The two were immersed in painting, and time passed quickly. They didn't know how much time had passed before they heard a commotion below. Duan Tingxuan raised his head and frowned, "What's going on below? Why is there so much noise?"
Li Qiushan smiled bitterly and said, "My Lord, Madam has been cooking this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for three hours. It is already the end of the afternoon. Not to mention the people below who are making a fuss, even the dozen or so judges are starving. One of them couldn't stand the hunger and drank two pots of tea to fill his stomach. He has gone to the toilet more than a dozen times."
Duan Tingxuan was surprised and asked, "Why is it necessary? It's not like they are not allowed to eat."
Li Qiushan said: "These judges attach great importance to this competition, so before tasting the delicious food, they only drank a bowl of porridge in the morning, brushed their teeth and rinsed their mouths, and then stopped eating. They said they were afraid that it would affect their judgment of the taste."
Duan Tingxuan and Long Pingzhang were stunned. After a long while, Long nodded and said, "Apart from anything else, this serious spirit and attitude is indeed commendable."
Duan Tingxuan coughed and said, "Go see your wife and ask her when she will be done. Why is it taking so long? Last time it only took two hours. By the way, if your wife is still not done, go and appease the judges and tell them that this prince and Lord Long are starving with them."
Li Qiushan agreed, went into the kitchen to ask Su Nuannuan, and came out with a wry smile, "Madam said it would take another half an hour, and asked us to be patient. Oh! What a miscalculation. I should have sent someone to sell some water melon seeds and the like to the people downstairs. I'm sure the business would be booming. Although the money is small, it will add up to a lot, and we can at least make a profit of dozens of taels of silver. What a miscalculation."
As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, and went downstairs to inform the judges of the "bad news". Duan Tingxuan and Long Pingzhang looked at each other, and suddenly heard a hawking sound downstairs. They looked out and saw that there were indeed people in the dense crowd selling snacks. They couldn't help but laugh and said, "After all, this is Linqing, a city that prospered with merchants from all over the world, and there is no shortage of such smart people."
Time flies by unnoticed while I am painting. This half hour of doing nothing is really hard to endure. The only consolation is that Long Pingzhang's head hurts again. This time he finally remembered the emperor's appearance, and even remembered the eunuch Wen who was beside the emperor.
Finally, half an hour later, the ten dishes were ready. Li Qiushan brought seven or eight tall and strong waiters, four of whom carried the two large jars to the largest private room on the second floor. The remaining dishes were packed in food boxes. The waiters carried them all over at once, and Shopkeeper Li followed behind with his head held high and his chest puffed out, feeling very proud.
Duan Tingxuan and Long Pingzhang were about to go and see. But they saw Chu Xiu coming out, smiling and saying, "Sister said that we should not go to the second floor to join in the fun now. Why should we just watch them eat? This is a feud between Anle Building and Fushengxiang. Let Manager Li take care of it, and let you come in to eat. I have reserved some dishes for you. It's just right to eat them while they are hot."
This suggestion was exactly what they wanted, and they didn't care about the sage's words like "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen". When the young marquis saw the dazzling array of dishes on the table, he felt his mouth watering and couldn't help but smile: "I haven't had a proper meal cooked by you since I left Suzhou. I can finally enjoy it today. Eh? What is this red dish? It's really beautiful. Yes, it's chili peppers. You are so generous. This... There must be more than a dozen chili peppers on this plate?"
Su Nuannuan smiled and said, "Isn't it? I feel bad for you, but never mind, the seeds have been collected and can be planted next year, and they will be ready to eat in late summer. Today we are fighting for Anle Tower to be the best in the world, so it is only right that we pay a little more."
After that, he personally picked up a piece of fish and put it into Duan Tingxuan's bowl, smiling and saying, "Try it. This is what I call boiled fish. It has a flavor you have never tasted before. It's just a little spicy, but with your current skills, you shouldn't be afraid of it."
"Hmm, ok, I'll try it." The young marquis smiled and followed suit. He took a bite of the fish, chewed it slowly in his mouth for a few times, then scooped out a few chopsticks of fish from the soup and swallowed it. He then let out a long breath and shouted, "It's so delicious, so spicy. It turns out that peppercorns and chili peppers are a perfect match. The spiciness is uncomfortable at first, but after a while, it turns into a mouthful of fragrance and pleasure. The most rare thing is the fish. After being soaked in such ingredients and cooked over a high fire, it still maintains a smooth and tender texture. It's delicious, a rare delicacy. I wonder if there are any judges downstairs who know the goods and can taste the beauty of this dish."
Long Pingzhang and Chu Xiu had never eaten chili peppers before, and they were so spicy that they gasped. Chu Xiu whispered, "Your Highness is still talking about this. I can't feel my tongue right now, so why don't I find it as good as you said? Brother Niu, do you think this tastes good too?"
Long Pingzhang said, "I can't say whether it tastes good or not. The fish is fresh, tender and smooth, but the taste is too strong. It feels like there's a fire burning in my mouth. It's strange. I clearly feel uncomfortable, but I can't put my chopsticks down. The spicier it is, the more I want to eat. What does this mean?"
Su Nuannuan laughed and said, "This is a masochistic physique." Seeing that Long Pingzhang was puzzled, she smiled and explained, "It's nothing. I was just joking with you. You are a person who loves to eat chili peppers. But after three or five meals, I'm afraid you can't live without it. But this thing is really overbearing. I don't know if the judges downstairs can stand it. Otherwise, it will be like Tingxuan said, it's a pity."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a burst of cheers outside. When they came out of the kitchen, they first smelled a strong fresh aroma. Then they could hear clearly that those people were cheering and shouting "It smells so good" and "What kind of dish is this?" They looked at each other and couldn't help but smile. They knew that the lid of the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall on the second floor was opened, allowing the strong aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to escape, which caused such a sensation. It is unrealistic for the fragrance to spread ten miles, but it is no problem to spread five miles with the wind.
Back in the kitchen, Chu Xiu took advantage of the time when the young marquis and Long Pingzhang were attacking the boiled fish to eat up her favorite pork belly and mutton from Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. She ate with such relish that Su Nuannuan was a little frightened and whispered, "Sister, eating meat this way will make you fat very easily."
Chu Xiu stuck out her tongue and smiled shyly, "It's so delicious, let me have it just once. When I return to the capital, I don't know when I can have my sister's cooking again."
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