Chapter 216: Stone Pot Bibimbap Blocks Others
Su Dalang Su Anzhi returned from Wei County to continue studying at the Imperial College. Su Ruojin told him about the Yang family's promotion banquet on August 5th, "Ask the doctor for leave and sit down at the table on behalf of your father as a favor."
Su Anzhi nodded, "Sister, when will you return to Wei County?"
"After you have a banquet at Yang's house, if there is nothing else to do in the capital, I will return to Wei County."
Su Anzhi really wanted his sister to stay in the capital. He always felt warm and at ease when his sister was around. However, he also knew that his parents could not do without his sister, especially since his father was suddenly appointed as the magistrate of Weizhou. She could actually help his father solve the situation that he had no clue about. Mr. Pei said that if his sister was a man, she would definitely achieve great success.
Su Ruojin didn't know what her brother was thinking. Seeing that he was tired, she quickly asked him to go and rest. "I'll make you something delicious when you wake up."
After walking for more than a day, Su Anzhi was indeed tired, so he took the servant back to the courtyard to rest.
It's late July, the mornings and evenings are cool, and the afternoons are hot. What delicious food should I make for my brother?
Su Ruojin actually had no energy and was too lazy to move. She glanced at the small stone pot on the corner of the kitchen counter and frowned. Got it, let's make some stone pot bibimbap.
Bibimbap is a specialty rice dish in a certain peninsula and the Northeast region. The main ingredient is of course rice, accompanied by meat, eggs, bean sprouts, mushrooms and various wild vegetables.
There is no specific requirement on the types of dishes to be used. You can just use seasonal vegetables.
The method of making stone pot bibimbap is also very simple. Put all the ingredients in a stone pot and cook them together. Both rice and vegetables can be solved in one pot. Because the white rice, green vegetables, red bacon and other colors are all colorful, it is not only low in calories and has a wide variety of vegetables, but also has high nutritional value. It is simply delicious and makes people salivate.
Su Ruojin asked Mao Ya to buy some ingredients that were out of stock at home. She first went to the vegetable patch to pick some greens, cucumbers, and water spinach. She also took out the bacon and sausages from the cellar, washed them, and sliced them.
I couldn't help but pick two chili peppers because they were not red yet, so the seeds inside were useless. Su Ruojin felt sorry for a long time, "What a sin, what a sin, these two should have at least dozens of seeds, it's really... such a waste of natural resources!"
But she really couldn't help but stir-fry the bacon and sausage with the two chili peppers. A fresh and fragrant aroma came to her nose. Oh my God, it was so fragrant that she reached out for chopsticks to pick up a piece and eat it.
Mmm, that's the taste! It's been a long time since I last tasted this!
The depressed mood and low-pressure emotions are instantly restored and full of energy again.
I happily washed the red radishes and cucumbers I bought and cut them into shreds, washed the greens and cut them into sections, washed the bean sprouts, and blanched them or stir-fried them.
Secondly, beat the eggs with salt and pour into the pan. After frying, cut into shreds and set aside.
Brush a layer of oil in the stone pot, pour in the rice, flatten the rice slightly, put in cucumber shreds, chicken greens, water spinach segments, bean sprouts, egg shreds, etc., then put the fresh pork belly, bacon and sausage sautéed with chili on top, put the stone pot on the fire and heat until the rice makes a sizzling sound, then remove the stone pot, add some sauce while it's hot and you can start eating!
Of course, in some places, a soft-boiled egg is put into the stone pot bibimbap and mixed with the rice, which tastes good. However, some people do not like soft-boiled eggs, such as Su Ruojin. She does not put it in the bibimbap she makes for herself. She likes to add meat sauce. In the Dayin Dynasty, beef was not easy to obtain, so the meat sauce used in the Su family shop was generally pork, and only beef sauce was used for her own family.
Mao Ya was preparing to cook a pot of bibimbap when she came out from behind the stove and found her young mistress in a daze. She glanced at the jar of beef sauce in her hand and realized that the beef in the sauce was given by the young prince.
Ever since she had dinner with the young prince two nights ago, the young master has often been in a daze like this. Could it be that the young master really likes the young prince Zhao? But outside, it is said that the Princess of Jin has a crush on the niece of the Queen's family, so the young master and the young prince may not be destined to be together!
"Jinniang?"
Su Ruojin was awakened by Sister Mao Ya, and scooped two small spoons of meat sauce and mixed it well: "Sister Ya, call Uncle Hua and Aunt Ye to come and eat."
"Didn't you just say you wanted a pot of soup?"
"Oh, yes... look at my memory." Su Ruojin collected her scattered thoughts and made egg drop soup with chrysanthemum leaves. This is a famous soup in the Jingling area. It was originally eaten in spring, but the chrysanthemum leaves in the flower bed were very tender. She couldn't help but pick a few leaves to make egg drop soup. Drinking a bowl of it in the hot autumn weather can clear away heat and remove internal heat. It is very delicious.
The stone pot was not big, and one pot was not enough to share, so Su Ruojin made another pot. This pot contained runny poached eggs, which Su Anzhi and Hua Ping both liked.
Female compatriots such as Su Ruojin and Ye Huaizhen did not like it very much because they disliked the fishy smell of the runny poached eggs.
Su Dalang likes it very much. "Sister, this rice is delicious. It has both vegetarian and meat dishes. Is it the rice topped with toppings from our shop?"
"No." Su Ruojin smiled, "Donburi is Donburi, and Bibimbap is Bibimbap."
Hua Ping asked in confusion: "Aren't they all rice topped with various dishes? What's the difference?" These two days, he went out to do some work and came back late at noon, so he had lunch in the shop.
This...Okay, if Uncle Hua wants to think so, then so be it!
After dinner, Su Anzhi went to the study to review his lessons in preparation for returning to the Imperial College tomorrow.
Ye Huaizhen and Mao Ya went to clean up the dishes.
Hua Ping and the young lady stood under the corridor to enjoy the breeze, looking at the scenery in the courtyard, and said, "The fire-making girl Li Xiuzhu has not been found."
"Not at the Li family's?"
"Li is missing too."
"Did the mother and daughter escape during the chaos?"
"It's possible." Hua Ping said, "I checked in Mangzhong. On the first day of the chaos in the capital, a neighbor did see Li Xiuzhu go to see Li, and she also brought her a lot of food, clothes and daily necessities. At that time, the capital was in chaos, not to mention at night, even in broad daylight, everyone locked the door and dared not open the door. Occasionally, when they heard noises, they would peek through the crack of the door to see, so in the end no one saw when Li Xiuzhu left, and whether she took Li away."
When the capital was in turmoil, even Su Yanli and his son had to sneak out through Zhao Lan's connections. Zhao Lan was the deputy commander of the Imperial City Division, and it was difficult for him to get people out, let alone a civilian mother and daughter.
"Where is he?" Su Ruojin looked at Hua Ping, "He wouldn't have disappeared innocently for no reason, right?"
Hua Ping said: "It's possible that he was killed by mistake by the chaotic army."
Su Ruojin frowned, "Should I go to the government office to report my disappearance?"
"I've already registered for you."
"What about the Li family?"
"I have reported it, too."
Su Ruojin sighed deeply.
Hua Ping frowned and asked, "Why are you sighing?"
"I feel that the Li mother and daughter have a hard life."
Seven years ago, the mother and son fled to the alley, but were caught by the clan members and thrown into jail. The family property was eventually divided up by the clan members. Later, Li was sold to a fool and Li Xiuzhu was sold to an old man. However, the old man died within three months. The old man’s children sold her to a middle-aged widower, but the widower fell into a pond and died while doing business. The third time, she was sold to a fool just like her mother, but the fool hit his head against the wall and died. Finally, she was transferred to the Su family. Unexpectedly, a riot in the capital would make the mother and daughter disappear from the eyes of the world, and even the people from the Investigation Department could not find her. I was afraid that she was in great danger.
Li Xiuzhu has been locked up in a dark basement in Beijing for almost a month. She is afraid that she will forget her days, so every day when someone brings her food, they make a mark on the bars where she is locked up.
Today, not long after the person who delivered the meal left, a man with a turban covering his face, leaving only his eyes exposed, appeared in front of the fence. The stone in Li Xiuzhu's hand was stuck on the engraved line and did not move. She looked up at the person woodenly.
The man spoke in a gloomy and solemn voice, "We have sent your mother to another place. If you obey, we will reunite you and your mother once the matter here is settled. If you don't obey, or are unable to cooperate with us in doing good things, then there is only one fate for you and your mother, and that is death."
Li Zhuxiu was expressionless, but the man with one eye exposed saw that the mark made by the stone was deeper than any other mark. He curled his lips and asked coldly, "What are Su Erniang's habits?"
Li Xiuzhu's eyes narrowed, staring at the man outside the fence, "Besides being reunited with my mother, what other benefits can I get? Can I have food and drink like in the Su family?"
The man raised his eyebrows and sneered, "How dare a bitch like you negotiate with us?"
Li Zhuxiu lowered her hands and the pebbles fell to the ground. She sat down on the dark and damp ground. Her eyes seemed to be blind, staring blankly at the wooden fence. In the light of the torch, she looked like a living dead.
The man bit his back teeth and said, "Unlock the door."
"Yes, Master."
When she opened the door, a masked man reached out and strangled her.
Li Zhuxiu's face turned purple instantly. She tried to pry the man's hands apart with her hands, but she was no match for him. She kicked her legs and was about to die.
The man's grip loosened.
"Cough cough..." Li Xiuzhu took deep breaths.
The man narrowed his eyes and said, "Say—"
Li Xiuzhu stared at the man.
The man's cold eyes flashed with impatience, and he raised his hand...
"She likes to be in the spotlight, and it's easy for you to find opportunities."
"Can't she understand what people are saying? What are her habits?"
In the study of Prince Jin, Zhao Lan sat opposite his father. There was a piece of paper on the table with a list of names, one of which was Yang Jingzi.
The Prince of Jin stared at the desk with a serious expression, and it took him a long time to relax his tightly pursed lips. "At this moment, the new emperor cannot possibly believe that the man surnamed Yang is a spy from Liaoxia, let alone that he is the leader of the 'Ula Grass'. Even if he believes it in his heart, he will definitely not admit it on the surface."
That was the hero who helped him get to the top.
Zhao Lan glanced at his father and waited for a while before reaching out to grab the paper on the table and throwing it into the candle burner beside him. Sparks flew and soon the paper turned into ashes.
He stood up and bowed, "I'll take my leave first."
"Alan——"
Zhao Lan stopped and turned to look at his father, "You should agree to the marriage with the Queen's family."
“Father—” Zhao Lan turned around and faced his father. “I am just a young son. Even if I don’t take on any responsibilities, I can live a life without worries about food and clothing.”
"No, you are wrong." The King of Jin was more serious than his son. "A family like us is either a king or worse than a bandit."
"Father!"
The King of Jin seemed to know what his son was going to say, and asked directly, "Let's not talk about the distant ones, the Crown Prince and the King of Qi nearby, do you think you can still live an ordinary life?"
"Father, I am different from them." Zhao Lan disagreed with King Jin's statement. "Father, I am just a young son. It is impossible for me to marry into an alliance." After saying that, he turned around and left again.
King Jin called his son again, "Lan'er, do you know what rejection means?"
Zhao Lan stopped again and turned to look at his father.
As the father and son looked at each other, all the glory and wealth flashed before their eyes.
Her son was often not at home, and Princess Jin finally caught him. "Lan'er, Lan'er, why are you so thin?"
Zhao Lan: ...How can he be thin?
Shuangrui: ...There is a kind of thinness that makes your mother think you are thin, then you are thin.
Princess Jin took her son's hand and sat down together, "Lan'er, the new emperor has ascended the throne and the turmoil in the capital has calmed down. It's your turn to get married."
"Mother, it is a national mourning, so it is not appropriate for you to marry."
Princess Jin was so amused by her son's serious words that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm not asking you to get married during the mourning period, but you should see each other first. If you like each other, you can exchange the engagement letter and get married first, so that you can feel at ease, right?"
"Mother, I am the youngest son. You promised me that I could marry whoever I wanted."
"Who do you want to marry?" Princess Jin seemed to know who her son wanted to marry. "The seventh-rank Su family is absolutely impossible."
"Why?"
Princess Jin had a cold expression on her face. "In my opinion, the fact that the Su family was able to reach the seventh rank was the result of you and Fan Zengxian working together to promote them. The Su family was of no help to you in your mission and is not a good match."
"Mother, are you forcing your son to be a playboy for the rest of his life?"
Princess Jin was about to say something, but her son blocked her throat with a mouthful of blood. "Lan'er, you..." She was so angry that she slapped her chest. "Just make me angry. If you make me die of anger, you will get what you want."
Zhao Lan: ...My father asked me to marry for the sake of the family, and my mother didn't allow me to marry her lover. This old couple's actions were different but they ended up with the same goal!
He tapped his legs lightly with his fingers. How could he deal with the person blocking him?
There were still a few days until the fifth day of August. Before Su Ruojin left Beijing, she bought some daily necessities to bring to Weizhou.
"By the way, don't buy the soap. I'll make some at home when I have some free time these few days."
There are not many materials required to make this. You just need to buy pork fat and find some shells. But it is laborious. You also need to filter out the alkali liquid from the wood ash. In short, it is a time-consuming task and you have to do it first.
Su Ruojin fiddled with it at home for two days before pouring the scented soap into the mold, and then waited for it to cool and take shape automatically.
"Go buy some cloth, insect repellent and other things." Su Ruojin made a list of the things she wanted to buy so that she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of forgetting something when she went out.
Ye Huaizhen was in a bad mood. Su Ruojin pulled her along when they went shopping. "Auntie Ye, don't be discouraged. Maybe God has already arranged the ending for the bad guys. We just need to wait."
Ye Huaizhen didn't believe such nonsense: "If there really is retribution, then there are no wronged souls or evil ghosts in this world."
Su Ruojin comforted him again: "Come on, go for a walk, life has to go on."
Ye Huaizhen had no choice but to go shopping with the young hostess.
(End of this chapter)
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