Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 123
Chapter 123
The two soldiers, feeling their misfortune, could only grit their teeth and endure, not cursing out loud since it would cause them to be punished further. It was exactly as Yueqian had said. They were merely servants of the Qin family. They had signed themselves into slavery as soldiers for the Qin family, all to ensure their families could live comfortably.
However, the contract for soldiers was even more significant. Because soldiers like them received many resources from the Qin family, the family didn’t want them to take the rice and then run away. Numerous terms and conditions were established, most of which were about breaking promises to their masters. The thought of harming their masters could cost them even their families’ lives. frёeωebɳovel.com
"Alright, I’ll test it myself. Let it be just me," said the first unfortunate soldier. After all, if someone had to die, it was better for him to die alone. Besides, his fellow soldier had stepped forward out of concern for him, so it felt like he was dragging the other into death with him.
"How can that be? I said testing with one person might not be effective. What do you think? Is there anyone else who wants to join the test?" Yueqian sneered, looking around challengingly.
Her actions were a reminder. Previously, everyone had become too relaxed. They dared to breathe comfortably in her presence, despite knowing well the malevolence of Yueqian. This was true negligence.
Following this incident, Yueqian’s notorious act of using the lives of two soldiers to test poisonous mushrooms just because she wanted to eat them, despite having venison prepared by the soldiers, became widely known. The criticisms toward her became a widespread topic for some time. News about Yueqian, which had been dormant for a while, resurfaced in the capital once again.
It was like sending a clear warning to the capital.
...Dear capital, Yueqian is back. Are you ready?...
"Hurry up. Or are you waiting for me to call someone else to help?" Yueqian urged, using the others’ lives as pressure. The two soldiers could only look at each other and then walk toward Yueqian.
Life or death, they could only hope for divine intervention.
"Nom nom." After taking a bite of the stir-fried mushrooms with oyster sauce, even though they were so tense that they were sweating profusely, after the fragrant and rich flavor spreading in their mouths, they felt reborn.
People of this era didn’t know oyster sauce, but they had excellent taste perception. One bite and they could smell the oysters. Though rare, they had once experienced this flavor on their travels.
Besides the dominant oyster flavor, there was also the taste of sea salt, onion, garlic, and a hint of soybeans. Such a blend of ingredients was usually prepared by head cooks for their masters to savor. How could Young Miss Qin, who seemed to cook haphazardly, achieve this in just a few minutes?
Moreover, they now understood why the smell was so enticing. If it weren’t for this flavor, it wouldn’t have made them lose their senses and approach this demon.
The rich sauce contributed to the flavor, but above all, the crispy, rich, and delicious mushrooms were something they had never tasted before. The taste was so exquisite that they briefly thought it could make them die in peace.
"Hmm? Not dead? So, that means it’s not poisoned?" Yueqian feigned exclaiming, snapping the two soldiers who were still chewing but wouldn’t swallow it back to attention.
"But Xiao Long, to be safe, try using a silver needle to test it again. Let Huan’er help you," Yueqian turned to the two younger siblings of her husband. One of them still didn’t understand how she could order the two soldiers to do something so frightening, while the other hoped to learn the method of testing for poison. She aspired to be a healer in the future, so she should observe and understand these things.
"Uh, Eldest Young Miss, so we..."
"What about you? Aren’t you going to get food and rice for us?" Yueqian snapped back, her tone and words a stark contrast to how she spoke to Xiao Long and Huan’er.
"Y-yes, right away!" Her intimidating demeanor made them think she might have another punishment in store. Surviving earlier had been a miracle. Although it was the great surviving experience since they had got to taste the tastiest food of their lives, no one wanted to carelessly risk their lives again.
Yueqian and the children sat while waiting for the food. Xiao Long kept his eyes on her, not blaming his sister-in-law and even thinking she must have her reasons. However, not knowing her reasons yet, he still had to ponder them in his mind.
When the food arrived, Yueqian invited everyone to eat together. The hot rice and dishes made from termite mushrooms were excellent. The two children widened their eyes. Normally, they preferred meat, but this day they focused on the mushrooms first. As a result, the mushroom dishes were finished before the deer bone soup and grilled venison skewers.
"Is it delicious?" Yueqian asked with a smile.
"Very delicious," both children answered in unison. Yueqian smiled at them, then looked at Mu Heng, who was asking for another bowl of rice to eat with the deer bone soup.
Men of this age need a lot of energy, and no matter how much they eat, they didn’t gain weight. So, Yueqian could only watch him devour food as if he were stuffing a pillowcase with cotton. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Sister-in-law, are you saving the rest of those many mushrooms for tomorrow’s meal?" Xiao Long asked excitedly.
Earlier, he had heard Big Brother say that these were poisonous mushrooms, which scared him a lot. But after tasting them, they turned out to be heavenly food. Therefore, he wanted to eat more.
"Yes, these mushrooms can make another meal. We can eat them with rice porridge for breakfast tomorrow," Yueqian explained. She didn’t know if they would find more mushrooms along the way, so she could only gather as many as possible. This way, they would have some left to eat with breakfast the next day.
However, as she thought about the mushroom dishes, Yueqian suddenly remembered a certain food that made her mouth water. She had seen mushrooms sold in the department store but never thought they could be used as snacks during long journeys.
"Kids, your sister-in-law wants to make some snacks for the journey. Who wants to help me?" Yueqian asked the two children.
Xiao Long and Huan’er looked at each other before nodding happily. Since Sister-in-law said they were snacks, they must be delicious snacks.
While Mu Heng was still not full, Yueqian, Xiao Long, and Huan’er got moving. They ate less, so they were full quickly and had energy left from eating delicious food. Moreover, this activity was for the sake of the next delicious meal; who would want to just sit around?
The small campfire was still burning because they needed a fire at night anyway, so they added a little firewood. Yueqian used the fire to set up a pan again. This time, she took out the ingredients and had the children tear them into two pieces and toss them into a small basin.
She mixed water with seasoned flour in the basin. When it reached the right consistency, it was easy to coat the mushrooms with it. Yueqian heated the oil until it was hot enough, then took a handful of the battered mushrooms and fried them in the sizzling pan.
The sound of sizzling "cha-cha" a few times, along with the aroma of the seasoning in the batter, drew attention once more. The right amount of pepper smell made the food even more appetizing.
This was the famous "Deep-Fried Grey Oyster Mushrooms." They could be eaten with rice, rice porridge, or even plain as a snack. The taste was excellent. Large, blooming grey oyster mushrooms would be so crispy they were like snacks. Moreover, their price was not very high. Compared to termite mushrooms, grey oyster mushrooms were much easier to find.
"It smells wonderful, Sister-in-law," Huan’er praised, excitedly watching Yueqian place the perfectly fried mushrooms on a skimmer to drain the oil into a container.
The aroma and the appealing color of the mushrooms made Huan’er crouch by the snack, watching intently without moving.
Huan’er wasn’t as much of a foodie as Xiao Long, so her actions showed just how much she loved the delicious smell. Even though she was already full, she couldn’t take her eyes off the mushrooms.
"You can taste them," Yueqian permitted after seeing the children like that.
"But Sister-in-law said they were for tomorrow." Yueqian laughed upon hearing that.
"I said that because I thought you were full. But if you’re not, go ahead and eat. I won’t be stingy with you," Yueqian said happily. These children were innocent and straightforward. When the adult said "not yet," they wouldn’t touch the food until they had permission.
"Put some in a bowl and let your big brother taste them with his rice." Because she saw Mu Heng’s gaze, the beauty instructed the younger ones to share the first batch of fried mushrooms with their eldest brother.
Mu Heng was a serious person, even when it came to food. He seemed endearing. Seeing him eat so heartily made the cook happy.
"D... Delicious," Xiao Long exclaimed after tasting. Previously, their sister-in-law had made them crispy fried fish, but these fried mushrooms were just as tasty. Even though they were just mushrooms, they were as delicious as meat.
"I like it a lot." Even though Xiao Long seemed to like it a lot, Huan’er showed she liked it even more. Therefore, Yueqian made a mental note to make it for the girl more often in the future.
The evening meal went well. Yueqian fried several more pans of round straw mushrooms. Although they started to get a bit chewy over time, their taste was not bad at all. If they wanted to eat them hot, they could always reheat them. Just a small fire would make the mushrooms as good as new.
The next morning, on the fourth day of their journey, the children woke up early to have rice water again. This time, they had stir-fried mushrooms to go with it, making a perfect combination. Later in the morning, Yueqian served them the deep-fried straw mushrooms as a snack while they worked on figuring out a way to move the number from 1 to 15.
Sometimes, when she noticed they had been sitting quietly for too long, Yueqian would have them stop to test their memorization skills. Yueqian already knew all the characters, so she used her knowledge to lure them in fun activities.
The two siblings would compete to see who could remember the third character from the first lesson set or identify the homophones of the word "Li," along with their meanings. Sometimes, they switched to math competitions. That was why the children did not feel lonely at all. As for Mu Heng, there was no need to invite him to join these games. He never got bored with his beautiful wife chatting in the carriage. Moreover..., this might be his idea of happiness.Before long, they reached the first village where they would rest after traveling for seven days straight.
