After the salted fish is married

60. Crispy Plum

Yan Xining and Ji Song had never raised children before, and they adopted a free-range model for Ji Tan.It was the first time that Ji Tan was left alone, and he went crazy with joy.

Everything in Wenzhang Garden is too attractive to Ji Tan. He likes the damselflies flying on the vegetable leaves, the koi swimming in the lake, and the chickens, ducks and geese running all over the ground.When he sees a fluffy little yellow dog, he wants to pick it up and hug him; when he sees a green fruit, he wants to grab a few and take a bite;He never tired of it, the smile on his face never broke.

Ji Tan is lively but not annoying. Whenever he sees Yan Xining doing something, he will obediently stand by his side, and sometimes even help out with some things.What Yan Xining told him to do, he did well.

Ji Tan fully showed Yan Xining what it means for a child from the city to go to the countryside, and everything he saw was novel.After running wildly in Wenzhangyuan for most of the day, he was finally exhausted, and finally fell on the bed and fell asleep.

The nuns in the palace dared to show up and carry him away when Ji Tan was fast asleep. When they left Wenzhang Garden, the nuns were amazed: "I've never seen His Highness the Seventh Prince so obedient, Madam Wangfei, you are truly a god. "

One must know that Ji Tan is notoriously mischievous, but behind him there is a sage who dotes on him.The last time he fell in Ji Liu's mansion, Ji Liang was called into the palace by the Holy Majesty for half an hour of training.From then on, Ji Tan was able to walk sideways in the palace, but he never expected that he would have such a cute side in Prince Rong's Mansion.

Yan Xining smiled without saying a word. Although he has never raised a child, he has raised small animals.Like small animals, children have strong curiosity. The more you stop him from doing something, the more he wants to challenge himself.

After Ji Tan left, Wenzhang Garden became quiet again, but Yan Xining was still busy.The green plums that Baitao and the others picked up had been soaked in salt water for half a day, so they should be picked up for further processing.

The plum trees in Pinmei Garden are of good variety, and the plums produced are not small.Although the wind and rain blew down a lot of plums last night, the plums did not break much when they fell on the soft ground.Yan Xining picked out the more damaged plums, and he soaked the remaining plums in salt water.

After careful scrubbing, each plum exudes a fresh plum fragrance.While cleaning, Yan Xining used a bamboo stick to remove the remaining fruit stalks.When Guodi left Ome, he made a crisp "Bobo" sound, which was very relaxing.

The plums with their stems removed were placed in a wooden basin aside, waiting for the next step of processing.

Just as Yan Xining was immersing herself in picking the green plums, Ji Song's voice came from behind: "Has Ji Tan gone back?"

Yan Xining turned her head to look, and saw Ji Song holding a big food box in his hand.He smiled and said, "Well, after playing for a long time, I fell asleep from exhaustion, and Nanny went back to the palace with her back on her back. Are you done with your work? Have you had lunch yet?"

Ji Song handed the food box in his hand to Yan Xining: "I'm done, I brought you some snacks."

After dealing with those officials from the Ministry of Industry who relied on their elders to sell their elders, Ji Song went out.He visited the previous minister of the Ministry of Industry, and when he came back, he saw a shop selling dim sum on the side of the road, thinking that Yan Ke had said that Yan Xining liked to eat dim sum, so he stopped to buy some.

Ji Song's face was calm, but there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes: "I don't know what kind of food you like, so I brought you some of each."

Yan Xining wiped her hands and took the food box happily: "Thank you~" Opening the food box, I saw that the food box was full of exquisitely shaped snacks, and the price was very expensive at first glance.Yan Xining exclaimed: "It's so beautiful, I can't bear to eat it. Thank you Songsong~"

Ji Song's ear tips were slightly red: "It's good if you like it. By the way, what are you doing?" As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Yan Xining squatting in the corridor with his back facing him, washing and brushing. It seemed that he was making delicious food again.

Ji Song probed to see that there was a layer of green plum soaked in the time basin.He remembered that Yan Xining had told him that he would make green plum wine after a while, did he start making it today?

Yan Xining put the food box in the kitchen and put it away. Hearing Ji Song's question, he walked out quickly: "I'm going to make some crispy plums."

Ji Song frowned: "Crispy plums? Isn't it to make green plum wine?"

Yan Xining smiled and said: "These plums were blown down by the wind, so they will inevitably be bumped. They are not suitable for brewing wine, and it would be a waste to throw them away, but they will be fine if they are made into crisp plums. Wait for the plums on the tree to ripen, and use It tastes better when you make wine."

Ji Song nodded, and after a pause he asked, "Do you need my help?"

Yan Xining wanted to refuse, but when he saw Ji Song's lonely figure, he couldn't help thinking of Ji Tan.The royal disciples are all lonely. They had no playmates when they were young, and when they grow up, they even make friends with various purposes.Ji Song's childhood became more rigorous and less relaxed. He must have never done something like making crispy plums by himself before.

Thinking of this, Yan Xining frowned, and he solemnly invited: "That would be great, I just need help."

A smile curled up on Ji Song's lips, and he quickly came to Yan Xining's side: "Yeah."

As soon as the warm air blows, the water stains on the surface of the cleaned greengage will quickly dry up.Yan Xining took out a small handful of fine salt and put it in the palm of her hand, then picked up two green plums and rubbed them quickly: "Rub each plum with fine salt until the surface turns emerald green."

Ji Song carefully observed Yan Xining's hands. After rubbing the green plums in his palms, the juice leaked from the surface, and the outer skin was softer than before.When Yan Xining let go of her hands, the two plums had turned emerald green, and the tiny scars on the surface were no longer visible.

Yan Xining took out the kitchen knife and cutting board at this time, he put the green plum on the cutting board, and then patted it lightly with the blade.There was a crisp sound of "pop", and the plums burst open, splashing fresh plum juice.

At this time, the pedicle of the plum fruit has cracked, but the pulp at the end is still connected together. Through the crack at the pedicle, the light yellow core sticking to the pulp can be clearly seen.

Yan Xining showed the plums in her hand: "Look, just crush them like this."

Ji Song nodded: "I see." Following Yan Xining's example, he poured a pinch of salt into the palm of his hand, then took two plums and rubbed them carefully.Feeling the plum softening in the palm of his hand, Ji Song felt a deep sense of satisfaction in his heart.

The two worked together, and after Yan Xining cleaned all the plums, he and Ji Song rubbed and patted the plums together.The fragrance of plums enters the nose faintly, and the cracked plums are flowing freely in the wooden basin.After a while, a layer of green juice appeared in the basin, all of which sent a strong signal to Ji Song—plums are delicious.

So Ji Song picked up a plum, put it to the tip of his nose and smelled it.Then he took a bite out of nowhere, and after a crisp "click", the sour and bitter plum juice burst, and Ji Song's expression twisted: "Hmm."

Yan Xining looked up and almost laughed out loud: "Songsong, you are really a warrior!"

With lingering fear in his heart, Ji Song threw the plum with two teeth marks on it aside: "It smells delicious, but I didn't expect it to taste so sour."

Yan Xining was overjoyed: "I don't blame you, Xiao Qi did the same thing to you just now." Ji Tan grabbed a beautiful greengage from the tree, and after taking a bite, he grinned sourly.

Hearing Yan Xining mentioned Ji Tan, Ji Song didn't want to spoil the fun, but after thinking for a while, he still said, "Do you like Xiao Qi very much?"

Yan Xining responded: "Xiao Qi is lively and cute, he is very good."

Ji Song said seriously: "Xiao Qi is the most beloved prince of the royal father, it's all right for him to be happy in Prince Rong's mansion, if one day we do something that he doesn't like, it is very likely that the royal father will reprimand him. So I hope you can put some distance away from him."

Yan Xining pursed his lips, he nodded after thinking for a while: "I see."

Seeing that his complexion was a bit grim, Ji Song slowed down his voice: "I'm not afraid of my father's reprimand, but..." I'm afraid that Yan Xining's efforts will not be appreciated.

Yan Xining smiled: "I just think that Xiaoqi is quite lonely, I want to make him happy within the scope of my ability. If you don't like it, I will pay more attention to propriety in the future."

Ji Song sighed lightly, and looked seriously into Yan Xining's eyes: "Everyone in the royal family came here like this, and Xiaoqi has the favor of the emperor, which is better than anything else. In my opinion, he has already Luckier than other princes."

"I'm not jealous that he can get the favor of the emperor, I'm worried that if you get close to him, you will be taken advantage of by someone with a heart. I know that your kindness to Xiaoqi comes from the bottom of your heart. If you don't want to profit from him, it is inevitable that someone will be malicious. Slander. If that day really comes, how will you deal with yourself?"

Yan Xining thought for a moment and then smiled: "I believe in exchanging people's hearts for people's hearts, and I'm not afraid to give first. If my kindness to a person is misinterpreted by him, and he alienates me because of it, I don't think it's okay. Because..."

He smiled brightly: "Because he misunderstood me, he lost a lot of money. I just stayed away from a person who listened to slander and treated a gentleman with a villain's heart, and what he lost was a person who was willing to treat him well." .”

Ji Song opened his eyes wide in surprise, suddenly something moved in his heart.He lowered his eyes, and after a while suddenly smiled: "I'm relieved if you think so. Just pretend I didn't say what you said just now, and don't let me affect your relationship with Xiaoqi."

Yan Xining said happily, "I'm such an old man, how can I still not be able to tell good from bad? If you didn't trust me, Song Song, you wouldn't have said these things to me."

Ji Song's heart was beating like a drum, and he lowered his eyelids to hide the emotion in his eyes: "Well, it's good that you know."

Yan Xining suddenly became curious: "By the way, Songsong, what were you like when you were young? Are you as lively as Xiao Qi?"

Ji Song patted Qingmei and said: "I'm not as lucky as Xiao Qi. My mother and concubine passed away when I was still in my infancy. Later, my father fostered me under the name of the imperial concubine at that time... I reached the age of enlightenment After that, I was able to read and write like other princes. I went to the army to train in the thirteenth year."

Ji Song obviously had a past that he didn't want Yan Xining to know about, and Yan Xining didn't look into it.He sighed: "Songsong, you are so pitiful, you have no childhood."

A happy childhood can heal a lifetime. Yan Xining sighed: "Your childhood was too serious. At an age when you should be playing around, you have to bear such a heavy burden. You have worked hard."

Everyone's childhood is different, in Yan Xining's view, childhood should be colorful.There should be kittens and puppies in childhood, crying and laughing and little troubles. Childhood is very short and can be finished in a few words, but when recalling childhood, there should be birds in the sky and sugar in the pocket.

Ji Song smiled slightly: "Maybe."

A child of the royal family can't help himself in many things.

Yan Xining raised her hand and patted Ji Song's shoulder: "It's okay, although you didn't have a bright childhood, you can have a bright future."

61. Crispy Plum

While chatting, the greengage in the pot has been processed.Yan Xining put all the plums that had been smashed and cracked into the wooden barrel, and he poured in the plum juice that had precipitated in the basin, and then added clean water that hadn't touched the plums into the barrel.

After pressing a plate on the plums to prevent the plums from floating up, Yan Xining clapped her hands happily: "That's the end of today's task."

Ji Song was stunned for a moment: "Isn't it over yet?"

Yan Xining smiled and said, "No, I have to soak in sugar water for several days. Every day, the sugar water has to be boiled fresh, and the plums can only be soaked after boiling and cooling."

Ji Song looked at the plums soaked in the wooden barrel and thought: "Do I have to cook them every day? How long does it take for the crispy plums to be good?"

Yan Xining thought about it: "It will be ready in five or six days. It is fast to make crispy plums, and you don't have to wait for a long time."

Ji Song nodded: "That's the next time I'm going to sleep..."

Yan Xining nodded: "That's right, the crispy plum will be healed next time you take a rest."

Ji Song manipulated the wheelchair and turned around: "Then let's take a rest next time."

Yan Xining couldn't help laughing, he saw that Ji Song was actually still a child, he said he didn't care, but he remembered the time when the crispy plums were ready to eat.Anyway, there are a lot of plums in Pinmeiyuan, if he likes the taste of crispy plums, he can just make some more at that time.

The plums turn a nice yellow color after being soaked in salt water overnight.Yan Xining poured out the water in the bucket, and then soaked the plums in clean water for half a day to get out the bitter taste.After half a day, he fished out the plums and dried them thoroughly, and then soaked them in the pre-boiled sugar water.

From the fourth day, Ji Song and the guards drank sweet and sour plum water, and on the fifth day, the crispy plums finally matured.The crispy plums are golden in color, and the crispy sweetness brings a rich plum fragrance when you bite into it.

If Ji Song hadn't tasted the taste of crispy plums himself, he would never have imagined that sour green plums could become so sweet and refreshing.As soon as the crispy plums were ready, they were quickly divided up by the guards. If it wasn't for Yan Xining's sharp eyesight and quick hands, the crispy plums promised to Ji Tan would have been gone.

During the few days waiting for the crispy plums to be made, Ji Song also started his life as a social animal.Although the Ministry of Industry can walk to Prince Rong's Mansion in 10 minutes, Ji Song is currently the highest-ranking official in the Ministry of Industry, and he has to go to the early court.

The early dynasty of Chu and Liao began at the beginning of Maoshi, and the ministers who wanted to go to court had to line up outside the Shenwu Gate at Yinshizhong.A few days before Yin time, Ji Song woke up rustlingly, but at that time the chicken was still awake, Yan Xining was still playing chess with Duke Zhou in his sleep.

It stands to reason that seeing Ji Song as a social animal, Yan Xining would feel at ease physically and mentally.But ever since Ji Song climbed into his bed that day, he didn't think about going back to his brocade couch.This old man justifiably occupies the big bed and refuses to move, that's all, what's even worse is that Yan Xining will be woken up by him every morning.

When social animals see people who can sleep late, their eyes will turn red with envy.Yan Xining deeply felt that this was Ji Song's revenge on him, but he was too angry to speak up under the eaves.Instead of being angry, he had to appear willing.

It's not easy to be a salted fish living under the fence these days!

After Ji Song got up, he still had to sort out the papers in Wenzhang Garden, and this time would last until Yinshi.With Ji Song in the room, he didn't dare to go back to bed, so he went to the kitchen to make breakfast, hoping that Ji Song would go back to Tingsong Building for the sake of the hot breakfast.

Fortunately, after Ji Song left, he was still able to sleep back into the cage. Thinking of this, Yan Xining's anger became much less angry, and the action of frying fried dough sticks became gentler.

With the starlight overhead, the carriage set off without any haste.In the carriage, Ji Song was wearing court clothes, and on the bench beside the wheelchair was an open food box, in which was a box of hot fried dough sticks and tofu soup.

Thinking of Yan Xining hugging him tightly and refusing to let go every morning, Ji Song's heart beat faster and his cheeks blushed slightly; and thinking of Yan Xining who was so sleepy that tears were about to come out but still firmly got up to make breakfast for himself, his lips The angle rose uncontrollably.

His princess is so affectionate to him, how can he ignore it?

The smell of fried dough sticks wafted out of the car window, and Yan Ke's voice came from outside the carriage: "Old Zhang is really bad, taking Wang Hao's recipe, the fried dough sticks he made are far worse than Wang Hao's. And that tofu soup, The tofu soup made by the princess is so smooth, tsk tsk~"

Ji Song raised his eyebrows slightly, he lifted the curtain and knocked on the carriage.Yan Ke hurriedly turned his head, his eyes filled with anticipation: "Master?"

Ji Song held the food box and handed out the carriage: "Eat."

Yan Ke's goal was achieved, he smiled until his eyes narrowed into two slits: "Okay! Thank you, master!"

The carriage stopped in a secluded place, and the guards gathered around the carriage, each holding a deep-fried dough stick and eating it.Ji Song drank the tofu soup unhurriedly, and his body warmed up after drinking the hot soup.

After a simple, quick and delicious breakfast, everyone's body and mind warmed up.Ji Song wiped the corners of his lips: "Is Zhuangzi ready?"

Yan Ke gave a thumbs up: "It's been prepared a long time ago, and Leng Jun's arrangements are also in place. As long as the princess leaves Wenzhang Garden, the craftsmen can start working."

Ji Song nodded: "Don't let the news out."

Yan Ke showed his white teeth: "Don't worry, my lord."

After breakfast, the carriage continued to head for Shenwumen.Ji Song reached out and groped under the wheelchair for a while, and he found a small clay pot with a lid, which was full of crispy plums soaked in sugar water.

This is the crispy plum that Yan Xining asked him to bring to Ji Tan, and there is still a while away from the palace wall, so he will eat a few first before talking.

Pick up a crispy plum and stuff it into your mouth and bite it lightly. The crispy plum bursts out with sweet and sour juice, and the quiet plum fragrance permeates the entire carriage.Crispy plums are something that you can't stop eating. After a while, there are several pale yellow plum seeds beside the wheelchair.

Seeing that Shenwumen was close in front of him, Ji Song gently put the lid on the clay pot, feeling a little sore in his heart.What to do, he suddenly didn't want to give this pot to Xiao Qi.