Chapter 257 Clay Pot Rice Hug
From his words, Su Ruojin felt Zhao Lan's ease. Unlike the previous emperor, he was either under a lot of pressure or had nothing to do. There was no longer the feeling of being unpredictable due to the emperor's changing orders every day.
"How is His Majesty?" She couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Lan was surprised to hear the girl speak so frankly. Then he smiled and said, "I remember you once commented on the teacher. That was a very good comment."
Well?
"Emotionally stable?"
Zhao Lan nodded.
Yes, the head of the family has a gentle personality and stable emotions. He not only nourishes his wife, but also makes his children confident and sunny. Su Ruojin has always felt that she is lucky to be Su Yanli's daughter and live a simple and happy life.
"Then... Is Your Majesty really as... mediocre as he appeared to be before?
Zhao Lan shook his head. "Although His Majesty has been on the throne for a short time and has not made any major moves since he took the throne, he has unknowingly straightened out the chaotic palace and turbulent court."
Sure enough, those who survive to the end are definitely not mediocre people.
There was something Su Ruojin had always forgotten to ask, "Brother Jin, when the emperor was still the Prince of Yan, he was guarding the mausoleum behind me, across from the West Mountain. Logically, there shouldn't have been any soldiers, right?"
Zhao Lan glanced at the west mountain. "With your reminder, I have been tracking down the man surnamed Yang and have sent people to follow him. I learned that when he killed the previous emperor, the clan originally wanted the capable King Wei to take the throne. As a result, the King Wei was killed, and the clan's military token had to be passed on to His Majesty, who is still the King of Yan."
At that time, no matter whether it was the court officials or the clan members, they never thought that the mediocre Prince of Yan would not only stop the invasion of the Liaoxia people, but also beat the Liaoxia people into submission. They were all preparing to make the eldest son of the former crown prince the new emperor, but they did not expect that the Prince of Yan would turn the tide and protect the foundation of Dayin.
Su Ruojin continued, "I heard that the emperor is very tolerant of the late emperor's maternal family, the Lu family?"
"Yeah." Zhao Lan laughed and teased, "Ajin is a farmer here, how come he knows everything about Beijing?"
"It's only been a month since I came back from the capital." Su Ruojin rolled her eyes at him, "I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go grow pepper seedlings."
The Ning siblings were almost out of sight on their horses, so Zhao Lan stopped her from going to plant vegetables. He reached out to grab her, and with a whistle, a tall, brown horse came galloping over. He picked up the girl with both hands and put her on the horse, then he mounted the horse himself, pulled the reins and ran away.
A young couple was galloping under the blue sky and white clouds, with the sun shining, their sleeves blowing in the wind, and they were galloping against the wind. They were so refreshed that the young lady screamed continuously and her laughter floated among the mountains and fields.
When the young master ran away, Hua Ping and Ye Huaizhen hurriedly mounted their horses to chase after him.
Mao Ya and Hua Ping learned martial arts very well, but they were not as good as them in riding horses. How could their speed compare with the professional soldiers trained by the Forbidden Army? They were far behind and were so anxious that they were sweating all over.
The Ning brothers and sisters had already climbed to the top of the West Mountain. Standing on the top of the mountain, looking across or into the distance, the vastness of the sky and the earth made people feel proud.
At the foot of the West Mountain, Zhao Lan and Su Ruojin dismounted, and their attendants took over the horses. The two were preparing to climb the mountain when, at the other end of the trail, several horses galloped over, and Shuangrui, Santai and others quickly stepped forward.
"It's me...it's me..."
It turned out to be Fan Yanjia with his servant.
Shuangrui Santai moved aside slightly.
In the blink of an eye, Fan Yanjia jumped off the horse, panting, "Young Prince, when you went out of the capital to play, couldn't you take me with you? You made me run after you."
Seeing him running out of breath, Zhao Lan looked disgusted and asked, "You're out of breath?"
Fan Yanjia blushed and said, "I am a scholar." He did not pass the imperial examination through imperial favor, but took the examination based on his own strength, so he had the confidence to say this.
Zhao Lan: ...That makes it seem like if he doesn’t take the exam he’d be a warrior.
Seeing Zhao Lan frowning, Su Ruojin suppressed her smile and said, "Brother Yan Jia, we are going to climb up the West Mountain. Do you still have the strength?"
"Yes...of course." Young people have plenty of strength. Fan Yanjia patted his chest, refusing to admit defeat.
The three of them climbed the mountain together.
After half an hour, we reached the top of the mountain.
Ning Qilang folded his arms and waited on the top of the mountain, "I thought you wouldn't come up. Hey, Master Fan, why are you here?"
Fan Yanjia was climbing so hard that he could hardly catch his breath. "I... I... can't I come?" He finally finished the sentence.
A grown man was panting like this after climbing a mountain. Ning Ba Niang teased, "I am a weak little lady, but I have better physical strength than you."
Being ridiculed by a young lady, Fan Yanjia's face flushed red. "I have been riding all the way here since this morning. It has been almost half a day. Now I have to climb the mountain again. Even an iron man can't stand this kind of torment!"
“I also ride horses and then climb mountains!”
"I..." Fan Yanjia couldn't argue with the young lady, and said angrily, "I won't talk to you anymore." After that, he took the water bag from the servant and drank half of it.
He looks very gentle, but how come he is just like her brother, drinking water like a bandit? Ning Ba Niang cast a glance and her gaze could not help but move to the banished immortal Prince Zhao. Look at him, he is gentle and elegant, like the bright moon and the fresh breeze, so pleasing to the eye, how come he was beaten to it by Su Er Niang!
He glared at her in dissatisfaction.
Su Ruojin, who was glared at, said: ...What does your quarrel with two of you have to do with me? Why did you get angry at her?
Zhao Lan and Ning Qilang stood facing the wind and looked towards the imperial mausoleum opposite. Three months ago, the emperor was still guarding the mausoleum here. Three months later, he had become the emperor of the Dayin Dynasty.
In February, the branches on the mountain are bare and there is really nothing to see.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Su Ruojin reminded them to go down the mountain.
Fan Yanjia couldn't walk, so he sat on a rock and said, "At noon, let's have a picnic on the top of the mountain. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"What's so wild about that? Do you want to get a belly full of wind?" Ning Banniang disagreed. When she first climbed up, the wind was blowing just right, but it was still quite cold after standing there for a long time.
Su Ruojin didn't want to eat on the mountain either. Besides, even if they had a picnic on the mountain, they didn't bring anything with them. What would they eat? Would they starve to death?
Zhao Lan and Ning Qilang also felt that the mountaintop was cold, so they decided to go back and eat.
There was only Fan Yanjia, so he had to go down the mountain with everyone else.
Zhao Lan and Ning Qilang were walking and talking, while Su Ruojin followed behind. Originally, Ning Banniang was sitting side by side with her, but somehow, she ended up sitting in the same row with Fan Yanjia.
I don't know if these two people were incompatible, but they quarreled all the way down the mountain. Not only that, Ning Banniang accidentally sprained her foot when she was angry, and this was also blamed on Fan Yanjia, so he had to support Ning Banniang down the mountain. He didn't have much strength to begin with, and he was enslaved by others. You can imagine the atmosphere, and they almost got into a fight.
Zhao Lan and Ning Qilang who were walking in front: ...
Want to help Su Ruojin who was left behind: ...
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Fan Yanjia finally got rid of the fierce general's daughter. He was so angry that his face turned red. He hadn't exercised for the whole first month of the year. When he rode a horse up the mountain, his calves were trembling with pain. He finally climbed onto the horse with great difficulty.
Ningning teased him again, "Seventh Brother, look at him, he needs a servant to help him get on the horse, isn't that embarrassing?"
Shameful Fan Yanjia: ...I didn't check the almanac before going out today, how come I met such a fierce girl? I used to think Su Er Niang had a bad temper, but now it seems that Su Er Niang is not too gentle.
Su Ruojin: ...Is this how I am compared to others?
After returning to the cabin, Su Ruojin was not in the mood to cook, so she just made a clay pot rice.
In the north, there are not many opportunities to eat rice. Su Ruojin was from the south in her previous life, and Su Yanli was also from Pingjiang Prefecture in the south, so the Su family had more opportunities to eat rice than ordinary people in Bianjing City.
First soak and wash the rice, then spread it in the casserole; add water, a spoonful of cooking oil, stir evenly, then cover the casserole and put it on the stove. After boiling over high heat, simmer over low heat.
While the rice is stewing, prepare the Chinese sausage, shredded ginger, etc., and blanch the chicken greens; take a small bowl, mix the onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, etc. into a sauce and set aside.
When the rice is cooked until the water on the surface is basically dry, open the lid. If you are worried about the rice getting burnt, you can pour a circle of oil along the edge of the pot. If you don’t pour oil, it’s no problem. Add the shredded ginger and the sausage according to the situation, cover it and simmer for a while.
Then open the lid and put some side dishes such as dried radish on it. Find a place to beat an egg, cover the lid, and continue to simmer on low heat until the egg is about 80% cooked.
Open the lid again, put the vegetables on it, pour in the sauce, cover it again and simmer for half a minute, and it’s done and you can start eating.
Finally, open the lid, and the sweet aroma of rice and the salty aroma of sausage flow in the cabin, whetting your taste buds and making you salivate.
Even Ning Ning, a lady from a wealthy family, couldn't help but take a deep breath, "Ah Jin, your cooking skills are so good, it smells so good, no wonder Brother Jin insisted on marrying you, just for this smell, if I were a man I would be willing too."
Fan Yanjia sneered, "It's a pity you are not a man."
"You..." That's what he said. Why was this person so serious? Ningning was so angry that her mouth puffed up. If her brother and Prince Zhao hadn't been beside her, she would have turned away angrily, "Just wait for me." She would find a time when no one was around and take revenge.
Fan Yanjia looked like he was saying, “I’m going to say this, let’s see what you can do to me.”
Zhao Lan seemed not to notice the two bickering. He stood beside Su Ruojin, bent over to look at the clay pot rice on the stove, and smiled gently, "Ajin, this is just like a picnic, it's quite interesting."
As long as Ajin wants to do it, it can be different every time. Zhao Lan thought to himself that what Ning Banniang said was right. He will have a good life for the rest of his life. Just thinking about it makes him happy.
Su Ruojin saw that the fragrance had completely come out and smiled, "It's done."
Mao Ya and Chun Xiao brought wet rags and placed several small clay pots on the small round table one by one.
It smells so good.
Fan Yanjia picked up a sausage and chewed it, "Ajin, the sausage you made is still the best."
Of course, before adding chili peppers, the sausages she made always lacked flavor. Now that there are chili peppers, even if she puts in less, it won’t be spicy, but adding some chili peppers can remove the fishy smell of pork, so the sausages will of course be more fragrant.
A small clay pot was not enough for Fan Yanjiaxuan, he held the small clay pot, "Ajin, can we make this in the evening?"
Su Ruojin deliberately said, "Ah, I want to cook dumplings tonight, doesn't Brother Yan Jia want to eat?"
In the Dayin Dynasty, dumplings were called "bianshi". They were mainly boiled in water and had a relatively simple filling - basically sauerkraut.
I planted a few acres of leeks last fall, but it’s only mid-February and they haven’t grown yet, so I can only wrap them with cabbage, meat, shiitake mushrooms, etc. Otherwise, I could add another filling.
Tonight, she prepared to steam part of it and fry part of it so that she could enjoy the meal to her heart's content.
Fan Yanjia had eaten the flatbreads made by Su Ruojin at Su's house. They were what she called dumplings. They were so filling that they gave him a very satisfying feeling. He started drooling just thinking about it.
"Okay, Jin, eat dumplings."
As northerners, everyone here prefers pasta.
After eating the clay pot rice, they drank a bowl of ginseng, goji berry and old hen soup. It was light, nutritious and delicious. The Ning brothers and sisters each had another bowl and drank it until sweat broke out on the tip of their noses and their whole bodies felt refreshed.
After lunch, five young men were bored at the door of the cabin, so they moved out a small round table to play chess.
Fan Yanjia wanted to play with Zhao Lan, but Zhao Lan was not interested, so he had to play with Ning Qilang.
Two young ladies were standing around.
Su Ruojin just watched without saying anything.
Ningning couldn't help it. When she saw her brother capture the opponent's piece, she was very happy. If Fan Yanjia captured one of her pieces, she would be so angry that she would keep muttering. Anyway, she would focus on capturing one piece just to make sure Fan Yanjia would not have an easy time.
Miss Ning is really too noisy.
Zhao Lan had a headache, so he got up and went for a walk. He reached out to pull someone, and Su Ruojin went for a walk with him.
Ning Ba Niang grabbed her and stopped her from leaving, but her brother glared at her and she reluctantly let go.
When the young lady was unhappy, Fan Yanjia was happy. When he was happy, he ate several pieces. He raised his eyebrows proudly and said, "Hurry up and encourage your brother, otherwise I will win."
"Humph, my brother was distracted while talking to me, and you are taking advantage of him. What a mean person."
"Why am I a villain?"
…
The two of them were arguing, and Su Ruojin kept shaking her head, thinking, could it be that Ning Ba Niang came here specifically to defeat Fan Yanjia? She would quietly light a candle for Fan Yanjia, and then she would think Ning Ning was quite interesting, not like a lady from a rich family at all.
After walking up the gravel path and getting a little far from the cabin, Su Ruojin asked Zhao Lan, "Did Miss Ning live in the border area with General Ning?"
Zhao Lan replied, "Young ladies of the Ning family should be raised like boys until they are twelve years old."
Su Ruojin clicked her tongue, "No wonder the Ning family has been able to survive for so many generations."
If a family inheritance can survive, there must be something extraordinary about it.
The spring breeze in February is like a pair of scissors. This afternoon's spring breeze is warmer than yesterday's. Su Ruojin was enjoying the spring breeze while asking, "Brother Jin, how many days will you take off?"
Zhao Lan reached out to hold the young lady's hand and was squeezing her soft little hand. When he heard this, he turned around and asked, "Ajin is chasing me away again?"
Su Ruojin: ...When did she chase him away?
"No...ah, I'll start soaking the pepper seeds tomorrow. If Brother Jin stays here, maybe he can see it sprout."
Lie with open eyes.
Zhao Lan stretched out his other hand and pinched her nose. "Are you going to chase me away?"
Su Ruojin was pinched by him so hard that she couldn't breathe. She could only open her mouth to breathe and reached out to pull his hand.
The hot breath from the young lady's mouth sprayed on the skin of Zhao Lan's wrist. The wind blew over it, and it felt both warm and cool. It felt wonderful, and he couldn't help but pull her hand over and bent down to kiss it.
Su Ruojin was so frightened that her face turned pale. She quickly pulled her hand back and looked around nervously. Fortunately, the maid and servant were quite far away. They happened to be standing under a big tree, blocking the view of the cabin where Fan Yanjia and the others were playing chess.
"Brother Jin!" Su Ruojin glared at him, "I'm only fourteen years old."
But he is already twenty years old, and other people's children can already help out with the cooking.
Zhao Lan looked at the young lady with resentment on his face, "There are many young ladies who get married at the age of fourteen."
Su Ruojin: ...
Well, ancient people married and had children early.
She snorted again and turned to go back to the cabin, but was pulled back by Zhao Lan again. He hid behind a big tree and put his arm around her. "That's fine, right?"
This is not modern times. Su Ruojin refused to hug Zhao Lan in broad daylight and struggled to get out of his arms.
"Just hug me." Zhao Lan coaxed gently, lowered his head, and rested his chin on the girl's thin shoulder, like a big boy asking for candy, very clingy.
Like a younger brother, the wonderful feeling made Su Ruojin stop struggling unconsciously and put her arms around his slender waist.
The boy's chest was broad and warm, and in the afternoon sun, it was very reassuring.
"Brother Jin..."
"Um!"
"No one will see it, will they?"
“I see it when I see it.”
Zhao Lan didn't care at all. What was wrong with hugging his fiancée? He was proud of it.
Perhaps because she had never been in love in her previous life, Su Ruojin felt guilty. She quietly looked in the direction of the cabin, but found that it was blocked by the tree. "Brother Jin, you brought me here on purpose."
"Who made those followers so annoying?" It was so depressing that he didn't even have the chance to kiss the young lady.
Hearing someone's unhappy mood, Su Ruojin laughed insincerely, "Haha...haha...", feeling very gloating.
Zhao Lan hugged her tightly.
"Ah!" The girl is still growing, and if he hugs her too tightly, it would be... Fortunately, there are plenty of clothes in winter, otherwise it would be really embarrassing. Su Ruojin was so angry that she wanted to break free from his arms again.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be gentler." Zhao Lan loosened his arms and whispered to comfort her.
Su Ruojin was nudged by his chin on her shoulder, but she was still angry. She instantly forgot her unhappiness and asked, "Brother Jin, how is my brother doing in the Imperial College?"
"I went to see him before coming here, he was fine."
"That's good." Su Ruojin said, "When you return to the capital, I will make some food and you can bring it to my brother for me."
"Humph!" Someone complained again, "What about mine?"
"Yes, yes, all."
"No, I want something different from Anzhi's."
Even his brother was jealous, so Su Ruojin was convinced by him, "Okay, okay, I'll make something different for you."
Zhao Lan was about to ask what was different when Ning Ba Niang came over and said, "Ajin, what about mine?"
Su Ruojin was so scared that she pushed Zhao Lan away and said, "Miss Ning, are you silent when you walk?"
"Hehe!" Ning Ba Niang put her hands behind her back and turned around from behind the tree. "It's not that I walked without making any noise, but you two were so absorbed in hugging that I didn't hear anything."
Su Ruojin: ...
Zhao Lan glanced over, intimidating without even getting angry.
Just like his father, Ning Ning's scalp tingled as he watched, as if his father was about to hit him with a ruler. "Okay, I won't be a nuisance and I'll leave now."
After taking a few steps, she turned around again and said, "Ajin, those who listen have a share, and so do I. Otherwise... hehe..." Her eyes wandered between the two of them, as if to say that she would tell everyone about your hug.
Su Ruojin: ...I looked up at the sky in silence. How could she be so childish? Are you sure I am one year older than her?
Zhao Lan looked over again.
Unfortunately, Ningning escaped quickly enough and returned to the cabin in a flash.
Ning Qillang glanced at the big tree in the distance, then looked at his sister who had found out the gossip, shook his head and laughed, then continued to play chess with Fan Yanjia.
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