Chapter 34: The charm of beef and potatoes
Niu Jinda went crazy. He picked up a cleaver and smashed it on another pot. The blade and the pot clashed, sending sparks flying, but the pot didn’t break. He simply smashed the pot with a punch, and the pot shattered. His bloody hand dug furiously in the mud, and his fingertips seemed to touch something. He immediately slowed down, and with both hands he dug out the mud, revealing a potato. Overjoyed, he began to dig out the rest of the mud. When the pile of mud was cleared, the yellow potato stems and leaves with roots appeared before everyone. The roots were covered with potatoes, and after a careful count, there were more than ten of them, some the size of a fist and some the size of an egg. A large bunch of potatoes was hanging on the vine, like grapes.
The old ox touched this and that, never imagining that a tough guy with hands like iron tongs could have such a gentle side. Tears flowed down his cheeks, which were covered with furrows. The purple robe that had just been so awe-inspiring was covered in mud, the white jade belt was covered in dust, and the official seal was thrown aside. The dignified general of the central government was crying like a baby in the womb, unable to be seen by others.
Li Chengqian no longer had the image of a prince. He was lying on the large vat, digging frantically with his hands, looking like a large groundhog.
Old Cheng was more gentle. He took a hammer and smashed the clay pot. He then learned from Yun Ye how to pull up the leaves and pull out a string of potatoes. He then pulled a handful of soil and a potato the size of a sheep’s head was pulled out. He held the huge potato and laughed.
When Yun Ye was about to dig the last pot of potatoes, he was stopped by Lao Cheng: “Leave it for His Majesty to dig.”
Seeing the meaningful look in Lao Cheng’s eyes, Yun Ye suddenly realized that flattery should be done in a complete set. You must not make the person being flattered feel uncomfortable, as this will affect the effect of flattery.
The four pots of potatoes weighed a total of 31.6 jin, and were placed on a table covered with hemp cloth. The four general-level guards surrounding them were all dressed in full armor, facing the table, with their swords in their hands. The horse was flashing with cold light, and even more exaggeratedly, one of them was holding a chain hammer, with a two-zhang-long iron chain wrapped around his body, full of murderous intent. No one dared to go over, and Yun Ye estimated that even ghosts would not dare to go over.
The highest yield ever recorded was born, and the yield of 50 jin made these guys crazy. Li Chengqian was shaking all over, his mouth trembling and unable to speak, Niu Jinda was crying and laughing, and Lao Cheng was drinking tea and his face was purple.
Their state affected the entire Zuowei camp, and all the troops were in a state of alert: swords out of their sheaths, horses saddled, and bows strung. Squads of soldiers patrolled back and forth, killing anyone who approached the camp without reason.
Changsun Chong and Li Huiren saw Yun Ye as if they were seeing a ghost. Cheng Chumo patted Yun Ye on the shoulder and laughed heartily, bragging to his colleagues: “How about my brother? He said that he could bring the dying back to life, and that he could produce 50 jin of grain when there was only 15 jin. Who would dare not believe him?”
“Your Highness, can we now conduct the food test?” Seeing that everyone had finally calmed down, Yun Ye quickly went forward to report.
“Yun Qing, how do you do this test, what is the purpose, why do you do it?” Li Chengqian was not good at this. He always had to ask for clarification and explain things to him. Cheng Chumo was much better. He just ate and did what he was told to do. He never asked questions. I don’t know where Li Chengqian learned his bad habit of asking questions.
“Just cook it and eat it to see if there are any bad things, such as poisoning, diarrhea, and other adverse effects after consumption. After all, this is a new food, and the necessary food test is an indispensable part. If there are no such adverse reactions, it will not be too late to plant it on a large scale, otherwise it will be a destruction of human life.”
If you raise the issue to a human level and then express your own demands, it will be easy to succeed. Sure enough, Li Chengqian thought for a moment and asked, “Who is Yunqing looking for to do this experiment?”
“Since I planted the potatoes, I will naturally be the one to try them. If there aren’t enough people, it’s okay to add Cheng Chumo, the commander of the army.”
Hearing Yun Ye say this, Xiao Cheng was so happy that he couldn’t see his teeth. He quickly stepped forward and made a heroic gesture: “Your servant is willing to be the one to try the food.”
“Auspicious omens are not common, and we need to plant them. I think two should be enough to test the effect. Would you like to eat two, Yun Qing?” After saying this, he personally took two one-catty potatoes from the table and handed them to Yun Ye.
Yun Ye took the potatoes and thanked the prince. He grabbed Cheng Chumo and ran to his tent. He said that before collecting the potatoes, Yun Ye had already stewed the beef. It had been an hour, and the beef must have been stewed to a pulp. Add the potatoes, and a pot of fragrant beef stewed with potatoes can be taken out of the pot. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When he got to the tent, Yun Ye peeled, cut, and rinsed the potatoes in water, then poured them into the casserole, covered it, and turned to Cheng Chumo and said, “The aroma of beef and potatoes is so good that even immortals can’t sit still. My teacher made it a few times before, and I ate it all up every time. I even wiped the bottom of the plate with rice before I gave up. Today, let’s have a good meat meal, brothers.”
Cheng Chumo smiled and nodded, unable to stop himself. If it was food that could make Yun Ye, the pickiest eater in the Manzuo Wuyi, forget about it, how bad could it be?
He pulled out a jug of wine and drank a sip from the spout, then handed it to Yun Ye. Yun Ye took a big gulp, the grape wine was sweet and sour, far better than the water used to wash the pots.
The potatoes in the casserole were already golden brown and exuded a tempting aroma. He grabbed a handful of wild onions and tossed them in, and after a few stirrings, they were ready. He scooped a potato with a spoon and brought it to Cheng Chumo’s mouth. Cheng swallowed it whole, his feet jumping with the heat, but he didn’t want to spit it out. The potato melted in his mouth, soft and fragrant, and it was soaked in beef broth. It was truly a delicacy of the world. Just as the two brothers were eating in a trance, one after the other, they didn’t notice that there were people standing behind them. A slap on the back of the head woke the two up.
“Unfilial wretch, you didn’t even call me when you had such a delicacy.” Old Cheng took the spoon and bowed to the crown prince.
“Let me taste it first before we discuss it.” He then took a big spoonful, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it. From time to time, he shook his head and praised it.
“Auspicious is auspicious, delicious and filling. I’ll have another bite.” After saying this, Lao Cheng scooped up another large spoonful and just as he put it in his mouth, the crown prince swallowed his saliva and said, “I also want to try it.”
Cheng Chumo quickly ran over and took another spoon, holding it in both hands and offering it to the prince. Li Chengqian also scooped up a large spoonful of the soup, blew it cool, and ate it bite by bite. He didn’t know what flavor he was tasting, but the frequency of his actions was getting faster and faster.
Niu Jinda also took a spoonful and put it in his mouth, as if he were tasting the essence of the dragon’s liver and the phoenix’s marrow.
There wasn’t much beef stew in the casserole, so it couldn’t stand up to everyone tasting it one mouthful at a time. In an instant, there was no more soup left.
Li Chengqian wiped his mouth and said to Lao Cheng, “What do you think, Uncle Cheng?”
“It’s a good thing. It’s really a good food. It’s filling, it’s resistant to hunger, the yield is extremely high, it doesn’t pick the land, it can be planted in dry land, Yun Boy said that it can be stored in the cellar for a year, and the rare thing is that it is extremely delicious. Our Tang Dynasty has indeed received a great blessing, which is gratifying and congratulatory.” Old Cheng was blowing his own trumpet.
The others didn’t think that Old Cheng was exaggerating, and they all agreed with him, saying that General Cheng was right.
“General, you are absolutely right. I am sure my father is also a little anxious. I will submit a report to the emperor, stating what I have heard and seen, and praising Yun Qing. I wonder if you two uncles can sign the report together. I will definitely let 500 elite soldiers from Zuowuwei escort the remaining jar of auspicious grain to the capital to present it to Your Majesty. Since this is a matter of great importance, can General Niu lead the troops?”
Niu Jinda, Cheng Yaojin nodded in agreement.
The next day, Niu Jinda led 500 elite soldiers and a large pot of potatoes with smoke and dust all the way to Chang’an.