...
...
"Mo Xuan, let's eat."
Xu Milu called over Mo Xuan, who was secretly eating stinky tofu, to have a late-night snack, and then gave the others a demonstration:
"The crispy pork belly can be eaten with salt and pepper or plain. The pork lard noodles are a bit greasy, but I added some chopped coriander to make it less monotonous. The shredded pork with sweet bean sauce wrapped in a pancake is substantial, and there's more if you want more."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of uncut crispy pork belly and took a bite.
The crispy fried pork belly has a layer of golden bubbles on the surface, and the lean meat is an enticing dark red. Because it has been fried twice, the skin is indescribably crispy. When you bite into it, you can hear a crisp sound, and it almost crumbles.
The fatty meat isn't greasy; the excess oil has been fried out, giving it a rich, granular texture. The lean meat isn't dry, and it's bursting with meaty flavor.
The rice noodles with lard are equally wonderful. The richness of the lard brightens up the blandness of the rice noodles, and the addition of chopped cilantro greatly alleviates the greasiness. The rice noodles are smooth, and the spiciness of the chili peppers and the aroma of fried garlic slices are firmly locked onto every strand of rice noodle. The occasional garlic slice is also a small, unexpected delight.
"This is a flatbread? But the taste is not quite the same."
Cheng Chumo seemed to prefer the filling shredded pork with sweet bean sauce rolled pancakes, holding the pancakes in both hands and chewing with a face full of appreciation.
The shredded pork stir-fried with soybean paste has a dark red color, and the sticky sauce clings together. The salty and savory flavor of the shredded pork, the spiciness of the shredded scallions, and the refreshing taste of the shredded cucumber seem to be concentrated in this small pancake, making it simply irresistible.
"I only realized today how bland and tasteless all those late-night snacks I used to eat were—"
Wei Ying picked up pieces of crispy pork belly with chopsticks, dipped them in salt and pepper, and just couldn't stop eating them:
"I never knew pork could be prepared in such an exquisite way. It's truly delicious! The skin is incredibly crispy, the inside is fragrant but not dry, and it's fatty but not greasy. It's really a wonderful flavor!"
He seemed to find eating like this unsatisfying, so he simply copied Xu Milu and started gnawing on a piece of uncut crispy pork belly. His overly glamorous face was covered in grease, and his image as a "charming young nobleman" was completely gone.
Mo Xuan, a self-proclaimed "true fragrance party" member, was secretly eating stinky tofu. Although these late-night snacks were delicious, he found the stinky tofu made from soybeans rich in spiritual energy more appealing.
Eating late at night brings a kind of joy that you can't experience during the day. That sense of wildness and arrogance, without worrying about gaining weight or getting pimples the next day, seems to make the meat in Xu Milu's mouth taste even better.
"As expected, meat is still the best choice for a late-night snack!" Xu Milu slurped up a mouthful of pork lard noodles and sighed contentedly.
...
...
This late-night snack awakened Wei Ying's cravings that had been building up for over a decade. For several days in a row, he couldn't taste meat, only remembering the deliciousness of that night.
He could almost taste the aroma of crispy pork belly just by smacking his lips.
He was preoccupied with the thirty catties of osmanthus he had promised to give to Madam Xu, so he hurriedly returned to the Wei residence after court that day.
When Wei Ying asked the steward, he learned that thirty catties of osmanthus flowers was no small amount.
"My lord, you are unaware of this. There is a difference between fresh osmanthus and dried osmanthus. Fresh osmanthus has a strong flavor, but it weighs more. Although dried osmanthus can be stored for a long time, it takes one pound of fresh osmanthus to produce five ounces of dried osmanthus."
"And these osmanthus blossoms also have different grades. The lowest grade is picked from under the tree, as they always contain some withered branches and leaves. These are gathered up with a cloth, knocked down, and then carefully selected. The middle grade is made from the best blossoms, chosen by the maids in the mansion for their superior color and fragrance. I wonder which kind you, sir, wish to give as a gift?"
The old butler chuckled.
Wei Ying glanced at Cheng Chumo beside him and coughed: "Naturally, it's the best quality. Prepare fifteen catties of red osmanthus and fifteen catties of golden osmanthus. Pick out all the withered branches and rotten leaves. I'll keep them for paying off my debts."
The old butler was somewhat taken aback:
"Well, there are plenty of golden osmanthus trees in the garden, enough to take fifteen catties, but the fragrance of the red osmanthus is very strong, and there are only a few trees in the master's room. If you want fifteen catties, you'll have to ask the master—"
"No need, Xuanbo and I will go on our own. If Father asks, just say it was me."
Wei Ying figured that Wei Shuyu should be visiting friends today and shouldn't be home, so he picked up a sack and a long stick and slipped into his father's yard.
...
...
The sandalwood incense slowly rose in the room, and the white mist that drifted up resembled a white crane taking flight. A handsome middle-aged man with a refined appearance was leisurely painting, and the scenery in his painting was the fragrant osmanthus blossoms outside the window.
This scholar was none other than Wei Shuyu, the son of Wei Zheng, the father of Wei Ying, and the current Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
A gentle breeze rustled through the osmanthus trees, causing their delicate petals to flutter down. Wei Shuyu couldn't help but sigh, and he wrote a line of poetry on a piece of paper:
"The cassia tree in heaven is lonely and pitiful; I ask Chang'e, would you like it even more?"
"The fragrance of osmanthus is rich and strong, but it becomes odorless when you get close. It can only reveal its fragrance from a distance. Isn't that a way to preserve itself?"
Since Wei Shuyu had been designated as the emperor's son-in-law, he was naturally a gentle, refined, dignified, and self-possessed gentleman. Now, as he sighed in the wind, there was a unique sense of desolation about him.
"Splash splash splash—"
The osmanthus tree trembled, and Wei Shuyu sighed again: "Even this osmanthus tree knows its master's thoughts and is shedding tears for me? If trees have spirits, how can people be so sentimental?"
"Splash splash splash!"
The tree shook even faster, and Wei Shuyu finally realized something was wrong. He looked out the window and saw his good-for-nothing son standing on the tree with a wooden stick, knocking on his precious osmanthus tree with the Cheng family's son!
Wei Shuyu's smile froze.
"Wei Ying!!!"
This was the loudest shout ever made by Wei Shuyu, a frail and scholarly official, and it also proved one thing.
The most dangerous time is when your parents call you by your full name.
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...
After an incense stick had burned, Wei Ying knelt on the floor of the study, moving his knees somewhat helplessly:
"Father, shouldn't you have gone to play chess with Uncle Li today? Why are you still at home?"
"It seems it was my fault, my mistake, that I disturbed your good mood, Young Master Wei!"
Wei Shuyu was so angry that he threw down the bamboo stick in his hand:
"Tell me, which prominent family in Pingkang Ward is this time trying to curry favor with me by using my osmanthus flowers? It's one thing for you to act recklessly on ordinary days, but today you even dragged Xuanbo along?!"
"No! Father, please don't mention Pingkangfang."
Wei Ying shuddered, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then said mysteriously:
"Don't let Grandfather hear this, or I'll be in real trouble. I swear to you, I will do my job well from now on and never cause trouble! When I go down to the underworld, I'll have an explanation to give to Grandfather. Father, you must also be careful in the future, otherwise when we go down to the underworld, Grandfather will surely punish us according to family law."
Wei Shuyu: "..."
Can you repeat that to the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall?
You're so young, and you're already cursing me to die, huh?
There's no need for later, I'll send you down to see your grandfather right now.
He silently picked up the bamboo plank from the ground.
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