Free Web NovelChapter 418: Chapter 421: Keeping It All for Oneself
The crayfish and river snails had been kept in water for three days, and had finally purged all their grit.
At Hua Manman’s direction, the servants cleaned the ingredients, deveined the crayfish, and clipped the tails off the river snails. Then, it was time to stir-fry. Chili peppers, perilla, scallions, ginger, and garlic went into the wok one by one, along with other seasonings, and a fragrant aroma began to fill the air.
The familiar aroma gave Hua Manman the disorienting sensation of being back in the modern world for a fleeting moment.
The corners of her mouth lifted into an involuntary smile, her heart filled with joy.
’Even if I can’t go back to the modern world, I can still enjoy modern food. More importantly, in this world, I have people I love, and people who love me.’
’I’m very happy in this world.’
Beneath the grape trellis, Li Ji and Feihua Zhenren were already seated.
A servant placed the cooked crayfish and river snails on the small dining table.
The crayfish came in two flavors: spicy and garlic.
Feihua Zhenren had never imagined crayfish and river snails could be prepared this way. His mouth was watering, but since he had never eaten either, he had no idea where to begin.
Hua Manman washed her hands, picked up a crayfish, and, in front of them, expertly peeled away the shell, revealing the soft, tender, and springy meat inside.
She placed the meat in Li Ji’s bowl for him to try.
Li Ji was overjoyed that she was giving him the first bite.
He immediately picked up the meat with his chopsticks. One bite revealed it to be fresh, tender, and a little spicy.
It was surprisingly delicious!
Feihua Zhenren eagerly rolled up his sleeves and tried to copy the Princess Consort, but his movements were so clumsy that he mangled the shell and crushed the meat inside.
But he didn’t care in the slightest, simply picking out the meat and popping it into his mouth.
He didn’t forget to shower it with praise as he ate.
"I never thought crayfish could be eaten like this! It’s absolutely delicious. I’ll have to go look for some more to catch later."
Hua Manman suggested, "We could dig a pond specifically for raising crayfish. That way, we can eat as many as we want."
Feihua Zhenren’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.
"What a great idea!"
Li Ji picked up a garlic-flavored crayfish and carefully peeled it.
He placed the peeled meat in Manman’s bowl.
As soon as Hua Manman finished one piece, a second appeared in her bowl.
She ate five or six pieces in a row.
’Having someone peel them for me feels so good!’
Feihua Zhenren asked how to eat the river snails.
Hua Manman picked up a snail and, with a sharp suck, pulled the meat right out.
Feihua Zhenren copied her and slurped a snail of his own.
The rich broth coated the springy snail meat.
The texture was absolutely divine!
Feihua Zhenren lamented not discovering how delicious river snails were sooner.
’If I’d known they could be eaten this way, I’d have a huge bowl every day!’
He slurped one snail after another, utterly delighted.
When he saw Princess Consort Zhao reach for a snail, Feihua Zhenren pulled the bowl of snails toward himself and declared righteously.
"Snails are a ’cold’ food. Pregnant women shouldn’t eat too many."
Hua Manman was speechless.
’What does he mean, pregnant women shouldn’t eat too many?’
’He clearly just wants them all for himself!’
Hua Manman puffed up her cheeks in anger like a pufferfish.
Li Ji placed another piece of crayfish meat in her bowl and said calmly.
"Since Manman can’t have too many snails, we just won’t make them at home anymore."
The words struck Feihua Zhenren like a club to the head, nearly scaring him to tears.
He yelped in distress, "You can’t do that! You went to all the trouble of having so many snails caught. They’ll spoil if we don’t eat them."
Li Ji said nonchalantly.
"We can give them to the staff to take home and cook. Or, if all else fails, we can just put them back in the lake."
Hua Manman suggested.
"Why don’t we open an eatery? We could specialize in crayfish and river snails, and other things like fried sweet potatoes, fried peanuts, and fried chicken."
Li Ji nodded. "That could work."
After all, he owned many shops. Sparing one for an eatery was no problem at all.
Feihua Zhenren considered it.
’Even if I can’t eat snails at home anymore, I can just spend a little money to eat at the eatery if I want to. That’s not a bad alternative.’
His spirits lifted, and he started offering suggestions while he ate.
"If you’re going to open an eatery, you should do it on Kaiyang Street."
Both sides of Kaiyang Street were lined with taverns, eateries, and all sorts of specialty snack shops. It was essentially the food street of Shangjing City.
Hua Manman turned to look at Li Ji.
"Do we have a shop on Kaiyang Street?"
For some reason, hearing her say "we" filled Li Ji’s heart with an indescribable joy.
His lips curved into a faint smile as he calmly replied, "We do."
Standing nearby, Gao Shan wore a strange expression, looking as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.
It had been so long since she’d had crayfish that Hua Manman accidentally ate until she was stuffed.
It wasn’t just her; Li Ji and Feihua Zhenren also ate their fill.
Especially Feihua Zhenren, who was so stuffed his belly was practically bursting.
...Although his belly was quite round to begin with.
He leaned back, collapsing into a lazy sprawl.
Looking at him now, Li Ji could hardly remember what Feihua Zhenren had been like when they first met.
Jinxiu brought out chilled mung bean soup.
The moment he saw the iced dessert, Feihua Zhenren sat bolt upright again.
’A bowl of this iced soup right now would be amazing!’
He picked up his bowl of mung bean soup but didn’t forget to remind the Princess Consort.
"You should eat this in moderation, too!"
Hua Manman was speechless.
’This fat crane is so annoying!’
Li Ji had the iced soup taken away and replaced with a room-temperature white fungus and lotus seed soup.
He said to Manman, "This one is delicious, too."
Hua Manman’s face immediately lit up. She happily picked up the white fungus and lotus seed soup and began to eat, not forgetting to huff at Feihua Zhenren.
Feihua Zhenren wasn’t offended and just kept smiling amiably.
His plump, fair-skinned appearance, paired with that smile, made him look just like a Maitreya Buddha, giving him an air of inexplicable benevolence.
He extended a chubby arm and ladled himself a massive bowl of the white fungus and lotus seed soup.
Whether it was iced soup or white fungus soup, he loved it all!
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three of them retired for an afternoon nap.
When Li Ji awoke, Manman was still fast asleep beside him.
He carefully lifted the covers and got out of bed. Stepping silently onto the floor, he bent to pick up his shoes, grabbed his clothes from a nearby rack, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.
Si Yun and Qing Huan were in the outer room, doing needlework.
Seeing the Prince emerge, they hastily stood up to curtsy.
Li Ji raised a hand, signaling them to remain silent.
He instructed them in a low voice as he dressed.
"I’m going out on an errand. Look after the Princess Consort."
Si Yun and Qing Huan nodded in unison.
