Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 52

Chapter 52 New Year’s Eve
Since the beauty had already invited him, how could Lu Zhen refuse?

Thus, on New Year’s Eve, the three of them, who were somewhat weird, finally sat together for the first time and began to eat a reunion dinner.

Originally, Cuimei was not allowed to sit at the same table as the two masters because she was just a girl, but Chu Yunrong deliberately called her over. Lu Zhen, on the other hand, did not treat this as a child matter. In the future, there would be no such heavy rules. As a result, Chu Yunrong’s impression of Lu Zhen became better.

However, they had gathered all the ingredients, but what they ate had become a big problem, because the three of them knew how to cook some simple ingredients with Cuimei. Lu Zhen wasn’t completely independent before as a young man. In college, he went to the canteen or ordered takeout food. Other than barbecue, there weren’t many dishes that he could cook. As for Chu Yunrong, there was even less. Have you seen any rich young lady who could cook?

Previously, they had all set up in the county government, and there was a cook who prepared food for the yamen. But now that Lu Zhen had let everyone back home, things were going to be difficult. Although the kitchen had left enough ingredients for them to use for several days, the three of them were dumbfounded when they saw these things.

“Why don’t we go outside and call for a table?” Lu Zhen scratched his head and made his own suggestion.

“Don’t you see what day it is? All the restaurants in the county have already closed.” Chu Yunrong rolled her eyes at him, but she also looked quite cute.

Lu Zhen smiled awkwardly. He had indeed forgotten that this was not the world after a few hundred years. At that time, if you had money 24 hours a day, you would definitely be able to buy delicious food 365 days a day. In this era, especially on New Year’s Eve like today, it was impossible to find a restaurant with the door open in a small city.

“Then … shall I make you a bowl of noodles?” Cuimei said shyly. She also blamed herself, why didn’t she learn to cook early? This is good, let miss and uncle embarrassed.

Unexpectedly, Chu Yunrong shook her head again, “No way. Normally, I don’t eat less of the noodles you cooked. I’m tired of it. Today is New Year’s Eve, so I don’t want to eat that anymore.”

‘”But the other servants can’t do it well …” Cuimei, who was feeling a little guilty, was about to cry.

“Lu Shansi, do you have any ideas?” Chu Yunrong glanced at Lu Zhen and asked, seemingly embarrassed.

Lu Zhen scratched his head again and said, “Let me think about it.” However, his gaze shifted in the not-too-big kitchen to see what he could do. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a bronze pot in the corner. “Here we are! Let’s make a side stove and eat hotpot!”

What is the easiest way to cook? To the army of foodies in later generations, it was naturally hotpot. This kind of cooking-and-eating method didn’t need to worry about the heat, not even the ingredients like oil and salt, because everyone could eat it according to their own tastes. It’s easier than barbecuing. It’s the best choice for friends to get together. Of course, there’s one problem-eat this hot.

But it was winter and it was freezing, so eating hotpot was the perfect time.

In a short while, in Lu Zhen’s study, the hotpot was quickly set up. Everything was ready. Whether it was the pot or the cooking charcoal, they were all placed in the back kitchen. Just take it casually. As for the food, he took whatever he wanted, and in the blink of an eye, he had already prepared quite a bit of it.

Because it was the New Year’s Day, there was still a lot of pork and mutton left in the kitchen. Lu Zhen was also honest and impolite as he put the bones with meat into the pot and rolled them up.

Originally, the two women, who did not hold much hope for this, started to salivate when they smelled the fragrance of the meat.

As a Suzhou citizen and a wealthy family’s daughter, Chu Yunrong had never eaten such a popular food in the north in her life. After seeing Lu Zhen swiftly put some ingredients into the pot, she was even more surprised, “Is it still edible to cook so many things together?”

“You don’t understand. Only by eating like this can you truly feel the flavor of the hotpot. What you want is for the flavors of all kinds of ingredients to permeate into each other.” As Lu Zhen spoke, he felt a little regretful. Unfortunately, there were no seafood, fat cattle, and other foods that must be ordered in hotpot. This greatly reduced the flavor of the pot.

However, the fragrance of lamb and pork still made people’s saliva secrete quickly. Very quickly, the cabbage that had just been put in was cooked and floated on the noodle soup.

Lu Zhen naturally picked up some dishes for Chu Yunrong and Cuimei with his chopsticks and placed them in their bowls. He then pointed to a few bottles and said, “There are soy sauce and salt inside. You guys can just watch and prepare some dipping ingredients for yourself.”

Seeing his actions, the two women were stunned. Chu Yunrong felt a little strange in her heart, but she no longer hated him from before. As for Cuimei, he was somewhat grateful and flattered. “Thank you, Master … This servant will come by herself.”

‘”Eh” Lu Zhen then remembered that it was the Great Ming Dynasty, as if it wasn’t appropriate for him to do this. To cover up his embarrassment, he could only say, “Try it. If it’s cold, it won’t taste so good.”

After being urged by him, the two women were no longer stunned. They poured some of the simplest seasonings on the plate as he said. Then, they picked up a small piece of cabbage and put it into their mouths after dipping it.

After a single sip, the expressions on the two women’s faces became rich. Chu Yunrong nodded her head repeatedly, “This is good. It’s glutinous and has some fresh flavor. It’s much better than what she ate in the past.”

“Naturally, this is pork and mutton.” Lu Zhen replied and said, “Besides, you can’t eat too much like this. If you want to eat this, you have to eat large chunks of land. Only then can you taste its true flavor. Like this …” As he said this, he set an example by picking up a large chunk of meat and dipping it in some sauce in his bowl before putting it into his mouth.

Because of the hurry, the meat was still hot, making him unconsciously let out a hiss. But even so, Lu Zhen did not pause at all. He continued to eat the meat with relish and looked at the man named Xiang Na.

The two women in front of him were dumbfounded. In the past, Lu Zhen had never been so rude, but for some reason, not only did Chu Yunrong not feel disrespectful when she watched him happily eat, but she also felt a different kind of emotion. She actually felt that this appearance was very attractive.

“What’s wrong with me? Am I so hungry that I have an illusion?” After discovering this strange thought in her heart, Chu Yunrong’s pretty face burned. Fortunately, the hot air in the pot kept coming up, and the room was very warm, so no one noticed anything unusual.

But even so, she was already a little shy, and could only slightly conceal herself by eating with vegetables. However, Chu Yunrong did not discover that her actions this time were much more unrestrained and rough than before. A large piece of cabbage was quickly wiped out.

“Come on, don’t just focus on eating. Today is the New Year. You have to eat some meat.”

“I… I know. I can clip it myself.”

“Look, this bean sprout is also ripe. Hurry up and taste it.”

“There’s also this soup. Let me tell you, the most important thing to eat hotpot is to drink soup, because all the ingredients are in this soup. It must be extremely delicious.”

“Thank you Master … Young miss, this soup is really delicious. It’s more delicious than anything I’ve ever tasted before.”

“Really? Then I’ll try it too … Mm, it’s really delicious …”

As they let go of each other, the atmosphere at the dining table finally became harmonious and lively again. There were no outsiders here, and Lu Zhen was constantly seducing and confusing them. The two women finally no longer had any worries, and they really threw themselves into this hot pot Taotie.

At this time, if someone familiar with Chu Yunrong were to look in from outside, they would definitely be greatly shocked. It was because she, who had always been obedient, was actually chewing on a piece of meat with bones, and her mouth was constantly whistling. How could this be a rich lady? This was more manly than an ordinary man.

As for Cuimei, the situation wasn’t much better than his own young miss. She also used her hand to pull a piece of mutton into her mouth, her mouth bulging and bulging, as if she couldn’t eat enough anyway.

Ever since their birth, the two women had been taught to follow the rules, to sit and stand, and to be courteous and proper in their meals. In his entire life, he had never eaten so frantically and presumptuously. However, this kind of pleasure of letting go of all the gluttony was so comfortable that they completely forgot all the restraints and just wanted to relax and eat a good meal.

Lu Zhen smiled knowingly when he saw the two girls look like this. He could tell that the two women were usually too depressed. It was a good opportunity for them to let go of everything. Otherwise, it would not be good for their bodies and minds.

It was unknown if it was because the hotpot was delicious, or because it let go of its embrace. In any case, most of the dishes on the table had been wiped out by the three of them in the end. The meat that had been put into the hotpot had already been cleaned by them, and even the soup was almost bottomed out.

Until they couldn’t eat any more, the three of them stopped. The two women even leaned back in their chairs and burped several times. It was only then that they realized that their appearance was very rude, and their faces immediately turned even redder. When they saw the empty plate on the table, they revealed an even more incredulous expression, “This … did we really eat all of this stuff?”

“That’s right. Isn’t it just the three of us?” Lu Zhen smiled and nodded, “How is it? This New Year’s Eve must be pretty good, right?”

At this time, the two women were completely shocked by their own “masterpiece”, and after a while, they couldn’t regain their senses. Very quickly, shyness struck their hearts, and they unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to look at Lu Zhen.

“Do you know who invented this hotpot?” Lu Zhen could only smile bitterly.