Liang Chuan asked Yi Niang to bring a burning firewood to ignite the leaves on the top of the mound. "Whether you succeed or not, whether you will be hungry or comfortable this year depends on this fire." Liang Chuan solemnly threw the fire in front of Yi Niang and Zhao Di, and a stream of white smoke gradually came out from the top. The two of them had mixed emotions. As for Nervous, they have never seen this method before. There are few people in the south who use charcoal, and there are even fewer people who make charcoal. There is a big stone hanging in their hearts.
The flames penetrated from the top and slowly burned down, the process was slow. Liang Chuan rubbed his hands and said to Yi Niang, "Yi Niang, where is the chicken I asked you to get?"
Yi Niang felt disgusted when she mentioned the pheasant she had just made. She killed the chicken without plucking the feathers. The internal organs were cleaned and the outer feathers were not peeled off. Is this edible? The things the third brother does are getting more and more weird. I have never seen this charcoal being tossed, and I have never seen this chicken being tossed like this. It’s okay if the wood is ruined. What if this chicken is damaged? It’s a good one. Chicken, it’s been a long time since some of us have eaten meat. . Alas, no matter what, Yi Niang handed the chicken to Liang Chuan.
Zhaodi was relatively simple-minded and became excited when he heard about the food. He asked, "Third brother, what is a beggar's chicken? Is it because a chicken made by a beggar is called a 'beggar's chicken'?"
Yi Niang and Liang Chuan both came here as beggars when they were young. She knew the bitterness of the past, but she didn't know when Liang Chuan would make this beggar's chicken.
Liang Chuan said coquettishly: "The Legend of the Condor Heroes, do you know?"
The two people shook their heads in unison like wavy drums and said, "I don't know you!"
Liang Chuan narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Of course you don't know each other. Teacher Jin didn't write it down for you to feast your eyes on. How could you know him?"
Yi Niang and Zhao Di both rolled their eyes at Liang Chuan.
Liang Chuan shook his head and said: "This is beggar's chicken, a famous snack in Jiangnan with a long history. It is a special dish made by wrapping the processed chicken in soil and lotus leaves and baking it. Now there is no lotus Ye, but it can still be done. Wrap the chicken in mud and cook the mud. When the mud is hot, the chicken will be cooked. That year, Huang Rong used this to conquer Hong Qigong and then got Brother Jing. Today I will let you Give it a try!”
Huang Rong? Hong Qigong? Brother Jing?
Liang Chuan ordered his younger brother to dig some yellow mud from the mountain, but not much this time. The younger brother was excited when he heard the food. He moved quickly and dug up a lot of yellow mud. Liang Chuan asked Yi Niang to bring water and pour the water into the pile of yellow mud. This mud should also be pasted on the chicken, but it should not be as dry as the mud just pasted on the outside of the firewood pile. This mud should be thinner because the chicken Even the feathers have not faded, and the mud and water have soaked into the roots of the chicken feathers. This pheasant is fatter than ordinary domestic chickens, and it uses a lot of yellow mud, so it becomes a big lump when wrapped.
Zhaodi is a greedy person. When he saw Liang Chuan wasting a good thing like this, he shouted out loud: "Ah! Third brother, why are you ruining this fat chicken like this? Can you still eat it like this!"
Liang Chuan snorted, "You haven't seen it before, I'll let you see it today! Don't be anxious, don't panic, you can hit me and scold me if it doesn't taste good later, please don't disturb my artistic creation now, okay?" Brother Zhao, go and dig a hole for me as big as this chicken!" Liang Chuan pointed to where he was standing and said.
The recruiter couldn't help but explain, and a big hole came out. He usually digs out holes for birds and mice. This is a familiar way! Liang Chuan put the mud ball into the pit. The mud ball was roughly level with the ground. He flattened the soil that he had just taken out and put it back. Then he randomly took some bad firewood that couldn't be used to make charcoal and piled it on the spot where the chickens were just placed. Fire, the fire slowly burns more and more prosperously.
Liang Chuan was doing the work he was doing, and he began to teach Yifa and Zhaodi about illiteracy, "Do you want to hear the origin of this chicken?" "You can tell me what you want to say! Don't sell medicine in a gourd." Liang Chuan said: "This Chicken originated in the Jiangnan area. It is called "Beggar's Chicken". It is a chicken stolen by some beggars. They wrap the chicken in mud and cook the mud over a fire. When the mud is hot, the chicken will be cooked. This is a dish. It is said that when an emperor conquered the world, he often suffered defeats. Once he suffered defeats again, he accidentally wandered into the wilderness and was hungry for several days. There was no shortage of people in the world, and he met a beggar. Seeing how pitiful he was, he gave him a "beggar's chicken" that he thought was a delicacy. The emperor was sleepy and hungry, so he naturally thought the chicken was extremely delicious."
Yi Niang and Zhao Di are also people who have not seen much of the world. Once these people don't have much contact with the community, they like to hear all kinds of gossip about the colorful world outside. When Yi Niang heard Liang Chuan talking about the emperor's defeat, she immediately said: "I know, this emperor must be Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty! Emperor Gao used to compete with King Xiang for the world, and was chased and beaten every day until he became disgraced. It must be Emperor Gao who loses the battle and can’t even eat!”
Liang Chuan didn't expect Yi Niang to know about Emperor Gao. Emperor Gao was Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. Before Liu Bang took over the world, he was a police chief in Surabaya and a rogue. He was surrounded by a group of butchers of pigs and dogs. He didn't expect that in the end he would let him The process of conquering the world is not a simple process. In the process, he was often beaten to the point of being unable to eat, just like a lost dog. It is reasonable to think of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty after listening to Liang Chuan's allusions.
Liang Chuan did not say that there would be another emperor in later generations who had also been a beggar. This emperor was Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bang had many similarities, because they would not believe it even if he told her. Liang Chuan glanced at Yi Niang and expressed admiration. Looking at him, he said: "I didn't expect Yi Niang to know that Emperor Gao is so smart!"
Yi Niang used to occasionally go to the market to watch opera troupes singing, so she knew a little about it and felt a little proud.
"Of course, this is what the cook came up with on his own to add points to this dish. Think about it, the emperor is the emperor, how could he eat the beggar's food! The cook dared to bring the beggar's food to the emperor, not because he was dissatisfied with himself Is life too long? Do you think so?"
Liang Chuan's words made the two of them nod their heads.
Liang Chuan continued: "After Emperor Gao finished eating the chicken, he asked the beggar what the chicken was like. The beggar was embarrassed to say that the chicken was called "beggar's chicken," so he called it "rich chicken." Emperor Gao was very fond of the chicken. Full of praise. The beggar later learned that the tramp later became the emperor. This "beggar's chicken" also became a "rich chicken" because of Emperor Gao's golden mouth. The beggar ate the same dish as the emperor ate. , but this identity has been passed down from heaven to earth, and has been passed down to this day, and has become a famous dish in the elegant hall!"
Zhaodi said: "Third brother, you can even cook the dishes for the emperor. Who did you learn from? Who of us from a remote country can cook the dishes for the emperor!"
Liang Chuan said: "This is just a legend. Whether the emperor has eaten it or not, he wouldn't be able to tell me about such embarrassing things. You think so? Hahahaha!"
Even Yi Niang was amused by Liang Chuan.
Brother Zhao was impatient and would ask Liang Chuan from time to time: "Third brother, when will this chicken be ready to be eaten? I can't wait."
Liang Chuan said: "You can't be in a hurry. This chicken is neither stewed nor stir-fried. If you rush it, it won't be cooked thoroughly, and you'll be upset if you eat it. When our charcoal is almost done, the chicken will be almost ready to eat." .”
Upon hearing this, Zhaodi immediately pressed his whole body to the ground and stared straight at the small holes. Liang Chuan said that if the firewood in the hole could be seen turning red, the charcoal was ready.
Because there is not much food, some families often can only eat one or two meals instead of three. This is the case for Yi Niang's family. As for recruiting a younger brother, he is a young man who is used to being hungry. Let alone two meals, he can only eat three meals a day. He was satisfied with just one meal.
The sun is setting in the west, partridges are wailing in the forest, and the evening wind is making people feel colder and colder. Yi Niang was already cooking rice in the house, while Zhao Di was still lying on the ground, watching the situation in the charcoal stove without moving.
The smoke from the hut floated slowly, and the red light from the charcoal stove gradually reflected on Zhaodi's face. The younger brother would look at the stove for a while, and then see how the chicken was cooking. When the fire was weak, he would add more firewood, taking care of the flame like a little baby, for fear that the fire would get cold.
"It's time to eat! You two will come back for dinner soon." The artist's mother's call came slowly in the room.
"Third brother! Third brother! The coals are burning red! Come and see!" Brother Zhao saw that the fire in the mud cone had completely burned to the bottom, and hurriedly called Liang Chuan over to see what to do. The excited voice made Black Nose jump with joy.
Liang Chuan sat in the yard and watched the sunset. In the past, he didn't have to worry about food and clothing, but every day was mediocre and he had to think about various things in work and life. Unlike now, the conditions are extremely difficult, but he can just think about how to eat. I don't have any other pressures, I can just look at the setting sun with a straw stalk in my mouth, and watch my wife playing with the dog.
Liang Chuan heard the call to recruit his younger brother from a distance. He stood up and patted his buttocks and went to the charcoal stove. He looked at how far the firewood was burning in the stove. He squatted down and saw red light coming out of several small holes, making his face blush. It's red and warm, and it's almost ready to seal the stove.
"Brother Zhao, take a little mud and seal the hole below and the opening above. The fire will go out in a while, but you need to cool it down and keep it sealed. After dinner, we will open it and take a look. You first Dig out that rich chicken and we’ll have dinner!”
"Okay!" Zhaodi danced with joy, finally getting to eat this fat chicken! He went to get some water and put out the fire. Then he held a stick in his hand and shoveled hard. He first cleared away all the soil around the chicken, and then carefully took out the remaining chicken. The mud on the outside of the beggar's chicken was completely hardened, like a round lump of earth, with steam rising from it!
Liang Chuan said to Brother Zhao, "Brother Zhao, take that chicken into the house. We are going to have dinner!"
There was no table in the room, so a wooden pillar was set up as a dining table. The three people gathered tightly around the wooden pillar. That big round lump of earth was placed on it, and Zhaodi's saliva was like a waterfall. Yi Niang brought a bowl of rice to everyone. It was dry, the same rice without side dishes, and the aroma of rice filled the room, making people's food cravings.
Liang Chuan said that if he eats meat today and drinks porridge, he won't be able to taste it. Both Yi Niang and Zhao Di have tried this way of eating, but meat is always meat, and the taste is incredible.
The three of them were holding bowls and sitting upright. Liang Chuan looked at Yi Niang, who was his married wife, and then at the benefactor who had recruited his brother and was starved of food. He was filled with emotions. Zheng said matter-of-factly: "Today is the first time for us to eat meat. We want to eat meat." Thank you for the pheasant. Today is also the first time for us to make charcoal. I don’t know whether the charcoal will work, but it will work! Starting today, our life will get better and better. I will make sure that you don’t have to worry about food and clothing. Live in the biggest room and sleep on the biggest bed!" Liang Chuan's tone became more and more passionate, and his every move exuded a charming domineering air.
Yi Niang didn't expect Liang Chuan to say these words at all, and her eyes were filled with tears inexplicably. She just thought that she could eat well and sleep in this three-quarter area. How could she expect to live in a big house and sleep in a big house? bed.
He is her husband. Wherever he goes, she goes with him. When he sleeps in a hut, she has to squeeze in with him. Zhaodi is a miserable person who is not cared about and wanted by no one. He can't even think about tomorrow when he has no one to eat. Liang Chuan and his wife took him in. Although Liang Chuan has become different from the Liang Chuan he knew, he will not be much different. Thinking that he knew who was good to him, Zhaodi said: "Third brother, you... this is..., I will follow you, live in a big room! Sleep on a big bed! Hahaha!"
Liang Chuan looked like he was passionate about the country, but he was living in a humble house, but he was extremely ambitious! He said to his brother Zhao, "Brother Zhao, come here with a stick and let's eat chicken!" Brother Zhao rushed out in a hurry and came back with a thick stick. Liang Chuan took the wooden stick he handed over and hit the beggar chicken with the stick. The mud shell on the outside cracked and split into two. He gently broke it with his hands along the crack, and the mud on both sides The chicken feathers stuck to the shell and came off in no time! "Yi Niang, hurry up and get some salt!"
The beggar's chicken is usually wrapped in lotus leaves or film, but it's winter now. Where can we get fresh lotus leaves, let alone film? The local method in the wild is to wrap them with hair and wrap them directly in mud. After baking, even if you knock off the mud, the yellow mud stuck to the roots of the chicken feathers will be removed! Because the internal organs have also been removed, you can eat them directly after peeling them off. Watering the internal organs in water can also be eaten by Heibi. This saves lotus leaves, but the only drawback is that the hygiene is a bit poor. I am thankful to God that I can eat meat now, but I am worried that it is not hygienic. Besides, this era itself is not very hygienic, and viruses and bacteria are completely incomparable with those of later generations. , so this way of eating is completely acceptable.
This pheasant is already fat and tender, and the heat rises from the surface of the chicken. Even the feathers are not plucked, and the fat under the skin is retained. When it is peeled off, it is intact and full of fat. Liang Chuan lightly rubbed the surface of the chicken with salt. Salt was also a precious ingredient in this era. The Huangchao chaos in the Tang Dynasty was caused by a salt dealer. The state's control over salt was very strict, and chaos caused by salt was not uncommon. But salt is indispensable. In ancient times, it was heavy physical work. Without salt, your feet would become weak and you would be unable to work, let alone fight. The crystal white coarse salt is lightly applied, and the golden oil and snow-white coarse salt complement each other, so beautiful!
Liang Chuan folded a chicken leg and handed it to Yi Niang and said: "My wife has been taking care of me for months. She has worked extremely hard and has no way to repay me. Today I borrow flowers to offer to Buddha. You can eat this thigh!" Yi Niang wanted to push it back and give the big one to Liang Chuan himself. , looked at Liang Chuan's face and looked very determined, so he was not polite and put the chicken legs on the rice.
Liang Chuan folded another chicken leg and handed it to Brother Zhao and said, "Brother Zhao, you saved my life. I can't repay you, but I promise you, I will use your chicken to treat you to chicken legs today, and you will follow me from now on." , I will let you have chicken to eat every day!"
Yi Niang looked at Liang Chuan affectionately with her eyes. She did not expect Liang Chuan to create such a vigorous career. She always accompanied Liang Chuan silently. Women are emotional creatures. If you hit the weakest part of her heart, you can conquer her. Brother Zhao burst into tears when he heard this. No one had ever been so kind to him, like a family member, giving him food and shelter, and even promised him chicken drumsticks in the future. . He took a bite of the fatty chicken leg and his tears couldn't stop flowing. Yi Niang saw him crying and she cried too. Liang Chuan saw that both of them were crying. His responsibility as a man was heavy and the corners of his eyes became moist. .
