Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 24 (Part 4)
Tled by Serena Love
Unedited
Chapter 24 (4): Lou-Mei
Xie Xun had just left the house, and the lou-mei sent by Jiang Shuyao had been placed on the stone table of Qushui Pavilion.
Xie Lang raised his wide cuffs, put down the jasper chess pawn, and hesitated, "This...looks good."
Xie Li agreed, and what he said was utterly inconsistent with his straightforward tone. "It smells good. I heard that the third sister-in-law likes to tinker with food. Last time, I was lucky enough to taste a piece of the cake she sent to my madam. Ah, I still remember the delicate and sweet taste."
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The two were silent.
Xie Lang took a sip of wine, then suddenly reached out and picked up a chopsticks, "Then I will try it." He was a casual person but he didn't care about the duck wings and necks on the plate.
He picked up a piece of lotus root randomly. Before he put it in his mouth, he can smell a strong fragrance of the stew, savory and spicy, and a faint but rich herbal scent. It smelled incredibly delicious.
The lotus root slices were still warm, and after putting it in his mouth, the aroma instantly overflowed his lips and cheeks. This was the first time he had eaten food with such a rich and bold flavor. The spiciness of marinated lotus root stimulated his sense of taste, making it more sensitive to the savory and numbing taste. It was obviously a vegetable, but it had a meaty scent and a complex flavor. It's hard to tell what kind of meaty aroma it absorbed.
The lotus root slices were crunchy and crisp. The slightly bitter scent becomes stronger when chewed, but the lotus root slice itself was sweet, and the taste was rich. Not to mention, it also offset the irritation caused by the first bite, which was spicy.
Xie Lang swallowed the braised lotus root without saying a word and poured a glass of wine into his mouth.
The slightly bitter cold wine flowed into his throat, then to his abdomen, Xie Lang couldn't help but sigh comfortably. It was too refreshing.
Xie Li was still waiting for him to comment. Seeing that he finished drinking, he also moved his chopsticks. He saw the largest duck wing on the plate and quickly picked it up.
His younger brother understood that Xie Li had tasted Jiang Shuyao's cake and recognized her cooking skills, so he didn't hesitate anymore.
Even the lotus root was so delicious, presumably the meats were even better.
Xie Lang picked up a duck wing and began to gnaw it with difficulty. The stewed duck meat was tender and smooth, retaining the elasticity of the meat. It was delicious and fragrant after a bite. The rich aniseed and herbal ingredients made the duck meat did not have any fishy smell—only meaty taste. The marinade was delicious, and it was also salty and spicy. Xie Lang can't wait to eat all the sticky duck meat on these bones.
However, it was not easy to nibble with chopsticks. After he bit halfway, Xie Li, on the opposite side, had already bitten a duck neck and eaten two lotus root slices.
Xie Lang didn't care about his appearance anymore. He flicked his sleeves and ate at a fast speed.
When Xie Xun arrived at Qushui Pavilion, he saw that his two older brothers, who usually quite decent, were gnawing on ducks with a ferocious expression. His second brother, who usually paid a lot of attention to his appearance, actually had some marinade sauce in the corner of his mouth.
And his big brother, who usually held the rules, patted the table, "Come, let's add another pot of wine."
Xie Lang's cup was empty, and his spirit gradually came up because of the spiciness. He could only hiss lightly and briefly inhale. "Stop using that pot. Just get someone to bring my treasured Puzhong wine."
Xie Xun walked into the pavilion and only saw two or three lotus roots left on the porcelain plate.
Xie Li and Xie Lang lowered their chopsticks at the same time and clamped a duck neck together.
The two were in a stalemate, but Xie Xun coughed and scared them to let go.
Seeing that the person was Xie Xun, the two of them were relieved. It was good that they did not lose face in front of the servants.
"Third brother, why are you here?" Xie Lang regained his cool breeze and moonlike attitude he usually held, and asked while flicking his sleeve.
Xie Xun wanted to save them some face, but when he saw his second brother, he couldn't hold back and said, "Second brother, wipe your mouth."
Xie Li was more open, "Third brother, the meal made by my sister-in-law is really delicious. It's very suitable for drinking."
Xie Xun sat down on the stone chair between both of them, looked at the messy dinner plate, and said, "You will regret it tomorrow, so drink less."
Xie Li thought so too, and nodded in agreement. "It's fine, then let's take a break and drink again next time."
"I just don't know if my sister-in-law can still make this food?" Xie Lang asked tentatively.
Xie Xun replied, "I don't know."
Xie Lang said brazenly, "Then can the third brother to go back and ask sister-in-law? If she makes it again, please ask her to give us a share."
Xie Xun glanced at him coldly. At a glance, there was a very slight hum from his nasal cavity, which no one would hear without listening carefully.
Xie Li didn't notice anything wrong with him. His third brother was usually stern and indifferent. He was used to him not showing any emotions on his face.
"It turns out that my sister-in-law is such an expert in cooking, which made me envy my brother. Just say that this meal is so delicious that your brother and I couldn't help but drinking several pots of wine, and now my belly is still a little bloated."
"Is it? I didn't know it was so delicious." He hadn't eaten it before, huh!
It's a pity that he was accustomed to using a plain tone for more than ten years, and he didn't even know how to be passive-aggressive.
After he said that, Xie Li also said the words, "It was really delicious," which angered him and made him felt even more wronged.
Xie Xun let out a breath. Suddenly he proposed, "Big brother and second brother, why don't we play chess?"
Xie Xun had superb chess skills. Xie Li and Xie Lang can learn a lot every time they play against him. They are thrilled to hear this. After all, they used to invite him to play chess, but he always ignored them.
Xie Li first played against him, and Xie Xun killed him without giving any chance.
"My third brother, I haven't seen you in a few days, and your chess skills are so amazing!"
Xie Xun's expression remained unchanged, and then he played against Xie Lang, making Xie Lang's heart and liver tremble every time he moved a piece.
"My third brother, how have your chess approach and style changed so much?"
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The two sighed.
Xie Xun said, "Stop talking nonsense, are you going to move?"
"Come on!" Xie Lang hurriedly responded.
It's a pity that Xie Xun never gave him any chance. In just two-quarters of an hour, he tortured them into doubting about life. They wished to sit in the pavilion until dawn.
Xie Xun was happy. He got up and wanted to leave, but he was stopped by Xie Li, "Third brother, what chess book have you acquired recently?"
Xie Lang added, "Or suddenly you had an epiphany? Can you tell your second brother?"
Xie Xun heard this and feeling very speechless. Although his two brothers are not old foxes in official career, but they also get mixed up in officialdom, and they don't even understand this little thing.
He had started to walk outside the pavilion, and the two brothers behind him were still calling him to share his tips and chess records.
Xie Xun couldn't bear it, he turned around and strode towards them, "You really don't know?"
The two of them saw him turning around and felt a sense of joy, "What don't we know?"
Thinking of his suffering from being tortured by these stinky chess addicts for many years, Xie Xun paused and said, "Your chess skills were really... really bad."
After speaking, he turned around neatly, with his back straight and ruthless.
The wind was cold, and in the Qushui Pavilion, the two chess fools were sitting opposite each other. Their postures were stiff, and they dare not accept the facts for a long time.
Feeling completely heartbroken...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dov9nv3f3Jk
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