Chapter 172 Casefile 5: Nether Festival (1)
"So, are you heading to East City of Eston next?"
Jiang You was busy in the new kitchen, the kitchen knife in her hand knocking on the chopping board. She looked back at Andre in the small dining room and asked.
The new kitchen is very close to the small dining room, and both are small but cozy, making it very convenient for talking.
Just now, Andre had told Jiangyou what they had investigated and their next plan. Jiangyou listened with great interest while cooking.
"Here's what we planned." Andre was setting the tableware in the small dining room with Buster. He told Buster, "Go get two more plates."
The adjutant Shadow, who had come to eat for a free meal, went to the cupboard to find some plates. Andrei walked into the kitchen and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well, there's nothing else I can help you with right now." Takumi glanced at the half-finished product on the kitchen counter. "We're having pulled pork tacos and shrimp and cheese quesadillas tonight. They're almost done."
She put the chopped tomatoes and vegetables into a salad bowl, poured in vinaigrette and mixed well, then put the tortillas into the pan and toasted them, put the pre-prepared shredded pork, fried and chopped green and red pepper strips into the tortilla crust, sprinkled with a handful of cheese, then skillfully used a spatula to cover the other half of the tortilla crust, turned it over, heated it and shaped it into a semicircular taco shape, and then carefully moved it to a plate with tongs.
The recipe for the Prawn and Cheese Pancake is similar, but this time, Master Yu uses a long, crispy pancake. She bakes the pancake until crispy, then tops it with a thick layer of cheese and bakes until melted. Finally, she tops it with the pan-fried prawns and drizzles it with a delicious, sticky amber sauce.
"Smells so good." Andrei couldn't resist the temptation anymore and peeked over the stove. Jiang You, who was already prepared, handed him a piece of shredded pork taco. "Here, a boyfriend treat. Be careful when eating it, or the filling will fall out from the other side~"
This tip was obviously a bit redundant, because Andre opened his mouth wide and stuffed the whole taco into his mouth. There was no trouble at all about the crispy taco crust being easily broken, the overly rich filling overflowing from both ends of the crust, and the trouble of not being able to take care of the end while taking care of the beginning.
Jiang You glanced at Andre's bulging cheeks and fell into a brief silence: "."
——Well, that’s not impossible… She really can’t underestimate the power of a foodie.
"Delicious!" Andre licked the sauce from the corner of his mouth.
The taco's tortilla crust is crispy but light in flavor. It has a rough texture like whole grains when eaten alone, but when paired with pork that has been braised and roasted until soft and juicy, and then torn into shreds and soaked in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce, it's like a broken puzzle piece finding its perfect fit, and it's so delicious that you can't resist it.
"It feels like summer, doesn't it?" Jiangyou said with a smile. "This is made from the cornmeal that Holly brought back. It's corn grown in the experimental fields over in the Lava Valley. It has a very summery and tropical feel, doesn't it?"
"It tastes really good." Andrei secretly stretched out his paw towards the plate, but was slapped away by Jiang You: "That's all the food you can eat secretly. You can eat the rest after dinner starts. Let's go and call everyone to come over for dinner."
Andrei touched his nose, turned around and left the kitchen. But in fact, he didn't need to look for anyone, because everyone had already slipped in after smelling the aroma.
"Wow, this place is really well decorated!" Aunt Wolf walked into the dining room with a small basket full of food. "The kitchen is much brighter now that there are windows. It's better than the old design!"
"That's right." Jiang You came out carrying a large square plate filled with tacos. "After all, the original kitchen was just a long, narrow room between the front store and the dining room. Honestly, it was more like a narrow hallway. Not only was the lighting poor, making it impossible to move around when there were too many people, but the ventilation was also poor. If you cooked anything that produced a lot of oil, the smell wouldn't dissipate."
The kitchen is very comfortable after the relocation. There are windows on the sides and the front. Outside is the garden and vegetable patch. There is a gentle breeze and the smoke can be dissipated quickly.
——The aroma of rice can also randomly attract diners passing by on the street.
There was no formaldehyde in the magical world, and there was no need for three to six months of ventilation to dissipate the odor. After the troll craftsman handed over the house, Jiangyou could move in directly with his luggage. After a busy afternoon, the brewing workshop had been almost tidied and decorated by Jiangyou and Alexi, and it was full of the breath of life.
Aunt Wolf handed the basket she brought to Jiang You: "Here, the Nether Festival is coming soon, and these are the sacrificial candles used for the festival."
"Huh? Ghost Festival?" Jiangyou tilted his skull head, "What is that?" Is it a festival similar to the Ghost Festival?
The second red moon of the last summer month marks the Netherworld Festival. On this night, the Netherworld, under the power of the red moon, opens its gates and briefly reunites with the human world. The dead return briefly to the human world, accept offerings, and enjoy themselves before departing before the first cockcrow of the following morning.
"However, on this day, both kind and strange ghosts haunt the dead. People dress up as ghosts and mask the scent of the living to ward off evil spirits. As for these candles, they serve as guides for departed ancestors and friends. They can also dispel evil spirits and protect the safety of the living."
Auntie Wolf said this, and then glanced at Jiang You again, with a brief look of confusion on her face: "Uh... But even if you don't light the candles, the undead will probably think you are one of them."
"The Ghost Festival is tomorrow night," Andrei added. "Don't be afraid. It's not a scary festival. It's just a day when people hold masquerade balls, dress up as ghosts, and remember the dead."
"Oh!" This description sounded like a combination of the Ghost Festival, Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead, but Jiang You was not really scared.
After all, in her hometown, every Qingming Festival, countless acquaintances would carry pig heads and walk all over the mountains to look for Taigong. Burning paper during the New Year and other festivals was also a routine, not to mention that after she came to this world, she even carved a tablet for herself.
Since she had done nothing wrong, she wasn't afraid of ghosts knocking on her door in the middle of the night... But then again, there was a soul she really wanted to worship...
An idea struck her: "If we want to worship people, how should we do it?"
"There are many ways to do it," Buster interrupted. "As long as you establish a connection with the deceased, you can light a candle and burn a piece of paper with their name on it. You can also place their belongings or portraits next to the candle, or place the candle at the door of their former home... all of these are fine.
"Once the connection is established, place the item you wish to send to the deceased behind the candle. If, on the morning of the day following the Nether Festival, the item disappears, leaving behind a black-gray mark, it means the deceased has successfully received it."
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