He was a handsome young man with a pale complexion and sharp eyebrows. Though his appearance was agreeable, it was a pity he was a thief. Luo Sheng furrowed her brow and wanted to look away, but the man abruptly opened his eyes. They were as dark as lacquer, with an unfathomable depth.
At that moment, every hair on Luo Sheng's body stood in shock.
However, she was the type of person who excelled under pressure. Rather than hindering her movements, her fear propelled her to roll up her sleeves swiftly. Like lightning, she threw out the chili powder concealed within them. Then there was a muffled grunt of pain.
Luo Sheng felt relieved upon hearing it, but then she noticed Xiuyue repeatedly retreating, scrambling to her feet in a panic and fleeing. Startled, Luo Sheng stood there for a moment and started to give chase. She couldn't let Xiuyue escape like this. The world was vast, and her stay in Nanyang City was temporary. If she missed Xiuyue tonight, finding her again would be exceedingly difficult.
However, she couldn't call out to stop Xiuyue for fear that the man in black would remember her voice.
Xiuyue ran very fast and within a short time, reaching the base of the wall in no time and vanishing from sight. Luo Sheng followed closely behind, pushing aside the waist-high weeds, and suddenly came across a hole at the bottom of the wall. It was no wonder Xiuyue managed to slip into the palace secretly.
Luo Sheng bent over and crawled out of the hole in the wall, acutely aware of a gust of wind indicating an impending attack. She swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding it. Xiuyue, who had been wielding a wooden stick, realized her attack had failed and threw it aside before turning and fleeing.
Luo Sheng's lips twitched in frustration, but she suppressed her urge to shout and increased her pace to catch up. It was late at night, and the sound of heavy and erratic breathing grew louder from the person ahead.
The gap between them gradually narrowed, and just as Luo Sheng reached out to grab the edge of Xiuyue's clothing, Xiuyue abruptly dashed into a residence and forcefully closed the courtyard door.
Luo Sheng quickly reacted, placing one hand on the wooden door to prevent it from closing completely.
On the other side of the door, Xiuyue's strength had worn thin as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Struggling to speak, she managed to utter with difficulty, "Why... are you chasing me?"
Luo Sheng didn't answer, seizing the opportunity while Xiuyue questioned her intentions. She pushed the door open and stealthily slipped inside, promptly securing the door from within.
Xiuyue picked up the hoe standing on the corner of the wall and held it in front of her, sternly warning: "If you don't leave, I will strike!" Luo Sheng adjusted her breathing slightly, took out the gem-encrusted dagger, and played with it in her hand: "You can't beat me."
The gems' radiance and the dagger's sharpness exuded an air of ease around the woman, who concealed her face with a black scarf, revealing just her eyes.
Despair overwhelmed Xiuyue as her trembling hands struggled to maintain a firm grip on the hoe.
Luo Sheng surveyed her surroundings and inquired, "Is this where you live?" Xiuyue simply stared back at Luo Sheng, remaining silent.
Luo Sheng sniffed the air, picking up on a slightly sour scent of soybean dregs. "You sell tofu for a living, don't you? Well, it should be douhua..."
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Xiuyue asked, "Who are you exactly, and why are you chasing me?" Luo Sheng studied Xiuyue intently. Xiuyue's head, too, was wrapped in a cloth scarf, leaving only her eyes visible. They were a pair of eyes that were both familiar and unfamiliar to Luo Sheng.
"Who is that man?" Luo Sheng inquired further.
Xiuyue momentarily froze, her fear resurfacing as she recalled the sudden appearance of the man in black behind her just now.
"He's got his eye on you. Perhaps he overheard your words and will soon find his way here," continued Luo Sheng.
Xiuyue stood frozen, overwhelmed by despair from the depths of her being. The man in black, who had already instilled fear in her, was nothing compared to the mysterious woman standing in her courtyard. At best, the man in black might find his way to her residence, but this woman was already right before her!
"Who is that person? And who are you?" Xiuyue asked, her voice trembling. She could hardly imagine the consequences of her words being overheard by others, and she lacked the means to eliminate them to ensure her secrets remained undisclosed. She was indeed the most foolish of the Princess's four maids.
Luo Sheng shook her head. "I don't know who that person is. As for me..." she trailed off, stepping into the house and leaving behind a statement, "I want to make a dish." Until Luo Sheng's back disappeared through the door, Xiuyue still couldn't react, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
She had asked about the woman's identity, and in response, the woman talked about making a dish. Could it be that the mysterious woman chasing her was actually a lunatic? Filled with both curiosity and fear, Xiuyue decided to follow her.
The stove was situated in the main room. Luo Sheng inspected it momentarily before pointing at the stacked pieces of tofu on a bamboo tray beside her. In a surprisingly familiar tone, she instructed Xiuyue, "I will use this tofu to make a dish. You, come and light the fire."
As Xiuyue squatted in front of the stove, adding firewood to it, she couldn't quite comprehend how she had ended up taking on the task of starting the fire. Perhaps it was because the woman's commanding manner resembled the Princess's, or maybe... Maybe there was some other reason she couldn't comprehend. While tending to the fire, Xiuyue carefully observed Luo Sheng's every move.
Luo Sheng seemed to have forgotten the presence of anyone else in the room. After washing her hands, she kneaded the tofu with salt, pepper powder, and other ingredients until it formed a sticky paste. Adding a touch of green onion and thoroughly mixing it, she shaped the paste into uniformly round balls.
Xiuyue couldn't help but widen her eyes, showing a look of disbelief. Why did the woman's movements while cooking resembles those of the Princess? And why was she making tofu balls? Yes, at this moment, Xiuyue could already tell that the mysterious woman would make tofu balls.
Tofu balls were not a local specialty in Nanyang. It was a dish introduced to the Zhennan Wang Palace by a cook who had fled from Qiancheng City. That cook had taught Princess how to make them. However, on the day the palace fell, the fate of the cooks residing within its walls was no different. Xiuyue, who had survived the ordeal, resorted to selling douhua but never dared to make tofu balls. She feared that anyone seeking to erase any traces of the Zhennan Wang Palace would discover her and eliminate her. Yet, here was the woman in black, actually making tofu balls!
Luo Sheng glanced at Xiuyue and reminded her: "Increase the fire. The oil temperature for frying tofu balls must be high to ensure they retain shape." "Yes," Xiuyue instinctively responded, then momentarily paused, surprised by her own compliance.
Once the oil temperature had risen, Luo Sheng placed the tofu balls into the pan. As soon as she saw them rapidly expanding, she promptly removed them. When the oil temperature dropped to roughly 70%, she fried the balls once more until they floated on the oil surface, then skillfully retrieved them and arranged them on a plate. The tofu balls were now ready to be served.
Of course, at this point, they still don't know if the tofu balls turned out well or not.
Luo Sheng delicately picked up one of the round tofu balls with her chopsticks and gave it a light shake, causing a faint sound to emanate from within.
"It was a success!" Xiuyue shouted these remarks.
The most challenging part of making tofu balls lay here. Initially, before they were cooked, the tofu balls were solid spheres. However, once cooked and removed from the hot oil, they magically transformed into hollow spheres with soy juice flowing inside. When dipped in the accompanying sauce, the balls became hot, crispy and burst with soy juice, creating an exceptionally delicious experience.
Before Luo Sheng could utter a word, Xiuyue grabbed one of the tofu balls, lifted the cloth scarf off her face, and took a big bite, consuming half of it instantly.
"The tofu paste should have been left to rest for an hour before shaping and frying into balls. The ones we made now are slightly saltier and not as good as they should be," commented Luo Sheng as she handed the prepared dipping sauce to Xiuyue. Speaking neither quickly nor slowly, she added, "Eating the tofu balls by themselves doesn't do them justice. Try them with this dipping sauce. I added a few extra drops of vinegar. I think you'll enjoy it..."
Xiuyue couldn't hear what Luo Sheng said afterward. The other half of the tofu balls on her chopsticks slipped off, and she stared intensely at Luo Sheng, demanding, "Just who are you?"
He was a handsome young man with a pale complexion and sharp eyebrows. Though his appearance was agreeable, it was a pity he was a thief. Luo Sheng furrowed her brow and wanted to look away, but the man abruptly opened his eyes. They were as dark as lacquer, with an unfathomable depth.
At that moment, every hair on Luo Sheng's body stood in shock.
However, she was the type of person who excelled under pressure. Rather than hindering her movements, her fear propelled her to roll up her sleeves swiftly. Like lightning, she threw out the chili powder concealed within them. Then there was a muffled grunt of pain.
Luo Sheng felt relieved upon hearing it, but then she noticed Xiuyue repeatedly retreating, scrambling to her feet in a panic and fleeing. Startled, Luo Sheng stood there for a moment and started to give chase. She couldn't let Xiuyue escape like this. The world was vast, and her stay in Nanyang City was temporary. If she missed Xiuyue tonight, finding her again would be exceedingly difficult.
However, she couldn't call out to stop Xiuyue for fear that the man in black would remember her voice.
Xiuyue ran very fast and within a short time, reaching the base of the wall in no time and vanishing from sight. Luo Sheng followed closely behind, pushing aside the waist-high weeds, and suddenly came across a hole at the bottom of the wall. It was no wonder Xiuyue managed to slip into the palace secretly.
Luo Sheng bent over and crawled out of the hole in the wall, acutely aware of a gust of wind indicating an impending attack. She swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding it. Xiuyue, who had been wielding a wooden stick, realized her attack had failed and threw it aside before turning and fleeing.
Luo Sheng's lips twitched in frustration, but she suppressed her urge to shout and increased her pace to catch up. It was late at night, and the sound of heavy and erratic breathing grew louder from the person ahead.
The gap between them gradually narrowed, and just as Luo Sheng reached out to grab the edge of Xiuyue's clothing, Xiuyue abruptly dashed into a residence and forcefully closed the courtyard door.
Luo Sheng quickly reacted, placing one hand on the wooden door to prevent it from closing completely.
On the other side of the door, Xiuyue's strength had worn thin as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Struggling to speak, she managed to utter with difficulty, "Why... are you chasing me?"
Luo Sheng didn't answer, seizing the opportunity while Xiuyue questioned her intentions. She pushed the door open and stealthily slipped inside, promptly securing the door from within.
Xiuyue picked up the hoe standing on the corner of the wall and held it in front of her, sternly warning: "If you don't leave, I will strike!" Luo Sheng adjusted her breathing slightly, took out the gem-encrusted dagger, and played with it in her hand: "You can't beat me."
The gems' radiance and the dagger's sharpness exuded an air of ease around the woman, who concealed her face with a black scarf, revealing just her eyes.
Despair overwhelmed Xiuyue as her trembling hands struggled to maintain a firm grip on the hoe.
Luo Sheng surveyed her surroundings and inquired, "Is this where you live?" Xiuyue simply stared back at Luo Sheng, remaining silent.
Luo Sheng sniffed the air, picking up on a slightly sour scent of soybean dregs. "You sell tofu for a living, don't you? Well, it should be douhua..."
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Xiuyue asked, "Who are you exactly, and why are you chasing me?" Luo Sheng studied Xiuyue intently. Xiuyue's head, too, was wrapped in a cloth scarf, leaving only her eyes visible. They were a pair of eyes that were both familiar and unfamiliar to Luo Sheng.
"Who is that man?" Luo Sheng inquired further.
Xiuyue momentarily froze, her fear resurfacing as she recalled the sudden appearance of the man in black behind her just now.
"He's got his eye on you. Perhaps he overheard your words and will soon find his way here," continued Luo Sheng.
Xiuyue stood frozen, overwhelmed by despair from the depths of her being. The man in black, who had already instilled fear in her, was nothing compared to the mysterious woman standing in her courtyard. At best, the man in black might find his way to her residence, but this woman was already right before her!
"Who is that person? And who are you?" Xiuyue asked, her voice trembling. She could hardly imagine the consequences of her words being overheard by others, and she lacked the means to eliminate them to ensure her secrets remained undisclosed. She was indeed the most foolish of the Princess's four maids.
Luo Sheng shook her head. "I don't know who that person is. As for me..." she trailed off, stepping into the house and leaving behind a statement, "I want to make a dish." Until Luo Sheng's back disappeared through the door, Xiuyue still couldn't react, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
She had asked about the woman's identity, and in response, the woman talked about making a dish. Could it be that the mysterious woman chasing her was actually a lunatic? Filled with both curiosity and fear, Xiuyue decided to follow her.
The stove was situated in the main room. Luo Sheng inspected it momentarily before pointing at the stacked pieces of tofu on a bamboo tray beside her. In a surprisingly familiar tone, she instructed Xiuyue, "I will use this tofu to make a dish. You, come and light the fire."
As Xiuyue squatted in front of the stove, adding firewood to it, she couldn't quite comprehend how she had ended up taking on the task of starting the fire. Perhaps it was because the woman's commanding manner resembled the Princess's, or maybe... Maybe there was some other reason she couldn't comprehend. While tending to the fire, Xiuyue carefully observed Luo Sheng's every move.
Luo Sheng seemed to have forgotten the presence of anyone else in the room. After washing her hands, she kneaded the tofu with salt, pepper powder, and other ingredients until it formed a sticky paste. Adding a touch of green onion and thoroughly mixing it, she shaped the paste into uniformly round balls.
Xiuyue couldn't help but widen her eyes, showing a look of disbelief. Why did the woman's movements while cooking resembles those of the Princess? And why was she making tofu balls? Yes, at this moment, Xiuyue could already tell that the mysterious woman would make tofu balls.
Tofu balls were not a local specialty in Nanyang. It was a dish introduced to the Zhennan Wang Palace by a cook who had fled from Qiancheng City. That cook had taught Princess how to make them. However, on the day the palace fell, the fate of the cooks residing within its walls was no different. Xiuyue, who had survived the ordeal, resorted to selling douhua but never dared to make tofu balls. She feared that anyone seeking to erase any traces of the Zhennan Wang Palace would discover her and eliminate her. Yet, here was the woman in black, actually making tofu balls!
Luo Sheng glanced at Xiuyue and reminded her: "Increase the fire. The oil temperature for frying tofu balls must be high to ensure they retain shape." "Yes," Xiuyue instinctively responded, then momentarily paused, surprised by her own compliance.
Once the oil temperature had risen, Luo Sheng placed the tofu balls into the pan. As soon as she saw them rapidly expanding, she promptly removed them. When the oil temperature dropped to roughly 70%, she fried the balls once more until they floated on the oil surface, then skillfully retrieved them and arranged them on a plate. The tofu balls were now ready to be served.
Of course, at this point, they still don't know if the tofu balls turned out well or not.
Luo Sheng delicately picked up one of the round tofu balls with her chopsticks and gave it a light shake, causing a faint sound to emanate from within.
"It was a success!" Xiuyue shouted these remarks.
The most challenging part of making tofu balls lay here. Initially, before they were cooked, the tofu balls were solid spheres. However, once cooked and removed from the hot oil, they magically transformed into hollow spheres with soy juice flowing inside. When dipped in the accompanying sauce, the balls became hot, crispy and burst with soy juice, creating an exceptionally delicious experience.
Before Luo Sheng could utter a word, Xiuyue grabbed one of the tofu balls, lifted the cloth scarf off her face, and took a big bite, consuming half of it instantly.
"The tofu paste should have been left to rest for an hour before shaping and frying into balls. The ones we made now are slightly saltier and not as good as they should be," commented Luo Sheng as she handed the prepared dipping sauce to Xiuyue. Speaking neither quickly nor slowly, she added, "Eating the tofu balls by themselves doesn't do them justice. Try them with this dipping sauce. I added a few extra drops of vinegar. I think you'll enjoy it..."
Xiuyue couldn't hear what Luo Sheng said afterward. The other half of the tofu balls on her chopsticks slipped off, and she stared intensely at Luo Sheng, demanding, "Just who are you?"
