Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Yun Qiu: It smells so good
Zhu Dan didn't notice Yun Qiu's retreat. When she focused all her attention on one person, she would be more sensitive to that person's emotions, but she was actually not good at observing people's expressions, nor would she deliberately pay attention to what other people were doing.
At this moment, Zhu Dan took Yun Qiu and ran all over the experimental fields, collecting all the food they could. The more they ran, the happier they became.
It's a rare opportunity to collect ingredients that are almost the same as those in later generations. I would feel sorry for myself if I don't have a hot pot.
Hotpot is fun not only when there are many people but also when there are many dishes.
Seeing Zhu Dan so happy, Yun Qiu didn't feel comfortable asking for leave, as he felt that doing so would be a bit of a spoiler.
After being delayed all the way, Zhu Dan didn't even get to spit out the food until he brought all the ingredients back to the workshop, which was next to Liu Bang's house, and notified his subordinates to come over for hot pot after get off work.
The first step in eating hot pot is to fry the hot pot base. Zhu Dan actually doesn’t have much experience in this, but she thinks that if she has no experience, others will have even less, so she decides to do this job.
And there is another consideration for doing this. The hot pot base she wants to cook contains a lot of chili peppers. Anyone who has cooked knows that chili peppers will emit a strong pungent smell when cooking, which most people can't stand.
If Zhu Dan stir-fries the peppers herself, she can do some tricks, such as using spiritual energy to firmly control the aroma of the peppers within a certain range, so that they go out through the chimney and do not drift in all directions.
Some peppers are so pungent when fried, but they are not that terrible when eaten, especially when cooked in a pot. If you don’t add sauce... the taste is even lighter.
Therefore, when cooking, don’t leave too deep a psychological shadow on them, so as to avoid feeling afraid and not being able to eat well.
Zhu Dan felt that she had considered everything very comprehensively. She looked mysterious, drove everyone out, and busied herself at the stove.
Yun Qiu had long been accustomed to Zhu Dan's hands-on approach, and did not stand guard outside the door like a maid as before. She just gave some instructions to the chef who was preparing the food, and went to make plans for tomorrow's autumn harvest.
She is also very busy now. When she calculates the time is almost up, she returns to the kitchen. The chef has already led the kitchen helpers to prepare the meat and vegetable dishes for cooking hot pot.
Yun Qiu pulled a little maid to ask what was going on in the kitchen. Was there any particularly stimulating smell?
The little maid was brought from Xianyang by Yun Qiu, and she knew her identity very well. When she was caught and asked questions, she was excited in her heart, but she pretended to be calm on the surface: "No, it's okay." To be precise, she didn't smell any smell at all, but this statement seemed outrageous.
How could the food be tasteless? She thought she was too busy running around to notice.
I couldn't leave such an unreliable impression on Lord Yunqiu, so I used a more vague word.
However, Yun Qiu didn't know that this statement was not irritating at all to him.
I don't think it's that spicy.
Yun Qiu was a little confused at first, but then he realized that it might be Zhu Dan who used his supernatural power when frying the hot pot base.
However, she did not expect that Zhu Dan used spiritual power to cover up the spicy smell. She just thought it was another situation. Zhu Dan once said that everything must be in moderation. It will not work if it exceeds the limit.
So she thought that Zhu Dan had used his divine power to adjust it, making the hot pot base made with a variety of peppers not so spicy, but more inclined to the richness of the peppers.
Yun Qiu's anxiety subsided a bit, and he calmed down. "I'm obsessed with appearances. Although Mr. Zhu likes spicy food, he's not the kind of person who forces others to eat spicy food."
"She used to prepare hot pot with both spicy and clear soup, and I think this time it will be even more so. I'll take a bite or two first. If I don't like it, I can just have the clear soup later."
It would be wrong to retreat without a fight.
Zhu Dan created such a good opportunity for them to communicate with each other. If they are absent at this time, they will easily miss key information and create more barriers between them.
Yun Qiu calmed down and put on a smile again.
Soon it was time for dinner.
Preparations were limited in a hurry, so Zhu Dan naturally did not invite ordinary workers. Each of them had people under their command and was considered a leader.
Among these people, some were brought by her from Xianyang, while others developed locally.
This first-come-first-served and geographical distance order is difficult to break. People will form groups and then exclude the faction that does not belong to them in order to gain more benefits.
So when Zhu Dan came out with the cooked hot pot base, she found that many people had already arrived.
Some people live far away from home and don’t have time to change clothes after a day’s work. Some people are more shrewd and motivated. Even if they don’t dress up, they at least keep themselves clean and refreshed.
I had clearly told them that hotpot is meant to be lively and that it's better for more people to sit together, but they still sat so clearly separated from each other. A hint of helplessness flashed in Zhu Dan's eyes, but he didn't show it on his face.
She had someone build a temporary stove, and now all she had to do was divide the prepared broth into each pot.
Zhu Dan put the spicy base into half of the pot, and the remaining half was still the boiled broth, without adding anything else. But because of this, Zhu Dan also asked someone to prepare some sauces.
"Everyone can try the spicy hot pot first. If you're worried you can't handle it, rinse it with a bowl of water. If you still can't handle it, try the soup pot here." Zhu Dan said, winking at Yun Qiu. "Don't jump to conclusions. You might find it scary now, but you'll love it after trying it."
These words were not only spoken to Yun Qiu, but also to everyone present.
Because Zhu Dan knew that none of them had ever tasted spicy food, and she had not stayed in Pei County for so long in vain. Some people in Xianyang still ate dogwood, but there was none here at all.
"Then let me try." Liu Ji smiled heartily.
Yes, he was also present today, but it was not because of Lu Zhi's influence. After all, he also did a lot of work for Zhu Dan.
He participated in the previous land reclamation and the later construction of the workshop school... The reason why he did not become the general manager like Lu Zhi was because he had Yun Qiu, a person of good family background, above him.
Following suit, Lü Zhi also walked over to the pot where Zhu Dan was, and said with a smile, "I'll try it too. I've heard the Imperial Master talk about this chili pepper many times before, and I don't know how delicious it is. I have a chance to try it today, so I can't miss it."
Yun Qiu, who was originally still hesitating, made up her mind and walked over. If she didn't come now, she would have no place to stay here.
They are all so cunning.
Although Zhu Dan said that the more people eating hot pot, the better, the pot is only this big and can only seat one circle of people, about seven or eight people.
Although today's banquet is said to be a leisure team-building event, in the eyes of smart people, it is also an occasion to entertain leaders. They will not be so stupid as to only care about eating.
If I give up this position today, and the other party happens to catch the eye of the national teacher, I will never be able to get it back even if I cry.
Yun Qiu decided to go for it and just eat it. After all, she had tasted dogwood and the chili peppers made by Zhu Sheng. How could she be worse than these ignorant people?
Yun Qiu didn't even rinse the first bite with clean water. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he felt his lips were burning, numb and a little painful, just as Mr. Zhu said that spicy taste is also painful.
Yun Qiu immediately covered her mouth and didn't stick out her tongue involuntarily, which was too rude.
"Eat some vegetables." Zhu Dan saw that her eyes were red, as if she was crying because of the spiciness, so she quickly scooped a spoonful of vegetables from the soup pot next to her. It was her favorite lettuce when eating hot pot.
Is it true that Yunqiu can’t eat spicy food?
Yun Qiu swallowed the piece of meat with almost no chewing, and quickly started to eat the vegetables. The lettuce was sweet but also plain, which further highlighted the unique flavor of the meat.
Yun Qiu took another bite of the vegetables and felt a little disappointed. He looked at the fiery red spicy hot pot and was eager to eat.
Would you like to try another chopstick?
She subconsciously looked at the person next to her.
"This taste is quite stimulating." Lü Zhi exclaimed in admiration, "But I quite like it. So this is what spicy taste is like?"
Zhu Dan had already scooped out a few spoonfuls of meat for herself. As a carnivore, she wouldn't eat vegetables. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "If you like, I'll give you some seeds. You can plant a large patch of it at home next year. I've tried them, and there are several varieties of peppers that are suitable for stir-frying, and some are suitable for seasoning. Try a few and see which one you like."
"Thank you, Imperial Master."
Looking further away, Zhou Bo and Fan Kuai were already shouting.
“This hot pot is really good, very strong!”
"If I had a pot of hot soup like this in the middle of winter, all the coldness in my body would go away."
Xiahou Ying also said: "Indeed, this chili pepper is better than wine for driving away the cold."
He was the coachman in Pei County. Sometimes, even in the middle of winter, when a distinguished guest came, he still had to go to work. Unlike the distinguished guest who could sit in the warm carriage, he could only sit on the carriage frame. The cold wind chilled him from the inside out, and he could not bear it without drinking some strong liquor.
When he first started drinking, he couldn't hold his liquor well, and he was driving so dizzy that he almost fell down, which scared him.
After a few years of practice, his drinking capacity improved. If this spicy soup could replace strong liquor... Xiahou Ying was very tempted and said, "I don't know if this chili is expensive. If I boil a pot of spicy soup with chicken and fish, it would not only drive away the cold but also provide nutrition. It's very good."
He didn't say this loudly, but Zhu Dan heard it clearly and laughed, "You're right. Chili pepper is a very common seasoning. It was originally used to dispel cold and prevent food from spoiling."
Refrigerators were invented only a few years later. Before that, the only way to keep food from spoiling was to add sugar and oil, but both of these were not cheap anywhere.
It might be useful for nobles, but they don't need to eat stale food.
Chili peppers can be grown all over the country, with good yields and are not picky about the soil.
"Its popularity and promotion will be our top priority going forward, along with several other crops," Zhu Dan urged everyone. "Everyone try it. Only if you truly believe it's delicious can you convince others to grow peppers as well."
Zhu Dan looked at the people sitting around again. Lu Zhi and Liu Ji had already adapted to the spicy taste. They seemed to be naturally not afraid of spicy food and began to eat with relish.
She was a little worried about Yunqiu. Yunqiu's mouth was red and sweat was coming out of his face and forehead.
Zhu Dan said: "If you can't eat it, then don't eat it..."
Before he could finish his words, Yun Qiu answered, "No, I think it's delicious."
Her eyes sparkled. Before, Zhu Dan thought she was going to cry because of the spicy taste, but now—
"At first I felt uncomfortable eating it, as if my mouth was on fire, but as I ate more I couldn't help it, as if I wanted to eat more." Yun Qiu shyly but honestly expressed his thoughts.
Zhu Dan was very upset. This is chili pepper, not that thing. How can it make people addicted to it?
However, Zhu Dan thought back to her first life. She started to taste spicy food when she was admitted to university. Then she became more and more addicted to it, and the taste became stronger and stronger. She went from being a person who never ate spicy food in daily life to someone who couldn't live without it.
It seems that Yunqiu is in the same situation, so Zhu Dan did not stop him, thinking that he could just practice it out. Little did he know that Yunqiu is the typical person who likes to play more the worse he is.
After a light meal, people always want to challenge themselves and climb to the top. They fail again and again, but they keep fighting. This spirit is truly awe-inspiring.
That's a matter for later, but let's not talk about it for now. Hot pot is indeed a powerful tool for building closer relationships. Everyone enjoyed the meal very much, and before the meal was over, someone approached Zhu Dan with hesitation to order a batch of chili peppers.
Zhu Dan gave a small share. After all, many people participated in the cultivation of peppers, so it would be too much if he didn't give any.
But she couldn't have more, she wanted to take it back to share with Brother Zheng and her friends in Xianyang.
Everyone had to give up the idea and thought about growing more peppers themselves next spring. Some smart people even thought of selling the peppers to other places.
Because of these exciting ideas, many people did not sleep well at night, but the next day, when Zhu Dan announced the harvest of crops, everyone was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
However, Zhu Dan did not take them to harvest peppers, but went to the cotton field first.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
