She had actually been eyeing the clay pots in the room where Lin Fei stored miscellaneous items for a long time. Taking advantage of this opportunity to cook clay pot rice, she could finally use one. There were still plenty of dishes she could make in the future.

After dragging the cart of casseroles to the public kitchen, Wen Mingtang added a handful of rice to the casserole, added water and slowly simmered it over low heat, and then went to deal with the pile of preserved meats delivered by Zhuangzi.

Thick and alternate sausages were hanging there section by section. Tangyuan looked at them and said, “It’s like New Year’s firecrackers.”

In addition to the sausages, there were also pickled bacon, cured ribs, and several cured chickens. It was perfect for making preserved meat clay pot rice.

Wen Mingtang blanched the bacon in water, sliced ​​the sausage, and cut the bacon, pork ribs, and chicken into pieces.

After half an hour of slow cooking, the casserole was ready. She had to admit that the things in Lin Fei’s hands were really good. The “oven” used for roasting duck last time was good. This time, none of the casseroles had leaks or cracks.

Wen Mingtang washed the casserole, brushed a layer of oil on the pot, put the rice into the casserole, and taught Ah Bing and Tangyuan what to pay attention to when making the dish: “The rice and water should be about the same amount.”

After adding the rice, she arranged the sliced ​​sausages, cured ribs, bacon, and cured chicken neatly and clearly around the edge of the casserole, then covered the pot and simmered.

Small casseroles were lined up on the stove one after another, looking inexplicably spectacular.

As hot steam came out of the small hole in the pot lid, the aroma of the rice began to spread.

Ah Bing sniffed his nose vigorously and said, “It’s obviously the same rice, but why does it seem to be more fragrant than usual? Is there something wrong with my nose?”

Upon hearing this, Wen Mingtang smiled and said, “That’s true. Clay pots distribute heat more evenly, so the aroma is also more pronounced.”

Wen Mingtang counted the time and nestled an egg in each casserole before the evening meal bell rang.

When the evening meal began, the Dali Temple officials and guards walked into the public kitchen. The timing was just right. Finally, they sprinkled a handful of black sesame seeds and green onions on top, and the clay pot rice was ready.

Ah Bing was not the only one who felt that today’s rice was more fragrant than usual. Many sniffed and wondered if the rice had been changed.

Ah Bing proudly puffed up his chest and solved everyone’s confusion: It was not the rice, it was the pot!

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was stunned, Zhao You quickly got to the front of the crowd, took away the first two portions of clay pot rice, and then ran away with the casserole without looking back.

When it came to eating proactively, no one could compare to this one!

Rushing back to Lin Fei’s place, when he presented the covered clay pot to Lin Fei, Zhao You exclaimed excitedly, “Young Master Lin, I got the first serving of tonight’s dinner. That clay pot dish made by Master Wen is even more fragrant than before, even the rice!”

Lin Fei glanced at the excited Zhao You and opened the lid.

The dense heat dissipated, revealing the true appearance of the clay pot rice inside. Sausage, bacon, cured pork ribs, and cured chicken were laid out neatly and generously on the top. On the other side was a small handful of hot green vegetables, with an egg nestled in the middle, and a layer of garnish sprinkled on top. The black sesame seeds and a few chopped green onions were so generously sprinkled that only the white grains of rice underneath could be seen through the gaps in the ingredients.

With just one glance, Zhao You started to swallow his saliva.

Next to the clay pot was a small bowl containing condiments such as sauce, salt, sugar, and other ingredients used to season the clay pot rice dish.

“Master Wen said to pour it on the rice before eating.” Zhao You, who was swallowing his saliva while watching the clay pot rice, saw Lin Fei pick up the small bowl, thought of this, and said quickly.

Lin Fei said “Hmm”, poured the sauce on it, then picked up the spoon on the side and started eating.

The first scoop contained rice mixed with two slices of Chinese sausage. Likely due to being cooked together, the rice absorbed the aroma of the sausage, resulting in a delightful blend of meaty flavor and the balanced sweetness and saltiness of the sausage, creating an extraordinary taste.

After finishing the first spoonful, Lin Fei dug into the center of the pot again, this time scooping up a portion with a chicken egg. As he took a bite, the white eggshell cracked open, and the semi-cooked egg yolk oozed out, blending seamlessly with the savory sausage and rice mixture.

Lin Fei scooped up the rice mixed with egg yolk. The specially prepared sauce was moderately salty. The rice had a hint of egg flavor because it was mixed with egg yolk. He liked this taste so much that he ate two more spoonfuls. Then he turned the spoon to the edge of the casserole.

He had already noticed this. The rice on the edge of the casserole was slightly burnt, but it was not too sticky and could be scooped out with just a flick of the spoon.

The slight crispiness with the aroma of the pot-bottom rice crust was different from the earlier fragrant and sticky rice. It had a slightly firm texture with a sticky sensation, offering a unique and distinct flavor profile.

There was an astonishingly rich taste in a small pot, and even the cured meats were not all tasteless. The sausages were salty and sweet, the bacon and ribs had a stronger smoky flavor, and the cured chicken was more salty and fragrant to go with rice.

By the time Zhao You devoured his meal, he went out for a walk and came back, the casserole on Lin Fei’s desk was already empty.

Zhao You couldn’t help but nod his head: he knew that Lin Shaoqing liked Master Wen’s craftsmanship. Every time he got the food from the public kitchen, he could eat every bit of it. In the past, even in the Hou Mansion, such situations rarely happened.

Don’t look at Lin Shaoqing who didn’t talk much and never made things difficult for the cook, but whether he liked them or not was all decided in his rice bowl!

Liu Yuan and others also had no grains of rice left. The painting case was still unsolved. It was hard to say whether Zhuang Meiniang was the real culprit or not. The case was going to be investigated. How could you have the strength to do anything if you didn’t have enough food?

“Lin Shaoqing,” after eating and digesting their food, Liu Yuan and others came to see Lin Fei, “Do you want to start interrogating Zhuang Meiniang?”

Lin Fei didn’t say yes or no, he just got up and led people to the case aside. In front of him, the medicine bags stacked on the table were familiar to everyone. If they weren’t brought out from Zhuang Meiniang’s cupboard, what could they be?

Just when he was about to ask, he saw Lin Fei pointing at the pile of medicine packets that were all opened and divided into two piles, and said: “Two kinds of medicine.”

One was to replenish qi and blood. Lin Fei had already identified it when he was in the study. Speaking of which, the other kind…Liu Yuan was startled when he thought of the expressions of those students, and blurted out: “It can’t really be poison, right?”

“There’s no poison!” Lin Fei shook his head at the words, glancing at the medicine packet on the table. “There’s another type of medicine, a folk remedy women use to conceive.”

Liu Yuan was dumbfounded by what he said, and instinctively said: “Lin Shaoqing even knows this?”

Lin Fei glanced at him and said, “Of course, I don’t know if it is useful or not. However, this does explain why Zhuang Meiniang and her husband had no children.”

As for whether the childlessness was Zhuang Meiniang’s problem or her husband’s problem, they didn’t know.

However, for a study owner with a small fortune, most of the time he wanted to have a child.

The childlessness was probably the reason for the discord between her and her husband.

(End of chapter)

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T/N I swear translating this chapter before I made dinner was a torture. I want to eat this dish!!! Or better try making it!!! Have you had this one?