For 2024, I created a Synopsis Collection on Patreon. Here will be all novel synopsis that I came across and caught my attention. If any catches yours, give it a like and maybe, just maybe, it'll become one of my project!
It was fresh and moist, with a little sweetness and deliciousness. What Academician Shen just said "occupies all natural-ness" was the most appropriate evaluation of this dish.
"How did you cook it?" Princess Danyang couldn't believe that someone could make such a dish.
Jiang Yun Zhu told her the method. It wasn't complicated, just got to focus and pay attnetion to detail.
Princess Danyang was amazed. If this was true, why didn't anyone else make such a good soup?
"It's the same as studying. Some people are top scholars, and some people are unknown." Academician Shen said. After speaking, he did not forget to finish the soup in his hand.
He was everywhere. Princess Danyang glared at him, clearly dissatisfied. She begged Emperor Qinglong to marry in her daughter-in-law, while he did nothing and could peacefully enjoy the soup now.
Seeing her expression, Academician Shen guessed what she was thinking. He coughed lightly and went to look at other dishes.
Thousand-mile preserved meat, this dish was made from strips of beef, mutton, and pork that were beaten and twisted together. First fried in oil and then stir-fried.
The book commented on this dish: "Stir together with fifteen grams of white salt, and simmer over low heat overnight. The wine is gone, the vinegar is dried, and it is dried in the sun. Tastes so sweet and refreshing, and the piercing smell is so splendid." It quoted Confucius who heard Shao music and didn't know the taste of meat in March. The allusion meant that this dried meat was so delicious that its fragrance can spread thousands of miles. Even Confucius had to forget Shao Le when he smelled the fragrance.
Academician Shen admired this dish for a long time. He couldn't wait to pick up a piece and put it into his mouth.
For a long while, he had no reaction.
This dish was simply delicious. Who cared about the tune lingering in the room. This dish could make people be immersed in it.
There were steamed goose, joyous dumplings, crispy yellow single...
Later, Academician Shen stopped expressing his emotions and was busy eating.
It was only when they couldn’t eat any more, the four of them leaned on their chairs and drank tea.
Princess Danyang finally understood why Shen Feng Ming never lost weight but became more energetic every time he came back from Lu Prefecture. If she ate such delicious food every day, she suspected that she would become plump in the future.
No, that couldn’t do.
"Don't exhaust yourself." She said to Jiang Yun Zhu. In fact, she originally wanted to say that she wasn't allowed to cook it, but she couldn't bear to part with such a delicious meal .So she temporarily changed it to this sentence.
"Thank you, Mother." Jiang Yun Zhu replied.
"Quickly go back and rest." Princess Danyang urged Shen Feng Ming and Jiang Yun Zhu. It was better to give her a grandson or granddaughter as soon as possible so that she could happily play with a grandchild.
"Yes, go back and rest." Academician Shen said. Jiang Yun Zhu and Shen Feng Ming returned to the room, but they didn't do anything. They just laid on the bed and took a nap. Then Shen Feng Ming got up and went to the Division, while Jiang Yun Zhu went to do her own work.
Some time later, King Qinghe’s son married Princess Yuxin, Xiao Li Yu.
Since the emperor was marrying out his daughter, everyone thought it would be extremely grand. At the bare minimum, it would be more lively than the Shen Family's wedding. Therefore, everyone had long been looking forward to see the excitement.
But who knew that the pomp and excitement couldn't be compared to the Shen Family's wedding. Recalling the wedding of the Shen Family a few days ago, there was more than ten miles of red dowry. The bright red color covered almost half of the capital. Look at now! Tsk tsk! It seemed like a hastily prepared marriage. But it was clearly set a month later than the Shen Family's wedding.
Everyone returned in disappointment. Then there were various opinions. Some people said that Concubine Wu had fallen out of favor. So, it went without saying she had lost her former glory. Others said that the tenth princess was unwilling to marry and was unhappy with her husband's family. That was why...
There were different opinions and this matter had become a topic of discussion after dinner.
Jiang Yun Zhu didn't care about this. She got her eye on the two big osmanthus trees in the Shen Family’s garden. At this time of the year, the osmanthus flowers were blooming just right. She could make some osmanthus wine.
She went to tell Princess Danyang. Of course Princess Danyang agreed and asked her if she needed help.
Jiang Yun Zhu wasn’t making sweet-scented osmanthus wine for sale, just for drinking at home. So she, Shi Liu and He Ying were sufficient.
Osmanthus trees generally bloom after being planted for more than ten years. The longer the year, the more luxuriant the flowers bloom. According to Princess Danyang, the two sweet-scented osmanthus trees in the Shen’s home seem to be more than two hundred years old and were quite lush with branches and leaves. At this time of year, the trees were covered with flowers. The whole Shen Family could smell the refreshing fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus.
Jiang Yun Zhu stood under the two osmanthus trees, looked up at the beautiful scenery above. She was filled with admiration. Li Qing Zhao praised the sweet-scented osmanthus for being "dark faint yellow, soft in nature, with only the fragrance left behind; no need for light green and deep red, it is the best among flowers." It was true. This sweet-scented osmanthus was beautiful.
She wasn't in a hurry. She first admired the sweet-scented osmanthus for a while before starting to make wine.
Shi Liu was agile. After changing into easy to move clothes, she took a clean cloth bag and directly climbed the sweet-scented osmanthus tree. She began to follow Jiang Yun Zhu's request and only picked the best-flowering sweet-scented osmanthus.
After she filled a cloth bag, she threw the bag down to Jiang Yun Zhu.
He Ying prepared a large earthen basin nearby and it was filled with water.
Jiang Yun Zhu picked the sweet-scented osmanthus, put the picked ones into an earthen basin, washed them, and then dried them in the sun.
Add sugar to the dried osmanthus and marinate it for two hours to make osmanthus dew. Then soak it in white wine, seal the jar and place it in a cool place to continue fermentation. Then osmanthus wine was obtained.
The whole process took two days.
Osmanthus wine had a mellow taste and golden color. It was a good choice whether it was used for cooking or drinking as it was.
Jiang Yun Zhu originally planned to make only a few jars of osmanthus wine, but seeing how good the osmanthus was, so she couldn't help but make more.
These days, she had been busy in the garden almost every day.
In the evening, Shen Feng Ming came back and found no one in the room. So he went straight to the garden.
Under two large osmanthus trees, Jiang Yun Zhu was sitting there carefully selecting osmanthus flowers. The setting sun shone through the dense osmanthus flowers, casting golden light on her body. The evening breeze flowed and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers.
Shen Feng Ming looked at that person, smelled the fragrance in the air, and unconsciously slowed down his steps.
Jiang Yun Zhu didn't realize his arrival until he smoothed a strand of messy hair on her forehead.
"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.
"No." Shen Feng Ming replied.
"Then you go to eat first." She would be busy for a while.
"Let me help you." Shen Feng Ming knew that she hadn't eaten yet. Moreover, she was very focused about her work. She wouldn't rest until she finished today’s work. So he had to help her finish it quickly so that they could have dinner together.
"Mother and the others..." Jiang Yun Zhu hesitated.
"Let them eat first." Shen Feng Ming said. He had already washed his hands, so he helped her pick osmanthus flowers.
The Shen Family had a small population and didn't have many rules.
"In another three or four days, it will probably be finished. This time it should be able to produce more than a dozen jars of osmanthus wine and will probably be opened next spring to drink. "Jiang Yun Zhu said.
"En." Shen Feng Ming responded.
"Once this time next year, let’s brew some osmanthus wine. This way, we can have osmanthus wine to drink every year."
Every year? Shen Feng Ming savored this word carefully in his heart.
"Oh right! Once in winter, some cold plum wine can be made." Jiang Yun Zhu stopped and thought of more, "Green plum wine is actually very delicious. And lotus wine..."
There was osmanthus wine in autumn, cold plum wine in winter, green plum wine in spring, and lotus wine in summer. This was the four seasons of the year.
She will always be there. Always be with him.
Realizing this, Shen Feng Ming's heart skipped a beat.
That night, Jiang Yun Zhu discovered that Shen Feng Ming was particularly indulgent and wouldn't stop attacking.
She felt like dying several times.
She was afraid that she would die on the bed, so in the end she took the initiative to hook his neck, kissed him softly, and ended this ridiculous night.
After another three or four days, all the sweet-scented osmanthus wine was brewed and Jiang Yun Zhu was satisfied.
On this day, she did nothing and occasionally teased Simba. Truly enjoying this rare leisure.
In fact, life in the Shen Family was simple. Academician Shen was upright and noble, without any messy affairs. Princess Danyang had an arrogant personality and never treated people she didn't like with pretense.
As for Shen Feng Ming, given his identity and personality, almost no one bothered him.
Therefore, there were very few outsiders coming to Shen’s home. Jiang Yun Zhu didn't have to deal with people or things she didn't like. Her daily routine was to go to the library and read books. If she got inspired, she cooked and researched new dishes.
If this dish was suitable for cooking at Shiguang Restaurant, she would go to Shiguang Restaurant and stay there for half a day, chatting with Jin Jiaoyue and others, teaching Xue Jing and Zhang He how to cook. Or cook a table of food herself if she felt like it.
Of course, she liked to visit the farmer market and buy some fresh ingredients to take home and cook for her family.
The days were leisurely and interesting, even a little idle.
However, in the past two days, Jiang Yun Zhu was wondering whether to build another fleet. In this era, the sailing speed of ships was slow. It may take a year to get back and forth. One fleet alone would definitely not be enough.
Moreover, she didn’t know how Chi Zheng and Han Kuo were doing. If they encountered any danger, getting another fleet could rescue them.
The more she pondered, the more she felt certain. So she discussed it with Shen Feng Ming.
Shen Feng Ming had this plan and the two hit it off immediately.
The two found Yang Sheng. Of course, Yang Sheng was fine with it. So they followed the previous division of labor. Jiang Yun Zhu was involved in resourcing the goods, Shen Feng Ming arranged the ship, and Yang Sheng prepared the manpower. The three of them got busy again.
Once occupied, a month or so passed. It was December in the blink of an eye.
The New Year was approaching. The capital had already taken on the New Year atmosphere. Preparations for the fleet were almost complete. The three of them decided to put this matter aside until the spring of next year.
The closer to the New Year, the busier Shen Feng Ming became. He often left early and returned late.
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