xymnovel Chapter 54 Going to Grandma's House!
Chapter 54 Going to Grandma's House!
Chapter 54 Going to Grandma's House!
Little Sizi was captivated by the bowl of "Galaxy Warship Soup," her big eyes sparkling as she stared at the "tofu boats" and "tender fish slices" floating in the soup, forgetting even to wipe the fine sweat from her nose.
She eagerly tried to scoop it up with her little spoon, but the "tofu boat" was slippery and she couldn't lift it no matter what she did. Frustrated, she pouted and cried out, "Boat boat—run away!"
"Haha, little glutton, don't be in such a hurry." Uncle laughed as he took her small bowl, steadily ladled out a spoonful of soup, along with half a piece of tofu and a piece of fish, and gently blew on it. "Here, let Uncle help you 'land the boat'."
"The warm fish soup bursts with flavor and aroma as soon as it enters your mouth."
The tofu was smooth and tender, the fish melted in her mouth, and Little Sizi squinted her eyes contentedly, her little feet swinging happily under the chair: "So good! Sweet! So good!"
She smacked her lips and pronounced "fresh and sweet" as "sweet," which drew another burst of laughter from the table.
"Slow down, slow down, watch out for fish bones," Mom reminded me carefully from the side.
Even though the adults had already picked out the best food for the little girl, we still had to be careful.
"Mmm!" Little Sizi nodded vigorously, imitating the adults, carefully licking the fish meat with her tongue. Her serious little appearance was as if she were performing a sacred ritual.
Just then, Lin Qing finally ran out carrying her huge box of "treasure" snacks, dumping them onto the low table next to her. The colorfully packaged jellies, cookies, chocolates, and hawthorn slices piled up like a small mountain.
"Little sister! Come here! All of these are yours!" Little Qingqing waved her hand generously.
Little Sizi's gaze was instantly drawn away from the fish soup. Looking at the pile of shiny snacks, her mouth opened into an "O" shape.
She looked at the delicious fish soup in the bowl, then at the tempting "treasure," her little face filled with a happy dilemma.
"Eat your meal first, then you can have snacks," Lu Chen reminded her at the right moment, picking up a piece of tender braised pork for her. "Here, try this. It's braised pork made by your aunt; it melts in your mouth."
Little Sizi obediently took a bite of the braised pork. It was fatty but not greasy, salty and slightly sweet, and the aroma of meat filled the air.
She squinted happily, temporarily forgetting the mountain of snacks, and mumbled, "So fragrant! Auntie is amazing!" She even gave her auntie a thumbs-up covered in oil.
The tremors outside the canopy did not cease after a meal:
The Imperial Kitchen of the Tang Dynasty: Li Tai watched as Xiao Sizi happily ate braised pork, then looked at the half-cooked, charred, and greasy "Golden Jade Eggplant" in front of him, and was filled with grief and indignation.
"Outrageous! Even a piece of meat dares to bully me!" He kicked over the oil pot next to him (luckily it was empty), and sat down angrily. "Royal Kitchen! Investigate that 'red meat' for me! If you don't succeed by tomorrow, your salaries will be confiscated!"
The imperial chefs trembled as they looked at the failed dish on the ground and the enraged King Wei, feeling as if their heads and salaries were being fried in a pot of oil.
In the Imperial Kitchen of the Forbidden City: Emperor Qianlong, with a gloomy face, looked at the new plate of "Tiger Skin Green Peppers" that the imperial chefs were trembling with fear as they presented it.
This time, the pepper skin was wrinkled and the color was darker, but it lay limply on the plate, lacking the glossy, crisp, and imposing presence it had in the light.
Emperor Qianlong picked up his chopsticks and poked at the green pepper; it was so soft and mushy it was almost melting.
"Useless!" He slammed his chopsticks on the table. "You're utterly useless! You're not even as good as food in a child's bowl! Get out! All of you, get to the laundry department and scrub my clothes!" The imperial chefs turned ashen and scrambled away.
In a small courtyard in Bianjing, Su Shi, instead of being annoyed by the even more thoroughly burnt remains of "tiger-skin green peppers," clapped his hands and laughed: "Wonderful! Wonderful! This is not a burnt tiger, but a black unicorn born! Although its form is gone, its aroma is still strong, and it has a unique style!" He enthusiastically picked up a piece of charcoal-like pepper meat and was about to put it in his mouth.
Shen Kuo, unable to bear it any longer, snatched the pot away, exclaiming, "Zizhan! This thing, if eaten, is not a sign of integrity, but a deadly poison! The oil was too hot; the charred contents will harm your health!" He pointed to the charred marks on the bottom of the pot and began to scribble rapidly on the paper: "Carbonization threshold—thermal runaway—"
In the kitchen of the Yingtian Prefecture government office: Zhu Yuanzhang was still counting on his fingers how many days the minced meat in the treasure chest tofu would last the common people, while Empress Ma pointed to the image of Little Si drinking fish soup on the screen and smiled gently, "Chongba, look at that soup. The tofu is cut into small pieces, the fish is taken from the tenderest parts, and it's garnished with scallions. It looks refreshing and warming. It doesn't cost much money; even an ordinary fisherman could make it. The name 'Galaxy Warship Soup' is more practical than 'Treasure Chest Tofu.'"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, but his gaze couldn't help but drift to the soup bowl, muttering, "It's all soup and water, it won't keep me full—"
At the Qin Dynasty's Xianyang Palace: Meng Tian remained fixated on the tactical value of the "treasure chest and tofu" strategy, gesturing towards a wooden box: "Zhao Gao, tell me, what if we made this 'box' even smaller, filled it with poisoned needles, and then pretended to offer it as food to the enemy chieftain—"
Zhao Gao was completely captivated by the bowl of milky white fish soup. He secretly swallowed his saliva and absentmindedly replied, "Ah, yes, yes, I am Gao Jian, the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office—but I wonder how delicious this Milky Way Soup is?" His mind was filled with the tender white tofu and the smooth fish slices.
Inside the hall, the cozy lunch continued.
Under the care of the adults, the little ox's belly grew round and full, like a small watermelon.
"The chicken feet are sweet and sour! The chicken flavor is so sweet! The shrimp are so fragrant!"
She leaned back in her chair contentedly, letting out a small burp, but her eyes lingered on a jelly with a little rabbit drawn on it among the snacks.
Seeing how much she wanted it, Lu Chen smiled and said to Lin Qing, "Qingqing, give your little sister a small jelly; it's dessert after dinner."
Lin Qing immediately picked out the prettiest rabbit-shaped jelly and handed it over.
Little Sizi took it with delight, holding it in her palm, looking at it from left to right, as if it were a rare treasure.
"Bunny! The jelly looks like a precious jade! It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed happily, forgetting to open it and eat it. She just rubbed her soft little face against the cool jelly packaging, her big eyes curving into crescents.
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Auntie's smile deepened. She whispered to Mom, "This little girl is truly our family's joy; just looking at her makes my heart feel sweet."
"I'm not Guoguo! I can't be seven-year-olds!" Little Sizi glared, looking both cute and fierce.
"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.
A group of people laughed so hard they were bent over.
My aunt's husband, in particular, almost choked on his food.
On the other side of the sky, everyone was puzzled: What is a pistachio? Does eating it make people happy?
But they couldn't ask, they could only watch.
"Oh my little darling!" Uncle laughed, slapping his thigh. "Who said I wanted to eat you? Auntie was just praising you for being like a pistachio, making everyone's heart feel sweet!"
Little Sizi looked at everyone laughing heartily. Although she was still a little confused, she understood that they weren't laughing at her for "not being able to eat." The "fierce" look on her little face faded, and she returned to her innocent and cute appearance.
She looked down at the cool, shiny "Rabbit Treasure" jelly in her hand and finally remembered to open it.
But the slippery plastic packaging was sealed tightly, and she picked at it with her chubby little fingers for a long time, until she was so anxious that fine sweat appeared on her nose and her little brows furrowed.
"Bunny—Bunny is helpless!" She looked pleadingly at Lu Chen, who was closest to her.
"Here, let me help you." Lu Chen smiled as he took the jelly, found the seal, and gently tore it open. The crystal-clear, orange-yellow jelly trembled and revealed itself, emitting a sweet fruity aroma.
He carefully handed it back to Little Sizi, "Okay, the bunny is out, eat slowly."
Little Sizi's eyes lit up instantly. She carefully picked up the bouncy jelly with two fingers, as if holding a fragile treasure.
She first stuck out her little tongue and tentatively licked it. The cool and sweet taste made her let out a surprised "Mmm," and her big eyes narrowed into slits with happiness.
Then, she took a bite, the jelly melting smoothly and coolly in her mouth, its sweetness making her little feet swing happily under the chair again.
"Bunny—sweet and cute—! Wow! So good!" she mumbled incoherently, a little orange sugar stain on the corner of her mouth.
Outside the sky, this edible, "precious jade"-like food has stirred up another wave of excitement:
The Imperial Kitchen of the Tang Dynasty: Li Tai looked at the trembling, crystal-clear "precious jade" in Xiao Sizi's hand, and then at the still shapeless "golden jade eggplant" in front of him, and went completely crazy.
"A demon! This must be a demon! How could such crystal-clear food exist in the mortal realm? Imperial Kitchen! Investigate! Investigate what kind of sorcery was used to create that precious jade! If you can't find out, all of you will go to the alchemy furnace to test the medicine!"
Looking at the unattainable "precious jade" and the furious King Wei, the imperial chefs felt that their future was bleak, and the alchemy furnace seemed to be right in front of them.
The Imperial Kitchen of the Forbidden City: Emperor Qianlong's gaze was fixed on that "precious jade".
He had seen crystal and glass, but he had never seen such a pure and transparent "gem" that could be eaten.
"What kind of precious material is this thing made of?"
He muttered to himself, then sternly ordered, "Issue the decree! Order the Guangdong Customs and the Thirteen Factories to find this 'Crystal Jade Jelly' for me at all costs! Also, find out what this thing is called!"
Seeing the emperor's infatuation with the "precious jade," the imperial chefs sighed inwardly, "This is even harder to find than tiger-skin green peppers!"
In a small courtyard in Bianjing, Su Shi's eyes widened as he pointed at the jelly on the screen, his beard trembling with excitement: "Wonderful!"
"Exquisite! This is like nectar solidified into cream, like amber shimmering with light! It must be the condensation of dew from a hundred flowers, mixed with the honey of a hundred blossoms, solidified into this!"
He immediately got up, rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find his treasured agar, "Quick! Quickly, get honey and fruit juice! Today, I will follow the secret method to solidify this Dongpo Jade Dew Jelly!"
Shen Kuo looked at his fervor and shook his head helplessly, but he couldn't help but curiously approach and examine the magical "precious jade" more closely, pondering its texture and possible composition.
In the kitchen of Yingtian Prefecture: Zhu Yuanzhang was also attracted by the shiny jelly, and his brows furrowed even more: "What is this?"
Looking at its gaudy and flashy appearance, it's like poison coated in sugar! It must be an extremely extravagant and wasteful possession!
Empress Ma smiled gently and said, "Chongba, look how happily that little child is eating it. This thing is crystal clear and lovely; it's only natural that children like it. Judging from its appearance, it seems to be made from solidified fruit juice. If we could use some ordinary fruits and coarse sugar, it might be easier to make, so that even children from ordinary families could try something new."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and didn't refute it further, but in his heart he was calculating how much sugar this "sugar coating" would use up, enough to feed how many households.
In the Xianyang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, Meng Tian's tactical thinking was once again activated. He stared at the trembling jelly: "This thing—crystal clear, what if it contains a colorless and odorless deadly poison—"
Zhao Gao was completely captivated by the luster of the "precious jade" and the child's satisfied expression. His mouth was practically watering, and he was inwardly screaming, "A divine fruit! This must be a divine fruit! If I could taste it, I would die happy!"
He completely ignored Meng Tian's tactical plan, his mind filled only with his endless longing for that "precious jade".
Inside the hall, Little Sizi finally finished her "Rabbit Treasure Jade" to her heart's content. Her little tummy was bulging, and she nestled in her mother's arms, her eyelids starting to droop. She was still tightly clutching the pretty empty jelly shell in her hand, unconsciously muttering, "Sweet—Rabbit—Treasure Jade—"
"Little one, why don't you take a nap? After you're done sleeping, we'll go back to your grandma's house." Mom carried the little one to bed.
"Li Qiu, have you told Mom yet? Are you having dinner at my house?" Auntie asked.
"Not yet. I deliberately didn't tell them so that our parents wouldn't worry. I'll tell them this afternoon before we leave. Anyway, we won't be having dinner at Mom's tonight."
"Hmm? Mom definitely has to invite you to stay for dinner," Auntie said firmly. "Why don't you eat at my house before you go back? There's so much left over, it all needs to be put in the fridge."
"No," Mom said casually, "We'll have douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) for dinner. We can't eat meat and fish anymore."
, 3