"I called you here today because there is something I need you to do. If you do it well, you will be rewarded handsomely."
Upon hearing that there was a reward, Juxiang and Xiufen immediately perked up: "Your servants will do their best."
Tong Cheng'er nodded in satisfaction; it was good that she had motivation.
Then Tong Cheng'er explained how to make instant noodles. Juxiang and Xiufen, who were always in the kitchen, were able to remember the recipe after listening.
Rulan and Ruxue only knew that the princess seemed to be making food, but they didn't know exactly what it was.
As for Juxiang and Xiufen, the two went to Tong Cheng'er's small kitchen and started busying themselves, trying to make the instant noodles that the princess had mentioned.
Juxiang was very talkative. While she was cooking, she said, "Sister Xiufen, what do you think Gege is going to do? These noodles are so fresh, and she's steaming and frying them at the same time."
Xiufen said, "Didn't the princess say that it's something I read in a book? It should taste good. We'll know once we make it. Who cares what it is!"
Juxiang nodded: "That's true."
The two worked for half a day, and by evening, the finished product was ready. Tong Cheng'er looked at the instant noodles in front of her that had been fried into a ball. They didn't have the characteristic ripples of instant noodles, but the shape of the noodles was still visible.
Tong Cheng'er instructed, "Go and fetch some boiling water, a pair of chopsticks, and two large soup bowls."
"Yes, Princess."
Boiling water arrived, along with a large soup bowl. Tong Cheng'er put the noodles into the bowl, poured in boiling water until it covered the noodles, and then covered it with another bowl. Tong Cheng'er checked the time with the pocket watch her older brother had given her. After about five minutes, she removed the bowl and saw that the noodles inside had been soaked.
She picked up her chopsticks, took some noodles and put them in her mouth. Although they had no taste, they were cooked.
It's starting to resemble instant noodles.
Now all that's missing is the seasoning.
And so, Tong Cheng'er tinkered for several days and finally managed to make the ancient version of instant noodles. She even said that after repeated trials, the taste was indeed very rich and tempting, and at least Ru Xue, Ru Lan, and the two cooks who had eaten it all said it was good.
Tong Cheng'er ate it and felt a deep sense of nostalgia.
The seasoning packets are similar to modern instant noodles, with three kinds in total. One is various vegetables that have been steamed and dried, another is seasoning powder used for seasoning, and the third is a concentrated broth that Tong Cheng'er specially asked the skilled chef in the mansion to make.
Looking at the instant noodles, Tong Cheng'er felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment; she was truly an ordinary little genius.
After making the instant noodles, Tong Cheng'er used her not-so-good drawing skills to draw a rather "abstract" little iron stove on rice paper with charcoal.
This iron stove has a simple structure: a small pot that can be removed on top and a small iron basin on the bottom, which can be used to burn charcoal and is perfect for cooking instant noodles.
After the small iron furnace was forged, Tong Cheng'er tested it and found that there were no problems. Then she took the items to Shumulu's place.
She arrived in the afternoon, and when Shumulu saw her, she couldn't help but say, "The sun must have risen in the west today. What brings you to your mother's place at this hour?"
Tong Cheng'er chuckled and then said, "These past few days, I haven't been able to come and bother Mother because I've seen her busy with my second brother's affairs."
Shumulu Shi: "Always making excuses for yourself. Tell me, what brings you here to see your mother today?"
Tong Cheng'er said to Ru Lan and Ru Xue, "Bring the things up."
Shumulu watched in bewilderment as Ruxue and Rulan carried things into the house; in reality, there weren't many things.
Shumulu looked at the flatbread and the strange-looking oven, and asked, "What are all these?"
Tong Cheng'er smiled mysteriously: "Mother will know in a little while, Mother, please wait a moment."
After saying that, Tong Cheng'er added an appropriate amount of water to the small pot on the iron stove, then put the lid on, and put charcoal in the charcoal brazier below. The charcoal fire was lit, and soon the water in the iron stove boiled. She put the noodles into the small pot, added three seasoning packets, and cooked for a while. Tong Cheng'er then cracked an egg into the pot, stirred it with chopsticks, and the aroma came out.
Shumulu asked, "What is this?"
"Mother, these are noodles that I had prepared. Actually, you don't need to cook them; you can just blanch them in boiling water and eat them."
As she spoke, she scooped the noodles out of the small iron pot and said, "Mother, try this. It was made by your daughter."
Smelling the aroma, Shumulu picked up her chopsticks and started eating. To be honest, it was really quite delicious.
While Tong Cheng'er was eating at Shumulu's house, she had someone prepare hot water. This time, she used hot water to soak the noodles, and the second bowl of noodles was ready in no time.
Shumulu ate a little and then asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Second brother is taking an exam, and I'm worried he won't eat well. Mother, what do you think about giving this noodle to him to eat during his exams at the Imperial Examination Hall?"
Shumulu hadn't considered this aspect before, but now that she looks at it again, it's not entirely unreasonable.
Shumulu said, "I need to ask your father about this to see if it's feasible."
Tong Cheng'er: "Then I'll wait for Mother's news."
Although she said she was going to ask Alhatu, Shumulu was actually quite confident that it was feasible and that her son could eat well. As a mother, Shumulu naturally didn't want her son to eat poorly.
Shumulu brought the instant noodles to Alhatu, had someone demonstrate how to make them for him, and then let him taste them. Alhatu thought they were really good and thought they were a good product.
During the imperial examination, all candidates were locked in cells in the examination hall. There was charcoal fire inside to heat water, and skilled candidates could also cook rice porridge. Instant noodles could be soaked in hot water and tasted quite good, so it was acceptable to bring them in.
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