Li Qingyi stood up from his chair after hearing this, "Are you serious?"
Chang Ning's little chicken pecked at the rice, "This slave almost dug three feet into the ground around Zhen's Mansion, not even sparing the waterway, so she almost gave up. Unexpectedly, on the way back just now, this slave was hungry and wanted to go to Yushu Hutong to eat something. , I saw a woman wearing a hood and lowering her head hurriedly walking past."
Everyone became nervous when they heard this, and Silan asked, "Who is it?"
"I only saw the lower half of her face, and I thought she was very similar to the girl named Mingxi in Aunt He's yard, so I followed her. There was a simple private house at the deepest part of Yushu Hutong, and the person went in and never came out. I Not knowing what was going on inside, I didn't dare to enter rashly, so I quickly returned to Zhen's house and stared at Aunt He's yard. That Mingxi appeared after a while! On his feet, he was wearing a pair of shoes with a foundation embroidered with cuckoos, similar to the man in Yushu Hutong. Dressed exactly the same!"
Li Qingyi frowned: "Where is the Yushu Hutong you mentioned?"
"It's three streets away from Zhen's house, and it's close to the east of the city."
Silan couldn't believe it, "Even if there is a secret passage in Aunt He's house, it can't be dug that far, right?"
Chang Ning also hesitated, "I thought so at first, but that woman should be Ming Xi. She doesn't know kung fu. Since she arrived at Zhen Mansion at about the same time as me, she couldn't have come back from Yushu Hutong after I left. Those who came out of the house and returned to Zhen's house must have gone to Zhen's house through the secret passage after entering the house!"
Li Qingyi stared and said, "It's a bit far away, but Aunt He has been hiding in Zhen's Mansion for so many years. Even if she digs a little bit a day, she would have dug it out long ago! The key is, why did she dig the exit of the secret tunnel in Yushu Alley. "
A flash of light flashed in Jianlan's mind, "Could it be that the daughter Mu Yuanchang mentioned is hiding nearby?"
"It's very possible. Let Dawu go to Yushu Alley and keep an eye on the movement first to see if anyone else is coming in or out of that small courtyard."
Changlan responded: "I will go and tell Dawu right now."
Li Qingyi continued to ask Changning, "Why did you think of going to Yushu Hutong to eat? Is it a place you often went to before?"
Chang Ning nodded, "There is a small restaurant in Yushu Hutong. The shopkeepers are a couple. They fled from the North and then settled in the capital. In the past twenty years, they are already half of the capital. Yes, I found that place by chance. I like Northland cuisine very much and go there often."
"Northern cuisine? It's quite unusual." Li Qingyi thought for a while, "How about I make an appointment with Zhen Zhen and Miao'er, and use the excuse of tasting Northern cuisine to go around there. Maybe there will be something to gain."
Changning didn't eat Beidi food today, so he rushed back to report it. He was drooling with greed, and his eyes lit up when he heard this. While Li Qingyi was writing a post for Zhen Zhen, he pulled Woad to introduce her to the taste of the dishes, which made Woad drool with greed.
The next day.
Li Qingyi and others still met at Li's house, changed into men's clothes that were convenient for traveling, and then set off to Yushu Hutong together.
Jiang Shun drove the carriage around and around, pretending that he couldn't find the place, and drove through several alleys and looked around before he arrived at the place to eat.
Catkins are flying in the sky, adding a bit of comfort to the vitality of spring.
Probably because it was not time for dinner, the shop Chang Ning was talking about seemed unusually quiet among the fluffy catkins, and no one was seen coming in or out. The red paint on the window lattice is mottled, and next to it is a tall and sturdy elm tree covered with green branches and leaves. I don't know who is leaning against the shop or the elm tree.
There are still some thin grasses swaying in the wind on the low roof, and a translucent apricot flower is inserted diagonally on the handle of the yellow wooden door. There is a small plaque hanging above the door, which reads Chenji Xiaoguan.
In the alley, several children were laughing and playing in the distance, chasing each other and throwing stones at each other's feet.
Zhen Zhen couldn't wait any longer and pushed Li Qingyi and her sisters through the door.
There are several square tables for four in the room, with a few chairs. In the middle of the room, there was a small yellow clay stove with a teapot, steam rising from it.
A man in his forties or fifties was fiddling with the charcoal in the furnace. When he saw a few people coming in, he glanced at Chang Ning and greeted him warmly: "Just in time! Newly killed pigs!"
long
Ning smiled and nodded, called Lao Chen, and led Li Qingyi and others to sit down. He led Isatis Lan and Jiang Shun to sit at a table next to them.
Li Qingyi had a very good impression of this small store, feeling that it was like an independent hermit in the bustling world.
Zhen Zhen couldn't help but chirp wherever she went, saying, "I heard from Chang Ning that the Northern cuisine is very spicy. I ate a lot of food with you at the lantern festival last time. When I got back to my house, I didn't even dare to eat it in my house." I opened my mouth to speak in front of my mother, and I had to endure it for two days before I dared to speak casually. It was really hard for me to hold back."
Li Qingyi and Li Miaoran couldn't stop laughing. Li Miaoran said: "You little fool, didn't I tell you to cut some shredded ginger and put it in your mouth with vinegar for a while?"
Zhen Zhen said sadly: "I am nothing like you. You don't know what my mother is like. All the girls around me have been bribed by her. How can I dare to show off my ginger vinegar? If I am caught by her, I have to be there." I’ve been nagging in my ears for half a year, don’t even think about going out to eat next time! I can’t forget those delicious foods, and I thought about the taste for several days when I went back!”
Dishes that are common in ordinary people's homes are rare in aristocratic families. The meals of aristocratic families pay attention to elegance and lightness, while street food only pays attention to one thing, delicious.
The three girls were all impatient, staring at the store, waiting for their food to be served.
There are no waiters or cooks in the store. The boss and his wife handle it personally. The pork is braised in advance and the ingredients are ready-made. After a while, steamed hand-shredded pork belly, crystal pork belly, pork blood and bone soup, fried pork intestines, Chang Ning’s favorite white pork with garlic paste, and seven or eight other items were quickly served on the table in large plates and small bowls.
Everyone looked excited and were about to use their chopsticks when the shop door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. No one heard the sound before they saw him.
Just listen to the man say: "Old Chen, I heard that you just killed a good piece of pork. Come and have a feast. It's still the same as before!"
Before he finished speaking, His Highness the Crown Prince, who was full of energy, was dressed in a dark black gown, with a jade belt around his waist, and a jade crown inlaid with treasures and beads on his head.
His age at this time was somewhere between a boy and a young man. His high-spirited spirit seeped out from every part of his body. Coupled with the noble bearing and appearance of the royal family, as soon as he entered the shop, he was as eye-catching as a pearl in the night sky. .
Li Miaoran dropped her two chopsticks on the table with two clattering sounds, and stared blankly at His Royal Highness, who had a casual posture and a bright smile.
When the prince heard this, he turned to look at the other customers in the room. When he saw Li Miaoran in men's clothing, he stared at her carefully and walked straight towards her. He was surprised and said: "It's you? Why are you here? This store. It’s very hard to find! How do you know this place?”
