lovenovelstory Chapter 117 Fang Xuanling's Test
Chapter 117 Fang Xuanling's Test
Chapter 117 Fang Xuanling's Test
"How do you eat it?"
Fang Xuanling held the cake in his hands; it was a little hot.
"Break it in pieces and soak it in the soup."
Su Mu took one himself and gave an example.
With a snap of both hands, a crisp cracking sound was heard.
The steam from the sesame seed cakes, mixed with the aroma of wheat, wafted out.
Li Shimin followed suit, breaking the sesame seed cake into pieces the size of mahjong tiles and throwing them into the soup bowl.
The originally crispy sesame flatbread, after absorbing the mutton soup, did not immediately become soft and mushy, but rather remained semi-soft and semi-firm. The outside was coated with rich white soup, while the inside still retained the chewy texture of the dough.
Li Shimin picked up a soaked sesame seed cake and put it in his mouth along with a piece of shredded lamb tripe.
The aroma of wheat in the noodles, the richness of the mutton soup, the crispness of the tripe, all combined with the smoky fragrance of exploding sesame seeds. One bite, and the layers of flavor are so rich they'll send shivers down your spine!
"tasty!"
With his mouth stuffed full, Li Shimin mumbled, "Those useless ladles in the imperial kitchen, all they know how to do is stew mutton every day, it's all bland and watery, nothing compares to this!"
Fang Xuanling ate rather elegantly, but his speed was by no means slow.
He ate while observing Su Mu.
The boy was squatting in front of the little girl, breaking the sesame seed cake into small pieces, blowing on it to cool it down, and feeding it to the little girl.
The movements were practiced and patient; it seemed like the person was quite caring.
Fang Xuanling nodded inwardly, thinking that he was now seven or eight out of ten sure he was going to be the right son-in-law.
"This sheep is a good thing."
Su Mu ladled out a bowl for himself, slurped it down in two gulps, and said, "Every part of her is a treasure. We only know how to eat meat now, which is such a waste."
"What else can you do if you don't eat meat?"
Li Shimin's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. He loosened the collar of his damp robe and seemed to come back to life.
"Wool."
Su Mu pointed to the wet robe that Li Shimin had thrown aside, "In this kind of weather, wearing silk and brocade only looks nice; once it gets wet, it's heavy and doesn't keep you warm at all. If we could spin wool into yarn and weave it into clothes, that would be so light and warm."
"wool?"
Wei Zheng looked up from his bowl, a sesame seed still clinging to his lips. "That thing is thick and hard, and it smells like mutton. Wearing it would probably kill a person with its sharp edges!"
During the Tang Dynasty, some people used wool felt, but it was used for laying on the ground or setting up tents; no one would think of wearing it on their body.
Su Mu smiled and didn't explain further: "That's because it wasn't processed properly. If you wash off the grease and remove the coarse wool, the remaining down will be softer than cotton. One wool sweater is equivalent to three cotton robes."
Li Shimin only half-listened to what was being said, but his attention was quickly drawn to the dark red object at the bottom of the bowl.
"What's this red stuff? It's smooth and tender, like tofu."
Li Shimin picked up the piece of sheep's blood.
"Sheep's blood."
Su Mu replied, "It's commonly known as blood tofu. It's a good thing for cleansing the lungs and removing dust."
Li Shimin didn't mind and swallowed it whole.
The lamb's blood is extremely tender; it melts on the tongue with just a touch, and has no bloody smell at all, but rather a unique sweetness.
"Who cares about hair or anything like that."
Li Shimin finished the last drop of soup in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "Later, you'd better make two more for me to see. Now—give me another bowl! And add extra pepper!"
"Me too!"
Little Sizi held up an empty bowl, a ring of white soup around his mouth making him look like he had a white beard. "I want that crispy biscuit too!"
Su Mu took the bowl and refilled everyone's bowls.
The rain was still falling outside, pattering against the tiles.
Inside, the stove was burning brightly, and the mutton soup was bubbling.
Holding the steaming bowl, Fang Xuanling looked at the bustling scene and became even more certain of his plans.
There is only one person in the whole world who can make the emperor, ministers and princesses gather around the stove to eat offal.
If they were brought into the household, the Fang family's dinner tables would probably be just as lively.
"Brother Su."
Fang Xuanling suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of elder's kindness, "I wonder who else is in the family? Are they married?"
""
Li Shimin was dealing with a tough piece of lamb tendon when he heard this, so he paused and looked up at Fang Xuanling with suspicion.
This old fox, usually so composed, why is he suddenly chatting like a family man at the dinner table today?
Su Mu was wiping the little ox's mouth when he casually replied, "I'm all alone; I'm fed and my family isn't hungry."
Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when he was interrupted by Wei Zheng's loud voice.
"Delicious soup!"
Wei Zheng put down his bowl, let out a loud burp, and his face was flushed. "This is the true suffering of the common people—no, the true deliciousness of the common people!"
"Your Majesty, since this mutton offal is so delicious, if it could be promoted so that the people also know that offal is edible, wouldn't that save a lot of food rations?"
Li Shimin rolled his eyes.
Even a meal couldn't shut Wei Zheng's mouth, which was full of concern for the country and its people.
but----
Li Shimin glanced at the mutton offal bubbling in the pot.
What was originally unwanted waste was transformed into a delicacy that even imperial cuisine couldn't compare to in Su Mu's hands.
This kid's skills are indeed somewhat uncanny, capable of turning the rotten into the miraculous.
If what he said is true, then wool can be turned from waste into treasure.
Li Shimin stroked the stubble that had just grown on his chin, lost in thought.
"Su Mu, that wool sweater you mentioned earlier—"
Li Shimin had just started when his stomach rumbled again.
He glanced at the soup bowl he had just filled, then at Su Mu holding a freshly baked sesame seed cake.
"Never mind, let's eat first and then talk about it."
Li Shimin waved his hand, "Keep two of those cakes for me! Wang Dequan, don't just stand there, come and wrap these cakes up, I'll take them back for Guanyinbi to try!"
Wang Dequan approached with a pained expression. "These freshly baked pancakes are scalding hot! Your Majesty, are you showing concern for the Empress, or are you tormenting your servant?"
Just after the Frost's Descent, the old persimmon trees inside the palace were completely dyed red.
The leaves have mostly fallen, leaving only bare black branches laden with heavy red berries.
Each one was only the size of a fist, with skin so thin it was translucent, and the bright red sap inside seemed ready to burst through the skin at any moment.
This is the famous Fire Crystal Persimmon of Chang'an City.
"Sister! I want that one! The red one at the very top!"
The little ox craned its neck, reaching up with its two tiny hands, its toes trembling as it tiptoed.
Unfortunately, she was too small to even hug the tree trunk, and she stomped her feet in frustration, her two little tufts of hair on her head swaying wildly.
Fearing she might fall, Li Lizhi quickly pulled her back and turned to the eunuchs sweeping fallen leaves nearby, ordering, "Didn't you hear what Princess Jinyang said? Go and bring that ladder over."
The young eunuchs looked at each other, then at the trembling treetops.
This tree is quite old; its branches are very brittle.
The ladder is unstable; if you climb up to pick them, a little force will cause the ripe persimmons to smash onto the ground and turn into a puddle of mud.
"Your Highness, this—this is not a good place to step."
The leading eunuch looked distressed. "The branches at the top are too thin. We servants are afraid of breaking them and damaging the tree, and then the head eunuch will scold us again."
"You're so stupid!"
Little Sizi puffed out her cheeks angrily, "Guoguo said that's called—that's called 'the early bird catches the worm'—no, it's called 'clumsy'!"
Li Lizhi was amused by her nonsensical use of idioms and was about to reprimand the servants when she heard a rustling sound behind her.
Su Mu carried a bamboo pole that was two zhang long as he walked over.
The top of the bamboo pole was split open, with a short crossbeam sandwiched between it, making it look like a wide-open mouth.
"It's already past the first frost; if we don't pick them now, the magpies will get all of them."
Su Mu walked to the tree, looked up and squinted to take a look.
"Mr. Su, this is too high. Let the guards handle it." Li Lizhi said with some concern, as the red persimmon at the very top looked like it was about to fall.
Su Mu ignored him and shoved the bamboo pole in his hand.
The bamboo pole tip firmly caught the stem of the highest persimmon. With a gentle twist of the wrist, it pulled downwards.
pat!
There was no dull thud as the persimmons fell to the ground, nor was there any sign of them being smashed to pieces.
The bright red persimmon, almost purple, was nestled securely in the crevice at the top of the bamboo pole. As Su Mu reeled in the pole, it landed lightly in his hand.
Unharmed.
"Wow-!"
Little Sizi's eyes widened in admiration, clapping her hands excitedly, "Brother is so amazing! I want that!"
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