You are unlucky and I am tough

As Cheng Lizheng, along with Zhu Zhifu and his son, arrived at the door of the Wei family's house, they smelled the tempting aroma of meat. Lizheng thought to himself, is this the smell of roasted whole lamb? It smells so good.

Zhu Yongsi sniffed the air and said, "What's that smell? It smells so good."

Cheng Lizheng said, "There is a mutton dish in today's banquet that is in the charge of Madam Wei. This aroma must be from the mutton."

"This is actually the taste of mutton." Zhu Yongsi was surprised. He was also a famous connoisseur of flavors. He had tasted all the delicacies in the restaurants in the city. His nose was very sensitive. He could remember the taste of a dish he had eaten once and could recognize it with his eyes closed.

I have never smelled the taste of mutton before.

Cheng Lizheng didn't know what roasted whole lamb was, and couldn't explain it clearly. He smiled and went forward to knock on the door.

After a few clicks, the back door opened, and it was Wei Xinyi who opened it.

Cheng Lizheng looked down at her, "Where are your brother and sister-in-law? The prefect is here."

"Uncle Zhu."

Wei Xinyi saw the person behind her and shouted in surprise.

"Hey, it's Xinyi." When the governor saw the little girl, he also smiled.

"Uncle Zhu, you haven't been here for a long time." Wei Xinyi opened the door and ran out.

Before, Magistrate Zhu lived in the family for a while. At the beginning, Wei Xinyi saw that everyone in the village was afraid of him, so she was also afraid.

However, after a few encounters, I found that this high-ranking official, whom everyone was afraid of, was actually a very kind person, never lost his temper, and was not scary at all.

Gradually, she lost her fear and treated him as an elder. She served him tea and meals every day and helped him with grinding.

When Magistrate Zhu moved out, he gave her a set of four treasures of the study, which she is still using. Her brother said that the inkstone is worth more than one hundred taels of silver, so she likes Uncle Zhu very much.

"I've been busy with government affairs and haven't come for a long time." Prefect Zhu touched her head with his big hand. "The little girl seems to have grown a little taller."

"Yes, another year has passed and I am nine years old." Wei Xinyi was very happy. Before, she said that she had grown taller, but her family said no.

See, someone has noticed it.

"Who are these two good-looking brothers?" Wei Xinyi asked, looking at the two unfamiliar faces beside her.

"They are my two sons." Prefect Zhu softened his tone when speaking to the little girl. "They are the same age as your brother. This is Brother Shao Yuan, and this is Brother Yongsi."

Wei Xinyi nodded and said sweetly, "Hello, brothers."

Then he pulled Magistrate Zhu into the house and said, "My brother and sister-in-law are roasting lamb in the back of the house. I'll take you there."

In the courtyard, when Wei Nanxing heard the voices outside, he had already closed the door and ran to tell his master that the prefect had arrived.

No one else was at home, so Wei Xinyi took a few people in, then went out through a small door on the side and arrived at the back of the house.

The fragrance became stronger and stronger, and a clear and comfortable female voice was heard.

"Now you can apply the second layer of sauce. After that, grill it for another half an hour. The lamb leg is thick, so use a knife to score it a few times before applying the sauce so that it can absorb the flavor."

Cheng Shuang was holding a wooden sauce brush bought from the mall and brushing the mutton with a bowl of sauce. Wei Qinglang was standing on her right, slowly turning the mutton on the rack to ensure even heating.

County Magistrate Shen and Zhao Xiuwen stood opposite her, watching her carefully. The mutton was roasting until it was oozing with oil, and the fat dripped into the fire below, making a sizzling sound.

County Magistrate Shen was the first to notice someone approaching. He looked over and was immediately startled. "Hey, my Lord, the Prefect."

As soon as he reported the matter of the water well pressure, the prefect actually came to him in person. County Magistrate Shen was pleasantly surprised, and it turned out to be the right decision to report it as soon as possible.

The promotion of isobaric water wells has benefited the people, and he can add another achievement to his political achievements this year.

Zhao Xiuwen also saw the person coming. He was not unfamiliar with Prefect Zhu. He had just met the Zhu brothers a few days ago. He clenched his fists unconsciously under his sleeves.

Then Cheng Shuang and Wei Qinglang also turned their heads, both of them were a little stunned.

Wei Xinyi ran over, "Brother and sister-in-law, Uncle Zhu said he wants to see you."

Cheng Shuang quickly put down the bowl of sauce, and Wei Qinglang also wiped his hands.

"We are humble commoners, women, and students. We pay our respects to the prefect." The four of them walked over and saluted in unison.

"No need to be polite." Prefect Zhu raised his hand to support her. "Mr. Wei, Madam Cheng, it's been a while since we last met. Is everything going well?"

"Everything is fine." Wei Qinglang said, "I haven't thanked the prefect yet for his care in replacing our previous bamboo house with a bluestone courtyard."

The two men had met the two sons of Governor Zhu, but now they did not dare to show that they knew their identities.

Prefect Zhu smiled and waved his hand, "I just gave an order. The work is done by the people below. Lord Wei, you have made great contributions to the court. This prefecture should take good care of you."

After a few pleasantries, Magistrate Zhu introduced his two sons.

The two Mr. Zhus were very polite and bowed to everyone. They did not have any arrogance or superiority of young masters from aristocratic families, which made people feel good about them.

Cheng Shuang and Wei Qinglang also had a good impression of the two.

Zhu Shaoyuan smiled as he looked at Wei Qinglang, wondering what was so special about this man? Why did his father value him so much that he came to visit him?

Zhu Yongsi glanced at Cheng Shuang calmly, thinking that there was such a beauty in the countryside.

Prefect Zhu chatted with Zhao Xiuwen for a few more words, praising him for his young talent and asking his two sons to interact with him more often in the future to discuss academic matters.

Wei Qinglang had already gone back to continue turning the roasted whole lamb. Cheng Shuang waited for them to finish talking before saying, "The two adults and the two young masters, please come into the courtyard and sit down."

"No need to bother." Prefect Zhu waved his hand. "Your roasted lamb looks quite unusual. I'll stay and take a look."

Since they said so, Cheng Shuang didn't force it. She and Wei Xinyi ran a few times and brought out a few stools for the guests to sit on.

After moving the stool, Cheng Shuang continued to brush sauce on the mutton. The bamboo sticks that lay across were round and would swing back and forth when moved. Wei Qinglang helped to fix and turn the mutton over at one end.

The sauce is evenly brushed on the surface of the mutton, and the fat drips into the charcoal fire, making a "sizzling" sound. In the rising smoke, the aroma of the mutton becomes more and more intense.

Prefect Zhu looked at it for a while and then said, "I served in the Northwest Army in my early years and saw soldiers roasting whole lambs over fires. But most of them just roasted them and ate them immediately, and the taste was very rough. Your method is quite sophisticated, and it looks delicious and fragrant."

Wei Qinglang said, "It's not difficult actually. This sheep was slaughtered this morning. I marinated it for an hour before grilling it."

"This smells truly enticing." Zhu Yongsi, who had some knowledge of culinary arts, smiled and said, "The secret must be in the sauce that Madam Cheng has prepared. I've never tasted anything like this in countless restaurants in this city. Could it be that Madam Cheng has created something unique?"

"I guess so." Cheng Shuang took a small knife and cut the thick part of the lamb leg. "Ever since I learned about medicine and learned that some herbs can be used as food spices, I was greedy and researched some, but it's not worth mentioning."

Cheng Shuang was not paying attention when talking to someone, and her hand was splashed with oil from turning the sheep, which burned her so much that she retracted her hand.

Wei Qinglang immediately pulled the person away nervously, grabbed her hand and checked to see if she was burned, and then he felt relieved.

Then he took the knife from Cheng Shuang's hand and said, "I just reminded you to be careful, let me do it."

Zhao Xiuwen also stood up to help, "Brother Wei, let me help you turn it over."

Wei Qinglang was so nervous just now that everyone present must have seen it. Cheng Shuang was a little embarrassed to look at other people's expressions. She squatted down silently and poked the fire with a stick, removing the remaining open flames, leaving only red-hot charcoal.

Wei Qinglang grabbed a small knife and neatly cut slits in the sheep's limbs, then took the sauce and prepared to brush it on.

At this time, Prefect Zhu stood up and came over, holding out his hand, "Lord Wei, could you please let me try?"

Cheng Li was feeling something was wrong and said, "Sir, I dare not trouble you. Be careful not to get burned."

"That's all right." Prefect Zhu smiled brightly. "When I first entered the government, I followed my superiors to provide disaster relief, sleeping in the open and making my own fires and cooking!"

County Magistrate Shen echoed, "The prefect is the most approachable person, and the village head doesn't need to be so formal."

Since both officials had said so, Wei Qinglang handed over the sauce bowl and brush, "Be careful, sir, or your hands will get hot."

Prefect Zhu took the things and imitated Cheng Shuang's previous actions, brushing the sauce evenly on the surface of the mutton.

The unique aroma of the sauce mixed with the fresh fragrance of the lamb itself permeates the air, making people salivate.

After a while, Zhu Yongsi also ran over, "Dad, let me try too."

Prefect Zhu brushed a few more times, handed the brush to him, and stood beside him to instruct, "Brush here, you haven't brushed this yet."

"Daddy, please stand aside so you don't get splashed with oil."

Seeing this scene of loving father and filial son, Cheng Shuang unconsciously looked at Wei Qinglang. The other party was also looking at her and smiled at her.

The prefect's wife had only one son, and Zhu Yongsi was a concubine's son. However, judging by their father-son and brotherly relationships, there was no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

Judging from the overall situation, Magistrate Zhu was a good official and a good father. No wonder the people of Luohe Prefecture all praised this official and the Zhu family.