fake gentry

After settling everything in, it was time for dinner.

The refugees have all put on new shoes and clothes, and tonight they have salt, rice, and of course, wild rabbits and pheasants.

Compared to yesterday, the refugees had a better harvest today, catching a total of eight rabbits and about ten pheasants.

The two fattest rabbits were given to Xie Hong.

Xie Hong didn't stand on ceremony and instructed Li to clean the rabbit and soak it in the spring.

He then asked Chen San for a wood-chopping knife and, together with Aheng, began searching around Taoping.

"What are you looking for, my lord?"

"Here it is, it's great for roasting rabbit."

Xie Hong stopped in front of a clump of bushes, picked a leaf, and smelled it. A spicy and refreshing aroma rushed into his nostrils.

This thing is called mountain pepper, also known as mountain pepper.

He cut off the tender leaves and green fruits of the mountain pepper and handed them to Aheng, then walked a dozen steps further.

Clumps of knee-high herbaceous plants grew on the ground. Xie Hong squatted down and pulled up a whole plant, revealing the ginger-yellow skin of the rhizome.

This is ginseng, which has a spicy flavor and can remove fishy and muttony smells.

The two circled around Taoping and found several clumps of wild onions, perilla leaves, and a handful of Sichuan peppercorns.

"Alright, that's all. Let's go back."

Xie Hong walked ahead, his sleeves fluttering, carrying a wood-chopping knife, while Aheng followed behind, carrying some things.

When the two returned, dusk had already painted half the sky, and the campfire was already lit, with the refugees busily circling around it.

Xie Hong picked up the rabbit that was soaking in the spring water. The rabbit meat was already white and tender, and all the blood had been removed.

Madam Li had already cooked a pot of fine rice. Upon seeing this, she quickly came over: "My lord, your servant is here."

Xie Hong smiled and shook his head, instructing Aheng to give the collected items to Li Shi to wash clean, and then asked A Ling to fetch two earthenware jars.

After Li washed all the spices clean, she instructed Li to cut them into sections and pound them with a pestle to extract the juice.

Liu Chong peeked out from the side, seemingly wanting to come closer to take a look, but when he sensed Xie Hong watching him, he immediately turned his gaze away arrogantly.

Xie Hong found it amusing and didn't bother with the boy. He took the knife from Li Shi's hand and personally made cuts on the rabbit's body. He then put the rabbit into a ceramic jar and mixed crushed wild onions, scallions, pheasant leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and green peppercorns with salt to coat the rabbit meat.

Then she asked Ah Heng to fetch two lacquer trays and put the perilla leaves inside.

"My lord," Ah Heng squatted down beside him and sniffed hard, "Will it taste good after applying these things?"

"Of course."

Xie Hong flipped the rabbit over: "These things are all organic and pollution-free. You need to learn to recognize them in the future; you'll need them for survival in the wild."

"My lord, what does 'purely green and pollution-free' mean? What are you doing in the wild?"

Xie Hong glanced at her, a barely perceptible smile in his eyes: "Health."

Aheng reached out and rubbed her nose: "Isn't Jiankang the capital? I know that."

Xie Hong couldn't help but laugh.

The rabbit meat is almost marinated, emitting a refreshing and spicy aroma from a mixture of galangal and wild pepper.

Xie Hong instructed Li to set up two tree branches on the charcoal fire, spread the rabbit out, and secure it with two green bamboo sticks, placing it horizontally between the tree branches, about a foot above the charcoal fire.

He tightened the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt with a cloth strip, and half-squatted in front of the charcoal fire, slowly turning the bamboo pole.

The red-hot charcoal grilled the rabbit meat, which soon sizzled and emitted a fragrant aroma of herbs and wood.

The rabbit meat gradually tightened, and a layer of fine oil droplets began to appear on the outermost layer.

Ah Heng rested her chin on her hands, watching the rabbit slowly turn with longing. The aroma of the meat was quickly released by the charcoal fire.

The aroma of the marinade was different from the aroma of meat. It gradually spread in the seeping oil, attracting the attention of not only the refugees but also Liu Chong and Chen San.

Xie Hong picked up a little salt and sprinkled it evenly on the rabbit, then continued to slowly rotate and roast it.

Ah Heng and Ah Ling squatted down next to him, their eyes fixed on the oil droplets dripping from the rabbit meat, their mouths watering as they swallowed.

Liu Chong stood with his arms crossed, watching Xie Hong from afar. His Adam's apple bobbed as he pursed his lips and frowned, as if he were angry about something.

Chen San asked cautiously, "What's wrong, sir?"

Liu Chong said irritably, "Nothing much, it's just... what's that smell like? It's so fragrant."

Chen San had no answer.

Xie Hong stared intently at the rabbit meat, sprinkling a small pinch of salt on its surface every now and then. Then he would carefully apply the marinade from the rabbit.

When the rabbit slowly turned golden yellow and its skin swelled slightly, Xie Hong knew the time had come.

He continued to turn the bamboo pole with his left hand, brushing the rock honey he had saved for himself that morning onto the surface.

The rabbit meat was immediately coated with a thin, shiny film, which slowly turned golden brown as it was roasted over charcoal.

"Okay!"

Xie Hong took the roasted rabbit off the wooden fork and placed it in a lacquered tray that had been prepared beforehand. While it was still hot, he used a knife to cut it into several pieces.

Then I cut off a small piece, wrapped it in a perilla leaf, and put it in my mouth.

Xie Hong almost burst into tears for a moment.

This is the kind of food that humans should eat!

The flavors are a delight: spicy basil, sweet wild onions, numbing Sichuan peppercorns, and a salty-sweet taste from honey mixed with roasted salt.

Ah Heng stared wide-eyed, itching to reach out and grab it, but Ah Ling held her hand tightly, not allowing her to move around unruly.

Xie Hong smiled and said, "Let's eat together."

Li and A-Ling bowed respectfully to Xie Hong, but A-Heng couldn't wait any longer. Like a hungry little wildcat, she grabbed a piece and started to gnaw on it, only to grimac in pain from the heat.

"Eat slowly, there's still plenty left."

These two rabbits would weigh at least seven or eight pounds after roasting, which is far too much for four people to finish.

He instructed Li to bring a portion to Liu Chong and Chen San, and then picked up a piece himself and began to eat heartily.

"Is it delicious?"

Ah Heng nodded excitedly, "Delicious! My lord, is this really a rabbit? Why have I never eaten such delicious rabbit before?"

Ah Ling seemed quiet, keeping her head down and silently munching on the rabbit, but she lost interest in everything else around her and focused all her energy on the roasted rabbit.

After taking a bite, Liu Chong looked at the roasted rabbit meat in his hand, then at the brown rice and stewed rabbit in front of him.

He wouldn't even spit out the bones, chewing them with a crunching sound.

Chen San almost shed tears while watching from the side.

My poor, clumsy husband is suffering.

But this rabbit meat is just too delicious.

Xie Hong and his three companions were eating roasted rabbit with rice and honey water when Liu Chong finally couldn't resist running over.

"How did you roast this rabbit?"

Xie Hong smiled and said, "Are you asking me?"

Liu Chong's face flushed, but he still seemed unwilling to back down: "Who else could it be besides you?"

"What am I to you?" Xie Hong looked at him with amusement. "I didn't care about you before we ate the rabbit, but now that you've eaten it, what should you call me?"

Liu Chong wiped the grease from his mouth and finally lowered his head: "Brother, you are my brother."

Xie Hong laughed heartily at Chen San, completely lacking any manners: "Master Chen, your husband isn't stupid, hahaha, Brother Liu, how about I teach you how to roast rabbit sometime?"

Chen San watched from the side, looking embarrassed and silent, while he himself ate with his mouth full of oil.

It's not that they haven't eaten good food; it's just that the difference in cooking philosophies over a thousand years is too great.

If all the seasonings were available, Xie Hong could even have become the culinary god of this era, and would surely have left a significant mark on history.

He Zeng of the Western Jin Dynasty wrote "Shi Shu" to record various food recipes. It is a typical representative of the extravagant life of the nobles during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He spent 10,000 coins on food every day, leaving behind the story of "He Zeng eating 10,000 coins".

There was also Xun Xu, who could tell the difference between food and cooking wood. When Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, invited him to dinner, this guy was so picky that he could even tell what the other person had eaten just by smelling their fart.

But even these two most arrogant and incompetent fools of the Jin Dynasty had to admit defeat in front of Xie Hong.

There's nothing a roasted rabbit can't solve when dealing with a chuunibyou (delusional) teenager like Liu Chong.

Although the refugees couldn't eat Xie Hong's roasted rabbit meat, their faces finally showed satisfaction and smiles.

Xie Hong stared at the lively scene before him, momentarily lost in thought.

Yesterday I was just a piece of meat on the chopping block, today I'm in charge.

On the second day of the journey, the night was slightly cool.