Chapter 752 A Dream of Youth 284
Inside the room, Xu Hongying looked at Xie Qi, whose face was flushed, and couldn't help but poke his cheek. Then she was grabbed. Xie Qi's eyes were glazed over, and he just rubbed against her like a puppy.
Xu Hongying's ears burned, and she tried to pry Xie Qi's hands away, but he hugged her tightly again, "Ying'er..."
"No, stop fooling around."
The maid standing beside her blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Qing Le, who had been sent by Xie Ning to help, coughed lightly. She was alright; she was already married and didn't feel embarrassed like a young girl. "Young Madam, the young lady asked me to bring a jar of hangover soup. Would you like me to prepare some more for the young master to drink first?"
"Okay, I had forgotten about that."
It wasn't that she forgot, but rather that she had just married into the family and was unfamiliar with everything in the mansion, not even knowing which way the kitchen was. So Xie Ning sent a maid to show her around.
Qing Lefu nodded and saw Xu Hongying leading the other maids to help Xie Qi change his clothes. He then went out into the outer room. One of Xu Hongying's maids, who was more clever, also followed her out into the outer room.
Qing Le patiently taught her how to open the celadon lotus leaf-shaped lid jar on the table and said with a smile, "This hangover soup is a recipe made by the young lady and has been prepared and stored. After all, the master and young master of the house occasionally attend banquets and inevitably drink some wine, so this hangover soup is always on hand."
He scooped a little into the sky-blue teacup with a wooden spoon, then added water to adjust the flavor. "This is made with orange peel and dried tangerine peel; it's good for sobering up and the taste isn't too strong..."
"Thank you for your guidance, Sister Qingle. Without you, we would have been in a lot of trouble."
After giving her a few more detailed instructions, Qingyue left once Xie Qi had sobered up. As she left, the old woman who had been guarding the room came up to ask the other maids about the situation in their rooms, whether they needed food or water.
Qing Le glanced at her and knew it was someone from the lady's side. She smiled and left Xie Qi's courtyard, heading towards the small garden. There was no curfew in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the area ahead was still very lively.
Xie Wangzhi and Chen Wanniang are in charge of both the male guests and the female guests, so it seems the banquet won't end for quite some time.
Xie Ning slipped out early and joined a group of young girls to admire the moon in the small garden. On the small table next to them were cups, bowls, plates, spoons, and a variety of snacks and fruits.
There was a stove lit up there, with an iron frame on top. The charcoal was burning red-hot, constantly emitting white smoke. On the long table were skewered river shrimp, which had just been caught from the river that morning, as well as thinly sliced meat that had been dipped in batter.
Lamb and beef are cut into small cubes, marinated, and skewered. They absorb the flavor when grilled. There are also oysters, squid, chicken wings, fish slices, and so on.
Xie Ning is currently grilling river shrimp. When she has free time, she usually likes to cook for herself, after all, cooking is a skill.
These river prawns are huge, one prawn makes a whole string, and there are also smaller ones, three prawns on a string. When the green prawns touch the charcoal fire, their bodies gradually turn red. The larger prawns are skewered whole, so they remain straight, while the smaller ones are curled up.
Once the sauce is brushed on, the aroma wafts out with a sizzling sound.
Princess Jia Yue was so tempted that she wanted to take a bite of the grilled shrimp as soon as she got it, but she burned herself. The shrimp shell was grilled until it was crispy and could be eaten directly, but after burning herself, she chose to peel off the shell. The firm shrimp meat inside was filled with juice and was incredibly fresh and delicious!
Xie Ning ate two skewers of shrimp, then picked up a piece of oyster meat with a skewer and ate it. It was grilled by A Qilan, who is an excellent grilling girl.
The oyster meat was huge, sprinkled with minced garlic, and some even had some thin vermicelli on top. It smelled absolutely amazing!
Yan Xi sat down to the side, cupping her face in her hands. "Is the earthworm ready yet?" She was starving.
She didn't eat much at the banquet because she usually ate well, so she wasn't very interested in those delicacies. Instead, she was interested in the local specialties.
Taro is also known as Tu Zhi. Because of its warming and nourishing properties, it is also called Tu Zhi Dan. However, only the large ones are called Tu Zhi Dan, while the small ones are called Tu Li.
Moreover, their method of stewing taro is not simply burying it over a fire. Instead, they first warm a pot of wine, then wrap the taro in damp paper, coat the outer layer with boiled wine and fermented rice wine, and then slowly stew it over a low fire with rice bran.
Taro should be eaten warm to be most nourishing. Eating it cold will damage the blood, and eating it with salt will deplete one's vital energy.
The humble taro, also known as the earth chestnut, has its own story, as the saying goes, "Taro boiled in a bowl, snow burning on the eyebrows." Although there is no snow now, lacking that certain artistic conception, the autumn moon is still a lovely companion.
These small taro roots are dried and stored in earthenware jars. When you want to eat them, you take them out and simmer them. Both their aroma and soft texture are just like chestnuts, so they are called "earth chestnuts".
"That's about enough. Have some drinks first." Xie Ning handed over a bowl of sweet soup that looked like green tofu. It was made from pigeon leaves and had a similar texture to jelly. Some people liked to add chili, but Xie Ning preferred to add sugar.
It is also adorned with a pure white jasmine flower, its sweet and tender texture infused with the fragrance of jasmine.
Zhao Huilan preferred the dish of green plum jelly. The soft and chewy jelly was topped with a spoonful of yellow green plum sauce, which was sweet and sour, and very refreshing. It was best eaten with grilled skewers.
As she ate, Zhao Huilan sighed, "I'll be going to Yangzhou soon, and I wonder if the food there will be the same as in the capital."
Although she sighed, her eyes were bright, full of anticipation for the future.
Qiu Xiaoniangzi straightened up and said, "I'm going to Yizhou. My mother is worried about me, so she will come with me."
"And what about your father?"
"My grandmother has taken another concubine for my father." Her mother decided against joining in the fun; it was better to stay with her!
Everyone sighed, and then they talked about the prefectures where they were to take up their posts. Most of them were important cities. Zhao Huilan's eyes looked dejected for a moment, but she quickly cheered up again. She was determined to make the most of this hard-won opportunity!
Yan Xi turned her head to look at Xie Ning's profile and whispered, "I feel like...we...are getting stronger and stronger."
They complemented each other.
"We must not slack off." Xie Ning looked at the spirited young women in front of him, his eyes shining like stars.
"Um."
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