Chapter 66 Buckwheat Cold Noodles Sure enough, not two days later Cheng Yexing…
Sure enough, Cheng Yexing came again in less than two days. Last time he came to Xiyuan as a guest, but this time he came to do official business.
Cheng Qianyue asked him with concern, "Is everything arranged properly?"
Cheng Yexing replied, "Don't worry, everything is arranged." There were four or five days between his transfer from the patrol camp and his reporting to Xiyuan, and these days were for preparations. He first found a broker to rent a small, detached house near Changchun Garden, then packed up his belongings from his hometown and moved here with Yu Lushi. He only came to report for duty after everything was settled.
Cheng Qianyue nodded upon hearing this, and then took out another twenty taels of silver, saying it was for him to rent a room and entertain guests.
“I can’t take this,” Cheng Yexing said seriously. “Whether it’s renting a place or hosting guests, you don’t need to worry about it. You’ve already done enough for our family.” Then he laughed and said, “Little sister, when we used to go out to play, did I ever ask you to pay a single penny for those candied hawthorns and sugar figurines? Even though you’re all grown up and successful now, I still consider you my brother. Just one word: don’t worry about money, and don’t worry about things outside.”
Cheng Qianyue almost cried again when she called him "brother." After a while, she said, "Fine, then I won't give it to you." She didn't want to hurt his pride as an older brother, and besides, she had already trampled on the pride of everyone in the family, so she didn't want to make them think any more.
Afterwards, Cheng Qianyue gave him a few more words of advice, nothing more than to do his job well and focus on his studies. Cheng Yexing agreed earnestly and then went off to do his job.
For the first few days, Cheng Qianyue was still a little worried. She felt that her brother had gotten the job through connections and was afraid that others would look down on him and cause trouble. However, because of Cheng Yexing's previous words, she didn't dare to openly ask him directly, so she secretly asked someone to keep an eye on him. Not long after, she found out how Cheng Yexing was doing in his work.
In short, it can be summed up in four words: like a fish in water.
I heard that in his first few days on duty, he hosted several rounds of banquets. In the evenings, he would invite off-duty guards to his homes, ordering meals from nearby restaurants. To show his closeness, he even had Lady Yulu personally cook a few extra dishes. After several rounds, he had invited all the guards around Yinreng, and then he became one of them. When the guards were on duty, they were on duty; when they weren't, they would compete in lifting stone weights and practicing cloth-wearing in the open space in front of the enclosure. Cheng Yexing was always full of energy.
Well, looking at it this way, it seems there's really nothing to worry about. Cheng Qianyue's lips gradually curled up as she listened to Lin Quan'an's report.
After worrying about her brother, Cheng Qianyue started worrying about herself.
This July was exceptionally hot. Even though she lived in the garden and had ice placed inside the house, she still felt extremely hot and dry with the slightest movement. In this kind of weather, she couldn't eat. According to ancient terms, she was suffering from summer heatstroke.
The cooks in the garden knew that nothing would work in this weather, so apart from stir-fries, they only served cold dishes: braised pork hock, cold pig's ear salad, and pickled cucumbers. But even the coldest dishes would warm up when paired with hot rice and steamed buns.
Cheng Qianyue really wanted to eat cold noodles at this moment. In her previous life, she went to university in Northeast China. There was a particularly delicious Korean cold noodle shop in the university cafeteria. The owner was a genuine Korean and said that their kimchi was made with their own secret recipe. The bowls for serving the cold noodles were also frozen in the freezer. One bite was incredibly refreshing.
Cheng Qianyue's mouth watered at the thought of the icy, sweet and sour taste of cold noodles, so she ordered that they should have cold noodles for lunch.
The cold noodles should be a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour, and after cooking, they must be rinsed several times in ice water to achieve a chewy texture. The broth for the cold noodles should be cooled chicken broth, and the oil should be skimmed off the top, otherwise it will be greasy. As for the seasoning, vinegar and sugar should be added to make a sweet and sour flavor, which will whet the appetite. She didn't know if the kitchen had pickled vegetables, so she asked them to bring a few kinds of pickled vegetables and a few kinds of cold dishes. As for the bowl for serving the noodles, she emphasized that it must be frozen in the ice cellar beforehand.
At noon, the buckwheat noodles that Cheng Qianyue had been longing for arrived. She smiled and said to Yinreng, "Your Highness, touch the rim of the bowl; it's so refreshingly cool." She didn't eat it all by herself; she specially invited him back from the front.
Forget touching it, just looking at the ice crystals floating in the large bowl made Yinreng feel both calm and cool. In addition, the bowl of noodles looked really refreshing, with grayish-white noodles at the bottom, topped with green cucumber shreds and yellow carrot shreds, and half a soft-boiled egg lying on the side. Before even touching the noodles, he felt that it must taste good.
Yinreng picked up a mouthful of buckwheat noodles and put it in his mouth; it was indeed refreshing. But the taste was surprisingly sweet and sour? After chewing a couple more times, he found it quite good. He picked up some shredded smoked chicken from a small dish beside him and put it in his mouth as well. Hmm, this tastes just right.
Cheng Qianyue stared at him, and seeing him constantly moving his chopsticks meant he liked it too, so she immediately picked up her bowl and started eating heartily. Mmm, it's such a long-lost taste. She slurped the noodles, thinking how refreshing it would be to eat a bowl like this in the summer.
In no time, the two bowls of noodles and several plates of cold dishes and braised meat platter were all gone, and Yinreng was unusually stuffed. At first, he thought the sweet and sour taste was a bit strange, but the more he ate, the more he couldn't stop. He put down his chopsticks and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since I've eaten this much."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "How is it? Delicious, isn't it?"
Yinreng nodded: "It's very appetizing. Is this sweet and sour taste something you came up with?"
Um, can I say that I plagiarized the wisdom of later generations? Cheng Qianyue was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to explain it to him, but fortunately Yinreng said again: "I guess you just had a whim, but it was a mistake in disguise."
Cheng Qianyue: Since you've said that, I'd better shut up.
Yinreng wandered around the room a couple of times to digest his food. After walking for a while, he took off his outer robe and sat down, leaning his back slightly against the kang cabinet. He said, "It's the height of summer, so eating like this will definitely improve my appetite."
Cheng Qianyue picked up the fan and slowly waved it, saying softly, "Yes, it's so hot this year."
Yinreng rubbed his temples and casually asked, "How are these noodles made?"
Cheng Qianyue calmly explained the recipe, concluding, "If you like it, have someone make it every few days. Even if you're not out every day, you still have to go out from time to time, so you can't go hungry."
Yinreng smiled and replied, "On days like this, it's not just us who have a poor appetite."
Um?
In the blink of an eye, Cheng Qianyue realized, "You want to give the recipe to the Emperor?" But then she thought about how detailed his question had been and said, "Or do you plan to make it for the Emperor yourself?"
Do it yourself?
Yinreng opened his eyes and sat up straight. He had originally planned to have the cook prepare the food and deliver it to him, but then he thought, what could better show his filial piety than making it himself? He smiled slowly and said, "Yes, making it by hand is the true way to show filial piety."
Since he intended to make the noodles himself, Yinreng took some time to go to the kitchen, which startled the cooks. However, upon hearing that the Crown Prince was going to cook for the Emperor himself, the cooks took it to heart and promised to help the Crown Prince learn the skill as soon as possible.
From then on, Yinreng became obsessed with dough.
I thought kneading dough would be a simple task, but I realized it wasn't. Too little water and the dough is hard; too much water and it's too runny. Even if you have just the right amount of water, you still have to knead the dough a hundred or eighty times until it's smooth and elastic.
After trying for two or three days, the flour finally turned into a smooth, gray lump in his hands. He was sweating profusely near the stove, but didn't have time to wipe it away. He took a large rolling pin and rolled the dough into a thin sheet, then folded it several times before cutting it into thin strips. Because he wasn't skilled, the noodles were cut in varying thicknesses.
Once the noodles were in the pot, and the water had boiled three times, the cook quickly reminded him that they were ready. Yinreng personally used a strainer to scoop them out and rinsed them in ice water. A cook nearby had already brought over a specially made large bowl.
Yinreng ladled out the noodles, tried one himself first, and found it acceptable. He then used his chopsticks to pick up a few more and put them in his bowl. He instructed the cook to prepare a clay pot of cooled broth, while he shredded the cucumber and carrot.
After everything was finished, Yinreng ordered someone to pack the noodles into a food box full of ice and seal it. He then hurriedly went back to change his clothes and, estimating that the Emperor would be about to have his meal, took a sedan chair to Changchun Garden.
He had arrived with great enthusiasm and hope, but as soon as he entered the Danning Residence, he keenly sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere. In particular, when he stood up after paying his respects to the Emperor, he felt that the Emperor's gaze towards him held a moment of scrutiny and wariness.
Kangxi withdrew his suspicious gaze and asked casually, "What brings the Crown Prince here?"
Yinreng lowered his eyes, the smile on his lips freezing on his face, but he quickly composed himself and replied, "Father, the summer heat this year is extremely intense. I was worried that you might have a poor appetite due to the summer heat, so I made some sweet and sour cold noodles to whet your appetite."
Kangxi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "It's time to serve the meal. Order someone to serve it."
Before long, lunch was served, including the food box that Yinreng had brought. The serving eunuchs tasted each dish in front of Kangxi and Yinreng, and only after a quarter of an hour, when they were sure it was okay, did Kangxi begin to eat.
Yinreng dismissed the serving eunuchs and personally poured the prepared chicken soup into the bowl of noodles that had been set out. The bowl of emerald green and red cold noodles looked quite fresh after being soaked in the soup. He held it in both hands and placed it in front of Kangxi, saying softly, "Father, try it and see if it suits your taste."
Kangxi hummed in agreement, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it a few times, and said, "Not bad."
Yinreng smiled and prepared to sit down. But then Kangxi suddenly asked, "What happened to your hand?" Yinreng lowered his head and noticed that there were several small blisters on the back of his hand. Perhaps he had been splashed with water in the kitchen earlier, but he hadn't noticed it because he was in a good mood and had washed it with ice water.
"Perhaps he got burned while cooking the noodles; I didn't pay much attention," Yinreng replied.
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback. "You made these noodles yourself?"
Yinreng smiled and replied, "Yes, it took me several days to learn how to make this bowl. My skills are not as good as the imperial chef's; the noodles and vegetables are chopped in varying degrees of coarseness. I hope Father Emperor will not find it offensive."
Kangxi knew that Yinreng wouldn't lie to him about something like this, which meant that Yinreng had indeed cooked it himself. His heart was filled with complex emotions. "Baocheng, you are the Crown Prince." Why would the Crown Prince need to make these things himself?
Yinreng understood what he hadn't finished saying and smiled slightly, "But I am also Father Emperor's son. Father is suffering from the summer heat, can't I, as his son, cook him a delicious meal?"
Kangxi closed his eyes and whispered "okay," then reached out to put some food on Yinreng's plate, saying, "Don't just focus on me, you should eat too."
Yinreng said "yes" and then picked up his chopsticks. After finishing his meal with Kangxi, he knelt down to take his leave.
Kangxi stood in the hall, watching Yinreng's departing figure, and sighed deeply. He thought that he had once misunderstood the Crown Prince's intention to rebel, but what about this time? He recalled the memorial he had seen that morning, and then thought of Yinreng's hand just now, and then he remembered the bowl of cold noodles he had eaten at the dinner table.
It's both sweet and sour, incredibly complex.
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