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The clay pot could retain heat.
After a while, when the lid was opened, steam was still rising.
A large pot of boiling soup.
The long-haired beauty raised her slender hand, removed the lid, then sprinkled the dish of pickled vegetables and the dish of dried at into the clay pot.
Next, she stirred it with a long ladle.
Then she scattered the plate of wild leeks into the clay pot.
A rich aroma wafted out.
This was a new way of eating recently discovered at ho.
Whether it was wild vegetable soup or any other soup, even a mouthful of boiling water with so wild leeks sprinkled in would sll extrely fragrant.
Jiang Yu watched her father's actions, hands clasped together holding chopsticks, excitedly as if she could take flight, her smile barely contained, happy.
Jiang Feng also smiled, very pleased. At this mont, his smile was not silly, but rather cheerful.
Qin Luoxia gazed at her husband's actions, her adoring eyes unable to hide her affection, thinking her husband did everything perfectly.
Jiang Mianmian was simply happy, with the whole family together. She liked this feeling.
Every evening was happier than the day, with the whole family reunited.
She sat in her elder brother's embrace, happily wiggling her little feet.
anwhile, ng Shaoxia felt a little restrained, as did He Chen.
ng Shaoxia had just stood up to offer his seat, as initially, he and He Chen were seated in the honored positions.
Actually, in the small courtyard's ramshackle table, there was no distinction of rank, but they had hurriedly vacated their seats.
In the end, Jiang Changtian, the father, did not sit in the honored seat, but at the lowliest place beside Jiang Feng's mother.
As for He Chen's family, they were an old-fashioned scholarly clan, following the path of civil officialdom, in short, they were literary nobles. (This was ntioned before, so it's copied here.)
Today, he first encountered a peerless beauty like a pearl covered in dust in this small county town.
Then he saw a baby in this deep village who was as beautiful as an uncovered pearl.
Next, he witnessed Jiang, the elder brother, who was both a martial and literary master, able to knock ng's precious sword away with a re stick, and compose a resounding poem with that sa stick.
Now, now, he saw a beauty stirring a clay pot with a long ladle under the moonlight.
In monts of ultimate beauty, beauty transcends gender.
So everything had its origin.
The reason a baby as beautiful as a pearl existed in this deep village was because she resembled her father.
The reason Jiang, the elder brother, was both a martial and literary master, was because his father was the beautiful man before them.
The man was rely stirring a pot of food.
Yet he stirred He Chen's heart and soul.
His silence was deafening.
At this mont, he was like the shy Madam Qin, not daring to et the other's gaze, feeling unworthy to speak.
He suddenly beca introverted.
As for ng Shaoxia, he was not a literary noble, indifferent to physical beauty. With too many female relatives on his mother's side, he simply felt that the overly handso man before him had a dangerous aura. (ng Shaoxia's maternal grandfather oversaw law enforcent and public security.)
When a person reached the pinnacle of a certain attribute, they beca extraordinary.
He never imagined that the father of the simple-minded Jiang Yu would look like this.
That such a man would be a re county clerk seed almost laughable.
If he were a physician, he could surely cure countless won's ailnts.
Jiang Changtian stirred the clay pot, then portioned out a large half-bowl for everyone, saying, "Eat."
Jiang Yu imdiately stuffed a large mouthful of rice and soup into her mouth.
Delicious!
Jiang Feng also ate heartily, the plain rice combined with the rich soup was incredibly fragrant.
Moreover, eating at ho with his father, mother, and sister was even more delicious than the best restaurant.
Qin Luoxia ate with a touch more poise, given the guests present, but still took large mouthfuls.
Jiang Changtian ate at a normal pace, neither too slow nor too fast, his posture graceful, his innate elegance fully on display at this humble dinner table.
ng Shaoxia's attention was originally fixed on the beautiful father across from him.
But he couldn't help being drawn to little sister Jiang as she ate.
Watching her eat was simply delightful, so satisfied and content. He imitated her way of eating.
ng Shaoxia was not one to indulge in physical pleasures, living a more refined life than He Chen. But this simple al was unexpectedly delicious.
It wasn't because he was starving, but because it truly tasted remarkably good.
Not being picky about fine delicacies or plain fare, he had dined at all the famous restaurants in the capital and attended imperial banquets. His uncles and aunts from various regions were renowned chefs, so he was well-traveled when it ca to cuisine. Although he had no special demands, he was worldly in this regard.
As the food entered his mouth, he felt an unusual sense of satisfaction.
His mind briefly went blank, not thinking of anything else, solely focused on eating.
He even felt that all the fatigue from his recent travels had dissipated.
His aching wrist didn't seem to hurt as much.
He lowered his head and began eating heartily.
Watching ng eat with such gusto, He Chen thought him truly open-minded.
With such a beauty seated across from you, how could you eat?
He couldn't control himself from glancing towards the beauty at the lowest seat.
He and ng were seated in the main positions, directly facing the lowest seat, so he only had to look up to see her.
He ate absentmindedly.
He felt it was rude to look at her, even fearing that if she t his gaze, he would feel flustered.
But this was rely his misconception, as Jiang Changtian, the father, did not look at him, simply eating his al attentively.
Originally, he was apprehensive about dining at Jiang's residence, worried about chipping a tooth again. For a cultured scholar like himself, if he smiled and revealed a golden tooth...
But now, his thoughts were completely removed from the food.
Seeing everyone else pick up their chopsticks, he mimicked the action.
As the rice entered his mouth, his throat felt tight, the coarse grains scratching it.
But he paid it no mind.
Still sowhat distracted, he continued eating.
He took another dry bite of rice and choked on it...
"Cough!" He hurriedly covered his mouth.
Even coughing felt impolite in the beauty's presence, so he quickly picked up his bowl and drank so soup.
The warm, thick soup slid down his throat, and He Chen froze again.
The coarse rice he had just eaten, which scratched his throat, now seed worthwhile.
It was as if he had eaten those two bites of coarse rice to prepare his throat.
As if he had been busy all day, traveling far, his body fatigued and hungry, all in preparation for this mouthful of soup.
This mouthful of hot soup slid down his throat and into his stomach.
In an instant, his whole body felt warm, a trembling sensation coursing through him.
He couldn't spare a glance for the beauty, taking another sip of soup, his hand holding the bowl trembling slightly.
Suddenly, he felt exhilarated.
The literary gatherings of Qingzhou possessed eight parts of the world's literary essence.
Qingzhou's cuisine was no less renowned.
Part of the reason was that Qingzhou had many literati, who composed and circulated various poems, including those about exquisite dishes.
Another reason was that with so many literati gathered there, it naturally attracted a confluence of culinary delights.
He Chen had received many invitations to banquets and celebrations, asked to offer his comnts and critiques.
He had tasted many delicious foods.
He could rank them from first to sixth place.
But never had he encountered a soup like this one before.
The wild vegetables were slightly bitter, as were the dicinal herbs. The eagle at was sweet and savory, with the smoky aroma of cured at, the salty taste of pickled vegetables, and the fragrance of wild leeks.
Yet they all blended together into an unimaginable deliciousness.
It made him feel refreshed from head to toe.
He even felt his pores opening, a light sweat breaking out over his whole body.
He had expected the humble fare of this impoverished family to be difficult to swallow, as he saw how Jiang Feng's little sister ate everything as if it were a heavenly delicacy. The pastries they brought were rely purchased from the county town, average in taste, not even freshly made. Yet little sister Jiang Feng ate them as if they were the world's finest delicacies.
So he had no expectations for this evening al.
Moreover, with such a beauty present, he had no attention to spare for what he was eating.
But...
He also lowered his head and began eating ravenously.
For when faced with such an exquisite dish, if one hesitated, it would be gone.
He Chen ate quickly and hurriedly.
Even the coarse rice was chewed into a fragrant mouthful.
He lacked composure, unable to steal glances at the beauty, as when eating such delicious food, he suddenly understood Jiang Feng's little sister, comprehending the blissful feeling she expressed with her crinkled eyes and content smile.
The eagle at was extrely smooth and tender, the wild vegetables had a fresh fragrance, and the hard jerky had been soaked to just the right chewiness. The pickled vegetables were crisp, and even the wild chives were incredibly delicious.
Those wild chives that could be seen everywhere along the roadside, he wouldn't have eaten them before, just using them to garnish the dishes. If he had tasted them, he would have avoided them at all costs and spat them out.
But when he gulped down the soup, the wild chives were incredibly delicious, with an indescribable refreshing sensation.
He felt as though his senses had suddenly beco sharper, bringing him one step closer to becoming a top scholar.
He was truly distraught. For so long earlier, he had been dazed, preoccupied with gazing at the beauty.
By the ti he ca to his senses, there was barely any at soup or wild vegetables left in the clay pot.
Jiang Mianmian drooled as she watched everyone eat. Hmm, she wasn't envious at all, as she drank from her mother's breasts just the sa.
Since her mother had eaten these things, give or take, it was as if she had eaten them too.
Besides, she had just urinated on the wild chives there that afternoon, so she didn't want to eat them (-.-)
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