Chapter 775

Considering the problem of oil fumes, the kitchen of the official ship was located on the upper deck of the ship to allow the oil fumes to escape. The walls and floor of the kitchen were painted with fire-resistant red paint. The main material of this paint was a resin called "Insect Eating Tree", which could resist water and fire.

Thus, this tree was planted on a large scale by the Ministry of Works and widely used in construction.

In the kitchen, a few cooks were preparing lunch. They were drenched in sweat from working so hard in the winter. A large pot of fish soup was stewing in the pot. Steam bubbled from the lid and a rich aroma filled the air.

Xu Qi'an smelled the aroma and came to the kitchen. He opened the pot and asked, "Is the fish soup ready?"

"It's almost ready!"

The cooks were astonished that a lord would personally enter the smoky kitchen.

Xu Qi'an stared at the light brown color of the fish soup. This was due to the soy sauce. He sniffed the aroma and said, "Give me the spoon."

A cook obediently handed over the spoon. Xu Qi'an scooped up some soup and tasted it. He said in surprise, "The earthy taste is very faint."

Limited by the seasoning and cooking skills, most of the river fish in this world had an earthy taste that could not be removed. Of course, this was excluding the top restaurants, such as the Osmanthus Moon Restaurant, where the chefs were excellent.

The cook heard this and said proudly, "Sir, we who float on the water usually eat fish. When it comes to eating fish, no one knows it better than us. How do we get rid of the earthy taste? Hehe … we have a secret method. "

He was still hiding it and purposely did not say it.

Xu Qi'an scoffed, "I also have a secret recipe that can increase the taste of this fish soup by several times."

The cook did not believe him but did not refute because he did not dare to. However, the disdain in his eyes was not concealed at all.

Xu Qi 'an took the opportunity to take out the porcelain bottle containing the chicken essence.

"S-Sir …"

The cooks turned pale with fright. They had served on the official ship for many years and had served many officials. They were naturally sensitive when it came to food.

If the officials on the ship died from poisoning, they would also be buried with them.

"What are you afraid of? You can just test the poison later." Xu Qi'an comforted them.

The cooks were not comforted at all. Instead, they became even more worried.

Xu Qi'an first poured some into the pot and tasted it. If it was not enough, he added more and tasted it again. After a few times, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Here, try it!" He scooped up a small spoon of the fish soup and passed it to the cook.

Xu Qi 'an's taste gave him courage. The cook hesitated for a moment, then took the spoon and took a sip. In an instant, his eyes widened.

The fresh and fragrant fish soup soaked his taste buds. "Gulp …" As his Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably, it flowed into his stomach.

"Gulp …" The soup flowed into his mouth.

"It's, it's too delicious …" The cook was excited. "Sir, what, what secret recipe is this? What kind of magical secret recipe is this? Please teach me, sir."

Xu Qi 'an, "Hehe."



Inspector Zhang sat on the couch and held his forehead as he endured the rocking of the ship. After taking the pill given by the warlock in white, he felt much better.

An attendant brought over hot tea and said, "Old Master, after we cross the boundary of the capital, the wind on the river will be weaker. You won't have a headache then."

Inspector Zhang nodded his head and took a sip of the tea.

"It's time for lunch. I'll go get it for you." The Inspector Zhang said.

"No need." Imperial Inspector Zhang waved his hand and pinched his eyebrows. "I feel dizzy and have no appetite …"

Just as he finished speaking, his nose twitched. "What's that smell?"

Through the open window, the wind from the river blew in with a fresh fragrance. It aroused Imperial Inspector Zhang's appetite and made his saliva secrete faster.

"Gulp …" The Inspector Zhang swallowed his saliva. His gaze kept drifting outside the room. His mind was not here.

Imperial Inspector Zhang pondered for a moment. "Fine. Even if I have no appetite, I can't compete with my body. Help me get some food … Hmm, even though the fishy smell of the fish soup is unbearable, I can't just keep it to myself. I have to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers."

The Inspector Zhang responded cheerfully and jogged out of the room. He thought to himself, "Sir is indeed a scholar. His shameless words are so pleasing to the ear."

Xu Qi'an and his colleagues sat in the spacious hall. They ate and chatted.

"This fish soup is amazing. I've never had such a strong soup in my life."

"Yes. Even the fishy smell is fragrant."

"If I could drink this kind of fish soup every day, I'd be happy to stay on the ship for the rest of my life."

The night watchmen ate and sweated profusely. They enjoyed the surprising fish soup.

Jiang Lvzhong occupied a table by himself. He closed his eyes and savored the unforgettable fragrance on his tongue. He called for the cook and asked curiously, "This fish soup tastes extraordinary. I've never had it before. How did you make it?"

There must be a secret recipe … Jiang Lvzhong thought.

He was not greedy for the secret recipe. He was purely curious. He wanted to know how this amazing fish soup was made.

The cook immediately looked at Xu Qi'an. "It's the secret recipe of that Lord. It has nothing to do with me."

The night watchmen immediately looked over.

"Why are you looking at me? This is the Celestial Commissioner's secret recipe. I don't have much of it," Xu Qi'an said immediately.

He knew that this group of unscrupulous night watchmen, especially Jiang Lüzhong, would definitely think of ways to ask him for it.

The crowd immediately turned to look at the three warlocks in white in the corner. The young warlock in white said, "Why are you looking at us? The Celestial Commissioner's secret recipe was taught by Prince Xu."

"Damn it, these warlocks are just trying to argue, aren't they?" Xu Qi 'an thought.

At this moment, a group of guards in armor entered the cabin door. They sniffed the alluring fragrance of the fish soup while receiving their simple meals in silence.

This time, there were twenty gongs, six silver gongs, one Jinluo, three attendants of Inspector Zhang, and a hundred Stalwart Tiger Guards accompanying them.

Including Inspector Zhang, there were a total of one hundred and thirty-one people.

These Stalwart Tiger Guards lived in a narrow and dark cabin. Their meals were not as good as the night watchmen, so they naturally didn't have a share of the fish soup.

The lean men silently twitched their nostrils and quietly swallowed their saliva, looking longingly at the fish soup.

Xu Qi'an thought for a while and called for the cook. "Is there any more fish in the boat? If there isn't, go to the net and cook a pot of fish soup for the soldiers. Make sure everyone can drink it. "

As he said this, he handed the porcelain bottle to the cook. "If it's not enough, ask me."

The eyes of the Stalwart Tiger Guards lit up. They unconsciously straightened their backs and said in unison, "Thank you, Lord."

I'm always too soft-hearted, too soft-hearted. I shoulder all the problems by myself … Xu Qi'an nodded. "My surname is Xu."

"Thank you, your excellency Xu."

At this moment, Inspector Zhang's attendant walked in and said in a clear voice, "Is there any more fish soup? My lord wants to drink more."

The crowd laughed heartily. The cabin was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

…

Before dusk in the capital.

Xu Xinnian returned to the capital. He planned to go home to get some clothes to change into, as well as some rice, noodles, and silver.

Students studying at Yunlu Academy had to pay tuition fees every three months. At the same time, they had to bring their own rice and noodles. The academy provided accommodation, but not food.

Therefore, Xu Erlang would go home regularly and bring the dirty clothes that he had no time to wash back home to the servants. He would also bring three months' worth of food and money.

"Neigh …"

He reined in the reins outside the Xu Mansion and was surprised to find that the main door was locked.

This was not a small matter. There were servants in the mansion. Even if the master was not home and closed the door to guests, the door would still be locked from the inside. A padlock from the outside usually meant that there was no one in the mansion.

Xu Erlang's heart sank. He had a bad feeling.

He dismounted and walked to the wall. He took a deep breath and said in a clear voice, "Leap over eaves and vault over walls!"

After he finished chanting, he silently took a few steps back. He felt a surge of power fill his limbs. With the help of a sprint, he jumped over the three-meter-high wall and landed steadily.

The mansion was quiet. There was not a single person in sight.

Xu Xinnian walked from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard. He pushed open the doors one by one. His sister's, his parents', the servants' … there was no one in sight.

The most important thing was that everything in the mansion had been moved away. There was only an empty bed in the room. There was no quilt.

Where is my home? Where is my big home … Oh, it is still there. But where did my family go? Xu Erlang stood in the courtyard in a daze. He was thinking about life.

"The door is only locked, and there is no seal. This means that big brother did not commit a crime again … Everything in the house has been moved away, but there is no dust on the floor. It is very clean. This means that it was not robbed …"

Xu Erlang used his intelligence as a High Scholar to deduce that they had moved.

Why did no one inform me that they moved? Did they forget that Yunlu Academy still had an Erlang? Xu Xinnian was so angry that he wanted to curse out loud.

"Oh no …" Then, his expression changed. He quickly added a buff to himself and climbed over the wall. He rode a horse and planned to leave the capital before the gates closed.

At this time, the faint sound of drums could be heard from afar. This was the sound of the drums before the gates closed.

…

In the new mansion.

The second uncle Xu was on duty that night. He had to go out after dinner.

The aunt looked at her husband and said doubtfully, "Erlang should be back soon. He did not bring much money and food last time."

As a mother, she was naturally concerned about her son. She was constantly estimating when her son would return home.

"Probably in the next few days." Second Uncle Xu didn't seem to mind.

"Did Erlang … write to him?" The aunt asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" The aunt raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't ask." The second uncle Xu replied. After eating the last mouthful of rice, he hung the sword on his waist and put on his helmet.

"I am going out. Watch Lingyin at night. Don't let her go to the well again. Also, don't be so paranoid. The mansion is not haunted. "

After saying that, the second uncle Xu went out.

That night, he led a team of Imperial Blade Guards to patrol the outer city. When he passed by the ancestral house, he found a figure squatting at the gate of the mansion. The figure was hugging his knees, his face buried in his arms, and shivering in the cold wind.

There was also a horse beside him, snorting listlessly and scratching its hooves.

There was no curfew in the outer city. People could go out without restrictions, but the Imperial Blade Guards had the right to conduct random questioning. Seeing someone squatting in front of his house, the second uncle immediately went to greet him.

When he was about to ask, the light of the torch illuminated the scholar's robe. He suddenly felt that the scholar looked familiar.

The second uncle Xu was stunned. He thought to himself, "No way …"

"Erlang?" He said with some uncertainty.

The Confucian scholar slowly raised his head. He was incomparably handsome, but his expression was haggard. It was Xu Erlang.

The father and son looked at each other in silence for a long time. The second uncle Xu felt numb. "Why didn't you go to the inn?"

The wretched Xu Ningyan really didn't write a letter to his younger brother.

"I have no money."

"Why not rest in the mansion?"

"The horses will be stolen."

"Why not return to the academy?"

"The city gate is closed."

"… My family moved to the inner city. I forgot to tell you. Well, there is a curfew in the inner city. I will take you to the inn. "

Xu Erlang slowly turned his face away. His voice was hollow. "Sir, I have no family."

The second uncle Xu: "…"

…

The lonely moon hung high in the night sky.

The rooms on the official ship were limited. Xu Qi'an did not have his own room. He, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao slept in the same room.

It was the kind of bed in the townhouse.

He turned his head to the left. Song Tingfeng was facing him. He looked to the right. Zhu Guangxiao was facing him.

Xu Qi'an suddenly thought of a joke: If you sleep between a man and a woman, will your butt face the man or the woman?

If your butt is facing the woman, you will be regarded as gay. If it is facing the man, there is a risk of being raped. In my case, I choose to sleep lying down … Xu Qi'an complained in his heart. There was a knock on the door.

The voice of Inspector Zhang's attendant came from outside. "Your excellency Xu, my master wants to see you."