Yue Xiyuan's gaze was intense and honest as he looked at her, his eyes gentle, as if they could hold nothing more.
"The person under the veil is even more beautiful. Would the Regent like to lift the veil and appreciate her more?"
When Yan Anyi teased Yue Xiyuan, a faint blush rose on both cheeks, and he stammered, "I'll lift the veil right now!"
He picked up the scale bar on the table, gently lifted a corner that was hanging down, and slowly lifted the veil off Yan An's head.
Her complexion was as fair as jade, her skin as white as snow, and her beautiful eyes were as clear as autumn water, revealing an absolutely gorgeous, bright and charming face.
Yue Xiyuan's ears suddenly turned bright red, and he turned around with a hint of panic.
He secretly wiped his nose, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no more blood. He then slowly turned his body around.
Yan soothed his ear, her fingertips rubbing back and forth between his earlobes, which were slightly hot.
"An'an, stop fooling around!"
Yue Xiyuan's voice trembled, filled with extreme restraint.
"Shouldn't we drink the nuptial wine now?"
Yan An's sudden approach startled Yue Xiyuan. "Yue Xiyuan, your face is so red."
Yue Xiyuan quickly turned around. "I'll go serve the nuptial wine."
He leaned against the table, panting heavily, and it took him a long time to calm down.
A wine cup was cut in two, and the handles were connected by a thread. Yue Xiyuan and Yan An each held a wine cup filled with wine and drank it all in one gulp.
This implies that the two will become one after marriage.
For couples who drink the nuptial wine, it means that they will share joys and sorrows and go through thick and thin together from now on.
After drinking the nuptial wine, the next step is... Thinking of this, Yan An's heart fluttered a little.
In his excitement, Yan An forgot that he was wearing a heavy headband and accidentally bumped his head on the edge of the bed.
Yue Xiyuan swiftly caught Yan An, wrapping his right arm around her and supporting the phoenix crown on her head with his left.
"Where did you bump yourself? Are you injured?"
Yue Xiyuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, searching back and forth for Yan An's injury.
"I'm fine, you don't need to be so nervous. I just forgot about the phoenix crown on my head. Let Bai Tao come in and help me take it off."
"Okay, I'll go call them right away."
A moment later, Bai Tao came in, but Yue Xiyuan was nowhere to be seen.
"Miss, oh no, I can't call you Miss now, Your Highness. The Prince sent me to help you with your washing up."
Bai Tao's quirky and mischievous appearance left Yan An both amused and exasperated.
"It seems I need to find you a good family to marry off as soon as possible."
Bai Tao felt a sudden panic, and the discomfort made her somewhat anxious and uneasy.
"Your Highness, I know I was wrong. I will never do it again. Please don't send me away."
"Silly girl, didn't you realize I was joking? I wouldn't be used to being served by someone else, so I have to have Little White Peach do it."
Bai Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter, before letting out a helpless sigh.
"How was my acting? Not bad, right?"
"You scared me to death."
The phoenix crown on Yan An's head was really intricate; Bai Tao spent the entire time dismantling it.
"Where is Yue Xiyuan? Where did he go?"
Yan An saw that Yue Xiyuan had not returned yet. On such an important day as their wedding night, he was nowhere to be seen.
"This servant does not know. The prince sent me in to serve you, and I have not seen the prince since."
Yan An couldn't help but have wild thoughts: [Could it be that Yue Xiyuan is really incompetent? Or is my charm insufficient? That shouldn't be the case!]
"Alright, go and rest. You must be exhausted after a long day."
Although Yan An arrived at the Regent's Palace, the rule of not having a gatekeeper was still maintained.
"Yes, Your Highness."
After Bai Tao left, Yan An sat by the bed and waited for a while, but Yue Xiyuan still didn't return.
Yan An's consciousness flashed into the space.
"You dare not come back on your wedding night! I'll make sure you can't even cry for help in a moment!"
Yan An had been hungry all day and hadn't eaten anything. She didn't like the red dates and peanuts on the table.
Yan An used water from Tianshan Mountain to steam rice.
Yan An sliced the prepared crucian carp diagonally into connected fillets, added salt, cooking wine, MSG, and egg white, and mixed well to coat the fillets evenly with the egg mixture.
Then cut the tofu into cubes and soak them in boiling water with salt for half an incense stick's time.
Next, slice the pork belly into thin slices and marinate it with salt, sugar, cooking wine, egg, starch, and water for half an incense stick's time.
Heat a wok over high heat, add a little oil, then add Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, and garlic cloves and fry until fragrant. Add pickled mustard greens and stir-fry until flavorful. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add fish head and fish bones and simmer over high heat.
Skim off any foam from the soup, and add a few drops of cooking wine to remove any fishy smell. Then add salt and pepper and set aside.
After the broth in the pot has been simmered and flavorful, gently separate the fish slices and add them to the pot.
Heat oil in another pot, stir-fry the pickled chili flakes until fragrant, then pour them into the soup pot.
Once the fish slices are cooked through, add MSG and pour them into a soup bowl.
A fragrant and delicious pickled fish dish is ready.
Stir-fry the peppercorns in the pan over low heat until fragrant and the outer shells are slightly charred. Then pour them onto a cutting board and crush them with a rolling pin.
Heat a pan, add some oil, and sauté minced ginger and garlic.
After stir-frying until fragrant, add the chopped fermented soybean paste and fermented black beans and continue to stir-fry.
Once the aroma is released, add the ground beef and stir-fry.
After the ground beef changes color, add cooking wine and light soy sauce and stir-fry to coat it with color, then add an appropriate amount of water.
After boiling, add the salt-soaked tofu cubes, add an appropriate amount of salt, and thicken with cornstarch slurry.
Once the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency, pour it into a bowl, sprinkle with ground Sichuan peppercorns and chopped scallions, and drizzle with a little hot oil.
A plate of Mapo Tofu was ready. Yan An took a deep breath. "Mmm, it tastes just like before!"
Yan An prepared another sauce and put the thinly sliced pork tenderloin into the oil to fry until it changed color. He then fried it twice more until it turned golden brown and took it out to set aside.
Heat oil in a wok, add shredded scallions, ginger, and minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add a little shredded carrot and the sauce from step two, stir-fry over medium heat for a few moments until the sauce thickens, then add the fried meat slices and stir-fry evenly.
Finally, add a few sprigs of cilantro, and the specialty dish from Northeast China is complete.
Yan An was still thinking about what kind of soup to cook when she heard the door creak open.
Yan An sat on a stool by the bar, wanting to see what Yue Xiyuan was up to on his wedding night.
"An'an? An'an?"
When Yue Xiyuan saw that no one answered him and there was no one on guard at the door, he realized that no one was there to keep watch.
A smile bloomed on his lips, his voice low and husky, "An'an, let me in too, it's not appropriate for me to be alone in the bridal chamber on our wedding night~"
Yan An's consciousness flashed, and she left the space. "Knowing it wasn't appropriate, why did you leave for so long?"
After saying that, Yan An once again used his divine sense to enter the space.
Yue Xiyuan wanted to grab her, pull her into his arms, and care for her tenderly, but his hands were empty.
"An'an, I have my reasons~"
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