ATPnovel Chapter 24: Plain talk, want to learn? Get to work first!
Chapter 24: Plain talk, want to learn? Get to work first!
Just as I was getting annoyed, a cool breeze suddenly came from the entrance of the palace.
It really was a cool breeze.
Little Sizi hopped in, clutching half a peach she hadn't finished eating.
This girl is acting strange today. Everyone else is wilting from the heat, but she's full of energy. Her rosy little face isn't sweaty at all; instead, she exudes a cool and refreshing vibe.
"Father!" Little Sizi rushed over and crashed directly into Li Shimin's arms.
Li Shimin instinctively wanted to push the child away, afraid that the child would get too hot.
To my surprise, when I hugged her, she was completely icy cold!
This little meatball is practically a walking ice block, radiating a chill from head to toe, and it feels incredibly comfortable to be stuck to your skin.
Li Shimin was stunned. He touched his daughter's back with both hands and found it to be cool.
"Sizi, where...where are you escaping the summer heat?"
Little Sizi let out a burp that smelled of watermelon, then pointed to the pink milk stain on the corner of her mouth that she hadn't wiped off, as if to show off: "I'm going to eat ice cream at Guoguo's place!"
"Ice?" Li Shimin glanced at the pitiful amount of water in his basin. "Where did he get the ice?"
"A duck that the pot conjured up!"
Little Sizi described it vividly, gesturing with his little hands, "Guoguo took a bunch of stones, threw them into the water, and with a splash, the water turned into ice blocks! Huge, huge ice blocks!"
"They even poured goat milk and watermelon juice on top; it's red and sweet, and it freezes solid after just one bite!"
As Xiao Sizi spoke, she licked her lips with relish.
Li Shimin was stunned.
A stone thrown into water turns into ice?
This sounds like a scam by a con artist, but looking at his cold, lonely daughter in his arms, he had no choice but to believe it.
The body temperature doesn't lie, and neither does the unique refreshing feeling after eating ice cream.
"You mean... he can turn water into ice?" Li Shimin's voice was a little tense.
If this is true, what does it mean?
This means that the Tang Dynasty will never lack ice again in the summer! It means that wounded soldiers can use ice to relieve pain, and that ordinary people may also be able to afford this summer cooling treasure!
more importantly……
This means that he, the emperor, no longer has to be roasted like a salted fish in the Liangyi Hall!
Li Shimin felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
A cook, hiding in the woodshed, enjoying the cool breeze and eating shaved ice, lived a more comfortable life than him.
"And Lizhi?" Li Shimin asked in a deep voice.
"My older sister is still eating there. She said she'll have another bowl before she comes back." Little Sizi sold out his sister without any guilt.
"..."
"Sizi, go and call your older sister back."
……
Fifteen minutes later.
Li Lizhi reluctantly put down the empty bowl and left that cool paradise, looking back every few steps.
Upon entering the Liangyi Hall, a wave of heat hits you.
Li Shimin sat behind the desk with a dark face, looking at his daughter's contented appearance after eating and drinking to her heart's content, which made him even more resentful.
"Did you enjoy your meal?" Li Shimin asked coolly.
Li Lizhi blushed and quickly bowed, "Your subject... Your subject was merely going to inspect the Imperial Kitchen..."
"Inspected a belly full of ice?" Li Shimin snorted. "Let me ask you, which master can truly make ice from stones?"
Li Lizhi's expression turned serious, and she nodded solemnly: "It is absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. That basin of boiling water froze into ice in just a short while. This method... is simply unheard of."
Li Shimin tapped his fingers on the table.
Since it's not an illusion, it must be a real skill.
Taoist alchemy does indeed have some closely guarded secrets.
This method of making ice with saltpeter is probably one of them.
"So beautiful."
Li Shimin adopted a serious expression, "The weather is scorching hot, as you can see. Your grandfather is old and can't stand the heat. Your mother is frail and needs ice to keep her cool."
"If this ice-making method could be mastered by the imperial court..."
Li Shimin gave his daughter a knowing look.
Li Lizhi instantly understood her father's meaning.
This is to let her "learn from the masters".
"Father, this... is, after all, someone else's secret technique."
Li Lizhi was in a dilemma. That person had a strange temper, and if she asked directly, he might not give it to her. Moreover, it wouldn't look good if word got out that she, a princess, was secretly learning a cook's skills.
"What secret technique!"
Li Shimin glared at him, "All land under heaven belongs to the emperor. Besides, I didn't ask you to forcibly seize it."
He lowered his voice, a cunning glint in his eyes: "Go there often to inspect, observe, and ask questions. Since that master dared to demonstrate in front of you, it means he doesn't consider you an outsider. Once you understand, come back and tell me, and I'll have the Ministry of Works handle it."
"This is not only for my own sake, but also for the sake of the Tang Dynasty!"
Li Shimin's hat was big and round.
Li Lizhi had no choice but to agree: "Your subject... will do her best."
While saying that, she was actually savoring the taste of the shaved ice she had just eaten.
If I want to be able to eat that heavenly delicious food every day in the future, I'll learn how.
Anyway, that person never hides from people when cooking, and does everything himself, from peeling garlic to washing dishes. So, learning to make ice doesn't seem like such a big deal.
"Oh, right."
Li Shimin suddenly called out to his daughter, who was about to leave, and rubbed his hands awkwardly. "Now that you've learned it... when you go tomorrow, remember to bring a larger food box."
"Bring me back a bowl of that watermelon and goat milk ice soup too. Add extra honey."
Li Lizhi: "..."
Father, your little thoughts are written all over your face.
......
......
Su Mu had just dragged a sack of "special crops" that the system had just sent to a shady spot, and listening for any noise, he went to unlatch the door bolt.
As soon as the door opened, two large Buddha statues, one big and one small, appeared again.
This time, the food box that Li Lizhi was carrying was a different size; it was almost half a person tall and looked quite heavy.
She was dressed in a neat, narrow-sleeved palace dress today, her forehead still damp with sweat, but her eyes were a little unfocused, and she didn't dare to look Su Mu in the eye, revealing a guilty conscience.
Little Sizi was honest; he was still clutching the bamboo dragonfly Su Mu had made for him yesterday. As soon as he entered the door, he started sniffing around like a little hunting dog looking for food.
"It doesn't taste like much, does it?"
The little girl muttered in disappointment, her face instantly falling, "Didn't my husband cook?"
Su Mu stepped aside and pointed to the pile of large, unskinned creatures at the base of the wall.
"Want to eat? Get back to work first."
Li Lizhi placed the heavy food box on the millstone, rubbed her sore wrists, and before she could ask about the ice, Su Mu's words cut her off.
She looked in the direction Su Mu was pointing.
That was a strange pile of things.
It looks like a club, about a foot long, covered with layers of green leaves, with a tuft of messy reddish-brown whiskers hanging on top, looking like the tail of a wild animal that hasn't shed its fur.
"What is this?"
Li Lizhi's curiosity got the better of her, and she temporarily forgot about the task her father had given her: to "steal the ice-making technique."
"nice one."
Su Mu picked one up from the pile and casually tossed it to Li Lizhi.
Li Lizhi caught it instinctively.
It feels heavy in your hand, with a rough outer skin and a unique, green, plant-like smell.
"This is called corn... cough, corn."
Su Mu almost let slip that the word "corn" didn't exist back then. The seeds the system gave them were called "Golden Jade No. 1," and they were large and plump, making it the perfect time to try them.
"Corn?"
Li Lizhi considered it for a moment, "Is it edible?"
"Whether it's edible or not, we'll know once we peel it open." Su Mu moved a small stool over and sat down, picked up one, skillfully tore open the bracts from the top, and pulled it down forcefully.
With a ripping sound.
The green coat faded, revealing its true form.
It wasn't the smooth, shiny fruit I had imagined, but rather rows of neat, tightly packed golden grains, like countless tiny golden beads embedded in a stick, shimmering with an oily sheen in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
Li Lizhi was stunned.
This thing looks so... so regular.
Each grain looks as if it were meticulously crafted by an artisan, clustered together like soldiers in battle formation, exuding the joy of a bountiful harvest.