The waiter thought for a moment and said, "It's nothing special. It's just that it's cold today. If you're worried about getting a cold stomach, you can heat it up."
"Then boil a pot."
"Okay."
Xu Jiang asked Lou Yunchun again, "Do you want to eat anything?"
Lou Yunchun said softly, "It's up to you to decide."
The waiter stared at him as if he had seen a ghost. Was this still the living devil he knew?
"How about another serving of roasted venison and a vegetable stew?"
"good."
"Second brother?"
"Oh, oh, I heard it. One serving of roasted venison and one serving of vegetable stew." The waiter came back to his senses, wrote down the menu, asked the two to sit for a while, and hurried to the kitchen to give instructions.
The two of them were sitting next to the window. Outside the window there was a red plum tree in full bloom. Two people were saying goodbye under the tree.
"I'm going to see Ilale off tomorrow. Are you coming?"
"go."
"He came to the capital for more than ten years, but he was unable to stay."
This capital city embraces countless people, and countless people come and go. When they come, they are full of confidence, thinking that they will take root here, but when they leave, they are disheartened and still drifting.
Xu Jiang withdrew her gaze, but saw Lou Yunchun looking at her with a dark look in his eyes.
She was startled for a moment, then smiled at him.
At this time, the waiter came over with a small stove with two pieces of red charcoal burning in it. He also took some utensils to simmer the wine. After a while, the sweet fragrance filled the air.
Xu Jiang took two white porcelain cups and poured one for herself and one for Lou Yunchun.
"Try this Sansheng wine."
They both raised their glasses and drank together.
This wine is mild, sweet and warm. One glass of it will make all your internal organs feel comfortable.
“It’s delicious.”
"Yeah." Lou Yunchun raised his hand to pour the second glass.
Seeing that he was about to finish the drink in one gulp, Xu Jiang hurriedly said, "It's still early, let's drink slowly."
Lou Yunchun paused, then took a sip.
Xu Jiang said with anticipation, "When spring comes, we can make some wine."
"Okay, you can make peach wine, peach blossom wine, pear blossom wine, bamboo wine, and grain wine."
Listening to his detailed list, Xu Jiang smiled widely. All these wines had been recorded in her notebook.
"You should like peach wine. Let's make more."
Lou Yunchun's lips curled slightly, "Okay." Then he added, "Let's go to the mountains to dig peach trees in the spring."
Xu Jiang couldn't help laughing, "You're relying on me."
"Well, I'm relying on you."
The two looked at each other, their eyes full of peach blossoms.
"Hey, you two, this is your Xiliuzi. This dish should be eaten while it's hot. It won't taste good if it gets cold." The waiter brought the cold dish of Xiliuzi to the table, along with two dipping sauces, one mustard sauce and one fried salt.
After serving the dishes, he glanced at Lou Yunchun again. Seeing that he didn't seem to be here on business today, he felt a little relieved. "The roasted venison and vegetable stew will be here soon."
Then he left again.
Xu Jiang first picked up a piece of fried willow twigs. The taste was so delicious that even the bones were crispy. She dipped it in some fried salt, which immediately added a fresh taste.
Seeing that she was enjoying the meal so much, Lou Yunchun couldn't help but pick up a piece to try, and it was indeed delicious.
"Try this fried fish." Frying small dried fish requires precise control of the heat. Overcooking it burns easily, undercooking it leaves it fishy. This dish of fried willow branches is perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and pepper removes the fishy smell, giving it just the right flavor. Xu Jiang dipped it in mustard sauce, and the pungent aroma immediately brought tears to her eyes.
"This sauce is unbearable." She quickly pushed the mustard away.
Lou Yunchun handed her a handkerchief and asked her to wipe her tears, then he also picked up a fried fish and dipped it in mustard sauce.
Xu Jiang watched him eat with an expressionless face, and was admiring him in her heart, but then she saw tears in his eyes, and she couldn't help laughing out loud, and quickly replaced his handkerchief.
The waiter came out with the venison. Seeing the two of them enjoying themselves, he smiled too and said, "Our willow branches are delicious, aren't they?"
"It smells good and is cooked well, but the sauce is a bit spicy."
"That's because you're not used to it, ma'am. Some guests really enjoy it. For example, there's a regular guest at our post station who loves this mustard sauce with willow twigs. He eats a plate of it without changing his expression."
"I admire you so much." Xu Jiang praised repeatedly.
"Our roasted venison here is also quite good. Please try it."
The venison was sliced thinly, alternating between fat and lean, and flavored with Hu spices, giving it a rich, scorched aroma. Xu Jiang quickly picked up a piece to taste; it was tender and fatty, but the flavor was less pronounced than Ilaer's.
I think Yilale's roasted venison must be the best in the capital. I'll ask him to write a recipe tomorrow, otherwise I'll never be able to taste it again after he leaves.
After a while, the waiter brought the vegetarian stew.
"The dishes are ready, please enjoy your meal, gentlemen."
Lou Yunchun thanked him, "Thank you for your help."
The waiter looked flattered and walked away looking back every few steps.
"Eat more."
Xu Jiang pushed the dishes towards him. Lou Yunchun was also hungry, so he didn't hesitate and quickly finished half of the dishes. Xu Jiang also poured him a glass of wine to prevent him from getting sick of it.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, a man suddenly came in from outside and asked the waiter, "Waiter, are there any willow branches left?"
The waiter smiled as he saw him and said, "There's one more. I thought you were coming, so I saved it for you. Or do you want to dry-fry it and take it away?"
"Um."
"Okay." The waiter then shouted to the kitchen, "Master Lin's willow sticks, as usual, fried and takeaway."
When Xu Jiang heard the shout, she almost shrank under the table. She looked towards the door and saw that it was indeed Master Lin.
Master Lin stood in the post station with a serious expression. Xu Jiang only glanced at him once and didn't dare to look at him again.
Lou Yunchun noticed her expression was strange and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Jiang made a gesture to him to keep quiet, then buried her head in the act of eating fish.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
