang's hand, filling the air with the smell of burnt hair.
The eldest prince was also startled and almost threw the chicken leg he was holding away.
The guards who had been watching from afar ran over, but after being glared at by Zhao Yang, they silently returned to their original positions and continued to keep an eye on the activity around the campfire from a distance.
On the other side, some of the small meat skewers had already been grilled. While marinating, Gu Yaoniang took some washed orange peel, grated it into shreds, and added it to the chicken pieces.
At this moment, the air is filled not only with the aroma of meat, but also with a faint fragrance of orange peel, which washes away the greasiness of the meat.
Gu Yaoniang was the most experienced in cooking among the six, so she naturally became the unofficial "master chef" for the campfire barbecue. Seeing that Princess Ruining and Wang Zhilan were handling things with ease, she went over to Lu Zhaoan and the others.
Seeing that the meat Lu Zhaoan was tending was sizzling with oil and had regular knife marks, she couldn't help but take another look at Lu Zhaoan.
As for the Crown Prince's side... it's obviously barbecue.
"I never expected that Young Master Lu's barbecue skills would be so exquisite."
Yao Niang smiled and spoke. This young master from the Lu family, raised in a golden nest, actually roasted meat with a rather professional air about him, as if he were quite skilled at it.
“In the past, when I was traveling, if I missed a post station, I would inevitably have to do it myself. As time went by, I learned how to do it.”
Yao Niang was surprised again. No wonder Lu Zhao'an offered to help today; he didn't seem to be doing this for the first time.
She initially thought Lu Zhaoan was clever and quick to understand. But it turns out he used to cook for himself too?
But in a family like the Lu family, where servants always accompany them when they go out, why would the master need to do things himself?
Seeing that Yao Niang's attention was on Lu Zhao'an, the eldest prince coughed lightly. When Yao Niang looked over, he gave a polite smile.
The eldest prince reached into his sleeve and pulled out a black and white shuttlecock with floral patterns. In the firelight, it had a slight orange hue.
He handed it to Yao Niang.
Yao Niang was slightly surprised, hesitated without reaching a conclusion, and subconsciously looked up at Lu Zhao'an.
Lu Zhaoan was clearly unaware of this beforehand, and was somewhat taken aback when he saw Zhao Yang's actions.
Seeing that Yao Niang did not react, Zhao Yang said, "The pheasant I hunted today has just enough feathers to make two shuttlecocks, so I'll give you one to play with."
Yao Niang hesitated and did not accept the gift. She was not familiar with this eldest prince; they had only met a few times and were nodding acquaintances. It would be better to be cautious about accepting such a gift.
Seeing that she still hadn't moved, Zhao Yang became somewhat angry: "What are you worried about, Madam Gu? You have one, and Ahan has one too."
I heard that Wang Zhilan also had some, and that she hadn't given it to herself alone. Only then did Yao Niang reach out and take it.
She slightly curtsied: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Seeing how polite she was, Zhao Yang lost interest and his attention returned to the roasted chicken leg.
He hadn't been paying attention, and the bottom of his roasted chicken leg was already a little burnt.
Seeing that Lu Zhaoan was still calmly turning the meat over, the skin crispy, golden and fragrant, he felt a slight discomfort.
The mother of Lu's second son was like that, and now she's nothing more than a mere merchant. If it weren't for the Emperor's mercy in allowing merchants to participate in the imperial examinations, she would have long been a useless person abandoned by her clan.
But he's so tactless and always tries to be first. It's incredibly annoying!
Lu Jing'an's bamboo fungus soup was steaming hot, clearly indicating it was ready.
Princess Ruining also came over to see how the First Prince and Lu Zhaoan were grilling.
The small meat skewers were already on the tray, piled up in a mountain shape.
The chili pepper was a rare item that Gu Xingzhi brought back from foreign lands. It was spicy and refreshing, but it was not common in the Dacheng Dynasty, and many people had never eaten it.
Gu Yaoniang was worried that some of the people present today could not eat spicy food, so she made two kinds of pickling, one spicy and one non-spicy, and now they are placed separately on two large trays.
The air was filled with the aroma of meat, the smoky scent of animal fat mingling with the fragrance of spices; the air by the river was filled with an irresistible fragrance.
Lu Zhaoan looked at the piece of meat in his hand, then picked up a small plate that had been placed there beforehand. He carefully cut the meat slices from the iron skewer into small pieces, laid them on the plate, and placed them on a spot that had been temporarily set up by the river.
The six people sat around, and Lu Jing'an held his bamboo fungus soup, unwilling to share it with the others.
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