Before Chu Lian could ask, Wenlan had already piped up impatiently, “How was it, Sis? Is it good, is it tasty!?”
Wenqing couldn’t spare any thought to being reserved at this moment, she nodded enthusiastically with a hand over her mouth.
Wenlan was dying of envy inside. She didn’t know what Third Young Madam used, but this aroma was just too overwhelming. She stared expectantly at Chu Lian and complained, “Third Young Madam, you’re being biased!”
Chu Lian laughed, “Don’t you like spicy food? I’ll make a spicy one for you.”
Wenlan’s eyes sparkled. So this could also be made spicy.
Chu Lian followed the same steps as before, but added some chili powder while she was grilling the beef slices. As expected, Wenlan enjoyed it so much that she felt like swallowing her tongue along with the food.
They had been serving Chu Lian for a while now. When Chu Lian cooked, she had never avoided her close aides. Wenqing and Wenlan were no longer the same girls who didn’t even know how to make candied kumquats back when they had just entered Songtao Court. While serving Chu Lian, they had eaten plenty of delicacies, but it was the first time that they had tasted such an amazing dish.
Wenqing and Wenlan’s eyes were alight with sparkles. Cooking teppanyaki was incredibly simple. As long as they prepared some good seasoning, it would be easy for a beginner to put out a decent tasting dish.
They were in the thick of winter now, where water turned to ice. Winters in the northern border have always been colder than in the capital. There were also only grasslands to be found in this area, so there was very little vegetation available at this time. The main sources of food for the people in this area were beef and mutton. Grain crops, on the other hand, were pure extravagance.
This could be seen from how the officers still had meat in their meals despite the lack of provisions.
Back in Liangzhou City, she had ordered the He Estate’s guards to slaughter several yaks and sheep. Half of the meat had been taken outside to be frozen and stored.
At this point of time, the northern border was like a natural refrigerator. Meat could be kept even without curing.
When it was time to eat, they just had to take out and prepare the frozen meat.
The beef and mutton Chu Lian ate were all stored like this. At such low temperatures, the freshness of the meat wasn’t really affected at all.
Chu Lian demonstrated the process a few times in front of Wenqing and Wenlan before completely handing over the task to the two maidservants.
She watched over the bowl of lamb organ soup boiling in another earthenware pot and stirred it with a wooden ladle from time to time. She tasted it and nodded. The fire was just right and it was almost done.
Wenlan placed a plate of slightly spicy grilled beef slices on the small table in front of Chu Lian before serving her a bowl of warm and nourishing lamb organ soup.
Chu Lian picked up her chopsticks and sniffed lightly. Ah, only this kind of aroma could be called dinner!
As for that bean paste, she would leave it to the officers and soldiers of the camp to finish!
While Chu Lian and her servants were happily cooking up delicacies in the tent, the soldiers guarding the tent outside were suffering.
Although the tent entrance was covered with a thick felt curtain to block the wind and snow, it couldn’t hold back the aroma of food at all!
From a small gap in the tent entrance, an enticing aroma drifted out, testing the hungry guards’ restraint and making their eyes turn red.
That maidservant had only brought two pieces of frozen meat into the tent. They couldn’t understand how she could produce such an alluring fragrance in such a short amount of time!
Damn it! Today’s guard shift was going to be torture!
The two soldiers wanted to rush in and ask Honoured Lady what she was doing. If only she might award them with a piece of whatever smelled so good. However, the memory of He Sanlang’s usual cold expression kept them in bay. The two guards really didn’t have the guts to disregard their orders, so they could only cry out in their hearts.
Each of the officers leaving the commander’s tent had the same expression: as if dark clouds had finally been chased away.
Even the atmosphere in camp had suddenly warmed up.
He Changdi was met with smiles and praise from everyone that he met. Gao Zhangwei stood at the entrance of the commander’s tent. His jealous gaze was fixed on He Sanlang’s ramrod straight back.
He watched as Captain Guo and some other officers slung their arms around He Sanlang’s shoulder and massaged his back a little. Even Sima Hui was standing not too far away, looking at He Changdi with a complex gaze.
The veins on Gao Zhangwei’s forehead popped out and his hands curled into fists so tight that his bones ground against each other with a popping sound. Unfortunately, the slight noise was covered by the howling of wind, so no one heard it at all.
When Sima Hui recalled the blueprint that He Changdi had spread out in front of Great General Qian, she followed behind the officers of the Right Wing Army in a daze, along with her female adjutant.
As she watched how close Xiao Hongyu, Captain Guo and Zhang Mai seemed to be to He Sanlang, envy rose from her heart.
Sima Hui’s bold eyebrows drew together with a trace of sadness as the worried Xiaoju watched her general’s reaction from the side.
Captain Guo and the others in front quickly reached He Changdi’s tent.
The moment they arrived, a faint and tantalising aroma drifted over. Mixed in with the cold wind, the aroma became even more distinct.
Xiao Hongyu’s first reaction was to scold the culprit behind the aroma, “Damn! Which bastard is eating secretly by himself!? Why does it smell so good?”
He sniffed the air, posing just like a dog would, before his gaze landed on He Changdi’s tent.
Xiao Hongyu was stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered and spoke excitedly with joy, “Brother He, is Sister-in-Law here?”
By the time He Sanlang finally regained his senses, he realised that the wicked woman was cooking up something again.
Sima Hui stared blankly upon hearing this from behind their party. He Sanlang’s wife, Honoured Lady Jinyi?
That delicious aroma piqued her curiosity. She suddenly wanted to meet Honoured Lady Jinyi.
