The next day, Xu Jiang woke up before dawn, preoccupied with things and unable to sleep. Just as she was getting up, she heard the sound of a bell outside the door, signaling the arrival of an oxcart.
She quickly changed her clothes and washed up, then went to open the door.
The carriage was led by an old man, somewhat stooped, but with eyes that shone brightly. Seeing Xu Jiang emerge, he hurriedly said with a smile, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your sweet sleep. I came early to avoid being late."
"It's okay. I get up early too." Xu Jiang took the ox cart from him and said, "Go back quickly. It's freezing cold and you'll suffer if you stay out here. You don't need to come back for the cart. I'll bring it back to you after I use it so you don't have to make an extra trip."
The old man agreed repeatedly, "Then I'll trouble you, boss."
Xu Jiang smiled kindly, "It's my fault for bothering you so early in the morning. Go back and don't get cold."
"Oh." The old man walked away on the snow, making a crunching sound.
Xu Jiang tied the ox cart under a tree, cleaned the bed, and covered it with oil paper and cloth to prevent moisture and scratches. Then she went into the house to move the books.
Just after I finished moving, Lou Yunchun came.
"Why so early?" they asked in unison, then smiled at each other.
Lou Yunchun led the horse into the donkey shed. The donkey was disturbed from its sweet dream and started to make a fuss again.
Together, they loaded the books onto the cart. After counting them and confirming they were correct, they bundled them up with cloth and oil paper. Xu Jiang was skilled at tying ropes, and with a deft touch, she had the books securely tied. Lou Yunchun shook them, but they didn't budge.
Xu Jiang said proudly, "Don't worry, I've tied this rope a thousand times, if not ten thousand times, so it's very stable."
Lou Yunchun praised, "Well tied." Then he took her hand and rubbed the mark left by the rope.
Seeing that it was still early, Xu Jiang asked, "Would you like some pancakes?"
Lou Yunchun nodded, "Yes."
"Come on, help me light the fire." Lou Yunchun let her pull him to the kitchen.
While Lou Yunchun was making a fire, he was watching Xu Jiang kneading dough. Yue Nu was squatting by his feet, warming herself by the fire and dozing off.
Xu Jiang kneaded the dough, spread some cooking oil on the surface and let it ferment for later use. Then he chopped half a piece of fresh meat, green onion, ginger, garlic, and added salt, pepper, a little dogwood oil and stuffing.
Xu Jiang gave the filling to Lou Yunchun to smell. "Is it fragrant?"
"fragrant."
"As long as it smells good."
Xu Jiang divided the fermented dough into small pieces, folded and stretched them several times before wrapping the fillings in them. The dough and fillings were just right, neither too much nor too little.
After Xu Jiang finished wrapping the last one, Lou Yunchun's was cooked to perfection.
She set up a pan and brushed it with oil. When the oil was about half cooked, she flattened the dough wrapped with the filling and put it into the pan one by one. She fried it slowly over low heat until both sides were crispy and then removed it from the pan.
One pan can fry four pancakes, so she fried five pancakes in total, and the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of pancakes.
After frying, she cut it with the oil paper she had used to pack it and wrapped a pancake for Lou Yunchun first.
“Try it while it’s hot.”
Lou Yunchun took the pancake and took a bite. The outer layer was crispy, the filling was fresh and oily, and the green onion and dogwood oil inside were mixed with sweet and spicy flavors, which was especially appetizing.
He finished a cake in just a few bites, and Xu Jiang handed him a second one.
Look at this look, no need to ask, I like it.
Xu Jiang also picked up one and started chewing it.
Mm, it smells really good.
"Madam Xu?" The voice of Shopkeeper Wang came from outside.
"That dog's nose." Xu Jiang cursed with a smile and replied, "It's in the kitchen."
After a while, Shopkeeper Wang came in, rubbing his hands and smiling, "Where are the pancakes?" He then greeted Lou Yunchun, "Mr. Lou, good morning."
"morning."
Xu Jiang handed him one and said, "It's fresh out of the pot. Eat it while it's hot."
"As soon as I opened the door and smelled the fragrance, I knew you were cooking." Shopkeeper Wang took the cake and took a bite. "Delicious!"
He added, "In the past, I stayed up until the sun was three in the sky and didn't even open the door. Why are you out so early today?"
"I'm going to deliver some books to the Imperial College later." Xu Jiang also asked him, "Why are you here so early today?"
Shopkeeper Wang said helplessly, "A wealthy family is having a banquet today, and I have to go and deliver the rice."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
After eating the cakes, Xu Jiang packed a few more and asked Manager Wang to take them back to his family. She left the rest for Lin Hongchu, then locked the door and drove to the Imperial College with Lou Yunchun.
As the morning light gradually rose and the bells rang, an old ox, loaded with a bucket full of poetry and books, stepped on the snow like clouds, heading for the first university in the capital.
Xu Jiang bathed in the morning light, with a bright light in his eyes.
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