Su Buchi quietly turned around and left, while Li Ying remained completely unaware.
Seeing Lu Xunguang coming, several tea merchants took the opportunity to mention their intention to cooperate with the Lu Family Tea House.
With some free time, Li Ying estimated the time. The several hearty dishes stewing in the kitchen were just cooked to perfection. She then excused herself and left the table.
What she was making was a dish called "Wugeng Changwang".
The so - called "Wugeng" referred to the small clay stove heated by charcoal for five watches. Scholars who burned the midnight oil often got hungry around the third watch. They would simply cook some congee and side dishes as a midnight snack. Hence the saying "The lamp burns at the third watch and the rooster crows at the fifth watch". This small charcoal stove got its name from this.
Li Ying fried a bright red caramel, dyed the cleaned pig intestines a jujube - red color, and stewed them slowly with a variety of spices such as cinnamon, star anise, galangal, Chinese prickly ash, dried tangerine peel, and ginger slices. She seasoned it with a spoonful of soy sauce, three bowls of hot water, and rice wine. After half an hour of cooking, when the soup had reduced, the pig intestines were soft, tender, and full - flavored, she fished them out and cut them into small sections.
She also prepared pickled vegetables, pickled peppers, garlic cloves, and garlic sprouts, all cut into small pieces. After stir - frying the seasonings in hot oil, she added bean paste and stir - fried until the red oil came out. Then she added the pickled vegetables to add a sour and appetizing flavor.
She stir - fried the diced duck blood and the pig intestines evenly, then stewed them in high - grade soup over medium heat for half an hour. She thickened the soup with a thin paste and drizzled a layer of sesame oil and fresh garlic leaves on top.
This dish "Wugeng Changwang" implied "prosperity at the fifth watch". When Li Ying brought out the charcoal stove, the tea merchants had just finalized all the details of the cooperation with Lu Xunguang.
She smiled gently and congratulated them gracefully, "Congratulations to all of you. This time, Master Ge and Aunt Lan came out of seclusion. Not only did they resolve their past grievances, but the long - standing injustice was also cleared. You all have traveled a long way and worked hard. This humble banquet of mine is far from enough to show my respect. I only offer this dish to wish all of your businesses will prosper from now on, booming from the beginning to the end of the year!"
Businessmen naturally liked auspicious omens, and these tea merchants and tea masters were no exception. They couldn't help but secretly praise this young girl for being so sophisticated and having such a silver tongue!
"Boss Li, thanks for your kind words. From now on, we're all family. We'll have to rely on you two to take good care of our tea - house business."
The men beamed with joy. They took a bite of the stewed intestines and duck blood. The pig intestines were fragrant, soft, thick - textured, sour, spicy, and appetizing, not greasy at all. The duck blood was so tender that it melted in the mouth. The garlic aroma was wrapped in the rich fragrance of sesame oil, making it extremely mellow. The dish was bright red and steaming hot, making people feel refreshed and extremely satisfied!
This meal ended on a pleasant note for both the host and the guests. Li Ying and Lu Xunguang personally saw the tea masters onto their carriages one by one.
She saw him with red eyes, looking very drunk. She couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
This man, in order to make the tea masters happy, would accept every toast and drink glass after glass. At first, Li Ying could still keep track of how many glasses he had drunk, but later, she lost count.
"Xunguang, are you okay? Take it easy. I'll make you some sober - up soup."
She was very concerned. She carefully put one of his arms on her shoulder, wishing she could bear all of his weight on her back.
Lu Xunguang lowered his head and leaned on her shoulder quite obediently, with a somewhat hazy and moist look in his eyes.
"Aying..."
He whispered in her ear, and the hot alcohol breath sprayed on her small earlobe.
"A man should be a high - ranking official like Zhijinwu, and a man should marry a woman like Aying of the Li family!"
Li Ying watched his Adam's apple move up and down like a baby bird. For some reason, her face suddenly blushed a bit.
"Xunguang! Don't tease me. I'll go make... Mmm..."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Xunguang easily blocked her lips, turning her words into indistinct moans.
"Xun... Xunguang..."
Li Ying was afraid that he would hurt himself when drunk. She struggled to escape from his embrace. Gasping for breath, she looked up in a hurry and met his clear eyes.
There wasn't a trace of drunkenness in them!
"Xunguang!"
She blushed to the roots of her ears. Seeing the mischievous smile in his eyes, she finally realized that this man was pretending to be drunk. She angrily stepped on the tip of his embroidered shoes lightly.
"When did you learn these tricks!"
Li Ying said coquettishly in annoyance. Lu Xunguang looked innocent and explained seriously, "If I didn't pretend to be 70% drunk, how could those tea masters who are so conscious of their status be satisfied? Aying, this is the way to entertain guests."
Didn't Li Ying know this intention?
However, Lu Xunguang paused for a moment, then lowered his voice, put his arm around her slender waist, and whispered in her ear.
"Aying, I do have another motive."
"The way you were worried about me getting drunk is really charming."
"I've been a gentleman for so long. It's really hard. Aying, allow me to be a man who steals a woman's heart under the pretext of being drunk today, okay?"
He exhaled like an orchid in her ear. Waves of heat came through his long gown. His firm chest seemed hotter than usual.
This man wished he could crush her into his bones. Li Ying was half - shy and half - sweet. She said softly, "You're not a petty thief. You're clearly a great pirate who stole my heart long ago without anyone knowing!"
What responded to her was Lu Xunguang's long - drive - in kiss, which swept away the last bit of her sanity like a whirlwind.
"Sister!"
Just as they were getting intimate, a charming voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Oops! Sister, I... I... I suddenly have a really urgent need to go to the toilet. I... I'll leave first!"
Li Ying struggled to stick her head out from Lu Xunguang's iron - walled embrace. She saw A Man holding a letter in her hand. A Man turned around in a hurry and was about to run.
Her face blushed again. Lu Xunguang let her go quite calmly.
"Aying, I also need to go to the toilet. You two sisters can have a chat."
He strode away without even having time to say hello to A Man.
A Man watched his back, and even the tips of her ears turned red. Then she wondered curiously, "Is Brother - in - law Lu... shy?"
After all, she was a Hu girl and didn't care about small details. She quickly put away her uneasiness just now and sat down next to Li Ying with a big smile, winking playfully.
"Sister, when are you going to marry Brother - in - law Lu?"
Even though Li Ying was usually generous, being caught in an intimate moment with Lu Xunguang by A Man made her blush. She gently patted A Man's head.
"Don't make fun of me! A Man, you rushed to find me. Is there something urgent?"
A Man then seemed to remember something. She handed the envelope in her hand to Li Ying.
"Sister, take a look quickly. It's a letter from the village. They said that they found something new when they went out to sea. They don't know how to decide and are just waiting for you to go back and take a look!"