Chapter 351 Ground Pot Chicken (2)
Wen Mingtang was startled by the sudden sound. The dough in his hand shook and he threw it on the countertop.
Looking up at the visitor, Lin Fei, who suddenly spoke in the other room, seemed unaware and continued to ask: "Is this the evening meal today? What are you doing?"
"Ground-pot chicken." Wen Mingtang looked at him and replied, "This is a cake stuck to the wall of the pot."
Lin Fei nodded when he heard this, walked around the counter and walked in. After saying hello to Zhao You, he picked up the lost noodle box, threw it into the water, and then glanced at it. Wen Mingtang turned to the clay stove prepared by Wen Mingtang and said, "The pot will be brought to this clay stove later? Can you cook and eat at the same time?"
Wen Mingtang said "hmm", collected himself, calmed down, looked at Lin Fei, and asked: "Why is Lin Shaoqing here? It's the New Year's Eve, and there will be a New Year's Eve dinner in the house."
Unlike her and Zhao You, he had nowhere to go, so how could he go to the public kitchen to celebrate the festival?
Lin Fei looked intently at the noodles sinking to the bottom of the clear water. Without moving his eyes, he said: "My grandfather's old friend was feeling unwell and asked the imperial doctor. My grandfather went to visit his old friend and was not at home. My brother will be in the middle of next year. We were about to get married, and the two families had to move around. Today's banquet was more about human relations than food, which I didn't like. Besides, the guests at home these days... must not be very happy to see me, so I came out and happened to let my mother It’s good to have a rest.”
Wen Mingtang: "..."
Although Lin Fei said it lightly and conveyed it in a simple sentence, but the meaning behind the words could be understood. These days, Lin Fei's actions probably caused a headache for Mrs. Hou, who was sandwiched between Mrs. Lu and her group and Lin Fei. .
It was not surprising that Duke Jingguo visited his old friend who was feeling unwell, but it was because of the favor of Prince Jingyun. Wen Mingtang thought about it and couldn't help asking Lin Fei: "Lin Shaoqing, I am always your brother and future brother-in-law. How about a family dinner for you?" If I'm not here, won't it look bad in terms of human relations and worldly interactions?"
Lin Fei took the crispy rice cake from Zhao You and took a bite. Chewing the crispy rice cake with a soft and silky texture, he said slowly: "My father and brother must be scolding me for not understanding the ways of the world." , I’m afraid that on the inside, I’m even more satisfied with my sensibleness.”
The dough for the ground pot chicken needs to be soaked in clean water for a while before being attached to the wall of the pot. Wen Mingtang's hands were free, he took a rest and looked at Lin Fei.
Lin Fei didn't seem to think that she and Zhao You were outsiders at all, and continued calmly: "Although I work in the Yamen of Dali Temple and there is no conflict with my brother's future appointment, I have a good relationship with His Majesty. I understand very well. It’s not good to be sophisticated and well-rounded.”
Even though the relationship with his brother was still harmonious, there were some things that Lin Fei didn't understand.
Wen Mingtang also understood: Prince Lin was not bad in terms of means, but... he was not outstanding among the crowd. Things like titles... In short, human nature cannot stand the test.
After understanding the situation, Wen Mingtang did not say any more, but raised his hand to lift the lid of the pot on the side. Seeing that the ground pot chicken was almost ready, he picked up the thick cloth and carried the pot to the clay stove through the thick cloth. The short-leg clay oven was placed in the middle of the dining table. It was today's main dish. Wen Mingtang took the tomatoes, which were sprinkled with a layer of fine sugar, neatly arranged and mixed with scallion oil, and turned around to take care of them. I put the chicken offal into the pot and made a stir-fried chicken offal.
The soup is prepared fermented fermented wolfberry soup, which is alcoholic but not intoxicating. Once it enters the stomach, it will warm you up. It is sweet and has a unique aroma of fermented fermented rice. Wen Mingtang likes it the most.
After Lin Fei and Zhao You sat down, Wen Mingtang came over with the basin of "water noodles" in his arms. He opened the lid of the pot and looked at the bubbling soup "slowly". Wen Mingtang took out the noodles. Then, with a pinch of the hand, it was shaped into a pancake and stuck to the wall of the pot with a "snap".
This method is really novel. Lin Fei and Zhao You both looked at the ground pot chicken in the middle, watching with interest Wen Mingtang pasting cakes along the wall of the pot.
When Wen Mingtang finished posting half of it, Lin Fei spoke: "I have already cleaned my hands. Can you let me try?"
Looking at the novelty, everyone wants to try it, and this one is not difficult at all. Wen Mingtang smiled, said a few words of caution, pushed the basin of "Clear Water Potion" in front of Lin Fei, asked Lin Fei to apply it himself, and then went to serve the fermented wolfberry soup.
By the time Wen Mingtang came back with the soup, Lin Fei had already finished pasting the remaining cakes and was looking up at her with an obvious questioning look in his eyes.
Wen Mingtang glanced at the cakes posted on the wall of the pot, nodded and said "Not bad". Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the corners of Lin Fei's lips seemed to curl up, but because the movement was too fast, he disappeared without knowing it. Did she see it wrong?
Wen Mingtang shook his head and did not dwell on such trivial matters. He poured the fermented sweet soup for the two of them, then used the soup instead of wine, clinked the bowls, and after taking a big sip, he could use his chopsticks.
But before moving his chopsticks, Wen Mingtang still asked Lin Fei: "Can Lin Shaoqing share the food?"
There are still rules for sharing food in Da Rong, but they are not forced. It all depends on personal preference. The chef didn't say anything anymore. He scored regardless of whether he was divided or not. Wen Mingtang was invited by Yu Jijiu to prepare dishes for the banquet. Wen Mingtang prepared the dishes according to the rules of food sharing, one for each dish. Later, I went to the Hou Mansion and worked as the assistant chef for Master Xing. It was considered a small banquet in the Hou Mansion. After all, only the two masters, Mrs. Hou and Lin Fei, were there. But it was probably because when they were in Sichuan and Sichuan, Mrs. Hou and Mrs. Lu did not have the rule of sharing food when they got along. , Mrs. Hou did not let them prepare food for themselves.
Because there were only two diners here, Zhao You and himself, Wen Mingtang only prepared serving chopsticks and was not prepared to share the food. Now that Lin Fei is here, Wen Mingtang is really unsure.
Lin Fei shook his head, picked up the serving chopsticks, and said, "Just use this, and you'll lose the fun of sharing the pot chicken."
Wen Mingtang nodded and said "Oh" and started to move his chopsticks.
The ground pot chicken with the cake was still simmering for a while, so I ate a few dishes next to the chopsticks: the aroma of Qianzhang's soybeans and the unique aroma of scallion oil complement each other, refreshing and delicious; the stir-fried chicken offal is obviously this. The additional products in the stewed ground pot chicken, such as chicken gizzards, chicken intestines, chicken hearts and other pickled items that others do not want in daily life, have been completely removed from the fishy smell, and stir-fried with chili peppers, pickled peppers, onions and ginger, etc. It was spicy, sour and fragrant, and quite appetizing. It suited Wen Mingtang and Lin Fei's appetites, and both of them ate a lot.
Zhao You, who is not good at eating spicy food, liked it but didn't dare to eat more, so he simply stretched his chopsticks towards the tomatoes mixed with sugar.
The sugar-stewed tomatoes that had been prepared early were now beginning to produce juice. The melted sugar water was soaked in the sweet and sour juice of the tomatoes. I think Wen Mingtang's original intention was to use this dish as an after-dinner meal. But the sour, sweet and appetizing refreshing taste made Zhao Yousheng take half of it. He didn't stop until the ground pot chicken was stewed and the lid was opened. He turned to look at the stewed ground pot chicken.
The half of the cake stuck in a circle along the wall of the pot has been completely soaked in the soup. The other half stuck to the wall of the pot has its edges slightly separated from the wall of the pot like ordinary baked cakes. Look at it. Quite interesting.
In the mist, the soup was bubbling, and the alluring aroma spread from the black iron pot. The three of them moved their chopsticks and reached for the chicken nuggets and pancakes in the pot.
The color of the chicken pieces has been dyed the same color by the thick brown sauce. The thick sauce is wrapped around the chicken pieces, glowing with an attractive oily sheen. It is brought to the lips and slightly blown into the mouth. After entering the mouth, the taste is salty and fragrant. Because it has been stewed for enough time, the meat and bones can be separated easily with one sip.
The taste of this chicken is impeccable, and the pancake taken off the wall of the pot is the soul of it. The half that is close to the wall of the pot is slightly burnt at the entrance, but it is different from ordinary rice cookers. Because Wen Mingtang picked it just right when he opened the lid, the other side that is not close to the wall of the pot is still soft. The crispy rice cake is softer and harder than ordinary noodles, giving it a special texture.
The half of the pancake soaked in the soup has absorbed enough of the soup. The aroma of the pancake is mixed with the aroma of chicken and sauce. The three flavors are fully integrated into the pancake. It tastes wonderful when chewed.
It is really amazing that the same piece of bread can taste two completely different textures.
Zhao You buried his head in eating and was obviously a qualified eater. Wen Mingtang and Lin Fei were halfway through their meal. When they noticed that they were feeling a little full in their stomachs, they spontaneously slowed down their movements and sipped the warm fermented rice soup. , started chatting.
It was Lin Fei who spoke first: "Is there anything gained today?"
They had already guessed that she would go to Shengyefang area to hang out today, and Wen Mingtang had no intention of hiding it from Lin Fei. After all, it was best to handle Wen Xuance's affairs openly and above board.
Whether it was the enemies Wen Xuance left behind or the inexplicable Princess Liyang, compared to her opponents, she was now an out-and-out "weak".
For the "weak", going private is tantamount to placing one's life on the kindness of the enemy, and doing business is always the best choice.
So as soon as Lin Fei opened his mouth, Wen Mingtang nodded and said, "There were a lot of people when I went there, so I went to the back to have a bowl of noodles, and I discovered something interesting." Then he told what he saw and heard in the noodle shop.
After hearing this, Lin Fei said: "The couple who opened the noodle shop, Xu Tong, and Prince Liyang's Mansion, didn't deal with them either. It was a bit deliberate to say this in front of so many people."
Wen Mingtang said "hmm" and said, "I think so too. I don't know who they are. I just feel that this couple seems to be deliberately spreading the news that the maid sneaks out of the back door at that time every day." . In this case, the palace, which has not suppressed everything, may be even more unclear."
As for what the palace wanted to suppress, Ji Caimai and the noodle diners all knew it, and Lin Fei naturally knew it.
"This matter was said by Jiang Chengzu who was in prison seeking to protect himself," Lin Fei said, raising his eyes to Wen Mingtang and said, "The Beauty Lamp case involves a lot. After it was handed over to Mr. Zhao, it was originally He should be found guilty and acquitted. Jiang Chengzu himself could not escape the death penalty. But in order to survive, he actually revealed a shocking secret."
At this point, Lin Fei stopped and looked at Wen Mingtang: "This matter...if I didn't know that it had nothing to do with you, I would have thought it was you who did it." Before the girl could speak, he spoke again. , "Because this matter is most beneficial to your Wen family!"