Goldfield
Chapter 153: Old Urchin

“Eh? Why are you all just watching me eat? If you all don't start eating, I'll finish my meal at this table ah! ” Emperor emeritus took another century egg piece with tofu and put it in his mouth while enjoying it gently.

It was the first time in his life that Fang Zizhen sat at the same table to eat with emperor emeritus. Sure enough, emperor emeritus was a friendly and approachable person. In history, how many emperors sat at the same table as their officials? Although she was a little nervous, she could not resist the temptation of tempting delicacies and carefully picked up a century egg cube in tofu to eat.

A special taste combined with an incredible lightness of tofu slowly developed inside his mouth. It provokes taste. He had been eating the food made by Xiaocao for over a month now but he had surprised him with something new at all times. Even if it was exactly the same material, he had the ability to make it into something completely different. He guessed that even the famous chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant would not be able to create the same flavor as the one he cooked. (Xiaocao giggled: thanks to the mystical stone water!)

Fang Zizhen instantly fell in love with the slippery and fresh texture, savory taste of the egg of the century. As soon as he finished pondering the taste in his mouth, he wanted to take a second bite and find that his plate was completely empty. Emperor emeritus, on the other hand, had a longing expression on his face, as if he wished he could eat more.

“Princess, the portion size of the egg of the century with tofu is really too small? I only ate one piece and the plate was empty. It does not satisfy my desire. Didn't you make twenty to thirty century eggs? Iris a little more for us! Today the Fifth Master is here, so don't be petty! ” His facial expressions and the words that came out of his mouth made it seem like Fang Zizhen was advocating for emperor emeritus, but, in reality, he just wanted to eat more by himself.

Yu Xiaocao glanced at emperor emeritus and silently sneered in his heart, ‘I've never seen someone your age eat this much alone. A plate full of century eggs with tofu has been eaten by you, old man. As for godfathers, you are lucky to be able to try a piece of ah. My real father hasn't even taken his chopsticks yet !! ‘

Although his mind was less than flattering, he still had a sweet smile on his face, “Fifth Master, there should be tomatoes in the capital, right? Try some sauteed tomatoes with the eggs I made. How's it feel?”

The emperor emeritus obediently followed his request and took some eggs while saying, “Tomato seed was only recommended to be planted last year. There aren't many people planting them in the capital, but have you done it? You have a pretty good way of doing things ah! Good, Fifth Master will feel how it feels! ”

As he finished speaking, he stuffed the egg into his mouth and chewed on it. His long beard moved up and down with the movement of his mouth. Xiaocao could not help but face him and stared at his long mustache for a bit.

“Not bad, not bad! The color is bright and appetizing, it tastes fresh and sweet, better than the food made by the palace chef! Little Girl, are you sure you're not the chef in your previous life? ”

This seemingly simple statement made by emperor emeritus made Xiaocao extremely nervous. He glanced at his somewhat reserved father and laughed hollowly, “Maybe ah! Who could remember their previous life after drinking Granny Meng soup? However, everyone told me that I had a talent for cooking. Maybe I was really a famous chef in my previous life! It might also be a person who specializes in dishes that ordinary people eat! ”

“This child does not know how to be humble! Are there any famous female chefs? ” Yu Hai glared at him as a warning. A person who could eat a meal made by an imperial chef was not at all low-ranked. His little princess often liked to babble thoughtlessly, but she absolutely must not offend the Fifth Noble.

Emperor emeritus was in a very good mood and took chopsticks full of chicken boiled with mushrooms. She ate it wholeheartedly and smiled, “I don't know if there are any famous female chefs in history, but I believe that our Great Ming Dynasty can feature famous female chefs!” As he spoke, he even looked at Xiaocao for a moment.

Yu Xiaocao calmly ate the rice in his bowl. Ever since he moved here, he couldn't eat white rice. When he heard what he said, he finally became more humble, “Fifth Master, you overestimated my abilities. I only know how to make some home-style dishes. You may be tired of eating fancy dishes with lots of meat and seafood. Now that you've tasted home cooking, you think it's fresh and unique, that's all. If you had to eat this style of food every day, you wouldn't think it was delicious anymore! ”

Fang Zizhen was devouring his food with his head stuck to his bowl as he coldly interrupted, “I think my daughter's skills are really good. I've been eating the food you've made for over a month and never get bored! My family's daughter can even make vegetables boiled with plain water taste good! Princess, go cut some more century eggs ah! ”

Yu Xiaocao looked at his godfather, who had become fat a few inches around his waist, somewhat helpless. Fortunately, Grandpa Zhao forced him to practice martial arts every day. Otherwise, he was afraid that he would become fat at this moment! With the speed at which she gained weight, she was unsure if her godmother would still recognize her when she returned to the capital!

He grinned as he looked towards Fang Zizhen and then spoke to emperor emeritus, “I also made some century eggs from chicken eggs and they should be ready to eat. I'll slice some to let everyone try it. Uncle's bodyguard there .. ”

“Don't bother with them, they're fine eating anything. As long as they can eat until they are full! ” Emperor emeritus knew that Xiaocao did not produce many century eggs in his first wave, so he obviously could not bear to let that group of brats eat his food, right? He was still planning on bringing some back to the capital with him!

When Xiaocao entered the kitchen, the palace guards had finished the entire table full of food in no time. Every plate on the table was completely empty, even the sauce from the vegetables had been poured over the rice and eaten. The guard commander felt his face reddened in embarrassment when he saw Xiaocao enter the kitchen. He secretly cursed the soldiers under his command for acting like a group of starving refugees. Wouldn't they be laughed at by this little girl?

“Uncle guards, do you eat until full? If that's not enough, can I cook some small dishes for all of you? ” Xiaocao exclaimed in astonishment when he saw how much food the four men had eaten. They suddenly ate enough for eight people and cleaned all the dishes. Perhaps those who practice martial arts use more energy, so their food capacity is greater?

The four palace guards along with a palace eunuch all became excited at the thought of eating more food. However, after rubbing their fat and full stomachs, they could only shake their heads with regret and tell him that they were full already. The group commander could not look Xiaocao in the eyes when he saw how shameless his soldiers were!

Xiaocao took some mud-coated eggs from a corner, tapped into the mud shell, and peeled the century's eggs. In his previous life, in his hometown, a century egg made from chicken eggs was also called ‘biandan’. Some of these biandan are ready to be eaten. The egg white part of the egg looks like jelly, shiny and clear. The yolk resembles a sugar ball. When split, droplets of liquid oil flow out and make the egg look very appetizing.

The courtyard was not very large, so the palace guards naturally heard what the emperor emeritus had said earlier. Is this the century egg mentioned by emperor emeritus? What's it feel like? Everyone knows that this is delicious. Otherwise, why else would the emperor emeritus, who had tried every delicacy under the heavens, protect these eggs from them? The more limited something is, the more the heart thirsts for it. Unfortunately, this was not a wish they could satisfy now.

The imperial guards stared at Xiaocao intently as he peeled and sliced the eggs. Their gazes made him feel a lot of pressure and he felt his back burn under their relentless gazes. He sped up his movements and also cut some garlic cloves and green peppers. Vinegar and sesame oil were added to flavor the dish and then it was all sprinkled on top of the century's eggs. He immediately took the plate out. If he did not leave immediately, then he would really faint from being stared at by this group of ‘hungry wolves’!

This chilly plate of spiced biandan naturally received round and generous praise from everyone who tried it. Fortunately, emperor emeritus had eaten quite a bit of its contents, so this allowed Fang Zizhen and Yu Hai the chance to give it a try. After Yu Hai tasted a piece, he lightly nodded his head, “This is a dish that might fit alcohol ..”

“One stays! A very delicious dish, why don't we bring alcohol? Commander Zhuang, where did I hide that bottle of Zhenjiang when I left? Quickly eject! ” Emperor emeritus shouted at the commander with excitement.

The petrified cold expression on the commander's face did not change in the slightest as he calmly replied in the same tone of voice, “Before we left, he said, the Emperor has checked our luggage while you are unaware of it. That imperial Zhenniang bottle had been confiscated by him! ”

When emperor emeritus was young, he liked to drink alcohol. After ascending the throne, he felt he had a lot of responsibilities, so he very rarely drank to death drunk. Once he abdicated, he immediately invited a group of old officials and drank alcohol with them every day. The deep wounds long left behind from the war as well as old age caused his stomach to bleed after drinking too much. He spewed blood everywhere and scared the group of old officials until they turned pale with fear. Fortunately, this was not the time to leave and after being cared for by all the imperial physicians in the palace, he was able to sustain his life.

Since then, the emperor strictly forbade him to drink alcohol. He not only sent people to watch him but also set the rules for ‘mistakes due to association’. Anyone who accompanied the emperor emeritus to drink alcohol or watched him drink without reporting would also be punished by demotion. If they are not officials, they should be jailed for three months. The miserable emperor emeritus with his alcohol-loving heart could no longer find alcohol to drink. When he managed to obtain some, he was unable to find anyone to accompany him. It was truly a dangerous situation for him!

The smile on the old man's face disappeared, and he snorted angrily several times, “Don't drink, I won't drink! Without alcohol to accompany a meal, it does not taste good. Oh right, little girl! Do you have fermented grapes or fruit grapes of any kind? ”

Yu Xiaocao could feel the commander's anxiety and looked at him convincingly to calm the man down. She smiled, “You also know that we have separated from the main family at the end of last year. Other than receiving this broken old house, we didn't even get any furniture to go with it. How do we have the tools to ferment wine? even if I have a tool, how can I make it without any materials? In the middle of winter, where can I find wine and fruit to ferment wine for you? ”

Emperor emeritus pursed his lips and replied in annoyance, “Yu little ah! I really don't like your stepmother !! The rest I won't mention, but he has taken three hundred taels of Zhao Bufan from selling the bear yet he didn't even give a single tael to your family. Also, your little brother. From my point of view, he is not fit to be a scholar! And he lived in the city like a young master, eating good food. All of this was funded by him. He was so biased that he did not know what was right and proper anymore !! I really feel annoyed about this, very upset !! What if I call him and scare him a little? ”

A waterfall of cold sweat drenched Yu Hai's body. Why would this Fifth Master interfere with his family affairs? With regards to Madam Zhang, she did not feel any hatred or resentment towards him, just a hint of hatred. After all, Madam Zhang had raised her and her older sister after her mother died. He already understood Madam Zhang's personality; he was the perfect example of a tyrant at home but a coward outside. He's just a little brash, that's all. Now that he was older, he was afraid that he would not be able to tolerate fear.

Yu Hai hurriedly stood up and bowed, “Thank God Fifth for your compassion towards us! As the saying goes, ‘boy can't criticize’ actions of his parents ‘. After all, she was the wife my father officially married, and she also raised me and my older sister. So...”