After the salted fish is married

49. Spicy snails

A large pot of snails looks spectacular, but cutting them is a big project.With Bai Tao's help just now, Yan Xining was a little more relaxed.As soon as Bai Tao slipped away, Yan Xining felt that the time for them to eat snails had to be pushed back again.

Seeing Yan Xining working hard, Ji Song said softly, "Shall I help you?"

Yan Xining looked up at him and said with a smile: "No, no, don't get your hands dirty. At most, let's have dinner later. Are you hungry? If you are hungry, I made shortbread."

Hearing the words "Small Shortbread", Yan Ke came out of nowhere: "Princess, let my subordinates share your worries."

After speaking, several tall and burly guards rushed out immediately, and they took the scissors from Yan Xining's hand.After being guided by Yan Xining, they quickly got started and cut quickly and well.For a while, the crisp sound of scissors and the sound of snails entering the water came and went, which was very lively.

Ji Song seemed to be in a bad mood today. After sitting on the eaves for a while, he steered the wheelchair and walked into the house, his back full of loneliness.Yan Ke glanced at Ji Song, with unshakable worry in his eyes.But when his gaze turned away from Yan Xining, his eyes lit up and he suddenly raised his voice: "Princess, don't you have a gift for our master?"

Yan Xining:? ? ?

Yan Xining froze for a moment, then saw Yan Ke winking at him, afraid that he didn't understand, he pointed in the direction of Pinmei Garden.

These few days Ji Song left early and returned late, taking advantage of this time, Yan Xining asked Steward Leng if he could widen the road to Pinmeiyuan.When Steward Leng heard that Yan Xining was paving the way for the prince, he smiled like a monkey.In the afternoon, craftsmen from the mansion came to visit Pinmei Garden. Within a few days, the stone path of Pinmei Garden became a cobblestone road that wheelchairs can enter.

It's just that after the trail was repaired, Ji Song was never free.

Yan Ke winked at Yan Xining and begged for mercy. Yan Xining understood that Ji Song must have encountered some problem and was in a bad mood. Yan Ke hoped that he could help Ji Song relieve the pressure.

Yan Xining took advantage of the situation and said, "Yes, Songsong, I have something good for you to see. Let's go~"

Ji Song looked sideways slightly, with anticipation in his eyes that he didn't realize: "Good thing?"

Yan Xining skillfully walked behind him and pushed the wheelchair: "You will know soon~"

The path of Pinmei Garden is paved with smooth cobblestones. I don’t know what craftsmen used by the craftsmen. These cobblestones are honestly embedded on the ground and remain motionless.The wheelchair vibrated slightly when it was pressed against the cobblestone, and Ji Song's voice became a little lazier: "Where is the good thing you said?"

Yan Xining said cheerfully, "Didn't you notice? You've entered Plum Garden."

Pinmeiyuan is a treasure trove, where flowers, fruits, vegetables, chickens, ducks and geese are all available.In April, the Pinmei Garden is covered with green trees and melons and fruits, and you can see the harvest hidden in the spring when you look up.

Yan Xining said, "How do you feel? Isn't it not bad?"

Ji Song responded with a lack of interest: "Mmm..."

Yan Xining frowned slightly, it seemed that Ji Song was a little bit agitated today.Even the beautiful scenery of Plum Garden could not make him relax, so he asked, "Songsong, who bullied you today?"

Ji Song was stunned for a moment: "Bullying?" After a while, he said seriously: "No one bullied me, but the affairs of the Ministry of Industry are more complicated than I imagined."

Yan Xining pushed Ji Song for a walk in the forest: "Is it normal? The Ministry of Industry has been established for so long, and there must be as many things piled up like a mountain. You just joined the Ministry of Industry and people didn't recognize it all. To put it bluntly, the following The people on the surface are loyal to you, but they don’t know what they are talking about behind their backs. It is very difficult for you to sort out the Ministry of Industry in just a few days.”

Ji Song smiled lightly: "Yes."

Yan Xining comforted: "We Songsong are people who do practical things. We may not see results in the short term, but as long as we work hard, we will definitely see results in the long run."

Ji Song couldn't help but tilt his head to look at Yan Xining: "Why do I think you know the Ministry of Industry better than me?"

Yan Xining muttered: "Hey, am I talking nonsense?"

Who hasn't been in the workplace yet, but any organization with a complicated relationship will always have some similar problems.Ji Song, like some leaders who want to reform, will encounter some setbacks to some extent.

Ji Song was very concerned about Yan Xining's perfunctory answer: "Yes, you are right. The backlog of government affairs, officials who blame each other, and a casual attitude...The Ministry of Industry needs a major reform."

A few days ago Ji Song reprimanded several officials while handling official duties, but today these officials even asked for leave together with the subordinate officials.Looking at their ridiculous reasons for asking for leave, Ji Song was furious.If he is in the army, he has served these officials by military law.However, he had just arrived at the Ministry of Industry, if he had been violent against the officials of the Ministry of Industry right after he took office, I was afraid that the papers of his impeachment would be piled up on the Holy Majesty's desk tomorrow.

Ji Song was not afraid of these officials asking for leave, he had plenty of ways to deal with them.However, when he thought of the atmosphere in the Ministry of Industry, he felt extremely chilling: "If the Ministry of Industry is still like this, what will happen to the other five ministries? The officials of Chu and Liao took their salaries only to follow the trend but not to do things for the people. How will Chu and Liao be stable in the long run?"

Yan Xining also fell silent when he heard the words. He hadn't been with Ji Song for a long time, but he also knew that he was a prince who was willing to speak out for the people.Listening to Ji Song berating the officials, Yan Xining also felt uncomfortable.

Before they knew it, the two came under a plum tree.The plum blossoms bloom early, and the small green plums between the branches are already as big as a thumb. As soon as they are under the tree, they can smell a refreshing fruity fragrance.Ji Song's irritability was taken away by the fruity aroma, he looked up at the green plum tree above his head and sighed softly: "Don't talk about these bad things. This green plum tree is not bad."

Only then did Yan Xining become happy: "Yes, the craftsman in the mansion said that this is a yellow plum. The plum will be ripe in a month or so, and it can be used to make plum wine."

Ji Song smiled slightly: "Can you still make wine?"

Yan Xining responded: "What's the problem? I'll send you a pot when the time is ready."

Thinking of Yan Xining deliberately widening the road for himself, Ji Song's irritability gradually dissipated.Only then did he have the time to calm down and watch the changes in Pinmei Garden. The once barren Pinmei Garden became Yan Xining's private domain, where poultry were raised and various fruit trees were planted, making it a blessed land.

While walking, the two came to the square of Plum Garden.Today's square has no charred remains, and Yan Xining has cleaned up the square.He told Ji Song about his arrangement: "The ground here in the square is hard, and I plan to build a shed here to raise rabbits. Rabbits grow fast, and when the time comes, I can make marinated rabbits, roast rabbits and eat them cold...anything is delicious. .”

Looking at the wide square, Ji Song's lips turned up slightly: "Yes."

At this moment, he suddenly saw two bowls on the steps in the square. Ji Song pointed at the bowls suspiciously: "What are the bowls here for?"

Yan Xining smiled and said: "I heard from Yan Ke that there used to be a noble concubine who lived in Pinmei Garden. But the noble concubine was buried in a fire and turned into a lonely soul. I thought it was a neighbor anyway, and I would give it to this noble concubine if there was something delicious to eat. The empress brought a portion. Although Xiaosong basically ate everything in the bowl, it was just a wish after all."

Ji Song was silent for a while and then suddenly said, "Thank you."

Yan Xining scratched his cheek inexplicably, he thought Ji Song must be thanking him because he was able to come to Plum Garden?So he said cheerfully, "You're welcome!"

At this time, the sky had already darkened, and lights were lit on the corridor opposite Pinmei Garden.Seeing that Ji Song's mood improved a lot, Yan Xining said happily, "Let's go, let's go home and have dinner."

Ji Song turned his head and glanced at the square: "OK."

On the way back, Yan Xining picked up a handful of perilla and Huoxiang by the way, and after thinking about it, he also pulled out some garlic from the ground.

Pinmeiyuan was developed after Wenzhangyuan, and the crops planted here were much later than normal crops.Take broad beans as an example. The broad beans in other places have already grown green pods at this time, and the broad beans in Pinmeiyuan have just bloomed.

The evening wind blew the sweet fragrance of broad bean flowers, Ji Song relaxed on the back of the chair and watched Yan Xining wash the side dishes.Hearing the sound of gurgling water, the corners of his lips curled up comfortably: "I feel much better from being bored, thank you."

Yan Xining was taking advantage of the last twilight to wash the vegetables, when he heard Ji Song's words, he smiled and said: "Thank you, this is a matter of duty." Borrowing the words that Yan Ke and the others often said: "To share the master's worries, It is an honor for the subordinates.

Ji Song sat up straight when he heard the words, his ears were clattering and his heart beat faster, and the words "duties" kept circling in his mind.

When they returned to Wenzhang Garden, the snails had already been cleaned by the guards and placed in the basin.Yan Xining decided to stir-fry the snails in the pot twice, and he waved his hand proudly: "Bai Tao burns the fire."

Ji Song sat in a familiar position, and as soon as he sat down, he saw a large plate with two small golden pancakes on it.Looking up, I saw Yan Ke's bulging cheeks: "Master, eat shortbread."

Ji Song: ...

This familiar feeling, deja vu.

A large amount of shredded ginger and garlic slices fully stimulated the fragrance in the hot oil, and the green smoke billowed in the iron pan.When Yan Xining put the slightly drained snails into the pot, the sound of the snail shells colliding with the iron pot exploded violently.

The snails wrapped in a hard shell collide non-stop during the stir-frying with a spatula, and the crisp collision sound can be heard endlessly.Snails do not have a distinct meaty smell after adding sauce like meat. It is a kind of food that needs to be stimulated by seasoning.

Yan Xining likes to eat snails with a spicy taste. With a lot of peppers and peppers in the pot, the strong spicy taste quickly diffuses.Yan Xining, who was standing next to the stove, was the first to be caught. His nose was itchy and he couldn't help sneezing: "Today's snails must be delicious."

He was not the first one to be tricked, Ji Song and Yan Ke quickly retreated from the kitchen, the pungent smell was really beyond the tolerance of ordinary people.Yan Ke was terrified, he patted his chest and said to Ji Song: "Master, my subordinates have always thought that the princess is very suitable to go to the Department of Punishment."

Ji Song looked in the direction of the kitchen, but Yan Ke couldn't see his expression.But he could hear his master's voice unusually soft: "He's fine wherever he is."

At this time, the pot is very lively. The green and black snails are immersed in the sauce and move slightly with the boiling bubbles. The snail shells are mixed with shredded ginger and pepper, and the spicy and delicious taste hits the mouth and nose.

There are parasites in the snails, Yan Xining specially stewed half a cup of tea.Before serving out of the pot, he cut the prepared basil, rugosa and garlic leaves into thin shreds and threw them into the pot.The rich side dishes made the taste of snails more layered, and the fresh taste attracted Bai Tao to probe frequently: "Master, it's so delicious."

Yan Xining stir-fried the last added seasonings evenly, he said with a smile: "It's a pity that the garlic at home was planted late, if there is new garlic, the taste will be better."

After the fire collected the juice, Yan Xining found some of the largest pots in the house to hold the snails.After the snail is heated, the upper cover will fall off, and the plump snail meat is soaked in the sauce-colored soup, which looks very attractive.

Yan Xining didn't care about the heat, he took a snail and licked it lightly, and the hot and spicy snail meat appeared between his lips and teeth.After lightly chewing the spicy and delicious snail meat, which is fat and tender, Yan Xining nodded in satisfaction: "It's done."

It's time for dinner.

Suckering snails is a technical job. Some people suck and spit out as fast as lightning, and some people are at a loss when dealing with snails and don't know how to get the meat out of the shell.Ji Song is the latter. As a prince, he has tasted countless precious and rare ingredients, but rarely tastes these humble foods.

Yan Ke and the others hid aside with their fried snails in their hands. Hearing the sound of sucking from all corners of Wenzhang Garden, Ji Song gritted his teeth and looked at the snails in front of him: "I won't eat."

These three words are quite angry, Yan Xining just heard Ji Song say this when he came out after frying the second pot of snails.He smiled and said, "Wait for me."

When Yan Xining reappeared, he was holding an embroidery needle in his hand: "Here."

Ji Song took the needle in bewilderment, what did Yan Xining give him a needle for?Yan Xining said with a smile: "It's really difficult to suck snails for the first time. You can pick out the snail meat with a needle and eat it. But it's more fun to eat instead of sucking directly."

Ji Song was about to pick snails when he saw hands stretched out in front of him: "Wait a minute, roll up your sleeves."

Ji Song didn't speak, he just stretched out his arm obediently.Yan Xining skillfully rolled up her large sleeves and pushed them up to Ji Song's elbow: "Okay."

With the help of the embroidery needle, Ji Song successfully picked out the snail meat from the shell.The complete snail meat is curly, the embroidery needle is stuck in the snail head, and the intestines under the snail head are curved.

Carefully stuff the snail meat into the mouth, the spicy taste fills the mouth.After chewing carefully, the small snail meat is unexpectedly tender.It's just that the snail meat is too small, giving people a feeling that it is not enough to enjoy.So Ji Song pinched the second snail, and the thick soup flowed out from the shell and hung down along the fingers.

Only then did Ji Song understand why Yan Xining rolled up his sleeves for him, the snails had holes on both sides, and the soup would splash on the clothes accidentally when eating.

Ji Song worked hard, and subconsciously looked at Yan Xining.Yan Xining's movements were smooth and flowing, but her lips were red from the heat, and beads of sweat were secreting from her fair forehead, and the white teeth between her lips and the tip of her tongue made Ji Song's ears warm.

He turned his head hastily, and suddenly remembered the words lively and fragrant.