PFC Chapter 111 Late-Night Snack!
Chapter 111 Late-Night Snack!
Chapter 111 Late-Night Snack! (Please read on! Caution: Read at night!!!)
Li Yuan glanced at him without saying a word, but his shuffling of the cards quickened.
A new game begins.
Su Mu, a landlord.
Li Yuan and Li Shimin's family.
Although Li Shimin had heard the rules once, he was still a novice.
Holding his hand of cards, he looked at Su Mu's calm and composed demeanor across from him and began to have some doubts.
This Su Mu is not only an excellent cook, but the game he makes must also be extraordinary.
There's definitely something fishy going on here.
"One against three."
Su Mu threw out two cards.
Li Yuan glanced at Li Shimin, the player to his left, and gestured for him to pass.
Li Shimin clearly had a pair of Kings, but after thinking about it, he felt that Su Mu was definitely luring the enemy in deep, making a small move in front while secretly preparing a big one behind.
We must be cautious! We must think things through carefully!
So he pulled out a pair of two and slammed them hard on the table.
"Get it on the pipe!"
Li Yuan was so frightened he almost dropped the cards in his hand.
He glared at his son: "You're going to take on three against one, and then you go straight for two twos? Are you trying to kill yourself? How are you going to win later?"
Li Shimin was taken aback: "Isn't this—trying to overwhelm him with sheer force? As the art of war says, 'Seize the initiative!'"
"Take my ass!"
Li Yuan couldn't help but swear, "You played your biggest card, who's going to collect the rest of your loose cards? Can't you even do basic math?"
Li Shimin blushed as he was scolded.
Since he ascended the throne, who has dared to point their finger at him and curse him like this?
But why didn't these insults sound harsh to my ears? Instead, they felt... somewhat familiar?
Su Mu, standing to the side, was laughing so hard he was shaking: "Go ahead, you can't afford it."
Li Shimin had a bunch of single cards left in his hand. Seeing Li Yuan's murderous gaze, he gritted his teeth and played a four.
Su Mu: "A King."
Li Shimin began to hesitate again.
Should we play Ace? Or the Joker?
Would it be a waste to play the Little King? What if he has two if I play the Ace?
This hesitation lasted for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
Li Yuan finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed the cards in his hand onto the table.
"Stop dawdling! Are you doing embroidery or waging war? You only have a few cards to play, can't you just get it over with?"
"That's called being cautious!"
Li Shimin argued, "I have to plan every step meticulously—"
"What the hell!"
Li Yuan grabbed a handful of sunflower seed shells and threw them at him, saying, "Isn't it tiring because you're always calculating? You even have to think three steps ahead when playing cards. Your brain will break down sooner or later!"
The shells of sunflower seeds hit Li Shimin's dragon robe, making a soft rustling sound.
Li Shimin did not dodge.
He looked at the furious old man opposite him.
There was a time when, during the uprising in Taiyuan and the attack on Chang'an, his father had also scolded him in the same way.
"Erlang, you're too hasty!"
"Erlang, you've taken this army too risky!"
Although it was dangerous at that time, the father and son were of one mind and fought the enemy back to back.
Later—later the throne was placed in the middle.
It was all polite talk, all defensiveness, all expressions of your humble servant's fear and your father's wisdom.
Now, in this bustling backyard of the imperial kitchen, a single wrong card seems to have torn open a rift between the two sides of the relationship.
"I'll play an Ace!"
Li Shimin steeled his resolve, threw down the cards, and declared, "Whatever!"
"That's right!"
Li Yuan shouted, "I only have one two left, and I've been waiting for you for ages!"
Li Yuan threw out his last two cards, then discarded all the cards in his hand.
"We won!"
Li Yuan laughed heartily, reaching for the slip of paper on the table. "Come on, Su boy, a bet's a bet, stick your face out!"
Su Mu reluctantly moved his face closer.
Li Yuan slapped a piece of paper onto Su Mu's nose.
Li Shimin watched this scene and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
In the next round, Li Shimin tried something new and snatched the landlord role, but he lacked experience after all.
He lost too, and according to the rules, he has to pay as well.
He thought Li Yuan wouldn't dare.
As a result, Li Yuan turned around, holding a piece of paper smeared with saliva in his hand, his eyes flashing with a long-lost cunning.
"Erlang, rules are rules."
Li Shimin instinctively wanted to dodge and put on airs.
But when he looked into his father's eyes, he suddenly stopped moving.
Snapped!
The note was stuck to the cheek of the Tang emperor.
It's a bit chilly.
Li Shimin touched the note and suddenly felt that this was probably the most substantial reward his father had given him in recent years.
"Again!"
Li Shimin rolled up his sleeves and said, "I was just clumsy before, but this time I'll slaughter you all without leaving a single one alive!"
"That lousy gambler is still being stubborn."
Li Yuan chuckled, shuffling his cards rapidly. "Young Su, this round we're on the same team, playing against the landlord!"
"Three with one!"
Li Yuan slammed three tens onto the table, then casually placed the last single card face down. His old face was full of smugness. "Report the single card!"
Li Shimin held a handful of loose cards in his hand, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.
He looked at the pair of sixes in his hand, then at his father's confident posture opposite him, hesitated for a long time, and finally put the cards back.
"Pass."
"I've done that too."
Su Mu shrugged. He was just watching from the sidelines. He was the peasant in this game, and since the landlord had run out of options, he was happy to relax.
"Haha! We won!"
Li Yuan revealed his trump card: a five of hearts.
Although small, at this moment, this five-star document is more useful than the Imperial Seal of the State.
Li Yuan reached out and grabbed the pile of chips in the middle of the table, which was actually a bunch of peeled raw chestnuts, and shoved them all in front of him.
This is the prize that Su Mu set earlier; whoever wins keeps it.
"Erlang, your card skills are terrible."
Li Yuan chewed on a raw chestnut while glancing sideways at his son. "Military operations require a combination of deception and reality. Your face screams 'I'm a big shot.' Even a fool would be wary of you."
Li Shimin was so scolded that he had no temper left, and could only laugh awkwardly twice: "Father is right, your son is just unlucky."
Glug—!
This sound was even louder than the last one.
Li Yuan's face flushed again, and the chestnuts in his hand suddenly lost their appeal.
Although I had braised chicken with chestnuts earlier in the evening, it's already late at night, and for some reason, I'm hungry so quickly.
"Alright, stop pretending."
Su Mu pushed the cards aside, stood up, and stretched. "Playing brain-taxing games makes you hungry the most. Wait here, I'll go get you some real treats."
Li Shimin was about to say that there was no need to trouble himself, as the imperial kitchen was ready to serve him at any time, but he swallowed the words back down.
The dishes in the imperial kitchen are exquisite, but they all taste the same after a while. They're nothing compared to what this kid makes.
Besides, seeing the old man's expectant look, he didn't dare to spoil the mood.
Su Mu went into the kitchen.
It's the middle of the night, and there aren't many fresh ingredients.
He rummaged through the freezer, which was actually just a large wooden box filled with ice, and inside lay a few marinated chicken drumsticks and chicken feet.
These were leftovers from a couple of days ago. I was planning to make braised dishes, but they've come in handy now.
"I'm bringing you some happy water today—oh no, happy chicken."
Su Mu muttered to himself, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
This high-calorie fried food would later be considered junk food.
But in the Tang Dynasty, this was a clear case of a dimensional reduction attack!
There's nothing a late-night fried chicken meal can't solve; if there is, then two meals will do.
He crumbled a few dry steamed buns into crumbs. In those days, there was no breadcrumbs readily available, so the crumbs made do and worked just as well.
Beat the eggs and prepare the flour.
The marinated chicken drumsticks are first rolled in flour, making them look like plump white chickens. Then they are dipped in egg wash, turning them golden and moist. Finally, they are pressed firmly into breadcrumbs, coating them with a scaly outer layer.
Heat oil in a wok.
This time, we used rapeseed oil, not lard.
With the oil at 60% heat, Su Mu held one end of the chicken bone and dipped the meaty end into the oil to test it.
Sizzle—!
Tiny bubbles instantly surrounded it, dancing merrily.
Su Mu loosened his grip, and the chicken leg slid into the oil pan.
The once calm oil noodles suddenly boiled, and the unique sound of the oil popping was enough to send your adrenaline soaring.
The white breadcrumbs quickly dehydrate and solidify under high temperature, turning into an appealing golden-brown color.
While the chicken was frying, Su Mu didn't stop working.
Without ketchup, fried chicken loses its soul.
He rummaged through the corner of the cabinet and pulled out a jar of plum sauce.
This is the leftover base from making plum juice in the summer; it's so sour it makes your teeth ache.
Su Mu scooped two large spoonfuls into a small pot, added water to dissolve it, then threw in a handful of rock sugar, and finally added a few drops of white vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Simmer over low heat.
The purplish-red sauce bubbled and simmered in the pot, the water evaporating and the broth gradually thickening, clinging to the spoon with a translucent amber luster.
The sweet and sour aroma wafted out, instantly reducing the greasiness of the fried food by half, and instead arousing a deeper level of appetite.
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