Chapter 632: Stinky Tofu 4

Chu Lian had only brought Wenqing and Wenlan this time.

They were riding in the carriage with all of their clothes.

By the time Chu Lian and He Changdi had arrived at the camp, they had only just arrived mere minutes earlier.

One of their stewards steered the carriage and parked it next to their tent.

Chu Lian ordered Wenqing and Wenlan about as they unpacked the things they had brought with them.

The steward and two guards were helping to unload the luggage off the carriage. As they saw what their marchioness had packed, the old steward couldn't help the twitch that developed in the corner of his mouth.

Just look at all this!

A specially made metal wok, a strange metal rack with unknown purpose, all sorts of ingredients that a hunting ground would lack, seasonings he had never heard of, jerky, fruits, desserts...

Of the luggage they had brought in that one carriage, half of it was food... As for the other half, they were all things to cook food...

In comparison, look at what the noble madam over there had brought: clothes, accessories, incense, all sorts of furnishings...

The old steward bowed his head in shame, resigned to his fate. He continued helping his noble madam move all sorts of food-related items into the tent.

However, the foodies staring at Chu Lian and He Changdi's tent didn't share the same thoughts.

Before they had even started preparing the meal, there was already a table full of guests in Chu Lian's tent...

Sima Hui and Royal Princess Duanjia were to be expected, since they were both ladies. However, what was with Great General Qian and Old Duke Zheng inviting themselves in? What were these two old beardies doing here?

Captain Guo, Xiao Hongyu, and Zhang Mai didn't have any space to sit.

However, they would rather stand than leave.

Royal Princess Duanjia rolled her eyes.

"Chu Liu, tell your servants to cook a little less, just enough for our table to eat. Ignore those gluttons standing over there."

Xiao Hongyu hadn't eaten breakfast in the rush to leave this the morning. As a young man, he couldn't bear with the hunger and was starving by now. Royal Princess Duanjia's words only made him feel even more stubborn.

Unfortunately, due to the princess' status, he couldn't respond to her provocation.

Chu Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry looking at the tent full of guests.

For the nobles settling into the hunting grounds, they had brought their servants to cook their meals.

The emperor's meals were taken care of by his attendants, but for the three soldiers, they had to take care of their own meals. It was only if the emperor specially ordered a feast to be held that they would be able to gather for dinner.

Looking at the number of guests, the maidservants they had brought wouldn't be enough.

The sight that first greeted He Changdi when he entered their tent was their table full of guests. His expression immediately turned overcast.

However, he couldn't say anything with Old Duke Zheng and Great General Qian around, since their statuses were greater than his.

Chu Lian looked at the ingredients that the steward had brought and wondered what to cook.

Luckily, the steward had packed extra food just in case, otherwise there might not have been enough to feed this group of gluttons.

Since there were so many people present, Chu Lian told Wenqing to grill some lamb chops and prepare a large pot of sour beef stew.

The sour beef stew contained a lot of mushrooms and vegetables. It was very appetising when paired with white rice.

It was the best dish for a large party like this.

Since they were in the wilderness, they could prepare simple dishes without being too fussy about the presentation.

As Wenqing and Wenlan worked on the lamb chops and sour beef stew, Chu Lian continued looking through the ingredients they had brought.

She lifted the cloth covering a small bamboo basket.

When she saw what was inside the basket, Chu Lian's eyes lit up.

Stinky tofu!

This was what she had made a few days ago with the maidservants when she was bored.

Since it couldn't be stored for long, the cook managing Songtao Court's kitchen had packed it in when the steward had told her to prepare ingredients for the trip.

Chu Lian loved to eat fried stinky tofu the most back in the modern era, especially Changsha's special stinky tofu. The stinky tofu would be perfectly crisp once prepared properly. In order to make it Changsha style, she just had to spread a layer of bright red chilli paste on the outside. If you bit into it, it would be crispy and fragrant, with the perfect crunchiness on the outside and soft tofu on the inside.

While it still stunk to high heaven, it was addictive once you got past the smell and took the first bite.

Stinky tofu was a pretty marvelous food when you thought about it.

Chu Lian stared at the pieces of stinky tofu in the little bamboo basket and frowned.

If she didn't use them up today, it would likely spoil.

Wasting food was criminal.

The weather was slowly warming up again. Fresh foods would spoil faster now.

Furthermore, she hadn't eaten stinky tofu in a long time and she had been craving for it for so long. She checked the time and realised that there was still enough time before the spring hunt to cook the stinky tofu.

After a slight moment of hesitation, Chu Lian made her decision.

She took up the little basket and moved over to the stove where Wenqing and Wenlan were preparing food.

Wenlan was in the middle of seasoning the lamb chops.

Seeing that her master had come over, Wenlan quickly set down the things in her hands and welcomed her, taking the little basket from her master's delicate hands.

She even said, "Third Young Madam, please rest and leave all the work to us servants."

Chu Lian couldn't resist bursting out into laughter. "You and Wenlan won't be able to do this."

Wenlan refused to admit defeat. She and her sister had been serving Third Young Madam for so long, and Third Young Madam had never been stingy with sharing her cooking techniques with her handmaids. How hard could making a few dishes for their guests be?

Wenlan blinked and looked at the basket that she was now holding. "Third Young Madam, what's in here?"

Chu Lian noticed her curiosity. A mischievous glint passed through her eyes. "If you want to know, why don't you open it up?"