67 Carrot Meatballs
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Fifty miles north of Taiyuan City.
The snow was falling, the sky was dark, the flags were flying high, and the tents were scattered around.
Recently, a small group of Liao border troops had been invading the border and plundering the civilians. The commander was ordered to pursue them, beheaded two of the small leaders, and returned home late at night.
Mo Shan jumped off his horse, shaking something in his hand, and smiling so hard that his mouth split to his chin.
He was so busy running forward that he didn't pay attention to his feet. He slipped in the snow and fell flat on his face.
He didn't care, he got up and ran again, shouting, "Master! A letter! A letter has arrived!"
In the tent with the curtain half lifted, Xie Linchuan had taken off his heavy armor and was carefully wiping a sharp knife in front of the candlelight.
Half a year of military life transformed the pampered young man from Lin'an City into a young man with deep eyes.
Only the deep dimples at the corners of his mouth when he smiles reveal his innocent nature.
Hearing this, he said calmly, "What letter?"
Mo Shan suppressed his frantic heartbeat: "A letter from Lin'an! A letter from Madam Jiang!"
Under the flickering candlelight, there was a "hiss" sound, and a string of blood beads flowed down the blade.
Xie Linchuan didn't care and snatched it away. His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking.
After all, he had hurt her, and when he left Lin'an, he didn't even dare to see her.
In the past six months, even though someone was watching him, he didn't dare to disturb him for fear that something might go wrong again.
Last month, in Taiyuan City, a Korean merchant gave General Yang a pot of exotic plants, which he saw by chance.
He remembered that she loved to tinker with these things. In Songlin Village, she dug up those potatoes.
He thought that even if she hated him as a person, it would be fine as long as she accepted the plant.
But it was not easy to send just a pot of plants over a long distance, so he asked someone to draw a map and send the seeds back together.
But he never expected that she would reply!
Just as he was about to open the letter, his hand paused.
He had been gone for so long, but Lu Fei was in Lin'an, and through Xue Qi, he had done countless things. Thinking of this, he lost his courage.
Suddenly, he slapped the letter on Pinglin's chest. "Read it!"
Pinglin's eyes widened, and he pointed his finger at his nose: "Me?"
"Yes!" Xie Linchuan said firmly, his face dark and unclear under the flickering candlelight.
Hirabayashi slanders:
You two are in this tormented chase, and you've dragged me into this. What if she writes some cruel words about breaking off all ties in the letter, and you get angry, won't you beat me up again?
The letter was from Mo Shan, who still had a smile on his face, but stood afar off. Ping Lin knew he must have thought of this beforehand, and silently cursed him for being cunning.
Although he was reluctant, Pinglin had to obey his master's order. He quickly opened the envelope, unfolded the letter, cleared his throat, and prepared to read it carefully.
However, when he saw the words on the paper, he was stunned for a moment. He turned the letter over and over again, reading every corner and edge. After he was sure of his eyesight, he began to read: "Thank you."
Xie Linchuan didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Hirabayashi scratched his head. "It said 'thank you' on the letter."
Xie Linchuan's eyes flashed, and he asked anxiously: "What else?"
“No more.”
Suddenly, the letter in his hand was snatched away. Pinglin looked up and saw Xie Linchuan staring at the letter without blinking, as if he was stunned.
Just at this moment, Mo Shan winked at him, and the two of them slipped out quietly.
In the tent, Xie Linchuan held the letter in his hand, his heart pounding.
What Lu Fei, it’s all bullshit!
Although he was not in Lin'an, he had spies everywhere, and she had never looked for the one with the surname Lu.
All day long, apart from dealing with Xue Qi in business, he was asking around about the Liao Kingdom.
Now, is there anyone who knows the Liao Kingdom better than him?
He sat down at the desk, raised his pen with his wrist suspended, and without writing a single word, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
——
In the kitchen of Xinghua Restaurant, Jiang Qinglan was teaching how to make cherry croquettes.
In winter, the restaurant specializes in hot pot.
For businesses, hot pot is a real hassle-free experience. The base oil is prepared in advance, and only the vegetables need to be cut. Zheng Wang is a competent cook, and he can finish the cutting in just two or three strokes. It is easy for one person to handle it.
But hot pot also has a disadvantage, which is that the taste is monotonous.
Although there are abundant ingredients and everything can be put into the pot, they are all cooked using the cooking method of "boiling" and the tastes tend to be similar.
Therefore, modern hot pot restaurants all have snacks. Free ones include fruit, cold dishes, rice crust, and crispy corners, while paid ones include fried crispy pork and brown sugar rice cakes.
Jiang Qinglan selected several snacks including pumpkin cakes, fried crispy pork, fried mushrooms, etc., and decided to teach Yingtao how to make them all.
This year, I went to the countryside and harvested a lot of radishes, so I started by making fried radish balls.
Jiang Qinglan said as he picked up the kitchen knife. With a series of thumps, the two fat radishes were quickly reduced to a bowl of chopped radishes.
She chopped coriander, green onions, ginger and other seasonings, beat in a few eggs, mixed them well, and kneaded them into balls before saying:
"There are two secrets to making radish meatballs. The first is to add some leftover rice so the meatballs don't fall apart and have a special chewy texture. The second is oil."
She held the winnowing basket full of meatballs in one hand and easily picked up the oil bottle with the other hand, pouring half a pot of oil into it.
"We planted rapeseed in Xiaoyang River and sent it to the mill. I watched with my own eyes as the stone mill pressed out rapeseed oil. Every step was strictly controlled, which is why the oil is so fragrant."
The light green meatballs were put into the frying pan, making a sizzling sound.
First, strings of small bubbles appeared, then floated up and down, and later, the green surface slowly turned into golden yellow.
The aroma of rapeseed oil, the fresh fragrance of radish, and the spicy aroma of ground ginger also began to fill the house.
Jiang Qinglan picked up one with a colander, poked it to see if it was soft or hard, and then used chopsticks to pick it up, breaking the meatball into two halves.
The outside is golden yellow and slightly burnt, while the inside is green and white. The taste is naturally crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
After tasting half a cherry, he hissed and exhaled from the heat. He exhaled and said, "It's so delicious right out of the pot. I wasted it before!"
The skin is crispy, with a rich aroma of oil and the fragrance of radish, but the texture is soft and tender.
In addition to these two, there is also the aroma of fried eggs, which is between meat and vegetables, and is a harmony between oil and radish.
Jiang Qinglan took out a small plate half the size of a palm, which contained some red and brown powder.
"Dip it in this salt and pepper dip."
Cherry tasted the remaining half of the meatball and was amazed:
"Although the radish balls are vegetarian, they are fried. After eating three or four, they are inevitably a bit greasy. Dipping them in this salt makes them less greasy. It's amazing!"
The meatballs in the pot are almost done. After being taken out, they are placed one by one on a plate lined with lettuce, looking very delicate.
Jiang Qinglan took the dish outside for Wang Huiniang and others to taste, but Tuan Tuan intercepted it halfway and ran away with the plate.
Jiang Qinglan was about to catch him when he saw Xue Qi coming in from outside wearing a cloak.
When Xie Linchuan was not around, Xue Qi felt much more at ease and often brought his wife to dinner.
Mrs. Xue was generous and especially loved giving her gifts.
From large items like brocade screens and rosewood desks to small items like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, clothes, jewelry, and even some strange snacks, they were sent to us in an endless stream every few days.
It was strange that what Mrs. Xue gave her was exactly what she wanted. After she hesitated for a few times, she finally accepted it generously.
At this time, Xue Qi was frowning, as if he was thinking about something. When he saw her come out, he immediately gestured for her to go to a secluded place for a private talk.
As soon as they arrived at Lukui Courtyard, Xue Qi first went over the accounts of the past few months with her, and then said:
"You mentioned earlier that you wanted to open a self-service restaurant in Chengdu. I'm already looking for a way. If necessary, I'll have to go there in person. Therefore, the expenses will be relatively high in the future."
Jiang Qinglan was surprised. Didn’t they say before that Shu was too far away and transportation was inconvenient?
Xue Qi said worriedly, "We are going to go to war with the Liao Kingdom."
Jiang Qinglan's face changed drastically, and he stood up suddenly. Suddenly realizing that he had lost his composure, he calmed down and said slowly, "It's only been two years since the peace agreement, and we're going to go to war?"
Xue Qi had been doing business in the Liao Kingdom for many years and had many friends and more channels of information.
Emperor Xiantian of Liao came to power by killing his father and brother. He was eager to quell domestic rumors with military achievements and strongly advocated war abroad.
The Wulanggai tribe in the northern border wanted to take advantage of the change of regime in the Liao Dynasty to encroach on the border.
Emperor Xiantian first adopted a strategy of making friends by giving them food, horses, and countless gold and silver. After they had gained a firm foothold, he sent King Wei, Yelu Wang, to pursue them for thousands of miles and kill their entire clan.
When Jiang Qinglan heard the name Yelu Wang, his heart trembled. He took a deep breath and said, "You mean, we can't beat them?"
Although Xue Qi had long been aware of Jiang Qinglan's unusualness, he was still a little surprised that she said such outrageous words so openly.
He shook his head and said, "I didn't say that. It's just that we are businessmen, so we have to think one step ahead before doing anything. Besides Chengdu, I'm also going to send people to Jiangling and Quanzhou to investigate."
Jiang Qinglan knew that he had made arrangements in the west, central and south, and had planned a retreat route in advance.
That's right.
Even if she knew something, it might not be the same as what is happening now.
Facing the northern regime, the further south you go, the safer you are. Historically, the royal family of the Southern Song Dynasty could not escape and lingered for decades until they were completely annihilated in the Battle of Yashan.
After Xue Qi left, Jiang Qinglan fell into melancholy.
Facing the inevitable war, what could she do? Inevitably, she thought of that man.
——
In Taiyuan Prefecture, in early spring in February, the cold is still severe.
Pinglin and Moshan rubbed their hands and went into the military tent. Seeing Xie Linchuan sitting in front of the desk with a frown on his face and not saying a word, they leaned forward, one on the left and one on the right.
Seeing that it was still the same piece of letter paper, they both laughed silently.
Pinglin said: "Just two words, you have read them countless times."
He was a bit naive and really thought there was another world. "Could it be that there are many invisible words on it that my eyes can see but we can't?"
Xie Linchuan coughed lightly, put away the letter, folded it in half, and placed it in the box beside him. "No letter from Lin'an yet?"
It's been almost two months since he sent the last letter, so it should have arrived long ago.
Pinglin said honestly: "There were rioters in the Huai River, so it might be blocked..."
Mo Shan was a bit sneaky. He cleared his throat and said, "There's no new one, but there are old ones. There are so many words on that letter, enough to read for days and nights."
Pinglin asked in confusion, "Where are the words? Did you really see them?"
"Of course not! It clearly says: 'The past is over, no longer a concern.' I didn't notice it before, but now that you're away, I'm thinking of you..."
"Get out!" Xie Linchuan thrust his elbows backwards at the same time, knocking two people on the left and right to stagger.
He stood up, trying his best to suppress the smugness in his heart, and said with a stern face: "You two are trying to kill yourself."
Pinglin and Moshan hurriedly retreated with their heads in their hands, shouting "My life, my death!"
Just as he was about to leave the tent, Mo Shan's cunning eyes suddenly flashed.
"I still need to stay alive and wait for my future wife to write to me."
A scabbard came crashing down at him, and Mo Shan jumped away in a hurry.
——
The moon was above the willows, it was evening time, and the Xinghua Restaurant was very crowded.
The aroma of oil, drinks, and cooked meat filled the room; the sounds of talking, laughing, and shouting were indistinguishable.
It is indeed a vivid and lively scene of urban life.
Wang Huiniang was at ease greeting people among the crowded tables, pouring out beans and speaking without hesitation: "Brother Zhou, it's been a long time since you came. Come in!"
"Ah, brother Xuan, have you and the brothers finished eating? Come back soon, and tell me so I can save a seat for you!"
Seeing a middle-aged man in brocade clothes sitting there, she hurried over and said familiarly, "Old Hu, you haven't been here for a long time. You must try our new vegetarian meatballs!"
After saying that, he took out a portion of radish meatballs from the basket like a magic trick.
Before Old Hu could say anything, Wang Huiniang said, "Eat first. If it tastes good, I'll give you half price. If it doesn't taste good, I won't pay..."
Old Hu looked at the round meatballs in front of him, shook his head and laughed, "Hui Niang, you have such a big mouth..."
Zheng Wang watched from behind the curtain for a while, then called Yingtao over and asked, "Is Hui Niang in the front hall now? Is she talking to the guests so enthusiastically?"
Yingtao giggled and said, "My wife has been busy reading recently and has no time to take care of it. Sister Hui can't do anything about it."
Zheng Wang pursed his lips, lowered the curtain, and went to the kitchen with a gloomy face.
Yingtao ran to the front desk again and saw Jiang Qinglan buried in reading a book called "Wujing Zongyao". He took out a pen and drew circles and crosses on it, looking very serious.
She cleared her throat, and seeing that the other party was unmoved, she called out to her, "Madam, Brother Zheng is angry!"
Jiang Qinglan raised her head. She was dizzy from staring for so long that she seemed to see the word "grain" appear on her cherry face. She said blankly, "What did you say?"
"Look!" She pointed at Wang Huiniang, who was chatting animatedly with Old Hu, both of them laughing and joking. "The one in the kitchen is jealous!"
Jiang Qinglan burst out laughing: "Why don't you just watch the fun? Why don't you go and entertain them?"
Cherry held her heart and acted aggrieved: "My dear, you have misunderstood Cherry."
"Cherry thought that your neck must be sore from reading for so long. Although being a female teacher is very knowledgeable and impressive, the language is very flowery and Cherry can't understand it."
Cherry is like this. She is young but very good at talking.
After hearing this, Jiang Qinglan put down the "Wujing Zongyao", stretched his arms and legs, and went to greet Old Hu, and then sent Wang Huiniang to the kitchen.
For a moment, everyone was happy.
Only after closing the shop in the evening did Jiang Qinglan continue to ponder over the contents of the book.
She spent a long time carefully studying the military supplies at the time, but after studying them, she found that she seemed to be of little help.
At that time, compressed biscuits were already available and were called "賗凉".
Sesame seeds, dried dates, and salt are added to wheat flour or corn, and then bound together with honey and oil. After being pressed into a mold, it is sealed with wax paper. It can last for months without spoiling.
She knew that if it was vacuum packed, it could be preserved longer, but where could she find an electric vacuum pump?
There is also dried meat.
Dried mutton and roasted millet are made into blocks and are called "horseback rations", which are special rations for cavalry.
She knew that canned meat contained soup and water, which was good for filling the stomach and tasted better, but how to make the can shell?
Nowadays, although iron production is sufficient to meet the demand for iron pots and shovels among the people, it cannot withstand the waste of making canned food.
She couldn't help with the food, let alone anything else.
Tell Xie Linchuan that surgical operations require disinfection and anesthesia?
The military doctors at that time were all officially trained and knew more than she did. Even if she knew that anti-inflammatory drugs were useful on the battlefield, she had no place to find them.
So, what about historical facts?
As for the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, she only vaguely remembered that there were two battles to defend Bianliang. In the second battle, Zong Wang and Zong Han surrounded Bianliang from the east and west, which was the Jingkang Shame.
But she couldn't guarantee the specifics.
However, the next day, she had a plan.
Yang Song sent another letter, which was naturally written by Xie Linchuan.
In this letter, he changed the taciturn style of the previous letter and wrote three long and eloquent articles.
In addition to the situation in the North, which she wanted to know most, there was also the bitter cold in the North. He didn't have leather gloves and had frostbite on his hands. His words implied that he wanted her to make him a pair.
Jiang Qinglan just found it funny.
Not to mention that she couldn't do it, even if she could, she couldn't do it for him.
He is a thick-skinned person who will start a business if given a little color.
She had just written "thank you" last time, so what could he possibly mean by that? He was simply pushing things too far, shameless!
Even now, she still feels angry when she thinks about the words he used to scold her and the incident with Zhu Ming.
Fortunately, the letter did not mention these things at the end, but instead talked about a strange thing he encountered:
Months ago, a group of soldiers fell into a trap because they couldn't see at night. But Xie Linchuan said that there was moonlight that night and he could see everything clearly.
Jiang Qinglan knew immediately that this was night blindness. If it happened later in life, it could be treated with vitamin A supplements.
There are many foods rich in vitamin A, especially animal offal.
Nowadays, pork is cheap, so pig liver is a good choice. However, pig liver is fishy and difficult to swallow.
She spent a lot of effort, using fish and carrots as ingredients, and finally made a kind of pig liver balls, which she named "Night Vision Pills".
Although it is not delicious, it is not difficult to swallow.
In Lin'an City, after trying it on several people suspected of having night blindness, she quickly wrote the recipe in a letter and asked Yang Song to send it out.
Of course, to prevent him from having wild thoughts, she didn't write a single word other than the recipe.
But she didn't receive a reply for a long time. She didn't even know if the letter had been delivered.
…
On the first day of February in the seventeenth year of Chengping, Yelu Wang, the King of Wei in the Liao Dynasty, led an army of 200,000 to attack Hejian Prefecture, which was guarded by Zhu Congda.
But three days later, people realized that the attack on Hejian Prefecture was a feint, and Yelu Wang's army rushed to the lightly defended Zhending Prefecture overnight.
Zhending defender Tan Qing was killed in battle and the city was captured.
On February 15th, Yelu Wang captured Shijiazhuang again and was invincible all the way.
It was not until Taiyuan Prefecture that they were stopped by Yang Mao. The two sides attacked and defended for two months, with each side winning and losing.
Because of the long-term policy of suppressing military generals, the Song army's border defense system was constrained at every level.
Border defense officers and soldiers were frequently transferred, with no permanent commander and no permanent division; the pacification envoy, who was a civilian official, could veto the decisions of the military generals; and the logistics and food supplies were also controlled by the transport envoy.
Such a disorganized team would often collapse at the first touch when facing the Liao cavalry.
Moreover, until Taiyuan was besieged, the pro-war and pro-peace factions in the court were still arguing endlessly.
Emperor Chengping was also hesitant. At one point he secretly ordered Yang Mao to defend Taiyuan to the death, and at another point he sent military supervisors to hinder him.
After he fell off his horse during the autumn hunt, his health deteriorated, and he was worried about the war and even suffered from vomiting blood.
On the second day of June, Yelu Wang took advantage of the flood to blow up the embankment of the Fen River and divert the Fen River to flood the city.
Taiyuan had to hold out for a long time, but due to lack of food and grass, the city was finally breached by the flood.
Yang Mao was shot and killed by a stray arrow. Xie Linchuan led his troops to fight and retreat, and met up with Zhu Congda's troops who came to rescue in Longde Prefecture, and finally resisted the Liao attack.
As early as when Taiyuan City was broken, Emperor Chengping hastily asked for peace, but the Liao Kingdom refused and accused him of betrayal.
It also listed his ten major crimes, including: colluding with Wulangge and the Jurchen tribe, condoning border troops looting, harboring Liao rebel generals, etc.
Emperor Chengping had no choice but to abdicate in a hurry.
On June 16, the crown prince succeeded to the throne and changed the country's name to Xining.
Emperor Xining also adhered to the policy of seeking peace, pledged allegiance to the Liao Kingdom, ceded Taiyuan, Zhending Prefecture, Dezhou and other places, and paid a compensation of 300,000 taels of silver.
The weather was hot, making it unfavorable for an offensive. The Liao army was defeated again in the Battle of Longde Prefecture, so the Liao Kingdom accepted the peace proposal and withdrew its troops on June 20th.
In this way, the war gradually subsided.
It's another midsummer, and the border is in mourning, but the city of Lin'an is still prosperous.
Jiang Qinglan came back from outside and saw the willows swaying and the orioles and swallows singing as before. Suddenly, he remembered Lin Sheng's poem:
"Beyond the mountains, green hills; beyond the buildings, buildings; when will the singing and dancing at West Lake cease? The warm wind intoxicates the tourists, who mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou."
There are also righteous men.
Tan Qing of Zhending and Yang Mao of Taiyuan died in battle. Some writers turned their stories into legends and told them among the people.
One is "Wings Singing in the Willows" and the other is "Bloodbath on the City Wall". Comparing the two, Jiang Qinglan felt even more sad.
After returning to the Xinghua Restaurant, she was stunned and speechless when she recalled the miserable conditions of the people after the country was destroyed and their families were ruined in the history books.
Wang Huiniang gave her a note: "The old man from the Prince of Dongping's Palace invites you to dinner."
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