Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Chapter 214 Potato and Beef

"Tell your brother, what's your name? 89"

The little girl glanced timidly at Li Xingzhi, then turned her gaze to Wu Laoliu.

“Tell your brother,” Wu Laoliu said, noticing the look in the little girl’s eyes.

"My name is Hongyu." Her voice was still soft and timid.

"Hongyu. A good name."

Li Xingzhi had expected some tacky name like "Guihua" or "Cui'er," but to his surprise, the name Wu Laoliu came up with was quite good, much better than the names he had suggested like "Xiaojin" or "Dahuang."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes, rummaged around for a few moments, and pulled out a jade Buddha with a protruding belly, its surface a translucent green. The jade Buddha was bound by a delicate, supple red tassel. The contrast of red and green made the red appear even more vibrant and the green even clearer. Holding it in his hand, it was like a pool of clear, emerald-green water, attracting the attention of the two women beside him who craned their necks to look.

"I don't have anything good to give you, so consider this a small gift."

Sitting next to her, Liu was about to stop Li Xingzhi from taking out such an expensive gift, but seeing her husband sitting there with a blank face and no intention of politely refusing, and seeing that Li Xingzhi had already tied the jade Buddha to their daughter, she opened her mouth but ultimately didn't say anything.

Hongyu looked at the exquisitely beautiful jade Buddha hanging around her neck. It felt cool yet not cold, and even carried a gentle warmth. She was quite pleased. She glanced carefully at Wu Laoliu and Liu Shi, and seeing that they didn't object, she took the jade Buddha in her hands and began to play with it, her face beaming with an undisguised sweet smile.

"Thank you, brother."

This time, the way he called him "brother" sounded much more affectionate and willing, and his voice was a little louder.

Li Xingzhi gently pinched the little girl's rosy cheeks. Seeing her happily playing with the jade Buddha, he turned to look at the child in Liu's arms who was puffing out bubbles.

The little child was happily playing by himself, grabbing and releasing with both hands while making "popo" sounds.

"Does he have a name?" Li Xingzhi asked with a smile.

"He only gave her the nickname 'Little Grass'."

"Why hasn't it been named yet?" Li Xingzhi asked curiously.

"I heard that it's easier to raise a child if you give them a humble nickname first."

Li Xingzhi suddenly realized. Even in later rural areas, this custom was still maintained.

At this moment, a fleeting look of hesitation crossed Wu Laoliu's wooden face. He bowed and said, "Please, sir, bestow a name upon my son."

Li Xingzhi was taken aback by Wu Laoliu's sudden move and was slightly embarrassed—he really wasn't good at naming things. Refusing would be unwise.

He pondered for a moment before speaking, “How about calling him Cheng’en? This person is born into the grace of Heaven and Earth and his parents. I only hope that he will always remember this, be grateful to Heaven and Earth and be filial to his parents in the future, so that he will not have lived in vain.”

As Li Xingzhi spoke, he thought the name was quite good, incredibly sophisticated! He was feeling quite pleased with himself, muttering a few words to himself, when suddenly he realized something was wrong. After pondering it again and again—Cheng'en, Wu Cheng'en?! He immediately felt an urge to slap his forehead and vomit blood.

Shaking his head, Li Xingzhi decided to stop thinking about those messy things. Anyway, there's no Journey to the West to write now, so calling it 'Wu Cheng'en' is fine too. Thinking this way, he felt quite clever and capable.

"Wow!"

The little baby, perhaps sensing Li Xingzhi's strange thoughts, waved its hands and started barking at him.

Li Xingzhi looked at the tender-looking child and smiled, "Little Chengen, be good. Your brother has also prepared a gift for you."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a red-tasseled jade Guanyin statue.

The Guanyin figure holds a jade vase, her face full of compassion, incredibly lifelike. The jade pendant itself is so vibrant and green it seems to drip with water. "Men wear Guanyin, women wear Buddha"—these two jade pieces are clearly a pair.

"Put this on Cheng En."

Li Xingzhi handed the jade Guanyin to Wu Laoliu—since the little child was being held in Liu Shi's arms, he couldn't be too close to him.

Since he didn't refuse the first jade pendant, there was even less reason for him to refuse this one. Wu Laoliu took the Guanyin pendant and put it directly on Xiao Chengen's wrist.

The child was more sensitive than Hongyu. As soon as Biyu put it on, he felt a strange, cool, and comfortable sensation emanating from the jade pendant. He grabbed the jade Guanyin and put it in his mouth, making happy "woo-woo" sounds with his little mouth.

Just then, a rich and fragrant aroma wafted over.

Xiao Chengen stopped playing with the jade pendant, his large, clear black eyes staring straight ahead, his little nose twitching, and many glistening drops of water dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Li Xingzhi turned his head and saw that while he was delivering the gift, Li Linzhi had extinguished the firewood underneath and lifted the lid. Instantly, a miniature mushroom cloud rose up and filled the small dining room.

He glared at Li Linzhi, "All you do is beg for food."

"Hmph! By the time you start serving food, Rou'er and I would have starved to death!" the girl retorted defiantly.

"I owe you this." Li Xingzhi looked defeated. The smell of the food made his stomach rumble, and he said irritably, "Go get some bowls and chopsticks."

"I'll go," Liu said, getting up without even holding the child.

"It's alright, let that glutton go!"

The girl had already stood up. Seeing Li Xingzhi's helpless expression, a victorious smile appeared on her face. She proudly raised her head and pulled Zhou Rou'er to get the bowls and chopsticks.

After the two women brought the bowls and chopsticks, the billowing steam from the large wok dissipated, revealing a large portion of a pale yellow, pasty substance—a truly unsightly sight. If it weren't for the irresistible aroma emanating from it, probably no one would have given it a second glance!

"Luckily, it was beef stew with potatoes. If it were anything else, the two kids might not have been able to eat it," Li Xingzhi said with a smile. As he spoke, he scooped a large spoonful of the paste into a bowl that was already half full of rice.

The yellowish paste was poured into Li Xingzhi's bowl, revealing several square pieces of dark brown beef inside. On each large square, individual strands of fibrous meat were clearly visible.

"No matter the size, help yourself if you want to eat, I won't stand on ceremony." As he spoke, Li Xingzhi picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth.

The beef is coated in potato starch, retaining its rich juices; it's been braised over high heat until it's incredibly tender. One bite, and the juices burst in your mouth; the meat is succulent yet retains a touch of elasticity and chewiness, combined with the fragrant, powdery potato flavor—truly a rare delicacy!

At this moment, even the slightest flaw in appearance can be ignored.

Even just eating the potato noodles, mixed with the aroma of the overflowing beef juice, tastes extremely good.

Little Chengen was held in Liu's arms, munching away on the crisp and fragrant potato noodles, thoroughly enjoying himself... (To be continued).