Chapter 12: The Bitter Past: Seafood Risotto and Peach Cobbler…
Late at night, the lights of the bakery were mixed into a dim yellow in the rain, and the air was still filled with the smell of burnt and sweet. Leonard silently wiped his hair with a towel. The rain slid down the hideous scar on his face, which looked even more terrifying in the firelight of the stone kiln.
The rainy night of trial seventeen years ago was woven into an eternity of pain in Leo's dream, intertwined with the small village surrounded by the Knights Templar, the groans of a pregnant peasant woman falling into the mud, and the cold and ruthless face of the Knight Commander.
The Paladin's glorious past and sword have rusted away, leaving only a scarred shell guarding the bakery in the alley.
On the other side, Ye Wan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, amidst the anxious sound of rain. The spring mattress beneath him creaked.
Muffin sat on the round stool next to him and ate a biscuit.
Ye Wan looked at it again and again.
muffin:"?"
"Maybe that old man with the evil eyes is a good guy." She looked a little distressed. "I think I need to remind Dorothy. She looks at him as if he's a walking snot."
He ate the pancake and silently put down the cookie in his hand.
Ye Wan laughed heartily: "I don't mean to disgust you, just keep eating."
Muffin rolled himself into a ball and decided to ignore her.
Fortunately, the next day was a beautiful day. The sun poured down, streaming all the way into Honey Alley. Ye Wan put fresh daisies in the glass bottles on the bar and hung a small blackboard at the door:
"Today's special: Italian seafood risotto."
She still had a lot of squid legs and mussels she bought at the harbor a few days ago, and this morning she bought a lot of tomatoes and red and yellow bell peppers at the market.
The only downside was that Ye Wan couldn't find saffron, and the price of white wine was ridiculously high, so she had to give up.
Ye Wan poured some olive oil into the pan. The moment the shrimp heads and garlic cloves slid into the wok, the hot oil happily fried up a lot of oil. When the edges of the garlic cloves became crispy and the shrimp heads turned a slick orange, Ye Wan poured in the chicken broth and simmered it, adding a few bay leaves.
Ye Wan was still busy pouring the half-cooked rice in when the bell on the tavern began to ring again.
She asked Pancake to watch the fire and ran out of the kitchen. This time, the first customer was a handsome blond man. Ye Wan always felt that he looked familiar.
"Oh, look at this beautiful black hair as silky as silk. We meet again." He smiled with his eight white teeth bared.
Ye Wan remembered who he was.
It was Jack, the salesman on the train.
As soon as Ye Wan saw him, he remembered the Aladdin's Lamp Latte he bought for twenty copper coins, and none of his wishes came true.
He sat down at the bar and winked at Ye Wan, thinking he was very handsome. "Do you have a love package? Beautiful girl."
"No, only seafood risotto." Ye Wan shuddered at his actions.
"That's fine," said Jack.
Ye Wan didn't like him very much, but the owner of the shop couldn't drive away customers for no reason. She went into the kitchen and uncovered the iron pot.
Milky white steam immediately rose from the pot, along with the rich aroma of seafood and the fragrance of rice. Ye Wan sprinkled some chopped parsley and black pepper on it.
The rice is soaked in the bright red and rich tomato soup, the orange-red prawns are curled up, the shrimp shells are shiny with traces of oil, the mussels are opened, revealing the plump white shell meat, and a few squid rings are placed in the middle, plus crushed black pepper and tender green parsley, it looks very appetizing.
Guests came in one after another.
It was obvious that Ye Wan seemed more enthusiastic about women, especially when Emma staggered in on her broom and almost knocked down the sign at her door.
Emma rubbed her head and gasped as she apologized.
"It's okay." Ye Wan said tolerantly, and brought her a plate of Italian seafood risotto: "Try it."
Emma picked up a spoon and stirred the rice into the tomato soup. She took a bite and the rich sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes and the deliciousness of the seafood rushed up together. The mussels were tender and the sweet juice overflowed with a bite. The squid was chewy and the shrimp meat was firm. She even tasted a hint of milky aroma from the cheese.
Ye Wan was pleasantly surprised and said, "You figured that out? I just added a little shredded cheese when I was serving it."
Emma didn't answer, but just ate madly, scraping the bottom of the plate clean.
Finally she burped.
Ye Wan asked, "Would you like some more?"
Emma nodded, then shook her head.
Ye Wan: “?”
She downed a glass of water. "No, I just smelled some delicious peaches at the bakery next door on my way here. I want to buy some."
Ye Wan was silent for a moment and then asked, "Are you sure it tastes like peaches and not burnt?"
It was almost noon and the guests had all left. Ye Wan thought about it and, unable to resist Emma's repeated requests, followed her.
Before reaching the door of the bakery, Ye Wan smelled a rich sweet peach aroma, accompanied by a slightly spicy scent of cinnamon, which was the unique aroma of summer berries.
Leonard was still wearing the black apron, and under the guidance of Grandma Katya, he mixed brown sugar, nuts, etc. and kneaded them until they were crispy.
Grandma Katya, sitting in a wheelchair, instructed him: "Ginger and tangerine peel will enhance the flavor of the stewed fruit. You have to observe carefully. When the fruit bubbles on the edge of the baking tray, you can take it out. If you delay, it will burn."
Finally, under her guidance, Leo finally took out a peach pie that looked very successful from the stone kiln. The golden pastry was baked until it was plump and glowed with an attractive honey color. When the pastry was cut open, the warm and rich peach jam inside flowed out of the tart crust. It was pink and looked particularly beautiful and appetizing.
Emma swallowed, glanced at Leonard secretly, and asked in a low voice: "Can I have a taste?"
Leo said nothing, just silently pushed the baking tray in front of her with his floury fingers.
Emma picked up a piece with a smile on her face: "Hot... hot!"
Even though she was shouting like that, she still bit into the crispy and hot crust. With a "crack", the peach filling flowed out like magma. However, due to the addition of lemon juice, the filling was not at all sweet, but rather refreshing.
Emma loved eating this and finished a piece quickly.
Granny Katya smiled and said, "It looks very successful, Leo."
Leo, who was called, coughed lightly, did not respond, and just sat down in silence.
Ye Wan glanced at him, his wheat-yellow bangs covering his slightly red face.
Soon, under the guidance of Grandma Katya, Leo made a large baking tray of peach pies. Each one was as dazzling as a gem. The sweet fragrance of the fruit and the milky aroma of the butter were very rich, gently embracing the entire Honey Alley.
Dorothy smelled the fragrance and came out. She looked at the source of the fragrance and quickly returned to the room.
Emma was very confident: "This pie is so delicious, someone will definitely come to buy it!"
I waited and waited...but no one showed up.
A woman was passing by with a little boy. The boy smelled the bread and cried out for food. The woman quickly covered his mouth, then glanced at Leonard nervously, her eyes falling on the scar on his face. Then she quickly grabbed the child and ran away.
Leonard looked a little disappointed.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Ye Wan was silent for a while and then made a suggestion: "How about...we try to sell it."
She thought of Leonard squatting in the rain last night.
The two of them went into Dorothy's house first, carrying peach pie. She was boiling syrup and said stubbornly, "I won't eat that stuff. I absolutely won't."
Ye Wan advised her: "I think you are prejudiced against Leonard... last night..."
Dorothy listened expressionlessly, only raising an eyebrow: "Okay, I'll take a peach pie and leave."
She took out some money from her wallet and placed it in Ye Wan's palm. She lowered her head and muttered, "Think of it as road maintenance fees. I must file a complaint with the Royal Road Maintenance Office..."
Penny from the tailor shop was even easier to talk to. She loved desserts and thought the peach pie tasted really good, so she immediately paid for two.
Ye Wan and Emma walked around Honey Lane for a long time, and only two pies were left. Ye Wan also specifically mentioned Leonard's road construction to each neighbor. Most of the residents of Honey Lane were kind and well-meaning people, and they all praised him.
Finally, the two of them returned to the bakery with empty plates and bulging wallets.
Grandma Katya was very happy and took out her own preserved jam to treat them: "Thank you so much, two kind girls."
The two of them hurriedly said they were welcome and each of them went home with a bottle of jam.
It rained heavily again tonight. Ye Wan had gone to bed early, but was woken up by a loud thunder. Pancake was lying on the window. Seeing that she was awake, he rushed over and patted her face, then pointed outside the window: "Squeak!"
Ye Wan put on his slippers and ran to the window to take a look, and was immediately shocked.
The copper drainpipe that was usually attached to the red brick wall collapsed due to the heavy rain. She hurried downstairs, but the wind was so strong and the rain was so heavy that she couldn't even hold up her umbrella.
Dorothy came out before her, her gray hair wet with rain. "What shall I do?"
The drainage pipe was teetering right above their heads. A few more strong winds would probably cause the pipe to fall to the ground, collapsing the smooth stone road.
Ye Wan pulled her under the eaves and said, "Don't catch a cold. I'm going to the Night Watch Association to see if I can find someone to help you."
The next second, a tall figure rushed over and propped up the collapsed drainpipe with his strong arms. The drainpipe looked very heavy, as if it was about to crush his arms.
It's Leonard,
He had no choice but to kneel on one knee in the mud, and the rain rolled down his cheeks and fell into his tattered gray clothes.
Ye Wan wanted to help him, but he yelled, "Don't come over!"
His neck was already full of veins, and the rough surface of the water pipe had rubbed his palms, leaving blood marks. He moved slowly down, staggered two steps, and finally placed the drainpipe steadily on the ground.
Leo slumped on the ground, his hands covered in blood and blisters.
He glanced at the drainpipe on the ground, then turned around silently to go home, but Dorothy called out to him:
"Please wait a moment."
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