Chapter 41: Shrimp Wontons. His fingers moved nimbly, picking up the thin dough. …
Guizhier was stiff for a moment.
This voice sounds familiar.
She turned her head and saw the young man in front of her with broad shoulders and narrow waist, carrying a red tasseled spear on his back, looking as free and unrestrained as a young knight.
He smiled slightly, looking confident of victory.
But after seeing Gui Zhier's face clearly, the young man stood there, and embarrassment instantly spread across his face.
"Sorry to bother you. I recognized the wrong person." Luan Shuangbai's lips trembled slightly.
His body was stiff, his bright eyes were full of surprise, his hands were clenched tightly and then slowly unclenched, revealing his inner uneasiness.
The back view clearly looks similar, but why is it a man's face?
Guizhier looked him up and down for a moment.
She suppressed her surprise, nodded politely, turned and walked towards the breakfast shop without saying a word.
"Sir, could you please give me a tray of freshly baked buns?" the shop owner continued to be enthusiastic.
"Yeah." Guizhier pretended to sit down naturally.
The wooden tabletop was old and dusty to the touch, and the legs of the stool were wobbly.
Laicheng is no different.
As the snow melts in early spring, everything reveals its true form.
The streets were full of potholes and mud. No matter how magnificent the city gates were, they could not hide the dilapidated state within.
"Didn't you say you recognized the wrong person? Why are you still following me?" Gui Zhier sighed and asked in a low voice.
Beside her, Luan Shuangbai followed closely, staring at her intently without blinking.
"Miss, I came here from Linghe." He folded his hands in front of him, looking aggrieved. "I'm very hungry. Can you buy me some buns?"
Suddenly the sun rose, casting mottled shadows on the boy's face.
He was young and strong, and although the weather was chilly in spring, he was only wearing a black suit, with a few strands of long hair falling down unruly.
But his expression was cautious, as if he was expecting a reward from his master.
Guizhi ignored him and took a bite of the bun silently, and was choked by the rough grains.
She quickly picked up the soup bowl, put it to her mouth, and blew gently on it to release the hot air.
Looking at the few vegetable leaves floating in the soup, I really have no appetite.
"Miss, have some tea." The young man picked up the teapot attentively.
The shop uses the lowest quality broken tea leaves, which are dark in color, without any tea fragrance, and only have a faint stale smell.
"Gulp." After taking a sip of the cold tea, Guizhier raised her eyes and looked at him straight in the eye.
"Who are you looking for, young man?" he asked without any sincerity.
"Looking for the general's wife." The answer was straightforward.
"Puff." Guizhier almost spit out a mouthful of water, her cheeks slightly flushed from coughing, and she stared at him in disbelief.
"Just a joke." Luan Shuangbai felt eight points more confident in his heart. He calmly lifted up his clothes and sat aside.
Guizhier held her forehead with her hands, feeling helpless and a bit of absurd humor.
Those who wanted to hide hid away, but those who didn't care actually chased after them.
The sunrise completely awakens Laicheng.
The number of homeless beggars on the streets has increased significantly, and the broken bowls are empty, without even a few coins.
Baozi shops also cut corners, abandoning expensive white flour and mixing barley and buckwheat into the dough.
Luan Shuangbai took a bite and choked, causing his throat to hurt.
Guizhier laughed heartily.
However, these were minor incidents that seemed harmless, and the small town silently tolerated the hidden turmoil.
Although the news about the nomadic robbers from the Qiyanwushi tribe in the north was true or false, it was still distant and isolated in the hearts of the people in the small town.
The willow trees in early spring have turned green, and life is plain yet comfortable.
"Let's go. I'll take you back to the inn where we're staying and get you some delicious food." Guizhier plunked down a few copper coins and showed mercy.
She waved in the distance, and Liu Qianjin, who had been watching vigilantly, came running over happily.
"Who is this..." Luan Shuangbai asked in surprise, looking at the birthmark on her face.
Guizhier gave him a look.
Liu Qianjin changed her tone back to a gentle one and saluted cautiously: "This servant greets the young general."
Luan Shuangbai's body trembled and he involuntarily took half a step back.
"Ah!" His eyes widened, his lips parted slightly. "You even kidnapped the Oiran. The entire Central City is in turmoil."
This time it was the boy's turn to be at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Meeting their inquiring gazes, Luan Shuangbai explained in detail.
It turned out that Commander Cai, the commander of the city defense forces, was unwilling to give up and repeatedly went to Yaoyue Tower to look for the courtesan.
The news leaked out from somewhere and he knew that the courtesan had been redeemed.
Cai Miao immediately flew into a rage and punched the madam with his sandbag-sized fist, leaving her eyes black and blue.
"You bastard, stop being so rude in my territory." The madam's hairpin was askew and her hair was a mess, but she was still arrogant and tough.
There were bruises around her eyes, her fancy clothes were wrinkled, and she was helped up by several burly men.
"If you have the guts, let's go and ask the prefect to judge the case!"
The result of the investigation was that according to the law, he was punished with caning for injuring others without cause. However, considering that he held an official position, he was fined half a year's salary, compensated the victim, and suspended from work for one month for self-reflection.
"That's fair." Gui Zhier nodded. "So, has anyone guessed who redeemed the courtesan?"
Luan Shuangbai shrugged and then slowly shook his head.
The madam refused to speak and only said that he was a big shot whom she could not afford to offend.
After the prefect's judgment, the madam twisted her waist, took small steps, and looked arrogant.
"Hmph!" She put on makeup, her hair full of jewels and jade swaying, "If I didn't have a backer behind Yaoyue Tower, how would I dare to stay in this place?"
I'm afraid the backer himself doesn't even know it.
Guizhier raised the corners of her lips, her eyes flashed with cunning, and her heart was filled with joy after her prank was successful.
By the time the truth is revealed, the boat will have already crossed thousands of mountains.
"It can be seen that this matter is quite strange." Luan Shuangbai stood between the two of them, his fingers as light as a butterfly, moving from left to right.
The boy has delicate features and his eyes are focused and playful.
"I will keep the secret for the girl." He put his index finger in front of his lips.
After all, one should be grateful to the person who brought him the food.
The inn's kitchen is steaming hot.
Several large pots were lined up on the stove. The millet porridge and white porridge cooked in them were a little thin, but still fragrant.
Paired with a few side dishes, such as pickled cucumbers, pickles, dried radishes, etc., it becomes the simplest appetizer breakfast.
"There's a lot of rice porridge left over. I'll sell it to you at a discount." The chef's son scratched his head. "Why bother making it yourself? It's just adding to the trouble."
It was the first time he heard that someone wanted to rent a kitchen.
Seeing that they were a group of poor scholars, I was even more confused.
Could it be that the spy was sent by the mortal enemy, who wanted to pretend that the kitchen had been accidentally blown up, thus ruining the Lantern Festival dinner?
Business is getting harder and harder, so we must always be on guard against others.
"Just borrow a fire and some cooking utensils." Guizhier smiled and raised her hand.
I saw a string of meat firmly hooked on the hook in her hand.
At first glance, the meat is tender, fat and lean, and in a moderate proportion. It must be the freshest pork front leg meat in the shop.
"Want to chop the stuffing?" The chef's butcher was round and plump, like a small mountain.
He slowly moved his gaze over Guizhier's face, and seeing her nod sincerely, he waved his hand in agreement.
But he still stood aside and watched vigilantly.
Guizhi'er didn't care about others watching her "stealing her skills", she was only focused on the fresh meat on the table.
After a simple treatment, she took the sharp knife and slashed it down.
The pork front leg meat was divided into pieces, and then, with the rhythmic and rhythmic movement of the knife, the pieces of meat were turned into shredded meat.
The crisp sound of the blade hitting the chopping board is full of power.
But after a moment, she changed from chopping to chopping.
Under the powerful force of the knife, the shredded meat turned into minced meat, which gradually took the shape of stuffing. Guizhier was calm and composed, without any sign of fatigue.
The layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the details.
The chef's cook was surprised to see Guizhier mixing the meat filling in one go and using a lot of ingredients he had never seen before.
"Onions, ginger, and salt are nothing special."
"Although pepper is a bit expensive, it's commonly used." The chef's son opened his eyes wide and pointed. "What is this?"
It's small and delicate, with a slender, slightly curved body, like a crescent moon. If you sniff closely, you can smell a faint scent of the sea.
"Golden Hook Dried Shrimp." Guizhier generously advised, "They're more common along the coast, but we don't use them as much here."
The chef's son scratched his head. He had never seen this thing in decades since he became an apprentice.
So he opened his eyes even wider, afraid of missing any step.
Guizhier started making wontons.
Her fingers were nimble, she lightly picked up the thin dough, scooped up a little filling with a small wooden stick and placed it on the dough, then folded it in half, pinched it, and closed it in an instant, her movements smooth and flowing.
The flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the boiling water in the pot kept boiling.
Behind her, the scholars who had just finished their morning lessons were watching from afar.
"It looks like dumplings, but it's different. Brother Wen Jing, have you ever eaten it?"
"I heard that there's a food in Yanping called meat wontons. The method is similar to this, but they're plump."
"There is a difference." The scholars shook their heads in unison. "Sir, you are still too comprehensive. We are far behind."
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