Chapter 62: Junior Brother, the Noodles You Made Are Delicious

"Holding a fragrant and soft young lady is truly comfortable!"

Jiang Han walked out of the Ningyan Pavilion and stretched lazily.

It was just that when he woke up in the morning, Miss Zhou Yun's expression towards him had been a bit peculiar, as if she wanted to scold him for being worse than a beast.

Not seeing Li Qiushui, Jiang Han guessed that the great talented scholar was probably lingering in some courtyard. After leaving the Ningyan Pavilion, he headed straight for the market.

Having learned about the Yin family's influence from Zhou Yun the previous night, he had resolved to latch tightly onto the little wealthy heiress's thigh.

To do that, he had to fulfill his promise. Next... he would cook a meal for the little wealthy heiress.

And the method was to make chicken bouillon powder.

Upon arriving at the market, he first purchased two large baskets of shiitake mushrooms, two old hens, and two pounds of dried shrimp.

Returning to the courtyard, Jiang Han poured both baskets of shiitake mushrooms into a large vat of water to soak.

Afterward, he washed the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, drained them, and set them aside, then had Wu Wenhua slaughter both old hens, pluck their feathers, and wash them clean.

Next came slow-stewing the hens in a pot, during which ginger slices and scallion sections were added, and Wu Wenhua was instructed to skim off the foam.

The shiitake mushrooms were being slow-stewed in another large pot.

In fact, it would have been even better if he could make monosodium glutamate, but Jiang Han only knew that sodium glutamate was extracted from kelp. Furthermore, Luoyang was located further north, far away from the ocean. Although there was canal transport, kelp was still scarce and ridiculously expensive, making it impossible for him to experiment freely.

If he had the opportunity to visit a coastal town in the future, he could try making MSG, but for now, chicken bouillon powder offered the best cost-performance ratio.

After simmering for an hour and a half, both the old hens and the shiitake mushrooms were thoroughly tenderized, filling the kitchen with a rich, savory aroma.

Seeing that it was about time, Jiang Han fished out the old hens and shiitake mushrooms, squeezed out the excess moisture, and combined the chicken broth with the mushroom broth.

The chicken meat, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp were pounded together, mixed thoroughly, and then poured back into the pot of rich broth to continue simmering for another two hours.

He reduced the broth over high heat, slowly dried it out, and finally ground the remaining solid chunks in the pot into powder. It was complete.

Jiang Han dipped a finger into it and tasted it on his tongue; it was supremely savory and sweet.

A smile appeared on his face. This concoction might not compare to the chicken bouillon or MSG of his past life, but the people in this world had yet to have their palates baptized by modern food technology and harsh critique. Once they tasted this, they definitely wouldn't be able to stomach other foods in the future.

Wu Wenhua scratched his head with a naive expression and asked, "Young Master, what is this stuff?"

He had originally thought the young master was stewing chicken soup, but who would have expected it to end up as some kind of paste?

Jiang Han said, "This is good stuff. If you add just a little bit to dishes, it can enhance their savory flavor and sweetness."

Wu Wenhua scratched his head, unconcerned—whatever the young master said, went.

Just at that moment, Liu Miao walked out of her room, frowning slightly, "Junior Brother, where did you go last night? Why weren't you around this morning?"

Jiang Han said, "Last night... Senior Sister, are you hungry? Would you like me to cook some noodles for you?"

Jiang Han awkwardly changed the subject, which successfully drew Liu Miao's attention.

She frowned, thinking to herself: I treated you to a grand feast yesterday, and today you're just going to treat me to noodles?

However, her stomach was indeed rumbling. She hadn't eaten lunch, and it was now nearly dusk.

"Alright then!"

"Senior Sister, wait right here."

Jiang Han immediately entered the kitchen and boiled a pot of plain dried noodles. When the noodles were cooked, he scooped in a spoonful of his simplified chicken bouillon powder and added a few stalks of green vegetables.

He scooped up a spoonful of the broth to taste it, and could not help nodding slightly.

Although it fell far short of MSG, it was indeed much more savory and delicious. If this product were manufactured on a scale, it would be a huge business opportunity, enough to line his pockets with wealth...

Lost in thoughts of business, Jiang Han carried a pot of noodles out.

In the parlor, Liu Miao and Jiang Qingyan were sitting together chatting.

After spending some time together, Jiang Qingyan had also confirmed that this senior sister was not her future sister-in-law, but rather her second brother's senior sister.

Her second brother had taken Meng Hongshang, the premier dancer of Great Yu, as his master, and this senior sister was Lady Meng's chief disciple!

It seemed that Miss Qin must be the future sister-in-law... though, then again, maybe this one was too!

Jiang Qingyan looked at Liu Miao with these thoughts in mind. This senior sister was pretty, had a nice figure, and was gentle—she was far better than that woman Gu Xirou... Her second brother had truly become enlightened, actually managing to befriend such a gorgeous senior sister.

Wu Yun's nostrils suddenly twitched slightly, her distinct black-and-white eyes widening abruptly as she stared at the large bowls of noodles Jiang Han had brought out.

"Oh, Junior Brother, the noodles you cooked smell so fragrant..." Liu Miao was somewhat surprised. She had originally expected her junior brother's cooking to be mediocre at best, but who would have thought it would smell this good? Just smelling it made saliva pool under her tongue.

This fragrance seemed to have the aroma of chicken, yet also seemed mixed with the scent of shiitake mushrooms...

Jiang Han placed the three large bowls of noodles on the table and said, "Here, have a taste."

Jiang Qingyan picked up her bowl first, used her chopsticks to lift a mouthful of noodles, and tasted them. Her eyes instantly lit up.

"Delicious! Why are these noodles so savory? Second Brother, what did you put in them?" She asked in astonishment, looking into her bowl, where there was nothing besides noodles and greens.

"My secret recipe," Jiang Han said with a smile.

"Is it really that good?" Liu Miao turned her head and saw Wu Yun holding a large bowl, opening her massive maw and dumping the noodles straight in—a truly astonishing way to eat.

Wu Yun finished every drop of the soup immediately, then cast a covetous glare at the bowl of noodles in front of Liu Miao.

"This one is mine!"

Liu Miao hurriedly guarded her bowl of noodles, picked it up, and took a sip of the soup, her beautiful eyes widening instantly.

A savory flavor combining chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp exploded in her mouth, assaulting her taste buds.

She couldn't help looking at Jiang Han and asking, "What did you add to these noodles? Were they boiled in old hen broth? No, even chicken broth isn't this savory."

Jiang Han smiled and said, "That's my secret recipe. As long as Senior Sister likes it."

A secret recipe... This junior sister could actually make something like this? Liu Miao was immensely surprised. She tasted the noodles again and found them overwhelmingly delicious; this bowl of noodles tasted better than any extravagant feast of meat and fish she had ever eaten before.

These noodles were truly delicious! If Master knew about this, she would definitely want to taste them too, Liu Miao thought to herself.

Jiang Qingyan looked at Jiang Han, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Her second brother was truly amazing! He knew how to make scented perfumes and run a business, his poetry had even won praise from Grand Academician Zhongli, and now his cooking was this incredible.

She glanced back at Liu Miao, suddenly feeling that this senior sister probably wouldn't be able to escape her second brother's grasp.

Liu Miao finished her bowl of noodles, still craving more, and said, "Junior Brother, the noodles you cooked are truly delicious. Ladle me another bowl."

Ah, well... Senior Sister, phrasing it that way gives people the wrong idea... Jiang Han smiled and said, "Since Senior Sister loves the noodles I cook, I'll cook noodles for Senior Sister every single day from now on."

"Mm-hmm." Liu Miao was delighted. Turning her head, she suddenly noticed that Wu Yun was gone. Standing up, she saw that the girl had sprinted into the kitchen, sitting on the floor, holding a large pot of noodles, lifting it high, and pouring it directly into her gaping mouth.

Liu Miao's eyes widened in exasperation, and she cried out angrily, "Little monster! Leave some noodles for me!"