Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan had no idea what Xiao Ran was preparing to make.
The Samoyed followed Xiao Ran, while the little princess liked following the Samoyed.
Xiao Ran returned to the table. The fish he had previously treated to remove its fishy smell was nearly ready.
He rinsed it, then took out the seasonings.
Considering that there were no chili peppers in this era, the others probably could not handle spicy food.
Thus, Xiao Ran did not intend to add any.
Xiao Ran really wanted to ask what year it was and which emperor was ruling, but he held back.
Not knowing any of that would be a little too much.
The early tang and late tang were complete extremes. If he could choose, Xiao Ran would definitely prefer the early tang.
The little princess obediently sat on the folding stool, watching Xiao Ran sprinkle all kinds of seasonings over the fish.
She did not disturb Xiao Ran.
Finally, he took out the aluminum foil and wrapped the marinated fish in it.
Grass carp has thick flesh and little fat, so it does not easily fall apart.
That was why Xiao Ran chose grass carp for roasting.
Li Lizhi had seen the cooks of the Palace Food Bureau prepare food before, but this was her first time seeing someone cook like Xiao Ran.
Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan could not guess what Xiao Ran would do next.
Nor did they know why Xiao Ran had wrapped the fish up.
“Madam, help me take this beside the campfire.” Xiao Ran called out. The firewood had nearly burned down.
“All right!” Li Lizhi hurriedly stood up.
“Little Gentleman~ I’ll come too~” The little princess felt that she could do this as well.
Seeing how enthusiastic the girl was, Xiao Ran picked up a smaller one. “Mm, young lady, take this one.”
Since it was wrapped in aluminum foil, it would not dirty the little princess’s clothes.
“Hee-hee~” The little princess excitedly accepted the fish.
Li Lizhi also carried two fish and curiously examined the aluminum foil.
“Young master, what is this?” Li Lizhi could not help asking.
“This is aluminum foil!” Xiao Ran did not elaborate. He picked up the remaining two fish and walked over to the campfire.
He picked up a piece of firewood, pushed aside the charcoal, and placed the fish on the campfire.
Without aluminum foil, he would have to watch it roast slowly. Xiao Ran had no time for that now, and it would be easy to burn.
“Mm? This works too?” Li Lizhi said in surprise.
“Mm, this keeps the charcoal dust and other things from getting on it.”
“Wow~” The little princess did not understand, but she thought Xiao Ran was amazing anyway.
The rice that had been cooking earlier was nearly ready as well, and its fragrant aroma could already be smelled.
Xiao Ran took out a steamer basket and steamed a grass carp. He brought out the last piece of tofu and made carp and tofu soup.
He made carp and tofu soup because there happened to be tofu, baby bok choy, and other side ingredients.
“It smells so good~” The little princess was getting a little hungry.
“It’ll be ready soon!” Xiao Ran smiled.
Li Shimin and the Others had also stopped fishing. The bait being used up was one reason, and it was also true that the fish were not biting as noon approached.
Li Shimin walked toward Xiao Ran and the others with the fishing rod in hand. Xiao Ran had just finished the steamed grass carp and carp and tofu soup and placed them on the table.
“Wow~” The little princess rubbed her little hands, somewhat unable to wait.
On the jade plate, tender white fish meat was covered with shredded scallions and red pepper strips. The scallions, drizzled with hot oil, curled up and released a delicate fragrance. The fish’s eyes bulged slightly, displaying its freshness and vitality.
The fish was indeed very fresh; it had just been caught, killed, and prepared.
Li Lizhi did not know how it tasted, but its appearance was truly beautiful.
Li Lizhi stared at the neat diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish. Each incision revealed just the right amount of translucent flesh. Amid the rising steam, the subcutaneous fat could faintly be seen transforming into a lustrous sheen of oil. It was far better than what the Palace Food Bureau served.
The milky-white broth of the carp and tofu soup bubbled gently. Tender cubes of tofu trembled on the surface, while several pale-yellow baby bok choy leaves dotted it like duckweed floating on spring water.
Leaning closer, they caught a rich, savory fragrance. It came from simmering boiling water with the fish after frying it, producing a thick white broth. Compared with the precious broth slowly extracted from fish bones in the palace, it had more of an earthy, home-cooked character, yet it was even more enticing to the palate.
“Mm, it smells wonderful!” Li Shimin saw it as well.
“Yes~ Little Gentleman is so amazing~”
“I never expected young master’s fishing technique to be first-rate, and his cooking to be so exceptional as well.” This was something Li Shimin had not expected.
“It’s nothing, uncle. Come sit down and have a taste.” Xiao Ran gestured toward the table.
Li Shimin slapped his belly and laughed heartily, yet his fingers unconsciously rubbed the jade belt clasp at his waist as his gaze lingered on the table. “Today, we truly have benefited like fishermen who catch someone else’s fish—we took the fishing spot, borrowed the fishing rod, and now we are even about to impose on your meal. If word gets out, the Old Gentlemen of Chang'an would probably laugh their teeth out.”
Xiao Ran picked up a cloth and wiped his hands, smiling. “Uncle, you’re being far too formal! Fishing people believe that ‘meeting by the water makes friends.’ Besides, this is the first fish you caught, uncle. You absolutely have to try it.”
Xiao Ran continued, “Besides, fishing alone is not as good as fishing together, and fishing together is not as good as sharing a meal. Please don’t refuse, uncles. The young lady is hungry too.”
Li Shimin glanced at the little princess. She was indeed looking at them with yearning eyes and clearly wanted something to eat.
Most importantly, Xiao Ran’s food really did smell delicious!
It was not only the little princess who was craving it; Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and the others were craving it too.
Hearing that the little princess wanted to eat gave him an excuse. Li Shimin smiled and said, “All right, then we won’t stand on ceremony.”
Zhang Anan brought over several stools.
Together with Xiao Ran’s folding stool, there were just enough.
Xiao Ran took the grilled fish out of the campfire as well. When he peeled open the aluminum foil, the fish’s fragrance spread everywhere.
Two dishes definitely would not be enough, but with these several fish added, it would barely suffice.
Xiao Ran brought over bowls and chopsticks, along with the rice.
“Uncle, sit down and have a taste.” Xiao Ran had more or less guessed Zhang Anan’s identity, but as a modern person, he still wanted to invite him to eat together.
“Anan, young master has kindly prepared a meal for us. You should have some too.” Li Shimin smiled.
“Thank you, young master!”
Xiao Ran picked up a spoon and served rice to the two Princesses. Seeing that there was not much rice left, Li Shimin waved his hand to indicate that he was not hungry and could just try the fish.
Since Li Shimin was not eating, the other three understood what he meant.
Li Shimin and the Others had not expected to encounter Xiao Ran while out, much less freeload on a meal by the riverbank.
Normally, it would have been impossible for Li Shimin and the others to impose on someone for a meal. However, Xiao Ran’s dishes were delicious in appearance, aroma, and taste, making them difficult to refuse.
“Young lady, try this.” Xiao Ran picked up a spoon and served the little princess some tofu and fish soup.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm~ Thank you, Little Gentleman~”
“Uncles, please don’t hold back.”
“Hahaha, all right, all right.” Li Shimin picked up a piece of tofu. It was extremely tender and trembled slightly.
It was even better than the tofu prepared by the Palace Food Bureau.
Li Shimin blew on the steam and gently placed it in his mouth. In an instant, his pupils widened slightly. What touched the tip of his tongue was not the firm tofu custard commonly served in the palace, but something soft as floss and clouds. The moment he pressed it with his tongue, it melted into a rich, fragrant liquid that filled his mouth, mingling with the roasted aroma of fried fish and the richness of boiling water before reaching deep into his throat.
Xiao Ran’s several dishes looked good, but he had not expected them to be even more delicious than anticipated.
“I thought young master’s fishing technique was already remarkable, but I never expected his cooking to be even better!” Li Shimin spoke from the heart.
There was no stir-fried dish in this era. Most food was steamed, boiled, or stewed.
Xiao Ran’s cooking skills were actually quite ordinary. It was just that he carried a great many seasonings.
Refined salt, monosodium glutamate, chicken bouillon, and cooking wine—these were all a dimensionality-reduction strike against this era.