The maidservant could not keep up with him for such a short distance and could not serve as a means of transportation for Li Xuanba. Li Xuanba stopped after running a few steps, as he could no longer run.
What a shitty body! Li Xuanba cursed inwardly and slowly walked to the small kitchen next door.
The lunch they had just eaten was sent from the main kitchen.
The big kitchen occupies a large courtyard, which has a stove and an open-air kiln.
Given the dietary structure of the Sui and Tang nobles, without large open-air furnaces, it would be impossible to cook the extravagant meals they wanted to eat.
There were warehouses and cellars around the courtyard for storing wine, vinegar, vegetables, fruits and other food and seasonings. Carriages flowed in and out of the side door like water, and no big restaurant in later times was busier than this.
However, if Li Xuanba wanted to prepare some light meals for his mother, he did not need to go far to the big kitchen. There was a small kitchen in the courtyard where he and Li Shimin lived to cope with Li Shimin's excessive appetite and his daily soup and medicine.
The small kitchen was next to the courtyard, less than 50 meters away. Even with such a short distance, Li Xuanba took several breaths before he started talking.
"Mother, it's summer, make some light meals. I say, and you do it." Li Xuanba ordered with a stern face.
The servants who were chatting idly in the small kitchen immediately started to move. No one dared to look down on the young and sickly third son of the Duke of Tang.
Some people have looked down on it before.
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were both precocious children. When they complained to Lady Dou and Old Lady Dugu, their logic was very clear and their chain of evidence was solid. The servants who tried to bully the two young men were beaten badly.
Now everyone knows that Li Erlang and Li Sanlang are child prodigies, so one must keep their little tricks to themselves and serve them carefully, otherwise they might be sold out.
Li Xuanba ate a small amount at each meal, but got hungry quickly, so he always asked the kitchen to prepare rice porridge so that he could fill his stomach at any time - in the end, most of the rice porridge would end up in Li Shimin's stomach.
Li Xuanba had people put fresh leafy vegetables into the porridge in a clay pot without adding any seasonings. They were served when the leaves changed color.
He also had people bring freshly picked cucumbers, scald the skin with boiling water, flatten them, cut them into pieces, add mashed garlic, and soy sauce mixed with water and a little sugar to make smashed cucumbers;
The beef is cut into thin slices that are translucent, cooked with a large amount of sauerkraut, and no other seasonings are added.
A bowl of porridge and a few side dishes were served on the table in less than a quarter of an hour. Dou was very surprised: "Whose chef cooked this?"
Before Li Xuanba opened his mouth, his younger brother Li Shimin immediately said, "It was Ah Xuan. When Ah Xuan was sick, he couldn't get used to eating heavy meat, so he thought of making some simple food. Last time, he sent some to his brother when he was drunk, and his brother scolded him for being unpresentable."
Li Xuanba: "?!"
He glanced at his second brother.
Li Shimin was still mumbling: "I thought so too. Whose family cooks such simple food? It would be fine if he ate some casually, but he was eager to give it to others. Wouldn't he be scolded by his brother? He should have given it to his brother first, and his brother would have scolded him in private. If he gave it to outsiders first, others would definitely laugh at Ah Xuan."
Li Shimin shook his head, looking helpless: "Mom, you have to scold Ah Xuan."
Li Xuanba looked at the sadness in Dou's eyes and was speechless.
My mother was in charge of a large family and had to serve my grandmother, so she naturally couldn't take care of every detail. She was very responsible for taking the time to come and see me and ask about other servants.
In slightly wealthier families, children were raised by servants and not taken care of by themselves.
Therefore, Dou didn't know about the little things she did in private and the little details of her interactions with her elder brother Li Jiancheng.
Of course he knew that his second brother had no bad intentions, he just felt that what he did was wrong, and now that he had found an opportunity, he was suing him.
But his silly brother didn't realize at all that although the food he asked someone to prepare was "shabby", he was only a six-year-old child. Even if he handed his brother a half-licked candy, it was an act of respect for his brother and he should not be scolded.
I really look like a natural black green tea now.
"Who said it was shabby? Mother loves to eat it." Dou said hurriedly, "Your brother must be very happy too, but the eldest brother is like a father, he is a little strict with you, don't be angry."
Li Xuan said domineeringly: "Mom, I know that my brother is doing this for my own good."
Li Shimin nodded vigorously: "That's right!"
Li Xuanba: [Brother, please shut up.]
Li Shimin continued to complain: "Mother! He also told me to shut up!"
Li Xuanba gnashed his teeth and said, "Are you going to let me have my meal? Shut up!"
Li Shimin immediately covered his mouth with his hands, but his eyes continued to complain about his brother.
Mother! Look at him!
Dou picked up the small spoon brought by the servant and said with a smile: "Erlang, you are not full yet? Eat quickly, it will not taste good if it gets cold."
Li Shimin put down his hand and picked up the meat again.
Li Xuanba looked at his second brother's eating habits and couldn't help feeling a little hungry. He also asked for a small bowl of vegetable porridge and ate with his mother.
Due to customs, Li Xuanba's meals were indeed "crude and unsightly" and not worthy of being served in a refined hall. But Dou scooped a spoonful of the unsalted and tasteless vegetable porridge into her mouth, and the already melted rice mixed with the vegetable shreds slid down her throat. The sweetness of the rice itself and the fresh taste of the vegetables blended together, and she only swallowed a mouthful, and it aroused her appetite.
Dou put down the spoon, picked up the chopsticks, and ate a piece of smashed cucumber.
Li Xuanba was afraid that the cucumbers were not cleaned well, so he asked the cook to scald them first, so the skin was not crispy enough. But the cucumber flesh was still crispy, and the raw cucumber flesh was slightly cool and refreshing.
Dou took another sip of porridge and felt that the nausea caused by the previous barbecue pancakes had completely disappeared.
Only then did she pick up a piece of sauerkraut beef.
The beef slices are very thin, and the size of the pieces is just right for eating. There is no need to tear them apart. After a few chews, the beef turns into meat scraps and is easy to swallow with the sauerkraut juice.
Before, when Dou ate barbecue, she had to chew for a long time before she could swallow it with difficulty.
"It's delicious." Feeling her appetite had been worked, the fatigue on Dou's face faded a little.
Li Xuanba wiped the porridge from the corner of his mouth and said, "Mom, don't talk, eat quickly. After eating, take a nap."
Dou nodded slightly and quickened her eating pace.
The corners of Li Xuanba's mouth curled up unconsciously. He lowered his head and drank half a bowl of porridge in one breath, then pushed the bowl in front of Li Shimin.
Li Shimin wiped the oil off his mouth with the back of his hand, picked up Li Xuanba's bowl, and drank the remaining half bowl of porridge in one gulp, just like drinking water.
The corners of Li Xuanba's mouth, which had just been curved upwards, immediately turned down in disgust. He asked someone to bring warm water to wipe the face, mouth and hands of Li Shimin, who was finally full.
"Just take a shower." Li Xuanba looked at the oil stains on Li Shimin's chest and wrinkled his face.
Li Shimin said unhappily, "I'm washing now, but you'll ask me to wash before going to bed at night. No, I won't."
Dou suppressed her laughter and said, "You can change your clothes even if you don't need to wash them."
Li Xuanba pulled Li Shimin to change clothes. Li Shimin kept sighing, obviously troubled by his brother's bad habit of cleanliness.
When Li Shimin was dragged away by Li Xuanba, he turned back and said to Dou: "Mom, go take a nap quickly. Don't worry about indigestion."
Dou smiled and nodded: "Okay."
While Li Shimin and Li Xuanba went to change their clothes, Dou took a nap on the bed where her two sons were sleeping.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
A quarter of an hour later, when old lady Dugu sent someone to urge her again, Dou had recovered some of her spirit. She combed her hair a little and hurried to serve her mother-in-law.
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba are practicing writing.
Seeing that Dou was about to leave, Li Xuanba gave Li Shimin a look. Li Shimin put away his brush, climbed down from the couch and put on his shoes.
"Mom, I want to visit my grandmother too." Li Shimin raised the paper in his hand, "Ah Xuan and I copied some Buddhist scriptures for blessing. Ah Xuan needs to recuperate, so we won't go."
Dou immediately understood why the two smart children did this.
She rubbed the two children's heads and said happily, "Okay."
Li Shimin skipped away, holding the copied Buddhist scriptures in one hand and holding Dou's hand in the other.
Not long after Li Xuanba saw his mother and his second brother, who was jumping around non-stop, leave, a servant came to report that the eldest master wanted him over.
Li Xuanba's mouth twitched slightly, and he pressed his forehead: "Tell him I'm sick."
The servant said, "Yes."
Li Xuanba guessed why Li Jiancheng let him pass.
Apparently, before my mother returned to my grandmother's house, she went to visit Li Jiancheng first and mentioned his previous experience of delivering vegetables.
The mother was very gentle to her children, and as the eldest son, Li Jiancheng grew up under the care of the old lady Dugu according to the rules of the aristocratic family. The mother and son got along quite politely. So the mother certainly did not scold Li Jiancheng, but only tactfully hoped that Li Jiancheng would be nicer to her.
But it was obvious that this proud brother was still unhappy.
That's why he didn't want his second brother to mention this to his mother! The Li family is narrow-minded from top to bottom! It's very troublesome, don't you know!
"Third Young Master, the eldest young master has come to visit you in person! He has brought his friends with him!" The wet nurse rushed in breathlessly.
As soon as she saw Li Jiancheng coming in the yard, she quickly ran over to inform Li Xuanba.
Li Xuanba threw the book in his hand, crawled down from the couch, and ran to the bed.
"Hurry up and bring some hot water!" Li Xuanba got into bed and ordered.
The wet nurse stood in front of the door and temporarily stopped Li Jiancheng and the others. The maid dipped a handkerchief into the boiling hot water, shook it twice to cool it down, and then carefully covered Li Xuanba's forehead.
After a while, Li Xuanba's face became hot and red.
At this time, Li Jiancheng pushed the door open with his friends, and a hangover smell mixed with alcohol, sweat, and the spicy smell of medicine came like a huge wave.
Li Xuanba's face turned pale and his breathing stagnated.
It's so hot, even if you guys fell asleep drunk last night, don't you take a shower the next day? !
Although Li Jiancheng was dissatisfied after being gently reprimanded by Dou, he still showed sympathy for his younger brother. He bent down and tucked the corner of the quilt for Li Xuanba: "Sanlang, are you okay..."
As soon as Li Jiancheng opened his mouth, the breath of a hangover that had been brewing all night sprayed on Li Xuanba's face.
Li Xuanba, who was a little full today, struggled to the bed and stuck his head out before Li Jiancheng could finish his words.
"Ugh↗ah↘..."
(Mosaic) Rainbow Falls (Mosaic).
Li Jiancheng and his friends' faces turned green.
Just at this time, Li Shimin came back with a box of jewel beads given by his grandmother.
"Ah Xuan?! Don't bully Ah Xuan!!"
Li Shimin burst into tears with a loud "wow".