novelSusiti Chapter 122 Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Heavy Snow
Chapter 122 Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Heavy Snow
Chapter 122 Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Heavy Snow
His gaze swept over the basket of spinach on the table, which was washed clean and every leaf was stretched out.
This is delicate work. While he was banging on the pot over there, this girl silently washed her hands by the well for half an hour, until they turned red from the cold.
"Actually, that's not entirely true."
Su Mu coughed lightly, took the plate of spinach over, and put it into the clear soup pot.
"If someone could wash these vegetables so clean, with each leaf distinct and without a speck of dirt—it wouldn't just not affect my efficiency, it would greatly improve my vegetable-cutting efficiency. After all, preparing vegetables is the most time-consuming part."
Li Shimin's laughter stopped abruptly.
Fang Xuanling's previously ashen face instantly brightened again, as if he were experiencing a final burst of energy before death.
Fang Qingjun was coughing painfully when she heard this and paused in her movements.
She raised her teary eyes and glanced at Su Mu.
Su Mu was holding a strainer, intently scooping out a few spinach leaves for her. His profile was slightly blurred by the rising steam, yet it revealed a focused seriousness.
"Okay, the spinach shouldn't be overcooked, or it will become bitter."
Su Mu placed the blanched spinach into Fang Qingjun's bowl and poured her a glass of warm water.
"That was strong liquor, don't push yourself. Have some water to soothe it."
Fang Qingjun looked at the bright green spinach in the bowl, then at the glass of warm water, and the grievance she had just felt suddenly dissipated.
She sniffed, a tiny smile playing on her lips, and whispered, "Who—who needs your help? I can get it myself."
"Yes, yes, you know how to fish."
Su Mu followed up on her words, "Then this plate of chrysanthemum greens is yours too, just remember not to scald it for too long."
2
"Everyone's biased!"
Little Si suddenly protested, holding up her spoon with sesame paste all over her mouth, "I want to eat vegetables too! I washed vegetables too! Although—although I only washed one!"
"Okay, okay, give our little princess one too."
Su Mu smiled and put a piece of food on Xiao Sizi's plate as well.
Li Shimin watched this scene, smiled and shook his head, then raised his wine cup and clinked it against Fang Xuanling's.
"Xuanling, it seems that not just anyone can slow down this knife."
Fang Xuanling chuckled and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. He found the spicy wine to be much smoother than usual as it went down his throat.
"Your Majesty is right, very right. Washing vegetables—it's an art in itself."
The snow in Chang'an came without any warning.
Just a few days ago, it was only frosty winds brushing our faces, but this morning, when we opened the window, all we saw was a vast expanse of white.
The heavy snow covered the red walls and yellow tiles, completely covering the entire palace.
The eunuchs helping out in the front courtyard of the imperial kitchen were timidly sweeping snow, their brooms making a dull rustling sound as they swept across the bluestone slabs.
The woodshed in the backyard was almost too warm.
Su Mu didn't go ahead to join the fun; instead, he nestled alone on a haystack by the stove.
There was no open flame in the stove, only a thick layer of wood ash. Faintly, dark red embers could be seen from within the ash heap.
A strange, sweet fragrance filled the air.
The flavor wasn't as cloying as osmanthus cake, nor as pungent as mutton soup. It was a warm, sweet taste with a hint of caramel, seeping into your nose and making your mouth water.
With a creak.
The broken wooden door to the woodshed was pushed open a crack, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes swished in.
Immediately afterwards, a round little head peeked in.
Little Sizi was wrapped up like a red meatball, wearing a tiger-head hat, with only her rosy little face showing from the cold.
She sniffed, and her eyes instantly lit up like stars.
"Hey! What smells so good?"
The little girl struggled to step over the threshold, her two tiny hands tucked into her sleeves, and waddled over like a penguin.
Su Mu picked up the fire tongs and rummaged through the ash heap a couple of times.
"Perfect timing, just ripe."
As the ashes were cleared away, several dusty, even charred clods of earth rolled out.
The sweet aroma instantly intensified tenfold.
Su Mu wasn't afraid of getting burned. He tore off a few scraps of discarded memorials, which Li Shimin had specially permitted him to use to start a fire. He held them in his hand and picked up the largest one.
Roasted sweet potatoes.
The system just generated a bag of high-quality seeds a couple of days ago.
Su Mu didn't want to plant too many, so he kept a few seed potatoes and couldn't resist burying the rest in the stove.
"Here, take this to warm your hands."
Su Mu handed over the wrapped sweet potato.
The little rhinoceros stretched out its two tiny hands to catch it.
"Ouch! It's so hot!"
The little girl kept saying it was hot, but she couldn't bear to let go of it.
The sweet potato was still warm, and she tossed it around in her frozen little hands, finally holding it tightly in both hands and squinting her eyes comfortably.
"So warm—it's like hugging a little stove."
Su Mu took one for himself and squeezed it with his fingers.
A crack appeared in the charred outer skin.
This crack didn't matter; it revealed the golden-red sweet potato flesh inside, glistening with sugary oil.
The steam rose up, warming up the chilly, snowy day.
There was another sound of footsteps outside the door.
Heavy, rapid, with the crunching sound of footsteps crushing the snow.
Li Shimin walked in with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed tightly, his usually dignified face now filled with worry.
He had no attendants with him, and a large patch of his dragon robe was wet, indicating that he had walked quite a distance in the snow.
"This awful weather."
As soon as Li Shimin entered the room, he cursed, acting as if he were one of the guests. He plopped down on the small stool opposite Su Mu and warmed his hands by the fire in the stove.
"A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest, but that's for next year. For the people right now, it's a death knell."
He sighed, rubbing his large, red, frozen hands: "The price of charcoal in Chang'an has risen by 30% this morning. A basket of silver frost charcoal costs two hundred coins, and even the kind of black charcoal that produces a lot of smoke and chokes costs eighty coins."
"It's not even the winter solstice yet, how are we going to get through this?"
Su Mu didn't reply, but simply handed over the half-peeled sweet potato he was holding.
"Your Majesty, please don't worry about the country and its people for now. Have something hot to eat."
Li Shimin glanced at the dark, indistinct object, his brows furrowing even more deeply: "What is this? A lump of mud?"
Although he complained, he still accepted it.
It was scalding hot to the touch, and the heat traveled from his palm all the way to his heart, calming his previously agitated emotions somewhat.
The little ox next to me has already started eating.
She carefully peeled off a piece of skin, revealing the soft, rosy flesh inside, blew on it, and then let out a soft "ah-hoo".
"Hmm!"
The little girl's eyes widened instantly, and she dared not close her mouth, breathing out hot air incessantly, clearly burned. But the sweetness was too overwhelming, and she couldn't bear to spit it out, so she forced it down whole.
"Wow! It's so sweet! Sweeter than honey!"
Little Sizi, with a ring of black ash around his mouth like a beard, held up a sweet potato and showed it off to Li Shimin: "Father, hurry up! This meat is soft, you don't need to use your teeth!"
Seeing his daughter eating so heartily, Li Shimin's doubts were largely dispelled.
He imitated Su Mu and broke open the sweet potato.
The golden-yellow potato flesh is so soft that it doesn't even require chewing.
One bite.
That pure, rich sweetness from starch saccharification exploded in my mouth.
There are no complicated seasonings, just the most original aroma of grains, mixed with a little bit of smoky flavor.
A warm lump slid into my stomach, and I felt instantly warmed up.
"this----"
Li Shimin looked at the remaining half of the sweet potato in his hand, his expression complex: "This thing is so sweet? And so incredibly filling?"
After only two bites, the feeling of hunger subsided considerably.
"This is called a sweet potato."
Su Mu nibbled on the little bit of meat still clinging to the skin, "High yield, drought-resistant, and not picky about soil. But we're out of seeds now, we'll see next year."
Li Shimin nodded. If it were any other time, he would have grabbed Su Mu and asked him every single question about such a high-yield crop.
But today, the heavy snow falling outside his window really dampened his spirits.