Chapter 233: The Taste of Pagoda Flowers
Chapter 233: Chapter 233: The Taste of Pagoda Flowers
After stepping out, Nan Zhi went around to the back of the old house.
The house may have been old, but the upside was that it was surrounded by nature.
In just a short walk around the property, Nan Zhi spotted several types of edible wild greens.
She felt a pang of regret. ’What a waste to have bought all that stuff at the market.’
Fortunately, it was Lu Shixu’s money that had been wasted, not hers.
She decided to save the wild greens in the ground for later and just pulled up a couple of handfuls of wild scallions.
The recent rains had been plentiful, washing the wild scallions a vibrant, clean green. They looked so tender and succulent, as if the slightest pressure would make them burst with juice.
One could just imagine it: scallions like these wouldn’t need much seasoning. Mixed with egg batter and pan-fried into a thin omelet, they would be absolutely divine.
She placed the wild scallions into the small, woven bamboo basket a student had given her and walked back home with a spring in her step.
The moment she stepped inside, Nan Zhi keenly sensed that something was off with the atmosphere.
Outside, the spring day was bright and full of life.
Inside, it was a frozen wasteland where all life had ceased.
’I was only gone for a few minutes. What’s with this sudden nosedive in the mood?’
Nan Zhi silently sized up Lu Shixu and Fu Chao, her gaze shifting back and forth between their faces.
Lu Shixu, acting as if nothing had happened, calmly pointed to her basket and asked Nan Zhi:
"Do these vegetables need to be washed?"
"...They’re wild scallions."
Nan Zhi was quite disappointed by Lu Shixu’s lack of everyday knowledge.
Lu Shixu offered no explanation. He naturally took the basket from her, removed the wild scallions, and began meticulously washing every single blade until it was spotless.
Seeing this, Nan Zhi praised him casually:
"Not bad."
The corners of Lu Shixu’s mouth twitched upward in visible pleasure.
Fu Chao shot daggers at him with his eyes.
But Nan Zhi frowned at him.
"You’re crushing the black locust flowers."
The kind Nan Zhi had bought at the market was in season. They were black locust flowers, which had a naturally sweet and elegant fragrance.
All the flowers had been picked just this morning—milky-white clusters that looked as fresh and tender as fine jade. But after Fu Chao’s rough handling, the petals had wilted.
Fu Chao quickly looked down, so nervous that beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"S-Sorry!"
Nan Zhi didn’t press the issue.
"It’s fine. Not too many were damaged. Just pick those out and throw them away."
When she could afford to be picky, her standards for ingredients were always very high.
However, after this little incident, Nan Zhi didn’t ask about the problem between Lu Shixu and Fu Chao.
This made Fu Chao sigh in relief.
He was well aware that Nan Zhi had been quietly observing him and Lu Shixu ever since she’d walked in, likely sensing the strange atmosphere between them.
If Nan Zhi had actually asked, Fu Chao honestly wouldn’t have known whether to hide the truth or tell her what happened.
The former would have been difficult for him.
For some strange, intuitive reason, Fu Chao never wanted to deceive Nan Zhi.
But what Fu Chao didn’t know was that Nan Zhi had also taken note of his subtle reactions.
She shook her head inwardly, amused.
’Since he’s so desperate for me not to find out, I’ll just pretend I don’t know.’
’As long as they don’t bring their drama to me, it’s fine.’
She refocused her attention on the freshly washed toon leaves.
When it came to spring vegetables, toon was an absolute must-have.
The toon you could buy in the city was mostly farm-raised. Only the ones from the market were genuinely wild, with a much stronger aroma.
The preparation was also simple. You just had to blanch the toon until its color changed, let it cool, then toss it with soft tofu, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of sesame oil to create a first-class delicacy.
The only difficulty lay in the blanching. If overcooked, the toon would lose its fresh, spring-like essence. If undercooked, it would have a slightly astringent taste.
Needless to say, with Nan Zhi’s skills, the task was completed quickly and perfectly.
Once that cold dish was done, Nan Zhi took out the freshly washed elm seeds and black locust flowers.
Similarly, they didn’t require a complicated cooking process. You just needed to rinse them clean, toss them with dry flour until evenly coated, and then steam them. Once cooked, they were mixed with a garlic sauce made of salt and sesame oil, creating one of the most refreshing dishes for a spring meal.
Nan Zhi saw that the quality of the black locust flowers was good and she had bought plenty. She had only steamed a small portion, leaving most of them.
Wanting to add more variety to the meal, she decided to make two more dishes with the flowers.
For one dish, she stir-fried the black locust flowers to make a topping for hand-pulled noodles, creating a dish of Black Locust Flower Noodles.
For the other, she mixed the flowers with minced meat and egg to make a filling for Black Locust Flower Buns.
After using up all the black locust flowers, while waiting for the buns to steam, Nan Zhi quickly took the freshly washed wild scallions, beat several eggs, and pan-fried them into omelets.
As for the remaining wild greens, Nan Zhi simply stir-fried them with only salt for seasoning to highlight their own unique aroma and flavor.
Finally, the hand-pulled noodles were done. Nan Zhi ladled the black locust flower topping over them.
"Dinner’s ready. Go get Yiyi."
She turned around, holding the noodle bowl, and froze.
There was no need to call him.
It turned out Nan Yi had already been drawn out by the aroma of the food and had woken up at some point.
Right then, he, along with Lu Shixu, Fu Chao, and Qing Xi, were standing in a line.
Since it was an open-plan kitchen, they had tacitly agreed to stand just outside the kitchen area.
They were cautious and careful, not daring to step into Nan Zhi’s sacred domain, merely watching in silence as her movements flowed as smoothly as a work of art.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help, but they had discovered that Nan Zhi simply didn’t need them.
Jumping in rashly would only be a nuisance to her.
Now, at Nan Zhi’s "Dinner’s ready," as if a spell had been broken, everyone snapped out of their daze and sprang into action.
Nan Yi and Qing Xi, being the youngest, felt no hesitation in fawning over Nan Zhi.
Besides, they had gotten used to doing so during their time at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant, so—
Nan Yi: "Mom, let me! Be careful not to burn your hands!"
Qing Xi: "Auntie Zhizhi, me too! I can help you!"
The two little sycophants swarmed her flatteringly, not giving Nan Zhi any chance to lift another finger.
Compared to them, Lu Shixu and Fu Chao were much more reserved.
Lu Shixu silently picked up two bowls of noodles.
Fu Chao saw this and, not wanting to be outdone, reached for the steamer basket.
"Careful—"
Before Nan Zhi could get the word out, she saw Fu Chao grimace in pain from the heat, nearly jumping on the spot.
Lu Shixu, who had already set down the noodle bowls, naturally moved past Fu Chao, grabbed two clean, soft cloths, and used them to lift the steamer by its scorching hot woven handles in one smooth motion.
The action was so effortless that it made Fu Chao, who had just burned himself, look like a fool.
Fu Chao even felt that as Lu Shixu passed by, he deliberately shot him a mocking glance...
’Provocation!’
’This is definitely a provocation!’
Nan Zhi pressed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She quickly gave Fu Chao a new task, telling him to carry the serving plates.
Only then did Fu Chao settle down, prioritizing Nan Zhi’s request and getting to work.
Dinner was served.