pappabearbooks Chapter 115: Was it really just to help? Wasn't it like throwing lambs to the slaughter?!
Chapter 115: Was it really just to help? Wasn't it like throwing lambs to the slaughter?!
Chapter 115: Was it really just to help? Wasn't it like throwing lambs to the slaughter?!
Two hours later, the sun began to set.
Su Mu lifted the lid of the pot.
A thick plume of hot white steam shot up to the roof beams.
The broth in the pot had thickened and turned a glossy red, and the originally plump white lotus root had turned into a deep red amber color, with its skin wrinkled, a sign that it had absorbed the flavor very well.
He took the lotus root out of the water, put it on the cutting board to dry, and then swiftly chopped it.
Click!
The blade fell, separating the lotus root slices, but not completely severing them.
Countless fine, dense silver threads connected the two lotus root slices, crystal clear, stretching long as Su Mu raised his knife, shimmering faintly in the setting sun.
"Tsk, still connected even after being severed."
Su Mu muttered something casually.
He arranged the sliced lotus root on a white porcelain plate, the silvery strands still swaying in the wind, looking quite tempting.
Finally, he moved out of the corner the jar of osmanthus honey that Fang Qingjun had helped pickle a few days ago.
As soon as the jar was opened, a subtle fragrance, imbued with the essence of time, wafted out.
A large spoonful of thick, golden osmanthus honey is poured over the steaming hot lotus root slices.
The honey seeped down through the holes of the lotus root, and the heat released a burst of aroma that was so strong it made one's head spin.
Little Sizi was already lying on the table, impatiently waiting, his two little feet swinging in the air, drool almost dripping onto the table.
"Wow! There are so many shredded duck pieces!"
Su Mu picked up a piece, blew on it, and fed it to the little girl.
The little rhinoceros croaked and bit down.
The lotus root slices are so soft and tender that you don't even need to chew them. The glutinous rice is soaked in brown sugar water, making it chewy and sweet. The osmanthus honey has a cool fragrance unique to late autumn, which instantly neutralizes the richness of the brown sugar.
She tilted her head back, and a long strand of lotus root dangled from the corner of her mouth, sticky and impossible to tear off.
"Ugh—it's so sticky! It sticks to my teeth!"
The little ox called out indistinctly, reaching for the thread with both hands, which ended up making its face sticky.
Su Mu smiled as he wiped her face, then picked up a piece and handed it to Fang Qingjun: "Try it? This is something we made together."
Fang Qingjun's face flushed slightly as she took the chopsticks.
The food was warm when it entered the mouth.
That sweetness isn't just on the surface; it seeps into every inch of the lotus root.
It's soft and chewy, and each bite requires a bit of effort to break through the strands.
Just as she was about to put the lotus root slice into her mouth, a thin, silvery thread stubbornly clung to the plate. She had to lean closer and, somewhat awkwardly, use the tip of her tongue to break off the thread.
"This dish—"
Fang Qingjun swallowed, her mouth filled with an unyielding sweetness. "What's your name?"
"Osmanthus-scented glutinous rice lotus root".
Su Mu wiped the sugar stains off his hands. "It has a good meaning. It symbolizes sweetness and happiness, like lotus roots that are still connected and inseparable."
Fang Qingjun's hand holding the chopsticks trembled suddenly.
Inseparable — like a lotus root still connected even after being broken —
She subconsciously looked up at Su Mu.
Su Mu was tidying up the cutting board with his head down. The lines of his profile looked particularly soft in the afterglow of the setting sun, and there was still a few fallen osmanthus blossoms stuck to the ends of his hair.
"Sister, you're so embarrassing!"
Xiao Sizi suddenly pointed at Fang Qingjun and shouted, breaking the delicate atmosphere.
"My sister's face is so red, it looks like a monkey's bottom!"
Fang Qingjun almost dropped her chopsticks, frantically touching her burning cheeks: "Nonsense—I'm hot, it's from the steam after it just came out of the pot."
"No way!"
Little Sizi licked the sugar stains from the corner of her mouth, blinked her big eyes, and her innocent face revealed a shrewdness that seemed to see through everything. "When Sister looked at Guoguo just now, her gaze was also full of longing! Just like this lotus root, you can't tear it apart!"
Clang!
The kitchen knife in Su Mu's hand fell onto the cutting board with a loud thud.
The courtyard was deathly silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Fang Qingjun felt like her head was about to burst into flames, and the blush spread down her neck all the way to behind her ears.
She didn't even dare to look up at Su Mu, her heart pounding like a drum, and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
This little brat! How can he say such things so casually!
Su Mu coughed lightly, bent down to pick up the kitchen knife, and pretended to look at the fire at the bottom of the pot, which had long since gone out: "Um—children speak without thinking, children speak without thinking. This lotus root is indeed quite sticky, it's hard to chew."
Fang Qingjun practically fled the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
When she left, she was still holding the large food box that Su Muqiang had given her, which was filled with a big plate of steaming osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root.
Even after she boarded the carriage to return home, the heat on her face hadn't subsided.
She lifted a corner of the food box.
The sweet aroma filled the narrow carriage.
Looking at the tangled lotus root slices, she couldn't help but reach out her finger and gently poke the stringy part, a silly smile creeping onto her lips without her even realizing it.
The study of the Duke of Liang's residence.
Fang Xuanling was looking at a pile of official documents with a headache.
After watching for a while, my stomach started to feel a little empty, and I was thinking about asking the kitchen to make something for me to eat that night.
The door was pushed open, and Fang Qingjun came in carrying a food box, her steps somewhat unsteady.
"Father, have some snacks."
Fang Xuanling twitched his nose.
This flavor is just right!
It definitely wasn't made by those mediocre people in our own kitchen. That rich, sweet osmanthus aroma, with a hint of caramel, makes your mouth water just from smelling it.
"Brought back from the palace again?"
Fang Xuanling pushed the official document aside, rubbed his hands together, and his old face beamed with joy. "Quickly, let your father have a taste of this new and interesting thing."
The lid is lifted.
With its rosy, glossy skin and golden osmanthus blossoms, it looks festive.
Fang Xuanling couldn't wait to pick up a piece.
The lotus root fibers stretched out and shimmered in the candlelight.
Fang Xuanling didn't bother with any of the formalities expected of a prime minister. He simply stretched his head forward, curled his tongue, and put the lotus root into his mouth.
sweet!
But it's sweet without being cloying.
The rich flavor of brown sugar, the soft and chewy texture of glutinous rice, and the powdery texture of lotus root blend perfectly in your mouth.
Especially the final touch of osmanthus fragrance, it was the perfect finishing touch, completely eliminating the cloying taste!
"nice one!"
Fang Xuanling praised it highly, his eyes narrowing into slits, "This is what you call—sweetness in your heart!"
He ate three pieces before realizing that something was wrong with his daughter.
Fang Qingjun sat on the armchair next to her, twisting a handkerchief in her hand. Her eyes were somewhat glazed over as she stared at the plate of lotus root, a faint smile playing on her lips. She looked as if her soul had wandered off somewhere.
That expression—
Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat!
He's been there; he knows that expression all too well.
Back when his wife hadn't turned into the tigress she is now, when she first married him, she always looked like a lovesick young girl.
"Qingjun."
Fang Xuanling put down his chopsticks and tentatively asked, "This lotus root—was it made by that Mr. Su?"
"Um."
Fang Qingjun came to her senses and nodded somewhat flusteredly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the handkerchief. "It was him—he taught my daughter to do it. No, it was him who did it. My daughter just—just helped watch the fire."
"help?"
Fang Xuanling narrowed his eyes, looking at the sticky, stringy lotus root slices on the plate, and chewed them meaningfully. "Is this all you're doing?"
Fang Qingjun blushed even more and stammered, unable to speak.
Fang Xuanling sighed, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
Finished!