xymnovel Chapter 128 Li 2 Cheats!
Chapter 128 Li 2 Cheats!
Chapter 128 Li Er Cheats!
The whole family sat around the kang table.
Although Empress Zhangsun was frail, she still took a piece of dough with great interest.
She came from a respectable family and was very skillful with her hands.
Pick up a little bit of chive and egg filling with chopsticks, place it in the middle of the wrapper, wet your fingers with water, pinch it gently, and then fold it into a few fine pleats.
A small, exquisite dumpling, shaped like a gold ingot, stood on the bamboo tray.
"Grandma's buns are beautiful!"
Little Sizi came closer and hid his dough ball, which he didn't know what it was, behind his back.
Li Lizhi is also an expert. She specializes in mutton filling buns. She is quick, and the buns are neatly shaped. She is a typical practical person. The skin is thin and the filling is large. They look like good value for money.
When it came to Li Shimin, the situation changed.
This General Tian Ce makes dumplings with a bold and expansive style.
A large chopstickful of pork and scallion filling was stuffed in, stretching the dough so much it was about to burst.
He didn't care, he squeezed the two big hands together and squeezed hard.
Pfft!
The minced meat squeezed out from the side, getting oil all over my hands.
"Tsk, the dough is rolled out too small!"
Li Shimin complained, then took another piece of leather and patched the leaking oil spot.
The final packaged item was round and plump, looking just like a toad that had eaten too much.
"Your Majesty, is this a thunder hammer or a catapult?"
Su Mu mocked mercilessly, but his hands didn't stop moving.
He was just taking out a bright yellow copper coin, scalding it with boiling water, and stuffing it into a leek dumpling.
"Today is the Winter Solstice. Whoever eats this coin-shaped food will have a smooth and healthy year ahead."
"real?"
Little Sizi's eyes widened instantly as she stared intently at the dumpling in Su Mu's hand.
With a flick of his wrist, Su Mu sent the dumpling containing the copper coin flying into a pile of white dumplings, making it disappear in the blink of an eye.
"It depends on luck."
Su Mu picked up the bamboo tray and walked towards the stove.
The water in the big iron pot had been boiling for a long time, bubbling away.
The dumplings fell into the pot like rain.
Su Mu gently pushed the pot along the edge with a large spoon twice, then put the lid on.
"Add water three times, and it'll be ready to serve."
The room gradually filled with the aroma of noodles and meat.
It's a blend of the muttony aroma, the rich fat of pork, and the unique spiciness of chives.
This complex flavor, fermenting in the warm, enclosed room, makes one's stomach rumble with anticipation.
Li Yuan sat at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), having already poured himself some wine and popped a peanut into his mouth.
"Second Prince, if your dumplings break while cooking, you can eat them yourself, but don't ruin my bowl."
Li Shimin was somewhat unconvinced: "Father, I'm just honest and straightforward, with a thin skin and a generous filling! How could it break?"
Just then, the water in the pot boiled.
Su Mu lifted the lid of the pot, and a cloud of white steam rose into the air.
The round dumplings floated up and down in the bubbling water, each one with a plump belly, looking festive.
"It's done cooking!"
Su Mu used a slotted spoon to scoop out the dumplings.
First, a bowl was served to Empress Zhangsun, filled with fillings shaped like ingots. It was made with chives and eggs, which are easy to digest.
I also scooped out a few smaller ones for the little ox.
The rest was poured into a large wooden basin and placed on the kang table.
There were also several small dishes of minced garlic and vinegar, and a bowl of bright red chili oil.
"start!"
Little Sizi couldn't wait any longer, and not afraid of getting burned, she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
"Whoosh—it's so hot! So hot!"
The little girl gasped for breath from the heat, but couldn't bear to spit it out. While chewing, she even used her free hand to cover her ears.
"My ears are stuck! They're stuck!"
Empress Zhangsun looked at her daughter's appearance, and a blush rose on her pale face—it was a smile.
She picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and took a small bite.
The fresh, tender juice of the chives flows out, mixing with the soft texture of the egg, making it refreshing and not greasy.
"The taste is quite amazing. To be able to make ordinary food taste like this is already a divine skill."
Empress Zhangsun spoke softly, her gentle gaze sweeping over the people at the table.
In the palace, eating is a matter of etiquette and rules.
Each person had a small table in front of them, and the place was cold and quiet. No matter how good the food was, it tasted bland.
Unlike now.
Everyone huddled together in a bowl, heads touching, scrambling for food. The steam made their faces burn. Even Wei Zheng, who was usually stern and unsmiling, would probably have his eyes pop out if he saw this.
"Ouch!"
Li Shimin suddenly called out.
He covered his cheek, his brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Li Lizhi quickly put down her chopsticks. "Did Father bite his tongue?"
Li Shimin didn't speak, but spat something out of his mouth, which landed in his palm.
A bright yellow copper coin.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Ignoring his toothache, Li Shimin held up the copper coin and burst into laughter.
"I got to eat it! I got to eat it!"
The Tang emperor was as happy as a three-year-old child, holding up the copper coins and showing them off to those around him.
"See that? Heaven's mandate is with me! Who can match this luck?"
Li Yuan pursed his lips and pushed a dumpling with a mushy wrapper to the side of the bowl.
"That was specially wrapped by Su Mu with pleats. It's just that your eyesight is bad, but I could see a mark on it."
"Father! That's not funny!"
Li Shimin blushed and tried to defend himself, "It's all luck! How come I was the one who got caught in the middle?"
Su Mu kept his head down, eating his mutton dumplings, without exposing the truth.
Actually, there was a small knot on the dumpling wrapper. When he was serving the dumplings, he deliberately moved it towards Li Shimin's side.
After all, this is a major investor; if they are pleased, the coal supply for next year will be secured.
Little Sizi looked at the copper coins in her father's hand with envy, pouting her little lips.
"Ah, you cheated! Even the students need money!"
"Alright, alright, here you go, Sizi!"
Li Shimin generously stuffed the copper coin, still covered in chive leaves, into his daughter's hand and casually ruffled her flour-covered head.
"I'm sharing my luck with you, so you'll grow tall and strong next year and won't lose any teeth!"
The little rhinoceros held the copper coin, and his mood instantly brightened. He tucked it into his bosom like a treasure and kept it close to his skin.
Empress Zhangsun put down her chopsticks and looked at this scene, her eyes slightly moist.
She was in poor health, and every winter solstice, although there was a grand banquet in the palace, she would always leave early and listen to the laughter outside in her cold bedchamber, feeling only desolation.
But today.
Although this woodshed is dilapidated, and this heated brick bed is made of earth.
But the warmth of the house filled with the smoke of cooking, and the fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons shouting and grabbing dumplings, made her feel that this was the warmest winter solstice she had ever experienced.
The next morning, the snow stopped, but the sun had not yet fully risen.
The door to the backyard of the imperial kitchen was kicked open, and years of accumulated dust fell from the door frame, splashing the face of the young eunuch who was sweeping snow at the door.
"Where's that kid who made the 'immortal meal'? Get out here, Old Cheng!"
The shout made the icicles under the eaves tremble.
Su Mu was catching up on sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed). He was so tired from making dumplings last night that his back ached, and he was just starting to feel sleepy when this raspy voice ruined his sleep.
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