After hearing Yuan Xi's words, Yuan Xing pondered for a moment, clapped her hands and said, "I understand, you want to make sugar cakes."
"Put sugar in the middle of the dough and steam it. It will be delicious."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "My sister does know how to cook, but it's a little different. Instead of steaming, she uses sesame oil to fry."
Yuan Xing was stunned: "Cooking and frying? What is this?"
Sesame oil is squeezed from flax. At that time, the names of flax were confusing. One was flax brought back by Zhang Qian from the Western Regions, and the other was sesame, which was said to be introduced from India.
The former is mostly planted in the suffering places in the north, while the latter is suitable for both north and south, but in most cases it is not used for cooking, but for lighting.
At that time, food was scarce and a lot of oil was used to fry food, so frying was not yet a popular cooking method.
Yuan Xi briefly explained the frying method to Yuan Xing, and finally said: "This kind of food is called fried cake, or sugar cake."
After hearing this, Yuan Xing smiled and said: "My second brother said that, I am quite interested. Come and have a look."
She asked the maid to bring sesame oil and flour. Yuan Xi saw that there was a stove in the corner of the yard, so he went over to light a fire. Wu Zhao hurriedly said: "You can make sugar cakes, and I will light the fire."
She quickly stuffed the straw branches into the stove, lit the fire with a flint, and saw the flames slowly jumping up.
She looked up and saw Yuan Xi carrying a bucket of water over, and said in shock: "Don't you want to fry it?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Boil the water first."
The flames on the stove made a whirring sound, and the water bubbled more and more in the iron pot and began to boil gradually.
In this era, even drinking boiled water is a luxury.
Although there are woods all over the place, the actual firewood used for making fires requires dead branches, which are very rare in the woods. It often takes a young and strong laborer to work for a long time to collect a bundle.
When you take this firewood home, you will use a lot of it just for cooking, as well as for heating, so in the end, there will not be much firewood for boiling water.
Farmers with good conditions can only use the remaining fire in the stove to boil a pot of water after cooking.
Yuan Xi stayed in Beixin City for three years and tried his best to get the people to drink more boiled water, but most people still didn't have the energy to do this if they didn't have enough to eat.
However, the effect is very good. In the past three years, there has been no major epidemic in Beixin City, which is not unrelated to the fact that a considerable number of people drink boiled water.
If the whole world could develop this habit, maybe the life span of the people would be significantly increased, right?
When Yuan Xi saw that the water in the pot was boiling, he took a wooden spoon, scooped out some boiling water, poured it into a wooden basin with white flour, and then kneaded it with his hands.
He poured in sesame oil while kneading. As he kneaded, a delicate, soft and elastic dough gradually formed, and soon the aroma spread.
The white and tender dough kept changing its shape under the wrath of the five fingers. Yuan Xing and Wu Zhao couldn't help but look at each other. This was very similar to the subtle experience of the twenty-year-old leftover woman in the dead of night. They both felt their faces were a little red.
Yuan Xing coughed dryly, covering up the awkward atmosphere, and said: "I have never heard of my second brother doing this. Who can learn from it?"
Yuan Xi didn't notice the embarrassment between the two women. He raised his head and said, "I just imagined it myself, but many people must like it."
"If my sister marries a good man, she can cook it for him. It will definitely enhance the relationship between the two of them."
Yuan Xing said angrily: "Are you laughing at my age?"
"With our family's current situation, where can we find someone who is well-matched?"
"I am now in a state of high or low."
She looked around and whispered: "I heard that my father's good friend Cao Mengde wants to marry his eldest son Cao Ang, but my father seems to be still hesitant."
Yuan Xi was shocked when he heard this and blurted out: "This can't be done!"
Yuan Xing asked curiously: "Why? Then Cao Ang has a bad character?"
Yuan Xi was at a loss for words. He couldn't say it. Cao Ang was probably going to die in a few years, right?
Even if history changes and Cao Ang survives, the Yuan and Cao families will have a fight sooner or later, and it will be a fight to the death. Even if Yuan Xing and Cao Ang get married, there will not be a good ending.
He hesitated: "After Cao Cao eunuchs, will my father agree?"
Yuan Xing said distressedly: "But I am already old. I was going to get married in Luoyang, but my father rebelled against Dong Zhuo and came to Jizhou. This will be delayed."
"There are many Jizhou nobles who want to get married, but my father doesn't think it's suitable."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi sighed: "It's true. I just got a new general from Gongsun Zan, Changshan Zhao Zilong. His character and appearance are the best choice, but his family background is not the best."
Yuan Xing also nodded and said: "You also know that we can only marry with nobles. Military generals are not popular. Even if you let me marry the four pillars, I am afraid that my father will feel that it is a loss to the lintel."
Yuan Xi had already kneaded the dough into shape. He took out a few pieces of sugar, crushed them with the bottom of a bowl, then poured them into a bowl filled with white flour and stirred, and the filling was ready.
He said: "It's not that my father looks down on military generals, it's just that military generals don't have titles."
"If a military general is granted the title of Marquis, he should be worthy of my sister."
Yuan Xing listened and joked: "You seem to appreciate that Zhao Zilong?"
Yuan Xi picked off small pieces of dough from the dough, pressed it into a round cake, then filled it with sugar filling and sealed it, and then pressed it into a round cake.
Wu Zhao understood and quickly tried to help.
Yuan Xi raised his hand and said, "I'm very good at judging people. He will definitely leave his name in history."
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Yuan Xi didn't think so. More than a year later, he had an excellent opportunity.
In order to tie Zhao Yun to death, he had no choice but to betray the seller.
Besides, Zhao Yun is so lucky that he is very likely to die well, which is extremely rare in this troubled world.
He didn't want to go into details, but said with a smile: "If he is granted the title of Marquis and my sister is not married yet, can I help him propose marriage to his father?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xing smiled and hit Yuan Xi on the shoulder, "Your brother has no conscience. Is this a curse that prevents me from getting married?"
Wu Zhao watched her sister and brother talking and laughing, and felt a sense of long-lost family warmth. She had been so happy when she accompanied her father, but she would never have it again.
Seeing that the pot was almost burning, Yuan Xi slowly poured the sesame oil into the pot. At this moment, the maid hurried over and said to Yuan Xing: "Mrs. Zhen Rong asks to see the eldest lady."
Yuan Xing was stunned and asked, "Why is she here at this time?"
She explained to Yuan Xi: "Zhen Rong is the fourth daughter of the Zhen family. She only got married last year. She has always known me well."
Yuan Xing suddenly reacted and said with a smile: "I mean, she's here for her sister!"
"I'm afraid the news of your return has spread throughout Yecheng. She is probably here to find out more about you."
There was an ambiguous smile on her face, "She is so anxious. Did you do something outside?"
When Yuan Xi saw the sesame oil starting to bubble, he used wooden chopsticks to hold the dough and carefully put it into the oil. The pot began to make a crackling sound.
He touched his head: "Maybe it's because I brought back dozens of women?"
When Yuan Xing heard this, she tapped Yuan Xi's forehead hard: "What have you been doing outside these years?"
"No matter, I'll go and bring Zhen Rong in first!"
"After you send her away, I can ask you about those women!"
Zhen Mi covered her face, pretending to be a maid, and followed Yuan Xing and Zhen Rong in.
As soon as she entered the yard, she saw a man not far away staring at the frying pan attentively.