Full Moon Banquet
Not many people were invited to this full moon celebration. Only the five members of Aso Mente's family, Jiang Siwei, Sangye, Lin Changli, Du Yuan, Wu Jianing, Meilushin, and Rong Cheng, who was called back by Du Yuan, attended the banquet.
Rong Cheng remained unremarkable during the various incidents that erupted on Black Tower Star, but due to her S-class spiritual entity and her consistently proactive attitude, she was promoted to the rank of colonel. Clearly, the Empire wouldn't easily waste any talented sentinel.
Wu Huansheng is stationed at the Snow Mountain branch base and will not be returning this time. However, she asked Rong Cheng to bring back two longevity locks as a full-moon gift for the twins.
As soon as Rong Cheng landed at the base, she rushed towards the West Building: "Master! Senior Sister! I'm back! I'm starving! Is there anything to eat?!"
She burst into the kitchen and saw Lin Changli hugging Sang Ye's waist and burying his face in her chest.
Rong Cheng: "?"
What are you doing so early in the morning?
Upon seeing Rong Cheng enter, the two quickly separated.
Sang Ye stood in front of Lin Changli and smiled at the travel-worn Rong Cheng: "You're back. We're still having breakfast. Go take a shower first, and I'll steam some buns for you, or make you a bowl of plain noodles, okay? I'll also add two poached eggs."
Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon disembarking; to welcome family members returning from afar, a bowl of steaming hot noodles must be prepared.
Rong Cheng, being very easygoing, immediately nodded upon hearing this: "I want them all, and the steamed buns should have mushroom and pork filling."
Sangye naturally agreed.
Lin Changli, having finished tidying up, didn't continue eating. Instead, he started cooking eggs for Sangye, and after Rong Cheng finished showering, the three of them ate breakfast together.
Then comes today's big project – the full moon banquet.
The custom of Shifangwu is "perfection in everything". The full moon banquet must have ten dishes. If more dishes are added later, they must be added in pairs. An odd number is absolutely not allowed.
You could call it superstition, or you could call it a heartfelt wish for the young.
Kuwano had already finalized the menu with Aso Mente, a combination of Chinese and Western styles:
Rose-flavored dragon fruit, steamed grouper, pan-fried foie gras, butter-roasted chicken, garlic butter bread, spicy blood curd, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Peking duck, mango mousse, and longevity noodles.
When Du Yuan returned with Wu Jianing, several deep-sea rose lobsters were waving their claws on the floor under the kitchen corridor. Each of them was a meter long, and they were still fierce even out of the water.
Wu Jianing wasn't afraid at all. She casually grabbed Du Yuan's large scissors and started wielding them against the lobster.
Before long, the deep-sea rose lobster was no longer fierce, because Lin Changli and Rong Cheng came out with scissors, sharpening their knives and making a cut on both sides of the lobster's head to separate the head and body. Then they removed the gills and other excess parts, cut the shell on the back in half, and cut off the legs, tail, and barbs. The tail was left on for easier plating later.
The lobsters quickly quieted down and obediently placed themselves on the plate.
The deep-sea rose lobster decomposes extremely quickly after death, so without delay, it was immediately put into a large steamer.
Mix minced garlic, chopped chili peppers, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce together. Add a spoonful of hot oil to release the aroma, pour it over the lobster meat, and steam together until cooked.
The freshly caught grouper is bright red, like fire. This fish is ferocious and greedy, with tender flesh and extremely high protein content.
Prepare the fish in the same way: remove the head and tail, clean the head and cut it in half but not completely, again for better presentation. Remove the bones and fins from the body, cut it into large pieces, arrange them on either side of the main bone, sprinkle with scallion, ginger and garlic juice and marinate for a while.
This time, the roast duck will be sliced and roasted, not the Nanjing roast duck that Sangye and the others usually eat. The roast duck oven by the reservoir is ready. After heating it to a certain temperature, the pre-marinated roast ducks will be hung in to roast. Rong Cheng was assigned to watch over the roast ducks.
Sangye remained in the kitchen to prepare the marinade for the butter-roasted chicken. Rose salt, sugar, rosemary, bay leaves, lemon juice, black pepper, honey, and melted butter were mixed in proportion, then handed over to Lin Changli to brush each chicken inside and out until golden brown and the sauce was thick.
In addition, prepare side dishes such as corn, carrots, onion slices, cherry tomatoes, and pumpkin. First, mix them with seasonings such as black pepper and salt and let them sit.
Marinate the butter chicken for about an hour, then put it in the oven with the side dishes.
Fortunately, the Xixiaolou oven is huge, and it can easily hold thirty or forty trays at a time.
Du Yuan had started preparing all the ingredients for Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish) long ago.
This dish wasn't particularly expensive, but it had a strong, fiery flavor that warmed you up instantly with every bite. It was a dish that Aso Mente specifically requested; she was utterly fed up with all the bland soups and desperately craved something with a strong taste.
Du Yuan was still gradually getting rid of "old ideas." She initially wanted to say that new mothers couldn't eat these things, but then she thought that the new mother wasn't an ordinary person, so she should let her eat whatever she wanted.
Wash the tripe, ham sausage, beef aorta, beef tripe, duck blood, and bean sprouts and set them aside for later use.
Du Yuan turned the range hood and ventilation to their maximum, heated the oil in the wok, and sautéed the basic seasonings such as scallions, ginger, garlic, and dried chili peppers. These are the essential ingredients for any dish.
Then add a spoonful of fermented bean paste and a piece of spicy hot pot base—this was a sudden idea Sangye had after eating beef tallow hot pot last time, made at the base's processing plant, and it hasn't been put on the market yet—add water to bring out the aroma, add sugar, soy sauce and other seasonings, and then put the side dishes in one by one to blanch, with different side dishes requiring different times.
Ham sausage, duck blood, and bean sprouts can be cooked for a little longer, while beef aorta should be cooked for even shorter periods, and tripe only needs ten seconds.
The cooked side dishes are arranged in order in a deep soup bowl, with bean sprouts at the bottom, topped with a generous amount of tripe and beef aorta, and duck blood and ham sausage arranged around the rim of the bowl from the outside in.
The last and most important step was for Du Yuan to place a small handful of dried chili peppers in the center and then pour hot oil over them.
With a "whoosh," even the range hood stopped working.
The pungent aroma of Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish) wafts over, accompanied by the rich fragrance of meat, making one's nose and mouth itch, yet without arousing the slightest aversion.
Wu Jianing pinched her nose and stood on tiptoe to look at the novel food that Du Yuan was holding.
Du Yuan felt a surge of affection for her clever and lively manner. She scooped out the leftovers from the pot, divided them into two bowls, and prepared them in the same way before placing them on the central table. One bowl was for Wu Jianing, and the other for Little Phoenix. After lifting Wu Jianing onto a high stool and telling her to be careful of the heat, Du Yuan went back to prepare the next pot.
Meanwhile, Lin Changli and Sangye worked together to prepare all the ingredients needed for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
This is a famous coastal dish, combining delicacies from the mountains and the sea in a small bowl, with rich and distinct flavors. Because the ingredients are expensive, ordinary people cannot afford it. Even wealthy merchants and noble families only serve this dish at banquets to display their wealth and to treat distinguished guests.
For seafood such as abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, dried scallops, dried shrimp, and dried scallops, wash them thoroughly and soak them in advance. For meat, blanch the cured ham, pork tendons, chicken carcasses, duck carcasses, pork belly, and ribs to remove any fishy smell. For other ingredients, peel and slice the shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and quail eggs.
Traditionally, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is cooked in an earthenware pot over a low flame for several hours or even a day to complete.
However, Kuwano is now in the interstellar era and can achieve the same effect by making good use of technology without steaming for such a long time.
Sangye also used small bowls, one for each person, adding his treasured broth and a little Shaoxing wine. He placed the ingredients into the bowls according to their cooking tolerance, sealed the opening of the pond with lotus leaves picked from the pond, and put the pot on to simmer, allowing the flavors of the various ingredients to fully blend.
Just as the fire was lit, Rong Cheng walked in carrying ten large roast ducks in one hand, looking very imposing.
The roast duck has a crispy, reddish-brown skin, and the greasy fat rolls down its body, releasing a fragrant aroma.
After Rong Cheng put down the roast duck, a cleaning robot that followed her spun its mop and cleaned the floor spotlessly.
Lin Changli used a knife to slice the skin off the roast duck. Slicing the skin while it was still hot locked in the oil and the aroma of the seasonings, making it taste even better. Lin Changli could smooth the blade with his bare hands under high heat; he wasn't afraid of getting burned, so this job was perfect for him.
Kuwano checked the time and started steaming the grouper.
Then, the baked mango cups were taken out of the oven and processed with heavy cream, mango puree, and cheese. They were then placed in molds and baked into small cup shapes, orange-yellow in color and exuding the fruity aroma of mango. Rongcheng added hot mango juice to gelatin sheets, stirred until melted, and then poured it into the mango cups. After cooling, a darker, almost amber-colored mango jelly formed in the center.
Sangye freed his hands to prepare the last three dishes.
Foie gras was a delicacy that Kuwano had learned about from ancient books. However, compared to the cruel force-feeding methods of the past, Kuwano was more merciful. She specially adjusted the "diet" for the geese that produced foie gras, feeding them for a period of time to obtain tender foie gras.
First, wash the foie gras thoroughly, then add warm water and a little white wine to remove any fishy smell. After removing it from the water, pat it dry. Melt a small piece of butter and whole garlic cloves in a pan, add some apple slices for flavor, and slowly fry. After removing it from the pan, sprinkle with some black pepper and fine salt.
The method itself is not difficult, but the ingredients are rare, hence the high price.
Garlic butter bread can be considered a dessert or a main dish. If it gets cold, you can pan-fry it again to further enhance the garlic flavor, making the edges slightly curled and a little charred, resulting in a crispier bread.
The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup bowl made a popping sound as a rich aroma slowly wafted out.
The oven beeped, signaling that the Sangye butter-roasted chicken was ready.
A variety of delicious dishes are gathered together. The kitchen is filled with the aroma of various meats.
And judging by the time, the others at the full moon banquet would be arriving soon.
Sangye looked at Du Yuan, who was focused as she carefully and slowly lowered two long noodles into the chicken soup.
Longevity noodles, may they last forever.
A banquet hall was built in the basement of the West Building, which is very convenient.
After the supplies were sent to the base hospital and other locations, the banquet hall tables were piled high with food.
Aso Mente was empty-handed, relaxed and at ease. The child was held in the arms of Ms. Sophia and Jiang Sili.
The rose lobster is huge and placed in the center of the table. The bright red shell is placed next to the glistening white meat, and the yogurt with its oily sheen is used to garnish the lobster meat. Each piece of lobster meat is the size of a palm and is chewy and delicious.
Several baskets of buttered bread were placed next to it.
Two plates each of steamed grouper, spicy blood curd, butter-roasted chicken, pan-fried foie gras, and Peking duck were arranged around the round table, filling it to the brim.
Bowls of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall were then placed in front of each person.
Longevity noodles are specially prepared for twins.
Since the child can't eat anything yet, the longevity noodles are naturally eaten by the parents.
The two followed Du Yuan's instructions and did not bite it off; instead, they picked it up with their chopsticks and put it in their mouths.
When Du Yuan placed the mango mousse in front of the two of them, he cut off a corner of each mango jelly before handing them over.
Aso Mente did not understand what he meant.
Du Yuan patted Wu Jianing's head beside him: "We have a saying where I'm from, 'A little bit of excess is better than nothing.' We don't need to push things to the extreme, and we don't need to strive for perfection."
Her expression was gentle: "Consider it my blessing for you."
Aso Ment paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, returned her a bright smile: "Thank you."
At this moment, Melusin no longer possessed the demeanor of a young duke. She rolled up her sleeves, wrapped up the roast duck, and preferred to dip the duck meat in sweet bean sauce and wrap it tightly in the thin dough. She felt that wrapping it up first and then dipping it in sweet bean sauce made it less flavorful.
The cucumber in the roast duck roll balances the greasiness locked in by the duck skin, and adding a little bit of scallion fills the nasal cavity with a spicy and stimulating sensation, making it exceptionally invigorating.
Wu Jianing refused to eat a single slice of scallion; she wrapped one for herself and another for Little Phoenix. Despite their usual playful bickering, the two were very close.
Aso Mente swallowed the longevity noodles in one gulp, finished the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in two bites, and then focused on eliminating the spicy blood curd.
It's fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing; so spicy that it makes your tongue and lips hurt a little.
But it's so delicious! It's not like those bland soups anymore. I've almost gotten sick of eating them lately.
Sangye and Lin Changli stood very close together. She was biting into a garlic bread, while Lin Changli picked out some fish and put it into her bowl.
Inside the restaurant, everyone chatted and laughed, appearing relaxed and at ease.
Some people have overcome the most difficult hurdle in their lives and are ready to move forward again; others are free and unrestrained, living according to their own ideas.
Everyone was very satisfied.
*
Everyone was having a great time in the West Building, and the atmosphere was lively and bustling.
The base hospital was filled with the joy of celebrating National Day, with everyone immersed in the subsidies given by the executive officer and the delight of the ten dishes served today.
Even the most unruly sentry stopped causing trouble and obediently waited for the nurse to feed him—the nurse was afraid that some sentries would brandish fish bones and poke her face, so she adopted a distrustful approach.
At this time, Camellia was also having a meal with Shan Wanqing in their private hospital room.
The hospital specially replaced the table in Shan Wanqing's ward with a larger one so that all the dishes could be placed on it.
The staff member smiled and said, "If you need more, just ring the bell and we'll bring more. This time the quantity is much larger. You're lucky this time, you can even share it with your family."
Camellia expressed her gratitude.
The ingredients were fresh and delicious, as if they had just been pulled from the sea. The dishes had a rich flavor that surpassed everything she had ever known in all her years of life.
Camellia had just taken a bite of foie gras when, without noticing, oil splattered onto her lapel, creating tiny little flowers.
Shan Wanqing gently wiped it a few times, but couldn't remove it.
Camellia didn't seem to care much.
"Was this made by that guide named Sangye?" Shan Wanqing asked casually, taking a bite of lobster meat. "Thanks to her these past few days, many people in our hospital have seen significant improvement, and more and more are waking up. After a while of treatment, once my condition stabilizes, I can go home."
Shan Wanqing has a harmonious family, and she misses her mother and daughter very much.
Camellia nodded.
With a mother by my side, we can face all difficulties together.
At that moment, Camellia's terminal gave a soft "ding".
Someone sent her a message.
Upon seeing the content, Camellia frowned slightly, then relaxed, as if she had seen new hope.
*
The message was naturally sent by Sangye; she invited Camellia to come and soak in the hot springs in the middle of the night.
Staying overnight in the hospital might not allow you to experience the magic of Kuwano, but just one soak in the hot springs will make everything fall into place.
When she arrived by invitation, Camellia saw all the exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard and back garden in their entirety.
Clusters of colorful hydrangeas swayed in the breeze, roses bloomed vibrantly, and gardenias exuded a refreshing fragrance...
Flowers that only appear in books bloom in profusion before the camellia's eyes.
Blooming beside the hot springs are camellias, their layers of pink and white petals adorned with deeper spots.
The name "camellia" comes from the camellia flower. Shan Wanqing said that she was fortunate enough to visit the palace in her early years, and a camellia flower was cultivated in the imperial garden at great expense, which left a deep impression on her.
"Do you like it?" Kuwano emerged from the hot spring water, her eyes glistening with tears, her hair flowing behind her. "This kind of camellia is called the Eighteen Scholars. I transplanted it here especially for you."
Kuwano spoke casually, but Camellia was alarmed; she spoke as if it were something completely ordinary.
"This kind of camellia? Are there any other types of camellias?"
Sangye touched the delicate petals of the Eighteen Scholars: "There are so many, hexagonal red, black river, red pearl, palace pink, Wang Zhaojun, silver triumph, yellow hydrangea... I can't even count them all."
She leaned against the shore to prop herself up, looking directly at the crouching camellia: "I can grow them all."
Camellia's breathing became slightly rapid, but quickly calmed down.
"I invited you to the hot springs, but I've said so much before I even asked you to." Kuwano stepped aside and pointed to the changing room. "You can change your clothes there. Let's soak together."
While the camellia was in the water, Sangye lay on the other side of the bank, looking out at the dark sea through the bushes.
Camellia raised her hand, watching the clear hot spring water flow down her fingers, feeling the spiritual impact brought by the spring. There was nowhere to hide, no way to refuse, it surged straight into her limbs and bones, even invading her mental landscape, bringing sweet rain to the camellias within the landscape.
The camellia bushes rustled gently, which was quite delightful.
Shancha walked towards Kuwaye.
Sangye's voice was lazy and casual: "How are you feeling?"
Camellia paused for a moment before replying, "It's amazing... Just like the doctors said, you are a very different kind of guide."
“Describing me as very different is not enough.” Kuwano smiled brightly, looking energetic against her red hair.
Camellia thought of the base being transformed into a botanical garden, a place overflowing with spiritual energy like a fairyland; she thought of the delicious food she had eaten these past few days, which greatly soothed her long-standing anxiety; she thought of her mother, whose mental state was nearing stability and who was about to be discharged from the hospital...
“You asked me to come here, it couldn’t just be for me to soak in the hot springs.” Camellia mimicked her and lay down on the shore.
A small sycamore tree appeared silently in the bushes of the back garden.
“I’ve heard about your family’s current situation. I have a way to revive your business and even expand it,” Sangye said. “But I think you’re also aware of the dangers that will come with it.”
Camellia's eyes lit up.
“You may not know about the various semi-finished products that are currently all the rage on the capital planet, but you’ve seen what I can do. I can cooperate with the capital planet, and I can cooperate with you in the same way. I will provide the raw materials, the semi-finished product recipes, and the corresponding tableware and kitchenware. You will be responsible for building business relationships with large corporations such as military schools and conducting sales. You should be very familiar with this, so I don’t need to worry about it. We will split the profits 30/70, so you won’t lose anything.”
Sangye explained the cooperation model clearly in just a few words, and the child from a business family could easily understand it.
Before Sangye could finish speaking, Camellia's heart was already pounding.
She knew perfectly well what opportunity she was facing, which was very likely the most important and crucial opportunity of her life.
Such a product has never existed in interstellar space before, and even though it already exists on the capital planet, it has not yet been extended to remote planets.
If she can seize the initiative, it means a steady stream of financial gains.
Military schools need to purchase a lot of things, and anything related to mental energy is a major expense. Mental energy food and plants that can produce mental energy are all highly sought after.
But Camellia also knew what danger Kuwano was referring to.
"Besides the profit sharing, I need you to do something for me." This was the first time Sangye's expression had been so serious.
"you say."
“This matter is bound to be dangerous. You decide for yourself whether we should cooperate.” Sangye laid out the unpleasant truth upfront. “That S-rank guide’s mental ability is dream manipulation. Many sentinels who have undergone his mental manipulation have experienced constant nightmares, and some have even fallen into mental turmoil. My family was murdered, and that nightmare keeps hinting that he is going to do something terrible… but I have no evidence for any of this.”
Camellia turned around and looked into Kuwano's honest and straightforward green eyes: "You want me to pay attention to searching for this kind of situation."
Sangye nodded: "What has been done will always leave traces; it's impossible to completely seal them away."
For example, even after many years, Melusin can still find clues about the White Wolf Clan in the bills.
"I think you're aware of the dangers involved in this matter. Even after being exiled, the other party remains an S-rank guide. And I've heard that he still has trusted confidants by his side?"
Camellia nodded and sank into the hot spring water. She suddenly felt very cold: "Two of his most loyal confidants are both A+ level Sentinels. I heard they may have broken through recently."
Kuwano didn't notice the sudden change in Camellia's expression. She continued, "If you refuse, I can understand. After all, different people have different pursuits..."
“I agree. I will cooperate with you, and I will also look for all kinds of evidence, whether it be certification or physical evidence.” Camellia interrupted her, her pupils pitch black.
Sangye also sank a little deeper into the water.
"Major General Kuwano, can you guess why my mother suddenly had a mental breakdown and left me when I was a child?" Camellia asked.
This question is asked with a preconceived answer in mind.
Camellia recalled, "Before the accident, my mother received mental counseling from a guide who had just arrived at the army base. After returning, she kept having nightmares. On the day of the accident, my mother pushed me down the stairs, and then my grandmother had to bring her here. Not long after, she fell into a deep sleep."
“None of us know what his psychic abilities are; he’s always kept them very well hidden. None of us ever thought it would be the Guide’s problem.”
How could there be a guide who would harm people?
Grandma Camellia and she herself never revealed the details of the incident, but almost the exact same thing suddenly came from the mouth of a strange guide.
Camellia knew that Sangye must have something to ask for, but she didn't mind being used. She could investigate first to find out if what Sangye said about Song Yu was true.
She couldn't bear the thought of someone harming her mother.
They had no grudge against the other party, yet they were separated from their mother and daughter for many years by a malicious guide, whose fate remained unknown.
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