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

Chapter 209 Head-to-Head

The second day of fermentation.

The kitchen door was tightly closed, and the earthenware urn in the corner remained quiet.

The damp cloth strip was sealed tightly, and not a trace of odor escaped.

Su Mu stood in front of the cutting board, holding a bamboo skewer in his hand.

Three small white porcelain bowls were placed in front of me.

One bowl contains premium whipped cream prepared by the system, whipped until it clings to a bamboo skewer without dripping.

One bowl contained milk jelly that had been cooked last night, which had solidified into a translucent paste. The last bowl contained a base made of sugar and milk powder mixed in a specific ratio.

Little Sizi carried a small stool and sat by the stove, his two feet dangling in the air and swinging back and forth.

"Hey bro, when will Xizi's little stick be ready?"

"What's the rush? Cheese sticks can't be rushed; they'll fall apart if they're not frozen through."

Su Mu mixed the three ingredients together and poured them into a bamboo tube mold.

He split the bamboo tubes yesterday; each one was about the thickness of a little finger and two inches long, with the bottom sealed with dough. After filling them, he inserted thin, shaved bamboo skewers as handles.

Twelve sticks were arranged in a row and placed in an iron basin, then covered with crushed ice.

"Take it to the well to keep it warm, and bring it up again in half an hour."

Wang Dequan carried the iron basin outside.

There were two knocks at the gate of the courtyard.

Fang Qingjun stood outside the door, arriving even earlier than yesterday. She had changed into a light purple short-sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing a section of her fair wrist.

She was carrying two cloth bags.

One cloth bag was opened to reveal a blue-and-white porcelain jar, its mouth sealed with wax. The other cloth bag contained white powder wrapped in gauze, so fine it could drift away in the wind.

"Mr. Su, pearl powder and bird's nest."

Fang Qingjun placed the items on the cutting board and tapped the porcelain jar twice with her finger.

"The pearls are South Sea pearls stored in the manor's storeroom. I had the maid grind them three times and sieve them twice. The bird's nest is the imperial bird's nest that was presented as tribute last year. It was soaked last night and the water was changed twice this morning."

Su Mu unscrewed the wax seal, pinched a pinch of pearl powder, and rubbed it in.

The powder is fine enough.

The particles couldn't stay on my fingertips; they all seeped into the lines of my palm.

"Well ground."

"Who taught you how to identify herbs?"

Fang Qingjun wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The air was already stifling at the end of April. She had rushed all the way from the Fang residence, and stray hairs from her temples clung to her cheeks.

"I spent half the night flipping through ancient books and also consulted with the old medicine boy in the manor about the processing methods."

She took a breath, her face covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"When using pearl powder in medicinal cuisine, the effects of calcined pearl powder and water-milled pearl powder are different. I was afraid of making a mistake, so I specially ground it using the water-milling method."

If Mr. Su feels it's not detailed enough...

'

Su Mu didn't finish listening.

He casually grabbed a clean cotton handkerchief from the stove and pressed it against Fang Qingjun's face.

"Wipe yourself off first, you're all sweaty."

The sudden movement carried a warm sensation.

Fang Qingjun froze instantly!

The cotton handkerchief, still warm from the stove, was pressed against her forehead. Su Mu had already withdrawn his hand and was looking down at the quality of the bird's nest.

Fang Qingjun stood there clutching the handkerchief, her ears turning red all the way to her neck.

"Thank you, Mr. Su."

Su Mu hummed in agreement, picked up a strand of bird's nest with a bamboo skewer, and examined it against the window light.

"The soaking was just right, not overdone. You really put in the effort."

Fang Qingjun lowered her head, folded the handkerchief twice, and stuffed it into her sleeve.

"Shall I grind the angelica root for Mr. Su? We haven't finished grinding the leftovers from last time."

"Okay, the mortar is in the corner."

Fang Qingjun went around to the back of the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, and squatted down in front of the stone mortar to start pounding medicine.

The pestle struck the angelica slices, one after another, with a dull, rhythmic sound.

She worked diligently, sweat beading on her forehead again, but this time no one offered her a handkerchief. She wiped her brow with her sleeve and continued working.

Little Sizi lay on the stove, his face pressed against the cold stone slab, his legs kicking in the air.

"Sister Fang must be working so hard."

Fang Qingjun smiled.

"Making medicine for your mother is worth the hard work."

Little Sizi thought for a moment, then jumped off the stool, picked up her little water bowl, and ran over.

"Sister Fang, have some water!"

Fang Qingjun took the bowl and drank a mouthful. There were still traces of the little girl's drool on the rim of the bowl, but she didn't mind.

The kitchen was quiet.

Su Mu processed the bird's nest, Fang Qingjun pounded the medicine, and Xiao Sizi squatted in the middle watching from both ends.

Sunlight slanted in through the windowpane, illuminating the stone mortar beside it. The medicinal powder stirred up fine dust in the light.

Li Lizhi stepped across the threshold, carrying a vermilion lacquered food box in her hand.

Today she wore a pale yellow, narrow-sleeved shirt, with a white jade pendant hanging from her waist. The jade piece tinkled softly as she walked.

Li Lizhi stopped in her tracks as soon as she stepped into the kitchen.

Fang Qingjun squatted in front of the stone mortar, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, her arms covered in brown medicinal powder. Sweat dripped from her forehead, and stray hairs clung to her cheeks.

Su Mu stood at the other end of the cutting board, arranging the processed bird's nest strips into a bowl.

The two were separated by half a kitchen, each busy with their own tasks, but there was a tacit understanding between them...

Whoever hands over the materials, whoever takes them over, doesn't need to say a word.

Li Lizhi's hand tightened slightly.

The food container made a slight creaking sound.

Little Sizi saw her first.

"Eldest sister!"

The little girl ran over and tugged at her skirt.

"Guoguo is making cheese sticks! Eldest sister will be ready soon!"

Su Mu turned around.

"Oh, Princess Chang Le."

"Why did you come here today?"

Li Lizhi placed the food box on the table and opened the lid. Inside was a plate of neatly arranged sliced ​​candied fruits.

"Father asked me to come and see how far along Mother's medicinal diet is going."

She glanced at the kitchen.

His gaze fell on the blue and white porcelain jar beside Fang Qingjun, then moved to the angelica powder that was mostly ground in the stone mortar, and finally stopped on the corner of the cotton handkerchief peeking out from Fang Qingjun's sleeve.

That handkerchief didn't belong to Fang Qingjun.

Fang Qingjun always used fine silk handkerchiefs embroidered with orchids. This one, however, is made of coarse cotton, the kind commonly found in kitchens.

Li Lizhi turned her gaze away.

"Sister Fang is here very early."

Fang Qingjun stood up and patted the powder off her skirt.

"I brought some pearl powder and bird's nest today, in case I was worried about delaying Mr. Su's progress, so I rushed to deliver them early."

Li Lizhi nodded and walked to the cutting board.

She reached out and rummaged through the medicinal herbs next to the food box.

"Su Mu, how many more days until Mother's cloud cakes are ready?"

"The fermentation liquid will be ready in two days, and you can start working on it as soon as it's ready."

"So, are these bird's nest and pearl powder for making cloud cake?"

Su Mu shook his head.

"Pearl powder is an ingredient used with mung bean cakes; adding half a qian (approximately 0.5 grams) can calm the nerves. Bird's nest has another use; it will be used later to make lung soup."

Li Lizhi responded with an "oh".

She ran her fingers along the edge of the food box twice.

"I can help prepare those too. My father has a whole chest of South Sea pearls in his treasury; I'll have them ground and sent over."

After wiping her hands, Fang Qingjun walked to the other side of the cutting board.

"Sister, you don't need to worry. There are many things to consider when grinding pearl powder. The water-milling method requires grinding it three times before sifting. Otherwise, coarse particles mixed into the medicinal food will harm the spleen and stomach. I practiced several times last night to grind it to this fineness."

Li Lizhi's fingers stopped.

"Sister Fang is quite good at this."

"I don't deserve such praise. I was just afraid of doing more harm than good, so I did some research beforehand."

There was a two-second silence in the kitchen.

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