Coincidentally!My name is Liu Bian

Chapter 169 Liu Bian’s dark cuisine

Knowing that he had to go to Youzhou to buy a large amount of cinnamon twigs and peony, Liu Bian decided to write a letter to Zhao Yun.

Firstly, it was for the sake of contact and friendship: Liu Bianke still remembered that when he left Youzhou, he made an agreement with Zhao Yun to communicate by writing letters from time to time. As a result, neither of them wrote letters, and neither received any letters!
Secondly, Liu Bian wanted to buy cinnamon twigs and peony at a cheap price - if he asked General Zhao Yun or Gongsun Zan to help buy the medicinal materials, I believe the price would be discounted, so it shouldn't be expensive?
Anyway, if you can save money, save a fortune, which is not bad.

Thinking of this, Liu Bian remembered that after returning home, he should summon Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, the county governor, and instruct these two people to make another trip to Youzhou to purchase goods and send a letter for him!only……

However, he suddenly remembered the taste of the "Guizhi Soup" he had just taken... To be honest, it tasted terrible!Liu Bian was very worried that if he really had to buy a large amount of cinnamon twigs and peony to make a smelly and unpalatable "Guizhi Soup", would anyone try it?

Frowning slightly, Liu Bian thought to himself: Not talking about the plague, just saying that it is a bowl of ordinary Chinese medicine, I am afraid that most people in Bohai County do not want to drink it——

It's not a matter of life and death, so why bother thinking about it and have to embarrass yourself and make others fall off their feet?

Everyone said: The medicinal soup is always very bitter!Life is already hard enough, so don’t make it even harder...

So, he should think of a way to adjust the taste of the medicinal soup?Can't you just taste the medicinal soup and make you want to vomit?
Liu Bian: "..."

Touching his nose, Liu Bian thought for a moment, and suddenly he came up with a plan and said to the old man: "Old sir, may I ask if you still have cinnamon twigs and peony in stock?"

"Huh?" replied the old man, "—yes?"

"How many? I bought them all!" Liu Bian waved his hand boldly and immediately looked at Cao Cao.

Cao Cao: "..."

Narrowing his eyes, Cao Cao, who was temporarily worried about money, calmly said: "Guizhi and peony...how much are they worth?"

The old man raised a finger tremblingly and said hesitantly: "Isn't it expensive? Just start at one yuan per three taels? There is a lot of inventory, enough for three to four hundred people, but if it has to supply the entire Nanpi County, then It’s difficult…”

The implication is: If you really want to support Bohai County, you have to purchase in large quantities.

"Understood!" Liu Bian silently estimated, "Shall I pay a thousand? There is no need to change the change. I just hope that the old man will buy more cinnamon twigs and peony. Okay?"

The old man nodded blankly and was about to call someone to get the medicinal materials. Suddenly he saw the young prince in front of him rubbing his hands and saying in a flattering tone: "Well, I dare to ask the old gentleman if there is any way to slow down this medicinal soup." Is it bitter?"

Huh?
The old man blinked and looked at Liu Bian steadily.

Liu Bian was very thick-skinned and said calmly: "I have a way to alleviate the pain of the medicinal soup, but I'm afraid it will reduce the medicinal properties... I wonder if the old gentleman would like to say a few words to me?"

The old man said with great interest, "Your Highness, please tell me."

Liu Bian asked: "Can cinnamon twigs and peony be made into a delicacy? If cinnamon twigs and peony are made into ingredients, can the bitter taste be reduced?"

The method of "Cinnamon Twig Decoction" is extremely simple and rough: dry the cinnamon sticks and peonies in the sun, mash them, boil them, and boil them until they are rotten. ...It’s a pity that the medicinal properties are too complete, so the smell of the medicine will overwhelm people, often making people dizzy, as if they are eating dirt, and they will feel very uncomfortable.

In his ears, he heard the old man's questioning, asking: "What do you plan to do, Your Highness?"

With his crooked eyes, Liu Bian's foodie attributes...cough!The attribute of enthusiasm exploded, and he replied: "Can you chop the cinnamon twigs and peony into a ball, stir it into a ball, and mix it into the dough? Then boil it with hot water and cook it?"

The old man raised his eyebrows, imagined that scene, and couldn't help but ask: "Does Your Highness want to make steamed cakes with fillings from cinnamon twigs and peony?"

In a word!
——I want to make steamed buns with cinnamon twigs and peony, or dumplings, or steamed buns with fillings?
After stroking his palms, Liu Bian said cautiously: "Is it possible?"

The old man stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Your Highness, I don't know about this matter. I have never seen anyone using cinnamon twigs and peony as ingredients? I am not sure whether this has any effect."

"Would you like to give it a try?" Liu Bian's thoughts were growing: Great!Can he finally eat hot steamed buns, dumplings, steamed buns and wontons in advance? ——When it comes to steamed buns, dumplings, steamed buns, and wontons, Liu Bian becomes sad:

You should know that steamed buns are originally called steamed buns, also known as cage cakes. According to legend, although Zhuge Liang invented it, they are still called "steamed buns". The word "baozi" first appeared in the Song Dynasty 700 years later!
As for dumplings, they were invented by Zhang Zhongjing. They were originally used for medicinal purposes. Unfortunately, it would still take 30 to [-] years before they could be officially eaten. Zhang Zhongjing is still young now and has not even seen the shadow of "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases", so how can he make them? Make dumplings?

Liu Bian doesn’t want to wait for decades to eat it when he is old!

As for steamed buns and wontons, the former is called noodle cake, including noodles, while the latter is stuffed with meat, with less meat, and it is not suitable to use cinnamon twigs and peony as fillings...

Based on the above, only steamed buns or dumplings are more suitable to use cinnamon twigs and peony.

And as Liu Bian, who loves... good food, how could he miss it? ——How can it be better to make steamed buns or dumplings than pure "Guizhi Soup"?
Even if the potency of the medicine is reduced by half, Liu Bian admits: At worst, he will eat steamed buns or dumplings every day from now on?

Have buns or dumplings for breakfast?
Don’t worry about preventing typhoid or other diseases!

The more Liu Bian thought about it, the more it made sense. When he looked at the old man again, his eyes were shining and full of confidence.

This time, the old man understood and asked curiously: "Your Highness, do you want to instruct the chefs to make cinnamon twigs and peony into food?"

"No, no, no!" Liu Bian rolled up his sleeves, full of energy, "Old sir, I'm not afraid of your jokes. Fortunately, I'm in your house, so I can be more willful... This time, let me be the chef! I have inspiration. , can make delicious food!”

steamed stuffed bun!

dumpling!

I can finally taste it!
Unconsciously, Liu Bian grinned.

This shocked Cao Cao.

Covering his chest with his hand, Cao Cao's expression was hard to describe, and he said dryly: "My lord, you...you want to cook the food yourself?"

"Really?" Liu Bian nodded, not forgetting to direct Cao Ang, "Xiao Cao, hurry up and prepare flour, water, cinnamon twigs and peony..."

Cao Ang looked confused and stared at Liu Bian blankly, motionless.

"Go quickly?" Liu Bian urged.

"Your Highness, I...I don't know?" Cao Ang said weakly, his scalp numb.

After patting his head, Liu Bian turned to look at the old man and said in a stroke: "Old sir, can you lend me the kitchen? And prepare cinnamon twigs, peony, flour and a bucket of water for me?"

The old man didn't think much and took a step forward slowly——

"Lord! Let me do it!" Cao Cao decisively recommended himself. He really didn't dare to bother the old man. The old man was already old. Who dared to instruct the old man?

Then the old man said: "There are two wells in the backyard for water. If you want cinnamon twigs and peony, go and call A Niu. There are some in the flour kitchen. Your Highness can find them by looking for them."

Cao Cao's head was full of black lines and he stared at the old man: Do you still know that the young man in front of you is your noble Highness? ——Now that you know His Highness, do you still dare to call His Highness? !

"Thank you, old sir!" Liu Bian had a calm face and didn't mind at all, "The great Cao... Magistrate Mengde hasn't prepared the ingredients yet, which is really delaying my cooking."

"I...this..." Cao Cao pursed his lips, feeling speechless for the first time.

After a while, Cao Cao fluttered his sleeves and ran to find someone.

The old man, Cao Ang and Liu Bian were left staring with big eyes.

For a moment, the room was extremely silent.

After a while, Cao Cao returned, wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, and said with his hands in hand: "My lord, everything is ready! Do you...really want...?"

Cao Cao was in a state of confusion and couldn't believe that His Majesty was going to the kitchen.

What about saying "a gentleman is far away from the kitchen"?

"Thank you for your hard work!" Liu Bian still insisted on going his own way and did not change his determination at all, "I'm going to get delicious food! Later, you can call the guards outside the house and let everyone try the "Guizhi Dumplings" ?

Everyone has not drank "Guizhi Soup" yet, so there is no guarantee that you will not get sick? "Guizhi dumplings?"
What the hell?

Several people present were confused.

But I saw Liu Bian holding his head high and marching into the battlefield with high morale——

wrong!

It's into the kitchen!

As soon as he entered the kitchen, Liu Bian looked around and saw with satisfaction that everything was in the room: a bucket of water, a bag of flour, a plate each of cinnamon twigs and peony, knives, chopsticks, bowls, pots, chopping boards, cooking stoves, etc.

He scratched his head and asked him to think about it, how to make dumplings?

——First take out the flour, place it on a cutting board, then make a hollow, add water, and stir?

Not quite!
Put the flour into a bowl or basin, add water, and stir until the dough becomes fluffy!
With a tigerish face, Liu Bian gingerly put the flour into the bowl, added water, and stirred it with chopsticks.

He began to regret his boast: Why was it not difficult to make dumplings in his memory, but in reality, it was so unfamiliar?

Is he okay?
Can you make dumplings successfully?
Do you want to call someone for help?

But haven’t you seen dumplings before?

It seems that this time we have to rely on him as a reference!

... After clearing his mind, he stirred the flour and water and spent a long time to get the dough out.

Very good!
Next is kneading the dough.

With a squeaking sound, he kneaded the dough into a ball.

Bai Bai, it seems his cooking skills are fine?

Then, he rolled the dough into strips, placed it on a cutting board, and cut it into evenly sized dices with a knife.

Next, roll the small noodles into dumpling wrappers.

After rolling out twenty dumpling wrappers, he was finally able to get the cinnamon twigs and peony.

He grabbed a handful each of cinnamon twigs and peony, put them on the chopping board, and then chopped them one by one with a knife——

He felt like he was doing it perfectly!
He took a piece of dumpling wrapper, put an appropriate amount of chopped cinnamon twigs and crushed peony, and then like making dumplings, dipped his thumbs in water and pressed the two sides of the dumpling wrappers together.

Finally, a beautiful raw dumpling is freshly baked!
He is so smart.

After that, he skillfully made twenty dumplings, all stuffed with crushed cinnamon twigs and crushed peony.

Putting the cake aside, he boiled water in a pot for a while until it boiled.

At this time, he put all the dumplings into the boiling water, covered the pot, simmered, and cooked again.

——The above, this set of practices is completely correct and reasonable, without any mistakes, is there anything wrong?
Therefore, the question arises: Why did he fail after working on it for a long time?
He stared at the stained turbid soup, the flimsy dumpling wrappers, and the scattered medicinal residue in the pot, and couldn't help but burst into tears: This, this, this... this is not a dumpling at all!

He he he... what did he do?

What's wrong with this? --Failed?

He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and decided to ignore the dumpling wrappers. He simply took out the medicine residue and soup water, put them into a bowl, stirred and stirred... Sniffing the diluted medicine, he thought:
There are also cinnamon twigs and peony in this medicinal soup, but they are in the state of crumbs at most. If not [-]% effective, it should be half, right?

No loss, no loss!
The work was not in vain!
Anyway, just take it out and give it to everyone to drink, and that’s it!
Prevention, prevention?Is there any benefit to drinking more often?
With a sense of luck, he scooped out ten bowls, carefully divided the dumpling skins into each bowl, and then opened the door——

There was a lot of excitement outside the door: Cao Cao, Cao Ang, Zeng Aniu, Zeng Yan and two old doctors who couldn't be named were standing there, plus dozens of guards... At this moment, when everyone saw him showing up, they all turned to him He bowed his hand.

Cao Cao was distraught and had the biggest reaction, saying sadly: "Lord!"

It looked like Liu Bian had encountered some tragic situation... Liu Bian pointed his hand towards the kitchen and said, "I've made it. Who among you wants to taste it? - There are only ten bowls!"

When Liu Bian spoke, there was some guilt mixed in.

Everyone present did not think much and responded positively: "Me! Me, me, me!..."

Soon, ten warriors stood up, hurriedly entered the kitchen, and brought out a bowl of "Guizhi Dumplings".

"Let's go to the front hall to eat cinnamon dumplings!" Liu Bian asked calmly.

Ever since, the ten warriors carried "Guizhi Dumplings" and went to the front hall.

Sitting down one by one, the ten warriors looked at the "Guizhi Dumplings" in front of them, showing a tacit understanding of expectation.Cao Ang glanced at the other party, then at Liu Bian, but hesitated to speak. On the other hand, Cao Cao glanced slightly sideways, without saying a word, and his eyes passed... He couldn't bear to look directly at him.

"Would you like to try it?" Liu Bian clapped his hands.

At that time, the rest of the people who were lucky enough not to drink stood in the corner or guarded outside the door, quietly watching the ten warriors.But seeing the ten warriors calmly holding the bowls and drinking them all in one gulp, it was very heroic!
Cao Cao was speechless.

And Liu Bian looked forward to it: "How?"

The warriors have not spoken for ten years...

"What's wrong?" Liu Bian reached out and gently touched a warrior.

Then he saw the warrior falling straight down.

"Ah?" Liu Bian opened his mouth wide.

At the same time, as if they had agreed, the remaining nine warriors also fell down one after another, with very neat movements.

Liu Bian: "..."

Liu Bian looked at the "Guizhi Dumplings" and was very hesitant to try it... What?Is it that bad to drink? ——At the critical moment, Cao Cao spoke up:
"Lord! Let me come!!"

After saying this, Cao Cao picked up a bowl of "Guizhi Dumplings" and poured it into Cao Ang's mouth without hesitation.

Cao Ang didn't realize that his father would dare to cheat his son!

Gollum-

Cao Ang accidentally drank half the bowl and fell down with convulsions!

Cao Cao did not forget to care about his son and asked: "Ang'er, what's wrong with you?"

Cao Ang's face turned blue, he rolled his eyes and said with difficulty: "It's so... hard... to drink..."

Alas!

Cao Ang rolled his eyes and fell down.

"Xiao Cao? Xiao Cao?" Liu Bian's facial features were misaligned and he screamed, but he just missed throwing himself on Cao Ang and waking him up... Is the food he cooks really that dark?
(End of this chapter)