Sky Curtain: With a vermilion mirror, Jing travels through the modern world, shaking all dynasties.

Lin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, and she rummaged through the refrigerator for a few preserved eggs: "Then I'll make Jingjing some preserved egg and lean pork congee!"

Jiang Chuan was slightly taken aback. When had he ever bought preserved eggs?

The thought had just crossed his mind when he suddenly remembered that his mother had brought him a box of preserved eggs when she visited him recently.

He casually put it in the refrigerator and then forgot about it.

Zhu Jingjing stared at the egg that looked like a duck egg, but with a grayish-white shell and a few black spots on it, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Xiaoyu, is this a 'century egg'?" She tilted her head, examining the strangely shaped egg closely. "The color of the shell is so weird, and why are there black spots on it? What kind of animal lays such a strange egg?"

Before Lin Xiaoyu could answer, Jiang Chuan spoke up first: "Jingjing, these are just eggs laid by ordinary ducks!"

"Brother, you're lying again!" Zhu Jingjing pouted, glaring at him angrily. "I've seen duck eggs before! They're about the same size, but what duck egg looks like that?"

Jiang Chuan picked up a preserved egg, held it steadily in his palm, and handed it to her: "Jingjing, I'm not lying to you. This is indeed a duck egg, but it has been processed using a special method to become what it is now."

After saying that, he carefully peeled off the eggshell.

"This egg is so beautiful!" Zhu Jingjing exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared intently at the exposed egg white. "It's like amber, a translucent tea-brown color!"

She excitedly touched the egg with her fingertip, then jumped for joy: "It's so bouncy! And it even looks like it has patterns on it, like snowflakes!"

"Jingjing, would you like to try some? Century eggs can be eaten raw, you know," Lin Xiaoyu said.

Upon hearing this, the little princess's eyes lit up, and she eagerly reached out to grab the preserved egg in his palm, but a fair and slender hand beat her to it.

"Sister Xiaoyu!" Zhu Jingjing immediately looked aggrieved, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, looking at Lin Xiaoyu pitifully, silently pleading for her to return the egg to her.

"Jingjing, many people can't get used to the taste of preserved eggs." Lin Xiaoyu glared at Jiang Chuan, scolding him for letting the little princess eat them raw. "They'll be much easier to eat if they're made into porridge. If you can get used to them, you can try eating them raw later."

Zhu Jingjing nodded reluctantly, but her almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on the egg that had been "snatched" away. Her throat moved slightly, clearly indicating that she had swallowed.

"Jingjing, listen to your sister Xiaoyu." Jiang Chuan reached out and rubbed her head, gently advising, "Century eggs can indeed be eaten raw, but a very small number of people will get diarrhea from eating them. It's safer to cook them before eating them."

"Brother, how are those preserved eggs made?" She grabbed Jiang Chuan's arm and gently shook it, her face full of curiosity. "We have duck eggs everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, but I've never seen these 'preserved eggs' before!"

Jiang Chuan smiled, picked up another preserved egg from the table, and held it in his palm: "Actually, preserved eggs are made from fresh duck eggs, but they have to be covered with a layer of 'mud clothes'."

"Mud?" Zhu Jingjing's eyes widened in disbelief. "A duck egg covered in mud can turn into this?"

"It's not ordinary mud. It has to be made with lime, wood ash, salt, and tea leaves, mixed with water to form a paste. Then, you put the duck egg in and roll it around, coating it completely."

While peeling the husks, Lin Xiaoyu added, "After wrapping them, you have to roll them in rice husks, otherwise the eggs will stick together."

Jiang Chuan nodded and continued, "After that, find a jar or vat, put the mud-covered eggs inside, seal it well, and place it in a cool, shady place. After a month or two, take it out, wash it clean, and it will look like what you just saw."

The Great Tang Dynasty, Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin found Jiang Chuan's explanation interesting, but remained skeptical, asking, "Can ordinary fresh duck eggs be transformed into such beautiful preserved eggs through such simple processing?"

The little ox in his arms reached out and grabbed at the air, as if to grasp the preserved egg, and looked up, saying, "Father, that preserved egg is so beautiful, I want to eat it too!"

Li Shimin smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Sizi, your father will have someone make it right away. We'll eat it together once it's pickled."

The Great Ming Dynasty, Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at his daughter in the sky, a look of envy on his face, and said, "My lady, what do you think of those 'century eggs'? They look quite pretty, so they must taste good too!"

Empress Ma laughed and said, "Zhongba, we in the Ming Dynasty can't make those kinds of foods from later generations! But we can make these preserved eggs ourselves. Why don't we have someone make them and let us try them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was secretly pleased, but as the emperor, he couldn't appear greedy.

"Since the lady likes it, I'll have someone try making it." Then, feeling it wasn't enough, he added, "The lady and I will taste it together. If it's really delicious, we'll let all the officials try that 'century egg'!"

Empress Ma smiled and nodded: "Chongba, don't forget the people of the world! These preserved eggs can also be made by ordinary people. When the time comes, spread the recipe so that the common people can also taste these preserved eggs from later generations."

modern.

The moment the porridge was served, Zhu Jingjing's gaze was fixed on it.

In the white porcelain bowl, the rice porridge is cooked until thick and smooth, with the aroma of rice and the unique fragrance of preserved eggs intertwining and rising gently.

With a gentle stir of her spoon, the dark color of the preserved egg, the pinkish-white of the lean meat, and the emerald green of the scallions slowly seeped into the porridge, resembling a traditional Chinese ink painting filled with misty vapor.

She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it with her little mouth, and carefully put it into her mouth.

"Well……"

The soft and glutinous congee base melts on the tongue, while the diced preserved egg is smooth and elastic with a subtle alkaline aroma. Contrary to expectations, it doesn't have a strange taste; instead, it blends perfectly with the savory lean meat and the sweetness of the congee, creating a warm and comforting sensation on the palate.

"Sister Xiaoyu! This porridge, this porridge..." Zhu Jingjing couldn't find the right words for a moment, her face flushed with anxiety, and she blurted out, "I could eat three big bowls of this porridge!"

Jiang Chuan chuckled: "Three big bowls? Then I wasn't wrong, you really are a little glutton!"

"Jingjing, you were just frightened, don't eat so much at once." Lin Xiaoyu smiled and gently advised, "Eat a little less, and if you want to eat it again later, I'll make it for you."

The Great Tang Dynasty, Taiji Palace.

The little rhinoceros in Li Shimin's arms became restless again, twisting and turning, truly resembling a little rhinoceros.

"Father, I want to eat too!" She clutched the dragon robe with one hand and pointed to the sky with the other. "That porridge looks delicious! It's completely different from the plain white porridge I usually drink!"

Li Shimin nodded with a wry smile: "My dear son! The preserved eggs will take a few days to prepare. Once they're ready, I'll have someone cook porridge for you right away, okay?"

The little rhinoceros shook its head vigorously, "No! The rhinoceros wants to eat now!"