As the family sat down around the table, a steaming bowl of chicken soup was first served in front of each person.
Cheng Qiuchi learned to be smart this time, in order not to give Li Yushan a reason to be picky, each soup strives to be exactly the same, the proportion of broth is the same, and even the number of wolfberries in it is not much, there are exactly eight per person.
Therefore, when he saw Li Yushan pick up the spoon and drink the first mouthful of soup, Cheng Qiuchi showed a smile from the bottom of his heart, and his heart was completely in his stomach, he picked up the chopsticks and prepared to feast and make up for all yesterday's consumption.
But before the chopsticks touched the edge of the plate, Liu Ziqian suddenly stood up from the table, without saying a word, and walked through the hall towards the house without saying a word, leaving only a slightly visible back for everyone present.
Cheng Qiuchi watched her walk away, only then did he suddenly react, and hurriedly put down his chopsticks and chased after her, Cheng Dexuan was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly walked out of the door with him, and the two crossed the ramp and turned right at the end, and came to the destination of Liu Ziqian's trip - the stove room.
In the stove room, Liu Ziqian was methodically instructing the cook to cook.
Here's what she said: "Chicken soup is fatty, but it tastes too greasy, not conducive to digestion, it is better to remove the bones of the whole chicken, from the chicken neck here, all the chicken bones are taken out from this opening, the bone does not have meat and no bones, the chicken skin is intact and traceless, after the dismantling should be filled with glutinous rice, shrimp, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lotus seeds and other 'eight treasure filling', steamed in the pot for an hour, take out, put the chicken belly up, put it in a long plate."
Thicken with the original juice and pour it on the chicken. ” "There is also the mackerel, only braised is too wasteful of materials, it is better to break the fish head into two, the fish meat with the skin cut into square pieces, the fish tail with the meat cut into strips, add green onions, ginger, cooking wine, salt and peppercorns to marinate for a quarter of an hour, fry over low heat until both sides are slightly yellow.
Then put the green onion, ginger and garlic on top of the whole fish, and use two grates to close the bamboo skewers and seal them.
At this time, put a little oil in the pot, then add lard, put in two star anise and fry until fragrant, add clear soup, cooking wine, sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce in turn to put the mackerel in the pot and grill it for half a minute.
When the juice is thick, put it into a plate and pour the thick juice over it.
This fried grill makes the fish fresh and tender, the soup is mellow, and the taste is excellent, and it is better to eat it with white wine. ” After saying chicken and fish, she walked to a basket of vegetables that had been washed and pointed out to the cook one by one.
This complicated cooking process made the cook dumbfounded, except for nodding, she couldn't say a single word.
Listening to Liu Ziqian "pointing out the rivers and mountains" in the stove room, Cheng Qiuchi's already unsmiling face became stiffer in an instant, and he turned his head in the direction of Cheng Dexuan in a trance, and muttered in his mouth, "Father, Ziqian, she has always been bad at cooking, why did she seem to be a different person today, and talk about these dishes that I have never heard of?"
” Cheng Dexuan didn't say anything, he saw Liu Ziqian guiding the cook like a few treasures, and his heart suddenly flickered.
He remembered that the letter was the chamberlain of the imperial dining room, and he was mainly responsible for delivering food to the concubines in the harem on weekdays.
What's more, Liu Ziqian said that "Babao Chicken" and "Fried Mackerel Head and Tail" are things that are only eaten in the palace, these two dishes are complicated and labor-intensive, don't say ordinary people, even officials like him will not make such dishes on weekdays, Liu Ziqian, this person who has never been interested in cooking, how can he know these two dishes?
Thinking of this, and then in connection with the strange incident that happened last night, Cheng Dexuan actually broke out a few clusters of cold sweat in his palms, he looked at this daughter-in-law who had stayed by his side for many years quietly, and asked in a low voice, "Ziqian, if you eat well, why do you have to add two more dishes?"
” Liu Ziqian was stunned by what he said, looked at the stove in front of her and the cook who was stunned on the side like a dream, and said slowly, "I don't know why, I suddenly felt hungry in my stomach, as if I stayed for a while, I would starve to death, so I walked to this stove room, but this time, my stomach is not so hungry."
Speaking of this, she looked at Cheng Dexuan and Cheng Qiuchi with a little embarrassment, and gently stroked her fingers on her stomach, "Father, Xianggong, they all say that people who are pregnant are easy to get hungry, it turns out that this is the feeling, I have seen it today." ” Cheng Qiuchi walked up to her with some worry, staring at her like a monster, "Lady, what are the eight treasure chickens and mackerel, where did you learn them, you have always been not good at cooking, how can you make such complex dishes?"
” "Eight treasure chickens?
Mackerel?
Liu Ziqian fed back the same look to Cheng Qiuchi, she blinked her eyes a few times, and stammered, "What is Xianggong talking about?"
I've never heard of chicken, fish, how can I make these dishes?
” "You just asked the cook to cook these two dishes, and you still have a nose and eyes, why do you seem to have sudden amnesia now?"
Cheng Qiuchi was frightened, and reached out to Liu Ziqian's head, wanting to see if she had a fever, but Liu Ziqian's skin was slightly cool, normal as before, and there was no sign of illness at all.
Cheng Qiuchi frowned and pondered for a long time, and finally turned behind him and said to Cheng Dexuan, who had been thinking intently, "Father, I'm still not at ease, why don't you take Ziqian's pulse and see if she is sick?"
” Cheng Dexuan raised his eyes, and after a while, he finally held back a word from his throat, "Okay." ” After speaking, he turned around and walked towards the ramp, Cheng Qiuchi helped Liu Ziqian to follow him, and when the three of them hurriedly passed through the hall, they didn't notice Li Yushan who was sitting at the table and drinking chicken soup slowly.
She was so attentive that it seemed that the bowl in front of her was not chicken soup, but the most delicious delicacy in the world, and she just savored it spoonful, spoonful after spoonful, with a smug smile on the corner of her mouth.
"It's fine."
After diagnosing Liu Ziqian's pulse, Cheng Dexuan said four words that made Cheng Qiuchi feel relieved, but made him even more uneasy.
Liu Ziqian's pulse rhythm is regular, the pulse pattern is not thick or thin, not floating or sinking, not rigid or weak, and there is nothing abnormal about the body, but because of this, Cheng Dexuan's worry is a little more, he really can't understand what is going on with Liu Ziqian?
Could it be that she was really as told in those strange stories, possessed by the unjust spirit of the letter, or Cheng Dexuan was suddenly a little scared and didn't dare to think about it anymore.
"I'm in pain" While thinking wildly, Liu Ziqian suddenly said a word, she "hissed" lightly, and reached out to open her sleeves in front of Cheng Dexuan without scruples, revealing a dark red blister in the crook of her arm.