Chapter 53: The almighty potato has no mermaid who sacrifices for love...
Ye Wan didn't understand her complicated gestures, so You An went to get a pen and paper and asked Ye Wan to put it in her hand.
She simply wrote a few large, twisted characters: "I'm Lorelai, and I want a hot drink."
Sweet eggnog was cooking on Ye Wan's stove. The egg yolks were beaten into a uniform light yellow liquid and added with sugar. Milk, cream and cardamom powder were added to the pot and heated to boiling. After cooling, it was mixed into eggnog.
The girl named Lorelai ordered some drinks and then sat quietly in the corner. She even put on a cloak, and from Ye Wan's perspective, he could only see her long seaweed-like blue hair.
Emma came over to the counter and whispered to Ye Wan, "Boss Ye, you've really made it. You even have mermen patronizing your business."
Ye Wan was surprised: "What? Mermaid?"
Emma hurriedly whispered, “Lower your voice, can’t you guess by looking at the scales on her face?”
Legend has it that the beautiful reefs in the misty sea at dusk were formed from the tears of mermaids.
Legend has it that when the golden-haired maiden sits atop the towering rock, never listen to her sing, for her voice will enchant you and cause you to lose control of your boat.
Legend has it that when mermaids are not planning to drag the ship to the bottom of the sea, they will even kindly remind the sailors of the reefs ahead and the coming storm.
For a long time, the people of the Kingdom of Oceana viewed the mermaids as an evil race: they had no moral concepts, could not distinguish between good and evil, were bloodthirsty and cruel, and sometimes stole the souls of fishermen who listened to their songs.
There was even a time in history when girls on the beach kept disappearing. The citizens believed that they must have been bewitched by male mermaids, so the mermaids in Mermaid Bay were driven to the Sea of Misty Sea by the Paladins. This event is even recorded in the "History of the Covenant between Different Races in Osenna".
The reversal comes from the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid". As we all know, the people of the Kingdom of Oceana love all kinds of fairy tales very much. Everyone has great sympathy and admiration for the Little Mermaid in the story. The reputation of the mermaids suddenly turned good. The relevant departments even erected a bronze statue of the Little Mermaid in the Mermaid Bay, where there were no mermaids anymore, to commemorate the pure soul of the Little Mermaid.
Ye Wan had seen that statue before. It was a little similar to the mermaid statue in Copenhagen Bay, but it was more refined.
Occasionally, there are mermaids who come ashore and walk around, but this race is very low-key and elusive. They will disguise themselves and do not like to have contact with humans. It is rare to see a mermaid walk into a busy tavern so brazenly without hiding the scales on her face. The guests are very curious and secretly look at her while eating.
For Ye Wan, the fact that a mermaid, a beautiful mermaid, actually chose to stay in her own tavern made her feel honored. She quickly heated up the glass of eggnog and brought it to Lorelai.
Through the firelight from the fireplace, Ye Wan could see that her cheeks and temples were covered with a layer of fine scales. They were sequins as thin as cicada wings, much like pasted diamonds, so they were not ugly, and were even beautiful. Her long seaweed-like hair was cobalt blue, and her facial features were very deep.
Lorelai took the drink politely, moved her lips as if to say thank you silently, and then drank the eggnog in one gulp.
The next second, she fell to the ground.
Ye Wan: "Are you kidding me, sister?"
She was obviously drunk, with a rosy blush on her pale face. Several strong guests helped her carry her to the sofa. Ye Wan could only hurriedly send Youan to call a doctor.
He went to see a doctor who lived in a small inn. The doctor was wearing a robe embroidered with mandrake leaves, and his sleeves were full of strange-colored medicine. He simply took his pulse and said, "Mermaids are born not to drink alcohol. Just sleep for one or two days and you will be fine."
Just when Ye Wan felt relieved, he quickly charged a high consultation fee, reasoning that he had dragged the old man out of the warm hotel to see a doctor on such a winter night, so the price should be higher. Ye Wan had no choice but to pay.
The mermaid lady Lorelai couldn't wake up for a while, so Ye Wan had to cover her with a cashmere blanket and decided to get the money back the next day when she woke up.
There was a person lying on the sofa, and Ye Wan couldn't do anything properly. After all, there was a big live fish lying there, and she was embarrassed to make any more noise. So Ye Wan and You An carried a big bag of potatoes and two wooden stools and sat at the door to shred them.
The cheapest vegetable in the Kingdom of Osenna in winter is undoubtedly potatoes. Ten copper coins can buy a large bag of them. Seeing how cheap they are, Ye Wan bought a whole bag of them. They can be used to make tomato, chicken, cheese, and potato tarts, shepherd's pie, and buttered potato pancakes. They can also be used as side dishes for Chinese cuisine such as fire-braised chicken and iron pot stew. In short, potatoes are truly a versatile food.
Ye Wan pulled You An to sit at the door of the store and used the grater he bought at the market to shred a large bowl of potatoes. It was a sunny day today. The warm sun shone through the stained-glass windows, casting a layer of bright spots like gold foil on the ground. The sunlight felt warm on their bodies.
Smoke was first rising from Leo's bakery up ahead, and a warm, sweet aroma drifted over from afar, the nutty aroma of walnuts and the rich, milky aroma of butter.
A girl with twin ponytails carrying a small straw basket passed by Ye Wan's tavern and then entered Leo's bakery.
Ye Wan stopped grating the silk and stretched her neck to see. You An looked at her and said, "If you stretch your neck any further, you'll be as tall as a camel."
"What is a giraffe? I've only heard of giraffes." Ye Wan didn't look at him, but still stretched his neck to see Leo's bakery. The girl with twin ponytails handed the basket in her hand to Leo.
Ye Wan's hands were full of potato crumbs. He poked Youan's arm with his arm and said, "I've seen that girl before. She was harassed by a drunk flight attendant last time, and Leo saved her. Oh my god, Leo's spring has come in winter."
You An still lowered his head and concentrated on wiping the shredded potatoes: "The editor-in-chief of the Star Daily should be sighing with regret because they have lost a reporter as gossipy as you."
Ye Wan finally stopped looking at the bakery and turned to glare at him: "I just took a look, I won't tell anyone."
After a large bowl of shredded potatoes was cut, Ye Wan stood up and twisted her sore waist. She turned around and saw a long-haired woman standing in the shadows, which scared her to death.
It was the Lorelai from yesterday.
She seemed to want to talk to Ye Wan. According to legend, the mermaid's singing was beautiful and moving, with the power to bewitch people.
Ye Wan was looking forward to it.
Lorelai finally spoke, thanking her. The moment she opened her mouth, Ye Wan felt like he'd been transported to Saw, fighting monsters in a filthy bathroom.
The sound was so unpleasant, like a rusty saw cutting on wood, muddy and harsh. Ye Wan's face changed several times a second.
But she was a small business owner after all, and she was very good at socializing. It only took Ye Wan two seconds to adjust her surprised expression and put on a warm smile again. "You're welcome. It's cold outside. Come in and sit down."
Ye Wan noticed that Lorelai was wearing a heavy cloak, a different shoe on each side of her feet, and her face showed the awkwardness and uneasiness of coming to a new world.
She limped into the tavern.
Ye Wan and You An had not eaten breakfast. Pancake had hinted to her several times with her stomach in her arms, so she decided to make breakfast with shredded potatoes first.
A large piece of butter slid into the bottom of the pot and began to melt slowly under the stimulation of the flames. The mellow and rich aroma filled the entire tavern. The shredded potatoes that had been drained of water were poured into the pot. Ye Wan used chopsticks to evenly spread and compact the shredded potatoes soaked in butter, forming a thick shredded potato pancake. He then cut some diced ham and threw it in. When the edges of the pancake showed an attractive crispy border, Ye Wan sprinkled black pepper and sea salt on it, and then took the pancake out of the pot.
She used a sharp spatula to cut the cake apart. The moment she cut it, the "crack" sound was very crisp and tempting.
There were three people sitting at the table. Ye Wan distributed the buttered potato pancakes to everyone. Pancake sat at its own small table, eagerly awaiting the new breakfast.
As for Youan, he didn't need to share, he could eat a large portion by himself.
The pancake is fried until crispy, with slightly curled brown edges. The shredded potatoes are fried into a densely interwoven golden network, with diced ham sandwiched in between and a layer of coarse black pepper on top. It looks delicious.
Lorelai picked up the pancake and took a bite. The crispy crust made a crisp crackling sound as she chewed it. The shredded potatoes were still sticky, and the butter was smooth. The spiciness of black pepper and the freshness of sea salt enhanced the flavor.
She said with difficulty: "It's delicious."
The dining table was a great place for casual conversation. Ye Wan thought for a long time before he spoke tactfully about the doctor's salary yesterday.
Lorelai was a little embarrassed: "I just came from the Sea of Mist and I don't have much money on me."
Ye Wan wondered if this beautiful mermaid named Lorelai had also followed the fairy tales and fallen in love at first sight with a prince on the shore, and then gone to find some deep-sea siren to exchange her beautiful voice for a pair of slender legs, and then followed him ashore for love.
After all, her walking posture was really strange and her expression seemed painful, as if her legs were walking on knife edges.
Unexpectedly, Lorelai put on an offended expression. "Oh, come on, our tribe doesn't have mermen like that. A hundred years ago, when this story first reached Oceana, our leader sent a letter of clarification to your human king, but received no response. Actually, thousands of years ago, mermen did like to sing on the reefs to confuse sailors. Later, with the establishment of the Code of Maritime Law, this bad habit was changed."
Seeing Ye Wan's petrified expression, Lorelai added, "Believe me, we mermaids won't fall in love with the weak princes on the shore, because we admire strength and power."
Lorelai looked back at Euan and nodded.
Youan's face turned pale.
He happened to be standing where the sun could reach, turning his pale skin translucent, and his gray eyes were forever shrouded in white mist. Ye Wan privately thought that he looked like a prince from a fairy tale, suitable for being locked in a tower covered in thorns, and certainly not strong.
Ye Wan also looked at him secretly, and was glared at by You An, and then he walked away angrily.
So Ye Wan brought the topic back to last night: "But I did help you with the medical expenses. I was also in a difficult situation and owed the relevant departments 1,000 silver coins."
"The tribe leader said that wine brings joy." She looked a little depressed. "I want to participate in the singing competition. When I win the prize, I will return the money to you."
"Can this voice be used directly for the background music of a horror movie?"
Ye Wan thought in horror.
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