Chapter 53: Contentment

The fragrant, savory stewed dog meat completely conquered the old man's appetite.

When Yuan Lang brought over the wine, the old man poured himself a bowl. The aroma was rich and thick; the wine he drank was naturally incomparable to the turbid swill found outside. Just by the scent, he could tell it was properly brewed from grain, somewhat stronger than other wines and aged for quite a season.

In this era, good wine was actually led by fruit brews, and people of the time were much more willing to drink sweet and fragrant fruit wines.

However, grain wine was also not uncommon, and it was the absolute favorite of bold and fierce warriors. The stronger the liquor, the more it stirred one's gall; martial artists loved nothing more than a fiery kick.

Therefore, grain wine was very popular among the nobility of Guannei. But if one traveled toward Heluo, Jianghuai, or the Jiangnan regions, fine fruit wine was the true symbol of status.

It was no wonder that many great and prestigious clans that had stood for hundreds of years in the contemporary world secretly looked down upon the vulgarity of the various Guannei clans. From the minor detail of wine, the distinct characteristics of the Guannei clans could actually be seen.

The old man took a sip, exhaled a breath of alcoholic warmth, and eagerly devoured a few more pieces of dog meat, feeling so comfortable that every pore on his body seemed to open up. This once again proved that most people in this era had very little resistance to meat; no matter how well green vegetables and tofu were prepared, they probably couldn't catch their eye.

The old man raised his bowl and took another sip, then blinked and looked at the three youngsters who were eating while watching him. He let out two unsatisfied grunts.

After casting a reluctant look at the wine jar, he muttered, "Damn it, to take someone's food is to be soft-handed. Pour a bowl for everyone..."

Yuan Lang grinned and jumped up instantly, clearly having waited a long time for those words.

He first poured a bowl for Li Po, then for himself, and finally for Li Chun.

When it was Li Chun's turn, before the old man could speak, the fellow curled his lip and said, "Little lass, just a sip will do."

He only poured a small half-bowl for Li Chun. Although Li Chun was quite dissatisfied, she held a deep fear of the old man. Seeing the old man nodding with a rare, satisfied expression as he looked at his own son, Li Chun had no choice but to endure it.

Li Po took a taste; it didn't have much flavor, being slightly sweet, and as for being strong, it wasn't particularly potent.

Nevertheless, with both wine and meat, the four of them ate with hearty enthusiasm. A large basin of dog meat was completely wiped out, leaving all four of them with round bellies and a lingering sense of unfulfilled satisfaction.

Yuan Lang was still complaining, "The dog looked so big, how could there be so little meat?"

The old man's capacity for liquor was clearly subpar. After two bowls, he was already slightly tipsy. Having enjoyed such a wonderful meal and being in quite a pleasant mood, the old man decided that early the next morning, he would go to the back kitchen and tell those bunglers to have pots, pans, and stoves all prepared for this side.

He could even go find the matrons of the inner courtyard and bring people over to build a proper hearth.

Moreover, this dog meat tasted truly savory. Damn it, there were indeed far too many dogs in the commandery governor's estate...

Pondering this, he strolled back to his room with his son to rest.

Li Po and Li Chun finished cleaning up, then both collapsed onto their beds, sticking out their protruding bellies and feeling that life thus far was quite complete.

The night passed without incident. The next day, the stable area suddenly became lively.

The people from the back kitchen brought over many cooking utensils, and people from the inner courtyard arrived as well; the old man's influence was indeed not low.

Much like many things in the Great Sui, the pursuit was all about speed. Within a single day, a functional cookhouse was set up in decent shape. When the heavy-handed servant women from the inner courtyard left, every single one of them had to come over, tousle Li Po's hair, and pat his shoulder before running off with giggles and laughter. Who else could be blamed when he was the one who spoke the most with these women and chatted the most happily?

Li Po lowered his head in shame, conducting a profound self-reflection: how could he have forgotten that women were the same no matter the era?

That evening, the four of them ate the meal sent over from the back kitchen, but it was somewhat difficult to swallow. Even the old man, with his formidable appetite, left several bones ungnawed. The very next day, he paced back and forth around the newly built cookhouse several times, clearly annoyed that the wet mud on the cookhouse stove was drying too slowly...

Li Po led Yuan Lang and Li Chun to tend to the warhorses as usual, but all three of them lacked spirit.

Li Po himself never expected that a single meal of dog meat could produce such an effect. He could only conclude that people were never afraid of hardship; they were only afraid of living too well.

Two days passed, leaving the four old and young occupants somewhat restless.

Two days later, the stable's cookhouse finally started its fires.

Li Po took charge of the ladle, while Yuan Lang and Li Chun assisted as kitchen hands, and the old man frequently strolled over to take a look...

That evening, a large pot of stewed beef, served with millet rice moistened by the rich broth, was so delicious that the four of them could barely walk afterward.

Li Po also ate with endless aftertaste. After all, this was the first time since coming to this world that he had eaten stewed beef cooked by his own hands. Furthermore, with seasonings in ample supply and used to his heart's content, the resulting food naturally tasted vastly different from before.

The old man rarely offered a couple of praises, remarking that the stewed beef Li Po made was no worse than that of the chefs in the great noble households of Chang'an.

Of course, he still expressed disdain for Li Po's neglect of his proper duties—truly the type of person who would pick up a bowl to eat and put down the bowl only to curse their benefactor.

Li Po did not argue with him. Rising early the next morning, he used the remaining beef broth to make a steaming hot bowl of noodles. Of course, in this era, noodles were called *lengtao* by northerners, or perhaps went by other names, but they resembled the wheat-based dish known as *lengtao* the most.

Yet it was clearly different from what Li Po made. Accompanied by pickled vegetables and drizzled with a bit of vinegar, it once again left everyone sweating profusely and eating with hearty satisfaction.

This completely completed the retraining of the appetites of the old man and his son.

From then on, Li Po completed his transition from stablehand to stablehand-cum-chef...

By the end of the second lunar month, the weather in Mayi began to gradually warm up, signaling that a spring rain was imminent.

On this day, someone came to the stable and led away the last two warhorses, because Li Jing, the Vice Administrator of Mayi Commandery, was going to personally inspect the grain stores of the Mayi granaries.

At the same time, this symbolized that the war machine of the Great Sui was beginning to turn slowly.

The empty stables left all four stablehands completely idle.

Li Po discussed the matter with the old man, hoping to secure a proper, official status for Li Chun as well.

For Li Po, such a matter was completely out of reach, but for the old man, it was merely a flick of the wrist. Even for a girl, it was just a matter of speaking a single word.

The old man was quite decisive. He took a trip to the inner administrative offices, and in less than half a day, he returned carrying a waist saber and a copper tally. He tossed them both to Li Chun, and the matter was settled.

However, the old man's mouth still didn't rest, muttering nonsense about why a woman needed any status, and how once she married a good husband in the future, she would have everything anyway, and so on.

In view of the old man's stellar performance, Li Po directly wrapped up a batch of mutton-filled dumplings that evening as a token of gratitude, which left the old man completely satisfied.

He even began pondering whether he should invite his brother-in-law over one of these days to sample Li Po's culinary skills.

Li Po's days here were becoming increasingly smooth and pleasant. Then, on a day in early March, he unexpectedly crossed paths with an acquaintance once again, which gave him a great shock.