When he was cooking in the afternoon, the sesame oil that he had pocketed during the Qiao Festival finally came in handy.
In this era where there was only steaming and boiling, being able to eat authentic stir-fried dishes was the happiest thing that Li Yi could feel at this stage.
He used lettuce leaves to make a plate of stir-fried green vegetables. After the water celery from the river was blanched in the pot, it had a special flavor when mixed with cold water.
The pheasant that the burly man brought over was made into chicken mushroom stew by Li Yi. They were all fresh ingredients, plus a simplified version of Kung Pao Chicken and a delicious mushroom soup. Two meat dishes, two vegetables, and one soup. In the future, it might seem a little shabby, but now, it made Li Yi feel like he was celebrating the New Year.
For many people living in the Willow Leaf Village, they might not even be able to eat so much during the New Year.
"Xiao Huan!"
When the last mushroom soup was out of the pot, Li Yi tasted it. It tasted pretty good, so he shouted towards the door.
The little servant girl ran in like the wind and hurriedly said, "Young master, what's the matter?"
"Take some of these dishes and send them to Uncle Fang's house. We'll start eating when you come back." Li Yi took off his apron and said to Xiao Huan while washing his hands.
"I'll go right away!" Xiao Huan was already craving for food just by smelling the fragrance of the dishes. She quickly found a food container from the kitchen, washed it, and divided a portion of each dish.
At this moment, in a dilapidated courtyard, a dirty child looked at the burly man named Fang and said weakly, "Father, I'm hungry …"
A woman in coarse clothes touched her child's head lovingly, and a trace of helplessness flashed in her eyes.
The burly man glared at a dog that was limping in the courtyard. In the end, he did not manage to snatch back the last cornbread. When he turned his head, a trace of bitterness appeared on his face, and he said, "Bear with it a little longer. When I get my salary tomorrow, I'll come back and buy you some steamed buns."
Hearing the words' steamed buns', a trace of color suddenly appeared in the child's eyes. He nodded his head and said, "Father, I'm not hungry anymore. I'll go out and play!"
Looking at the back of the child who seemed to be full of energy, the big man shook his head helplessly. For them, as long as the harvest of one year was bad, the following year would be a torment.
At the same time, the naughty brat, who had just opened the door and was about to run out, saw a figure at the door. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and stood there, calling out in a low voice, "Sister Xiao Huan."
The big man turned his head and saw Xiao Huan standing at the door. He hurried over and asked, "Xiao Huan, why are you here? Is there something on Miss's side?"
"That's not it." Xiao Huan smiled and handed over the food box in her hand, saying, "Son-in-law asked me to send this over."
"What is this?"
The burly man was a little puzzled as he opened the lid of the food box. In an instant, a rich aroma wafted out.
When the naughty brat smelled it, he took a deep breath. A trace of saliva flowed from the corner of his mouth, and his stomach began to growl again.
The big man was stunned for a moment and immediately said, "No, no, Xiao Huan, quickly take these back …"
For those living at the bottom of society, food was always the most important. This was because only by surviving would they have the right to talk about other things.
The food that the burly man usually ate at home was just a few grains of rice mixed in with some wild vegetables, and that was enough to last them through the winter. However, there were vegetables and meat in the food box. Just the aroma alone was enough to make him drool. To the burly man, this was already an extremely valuable item.
Xiao Huan did not take the food box. She smiled and said, "Uncle Fang, just take it. We can't finish it anyway. Son-in-law is still waiting for me to come home for dinner. Goodbye, Uncle Fang!"
"Xiao Huan, Xiao Huan …"
The burly man called out a few times. Seeing Xiao Huan's figure gradually disappear into the distance, he could only smile helplessly. When he turned his head, he saw his child standing there, staring straight at the food box in his hand and swallowing his saliva.
Gulp. As if he could no longer resist the temptation of the delicacies, the burly man also swallowed his saliva.
The brat beside him wanted to laugh but did not dare. His face turned red.
"Little brat …" The big man lightly kicked the naughty brat's butt and cursed. He handed the box of food to the woman behind him and said, "Don't eat it all at once. Save some and eat it tomorrow."
Just as the burly man's family sat around the table and were about to swallow their tongues in front of the delicacies they had never eaten before, Li Yi was also sitting at the table. Two pairs of eyes looked at him in confusion.
After a long time, Liu Ruyi was the first to ask, "Is today an important day?"
"No." Li Yi shook his head and said.
"If it's not an important day, then why is the food so sumptuous?" The confusion in Liu Ruyi's eyes deepened.
"Because … of willfulness?"
Li Yi really did not know how to answer this question. Wasn't it just cooking two extra dishes? Did he really have to give a reason? Couldn't he make a good meal for the brat to reward him for being tired from class?
This reason did not seem very convincing, because he had not taught the brat for a few days.
He sighed in his heart. It seemed like he had to quickly improve the family's living standards. He really could not stand the days where he could only eat a piece of meat during the holidays!
He picked up a piece of chicken meat and tasted it. He could not help but nod in satisfaction.
As expected of a second-class protected animal, the taste was not something the hens raised by Madam Wu could compare to.
Liu Ruyi glanced at him and did not say anything. After all, the food she ate every day was worlds apart from before. In comparison, she was not so concerned about the source of the food.
As for how many chickens Madam Wu had lost, it had nothing to do with her.
She had never eaten the two dishes in front of her before. They smelled good … Soon, Liu Ruyi's attention was diverted elsewhere.
"Oh right, there's almost no food at home." After dinner, it was Li Yi who cleaned up the mess as usual. When Liu Ruyi walked out, Li Yi said casually.
The footsteps at the door paused, and soon a voice was heard. "Ruyi will go down the mountain tomorrow. I will ask her to buy some food."
"Go down the mountain?"
Li Yi's eyes lit up when he heard that.
Green Willow Mountain was located in the Qing 'an Prefecture of the Jing Kingdom. After going down the mountain and walking along the official road for about two hours, the prefecture was located.
Li Yi had been on the mountain for quite some time. Although he had a hundred copper coins in his wallet, he could not spend them on the mountain. He had long wanted to see the prosperous world below the mountain and experience the luxurious life of the ancient times. He wanted to know what it was like …
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