Dinner time.
Qin Yi invited little Shen Nuonuo, his father Shen Gang, and the beautiful female anchor Xiao Feng, who is also a popular figure in the ancient style, to have dinner at the Zhuang family's courtyard.
There is an earthen stove in the courtyard, built according to Qin Yi's idea.
It is a large square hearth made of red bricks.
The inside of the stove was lined with burning charcoal, and a large iron pot was supported in the center by a pot rack.
Add firewood to the bottom of the iron pot to make a strong fire, and prepare to add the base ingredients into the pot.
Place a grill rack in the gaps around the grill, and arrange corn, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and a pot of cooling chrysanthemum tea on it.
Qin Yi poured the hot pot oil and base into the pot, then added a large piece of milky white butter and green and red Sichuan peppercorns.
Add dried chili pepper segments, sliced ​​scallions, ginger, garlic, and rice wine to the pot to enhance the flavor.
Finally, pour in a pot of sweet spring water to simmer the base ingredients until fragrant.
Various side dishes were placed in a large winnowing basket and served.
Two winnowing baskets were filled with duck blood, highland specialty yellow beef, wild bamboo shoots, mushrooms, homemade sweet potato noodles, and various meatballs brought from Zicheng.
The guests arrived at the courtyard gate at that moment.
Shen Nuonuo peeked out from the doorway, her little head peering curiously into the yard.
"Dad, what is Boss Lei Cha making? It smells so good!"
Shen Gang quickly covered the child's mouth: "Nuonuo, you're not allowed to call Boss Qin 'Boss Lei Cha' anymore. It's so rude, like a shrew. The boss will be angry and won't give you any treats! Remember to call the boss 'beautiful sister' when you see her. She'll be very happy, okay?"
Xiao Feng rolled her eyes: "Sycophant."
"Flattery will get you everywhere!" Shen Gang called out to the courtyard, "Hey! Boss Qin, we're here!"
"Beautiful lady! What delicious food did you make? Do you still have Qiaohu and Lei Cha?"
Shen Nuonuo ran straight to the center of the courtyard, her eyes lighting up as she reached the hearth: "What's this? Is it all edible?"
Qin Yi pointed to the stove and said, "This is called 'fireside hot pot' and 'fireside roasted tea.' We'll have dinner here later. You can try my sister's handmade green tea and my mango passion fruit mille-feuille."
Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Shen Nuonuo immediately rushed to Qin Yi's side and stood there watching eagerly as Qin Yi cut the mille-feuille into pieces and then distributed them to everyone.
"Little Nuonuo, right? Here, this big piece of mille-feuille is for you."
This was the first time Shen Nuonuo had ever eaten a mille-feuille dessert. He thought it was the same as cake, so he took a big bite of it.
"You're really like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit," Shen Gang complained from the side. "Little Nuonuo, look at me. You have to eat the mille-feuille with a spoon to savor the delicate cream and the soft mille-feuille skin melting in your mouth."
After introducing it to his son, Shen Gang immediately gave a thumbs up: "Boss Qin's skills are amazing! This mille-feuille combines the sweet and sour fruit flavor with grandma's creamy aroma. It's soft, chewy, and incredibly sweet and tempting."
"Grandma's... creamy smell?" Qin Yi's body stiffened at the mention of that description. "There's also green tea here to cut through the richness..."
After saying that, she picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Xiao Feng, who was in the yard, immediately drank a bowl as well. "Oh~~~ The taste is light and smooth, and I can feel a refreshing sensation dancing in my mouth. It's so delicious!"
Qin Yi was also tasting Xiao Qing's tea for the first time, and it was even more amazing than she had imagined. She couldn't help but praise, "Wow, Xiao Qing! Not only is it fragrant and mellow on the palate, but more importantly, it has a long-lasting sweet aftertaste that leaves a pleasant fragrance on the mouth. That's rare. You must have practiced for quite a while, right?"
Zhuang Qing brought out the washed green leafy vegetables: "For more than a month, she went to pick morning tea every morning and practiced on her own. She burned several pairs of gloves at home."
Xiao Feng: "I know that you have to stir the tea leaves by hand in a boiling pot. The temperature is extremely high, it's so hot!"
Qin Yi smiled with satisfaction after hearing this and said to Zhuang Qing, "Fantastic! Even better than I imagined!"
Zhuang Qing was so embarrassed by the praise that she quickly called out to everyone, "Come and eat hot pot! Look how bright the fire is! It's the perfect time to eat!"
Qin Yi's large iron pot was steaming, and everyone was adding various meat and vegetable side dishes into it.
"Wow~ Sister, these fish balls are so smooth and bouncy. It's rare to find such delicious seafood in these remote mountains. The cuttlefish balls and fish balls are so fresh~ They're definitely not the kind of frozen balls you get in a freezer. Did you make all of these yourself?"
Qin Yi laughed and said, "The recipe is mine, but I was too lazy to make it, so I just got fresh meat from my partner. I almost got hit with a steel spoon trying to get these meatballs; that guy is obsessed with meatballs, he's a meatball fanatic..."
"Boss Qin, every time I see you, you're selling different kinds of food. Just how many things can you make?" Xiao Feng was originally on a diet, but when she saw the rustic earthen-red hearth and the bright red, boiling firewood hot pot, who could resist?
"The key is that not only can he cook a lot of delicious food, but every single one of them is top-notch. Others can master one skill, but Boss Qin has seventy-two skills, and every single one of them is a unique talent," Shen Gang praised while eating hot pot beef.
Qin Yi waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, no! Please don't flatter me too much. There are still many things I don't know how to do. Besides, the reason I'm having this hot pot dinner today is to ask you two for a favor."
Shen Gang was very forthright: "Boss Qin, just get to the point. Xiao Feng and I have been remembering the favor you did for us last time."
"Then I'll be frank! Tomorrow I'll be setting up a stall at the tea garden to sell intangible cultural heritage food. I'd like to invite you two to sing at the tea garden to liven up the atmosphere. Of course, I'll pay you your normal performance fee."
Xiao Feng was immediately displeased: "Boss Qin! You don't consider us friends. Since it's a favor between friends, you shouldn't talk about money. If you're going to talk about money with us, then we're not friends!"
Shen Gang added, "That's right! Neither Xiao Feng nor I will take your money! We can definitely help you with this!"
Chen Nuonuo, pouting her bright red lips, said, "Hoo hoo~~~ I~~~ don't~~~ want~~~ money! I want~~~ delicious~~~ food!"
Xiao Feng: "That's right! Xiao Nuonuo is absolutely right! Boss Qin, just cook us a nice meal, your cooking skills are more appealing than your coins, that's the real currency!"
Qin Yi smiled helplessly: "Okay, okay! I'll cover all the meals tomorrow, you can eat whatever you want!"
...
On the first day of the mission, Zhuang Qing had already set up a "tea tasting table" in Qingcha Ancient Town at seven o'clock in the morning.
"Come on, come on, enjoy the intangible cultural heritage delicacies and savor Yiyun green tea!"
"Last night, the spring rain in Jiangnan was plentiful; the peach blossoms have withered, but the mandarin fish have grown fat!"
"The spicy noodles and stuffed egg are both excellent; the traditional flavors are truly praiseworthy!"
"The flavor of mutton stew is boundless, and many intangible cultural heritages are found in the tea garden!"
All of the things mentioned before this were things Qin Yi taught Zhuang Qing to say.
What followed was entirely up to Zhuang Qing.
"The owner of Qingqing Tea Garden has gone mad, honing his skills for 20 years to create 20 kinds of intangible cultural heritage delicacies!"
"We cordially invite discerning foodies from all over the world to come and sample our offerings! Tea is all you can drink! Money is all you can pay!"
"Customers heading to the pinnacle of gastronomy, please come this way..."
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