"Yuheng, do you eat like this often? Or is it just occasionally?" Prince Yi asked his daughter in a low voice.
Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "We often eat like this when there are no restaurants along the way. But the dishes are not always the same, as the ingredients depend on the season and the environment of the campsite."
For example, if you camp by a river or lake, you'll likely have fish to eat: fish balls, sweet and sour fish, braised fish, steamed fish, stewed fish, fish dumplings—or rather, dumplings.
If you camp near the mountains and forests, you might get to eat stewed pheasant, roasted wild rabbit, braised wild rabbit, snake soup, venison, wild boar, and so on.
Of course, if it's on the edge of a village, you might buy a sheep from the villagers, slaughter it, stew it, or roast it; it's not always the case.
"Oh, right, Mom also took us to stay by the sea for a few days. We ate seafood every day, it was so fresh!"
Upon hearing Yuheng's words, the three Princes of Yi subconsciously exchanged glances. The children were living with Lady Hong, and their meals were too good. Their lives were too comfortable and luxurious!
No wonder that even if one, two, or three people find their families, knowing that they can be waited on and treated like masters at home, they still don't want to go home.
They strolled along the way, possessing the skill to deal with bandits and robbers, and would linger a few days in places with beautiful scenery. Living off the land and water, they enjoyed delicacies from the mountains and seas.
Let alone the children, even the three adults themselves would like to live like that.
The children also tried the freshly ground peanut, walnut, and red date milk, and they said it was delicious.
It's one thing to start a fire and cook along the way, but they even went through the trouble of making drinks.
After watching the children finish their drinks, they got up to fetch rice from the pot and returned. When Prince Yi looked at the white rice in his daughter's bowl, his eyes widened immediately. This fine white rice looked even better than the royal tribute rice he ate!
"Father, try this. The rice is freshly cooked and smells wonderful." Yuheng noticed her father's unusual behavior and quickly pushed her own bowl of rice towards him.
My father was still drinking; otherwise, I would have poured him some too.
Upon hearing this, Prince Yi immediately reached out and picked up a mouthful of rice with his chopsticks. Before it even reached his mouth, he could smell its fragrance.
The rice grains were plump and glossy. His eyes narrowed as soon as he tasted it. The rice was soft, sticky, sweet, and chewy, with a rich aroma that didn't become stale.
"Where did you buy this rice? It's so delicious!" After taking a bite of rice, Prince Yi didn't even want to drink any more wine and immediately asked Tianxuan.
"Well, all I know is that this rice is called Zhongke Fa Wu. I bought it from a passing grain merchant on the road. He said it was a new variety. I don't know if grain shops sell it." Hong Xiaoduo answered for Tianxuan without batting an eye.
This rice is really delicious. I found it when I went into the space to find dried tofu for Tianxuan, and that's when Old Man Luo got it for him. He said it was new rice from Northeast China.
Zhongke Fa Wu? Prince Yi silently noted it down, and later ordered people to find out where it was produced. Once they found it, he would eat that rice all the time.
Prince Yi suddenly felt sorry for his nephew on the dragon throne, who, as the ruler of a country, could not eat such good rice.
But what's wrong with the officials in this rice-producing area? Their jurisdiction produces such fine rice, why don't they try to send it to the palace as tribute? This is a crucial stepping stone for officials' promotions!
At lunch, Prince Yi, Prefect Zhong, and Imperial Censor Luo each ate two large bowls of rice and were still not satisfied. They actually wanted to eat more, but when they saw that Quan Jinghuai, who had also finished drinking, did not ask his disciples to serve more rice, they realized that there was probably not enough rice.
After all, the pot was only so big. Even if the attendants ate dry rations and meat patties instead of rice, there were only twelve people in total, including the children and the adults.
All the food was eaten up. Watching the children clear away the dishes, Prince Yi patted his bulging belly, let out a burp, and then said somewhat awkwardly to himself, "I feel like I've never eaten so much and felt so satisfied in my life."
Then I saw the children chattering away around the pot of rice.
Yi Wang and his two companions strolled over and then saw what was going on. Tianxuan was carefully scraping the rice crusts stuck to the bottom of the pot with a spatula, while the other children stared eagerly and waited.
The three men's faces flushed simultaneously. These grown men had only been so focused on eating, leaving the children uneaten and waiting for the last bits of food to settle at the bottom of the pot…
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