Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Going Too Far
Zhou Baiying and his team naturally left the scene feeling defeated and frustrated.
Xiao Shiqing, however, didn’t feel much about it. Winning and losing are common in battles. He himself was on par with Pei Ji’an in terms of strength, but the opponent’s team worked better together, so their victory was justified.
As for Prince An and his team’s victory, they naturally wanted to celebrate, but Qu Fulan decided not to join them no matter what.
The preparations for the polo match had already delayed things for three days, and Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching, leaving her with numerous tasks to attend to.
Besides, Prince An’s group were all men, and it felt pointless for her, a woman, to join them.
The storytelling results from various areas in the Capital City came in, reflecting a very positive response, just as Qu Fulan had anticipated.
The next step was to promote it.
Just like the pre-promotion for the teahouse, Qu Fulan instructed that the promotion should start citywide from tomorrow.
Once everything was organized, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling relaxed, she thought of making something delicious to reward herself.
Soon enough, she remembered her coffee beans.
But she couldn’t just make coffee; what pairs well with coffee?
Without steak, she would have to use pork chops as a substitute, along with making some dough for noodles.
She planned to make coffee her first independent business venture after gaining freedom, so she had to practice a bit in advance.
Finally, Qu Fulan called Hai Xia and Douya to help her.
"Hai Xia, please help fry this and then crush it; Douya, go to the kitchen and have the cook cut a big piece of tenderloin and also get three or four chicken legs."
She also wanted to make some roasted meat.
Qu Fulan spoke while kneading the dough, even cracking an egg into it. She worked on it for about half an hour, kneading, slamming, and stretching it over and over until it was finally ready.
She boiled a pot of water, cooked the noodles once, then took them out to rinse with cold water for later use.
Meanwhile, the chicken leg meat that Douya brought was separated from the bone with a knife, leaving a large piece of meat intact, then marinated with various seasonings for later.
Many of Qu Fulan’s seasonings were self-made. Being knowledgeable in pharmacology, many spices were originally inseparable from herbs, and combining them, she had already developed her own set of seasonings.
Then she instructed Hai Xia to start brewing coffee, reminding her of the specific heat and time, while she began preparing the pork chops, cutting them into thick, evenly-sized pieces similar to steak, and then had Douya marinate them as she instructed.
Lastly, Qu Fulan started frying the chicken legs. Once they were golden brown on both sides, she took them out, used a clean knife to cut them into segments, and placed them on a plate.
Then she fried the pork chops, cooking them whole before placing them directly on a plate, adding a sprig of already-washed herbs.
The previously cooked noodles were briefly stir-fried in a pan to warm them up, then placed beside the pork chop, along with a fried egg.
By this time, the small kitchen was filled with enticing aromas that teased the taste buds, and both little girls couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.
Meanwhile, Hai Xia’s coffee was also ready.
"Fulan, can this black stuff really be drunk?" Hai Xia, with skepticism, asked after finishing brewing the coffee.
Initially, she thought it would be like the milk tea from before—difficult to discern initially but eventually brewing into a rich, sweet aroma. But this black liquid had a somewhat burnt smell. Was it really good to drink?
"You’ll know whether it’s good or not once you try it," Qu Fulan said as she motioned for everyone to bring the food to the table.
For eating such things, one needed a tasteful place to sit to really appreciate the ambiance.
The final place chosen was a water pavilion not far from the small kitchen, where they could sit by the water, listening to the flowing stream in a poetic and picturesque setting.
"This is the first time I’ve eaten something like this. It feels so unique that I think I’m not even worthy of it," Douya marveled.
Hai Xia added, "It’s all thanks to Fulan that we get to enjoy such pleasures. Otherwise, in this lifetime, we’d never even hope for such an experience."
Hai Xia dared to come to Lixiang Courtyard to have a meal, knowing that Heir Pei was socializing outside and not at home.
"This chicken leg is easy to eat since it’s cut into pieces and can be picked up with chopsticks; but this whole pork chop is hard to manage."
The two little girls quickly spotted the inconvenience.
Qu Fulan gestured toward the knife and fork set on either side of the plate, "Use this little knife to cut, then fork it to eat."
Qu Fulan recalled seeing some old records indicating that in some ancient sites, archaeologists found that 7,000 years ago, locals were already grinding animal bones into knife and fork sets that closely resembled modern cutlery. However, in global archaeological findings of the same period, there was no evidence of utensil use, leading experts to believe that locals were the first to use knives and forks.
She had just glanced over the news back then, but now, in ancient times, she discovered there indeed were such utensils. However, over time, they weren’t as widespread as chopsticks. After attending many banquets, she had seen the nobility’s meticulous usage of knives and forks to eat meat, while most people still used chopsticks.
The two little girls were just ordinary folk; the idea of using both knives and forks for a meal was unfamiliar territory, and in sudden unfamiliarity, they hesitated.
Qu Fulan ate a piece of pre-cut pork chop and then took a sip of coffee.
She liked coffee with sugar, and now, the taste was sweet with a hint of bitterness, a long-lost flavor she enjoyed.
Thinking back to her time working in an office, there wasn’t a day that passed without several cups of coffee.
"Ah, this taste is bitter and strange; I can’t get used to it," Hai Xia said, taking a sip and then frowning.
Qu Fulan didn’t try to persuade her; some things are hard to accept initially, but after savoring, one grows fonder of them with time.
Douya also didn’t like the taste but intended to finish it based on the principle of not wasting.
While the atmosphere on their side was warm and harmonious, someone was approaching, who turned out to be a maid from Lu Hua Courtyard.
Wasn’t Lu Hua Courtyard where Master Lu lived?
What was her maid doing here?
Seeing the maid come forward, the maid gave a quick courtesy bow to the group, "Master Lu has had a poor appetite lately, but catching a whiff of this aroma, it really sparked an appetite, and she sent me to find the source and bring back some."
It’s not uncommon for the aroma of Qu Fulan’s food to carry far.
But maybe due to the wind direction, it rarely blew towards the old master’s side and mostly drifted to the rear mountain.
And residing in the mountain’s rear was Master Lu.
"Sorry, we’ve almost finished everything, so there’s nothing left," Hai Xia replied first.
If it had been someone else, she might have even sarcastically asked if the person had never eaten anything before to be requesting food like this.
The maid was clearly displeased with this answer, as she was on a mission, and failing wasn’t an option, so she persistently pressed, "Wasn’t there more prepared during the cooking?"