Mr. Wu came into the house and sat down. Jiang Yunzhu brought him four dishes, one of which was deep-fried pork, one was Kung Pao chicken, one was stir-fried cabbage, and another was a braised food platter, which included boneless duck feet, pig tails, duck gizzards, and beef tendons.
And a bowl of rice and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup.
These four dishes may look ordinary, but they are extraordinary in every way.
Take this stir-fried cabbage for example. Mr. Wu has eaten it all over the country, and even the imperial kitchen in the palace has eaten it many times. However, the number of people who can stir-fry cabbage to this degree of doneness is no more than two fingers.
And this braised food platter, this is duck feet, right? Looking at the curled up appearance, it seems to be boneless. This is the first time Mr. Wu has seen duck feet cooked like this.
Mr. Wu was curious and picked up a duck foot to eat first.
Fragrant, spicy, elastic and sticky!
He ate another piece of pig's tail.
Different taste, but equally delicious.
Stir-fried cabbage, as he guessed, the cooking skills have reached perfection, basically no seasoning is added, only the taste of the cabbage itself, which is extremely refreshing and sweet.
Mr. Wu couldn't help but glance at Jiang Yunzhu and asked, "You did it?"
"Yeah, how's it going, old man?"
Old Master Wu stared at her. If she hadn't had the guidance of a famous teacher and practiced hard for many years, she wouldn't have been able to achieve this level of skill. Of course, there was another possibility. The way of nature was to simplify things. This girl was born with this kind of wisdom.
Old Master Wu felt that Jiang Yunzhu was the latter, and he couldn't help but feel moved. He had been wandering for half his life and didn't even have a successor. This girl...
Thinking of this, his face looked much better and he said, "It's delicious."
Jiang Yunzhu's eyes were full of water. It was not easy to get these four words from Mr. Wu. If the old man was happy eating, would he help Mr. Chen with his illness? Of course, she would not say it out loud, as it would make her seem too eager for quick success.
It’s better to wait for Mr. Wu to propose it himself.
"If it tastes good, eat more," she just said.
Mr. Wu was already hungry, and after taking two bites, his appetite was aroused. He stopped talking and started eating.
There were four dishes, each not much, and in a short while, he finished all the dishes, a bowl of rice, and finally drank half a bowl of soup.
After eating, he sat there stroking his stomach, then he realized belatedly that one should eat only until he was 70% full, and what he was doing was not good for health.
It was all because the dishes were so delicious. He picked up the tea bowl in disappointment and drank his tea slowly.
This tea tastes bad, he thought.
Indeed, the tea that Jiang’s family bought was just some tea foam, how could it taste good
At this time Jiang Yunzhu and others also started to eat. Mr. Chen had poor eyesight, so Mrs. Chen told him what dishes were on the table and asked him which one he wanted to eat.
Mr. Chen said so and Mrs. Chen helped him pick it up.
Jiang Yunzhu watched from the side and quietly looked at Mr. Wu. Mr. Chen's eyes were obviously sick. Didn't he want to help? Or did the dishes just now fail to impress him
Indeed, those dishes were just some home-cooked meals. Mr. Wu had high standards and naturally looked down on them.
Jiang Yunzhu wondered whether she should cook for him the dish she had prepared in her dream.
In the dream, at Anping Marquis Mansion, Lin Ting'an wanted to ask Old Master Wu to treat his illness. Finding someone was one thing, and how to persuade him after finding him was another.
Jiang Yunzhu knew that Mr. Wu loved to eat and play, so she carefully prepared a dish in order to impress him.
Unfortunately, she never found the person and her dish was of no use.
It’s just right now.
However, how to make that dish properly still requires some careful consideration.
Jiang Yunzhu was thinking wildly, but he didn't know that after eating those dishes, Mr. Wu wanted to treat Mr. Chen. But he thought that Shen Fengming had tied him up, probably to treat Mr. Chen. If he treated him, wouldn't that satisfy his wishes
Don’t watch it, don’t watch it, at least not now.
He would look again after Shen Fengming left.
That's what he thought.
"Grandpa, where are you going alone in such a cold day? If there is nothing important, you might as well stay here for a few more days." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Mr. Wu was thinking just this and nodded immediately.
It can be said that the two hit it off immediately.
There were two side rooms in the courtyard. Shen Fengming and Yang Sheng lived in one, and the remaining room was originally used to store miscellaneous items. Jiang Yunzhu immediately cleaned it up and let Mr. Wu live in it.
At 3:00 p.m., Gu Yanzhou arrived to teach Jiang Lin and others how to read.
After studying for a while, Jiang Yunzhu lied that she had learned it, and then she stopped studying with him.
Today, she was walking back and forth in the main room.
"The little lotus has just shown its pointed tip, and a dragonfly has already landed on it." Gu Yanzhou taught Jiang Lin and others to recite ancient poems.
After hearing this, Jiang Yunzhu finally found an excuse. She sat at the table and said to Gu Yanzhou, "These two lines of poetry sound very nice. And when I heard you reading them, it was as if I saw a pointed lotus leaf just emerging from the water in a pond, with a dragonfly standing on it."
Gu Yanzhou's eyes flickered, "Good poetry really makes people feel as if they are there."
Jiang Yunzhu seemed to have thought of something and said, "When you mention that, I suddenly remembered cooking. Can cooking be done this way?"
Gu Yanzhou was stunned for a moment, then put down the book, "Of course, during the Five Dynasties, there was a female chef named Fan Zheng, and she was best at making dishes look like scenery.
The "Wangchuan Tu" she made was praised as "mountains and rivers on the dish, and poetry overflowing on the plate."
Wangchuan is where Wang Wei lived in seclusion, and the scenery is beautiful.
Wang Wei was a famous poet who had written many poems to describe the place where he lived, such as the famous line "The grass is green in the rain, and the peach blossoms on the water are red."
Fan Zheng made the scenes in his poems into dishes, which were lifelike and lifelike. What's more, there were 20 guests at the table, and each of them had a different dish, but when put together, they could form a whole, which was truly amazing.
Jiang Yunzhu was very interested and said, "I want to try it too."
Gu Yanzhou smiled. It was not that easy. Throughout history, there was only one person like Fan Zheng. But he did not have the heart to hit Jiang Yunzhu, so he said, "Okay. If you need any help, you can tell me."
Jiang Yunzhu really did, "Can you tell me more about Wang Wei's poems? I want to hear your thoughts."
Of course Gu Yanzhou had no problem with it and started reading it immediately.
He was a top scholar and knew all these poems by heart.
When Jiang Yunzhu heard the line "The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring flows over the rocks," she thought it had finally come, and immediately said, "This line is very nice."
Gu Yanzhou explained to her the origin of this poem and the situation Wang Wei was in when he wrote it.
The two of them were talking and laughing, and seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation. Yang Sheng looked at them and nodded at Shen Fengming.
Shen Fengming also saw the two people in the main room, he stood up and walked out.
Yang Sheng followed slowly.
"Miss Jiang." Shen Fengming walked into the room and said to Jiang Yunzhu.
Jiang Yunzhu raised her head and looked at him questioningly.
Shen Fengming glanced at the table and asked, "How is Miss Jiang's calligraphy going?"
Jiang Yunzhu: … It felt like having her homework checked by a teacher, even though this teacher had only taught her for a few days.
"Miss Jiang is very smart. She has already learned most of the words related to recipes and account keeping." Gu Yanzhou took over the conversation with a smile.
"Oh?" Shen Fengming looked at him with a scrutinizing look.
Gu Yanzhou put away his smile, his expression became tense, he felt a strange sense of oppression. He also looked at Shen Fengming, who had a handsome face and a tall and straight figure. In particular, he had a special temperament, like a mountain and an ocean.
Is this kind of person just a merchant from the capital? Gu Yanzhou pursed his lips. He had been to the capital to study before and met some noblemen in the capital, but none of them was like Shen Fengming.
"Miss Jiang, wasn't it Jie Yu who taught you to read before? Now that we are back, you should let him teach you. As for this Mr. Gu, I think the final exam is more important." Yang Sheng was impatient with their staring at each other and spoke directly to Jiang Yunzhu.
Speaking of the word Jie Yu, he felt very awkward because he had never called Shen Fengming like that before.
But suddenly, he remembered that there was a "Zhu" in Jiang Yunzhu's name, and Shen Fengming's courtesy name was "Yu". Pearls and jades, pearls and jades, they were indeed destined to be together.
He was delighted with his unique vision.
Of course, the others didn't know that he had already thought of something very far away. When Shen Fengming and Gu Yanzhou heard him say this, they both looked at Jiang Yunzhu.
They had argued about this matter last time, so there was no need to argue this time. They just had to wait for Jiang Yunzhu's decision.
Jiang Yunzhu was just looking for an opportunity to talk to Gu Yanzhou about this, so she said, "It is true that the big exam is more important."
"But..." Gu Yanzhou wanted to explain.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Gu, for your teachings these days. In fact, I have already discussed it with my mother a few days ago. After saving some money in a few days, I will send Jiang Lin and the others to school.
As for me, I think I can keep accounts and know recipes, that's enough."
"Miss Jiang, there is no need to belittle yourself. With your intelligence, you will achieve something in time." Gu Yanzhou advised her.
Jiang Yunzhu felt ashamed. The "cleverness" she displayed was due to the fact that she had studied modern Chinese for more than ten years. If she was really asked to delve into the classical Chinese, she would not be able to do it.
But she couldn't say it directly, so she said, "I think it's good enough for me to concentrate on one thing, otherwise I always feel that there is not enough time."
Everyone knew that she liked to cook and study food, so she used this as an excuse.
"Concentrate on one thing?" Gu Yanzhou repeated, feeling that he still underestimated Jiang Yunzhu. Yes, people's energy is limited. Isn't it good to do what you like and do it well
"I was rude." He looked at Jiang Yunzhu and said with relief. His eyes were like spring water flowing, making people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled at him and thanked him, "I still have to thank Master Gu for teaching us for so many days." Then she looked at Shen Fengming, "Master Shen, I..." She felt that she had made it very clear.
"Yeah." Shen Fengming nodded.
The matter passed, and then Jiang Yunzhu began to tinker with her dish.
When Gu Yanzhou learned that she was really going to make a dish that corresponded to the poem, he also became interested and watched from the side.
Yang Sheng also found it interesting and stood aside.
Soon, even Mr. Wu came. He pushed Gu Yanzhou and Yang Sheng aside and stretched his neck to watch Jiang Yunzhu do it.
Jiang Yunzhu: … With so many people watching her, she felt a lot of pressure.
Fortunately, she had prepared this dish for a long time in Anping Marquis Mansion in her dream and had made it several times. This time, although she made occasional mistakes, the overall direction was still correct.
First make the moon. This uses white radish. Of course, you don’t just carve the white radish into the shape of the moon. You need to make a pot of broth, and then pour the broth on the processed white radish, allowing it to slowly become cooked and flavorful.
When serving, sprinkle some chicken oil on it to make the white radish look as bright and moist as a white jade plate.
She prepared this radish by referring to the method of boiled cabbage for modern state banquets. Various meat ingredients were used in the broth, but the radish did not have any oily smell in the end. It looked extremely light, but in fact it was full of flavor.
Just looking at this piece of radish, Mr. Wu's eyes were filled with amazement. It was true that the truth is simple!
Then Jiang Yunzhu started to paint pine trees and cliffs.
When it was time to prepare dinner, she went to make dinner.
"Make this first, why rush for dinner!" Grandpa Wu said anxiously as he saw that the dish was almost done.
"The guests ordered lunch at noon," said Jiang Yunzhu.
Mr. Wu really wanted to say, no matter who ordered the meal, just wait for him. But thinking of his current identity as just an old man passing by, he held back. He was not afraid to tell Jiang Yunzhu that he was Wu Xingwei, but if Jiang Yunzhu knew about it and asked him to treat Mr. Chen's eyes, would he agree or not
He didn't want to go along with Shen Fengming's wishes, so he could only wait patiently, scratching his head.
Jiang Yunzhu finally finished cooking dinner and made this dish again.
It was not until the moon rabbit rose in the east that this dish of "Bright Moon and Clear Spring" was finally completed.
Jiang Yunzhu brought it out of the kitchen and saw a bright moon hanging on the cliff, reflecting the bright moon in the sky. There was a tall pine forest with a few rocks in the middle. On the rocks, a winding clear spring flowed slowly.
The cliffs, pine forests, and stones are all lifelike, and the most peculiar thing is the clear spring. It is really flowing slowly, sparkling in the reflection of the moonlight.
"'The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring flows over the rocks', what a 'bright moon and clear spring'." Yang Sheng was the first to praise. When he saw this dish, he seemed to really see the beautiful scenery described in the poem.
Gu Yanzhou also looked at the dish in surprise. He said that Fan Zheng once made the "Wangchuan Tu", but that was hundreds of years ago and he had never actually seen it. However, he saw the "Bright Moon and Clear Spring" made by Jiang Yunzhu with his own eyes.
Shen Fengming was also there at this time, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
Mr. Wu was amazed again and again, looking here and there, and finally patted his head and said, "I can't bear to eat it."
"It tastes better than it looks," said Jiang Yunzhu.
Mr. Wu felt that her words were like the devil's words. He tentatively said, "How about I try it?"
Jiang Yunzhu handed him the chopsticks.
Mr. Wu had long wanted to taste the radish, so he immediately picked it up with chopsticks.
Unexpectedly, the radish was very soft and he easily picked up a piece. When he put it in his mouth, there was no spicy taste of radish at all, only the various fresh aromas and the sweet taste of radish, which was refreshing.
"Delicious!" he praised immediately.
When the others saw that the moon was missing a piece, they all picked up their chopsticks and started eating. The cliff, the pine forest, the stone, and even the spring were all dishes, and each dish tasted different, but all were extraordinary. Eating along the way, it felt like the Suzhou gardens, where one step brings a different view and one flavor. It was really wonderful.
Soon, the dish was eaten up.
Yang Sheng looked at Jiang Yunzhu with burning eyes. He felt that if his boss couldn't do it, he could do it and bring Jiang Yunzhu back to the capital. At least he would be able to eat delicious meals every day in the future.
He felt that his mother would also like Jiang Yunzhu.
At this moment, he suddenly felt a chill. He turned his head and saw Shen Fengming looking at him. He chuckled twice.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't care about other people's reactions. She just stared at Mr. Wu. Is the old man satisfied? Can the disease be cured
Mr. Wu was extremely satisfied, but he still couldn't cure Mr. Chen.
He hesitated for a moment and asked Jiang Yunzhu, "Do you want to be my disciple?"
Jiang Yunzhu was stunned. This was totally different from what she thought! Mr. Wu wanted to take her in as his apprentice? This was certainly an opportunity that many people dreamed of. But she didn't want to study medicine.
"Grandpa can cook too?" Jiang Yunzhu hoped that Grandpa Wu would say that he knew medical skills, so that she could take advantage of the situation and ask him to treat Grandpa Chen's eyes, and everyone would be happy.
Mr. Wu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Stewing turtle soup is considered a dish, right? Although he hadn't caught the turtle yet, he would catch it sooner or later.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, "I will definitely ask the old man for advice when I have the chance in the future." This was her tactful refusal.
Mr. Wu is not angry. There will be a chance.
The two talked at cross purposes for a while, and as it was getting late, everyone went their separate ways.
Jiang Yunzhu had been busy for the whole afternoon and was really tired. Without thinking much about anything else, she went to wash up and prepare for bed.
Gu Yanzhou went home, and Yang Sheng took Jiang Yunzhu's plate of food back to the house, trying to figure out why the clear spring was flowing.
Shen Fengming also went to wash up and prepared to go to bed.
He suddenly stopped beside the well in the yard. After a while, a man came out from behind the house. It was Mr. Wu.
He observed for an entire afternoon and finally understood why Shen Fengming had tied him up and brought him to Old Man Chen for treatment. He had ill intentions towards Jiang Yunzhu.
He snorted coldly. It was rumored in the capital that Qilin Guard Commander Shen Fengming was not interested in women. Why was he playing tricks on a girl here? He even concealed his identity. Was he afraid that the girl would come to his house to make trouble in the future
He might as well just kill the man directly, instead of putting an end to it all.
Anyway, he is used to killing people.
You still want him to help you cure your illness and please the girl? Dream on!
Shen Fengming felt that Mr. Wu had a bad look on his face and frowned slightly.
"Do you want me to help you treat your illness?" Old Master Wu asked Shen Fengming.
"Yes." Shen Fengming agreed.
"Stay away from that girl." Mr. Wu said directly.
Shen Fengming looked at him with a cold gaze.
Old Master Wu was furious. This hypocritical beast in human clothing! Of course he would not believe that Shen Fengming really liked Jiang Yunzhu. He just thought that he wanted to deceive Jiang Yunzhu.
A gust of north wind blew by, making people's bones tremble. He said, "You want me to heal you? Well, you have to stand here for one night. Otherwise, I will not heal anyone related to you in the future.
Even if I die!" Mr. Wu is not afraid of death. As a doctor for so many years, he has seen through life and death.
He said this intentionally to make things difficult for Shen Fengming. First, to avenge Shen Fengming for kidnapping him, and second, to prove Shen Fengming's hypocrisy.
"If I stand up, will you help the old man cure his illness?" Shen Fengming asked.
"If you stand, I might be able to cure him. If you don't stand, then..." Of course I will cure him, but I will do it later.
Shen Fengming didn't know what he was thinking, but he knew that he just had a strange temper. After a slight hesitation, he said, "Okay!"
"I knew you..." Before Mr. Wu finished his words, he heard the word "Okay".
He was stunned. He really didn't expect Shen Fengming to agree.
Shen Fengming stopped talking, put down the basin, and stood there, as if he really intended to stand there all night.
Old Master Wu looked him up and down, then snorted and turned back to his room.
After a while, Yang Sheng was about to go to sleep. Seeing that Shen Fengming had not entered the room, he went out to look for him, and saw him standing there motionless.
"What are you doing?" Yang Sheng asked.
Shen Fengming didn't want to explain to him, "Why don't you go to bed?"
"and you."
"Don't mind me."
"Don't worry about anything..."
Yang Sheng looked at Shen Fengming and held back the rest of his words. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Do whatever you want. I'm going back to sleep." He knew that Shen Fengming must have a reason for doing what he did, but since he didn't say it, he didn't ask.
But he went back and got him a cloak made of silver fox skin, which was windproof and very warm.
Jiang Yunzhu lay in bed. Perhaps she was too tired from making the "Bright Moon and Clear Spring" dish today, or perhaps it was because Mr. Wu did not say in the end that he would treat Mr. Chen's illness, she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
She opened her eyes to see what time it was. But through the window, she saw a person
She hurried to the window and looked out carefully.
In the moonlight, she saw that there was indeed a person standing beside the well. It was Shen Fengming!
What did he do? Jiang Yunzhu had several thoughts in her mind instantly, but none of them seemed reliable.
She watched him, trying to see what he was going to do, maybe when he would return to the house.
As a result, he just stood there like a statue.
Is there anything wrong? She quickly put on her clothes, picked up a lantern, opened the door and walked into the yard.
It was dark, and the lantern emitted a warm yellow light that shone on her face.
Shen Fengming heard some movement in her room and looked towards her. When he saw her coming over with a lantern, his eyebrows slightly raised.
The warm yellow light was getting closer and closer, as if dispelling the darkness and coldness on him.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Yunzhu asked, picking up the lantern.
"It's okay." Shen Fengming replied.
"What about you?" Jiang Yunzhu wanted to ask, what are you doing
Shen Fengming looked at her, and because she raised the lantern higher, the light illuminated her eyebrows and eyes more clearly.
"I never thought about getting married before," he said.
Jiang Yunzhu was stunned. Where did he get this from? But it seemed so. Seven years later in the dream, he was still alone.
Shen Fengming lowered his eyes, "My mother doesn't like my father, and neither does my father. They quarrel every day. When I was a child, I didn't understand why they were still together if they hated each other so much.
I'm tired of them quarreling." He paused. He had never said these words to anyone, but he wanted to tell her now.
Jiang Yunzhu had never met Princess Danyang and Academician Shen, but she had heard that their marriage seemed to be a political one. The Shen family was a large family and played an important role in the Xia Dynasty. At that time, the current emperor was still an unpopular prince.
His sister married into the Shen family, which meant she had the support of the Shen family.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't know what to say. This was how things had been done in imperial families since ancient times.
She frowned and pursed her lips.