The Journey of Immortal Cultivation -
Chapter 245 - 154: Wen Liangyu’s True Form
Chapter 245: Chapter 154: Wen Liangyu’s True Form
However, after Ning Xiaoxian’s five senses were enhanced, even her sense of taste became exceptionally sensitive, and after just a few bites, she realized the reason her family’s chicken tasted better than others’ might be because—Taste Workshop’s salt-baked chicken is cooked directly in the pot with fresh chicken, different from other restaurants that cook the chicken first and then bake it with salt.
Indeed, this was the case. After the Taste Workshop’s owner plucked and cleaned the chicken, it needed to be evenly coated with rice wine and sand ginger, marinated for an hour, then have rice wine poured into its cavity, before being tightly wrapped up in cheesecloth.
By then, the clay pot was placed on the fire, the lake salt filling one-third of the pot was heated until scorching hot, at which point the wrapped-up chicken could be placed in, and then more lake salt poured in until it covered the chicken. This cooking method is called "baking". The salt-baked chicken needed to be slowly baked on the lowest heat for half an hour, until thoroughly cooked inside and out before it could be taken out of the pot.
Salt comes first among all flavors. The whole chicken baked in salt turns golden yellow, making its appearance very appealing, and its skin dehydrated and taut to nearly crispiness, offering great elasticity when bitten into. As for the chicken meat itself, it is needless to say, as all the rough taste is gone, it melts in the mouth right upon entry.
However, Ning Xiaoxian always felt the taste of this chicken was unexpectedly good. She racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out, until she tasted the "Silver Fish Wrapped Egg" cold dish brought by the waiter, and then she had an epiphany.
The secret still lay in the salt itself.
The water of the saltwater lake is extremely salty, not rich in resources, but it does produce a peculiar type of small fish, locally known as "silver fish". These fish are only slightly thicker than a Silver Needle, reproduce rapidly, and like to move in groups, making them very easy to catch. Many salt farmers double as fish peddlers, for after the water gates are closed, countless jumping silver fish are often left on the salt fields. These small fish can only be truly savored by deep-frying or pan-frying with eggs.
Ning Xiaoxian tasted it and immediately noticed something exceptional. This flavor was somewhat similar to that of the salt-baked chicken. The only commonality between the two could be the salt. She pondered for a while before concluding that dishes cooked with this lake salt would at least be enhanced by a third, probably due to the higher mineral content of the lake water, which, besides the salty taste, also provided other unique flavors that, when combined with various ingredients, create a myriad of flavors in the Mortal World.
She was extremely satisfied with the meal. She stayed in the teahouse for an entire afternoon, and with the sky finally darkening, she got up and purchased several large bags of lake salt in the market. After stealing the furniture tonight, Changtian’s Blood Exchange Technique should be complete. It was time for her to prepare for the next destination.
The craftsmen from the wood workshop had gone home early, and the last apprentice came out and locked the door. It finally became quiet inside.
She reached the back wall of the wood workshop, and seeing no one around, she lightly leaped into the workshop. Of the three, she had already checked one craftsman’s room, so she picked another to start searching. The door was locked, but that didn’t stop Tusk’s keenness.
If we talk about the materials for classical furniture, the most precious are red sandalwood, followed by yellow pear wood, then wingceltis wood and rosewood. The climate of Leizhou is hot and humid, and although the trees grown here are smaller in diameter, there are no shortage of valuable species; she recognized red sandalwood, wingceltis wood, as well as golden phoebe wood, which the Huaxia people also favor.
These pieces of furniture can all be described as having fine texture and beautiful grain, but even the simplest looking four-poster bed seemed too old-fashioned to her. The thought of moving back these conservative types of bedding that even her grandparents wouldn’t use made her uncomfortable—herein lies the difference in aesthetic.
Ignoring the voice of internal moral condemnation, she found cabinets, low tables, desks, plant stands, two square tables, and three chairs to put into her storage bag. There was also a soft couch with a relatively simple style, but with guards on three sides, which could be used as a sofa. She gladly accepted it!
As for beds... the one she eventually chose was actually a half-finished product. Now just a bare frame, the wood was planed smooth and varnished, but the posts and drapes, among other parts, were not yet attached, which was just what Ning Xiaoxian liked, so she took it!
She left two ingots of gold in this carpenter’s room and turned to another to check out. This gold was enough to buy two or three sets of furniture, which could somewhat soothe her guilt.
After a tour around, she found nothing else she liked and was about to leave when Qiongqi softly exclaimed: "Mistress, hold on, I sense the presence of spirit wood."
Spirit wood? In this small wood workshop, there is spirit wood?
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