Chapter 2098 Return to Beijing
When the wheat cakes were cooked, Mrs. Gong picked them up and dipped them in the broth. Then she called everyone, "Eat! Their lamb ribs are made with the best spines from the same sheep. The meat is of the best quality, and the spinal cord is inside. It comes out easily with a gentle push. It absorbs the broth and is very delicious."
Manbao and the others also started fighting.
Yin Huo looked at this, then looked at that, and finally picked a smaller piece and tasted it. It did not have any smell of mutton. Just as Mrs. Gong San said, the meat was very delicious.
He had a weak stomach, so he chewed slowly. By the time he had picked out the spinal cord, they had already eaten the second piece of meat. Mrs. Gong said, "Besides the meat, the wheat cakes are also delicious. They are soaked in the soup and have the aroma of both meat and wheat. They are not greasy at all."
So everyone ate the pancakes, Yin Huo also picked up a piece of pancake, and then Mrs. Gong San asked those who wanted to eat meat to take out the meat. The shopkeeper poured soup into it, and then brought them a basket of vegetables and two plates of thinly sliced meat.
Mrs. Gong San said, "This is the broth they make with lamb bones. After eating the lamb ribs, we can still eat the hotpot. In fact, it is best eaten in the cold winter. What a pity..."
Mrs. Gong San shook her head, shaking off her thoughts, and said with a smile, "But there are not many vegetables now, only radishes and some cabbage, everyone can just make do with them."
But even so, everyone was very satisfied, especially the soup was very delicious. After Manbao drank a bowl, a warm feeling radiated from the inside out.
Manbao put down his bowl in satisfaction, but was reluctant to put down his chopsticks. He picked up the meat slices and dipped them in the pot with them...
In the end, everyone, including Yin Huo, was very satisfied with the meal, and except for Yin Huo, everyone else was full.
After Manbao finished eating, he kept saying, "Don't do this next time. Overeating is not good."
Bai Erlang kept muttering, "Nine times out of ten you say this, yet the next time you overeat, who else can do this every time except Yin Huo?"
Yin Huo ignored them and solemnly thanked Mrs. Gong San for her hospitality.
Mrs. Gong San was also full. She waved her hand and said, "Doctor Zhou saved my life, isn't it just a few meals? Next time you come to Xiazhou, I'll treat you. Well, roasted yellow sheep is also delicious, but it's wild and hard to catch. If you stay long enough, I'll have my child's father take you to the deeper grasslands. Maybe you can find one. In fact, yellow sheep in the early autumn are the most delicious."
She swallowed her saliva as she spoke, and said, "The yellow sheep at that time were fattened up, and the meat was very tender. Brushing it with a layer of honey and roasting it, the taste was so delicious..."
After savoring it for a moment, she said, "It's no worse than the lamb ribs we had today."
Manbao couldn't help but admire it, thinking that it was such delicious food.
Bai Shan also felt that Mrs. Gong San was a kindred spirit, so he began to plan, "In fact, if we go to the Western Regions, we will most likely have to pass through Xiazhou."
Manbao and Bai Erlang chuckled and said, "We can resupply in Xiazhou when the time comes."
Mrs. Gong San not only treated them to lamb ribs, but also knew that it would be difficult for them to travel at this time, so she prepared some ingredients for them, including jerky and pickled lamb legs that had been frozen solid outdoors.
She said, "I've never been far away, but my child's father often travels. When he goes out, he likes to bring pickled lamb legs with him. If he gets hungry on the way, he can just cut off a piece of meat and grill it. It's very convenient."
Manbao was stunned. "Then you have to bring a roasting pan."
"No need," Mrs. Gong San waved her hand and said, "Just ask your guards to bring a broad knife, and then roast it on the knife."
Bai Shan and the other three thought about it for a moment and realized that it was true. “So it can be done this way.”
So when they returned, they stared at Yang and the book.
Yang Heshu asked helplessly, "Just tell me what's going on. I went to look for you this morning and heard that you were out for an appointment."
Manbao quickly said, "Mrs. Gong San is treating us to dinner again. Brother Yang, how many people are you bringing with you to Beijing this time?"
"Just take Manda."
"Ah, so Manda uses a knife?"
Yang Heshu: "...Wantian is the one who takes care of me. What is he doing with a knife?"
Seeing the disappointment on the four people's faces, he said, "But this time, you and the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Medical Bureau will also be going back. The government office will dispatch some people to escort you, and there will also be officers and soldiers from the Dali Temple, and there will be no shortage of them carrying swords."
Manbao was delighted when he heard this and accepted the lamb leg sent by Mrs. Gong San with confidence.
Yang Heshu didn't know that there was a leg of lamb wrapped in leaves in the box containing the ingredients. He said goodbye to Cui early in the morning, touched Qi Ge'er's head, and then led the people from the Imperial Hospital out of the city.
He didn't have to worry about returning to Beijing, as all these matters would be arranged by the Dali Temple.
This time, the Dali Temple sent the imperial edict and investigated the matter of Xiazhou, and then sent Yang Heshu and the governor Niu and his son to the capital.
Yes, the still-living Niu Kang was also required to go to Beijing, and compared to his father, his treatment was not good. Although he was not shackled, he was also guarded by officials from the Dali Temple, which was completely different from the free-spirited Zhou Man and others who were traveling with him.
Near noon, the convoy stopped and Lord Zhao from the Dali Temple asked everyone to stop and rest for half an hour, and to have a meal and drink some water.
Manbao jumped off the carriage and started to play with the people. There was still a lot of unmelted snow in the woods, and it made a crunching sound when people stepped on it.
She couldn't help but stomped her feet, leaving dirty footprints on the white snow. She looked around and ran away feeling guilty.
Doctor Lu was feeling cold and had someone go gather some firewood. He then pulled out a few sticks of charcoal they had brought with them to start a fire. He hunched his neck and called out to her, "Doctor Zhou, didn't you bring a leg of lamb? Why not take it out and roast it to warm everyone up?"
Manbao refused. "It's only been half an hour, and the skin isn't even cooked through. It's boring. Let's bake it tonight."
Sure enough, she kept her word. When they stopped at the inn at night, she took out the lamb leg and roasted it. Because there were too many people, she couldn't use a big knife at all, and one lamb leg was not enough for everyone to share.
Niu Kang sat on the side and watched blankly. If it were in the past, he would definitely have been disgusted, but he was treated differently these days. Even though his father wanted to take care of him, what he ate and drank was worse than those of his companions. Now, let alone roasted lamb legs, he might even be craving roasted wool.
Manbao glanced at him and saw that there were more than a dozen pockmarks on his face, which was not good-looking at all. In fact, even if those pockmarks were removed, he would not be considered good-looking.
She shook her head, ate a piece of roast lamb, and then asked vaguely, "The Dali Temple brought him to the capital like this. Does Your Majesty want to punish him?"
Bai Shan thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "It's impossible to question him about his guilt. After all, he's not a court official. He's said to have abducted a Hu concubine, but there's actually no evidence. As for contracting smallpox, he didn't do it on purpose. The most we can do is dislike him, but we can't question him. His guilt might fall on his father, and Governor Niu's fault is even greater."
He said vaguely, "It depends on how well Feng Zongping and the others spread their gossip."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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