022. Pattern Dumplings
Before nightfall, everyone in the Regent's Palace had eaten and drunk their fill and went about their own business. Liang Shenyu arrived at this time, perfectly missing the meal time.
Looking at Liang Shenyu sitting in the Yueyue Hall, Rong Se thought of the two meals he had promised, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's been less than two hours, and the Marquis is here to eat for free?"
Liang Shenyu was tied up by military affairs and was not very happy this time. He nodded slightly and said, "A gentleman keeps his word."
Rong Se thought, I am not a gentleman, I am a cook. But he said it himself, and he remembered the meat stuffing left over from making eggplant boxes today, so he stood up and said, "Come on, take the Marquis to Jinshanxuan to wait for a while."
Rongse returned to the kitchen, kneaded the dough and prepared the fillings skillfully, then nimbly made a few dumplings of various shapes and put them into the pot.
He remembered that the original book mentioned once that Liang Shenyu loved eating dumplings, and it was always right to cater to his preferences. After all, to a certain extent, his life was in Liang Shenyu's hands.
Liang Shenyu didn't have to wait too long before Rong Se came back with a tray, and three exquisite porcelain plates were placed on the table one after another.
The first dish is dumplings, the two sides of the dumplings are pinched together, like round ingots.
The second dish is steamed dumplings, which are in the shape of a lucky bag with a five-petal flower on top.
The third dish is pan-fried dumplings, which are similar in shape to steamed dumplings, but with a different petal shape that more resembles a plum blossom.
"Boiled dumplings are Yuanbao dumplings, steamed dumplings are Furong flower dumplings, and fried dumplings are Meihua dumplings." Rong Se placed a small dish of prepared dipping sauce in front of him, "Eat it."
Liang Shenyu was silent for a moment, then he picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is thoughtful to make dumplings in so many different ways." Then he asked casually, "Why did you think of making dumplings?"
"Just do it if you want to." Rong Se was ambiguous and asked back: "You don't like it?"
Liang Shenyu took a bite of the fried dumpling. The bottom of the dumpling was fried golden and crispy, and it was served with dipping sauce, green pepper and meat filling. Even the taste was fresh.
"I love it." Liang Shenyu paused and then smiled, "Master Wang's cooking skills are not something that ordinary people can taste."
He tried them one by one: dumplings stuffed with scallions and meat, and steamed dumplings stuffed with cucumber and egg. He ate them slowly but left nothing behind.
Rong Se was doubtful and felt that something was not right about Liang Shenyu's expression, but seeing how he ate in a gentle manner, she couldn't tell what was wrong.
After dinner, Liang Shenyu still politely said goodbye and behaved as usual, and Rongse felt relieved.
.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Liang Shenyu went to bed after finishing his military duties. He lay on the couch he had not seen for a long time and could not fall asleep for a long time.
Since fourteen years ago, he seldom had a peaceful sleep. The past haunted him like a thorn in his flesh, and he could not rest even in his dreams. So he could only recall over and over again the past fourteen years when he was still the third son of the Liang family, riding a horse along the streets, happy and carefree.
The old marquis has guarded the border for many years and fought against the Huns several times, with great military exploits. The two sons of the Liang family are also brave. The eldest son Liang Wenyu is extremely domineering with a spear and became famous at a young age. The second son Liang Qingyu is good at strategy and tactics, and often wins by surprise. He is like a wolf and a fox. The brothers work together and are invincible.
At that time, the third son of the Liang family was a young man with strong ambitions. He wanted to fight on the battlefield like his father and brothers. At a young age, he could shoot an arrow through the air from a hundred steps away without missing a target. However, among the four sons, three joined the army. Compared with his two brothers, Liang Shenyu was smart and pleasing, and spent more time with his mother.
The eldest brother often said: "My brothers have fought all the battles that need to be fought, you stay at home and comfort mother. What should you do if you see her crying?"
Liang Shenyu, who was only seven years old, said in a baby voice: "Tell mother that Sanlang is with her. Sanlang is with her waiting for the eldest and second brothers to come back!"
"Oh! Right!" Liang Wenyu smiled and patted his head, then stuffed a bag of crispy candies he had taken from his second brother into his pocket and said, "Good brother, this is a reward for you."
Behind the shade of a tree in the distance, the second brother came over holding a plate of purple grapes that had been washed in the well and waved at him, "How can anyone take something from his younger brother and give it to his younger brother? Sanlang, ignore the eldest brother and come here."
In the midsummer, with the grape juice sour and sweet and cool, the eldest and second brothers were playing in the yard in their martial arts robes until the old man shouted loudly outside: "Three little bastards, dinner is ready! If you don't come, all the dumplings made by Madam will be gone!"
The eldest brother immediately let go of the second brother who was pinned to the ground and ran over to pick him up and walked away, saying with a smile: "Whoever arrives last will fight with dad! Sanlang, let's go--!"
Liang Shenyu thought and thought until he finally fell asleep.
The dream was of Guzhuling in Layue. Guzhuling stretched from Qiangzhou to Yizhou. It was the place where the Jinbei Army suffered a disastrous defeat. Of the 250,000 Jinbei Army, only 50,000 were left, except for those who died in the battle of Qiangzhou. Under the heavy snow of Guzhuling, the bodies of nearly 70,000 generals were buried.
He staggered forward in the knee-deep snow, his hot blood splattered on the snow and quickly froze into ice crystals of blood red. The cold snow poured into his boots, but Liang Shenyu was unaware. He struggled in the snow, searching for bodies one by one, his hands swollen and red from the cold, and he would stumble over the bodies buried in the snow from time to time.
The cold wind mixed with the smell of blood and death was stinging. Liang Shenyu had never seen so many corpses, nor had he seen such heavy snow and wind in Mobei. It seemed as if it wanted to bury him and his father and brother together that winter.
Until someone shouted: "Third Master! We found the old marquis!"
He scrambled through the snow and found them in a valley.
The last rays of the sun were not as bright as the blood. Under the green mountains, the ground was stained with blood. He looked at his eldest brother who was hung on a tree with his limbs cut off, and his second brother whose hands, feet and neck were nailed to the mountain wall with long nails. His father's body stood in front of them, with his spear sticking to the ground, standing there steadily. The white cherry blossoms on his hat moved in the wind. His back was still majestic, but his body was full of arrows. The snow under his feet melted with blood and froze into red ice.
Frost and snow covered their frozen bodies, blurring even their faces.
Liang Shenyu stood there timidly. He knew that this was a dream and he also knew what kind of scene he would see if he went on. He was trapped in this day day after day and could only stand there numbly.
But the faces of my father and brother became clearer in the wind and snow, without a trace of anger.
A strong wind suddenly blew, and Liang Shenyu was suddenly awakened. The room was dark, and the window was blown open by the wind. Rain hit the window frames, and the strong wind and rain poured in through the window, forming a pool of water on the ground.
Liang Shenyu stood up and was drenched in rain while closing the window. It was a hot summer day, and he felt cold all over. He stood there for a long while.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was suddenly pushed open, and an old woman came in carrying a food box, and sighed, "Master Hou is awake, come and have some dumplings."
"Auntie Qing." Liang Shenyu called softly.
This was his biological mother's maidservant who came with her as a dowry, named Hua Qing. She had served him in the past few years. Liang Shenyu sent her back to Jinjing to take care of her when he saw that she was getting old.
"I'm afraid what I prepared may not suit your taste, so please eat something together, my lord." Hua Qing put the dishes and chopsticks in place.
Liang Shenyu was silent for a moment, then said, "Mom learned how to make dumplings from Aunt Qing, and they taste exactly the same."
Hua Qing smiled and said, "Madam is clever and smart. She can learn anything quickly."
The two of them fell silent at the same time.