THOJ Chapter 37: Wait a Little Longer
Sheng Sanlang was still in a daze. Why had Biaomei suddenly
mentioned "beggar pork knuckle" when he had spoken about the scary
wild boar? Wait, he had only heard of beggar chicken before. What exactly was
beggar pork knuckle?
Luo Sheng understood that Shen Sanlang needed some time to
process the belt incident[1],
as it could be pretty shocking for any man. With a patient look, she gestured
towards the still-twitching wild boar and explained, "I promised Biaoge
that I would cook a dish for you."
Sheng Sanlang's rigid expression softened. Ah, he remembered
now. This dish was the exchange for allowing Biaomei to stay in Nanyang City
for two days.
Sheng Sanlang's mind immediately wandered to the delectable
stir-fried fish he had been craving. Glancing at the wild boar on the ground,
he was a little unwilling: "Biaomei, why not make a fish dish instead? A
flavorful and delicious whole fish stir-fried to perfection..."
Luo Sheng interrupted Sheng Sanlang's daydream. "We
don't have any fish. The wild boar meat is fresh and plentiful, enough for all
of us to enjoy."
Sheng Sanlang still wanted to negotiate, but he suddenly
regained his senses when he met the girl's calm and bright eyes. Biaomei was
not someone to be messed with! "Then... let's do as Biaomei
suggests," he conceded.
Hearing the regret in Sheng Sanlang's voice, Luo Sheng
reassured him, "Compared to stir-fried fish, I believe Biaoge will enjoy
beggar pork knuckle even more."
Sheng Sanlang's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Is
beggar pork knuckle really that delicious?"
Luo Sheng nodded, affirming his question.
"What exactly is beggar pork knuckle? The name sounds
intriguing."
Luo Sheng appeared slightly surprised. "Biaoge, haven't
you heard of Beggar Chicken?" Sheng Sanlang felt embarrassed at his lack
of knowledge. "Ahem, I have heard of Beggar Chicken. I've even had the
pleasure of tasting it at Wuxianzhai..."
Seeing Sheng Sanlang reminiscing about the delicious Beggar
Chicken, Luo Sheng interrupted mercilessly, "Although Beggar Chicken is
flavorful, it can be a bit dry due to the lack of grease. Beggar pork knuckle
is different—"
"How is it different?" Sheng Sanlang's thoughts
shifted entirely to the topic of food, leaving behind the awkwardness of the
belt incident.
"The pork knuckle is fatty and tender, so the beggar
pork knuckle smells good and tastes even better."
Gulp. That was the sound of Sheng Sanlang swallowing saliva,
his mouth watering at the mere thought of it.
Hongdou, standing impatiently by the side, finally spoke up,
"Miss, let me light the fire for you so that we can have this beggar pork
knuckle soon."
Xiuyue's excitement grew as she looked at Luo Sheng.
Princess had expressed the same opinion regarding the distinction between
beggar chicken and beggar pork knuckle as Miss Luo did — not a single word of
difference! What could be the connection between Miss Luo and Princess?
But that was impossible. Considering the difference in their
ages, Miss Luo would have been merely three or four years old when Princess was
killed. Xiuyue stared at Luo Sheng in a daze, unable to make sense of the
situation.
Luo Sheng naturally noticed Xiuyue's bewildered expression.
It could be said that her decision to make beggar pork knuckle today wasn't
just because she had a fresh wild boar to cook with but also because she wanted
to give Xiuyue a subtle hint about her true identity as Princess Qingyang.
With each passing moment, Xiuyue's suspicions and doubts
will grow. And one day, these thoughts will break through the confines of
rationality, allowing her to boldly assume who she truly is.
"Biaoge, you and the guards, build a stove and light a
fire. Ugly popo, please assist me. We will handle this wild boar," Luo
Sheng instructed.
Everyone quickly got to work, following Luo Sheng's
guidance. After discarding unnecessary parts, they were left with a large piece
of meat from the wild boar. The boar meat was skewered and roasted over the
fire while the bones were thrown into a large cauldron taken from the goods'
carriage to boil soup.
As Sheng Sanlang watched the pork bones tumbling in the
cauldron, he couldn't help but sigh. When it came to food, Biaomei really
thought of everything!
Luo Sheng placed the four pork knuckles into a wooden basin
to marinate and instructed Hongdou, "Go to the carriage at the back and
fetch that dark clay pot." Hongdou nodded and quickly returned with a
small clay pot.
The clay pot was simple in appearance, but the honey inside
had a beautiful color and shine. Luo Sheng gestured for Hongdou to take the
honey pot to Xiuyue, who was flipping the skewers, and said, "Coating the
barbecue with a layer of honey will enhance its flavor."
"Yes, yes, I love the ones with honey!" Sheng
Sanlang's eyes curved with a smile.
The guards, who had finished their tasks and were resting,
couldn't help but salivate as they gazed at the sizzling skewers on the fire.
To travel long distances without having to eat dry food and instead indulge in
freshly barbecued meat and bone soup, what a blessing it was!
Sheng Sanlang glanced at the pork knuckles in the wooden
basin and asked, "Biaomei, didn't you say you wanted to make beggar pork
knuckles?"
"The knuckles must be marinated long to develop the
desired flavor. Ideally, they should be marinated for a whole day."
As the tantalizing aroma of the barbecue intensified, and
the cauldron of bone soup turned a milky white, Luo Sheng finally took out the
marinated pork knuckles. She laid out softened dried lotus leaves, spread a
layer of lard, tightly wrapped the knuckles, and then covered them with a thick
layer of mud before burying them in the fire. Now, all they need to do is wait
for the wrapped knuckles to cook and be ready to savor.
"Biaomei even prepared dried lotus leaves." By
this time, Sheng Sanlang was overwhelmed with admiration, and he did not doubt
that the beggar pork knuckle would be delicious.
Well, at least it couldn't be worse than Beggar Chicken, as
Biaomei guaranteed.
"The barbecue is ready!" Xiuyue suddenly
announced, causing the sound of salivating mouths to fill the air.
Hongdou quickly grabbed a barbecue skewer and handed it to
Luo Sheng, saying, "Miss, have some barbecue." But Luo Sheng remained
composed and declined, "You all go ahead and enjoy. I'll have a few pieces
of beggar pork knuckle later, and that will be enough for me."
The guards cheered and couldn't wait to grab and feast on
the barbecue.
Unable to resist the enticing aroma, Sheng Sanlang eagerly
took a skewer and took a bite of the succulent meat. His eyes widened in
delight. "Biaomei, I never expected that besides making douhua, Ugly Popo
could also make such delicious barbecue."
Hongdou, savoring a mouthful of meat, looked proud: "Of
course! My Miss has impeccable taste and discerning eyes."
As Sheng Sanlang reminisced about their encounter with the
dashing man in scarlet at the tea shed, he couldn't help but agree.
"Biaomei, you truly have a discerning eye." With that thought, he
felt a sense of relief, knowing that he didn't have to worry about his belt
being taken off by Biaomei. —hey, this realization didn't seem to make him
particularly happy...
The smell of meat drifted farther and farther away. Hidden
in the grass that stood half a person's height, dozens of figures lurked in the
darkness. A bearded man seriously reminded the dark-faced boy beside him:
"Seventh, even though this is your first-time robbing, don't be nervous. Did
you see that beautiful young lady?"
The dark-faced boy nodded hurriedly: "Yes, I saw
her."
"After we charge in and engage with the guards, you
capture that young lady immediately. Once the rest of them see that, they won't
dare to resist and will give us what we want," the bearded man instructed.
"Okay." The dark-faced boy nodded vigorously, his clenched fists
revealing his inner tension.
The bearded man gave him a reassuring pat. "Don't be
afraid. We outnumber them, not to mention the three of them are women."
"I'm not afraid."
"Okay, brothers, get ready to move!"
The dark-faced boy tugged on the bearded man's sleeve and
suggested, "Dage, why don't we wait a little longer?" The bearded man
was taken aback. "What else do we need to wait for?"
The dark-faced boy's mouth watered at the scent of the meat. "Why don't we strike after that so-called beggar pork knuckle is ready?"
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