Chapter 5: I’ll Pawn Big Sister to You, Can You Give Sizi a Bite of Braised Pork?

The commotion in the Imperial Kitchen’s back courtyard blew over like a passing breeze.

That bunch of imperial chefs had been chewed out thoroughly, and once they returned, none of them had the mind to investigate who was making mischief out back. Instead, they were all busy figuring out how to cook mutton without any gamey odor.

This gave Su Mu some peace and quiet.

Although yesterday’s fried rice had caught the Emperor’s attention, the soot covering his face and the sour stench clinging to his clothes made for the perfect disguise.

Who would ever connect a wood-chopping chore boy, filthy as a beggar, to the master who had made “Golden Fried Rice”?

Su Mu was easygoing and hardly worried about it.

The system had granted him “God-tier knife skills,” and letting them go to waste would be a sin against heaven!

The next day.

Just as the sun began to dip west, the stoves in the Imperial Kitchen’s front hall were shut down, and the back courtyard became deserted once again.

Su Mu dug out a slab of pork belly he had hidden under the woodpile yesterday.

The meat had distinct layers – three parts fat, two parts lean – with a firm, springy skin, making it the finest cut on a pig.

In the eyes of the people of the Great Tang, this was cheap meat fit only for the lower classes, notorious for a foul odor that was difficult to remove.

But in Su Mu’s hands, it was a supreme delicacy.

“Thud, thud, thud!”

The cleaver struck the cutting board, the brisk rhythm turning into a cheerful tune.

God-tier knife skills were no joke.

In an instant, the entire slab of pork belly was diced into two-centimeter cubes, uniform down to the millimeter, as if even the pores on the skin were aligned.

He placed the cubes into a pot of cold water, added sliced ginger, and skimmed off the scum.

This step was crucial for removing any rank odor.

Once blanched, the meat turned a glossy white and curled slightly.

Next came the main event – caramelizing the sugar!

Su Mu tossed several chunks of yellow rock sugar into the wok, letting them simmer over low heat.

As he stirred with the spatula, the rock sugar melted, and fine bubbles began to froth from the syrup at the bottom of the wok.

The large bubbles shrank into small ones, and the color shifted from translucent to amber, then deepened into a rich jujube red.

Right at the moment the syrup began to smoke slightly,

Su Mu flicked his wrist, dumping the bowl of drained pork belly into the wok with a loud sizzle.

“Sizzle!”

The syrup coated the meat, instantly unleashing a marvelous aroma of caramelized sugar mingled with rich rendered fat.

This scent was even more overpowering than yesterday’s lard-tossed rice, carrying an aggressively rich sweetness.

He stir-fried the meat, coating every piece in color.

Every single cube was cloaked in a glistening, ruby-red glaze.

He poured in hot water until it submerged the meat.

Then he tossed in some spices along with a handful of dried chilies.

Covering the pot with a lid, he turned the heat down to let it simmer.

Su Mu clapped his hands clean and leaned back against the woodpile.

The waiting time was not to be wasted either.

He pulled a small packet of tea leaves from his robes – crumbs he had chipped off a tea brick swiped from the Imperial Kitchen’s tea pantry – and fetched a bowl of goat milk.

People of the Great Tang liked to drink tea by adding ginger, salt, and scallions, boiling it into a pot of savory soup.

To Su Mu, that was outright heresy!

Su Mu tossed the tea leaves into a clay pot to dry-roast them until they released a toasted aroma, then poured in the goat milk.

The gamey scent of the milk was completely washed away by the fragrance of the tea, leaving behind only a rich, milky aroma.

He added sugar and strained the liquid.

A simple bowl of caramel milk tea was ready!

*

Meanwhile.

In the narrow passageway leading to the Imperial Kitchen, two figures – one tall and one small – were locked in a tug-of-war.

“Sizi, stop fooling around.”

Princess Changle Li Lizhi covered her nose and mouth with a silk handkerchief in one hand, while holding tightly with the other to the little dumpling charging forward with all her might.

Today, she wore a light-cyan palace gown with a jade hairpin dangling in her hair, looking dignified and elegant, though her lovely face was currently full of helplessness.

What kind of place was the Imperial Kitchen’s back courtyard?

It was an area for dumping slops and piling scrap firewood.

Filthy and foul-smelling.

Imperial Father had just lost his temper yesterday, so why was this little ancestor^[1] still obsessing over it today?

“It’s wight up ahead!”

Xiao Sizi dug her little feet firmly into the cracks between the floor tiles and leaned back, pulling Li Lizhi’s arm completely straight.

She had deliberately changed into a short ruqun^[2] today so it would be easier to run, and an empty little pouch hung at her waist, ready to be filled with yummy treats.

“Elder Sister doesn’t believe me!”

Xiao Sizi puffed out her cheeks in frustration, her words lisping, “There weally is an immortal big bwother! The yummy rice he makes can dance! And there’s sweet, sweet water too!”

Li Lizhi sighed.

The child had probably become delirious from hunger.

Yesterday, Imperial Father had searched the Imperial Kitchen from top to bottom and found no one, so where could an immortal have come from?

“All right, all right, Elder Sister believes you.”

Li Lizhi only wanted to coax this little ancestor back quickly. “But this place is too dirty. Let’s go back to Lizheng Hall, and Elder Sister will have someone make sushan^[3] for you, okay?”

“Don’t want sushan!”

Xiao Sizi shook her head with immense determination, her two little hair buns flinging about. “Sushan has no taste! I want to eat the golden, shiny rice that glows!”

Taking advantage of Li Lizhi loosening her grip, she dashed straight through the dilapidated moon gate.

“Hey! Sizi!”

Worried she might trip and fall, Li Lizhi had no choice but to lift the hem of her skirt and chase after her.

Just past the moon gate.

A gust of wind blew right into her face.

Li Lizhi reflexively held her breath, bracing herself for the foul stench.

And yet…

What drifted into her nostrils was neither the smell of slops nor the reek of rotting vegetables.

Instead, it was an unimaginably rich and lingering… aroma of meat?

Wrapped within that fragrance was the caramelized sweetness of melted sugar, blended with the richness of savory fat and an elusive hint of warm spice.

Unlike the reserved dishes prepared by the Bureau of Culinary Service, this scent was utterly unrestrained, carrying a hook that drilled straight into one’s skull!

Li Lizhi’s normally poised steps faltered.

In utter disbelief, she lowered the silk handkerchief covering her nose and mouth, her nostrils gently twitching.

Gulp!

Her throat made a thoroughly unladylike swallowing sound.

What… what was this smell?

Just catching the scent made her mouth water uncontrollably.

Xiao Sizi up ahead had smelled it long before.

Cheering with joy, her short little legs pumped into a blur as she charged straight for the gloomy little woodshed.

“Big bwother! Big bwother, I’m hewe!”

*

Inside the woodshed.

The broth in the pot had already reduced to a thick glaze.

Su Mu lifted the lid.

Steam billowed up as the translucent, crimson sauce bubbled and rolled over the chunks of meat with a steady, rhythmic gurgle.

The meat was cooked until it was completely tender, jiggling delicately between skin and fat, so tempting that one couldn’t help but want to poke it.

Su Mu scooped out a plateful, glistening red and glossy, an alluring sight.

He was just about to pour himself a cup of milk tea to savor it.

“Bang!”

The dilapidated wooden door, already rickety to begin with, was shoved open.

Su Mu’s hand twitched, nearly spilling his precious milk tea.

He turned around to look.

That familiar little pink dumpling was standing in the doorway, panting heavily, her eyes fixed directly on the plate in his hand.

Behind the little dumpling followed a young woman.

The young woman had a tall, slender figure and picturesque features, but at this moment, her pretty eyes were wide and round, staring fixedly at the plate of braised pork, completely devoid of any princess-like decorum.

Su Mu: “…”

He tucked the plate behind his back.

“Why are you here again?”

Su Mu’s tone was decidedly unfriendly.

Was the palace security made of paper? How could they let people slip into this rundown woodshed whenever they pleased?

Seeing Su Mu hide the meat, Xiao Sizi panicked.

Throwing all caution to the wind, she charged inside, latched onto Su Mu’s leg, and began nuzzling against it.

“Big bwother! Pretty big bwother!”

Xiao Sizi tilted her head up, drool already pooling at the corners of her mouth. “I bwought my big sister! Look, dis is my big sister! She’s so pwetty!”

Li Lizhi’s face flushed red.

As Princess Changle^[4], when had she ever been pointed at and paraded around like this?

She was just about to open her mouth to reprimand this ill-mannered servant.

Yet Su Mu didn’t even spare her a glance. He merely looked down at the human ornament clinging to his leg, his expression full of disdain. “Why did you bring someone? To freeload? There’s none for you. I don’t even have enough for myself.”

Li Lizhi choked on her words.

This man… what absolute nerve!

Did he have any idea who they were?

Yet the fragrant aroma from that plate was just too close.

So close that she could clearly see the cubes of meat trembling slightly on the plate with Su Mu’s movements, bouncy and tender as if alive.

In the dim woodshed, that lustrous reddish glaze practically glowed!

Right on cue, Li Lizhi’s stomach betrayed her with a clear rumble.

It wasn’t loud, but in the quiet woodshed, it sounded unmistakably clear.

In an instant, Li Lizhi was so embarrassed she wanted to find a crack in the floor to crawl into, the tips of her ears burning bright red.

Su Mu raised an eyebrow, shooting the beauty a half-amused glance.

“Want some?”

Li Lizhi bit her lip, wanting to say no, but her body was too honest to budge an inch.

Seeing an opening, Xiao Sizi immediately stepped up her offense.

Letting go of Su Mu’s leg, she grabbed Li Lizhi’s hand instead and shoved her toward Su Mu with all her might.

“Big bwother!”

With an expression of utmost solemnity, Xiao Sizi offered up her dearest elder sister.

“Dis time I’ll pawn my big sister to you! Let me eat meat-meat, otay?”

Li Lizhi: “???”

Su Mu: “…”