Li Ying looked at her "spoils" gleefully and didn't notice the strange look on Lu Xunguang's face.
Her eyes fell on those white "shipworms". She sighed regretfully, "Actually, these so - called'shipworms' are not some terrifying worms. They are also a kind of shellfish living in the sea. They just degenerated their shells, which makes them look so disgusting."
"Actually, shipworms are rare delicacies in many places! Just wash them clean and eat them raw with seasonings. They taste extremely delicious..."
She was just talking to herself. But in Lu Xunguang's mind, an image emerged of Li Ying picking up a chopstick of fat, white "shipworms" with a charming smile, coaxing him to open his mouth and swallow them alive. Even though he was used to great storms, remained calm in the face of any danger, and could laugh and talk freely even when facing death, a fine layer of cold sweat unconsciously broke out on the back of his neck at this moment.
"A Ying, I find those barnacles very interesting. These days I've been busy repairing the dragon boat and haven't tasted your cooking for many days. I miss it so much. A Ying, could you go back to the mansion quickly and prepare some small dishes for me to fill my stomach?"
Seeing Li Ying's reluctant look, he really didn't dare to let her stay here any longer.
At first, Li Ying didn't understand. Following his evasive gaze, she suddenly understood and laughed, "Does the great head of the Lu family actually fear these shipworms?"
This man usually seemed invulnerable in front of her. It was rare to see him so averse to something. Li Ying couldn't help but find it funny.
She looked at the tips of Lu Xunguang's ears with satisfaction. They were rarely tinged with a faint blush. Then she took her spoils and left contentedly.
Barnacles look like stones, but in fact they are related to shrimps and crabs. Their taste is extremely delicious.
She sorted the barnacles by size. They would be the main dish tonight.
The cleaned barnacles only need to be scalded in boiling water for a moment. Then, one can easily pull out the juicy and tender meat from the tip that looks like a volcano crater.
Pour a layer of fragrant scallion oil on them while they are still hot. This scallion - oil barnacle has an extremely soft and tender texture. It tastes as rich as the fat crab roe, but is more substantial than crab roe. It is sweet, soft and glutinous, accompanied by the fragrance of scallions, without the slightest unpleasant fishy smell.
If served with a plate of stir - fried tender eggs cooked with ridge gourds, it becomes a very light and delicious soup dish.
The sweetness of the ridge gourds combines with the unique flavor of the barnacles. It is fragrant but not greasy. The ridge gourds are smooth and tender, and the barnacles are soft and glutinous, leaving a lasting aftertaste.
Take a piece of uncooked barnacle meat and place it on warm vinegared rice. Pair it with a slice of golden egg cake and wrap it with crispy roasted seaweed. This barnacle rice ball has a raw - eating taste similar to that of raw marinated crabs. It is sweet, juicy, and slippery like jelly, and very easy to eat. Its taste is even better than that of crab roe.
The smaller barnacles can be shelled and boiled into a fresh soup for noodles. Just sprinkle some green scallions and season with sea salt, and it will already have an extremely rich flavor.
The minced barnacle meat can be stir - fried with scallops, sweet shrimps and crab leg meat, and paired with some chopped celery to add a crispy taste. Then use it as a filling and put it in pita bread.
Li Ying deliberately added enough warm water to the dough for the pancakes. The dough was so soft that it was almost impossible to pick up. But that was exactly why the pancakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Under the golden crust, the hot inner core was soft and had a long - lasting wheat fragrance.
The loose crust absorbed all the juice of the barnacle filling. It was fragrant, soft and not greasy, and every bite was pleasant.
Li Ying made a full - fledged preparation. She left a plate of the smallest boiled barnacles for herself and lazily sat at the table, eating them like sunflower seeds from time to time.
When the boiled barnacles on her plate were all gone, Lu Xunguang finally returned under the stars.
Looking at the delicious - looking dishes on the table, he didn't recognize at first that they were the barnacles that had given him such a headache during the day.
He ate some noodles heartily and then took big bites of the barnacle pancakes. He was really hungry.
Li Ying saw the dark circles under his eyes, indicating his long - lasting fatigue. Her heart softened, and she immediately gave up the idea of teasing him.
"Brother Lu, has the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue refined the'show oil' that I mentioned to you today?"
Lu Xunguang picked up a piece of scallion - oil barnacle and ate it heartily. Hearing this, he nodded.
"At first, the craftsmen couldn't control the temperature of stir - frying the soot well. But after all, they have dealt with tung oil for many years. After trying several times, they finally got the hang of it."
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue got the "show oil" and excitedly had it painted on a small boat for an experiment. Sure enough, as Li Ying said, the "show oil" was thicker than tung oil, but dried faster.
He was not convinced and found some periwinkles and mussels and stuck them on the "show oil". Soon, the mussels opened their mouths lifelessly, obviously dead.
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was overjoyed. He immediately ordered the craftsmen to go all out to refine the "show oil", working day and night to paint the entire hull to ensure that the emperor's dragon boat would be foolproof!
"A Ying, after the 'show oil' is painted, His Majesty will set sail soon. I'm afraid I won't have time to accompany you these days. You can rest at home at ease and pack your things. I've arranged our boats. The servants of the Lu Mansion will carry all the items you need onto the boat."
Li Ying blushed.
Although they had already set their wedding date and made vows of eternal love, they rarely slept in the same room.
During this southern tour, if she and Lu Xunguang were to sleep in the same bed every night...
Li Ying lowered her head, and many charming and fanciful illusions involuntarily popped up in her mind.
Suddenly, she was startled. Looking up, she said, "Brother Lu, Princess Yongning will be on this trip. If you go in and out with me under the noses of her and His Majesty, this..."
Wouldn't they be convicted of disrespecting the emperor?
Lu Xunguang said indifferently, "A Ying, although you have won the favor of the queen, you are not a female official in the palace after all. It is not convenient for you to board the small boats of the palace maids. If following the rules, you might have to live in the bottom cabin with the families of the boatmen."
"You are my future wife. I will never let you be wronged in the slightest. Moreover, the bottom cabin is damp and cold. Your body is so frail. How can you bear it?"
That day when Li Ying gave birth to A Man, she was alone and struggling on the verge of death. Helplessly, she had to rush to the beach with Granny Sun.
Thanks to her young body and the subsequent good care after getting the money, she didn't leave any root causes of illness. But Lu Xunguang always felt guilty and would never let her be invaded by the cold.
Li Ying was deeply touched. She said softly, "Brother Lu, my body is fine..."
But Lu Xunguang suddenly gave a mischievous smile. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "The wedding date is approaching. A Ying should take good care of your body and give birth to a little head of the Lu family for me. Then we can leave this huge family business to him and live a carefree life, traveling around."
His words came so suddenly that his warm breath tickled Li Ying's temples.
She blushed like a crab and stamped her foot, scolding, "Lu Xunguang! You are so irresponsible!"