Tang Dynasty: Slacking off in the Imperial Kitchen, exposed by Si Zi

Chapter 208 Difficult, difficult, difficult!

[Phase 1: Repairing lung tissue requires making cloud cakes, which should be consumed continuously for at least thirty days]

[Key ingredient unlocked: Red date and angelica root fermented essence (requires divine-level fermentation skill, takes three days to refine)]

[Task Rewards: Depends on task completion]

[Punishment for mission failure: System downgrade, food storage space reduced to zero]

Su Mu stared at the last line of red text for three seconds.

Food inventory cleared!

His dozens of kilograms of premium mung beans, top-grade spices, and untouched Wagyu beef—all gone!

This system is ruthless.

Su Mu let out a sigh of relief, ladled out the porridge, and had Wang Dequan deliver it to the Lizheng Hall.

Then he pulled out the dusty earthenware urn from the corner of the kitchen.

I brushed the dust off the lid and looked inside. The urn was empty, the inner walls were dry, and there were no cracks.

It works.

He retrieved materials from the system space.

red dates.

Larger than walnuts, with a deep reddish-purple skin, and syrup oozing out when squeezed. Dates of this quality were nowhere to be found in the markets of the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, you can't see them anywhere in the world.

Angelica sinensis.

The cut surface is milky yellow, the medicinal aroma is so strong it's almost pungent, and the roots are intact, clearly indicating it's an old product that's over six years old.

Su Mu removed the pits from the red dates and sliced ​​them thinly.

Angelica sinensis was cut diagonally into small pieces about the size of a fingernail.

The two things were mixed together and spread at the bottom of the earthenware jar.

Then he retrieved the most crucial item from the system space.

A small bottle of clear liquid.

[A top-tier yeast strain: medicinal type]

Su Mu unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sniff.

It has no taste.

He poured the yeast liquid evenly over the red dates and angelica root.

Finally, add three bowls of cooled boiled water and cover the jar.

Seal the gap between the lid and the mouth of the jar with a damp cloth strip.

"Someone come here."

"Your servant is here!"

"Move this urn to the innermost corner of the kitchen. Cover it with a thick cloth, and no one is allowed to touch it. Within three days, anyone who lifts the lid will have their hand chopped off."

The eunuch who came in after hearing the noise shrank back in fright and quickly told a few people to carry the urn inside.

Su Mu hung a wooden sign above the location of the urn, with four characters crookedly written on it with charcoal sticks: "Touch it and I'll chop off your hand!"

By the time all this was done, the sun was already setting.

Su Mu washed his face by the well, then walked back to the rocking chair, still wet, and slumped down.

Little Sizi returned sometime ago and squatted by the chicken coop counting eggs.

"Brother! Three eggs today! Go, hen!"

Su Mu hummed in response, without opening his eyes.

He was making plans in his mind.

Fermentation takes three days.

Three days later, the original liquid is collected, filtered, and concentrated. After concentration, it is added to the cake, and the cake recipe needs to be adjusted again.

Cloud cake and mung bean cake are different.

Mung bean cake focuses on clearing heat, treating the symptoms. Cloud cake, on the other hand, focuses on repairing the body, nourishing the lungs and replenishing qi and blood, addressing the root cause.

The cake base must be made with glutinous rice flour, mixed with poria cocos powder to absorb moisture, and then thickened with lotus seed paste.

The fermentation stock solution is the core ingredient, and the quantity should not be too large.

Three drops in each piece of cake; too much would be too potent, too little wouldn't be enough.

Thirty days, three yuan a day.

Ninety pieces of cake.

270 drops of stock solution.

Is one jar enough?

Su Mu frowned.

We need to use it sparingly.

The next morning, Su Mu closed the kitchen door.

Wang Dequan, accompanied by two eunuchs, stood guard outside, refusing to let anyone in.

Su Mu began preparing the base for the cloud cake.

The glutinous rice flour was mixed from the system and ground extremely finely, giving it a smooth texture.

The Poria cocos powder was something he had Wang Dequan get from the pharmacy a few days ago; it had been stir-fried to remove the earthy taste.

The lotus seeds were dried lotus seeds, soaked overnight, the cores were removed, and then steamed until soft and mashed into a paste.

Mix the three ingredients together in the correct proportions.

No sugar was added to the Shetland Sheepdog.

He took the jar of throat-soothing honey from the shelf, picked out a thin layer with a bamboo skewer, and stirred it into the dough.

The sweetness is just right, not too bland.

The mixed dough was kneaded more than a dozen times.

Su Mu pinched off a small clump and rubbed it between his fingertips. It was dense and elastic, and didn't stick to his hands when pressed.

"Alright."

He covered the dough with a damp cloth and left it to rest in a cool place.

The cake base of Yun Gao (a type of rice cake) can only be used after three days. You need to wait for the fermentation liquid to come out, drip it in, knead it evenly, and then press it into a mold.

Mung bean cakes must be eaten continuously for these three days.

Su Mu started frying mung beans, grinding them into powder, steaming yams, and pressing them into molds.

Twelve pieces.

They were neatly stacked, wrapped in oil paper, and Wang Dequan was instructed to deliver them to the Lizheng Hall.

Three pieces a day, enough for four days.

After doing all that, Su Mu straightened up, and his back cracked twice.

The kitchen door was pounded on loudly.

"Brother! Brother, open the door!"

Su Mu pulled the bolt.

Little Sizi stood at the door, mud on the tip of his nose, holding a wilted wildflower in his hand.

"What's your husband doing? It smells sweet!"

Su Mu looked down at her.

"I'm making medicinal food for your mother."

The little ox tilted its head.

"Is it that green cake duck from yesterday?"

"It's different, this is new."

Little Sizi tiptoed and peered into the kitchen. The white dough on the cutting board emitted a faint, sweet fragrance.

The little girl's nostrils twitched twice, and saliva was visibly secreted.

"Brother, give Xizi a bite of duck, just a small bite!"

'

Su Mu squatted down to look her in the eye.

"no."

Little Sizi's mouth shrunk.

"This is to save your mother's life; not a single bit less can be missing."

Su Mu's tone was not harsh, but very serious.

Little Sizi blinked her big eyes twice.

Her lips pursed even more, and her eyes began to redden.

But Sizi knew in her heart that this was her mother's life-saving medicine, so she stopped making a fuss and just quietly watched Su Mu's actions.

Su Mu stood up and walked to the stove.

He scooped two spoonfuls of white sugar from the jar, added it to a small bowl of glutinous rice flour, poured in some water, and quickly kneaded it into a small dough ball.

Roll the dough into balls, flatten them, and put them into the steamer.

After an incense stick has burned.

A steaming hot piece of white sugar cake landed on a small plate.

There is no yam, no poria cocos, and no honey.

It's just the most ordinary sugar and rice.

Su Mu handed the plate to Xiao Sizi.

"This is yours."

Little Sizi took the plate and took a bite.

sweet!

She chewed twice and looked up at Su Mu.

"Brother, this one doesn't seem as good as Mother's."

"They're inherently different."

Su Mu reached out and wiped the mud off the tip of her nose.

"Your mother's portion was made with the best ingredients; there's only one in the whole world. Yours may be ordinary, but it was also made by your father himself, so don't look down on it."

Little Sizi looked down at the white sugar cake in the dish.

I took another bite.

As I chewed, tears fell onto the cake.

"I don't mind."

She wiped her face with her sleeve.

"I hope my mother gets better soon."

Su Mu did not respond.

He turned around and walked back to the stove.

In the corner of the kitchen, the earthenware urn sat quietly in the shadows. A damp cloth sealed its opening, preventing even a trace of odor from escaping.

Three days.

Once the fermentation liquid is ready, the cloud cake can be made.

A 30-day treatment course.

Fifty-eight days to go.

He had to beat God to it and pull the person back from the clutches of the King of Hell.

Su Mu picked up the kitchen knife and began to cut the yams he would use the next day.

The sound of the knife blade striking the cutting board was rapid and frequent.

Little Sizi squatted on the threshold of the kitchen, holding the piece of white sugar cake, and nibbling on it one small bite at a time.

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