Lu Xunguang saw the embarrassed look on her face and curled his lips into a smile again.
"Throughout his life, how many rare items has Yan Lianzhi seen? Even if you were to present him with dragon liver and phoenix marrow, he wouldn't take a second look."
This made sense, but Li Ying still couldn't help gasping in surprise.
When it was time to pay a visit to the venerable Mr. Yan later, how should she start the conversation?
Surely she couldn't just show the great Confucian of this era her sincere heart, could she?
Seeing her in such a difficult situation, Lu Xunguang put away his joking mood and said softly, "A Ying, since I've brought you here, how could I bear to see you embarrassed?"
He took out a short knife from his bosom, took Li Ying's hand, and strolled leisurely in the bamboo forest. From time to time, he would stop and tap on the bamboo tubes. Before long, he stopped in front of a bamboo as thick as a bowl.
"A Ying, stay here and be careful."
After giving this warning, he exerted a little strength. With just a few strokes of the knife, he cut down the bamboo and chopped off three bamboo tubes.
Seeing the look of confusion on her face, Lu Xunguang didn't hesitate. He dug open the bamboo joints, revealing the golden and clear wine inside.
Li Ying looked at all this in disbelief.
Could this be bamboo wine?
Wine was poured into young bamboo. As the bamboo grew, the wine and bamboo merged. The wine fully absorbed the essence of the bamboo, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven, earth, the sun, and the moon. The impurities were filtered out, leaving behind a rich, pure, and mellow aroma. It was a rare and peerless delicacy in this era.
Most of the so - called bamboo wine in modern times was simply wine poured directly into bamboo tubes, nothing more than a gimmick to deceive people. As a result, people generally thought that "bamboo wine" was just a hoax.
Who would have thought that today, she would actually have the chance to see real bamboo wine with her own eyes!
After Li Ying took a small sip, Lu Xunguang asked seriously, "How is it?"
The bamboo wine was gentle and easy to drink. Li Ying sincerely praised, "It is truly a matchless wonder in this world!"
He took the bamboo tube, on which there was a faint red lip print. Lu Xunguang hesitated for a moment and was about to take a sip when a loud voice came from behind.
"What a wonderful aroma!"
A gray - clad figure suddenly emerged from somewhere and nimbly slipped through the space between them.
By the time Li Ying came to her senses, the man had already tilted his head and gulped down all the bamboo wine.
The man was dressed in a gray robe. There were several writing brushes and an extremely large wine gourd hanging from his waist. He had white hair but a youthful complexion, and his eyes shot out two sharp beams of light. He sized her up, looking rather judgmental.
When he turned to look at Lu Xunguang, he snorted disdainfully.
"You brat, how dare you come back to see me?"
Lu Xunguang put away his usual rebellious air and bowed respectfully, saying, "Sir."
Yan Lianzhi gave a cold snort.
"You never come unless you need something. You know I don't like outsiders intruding, yet you bring someone here to disturb my peace. What do you want?"
Li Ying quickly curtsied obediently and explained, "I'm Li Ying, a junior. Greetings to you, sir. I dare not disturb your cultivation. I've come today, daring to invite you to come out and witness a grand event..."
Before she could finish her words, Yan Lianzhi quickly took three steps backward and flatly refused, "Come out? There's no way!"
He simply flicked his sleeves and left. The narrow door of the bamboo house closed tightly, mercilessly separating the two of them outside. He moved so fast that Li Ying didn't even have time to react.
Sure enough, great Confucians had their tempers.
Li Ying forced a smile. Was she going to have to pay three visits to his thatched cottage?
Just as she was hesitating, Lu Xunguang calmly called out to the inside of the bamboo house in a loud voice, "Sir, you've been living in seclusion here for so many years just for the batch of bamboo wine brewed by my mother. You've only tasted half a cup today. If you leave like this, can you really sleep well?"
After a long while, Yan Lianzhi replied in a gruff voice, "You brat, don't think you can bait me like this!"
After that, no matter what Lu Xunguang and Li Ying said, he simply turned a deaf ear and pretended to be a wooden statue.
Li Ying was in a difficult situation when she heard Lu Xunguang calmly whispering in her ear, "The only thing the sir can never get enough of is good food, and that's your forte. There are many snakes and insects on the mountain. Stay here and don't move. I'll be back soon."
Before long, he came back with two plucked and cleaned bamboo chickens and even dug up a few fresh bamboo shoots.
Taking advantage of this time, Li Ying also found some bamboo fungus and bamboo ear near the surrounding bamboo roots.
Years ago, she had once had the privilege of tasting an "all - bamboo feast" in the Bamboo Sea in southern Sichuan. Some of the dishes were quite interesting. Today, she could make them to please this eccentric and picky great Confucian.
Lu Xunguang found a bamboo basket, put all the ingredients into it, and then took her hand. They walked around to a secluded corner outside the bamboo house. He felt around on the bamboo wall skillfully, and a small hidden door suddenly appeared in front of them.
"When I was a child, in order to sneak out to play, I secretly made this small door when my mother wasn't paying attention."
Lu Xunguang explained. The sharp edges of his usually expressionless face softened a little unconsciously. Apparently, he cherished the memories of his childhood.
The bamboo house was quiet and serene. There were many embroidered items with simple and elegant patterns on the small table. Only reed flowers and bamboo branches were used as vase decorations, which was extremely tasteful. It was obvious that the owner was an otherworldly and refined person.
Who exactly was Lu Xunguang's mother? Li Ying couldn't help but feel a bit curious, but it wasn't appropriate for her to ask. So she just followed Lu Xunguang closely and headed straight for the kitchen.
Yan Lianzhi was indeed a gourmet. There was a thin layer of dust everywhere in the bamboo house, but only the kitchen was spotless, and all the seasonings were available.
Li Ying didn't waste any more time. She washed her hands and quickly got to work.
She cleaned the long - skirted bamboo fungus, leaving only the hollow stems. She stuffed them with the prepared minced meat, steamed them, and then poured a thick layer of pumpkin soup over them. The golden - soup bamboo fungus was crispy, full of meat juice, and delicious.
The bamboo fungus was known as the "Fairy in the Snow Skirt". After being blanched, its lace - like skirt was as crispy as tripe. Paired with thinly sliced cucumbers, red peppers, and eggs, it was light, refreshing, and pleasing to the eye.
The bamboo fungus eggs were plump and round, not yet opened. They had an extremely smooth and delicious taste, making them most suitable for spicy stir - frying in a dry pot. Half of the bamboo ear was blanched and made into a sour and spicy cold dish, while the other half was stir - fried with sliced meat.
She peeled the bamboo shoots, cut them into large pieces, blanched them to remove the astringency, and then fried them over low heat until the surface was slightly golden. She added soy sauce and stewed them, and a pinch of brown sugar to enhance the flavor. The braised bamboo shoots were suitable for both accompanying rice and porridge.
The tips of the bamboo shoots were the tenderest and were used for dry - frying. The bamboo shoot husks were chopped up and mixed with minced meat to make spring rolls. The bamboo shoot shreds were stir - fried with scallions.
Li Ying also cooked a pot of bamboo chicken stewed with bamboo fungus and bamboo shoots, and steamed a tray of soft, glutinous, and sweet bamboo leaf cakes. She had prepared a whole table of dishes in a bustling way. Even though Lu Xunguang knew that she was a good cook, he couldn't help but be stunned.
As for Yan Lianzhi, he had already smelled the aroma of the all - bamboo feast from his room. At first, he could forcefully suppress the glutton in his stomach and read books in his room without being affected.
Later, the words on the page seemed to come alive like little bugs. Following the wispy aroma of the dishes, they nimbly got into his nose, and he couldn't focus on reading at all!
He could no longer hold back. Pretending to be nonchalant, he strolled over as if he was just taking a casual walk.