The Charm of Braised Beef with Potatoes
Niu Jin reached a state of frenzy, wielding his horizontal blade to strike another vat. The blade and the vat collided, sending sparks flying everywhere, but the vat remained intact. He then punched the vat with his fist, shattering it into pieces. His bloody hand dug frantically into the mud, and his fingertips seemed to touch something. His movements immediately slowed down, and he carefully uncovered a potato from the earth. Overjoyed, he began to dig up the remaining soil, revealing a cluster of potatoes attached to a withered stem and roots. There were over ten potatoes in total, ranging in size from fist-sized to egg-sized, all strung together like grapes on a vine. Old Niu touched each potato gently, never having thought that this rough man had such a tender side. Tears streamed down his face as he cried like a baby, his majestic purple robes now covered in mud and dust. Li Chengqian was no longer the dignified prince, but rather a large hamster digging furiously into the soil with his hands. Old Cheng took a more refined approach, using a hammer to break open the vat and then pulling out a string of potatoes with the stem. He laughed as he held up a massive potato. When Yun Hen wanted to dig up the last vat of potatoes, Old Cheng stopped him: "Leave it for His Majesty to dig." Seeing the meaningful look in Old Cheng's eyes, Yun Hen suddenly understood that he was trying to curry favor with the emperor by letting him have the last and largest potato.
Four sacks of potatoes, weighing a total of thirty-one catties and six taels, were piled high on a table covered with hemp cloth. The four guards surrounding the table, dressed in full armor, stood with their backs to the table, holding horizontal knives that gleamed with a cold light. One of them even held a chain hammer, with a two-zhang-long iron chain wrapped around his body, exuding an aura of murder. No one dared to approach, and Yun Yan estimated that not even ghosts would dare to get close. The highest-yielding crop in history had been born, with a yield of fifty shi that drove these people crazy. Li Chengqian was frantically waving his arms, stuttering and unable to speak, while Niu Jinda cried one moment and laughed the next, and Old Cheng drank tea with a purple face. Their state affected the entire Left Guard Camp, where all personnel were in a state of high alert, with swords drawn, horses saddled, and bows strung. Soldiers patrolled back and forth, and anyone who approached within a hundred zhangs without reason would be killed without pardon. Long Sun Chong and Li Huai Ren? Yun Yan was as if he had seen ghosts, while Cheng Chu Mo patted Yun Yan's shoulder and laughed loudly, boasting to his comrades: "My brother is amazing! He says that those who are about to die will live, and that those who can produce fifteen shi of grain per mu will produce fifty shi. Who dares not believe him?"
"Your Highness, can we conduct a food trial now?" Seeing that everyone had finally calmed down, Yun Ye hastily stepped forward to report.
"Yun Qing, how to do this experiment, what is the purpose, and where did it come from?" Li Chengqian was not good at this point, always asking for clarification and explanation, while Cheng Chumu was much better, just eating when told to eat, doing things when told to do them, never asking questions. It's unknown where Li Chengqian learned this habit of digging deep into the roots of things.
"It's just cooking and eating, seeing if there are any bad things, such as poisoning, diarrhea, and other adverse consequences after people eat it. After all, this is a new grain, and necessary food testing is an indispensable link. If there are no adverse reactions, then large-scale planting can be done without delay; otherwise, this is a destruction of human life."
"What should be raised to the level of humanity first, and then express one's own demands, so it's easy to succeed." Indeed, Li Chengqian thought for a moment and asked: "Yunqing, who will you find to do this experiment?"
"Since the potatoes were planted by me, I should naturally be the one to try them. If there aren't enough people, adding Cheng Chumo, the Zhongchong Xiaowei, would also be acceptable." Little Cheng heard Yun He say this and was overjoyed, hastily standing up with a righteous expression: "I am willing to be the one to try them."
"Since the auspicious things are not many, we should make some more. I think two will be enough to test the effect, Cloud Qing can take two and try them?" After finishing speaking, he personally went to the case table and handed over two one-catty heavy potatoes to Cloud Flame. Cloud Flame took the potatoes, thanked the prince, and grabbed Cheng Chu Mu, running towards his own camp. As for Cloud Flame, before receiving the potatoes, he had already started stewing the beef, which was now a whole hour later. The beef must have been stewed until it was tender, and adding the potatoes would result in a pot of fragrant potato stew with beef that could be served immediately. Just thinking about it made him drool.
Inside the tent, Yun Yan familiarly peeled and chopped the potatoes, washed them to remove excess starch, then poured them into a sand pot. He covered it with a lid and turned around to say to Cheng Chu Mo: "The aroma of beef stewed with potatoes is something even gods can't resist. My former master made this dish several times before, and each time I ate until not a single grain was left, even using rice to wipe the plate clean. Today, let's have a good feast." Cheng Chu Mo nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining with excitement as he swallowed saliva. If Yun Yan, who was notoriously picky about food in the Left Guard, couldn't forget this dish, how could it be bad? With a flourish, he pulled out a jug of wine and took a sip from the spout before handing it to Yun Yan. Yun Yan took a big gulp, savoring the sweet and sour taste of the grape wine, which was far superior to those cheap wines that were only good for washing pots.
The potatoes in the casserole had been stewed to a golden yellow, emitting a strong and enticing aroma. A handful of wild scallions was thrown in, and after a few stir-fries, it was done. With a spoon, a piece of potato was scooped up and sent to Cheng Chu's mouth, and with one bite, he jumped up from the heat, but couldn't bear to spit it out. The potatoes melted in his mouth, soft and fragrant, and were soaked in beef broth, truly a culinary delight. Just as the two brothers were eating in a state of nirvana, they didn't notice that there was a crowd of people standing behind them. It wasn't until someone slapped the back of their heads that they came to their senses.
"Unfilial thing, having delicious food without calling me." Old Cheng snatched the spoon and bowed to the prince.
"Let me taste it first, then we'll talk about it later." After finishing speaking, he scooped up a big spoonful and put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, savored it carefully, and nodded his head from time to time, praising it.
"Delicious and filling, let me have another bite." Old Cheng said, scooping up a large spoonful. Just as he put it in his mouth, the prince swallowed hard and said, "I'd like to try some too." Cheng Hurriedly ran over with another spoon and presented it to the prince with both hands. Li Chengqian also scooped out a large spoonful from the pot, blew on it to cool it down, and ate it mouthful by mouthful, savoring the flavor. Ni Jinzhi also took a spoonful and put it in his mouth, as if he were tasting dragon liver and phoenix marrow. The clay pot stew of potatoes and beef was not much to begin with, and it couldn't withstand everyone's sampling, one bite at a time. In an instant, even the broth was gone.
Li Chengqian awkwardly wiped his mouth and asked Old Cheng: "What does Uncle Cheng think?"
"Good stuff, indeed a good grain, both filling and resistant to hunger, with an extremely high yield, and not picky about the land, it can be planted in dry land. Yun Xiaozi said that it can be stored for a year in an underground cellar. What's rare is that it's extremely delicious. My Great Tang has indeed obtained a great blessing, congratulations are in order." Old Cheng was naturally boasting. The crowd didn't think Old Cheng was exaggerating, and they all echoed in agreement, saying that General Cheng's words were reasonable.
"The general's words are extremely correct, I'm sure the emperor is also somewhat anxious. I will submit a memorial to report what I have heard and seen, to request rewards for Yun Qing. I don't know if you two uncles can co-sign it? I have decided to let 500 elite left-wing guards escort the remaining jar of auspicious signs back to the capital. Since this is an important matter, would it be better for General Niu to lead the army?" Niu Jinzong and Cheng Yaojin nodded in agreement.
The next day, Niu Jin Da led 500 elite soldiers carrying large jars and the excavated potatoes, with a trail of dust all the way to Chang'an.
