Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Unlike the younger sister in his vague memory, the general did not shyly but boldly reach out his arms every time he got up, only agreeing to get out of bed in a princess carry.

Shen Liang withdrew his hand without making a sound, turned around, and said, "Let's go eat."

The general stroked his not-so-fitting lace stockings, watching Shen Liang's back with an unreadable expression.

Actually, she had always been puzzled by something.

Why was Shen Liang so enthusiastic about "changing her clothes"? Did he like her? They had only known each other for two days?

Even so... these clothes don't suit her at all... especially those in shades of purple and white, which are very suitable for her, are almost all slightly larger than her size.

The more beautiful and exquisite the dress, the more it shows that Shen Liang put a lot of effort into designing it, and the more similar it is to her style but different in body shape. For example, this pair of suspender stockings is extremely beautiful and exquisite, with a white tone and purple bellflower patterns. The details show that it is very suitable for "General Thunder", but it is a little thicker than her tender legs.

—If it wasn't for her, why does it look so much like her? If it was for her, why can't she wear it?

The young general already knew the answer.

"It's so sad, little one," Mistelin floated above the doll girl's head, gazing at her with sorrowful eyes. "Being a 'shadow' must be tough. I understand. I'm so sorry. He carries too many people in his heart. You're just a shadow of the women of his past and present whom he can't have… his sister whom he can't forget, the lover he can't confess his feelings to."

This feeling... I understand, I understand...

------------

Night falls.

Mealtimes on the ship are always the liveliest. Unlike merchant ships, warships don't have as many formalities; in Liyue, officers and soldiers always eat together. Eating together is the best way to maintain morale and keep the troops in line.

In Liyue, meals are indeed an important means of maintaining morale. It could even be said that among the Seven Kingdoms, Liyue values ​​its food the most. You can say that Liyue's military pay is not as good as Nata's, or that Liyue soldiers are promoted slower than Winter, but you cannot say that Liyue soldiers lack cohesion.

This cohesion is something that the cooks of Liyue must create by caramelizing sugar on the battlefield.

However, Fanan was, after all, a girl, and a girl with a gentle personality. The soldiers found it understandable that she didn't eat in the communal kitchen. Generally speaking, Fanan would never have special meals prepared for her. She would usually serve herself food and then spread out a table on the deck to eat alone with her maid, to show that she wasn't seeking special treatment.

Today was a little different; the kitchen staff worked overtime to prepare two fish for sashimi. After all, we were entertaining Princess Inazuma, so we wanted to use Inazuma's ingredients to respect her customs. Even if the conditions on the ship weren't great, we couldn't lose sight of the etiquette of a nation of manners.

Then Fa Nan saw Shen Liang sit down and her face droop.

"What is this?!" Shen Liang pulled out a chair and sat down, then casually pulled the bewildered little general, who was about to sit down as well, onto his lap and exclaimed, "I came to Liyue to eat this?!"

The sound was loud, and immediately all the disgruntled soldiers in the cabin turned to look at it.

"What a spoiled young lady..." Fa Nan's maid curled her lip, while Fa Nan said gently, "I'm sorry, we Liyue people do eat this. It's just that the chef isn't very good at cooking Inazuma dishes. Please forgive me, Princess. When you come to Liyue, I can treat you to a restaurant. No matter what country's cuisine you're from, you can find it at Chihu Rock..."

"It's right that you're not very good at Inazuma cooking! I don't want to be eating your hometown food in Liyue. You have no idea how boring Inazuma cooking is. Either you put a layer of fat on top of the soup with lots of oil and salt, or you don't put anything in and say you're appreciating the original flavor. If you ask me, it's just that Sister Ying can't cook and is still making up excuses." Shen Liang rolled up her sleeves and glared with her clear red eyes.

"Sister Fanan, I've finally made it to Liyue, and I want to eat Chongqing hot pot!"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Kiss Between "Girls"

That's why they say there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names.

Fanan curled his lip. Inazuma was a country without an emperor. The title of the supreme leader, Lei Shen, was actually "Reigning General." Since it was not a "family emperor" type of imperial system, there were no so-called royal relatives. When Fanan first heard the Inazuma officials he met privately referring to Shen Liang as "Princess," he was a little curious. But after only one day of meeting, Fanan had a deep understanding of his willfulness.

While he's not exactly spoiled to the point of being annoying, and even somewhat endearing, it's clear how much the Raiden General doted on and pampered him when he was in Inazuma. Those two stern and aloof Raiden Gods seemed so responsible, how did they raise their child like this? It must be a case of having a child late in life, right?

However, after thinking for a while, Fanan realized that he had no idea what Chongqing was.

"Chongqing cuisine?"

Mistelin kicked Shen Liang in the butt.

Shen Liang immediately realized what he meant and changed his words, saying, "It's those strong-flavored Jianghu dishes in Liyue. I've read about them in books. Liyue is a vast and diverse land with different climates in different regions, so the local cuisines also vary. Jianghu dishes have emerged in different places, unlike our Inazuma, where we rely on the sea for our livelihood."

Fa Nan had never actually heard of Liyue cuisine being categorized according to the opinions of Jianghu people. She generally only remembered that Liyue cuisine was roughly divided into Liyue cuisine and Yue cuisine based on mountain delicacies and seafood... But since even a woman from Inari could speak eloquently about it, Fa Nan certainly couldn't say that she hadn't heard of this, so she pretended to understand and nodded.

Shen Liang continued to make things up: "Sister Fanan probably either eats simple meals at sea or enjoys aristocratic cuisine at home, so she doesn't have much of an impression of Jianghu cuisine. The biggest characteristics of Jianghu cuisine are 'rustic,' 'rough,' and 'mixed,' all about being unrestrained. It either originated from roadside stalls or is just the specialty of fishermen and village women. Jianghu cuisine is basically unconventional in its cooking, changing dishes every few days, using earthen stoves, rough bowls, sprinkling chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns at will, cooking white and red meat all in one pot, and preferring to over-season rather than under-season, with plenty of oil and ingredients. Diners don't care about manners either, shouting and yelling as they pick up a big piece of spicy and numbing meat from their bowls, eating until they're drenched in sweat, which is both exciting and satisfying."

A sailor who had just finished his meal passed by and couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent! Your Highness, you're fair-skinned and knowledgeable, much more so than Admiral Fanan. You understand the pleasures of those who roam the world better than anyone else. When we get off the dock, besides our wives and children, all we do is go to the fish shop for a plate of Jueyun Boiled Fish!"

Shen Liang smiled smugly: "You know a lot too, don't you? After the boiled fish is cooked, don't put it in the red broth right away. First, pour hot oil made from Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers over the white meat—sizzle! The aroma bursts out! Then throw it into the red broth, that's what you call tender and fragrant!"

This made the other sailors

"The princess can eat!"

"Isn't Inazuma supposed to be a place where no Yunnan pepper is grown? I've heard that people from Inazuma can't stand any spiciness at all. How come the princess doesn't seem to be like that!"

"Listen to the name of Jueyun Pepper, Jueyunjian! How could the Princess possibly eat this stuff often? She only read about it in books! Didn't you hear the Princess say that what she looks forward to most is coming to eat our Liyue cuisine!"

"Alright! Admiral, we can't let the little princess suffer! I was a cook before I became a sailor, let me show off my skills to Her Highness!"

"Is there any food left? If the cook can't cook, we can help!"

This is the simple honesty among soldiers. The arrival of a beautiful young woman on the ship was a rare sight for these grown men, and since they weren't from the same world, there was no need for them to be overly enthusiastic. However, once the little princess easily joined the conversation on the ship, these naive soldiers immediately became warm and welcoming.

There's usually not much aversion to pretty girls in the military camp, and it's easy to understand why the eldest son of the Inazuma family is a little spoiled. But a princess who's unpretentious and shares the same hobbies as everyone else is a completely different story.

Fa Nan heard everything clearly and couldn't help but chuckle at the eager looks on the veterans' faces. Logically, they had just thought Shen Liang had a bad temper, but had they completely forgotten about it the moment they heard he liked Li Yue Cai?

This is for the best, though. They still have many days of sailing ahead, and Shen Liang doesn't seem like the type to endure loneliness. It wouldn't be good if he clashed with the sailors. While it's possible to force Shen Liang to obey if necessary, this is ultimately a diplomatic matter, and angering them wouldn't be good.

At this moment, seeing Shen Liang shake his head, he said arrogantly, "After talking for so long and still not serving the dishes, I have serious doubts about the quality of the cooks on your ship. I can't rule out the possibility that they are just some military cooks who are just coasting along. Oh well, I'll have to do some things myself."

Fa Nan was taken aback. "Do it yourself?"

Shen Liang rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and slender arms: "Yes, it's getting late, I need to eat on time. In Inazuma, I had to hide from the maids at the castle tower to do this kind of work, so I can finally do it freely... Hurry up and take the sashimi away! Anyone want some cooked food... Oh, wait, you can leave some, perfect for hot pot!"

……

Shen Liang was on the deck when the sailors brought up the pots and stoves.

The stove was a large stove in the kitchen, the kind where you could chop wood and start a fire. Fa Nan was already sitting on a small stool to the side, watching curiously. Because of Shen Liang's sudden idea, she couldn't eat, and she and her maid had to go hungry for the time being.

As Shen Liang instructed, oil was first added to the pot and is now being heated.

Actually, Liyue also has hot pot. Generally, it's a small stove used to boil water in a pot. You pick up slices of pork or horse meat with chopsticks, cook them, and then dip them in sauce before eating. This is a way of eating that has been passed down from the old Guiliji.

Especially in winter like this, on land, with heavy snow falling, you can find a pavilion or courtyard, set up a stove, and gather around to keep warm. Slices of meat simmer in a copper pot, along with some liquor, and enjoy hot pot with family and friends while drinking and admiring the snowy scenery, reciting poems and composing verses—how delightful!

But this kind of life—with its newly brewed wine and red clay stove—is too refined; only the wealthy have such refined tastes. The sailors have no interest in eating plain boiled water; they'd rather use that time to cook a couple of dishes.

But the elegance of a clear broth hot pot lies in its moistness. Who puts oil in a hot pot?

"This doesn't look like hot pot. Are you going to fry fish?" Fa Nan asked, resting her chin on her hand, looking expectantly at Shen Liang, who was standing on a stool giving instructions on cooking. Even though it was the smallest pot available, it was still too big and deep for Shen Liang. Combined with the height of the stove, Shen Liang, who was just over 1.5 meters tall, couldn't even see what was in the pot and had to stand on a stool. But that didn't work either. If she wanted to fry or stir-fry, she'd at least need a spatula… and for Shen Liang, a spatula was basically just a shovel.

After all, the cooks were different from the sailors. The cooks, who had been repeatedly belittled by Shen Liang, were holding a grudge and deliberately made things difficult for Shen Liang by targeting the main stove. You should know that the cooks usually had to use their strength to cook, and they were often the strongest group of people in the army.

"Whether it's pan-fried fish, stir-fried fish, or boiled fish, Princess, there's no need to embarrass yourself. When it comes to cooking, Inazuma is no match for the people of Liyue... Heh." The maid was somewhat cultured and straightforward. People in the military, even women, don't really consider the occasion when they speak. "Liyue is a country rich in seafood, so put away your inexplicable confidence."

Fanan quickly grabbed the maid.

"Having just drunk the waters of Changsha, I now eat the fish of Wuchang. Crossing the Yangtze River for thousands of miles, I gaze upon the vast expanse of Chu sky." Shen Liang said casually, "Of course, the fish from Liyue is good. Even the same fish meat tastes different in the hands of people in different places, and I know that much. But how can you be sure that I won't completely outclass you in Liyue cuisine?"

Fa Nan was taken aback. Shen Liang's casual poem actually struck her as quite good. After reviewing it in her mind, Fa Nan couldn't even recall any poet from Liyue who had written such a work.

Furthermore, words like "Changsha water," "Wuchang fish," and "Yangtze River"... while they are geographical terms that Liyue would use, seem to refer to something other than Liyue, and certainly not Inazuma.

But Fa Nan wanted to ask, yet he was too embarrassed to. As a Liyue native, being suppressed by a fellow Inari in "Liyue scholarship" was too much for him to say.

At this moment, Shen Liang waved his hand, and the pink fox on his shoulder darted onto the coffin. The hidden compartment on the coffin lid opened, and the fox ran over with something in its mouth and handed it to Shen Liang.

Shen Liang casually tossed the bright red thing into the pot.

"hiss--"

In an instant, an explosive burst of aroma and heat erupted, filling the entire deck. The intense smell immediately caused the sailors gathered around the pot to retreat in surprise!

"It smells so good!"

"so spicy!"

"What an amazing flavor!"

Little Fish, who was still pondering poetry, was immediately drawn to the scene. She jumped off the stool and squeezed into the crowd, staring wide-eyed in astonishment at the red ingredients melting and simmering in the hot oil in the pot.

“Little princess…that is…” Fa Nan didn’t want to appear too greedy and wanted to maintain the image of a gentle and intellectual young lady, but she couldn’t help but ask at this moment.

"Chongqing hot pot base".

"...base ingredients?"

"Yes, hot pot base. As for the difficulty of this stuff, it's my greatest masterpiece so far." Shen Liang threw in ginger and scallions, ordered the cook to stir-fry them, then casually leaned back against the coffin that had suddenly stood up, and said calmly.

Although anyone could see that the little princess was pouting.

"Although you wouldn't understand even if I explained, I might as well tell you. First, ferment soybeans until they become moldy, then add salt and wine to make fermented black beans; then take Liyue's specialty Seven Star Peppers, dry and chop them into chili powder; chop Sichuan peppercorns; dry and chop old ginger; dry and chop garlic; brew glutinous rice into wine, and take the unfinished rice wine; extract rock sugar from cane sugar; all these together form part of the base. Then comes the spice ratio, which is simple: take nard, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, angelica, cardamom, bay leaves, amomum villosum..."

Fanan quickly interrupted, "That's enough, that's enough. I didn't want to learn how to make hot pot broth. I didn't expect the Princess to have such culinary skills."

Shen Liang regretted not being able to recount his research and development experience in detail. "It took me at least a year to research hot pot base. Finally, I was able to make it portable. Just a little bit can create a flavor equivalent to what a chef can prepare in several hours. With it, you can have hot pot anytime, anywhere. Of course, it's also easy to use a small amount to make boiled fish. On days when I don't want to eat in Inazuma, I use this to improve my meals. This stuff is even good for cooking leather belts."

Fa Nan was taken aback.

Her first reaction was how terrifying this thing was... it didn't mean you could eat delicious food anytime, anywhere, but that it could create a seasoning comparable to that of a master chef in just a few seconds.

If this thing were used in military campaigns... Currently, during rapid marches, everyone can only eat dry rations, and once wartime begins, it's impossible to cook... But if seasoning only takes a minute, and the food is dipped in this flavorful sauce... Being able to eat something so delicious on the battlefield would be an unimaginable boost to morale!

This seasoning makes even boiled straw sandals taste better than stir-fried vegetables!

Immediately afterwards, Shen Liang poured water into the pot, and the bright red hot pot soup took shape. Within seconds, the soup boiled!

Shen Liang placed the sashimi and some dried meat left in the kitchen on the table, and looked at Fanan, "Aren't you going to try some? It's not like you'll get pregnant anyway."

How could Fanan refuse? He walked to the table, and although the other sailors were extremely envious, they quickly made way for him. At this moment, Shen Liang picked up a piece of raw fish, dipped it in the pot for about eight seconds, and handed the discolored slice of meat, coated with a layer of red oil, to Xiaoyuer.

Well-cooked fish is doubly tempting.