Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 39: Flower and Bird

Chapter 39: Flower and Bird

Helian Jing opened his mouth but didn't shout. If Chunyu Ge saw him in such a miserable state, he would definitely scold him. But while he was hesitant, Chunyu Ge had already gone far away on his horse.

Helian Jing began to regret again. If he had just shouted, he could have gotten out of his current predicament and no longer had to follow that fierce and smelly boy.

"What are you looking at? Take the thing." Ye Jiayao stuffed a pottery jar into Helian Jing's hand.

Helian Jing withdrew his gaze unhappily. Forget it. He ran away by himself but wanted Chunyu Ge to take him back. This was too lame.

"Let's go. I hope we can find a farmer's house to rest today, otherwise we'll have to stay in a dilapidated temple again." Ye Jiayao pushed him.

"Why don't we take the water route? Do we really have to walk back to Jinling on foot?" Helian Jing said in a muffled voice.

Ye Jiayao was stunned: "Is there a Grand Canal?"

Helian Jing raised his eyebrows and said, "What Grand Canal? I just came here by boat anyway."

Ye Jiayao's eyes lit up: "Where are you going on the boat?"

"Jining."

Ye Jiayao was secretly delighted. Oh my god, this is great. Isn't this the Grand Canal? Otherwise, how could it be possible to take a boat all the way from Jinling to Jining? It turns out that a canal was dug in this time and space. I wonder which wise king did this feat.

But...why did she come here from Yangzhou by land? I can't figure it out.

"You also know that we have to go to Jining to take a boat, why are you talking so much?" Ye Jiayao deliberately glared at him fiercely.

After leaving Xinyi, the two walked southwest. Passing by a village, Ye Jiayao saw a few old hens walking in the fields beside the village. She couldn't help swallowing her saliva. Damn, she hadn't eaten meat for several days. It was just as Xiao Jingjing said, her mouth was dry. It would be great if she could get a chicken to make beggar's chicken.

Look, little Jingjing was also staring at the old hen with green eyes.

Should I steal or not? Ye Jiayao was struggling.

She really wanted to get one to satisfy her stomach, but her teachers had taught her since she was young to be virtuous and not to do anything sneaky.

Forget it, forget it. It’s not easy for the villagers to raise a few chickens. Maybe they are relying on the eggs laid by the old hens to exchange for a few copper coins to make a living. We can’t cut off their livelihood.

Ye Jiayao touched her stomach and told the glutton in her stomach that no matter how short of oil and water, we must stick to our principles. At this time, Ye Jiayao couldn't help but think of the stupid donkey. That guy was extraordinary in martial arts. Every time he went up the mountain, he would either catch birds or beasts, and he would never miss. If she had been traveling with the stupid donkey, she wouldn't have to worry about being hungry.

"Xiao Jingjing, can you hunt?" Ye Jiayao asked hopefully.

Helian Jing had been numb to the disgust of her calling him that, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Hunting? That's my forte."

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes: "You're just bragging. Beat me up and let me see."

Helian Jing spread his hands and said, "Give me a bow and arrow. Give me a bow and arrow, and I promise I can catch it easily."

"Nonsense, where can I get you a bow and arrow?"

Helian Jing looked around and saw two birds resting on a jujube tree not far away. He picked up a small stone from the ground and smiled: "You watch."

Helian Jing aimed at the birds and shot the stone in his hand out. Chirp... The two birds were frightened and flew away flapping their wings.

Ye Jiayao sneered: "Are you trying to hit the bird or scare it away?"

Helian Jing touched his stomach awkwardly: "I am too hungry to have any strength, otherwise I would have definitely gotten into trouble."

"If you don't have the ability, then you don't have the ability. Why are you making excuses?" Ye Jiayao glared at him. In fact, she was also hungry, but there was only a little dry food, so she had to eat sparingly.

Ye Jiayao went to the village to ask for a pot of water, and the two continued on their way.

Helian Jinglao wanted to avenge his previous humiliation, so he grabbed a handful of stones and hit every bird he saw along the way, but he just couldn't hit any.

Ye Jiayao couldn't bear to watch it any longer: "Aren't you hungry? Save your energy!"

Helian Jing snorted muffledly and aimed at another bird.

thump...

"Haha, I hit it." Helian Jing danced with joy when he saw the bird fall from the tree, and ran over happily to pick up the bird.

"Da Yaoyao, I hit it, we have meat to eat."

Ye Jiayao almost fell over. Damn, when did you change your name to Dayaoyao? Oh my god.

"Why don't you try to scream again?" Ye Jiayao had no beard to blow and could only stare blankly.

Seeing her going crazy, Helian Jing became even happier: "Don't you also call me Little Jingjing? I'm Little Jingjing and you're Big Yaoyao, that's fair."

"Fairness to you, believe it or not, I won't even leave you a bird's butt." Ye Jiayao wanted to scratch him to death.

Helian Jing was familiar with her and knew that she was just bluffing. Although she looked fierce, she was not that scary. He smiled and said, "Just leave one chicken wing for me."

No matter how angry she is, the most important thing is to have enough food and clothing. This bird is quite fat, so Ye Jiayao plans to make a beggar bird using the method of making beggar chicken.

There happened to be a small pond on the side of the road with lotus flowers planted in it. Ye Jiayao asked Xiao Jingjing to pick a few lotus leaves and she squatted by the pond to remove the bird's feathers and internal organs. Helian Jing picked the lotus leaves and asked curiously, "Do you use lotus leaves as bowls?"

Ye Jiayao was too lazy to pay attention to him and told him to dig a hole.

He took out the seasonings from the bundle, rubbed some salt and five-spice powder on the bird, and then rubbed some on its belly, sprinkled some peppercorns on it, and wrapped it in lotus leaves. He mixed some mud with pond water. He should have used Shaoxing rice wine to mix the mud so that the roasted bird meat would be more fragrant, but the conditions did not allow it. It was good enough to have meat to eat, and there was no need to be so particular.

"Da Yaoyao, the pit is dug." Helian Jing was very excited and dug a big pit in no time.

Ye Jiayao walked over to take a look and said disdainfully, "Are you sure you didn't dig this hole for yourself?"

Damn, it's just a little bird. The pit is big enough to make a roast pig.

Helian Jing muttered, "You didn't say how big the dig should be."

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Go get some firewood."

Helian Jing happily went to collect firewood and cook food in the wild. He had never had such an experience before. Even when he and his elder brother and Chunyu went out hunting, there were cooks to cook with them. So it felt very fresh and interesting.

"Hey, don't bring back a tree, just pick up some dead branches." Ye Jiayao was afraid that this lazy and ignorant boy would pull out the trees on the roadside, so she quickly gave instructions.

After sealing the bird with mud and burying it in the soil, Ye Jiayao started to make a fire. After making a fire in Heifenggang for almost a month, Ye Jiayao was now quite skilled in using flint and could make a fire in no time.

Helian Jing looked at it curiously, but also a little skeptical: "Will this work? Wrapping it in mud and burying it in the soil, won't it be very dirty?"

Ye Jiayao put the extra lotus leaves under her buttocks, held a dogtail grass in her mouth, and said, "I don't know how delicious it is! Don't drool later."

Helian Jing sat down next to her and flattered her with a smile: "You know a lot. Before, I really thought we had to go begging."

Ye Jiayao tilted her head and said arrogantly, "Of course, I've traveled all over the country for so many years, how can I not have some skills?"

Helian Jing curled his lips: "You start bragging again."

"Hey, Xiao Jingjing, what does your family do? Are they officials? Or are they in business?" Ye Jiayao asked.

Helian Jing thought to himself that he would scare you to death if he told you, so he said modestly: "Little official, I also do a little business."

Ye Jiayao didn't believe it: "How could Yun Shuibi, who can wear a piece of clothing that costs more than 100 taels of silver, be a minor official or a small businessman?"

Helian Jing kept it a secret: "You'll know when you get to Jinling."

"If you don't want to say it, forget it." She didn't tell the truth anyway, so it's even.

After roasting for about an hour, Ye Jiayao took a wooden stick and dug out the mud bag. The outer layer of mud had been roasted and cracked, and it broke apart with a tap of the wooden stick. She opened the lotus leaf and the aroma of the stew inside filled the air.

"Wow, it smells so good." Helian Jing couldn't stop swallowing his saliva and reached out to take it.

"Be careful, it's hot." Ye Jiayao slapped his hand away and carefully tore a bird leg for him with a knife: "Try it."

Helian Jing took a bite and found the meat tender and crispy, with the aroma of the meat mixed with the fragrance of lotus leaves, which was very special yet very tempting. Although it was only smeared with a little salt, five-spice powder, and peppercorns, the original fresh and fragrant taste of the bird meat could be tasted more clearly. It was very delicious, even better than the roasted whole lamb made by his chef.

It was the first time for Ye Jiayao to use such a primitive method to make beggars and birds. However, it seemed that the beggars and birds made by this primitive method had a unique flavor. The double wrapping with lotus leaves and mud reduced the evaporation of water as much as possible and prevented the diffusion of fragrance. The simple seasoning preserved the original flavor of the ingredients to the greatest extent. How could it be described in one word: fragrant.

"Delicious, delicious, Dayaoyao, you are amazing." Helian Jing praised the food highly.

"Call me Brother Jin. I'll make you something more delicious next time, otherwise... hehe!" Ye Jiayao raised the beggar bird in her hand and threatened with a smile.

Under the temptation of delicious food, classmate Jing gave up his determination to take back the advantage and was willing to be a good little Jingjing.

The two of them killed a bird in one swift move, and both of them were still not satisfied.

"It doesn't matter. I'll shoot a few birds every day, or something else." Helian Jing said confidently, wiping his mouth.

Ye Jiayao expressed deep doubt: "I think you are just a blind cat that occasionally encounters a dead mouse, and you kill a few every day. I don't want to have such a beautiful dream."

Ye Jiayao packed her bags and set off.

"Hey, don't disbelieve me. I used to use bows and arrows. This is my first time using stones. I'm just a little unfamiliar with it. Once I get used to it, it will be a piece of cake." Helian Jing was most afraid of being looked down upon, so he chased after Ye Jiayao to argue.

Ye Jiayao was so annoyed that she waved her hands and said, "Alright, alright, you're awesome, okay? I was just afraid that you'd blow your own trumpet and get yourself into trouble, so I covered for you, but you don't even appreciate it."

The sky gradually darkened. Ye Jiayao estimated how far she had walked that day. It might be less than 20 miles. At this speed, when would she be able to reach Jining?

"I can't walk anymore. I'm so thirsty." Helian Jing had never suffered such hardship before. His feet were covered with blisters. He sat down on the side of the road, took off his shoes and rubbed his feet.

Ye Jiayao looked around. There was no village or shop in the distance. There wasn't even a shabby pavilion. It was not a place to rest. So she said, "You're being coquettish, but you still don't admit it. Get up quickly. I don't want to spend the night in the wild."

Helian Jing stared straight ahead with excitement in his eyes, and turned a deaf ear to Ye Jiayao's sarcasm and urging.

Ye Jiayao followed his gaze and saw that it was a watermelon field.

Their eyes met, and they said in unison: "You go..."

(End of this chapter)

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