Putting several large food boxes beside the food table, Zhao You said, “Our Lin Shaoqing and those temple officials are out to keep an eye on that Xun Gongzi. So, they asked me to pack lunch in the food boxes and bring it over!”

While busy outside, he was still thinking about the public kitchen’s lunch… While Tangyuan and Ah Bing were busy frying meat, they glanced at Zhao You, who was waiting for food, and the slightly raised corners of their lips revealed their inner emotions.

“That Zhao chāyì has to run faster!” Tangyuan said while frying meat, “Today’s dish, called Guo Bao Rou, is delicious when eaten while hot!”

Fried pork was most fragrant when it was just out of the wok. This dish would be coated with sauce later. Seeing that Master Wen added sugar, vinegar, and other things when making the sauce, he understood that it was a sweet and sour dish.

Although he hadn’t had enough of the spicy Shuizhu Roupian yesterday, all the flavors in the world should be equally enjoyed!

The steam and smoke filled the square space behind the countertop. Zhao You was watching them cook when Wen Mingtang suddenly asked him, “Has Jiang Gongzi finished his interrogation?”

She remembered that they had just seen Zhao You leading Jiang Gongzi over before they started cooking.

Zhao You nodded and said “Hmm”, staring at the pork slices boiling in the pot, swallowed his saliva, and said, “It’s over! After a short while of questioning, our Shaoqing Lin let Jiang Gongzi go. He was released so quickly, so Jiang Gongzi must be innocent!”

Innocent? Thinking of what she said to Lin Fei at dinner yesterday, Wen Mingtang didn’t think so.

However, Lin Fei must have his own ideas for letting Jiang Gongzi go so easily. Thinking of this, Wen Mingtang lowered her head and quickened her movements.

When the noon bell rang, Zhao You had already left the Dali Temple with several lunches.

…………

The weather was getting colder and colder. After eating flattened cold buns for a few days, Xun Zhou finally had a warm meal at lunch – a mutton soup from the vendors selling porcelain bowls opposite!

“Homemade mutton soup, don’t be polite!” The two vendors opposite said with a smile.

Xun Zhou believed this, and the cooking skills of these two people were not very good. Smelling the mutton smell that was about to smoke people over, Xun Zhou laughed dryly twice, took a sip of the mutton soup, and swallowed it forcefully.

Although he drank the soup, the unconscious pain on his face could not be hidden.

The two vendors looked at each other, and one of them nodded slightly.

He was really a young man who had been pampered! People like them who were sleeping outside usually used to deal with a mouthful of shallow food. When the scholar who had eaten cold buns for a few days swallowed it, his expression was as if he was drinking some poison!

This young man, who couldn’t get used to hard times was the best to control! At least, he is much easier to control than the Yang family man who pursues schemes and interests!

Thinking of this, one of them spoke up: “Where are you from, brother? My brother’s birthday is tonight, and we have set up a banquet at the Hongyan Building. It would be embarrassing if the banquet were not full. Would you be willing to give me some face and come over to make up the number?”

…

Lin Fei, who was not far away, put down the telescope in his hand and repeated the words of the vendor according to his lip shape.

These seemingly elegant but actually rough words fell into the ears of Bai Zhu and Liu Yuan, who were about to start eating at the table behind them. Both of them couldn’t help but frown: “This vendor invited Master Xun to eat? Is it really enthusiastic or…”

Or maybe that vendor was the fish they wanted to catch!

“I don’t know.” Lin Fei raised his telescope, looked at the actions of the people over there, and said, “Xun Zhou promised them to go to Hongyanlou.”

Hongyanlou! The chefs in Hongyanlou were really good! Liu Yuan nodded, but glanced at the golden, transparent food in the food box in front of him: he didn’t expect the chefs in Hongyanlou to cost so much! Especially when he thought of the price of each dish in Hongyanlou, he completely lost that idea.

Master Wen’s dishes were still good, delicious and free. If you wanted more, you could always go for takeaway, which costs more money, but was still much cheaper than Hongyanlou.

Smelling the unique aroma of the Guo Bao Rou, Liu Yuan looked at the pork slices on the plate in front of him: his curiosity from last night was answered.

The pork slices were not for Shuizhu Roupian, but for the dish called Guo Bao Rou.

Since it was a Guo Bao Rou, it was covered with a layer of batter. At this time, the pork slices covered with batter had been fried in hot oil into a golden color. The sauce wrapped on the outside was almost transparent. The sunlight from the window shone on the pork slices, giving them an attractive luster.

Although the whole dish was mainly golden pork slices, it was not just meat slices. The shredded carrots, green onions, garlic, and coriander were dotted among the golden pork slices, adding a touch of brightness.

Liu Yuan had already been eager to dig in, and he couldn’t wait to pick up his chopsticks and reach for a slice of pork. The meat, coated in batter and lightly puffed up from deep-frying, stretched into several fine strands the moment it was lifted. That gooey, stringy texture was enough to make one’s mouth water at just a glance.

Liu Yuan felt as if his mouth had been trained by Master Wen’s culinary skills—whenever he saw bright red chili oil or soft, stretchy foods, his mouth would start to water involuntarily.

As the unique aroma of deep-fried meat pieces filled his nose, Liu Yuan opened his mouth and bit into the piece of Guo Bao Rou on his chopsticks. With a light “crack,” a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. The outer batter of the Guo Bao Rou was crisp and fragrant, while the pork inside, wrapped in the coating, was firm yet carried a hint of springiness. With just one bite, the texture was incredibly rich.

Deep fried foods like this, having been fried in oil, naturally carried a strong, appetizing aroma. But as the saying goes, its greatest strength was also its weakness—too much of that oily richness could quickly become overwhelming. Usually, the first few bites were delightful, but after a few more, the greasiness made it hard to continue eating.

However, Master Wen’s deep fried foods never felt greasy. She always seemed to have a way to balance the heaviness. This Guo Bao Rou was a perfect example—coated in a glossy, translucent sweet-and-sour sauce. One bite revealed a tartness with just a hint of sweetness, not only neutralizing the oiliness but also stimulating the appetite, making it irresistible.

Unlike overly spicy dishes, which he couldn’t handle due to his “constitution,” Liu Yuan had no reservations about this one. With his appetite fully awakened, he began shovelling guobaorou and rice into his mouth, one bite after another. This sweet-and-sour meat dish had unexpectedly become the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of plain rice.

When most of the food in the food box was eaten, Zhao You’s food box was already “empty”. After a comfortable burp, Zhao You reached out and took the food box that had not yet been opened.

Liu Yuan was eating his meal when he saw Zhao You’s action from the corner of his eye. He was startled and felt anxious about “having his food taken away”. He handed over the bowl in his hand and said, “Zhao You, did you take extra food from the lunch box? Everyone who sees it can have a share. Please share some with us!”

Zhao You, who brought the lunch box over, snorted and said, “I didn’t take extra food. It was the afternoon snack that Master Wen made today. I brought it for everyone!”

(End of this chapter)

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