CH 28

Li Yuan, the Prince of Pingxi County, was the only seedling of the entire Pingxi County Prince’s Mansion. Being coaxed all day long, it was inevitable that he was very arrogant.

He had never done such things as bullying men and women, but with Li Yuan’s temperament, he would kill them on the spot and reason about things like his boat being hit later.

“Li Yuan and his servant passed out not long after boarding the boat. The air must have been poisoned.” Lin Fei said, “Since the drug has been used, the person who can drown a person may not necessarily be a tall and burly man. Weaker men and women can do it, so don’t be rigid because of this.”

Liu Yuan nodded and said “yes”, and when he was about to turn his head and leave, he heard Lin Fei say: ” How was the sour plum drink pack you got last time?”

Sour plum drink pack? Liu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realized: “Is Lin Shaoqing asking about the food package that the lady from the Zhaoji restaurant gave me earlier?”

Lin Fei nodded and glanced at him, saying, “This is what she sent as a token of gratitude.”

Liu Yuan: “…”

Don’t assume that using that unfriendly face of his would make people unable to discern the meaning behind his words.

Send it as gratitude… Wasn’t he and Lin Shaoqing helping with the Zhaoji restaurant that day?

In this way, the drink pack used for this gratitude naturally had Lin Shaoqing’s share.

But on second thought, it’s the first time he has seen Young Master Lin actively asking for something. Could it be that he really liked the dish called “egg-fried noodles” from the last time?

The thought of that dish made Liu Yuan’s face turn green. The “egg-fried noodles” from last time left a lasting impression on him, and even now, just the thought of such a meal made him feel terrified. He couldn’t believe that Lin Shaoqing had such unique tastes. Why hadn’t he noticed Lin Shaoqing’s distinctive palate before?

Or… Was Lin Shaoqing’s noodle dish different from theirs?

While he was still thinking wildly, he heard Lin Fei speak again: “Bring some here.”

Liu Yuan: “…Yes.”

He hadn’t touched the bag of sour plum drink! For people like him, it was too troublesome to cook something by themselves. So although he took it back happily, he didn’t even open it and kept it in the drawer of his desk.

After a trip, Liu Yuan simply brought the whole package of sour plum drink to Lin Fei.

A lazy person like him can’t move, so instead of letting it go bad, he should just give it to Lin Shaoqing.

Lin Fei glanced at it and took it without refusing.

……….

After twilight, Ji Caimai went to open the door of the public kitchen and warehouse, and Wen Mingtang took Ah Bing and Tangyuan to pick out the ingredients.

It was probably because she was too “interested” in picking vegetables yesterday. Ji Caimai had a good impression of her, and smiled at her, saying: “You can choose any ingredients in it. When we buy them together in a few days, Master Wen must make a list, so you won’t need to be so tied up like these days.”

Wen Mingtang said with a busy smile, “No, there are only these dishes for breakfast, it’s useless, thank you, Ji Cai, for taking care of me!”

Such a way of speaking was even more satisfying. Ji Cai nodded slightly, indicating that she could go in now.

Wen Mingtang led Ah Bing and Tangyuan into the warehouse without looking around to choose, as if he had made up his mind early in the morning. She took Ah Bing and Tangyuan to pick out a few ingredients and walked out.

Seeing Wen Mingtang and others carrying the ingredients onto the cart, Ji Caimai couldn’t help but take a curious look, and when he saw the ingredients on the cart, his eyes paused. Brown sugar, peanuts, sesame seeds and flour. “Master Wen, are you going to make cakes?”

After all, he was the purchaser of the Dali Temple public kitchen. Seeing these ingredients, he could tell what dish can be made from it.

Wen Mingtang nodded, and said with a smile, “I’m going to make a cake.” After a pause, before Ji Caimai could speak, she took the initiative to say, “Ji Caimai, do you want to try it? Leave two for Ji Caimai tomorrow?”

Ji Caimai instinctively wanted to refuse, after all, who hasn’t tasted such things as pancakes? But by accident, he thought of the reaction of those guards when he went to the prison for interrogation yesterday.

They were full of praise for the morning meals of the past few days. And they also said that after eating the morning meals of Master Wen and then the lunch and evening meals of Master Wang and Master Sun, it was like going to the 18th hell directly after going to the ninth heaven.

This metaphor made Ji Caimai curious. After thinking for a while, he nodded and said, “Sure! You can save two for me, and I’ll come over early tomorrow.”

Wen Mingtang responded with a smile.

…

…

Early the next morning, after cooking the porridge, Wen Mingtang took Ah Bing and Tangyuan and started making cakes.

Watching Wen Mingtang take the steamed peeled pumpkin out of the pot, Tangyuan couldn’t help being curious: “Can pumpkin be made into pancakes? I thought it could only be eaten steamed!”

“It’s certainly possible, not only can it be made, but it’s also delicious!” Wen Mingtang said, mixing the pumpkin into the flour, and kneading it while adding water.

The dough mixed with pumpkin turned into a light orange color, which was indeed much more appetizing than the white dough we usually see.

The next step is to adjust the stuffing. Wen Mingtang prepared two stuffing: sesame stuffing and brown sugar peanut stuffing.

In comparison, sesame stuffing was very common, and they had seen many.

It was the first time they saw this brown sugar and peanut stuffing, and Ah Bing and Tangyuan couldn’t help being curious.

“Is it delicious?” Ah Bing asked.

Before Wen Mingtang could answer, Tangyuan gave him a blank look, and said, “Do you think Master Wen’s cooking can be not delicious?”

Wrap the stuffing in the pumpkin dough and press it slightly. Wen Mingtang took a bamboo skewer and pressed it a few times.

Looking at the small round cake shaped like a pumpkin, Ah Bing and Tangyuan didn’t even blink their eyes.

They didn’t know if the pumpkin pie was delicious, but it was so good-looking that people can’t help but want to taste it and touch it after seeing it.

Stuffing and pressing, Wen Mingtang made it very quickly, and Ah Bing and Tangyuan were also quick to learn, and soon turned the big ball of pumpkin dough into pumpkin round cakes that covered the table.

The next step was to fry the small, round nán guā bǐng until both sides are golden and remove it. To facilitate the distinction, Wen Mingtang especially sprinkled some black sesame seeds on the top of the sesame-filled nán guā bǐng for decoration.

The first pot of fried nán guā bǐng was unsurprisingly shared by Ah Bing and Tangyuan.

The two walked aside with the plate, picked it up with chopsticks, and smelled the strong fragrance of pumpkin before they ate it.

The word “fragrance” in “color and fragrance” had already ticked people’s index fingers.

Ah Bing blew on it and couldn’t wait to bite it. The outside of the nán guā bǐng was crispy, but the inside was soft and sticky. When he bit down lightly, it brought out long strings. The fragrance of pumpkin was mixed with the bitten stuffing. The aroma hit the nose.

Compared to the usual sesame stuffing, Ah Bing and Tangyuan chose brown sugar and peanut stuffing. The brown sugar filling in the hot nán guā bǐng had turned into burnt brown sugar juice, wrapped in crushed peanuts of different sizes and flowing into the mouth.

The aroma of brown sugar mixed perfectly with the rough and gritty feeling of crushed peanuts. Both the aroma and the taste were rich and amazing.

Because the brown sugar juice was about to flow out after biting a bite, the two hurriedly stepped forward to suck the brown sugar juice that flowed out, not wanting to waste a mouthful.

This was also delicious! The eyes of both of them lit up, and they couldn’t help nodding.

They can guarantee that anyone with a sweet tooth will love this nán guā bǐng.

Wen Mingtang watched with a smile as A Bing and Tangyuan ate nán guā bǐng, picked two that looked particularly good and put them aside, and said, “After you finish eating, fry all the nán guā bǐng. Leave those two alone for now and put them in the pan again before Ji Caimai comes back.”

After a few days of being honest, it was time to start building a good relationship with Ji Caimai.