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墨書 Inktalez
Ziyan couldn't bear to watch any longer.
She quickly grabbed her sister, who was still holding the two fish, with one hand, while with the other she picked up the heavy Bamboo Basket. The two of them went to the well in the courtyard to prepare the ingredients.
At the same time, she didn't forget to turn back and shoot a fierce glare at Gu Yuxuan, who was still sitting calmly in place, looking relaxed and unbothered.
Over here, the sisters began to divide their tasks.
Ziyan instructed her sister to wash a portion of each type of wild vegetable while she ran into the kitchen to discuss with Zhou about taking charge of cooking today. After getting her mother's consent, she told her mother to wash the rice and put it on the back stove, preparing the firewood.
Finally, she quickly returned to the well and picked up a large Azure Fish, washing it thoroughly.
With practiced skill, she split the entire fish in half and chopped it into many pieces, rinsing off the blood and placing it into a large ceramic bowl set aside for later use.
Next, she grabbed a plump gray rabbit that Gu Family had sent over the day before and swiftly skinned and gutted it.
Not far away, Gu Yuxuan was chatting casually with Zi Lao Er and Zhou Laoda, occasionally glancing at Ziyan's efficient method of slaughtering animals.
Inside, she was astonished: she never expected this girl could be so cruel and violent.
The onlookers were captivated; even Ziying was stunned by her sister's series of actions, her mouth forming a large "O" shape that could almost fit a big goose egg.
She had never seen her sister do such things before.
As for Zi Lao Er and Zhou Laoda, they were too busy chatting to pay attention at all.
Ziyan, focused and dedicated, finished off the poor gray rabbit in just a few swift moves. When she looked up, she met her sister's astonished gaze and immediately froze!
Secretly raising her guard, she reminded herself, "Be low-key!"
However, the food seemed to beckon her from ahead, so she feigned calmness and reached out to her older sister, giving her a playful knock on the forehead.
"Hey, beauty, hurry up and get to work. Don't you want to eat lunch?"
As for that Gu Yuxuan, since he was so clever, let him guess wildly! For now, she would treat him like a transparent person.
"Ah! You—fine."
Previously lost in thought while staring at her younger sister, Ziying had no choice but to lower her head and quickly get busy.
After tidying up the rabbit she had on hand, Ziyan dashed back into the kitchen pantry to search for all the spices.
But when she pulled out all the spices, disappointment washed over her.
It turned out that besides salt, there was only a small amount of Sichuan Pepper. On the cutting board, there were only a few pieces of ginger and garlic; all those various spices she had been hoping for were nowhere to be found.
"Sigh, the evil and backward ancient times. Well! I'll just use these few things."
Quickly regaining her spirits, Ziyan took out the salt and Sichuan Pepper and returned outside. She chopped the rabbit in half and marinated one half with salt and Sichuan Pepper.
After marinating for a while, she brushed a layer of vegetable oil on top and pulled out several half-dried Lotus Leaves that were laid out in a large basket in the yard.
Then she tightly wrapped the marinated rabbit meat in Lotus Leaves, binding it securely with straw. She also brought over a small basin of wet yellow mud from the wall outside the yard and thickly coated it layer by layer over the Lotus Leaf Wrap containing the rabbit meat.
Finally, I took the River Clam into the kitchen and placed it by the Earthen Stove, calling my mother to light the fire. Then I ran out to wash the River Clam and returned to the kitchen, handing it over to my mother so she could bring it to a boil.
At this time, my sister had also washed the Wild Onion, Shepherd's Purse, Shiitake, and Goji Sprouts.
The water quickly boiled. Ziyan helped my mother take the boiled River Clam out of the pot.
They poured out the hot water, refilled with an appropriate amount of cold water, and carefully removed the River Clam from its opened shell, meticulously picking out all the inedible dirt.
Finally, after rinsing with clean water several times, all the ingredients were sent into the kitchen, and everything was ready for preparation!
The three women entered the kitchen, leaving two men and a boy outside chatting leisurely under the vast sky.
Inside the kitchen, Zhou was responsible for lighting the fire, Ziying was in charge of chopping vegetables and assisting, while Ziyan was responsible for cooking.
Although life in this ancient southern village was quite poor, the kitchen design was still quite good.
The Earthen Stove had four burners: the back burner was generally used for cooking rice or porridge; the middle burner was the largest and used for stir-frying and boiling water; on both sides of the middle burner were smaller burners. Each small burner had two copper containers that were small at both ends and fat in the middle, each covered with a thick copper lid. The container on the left was used for heating water, while the one on the right was used for simmering soup.
Southerners love drinking soup, so this design is very practical.
Meanwhile, the people in the kitchen were busy working in an orderly manner.
Ziyan was adjusting sauces one moment and crushing garlic another. She also coated fish pieces with flour and placed them into a hot oil pan. After a series of sizzling sounds followed by popping noises, Ziyan waited and observed for a moment. Seeing that the coating had turned golden brown, she quickly used a spatula to gently flip them over.
Next, fry the other side until it reaches the same color as the first side, then add Wild Onion, ginger, garlic, water, Soy Sauce, and the pre-mixed sauce into the fish. Cover the pot and let it simmer slowly.
While the fish is simmering, Ziyan has wrapped Rabbit Meat in mud and stuffed it into the center of the stove, burying it in the hot ashes.
Then, she added the Bamboo Shoot pieces, Shiitake mushrooms, and River Clam that her sister had cut into a pot of boiling water on the right. She waited until the water in the pot boiled continuously three times before tossing in Goji Sprouts.
Once the soup boiled again, she sprinkled some chopped green onions, and a delicious River Clam soup was ready to be served, filling the kitchen with its fragrant aroma.
At the same time, the rice was fully cooked, and the fish was plated after reducing the sauce!
Next, Ziying mixed a large plate of Mudwort, a large plate of Vinegar-Pickled Bamboo Shoots, along with a plate of steamed Wild Chicken Eggs.
With a loud call from Ziying, "It's time to eat!"
The three gentlemen outside stood up together to help set up and clear the table and chairs.
The dining table was arranged on the Stone Table in the courtyard. Due to the low height of the Zi Family's house, it remained dim even during daylight. Therefore, unless it rained, Ziyan's family usually preferred to dine outdoors.
Once all the dishes were moved onto the Stone Table, everyone prepared to start eating.
Ziying, with her carefree personality, suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! We're missing a dish!"
Of course, they were missing something that was even more delicious than these dishes: Ziyan's version of Beggar's Chicken made with Rabbit Meat—referred to as Beggar's Rabbit—was about to be served.
With Ziying's exclamation, Gu Yuxuan had already thought of checking out what was happening in the kitchen and stepped in first.
At a glance, Ziyan was still in the kitchen, bent over the stove, busy using the fire tongs to pull out the plump Beggar's Rabbit.
With joy bubbling inside, Ziyan reached out to peel off the charred mud from the rabbit meat. Suddenly, a yelp escaped: "Ah—ow!" and then Ziyan grimaced and shook her hand.
Seeing this, Gu Yuxuan, feeling inexplicably sympathetic yet slightly annoyed, picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board and approached Ziyan, saying, "Step aside, let me do it!"
Without waiting for a response, she squatted down and gently tapped the yellow charred mud with the back of the knife.
In an instant, the charred mud fell away completely. Gu Yuxuan took a small bamboo tray that Ziyan handed over and placed the Beggar's Rabbit inside, preparing to carry it outside.
After walking a couple of steps, she turned back to glance at Ziyan and softly reminded her, "Be careful when doing things like this in the future; think more!"
After giving her advice, she playfully shot a teasing glance at the somewhat annoyed girl before striding out with confidence.
Following closely behind, Ziyan muttered in frustration, "Hmph, as if I need your help. Coming to my house to eat and drink while meddling in my business!"
As Gu Yuxuan placed the rabbit meat on the table and was about to spread straw and Lotus Leaf, she suddenly realized she didn't know what this dish was called.
So she turned around and asked everyone at the table, who were all eagerly curious, "What is this dish called?"
After asking, she playfully winked at Ziyan in a mischievous manner.
Looking at everyone who resembled curious little babies, Ziyan could only smile sheepishly and tell them that this dish was called ‘Beggar's Rabbit.’
Meanwhile, Zhou Laoda, who had been waiting impatiently, urged everyone, "Hurry up and eat; what are you waiting for!"
One person had already stretched their chopsticks into the dish and eagerly grabbed a large piece of fish, quickly sending it into their mouth.
After swallowing the first bite, they nodded in surprise and said with a smacking sound, "Mmm, delicious! This flavor is just one word—good."
Thus, everyone began to dig in simultaneously.
The table was filled with a sumptuous lunch that made everyone break into a sweat!
Especially the 'Beggar's Rabbit,' which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a faint aroma of Lotus Fragrance that made it incredibly enjoyable!
After a round of toasting and hearty drinking, soon all the food on the plates was swept away by the group.
Although Zhou Laoda was burping from being full, he still felt unsatisfied as he wiped his mouth with one hand and pointed at the table with the other. "Who is today's Chef?"
When Ziying revealed that it was Little Ziyan, he stared at Ziyan in astonishment. "Oh my! When did my little niece learn to cook such delicious dishes? I’ve tasted Ziying’s cooking before, and I’ve eaten plenty of my sister's meals, but they can’t compare to this flavor!" He nodded emphatically in agreement. "Exactly! Ziying and my sister can't make this taste!"
Turning to meet Ziying's gaze and then glancing at Zhou, he realized he might have offended someone.
He quickly cleared his throat twice and smiled apologetically at both of them. "Your skills are not bad either; it's just relative—relative..."
Then he earnestly looked at everyone and said, "However, what Little Ziyan made is indeed impressive. This is the first time in my life I've tasted something so delicious. I've fought on the battlefield before, and now I travel all over with an Escort Agency, having been to Provincial Governments and even the capital city. The food from those places and big restaurants can't compare to what Ziyan made today!"
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