Inside the heavenly screen, Li Xi was enthusiastically directing the dough-kneading.
Outside the heavenly screen, His Majesty the Emperor wore an expression of fury.
What on earth is he doing? I always knew you were someone who never did anything proper. Look at what you’ve been up to day after day?
Playing with cats, playing with dough—this wretched child.
I shouldn’t have sent you so far away. But now that you’re in Anxi, the court has even less control over you. Won’t that just allow this boy to run wild in the future?
Li Yu and Li Shi both felt a chill in their hearts, regretting only that their younger brother/uncle’s cleverness was being used in all the wrong places.
He had even stirred up the Imperial Grandson’s envy for cats, making him clamor day after day to keep a kitten as well.
Recently, Taiji Palace had suddenly become home to many more cats.
“Shaolang, how has your reading been going lately?” Li Yu decided to stop paying attention to the troublemaker inside the heavenly screen.
Before his words had even faded, the Imperial Grandson cried out, “Grandfather, Father, look—what is this now?”
The scene shifted rapidly, skipping countless failed attempts, until Master Ma stretched the dough into long, thin strands. Servants hung the stretched noodles outside, and Li Xi directed the master to continue pulling.
“Keep pulling, make them even longer.” Li Xi glanced at the thickness of the hanging noodles and finally decided to give up. “That’s fine. This width should work too.”
Though the images on the screen were not particularly clear, the three generations of grandfather, father, and grandson all stared intently at the people inside.
The Imperial Grandson exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? Are these soup noodles? Why are they being dried?”
But Li Shi sensed something unusual. “Uncle is drying the soup noodles. He’s drying them so they can be eaten on the road.”
Li Yu was dismissive. “Drying soup noodles? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
But he was no longer a child; he could think and make connections.
As rows of soup noodles hung under the sun, Li Yu’s expression also changed slightly.
“Summon Guo Ziyi.” This great secret could no longer be kept hidden.
A few moments later, Guo Ziyi, looking astonished as he watched the heavenly screen, exchanged glances with His Majesty the Emperor. Finally, under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, he regained his composure. The scene on the heavenly screen showed several people setting up a stove, seemingly preparing to cook something. Only then did Guo Ziyi find the chance to voice his confusion. “Your Majesty, what is this?”
His Majesty had been keeping secrets! How long had he been hiding this from him?
Lately, His Majesty had been frequenting Chengqing Hall, and Guo Ziyi had assumed it was out of longing for Xizhou Wang.
So there had been a little secret all along.
Li Yu awkwardly averted his eyes, looking toward his son.
Li Shi racked his brains. “It appeared suddenly one day. I suspect it might be a mirage.”
Guo Ziyi asked, “Will it continue to appear?”
If so, wouldn’t every move of Xizhou Wang be under His Majesty’s surveillance?
Li Shi cleared his throat. “We call this the heavenly screen. Most of the time, it doesn’t appear, and when it does, it follows no pattern.”
Guo Ziyi pressed, “For example?”
The little chubby boy suddenly spoke up. “They’re cooking the dried soup noodles.”
The process of drying the noodles was also accelerated. Soon, it was nighttime. The winds in Shazhou were strong, and the air was dry. The first batch of dried noodles had been sun-dried to a crisp. The three of them stared at the figures occasionally appearing on the heavenly screen. They didn’t understand why the soup noodles were being specially dried, but they had guessed the reason. They just didn’t know—could dried soup noodles even be eaten?
Li Xi ordered the hanging soup noodles to be taken down strand by strand and cut into foot-long sections.
Soon, the soup noodles made during the day piled up like a small hill.
Li Xi then ordered some to be cooked: “Once the water boils, toss a bundle in.”
The maids followed the instructions one by one.
This was the most primitive form of dried noodles, inspired by Shopkeeper Ma. When the first bowl was cooked, it was brought before Li Xi, and the camera even gave a close-up of this bowl of soup noodles. In the bowl, chopped scallions and sesame oil floated on the surface, while the noodles lay buried in the soy-colored broth. It seemed as though even the four individuals thousands of miles away could smell its fragrance.
Li Xi took a bite, then another.
The dried noodles tasted good. Although not as delicious as freshly made hand-pulled noodles, carrying a bundle like this on a long journey could provide several meals.
Moreover, taking Hu Cake out in summer was prone to mold, but dried noodles had no such concern. They also didn’t take up much space—just a small bundle for a pound, enough for an adult to eat three meals. In contrast, carrying three meals’ worth of Hu Cake would occupy a lot of room.
It seemed the dried noodles were a success.
Li Xi set down her chopsticks. As the idle chatter with the maids gradually faded, the sky screen flickered with static before abruptly vanishing, leaving the four individuals outside the screen, each lost in their own thoughts.
The other three were all thinking: This is a slap in the face. I thought it was just a farce, but it ended up like this.
Li Yu: There are many merchants in my Tang Dynasty. It seems this kind of dried, hung-up soup noodles would be in high demand. Why don’t I open a workshop specifically to produce and sell these?
Guo Ziyi had already lost his composure when he saw the soup noodles being cut into sections. The emergence of such a thing seemed tailor-made for marching soldiers. It could make up for all the shortcomings of mutton paomo—for example, its preparation was still somewhat complicated—while possessing all the advantages of mutton soup noodles: easy to carry, long shelf life, more convenient, and taking up less space.
If such a thing could be promoted in the military, wouldn’t the issue of military rations be greatly improved?
Provisions must precede troops and horses. This item, which took up little space and required no processing manpower, could simply be prepared in the rear and carried along. Even if transported uniformly by the army, it would be far more convenient than hauling cartloads of wheat. And with the rations problem solved, it meant their combat effectiveness in external battles could be significantly enhanced.
Guo Ziyi grew so excited by these thoughts that he even forgot what playing with cats was all about.
“Your Majesty, I request to experiment with this kind of soup noodles. If successful, may we be permitted to use this food as military rations…”
Li Xi, however, found the meal just average.
The dried noodles indeed didn’t taste as good as freshly made soup noodles, but among the convenience foods of this era, they were far ahead in flavor.
In the end, she finished everything, broth and noodles alike.
Although the texture was somewhat inferior to freshly made ones, with this item, she now had another type of reserve food for future long journeys.
Master Ma and Imperial Chef Master He, both skilled in this technique, had almost simultaneously produced these thin, hard-to-break soup noodles. So the next day, Li Xi summoned both of them together and instructed them to prepare the rations needed for the upcoming departure. She planned to stock up on more dried noodles in Shazhou City and, in the process, poach the talented Shopkeeper Ma.
“Shopkeeper Ma, Master He, I wish to establish a dried noodle workshop in Xizhou City. Wages are negotiable, and I will cover the investment costs. Moreover, for every five apprentices you train, I will grant your workshop one percent of the shares.” Worried that the two might not understand what “shares” meant, Li Xi explained, “That one percent will be given to you, whether as dividends or assets. Consider whether you wish to come with me.”
Shopkeeper Ma hesitated for a moment. “And what if I fail to train any apprentices?”
Seeing through his thoughts almost instantly, Li Xi said, “Do you plan to stay in Shazhou and run your own business? Do you have the capital for it, or can you withstand the harassment of the Tibetans? This product can serve as dry rations or military provisions. Aren’t you afraid of being abducted by the Tibetans, along with your entire family?”
Shopkeeper Ma hesitated again. He was indeed not the only one who knew how to make it. The prince had chosen him simply because he had mastered the technique first.
But if he could guide two people in making it, he could guide twenty.
Master He, however, was quite tempted. His son was untalented and had not inherited his skills. As someone who had not undergone purification, he had little hope of advancement in the palace, which was why he had volunteered to come to the Western Regions. He had heard that Xizhou Wang was known for his benevolence, and he believed that by working diligently under him, he could avoid much of the palace intrigue, and his children could live in peace.
Looking further ahead, he hoped to live long enough to see his grandchildren grow up, so he could select one or two with talent from among them, giving his family a glimmer of hope.
But this was different.
Passing down a craft required many conditions.
However, if he had the skill to make dried noodles, it would be different. His son could try to learn it too.
Master He almost immediately asked, “If I am able to train apprentices, would I also be eligible for those… shares or whatever they are called?”
“Shares?” For talent in the early stages of a venture, Li Xi was willing to invest generously. He replied magnanimously, “All those you teach will have to sign lifelong contracts with me, but I will allow you to bring one son or grandson to learn the craft, and they will only need to sign fixed-term contracts with us.”
Shopkeeper Ma panicked. He was willing too.
Running his own business came with immense pressure, and he had more than one son. Under these conditions, he could bring one son to Xizhou and leave the noodle stall to his eldest son.
That wretched Master He had agreed without hesitation, leaving Shopkeeper Ma with no room to negotiate.
Shopkeeper Ma hurriedly expressed that he was also willing and wanted to go to Xizhou.
Li Xi glanced at him and reluctantly agreed.
Over the next few days, under the frenzied efforts of the two masters, several hundred catties of dried noodles were prepared. The convoy waited in Shazhou for a few more days, not only to stock up on food for the journey ahead but also to allow the accompanying officials to purchase an additional batch of grain.
These few days provided a rare opportunity to relax. Coincidentally, the knitting needles crafted by the artisans were also delivered around this time.
Author’s Note:
See you tomorrow!
Still giving out 10 small red envelopes to spread some joy. I’ve caught a cold recently, and my throat is very sore. If I miss an update one day, it might be because I couldn’t get up.