Chapter 59: Christmas is coming, the turkey is howling, and I am like a weasel...
After bidding farewell to the mermaid Lorelei, the capital entered its busiest time of the year - Ye Wan and You An, carrying brown brown paper bags, walked on the stone arch bridge, their boots making the fine snow particles crunch.
The church spire in the distance was covered in a layer of pure white, and the air was chilly and crisp.
Walking east along the King's Road, lamplighters used long bamboo poles to light gas lamps one by one. The exquisite cast iron lampposts were already wrapped with countless holly and mistletoe wreaths, and the lamps in the glass covers emitted a gentle golden halo.
"Oh, Christmas is coming soon." Ye Wan glanced at the holly wreath. "I went to the market the day before yesterday, and all the firs were more expensive, especially the fragrant balsam fir. I was thinking of buying one to put in the pub as a Christmas tree."
She sighed.
You An glanced at her and said, "Think about paying back the money first."
"Maybe Santa Claus will hear my wish and put a thousand silver coins in the socks I hang at the head of my bed." There was longing in her voice.
Until the man next to her ruthlessly interrupted her fantasy: "That's impossible."
"Can't I even fantasize about it? Oh, Youan, you are such a cold-hearted man!"
Ye Wan is currently in a frenzy of making money. The pub has added many new businesses, including custom-made Christmas pound cakes and Christmas butter cookies. He is just short of helping people decorate Christmas trees at home.
The taste of Ye Wan's pound cake is not much different from that of other cake shops. After all, the steps of making cakes are the same. As long as the right ingredients are used, the taste will be very good.
The specialty is inside the cake.
When Ye Wan and You An finally reached home, there was already a guest waiting at the door: "I want an Earl Grey hot tea and a Christmas pound cake."
Ye Wan quickly untied her scarf: "Wait a moment."
The mocha-colored milk tea was boiling, bubbles bursting with gurgling sounds, and the rich aroma of black tea wafted into the air. Ye Wan filled the milk tea with a beautiful porcelain cup he had found at the market, and went to the transparent counter to get a pound cake.
This transparent counter was also bought by Ye Wan from a second-hand market. Sometimes when she had time, she would put some beautiful cakes, donuts, and cookies in it.
You know what, it sells quite well.
She now served a Christmas pound cake to a customer. It was covered in white buttercream and adorned with a single bright red strawberry. The customer remarked, "They say this pub's pound cake is unique, but it looks so ordinary."
The guests picked up a knife and cut the cake, revealing the two-color fracture inside. The red and green color combination is very pleasing to the eye.
"How beautiful! It's the color of Christmas," the guest exclaimed.
Ye Wan nodded proudly. This was her masterpiece made with strawberry jam and matcha powder. The cake was half green and half red. Everyone who saw this cake was surprised. Some colleagues even came to ask how to make the cake into layers.
The cake is moist and dense, the matcha has the sweet aftertaste of tea, and the strawberry has a sweet and sour fruity aroma. The combination of the two flavors is very delicious.
Emma invited Ye Wan and You An to join her family's pre-holiday party: "We will invite all our relatives and friends to have a pre-holiday dinner together. My dad is plucking turkey feathers at home."
"Muffin, come too." Emma touched Muffin's head.
"I'm looking forward to it." Ye Wan said with bright eyes.
Ye Wan was thinking about going to see what other people's families were preparing for Christmas dinner, so she and Youan made some Italian panna cotta. Panna cotta is not difficult to make. Just boil the milk, scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and add gelatin sheets. Custard can be paired with stewed fruit in sugar, which is suitable as a dessert after a meal.
Emma's home is a two-story villa with a towering hall and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A huge oak table has been placed in the middle of the hall, on which are placed various foods.
"Thank you for inviting us, ma'am." Ye Wan handed the panna cotta box to Emma's mother. She was wearing a pink empire dress and looked as tall as an ancient Roman warrior. Emma's mother took the box and patted Ye Wan's shoulder happily, "It's good that you're here. What gifts do you bring?"
Ye Wan felt like she almost knocked him into the ground.
"A Christmas Carol" was playing on the gramophone, and Emma's father held up a glass of champagne. After saying a lot of nonsense praising Christmas, the banquet finally began.
Ye Wan couldn't wait to sit down. "I'm so looking forward to the Christmas dinner here. I even skipped half a bowl of rice at noon because of it."
In front of her was a plate of golden and crispy roasted turkey, with the turkey skin showing an attractive caramelized luster. Ye Wan could even imagine cutting the turkey with a knife, the tender and delicious gravy inside slowly sliding out, and the tender chicken meat emitting a fresh and fragrant aroma.
She was given a chicken leg and couldn't wait to stuff it into her mouth, and then her expression froze.
If Ye Wan were to cook this turkey, she would add thyme, rosemary and other spices and marinate the turkey for at least a few hours. However, this turkey was roasted without any spices. Ye Wan felt the meat was fishy and she felt like a weasel that had eaten a mouthful of chicken feathers.
What was even more frightening was that in order to express her appreciation for her good friend, Emma also forked the baked apples stuffed in the turkey to her. Under her expectant gaze, Ye Wan neatly divided half of it with Youan.
Youan: “?”
"Good friends should share." Ye Wan put on a fake smile and went to eat the half baked apple. Perhaps it was marinated in the turkey's stomach, she felt that eating this powdery apple was like eating turkey offal.
Apparently, Youan had developed an appetite in the tavern. He ate the baked apple slowly with a grim face. However, Emma's mother knew that he was a big eater, so she gave him a large plate of rice.
The rice was probably stewed with fruit juice, giving off an inexplicable fruity aroma. Ye Wan saw ginger slices and cinnamon floating in it.
When Emma’s mother’s enthusiastic spoon reached into Ye Wan’s plate, Ye Wan stopped her in time and said, “Thank you, Madam, I ate a lot at noon and I’m full.”
Emma's mother took back the spoon regretfully.
Emma also had a hard time eating, and Ye Wan finally understood why she went to the pub for dinner every night without fail.
Emma said with an apologetic look on her face: "Actually, we could have hired a chef, but my dad insisted on doing it himself. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."
Ye Wan whispered, "You should try harder to persuade her."
The fish had not been scaled and the raw salad had no sauce, and everyone looked embarrassed to eat it.
Ye Wan quickly reached out and took two baked potatoes when no one was paying attention. There was no seasoning on the potatoes, but at least they were normal potatoes. When she put her hand under Youan's nose to get the salt and pepper, the latter gave her a serious look.
Ye Wan sprinkled salt and pepper on the potatoes and started to eat them.
When she, Youan and Pancake finally came out of the villa, none of them were full.
"I should have eaten more at noon." Ye Wan sighed.
"That's not what you just said at Emma's house."
Her stomach was empty; she had only eaten two mouthfuls of the fishy turkey leg and two baked potatoes. She didn't even have the strength to walk. "Oh, come on, even Santa Claus might not want to come with that turkey."
The only one who ate a full meal was Muffin. He got a plate of designated nuts and ate so much that his belly became so big that he lay in Ye Wan's hat and fell asleep.
She walked forward listlessly. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky again. The north wind was blowing so hard that it hurt her face. It was still a long time before they reached the public carriage station. Ye Wan missed the fireplace at home very much. If possible, she wanted to eat a bowl of hot ramen or wontons.
She was still muttering to herself when the person next to her sighed noticeably and then squatted down beside her.
"Didn't you say you couldn't walk anymore?" He maintained that posture, and the white mist he exhaled was warm.
Ye Wan tightened her scarf and lay on his back awkwardly, the furry scarf rubbing against his neck. You An lifted her knees and stood up, her boots squeaking on the snow.
Ye Wan said, "I've been eating a lot lately. All the leftover cake scraps went into my stomach. I've gained a lot of weight, haven't I?"
He felt a warm breath on the back of his neck. "It doesn't feel anything. It's not heavy."
Ye Wan was relieved now. The snowflakes were still falling, the moonlight was swallowed by layers of dark clouds, and there were sporadic flames in the distance.
You An carried her on his back and walked forward. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you remember..."
Her hands dropped down, and she actually fell asleep on his back.
Youan shook his head helplessly, and then smiled again.
When she got home, Ye Wan's stomach was rumbling with hunger. She had just had a nap and was full of energy, so she hurried to the warehouse to look for vegetables.
The warehouse was filled with a wide variety of meat, including pork, beef, mutton, and a piece of venison bought cheaply from hunters, as well as various long-lasting root vegetables.
Ye Wan picked out a piece of beef. The beef bones in the iron pot on the stove were stewed thoroughly. The beef bone soup looked clear with a layer of oil floating on the surface.
He fried golden minced garlic in the wok, then tossed in the cooked beef. Ye Wan added a generous portion of marinade ingredients and doused the beef in dark soy sauce to color it. The large, sinewy chunks of beef soaked up the sauce, turning them a bright red and oily. The noodles had been dried before, so they only needed to be boiled in water.
Ye Wan brought out two bowls, topped with green coriander and chopped green onions, and then poured on beef topping that was filled with the aroma of the marinade.
You An took a look at the bowl of steaming noodles filled with a strong aroma: "This coriander..."
Although Youan had a cold face that seemed to dislike coriander, Ye Wan remembered that he seemed to be not averse to coriander, such as in vegetable and beef stew.
You An asked, "Do you have any more of this dish?"
Ye Wan: “…” She took out the remaining basket of coriander from the kitchen, and used chopsticks to stuff a handful into the beef noodles.
The beef soup is rich and fragrant, and the chewy noodles are soaked in the soup and go down the throat smoothly. The large pieces of beef are braised until very soft and mixed with red oil, which tastes very fragrant.
Ye Wan tilted his head to look out the window. The firelight from the fireplace reflected on the glass, and he could clearly see the snowflakes slowly falling outside.
Youan across from me was eating noodles. It was strange that he used chopsticks very gracefully with such a big bowl of beef noodles, like a prince from the common people.
Ye Wan stared at him distractedly, wondering what gift to give him for Christmas.
You An inserted a chopstick of coriander.
Perhaps a bunch of cilantro flowers would be a good idea, wrapped in brown paper and given to the other person like a bunch of roses.
Ye Wan couldn't help but laugh secretly.
"I don't want coriander as a Christmas gift, and I'm not religious, thank you." He looked at Ye Wan who was smiling foolishly, and then said.
"Damn it, how do you know what I'm thinking?"
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