Nu Yalang of Tang Dynasty

After taking the final document, Zhou Jun rode back to Bachuan Villa.

In the next few days, Zhou Jun was just preparing transportation, clothes, customs, road signs and other items.

Huayue saw this and did not ask or help. She just locked herself in the room all day long, even missing Gongsun's daily martial arts training.

The time finally came to the day before Hua Yue left Datang.

After practicing calligraphy in the afternoon, Zhou Jun came to the dining room and found Chun Niang who was preparing dinner.

The latter saw Zhou Jun and led him to a water tank with a smile.

Zhou Jun looked around and saw a live fish swimming happily in the water tank.

Chun Niang said: "Erlang, this is the croaker fish you are looking for. Look, it's alive and kicking. The boatman at Baqiao Post caught it this morning."

Zhou Jun nodded while looking at it: "Okay, painting the moon is a blessing."

After hearing this, Chun Niang hesitated for a moment and asked: "I heard that Erlang let Hua Yue go home. The big food is thousands of miles away. I'm afraid it will be difficult to see each other again after leaving."

Zhou Jun moved the water with his hand and said: "Hua Yue was taken to the Turks when he was young. Over the years, he suffered a lot."

"In this world, it is miserable for children to be separated from their parents for a long time."

"Letting her go home is a wish fulfilled."

Chun Niang sighed: "Being Erlang's maid is such a blessing."

Looking at the fish in the tank again, Chun Niang asked again: "Erlang wants to make fish? Can Chun Niang help you do it?"

Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "It's not a fish, but a stir-fry that uses bean oil. It's a bit complicated to make, and the ingredients are troublesome. Normally, I don't cook very much."

When Chun Niang heard this, she was very interested and asked cautiously: "Can I help you with this?"

Zhou Jun nodded and smiled: "That's natural."

Zhou Jun first fished the flower onto the chopping board, scraped the scales and gills with a knife, cut open the belly and removed the internal organs, washed and drained it.

Then, Zhou Jun held down the body of the fish and carefully cut off the head.

Then use a knife to cut the fish meat against the bones, turn it over, and do the same thing on the other side.

Finally, using the knife and hands together, it took a lot of effort to slice out the bone spurs in the fish belly.

Chun Niang looked on in surprise, but she didn't know what Zhou Jun was going to cook.

I saw Zhou Jun cut off two pieces of fish, with the skin facing down. The fish was first cut straight, then diagonally, into a diamond-shaped knife pattern.

Mix wine and salt thoroughly, then roll in millet flour.

Heat the beetroot oil in a pot until it is boiling hot. First pour the boiling oil over the fish, then put the whole fish into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, then fish it out.

Fish flesh is like gold and fish bones are like jade.

Chun Niang looked at the excellent-looking roasted fish, opened her eyes wide, and asked blankly: "I never thought that fish dishes can be cooked like this?"

Zhou Jun stirred out the hot oil and said with a smile: "This dish is only half cooked, isn't it finished yet?"

Chun Niang was surprised: "Only halfway?"

Zhou Jun first mixed Kun vinegar, maltose, rice wine, and sesame oil into a seasoning, then poured oil into the pot again, added scallions, garlic cloves, diced bamboo shoots, mushrooms, soft beans, and white shrimps, stir-fry until cooked.

Pour the seasonings on the freshly cooked side dishes, and finally pour them all on the fried fish.

After reading this, Chun Niang just kept chanting: "This dish, with dozens of things in it, is probably more troublesome than a scholar rushing to take the exam."

"It turns out that there are such complicated dishes in this stir-fry. My eyes have been opened today!"

"Erlang, does this dish have a name?"

Zhou Jun took the food box and poured hot water into the lower compartment to keep it warm. While putting the freshly cooked fish in, he said, "Squirrel mandarin fish."

Chun Niang: "Squirrel... mandarin fish? This name is really weird."

Zhou Jun picked up the food box and returned to the wing where he lived.

Hua Yue sat on the threshold of the hall, holding her chin in her hands and looking at the sky.

Zhou Jun placed the food box on the table in the hall, walked to Hua Yue and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Hua Yue just looked at it and said softly: "I just discovered now that the sky in the Tang Dynasty and in my hometown are different."

Zhou Jun Yiyan looked towards the sky. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the moon and stars were faintly visible in the sky.

Sitting next to Hua Yue, Zhou Jun said with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about? Could it be that the moon of the Tang Dynasty is rounder?"

Hua Yue glanced at Zhou Jun sideways: "You don't understand."

Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "Get up and eat first, otherwise you will get cold."

Huayue stood up with support on her body, came to the table listlessly, looked at the meals she usually ate, and said, "How about you eat it."

Zhou Jun brought the squirrel mandarin fish to the counter and said, "I know you like to eat fish, so I cooked a new dish as a farewell meal."

Huayue glanced at the golden and shiny squirrel mandarin fish, her eyes lit up, she moved her chopsticks, took a bite, and carefully put it into her mouth.

After just one sip, Huayue just sat there, stunned for a while, and actually started to wipe the corners of her eyes with her sleeves.

Zhou Jun was surprised: "Why are you crying?"

Huayue just choked and said: "It's so delicious, but I won't be able to eat it when I go back. What do you want me to do?"

Zhou Jun laughed: "I thought it was such a big deal. I wrote down the recipe and you brought it back to eat."

Huayue's tears still kept flowing: "You still don't understand!"

Zhou Jun had no choice but to smile bitterly.

She kept scratching the moon with her chopsticks, stuffing piece after piece of fish meat into her mouth with tears mixed with her eyes.

Halfway through eating, Huayue suddenly stopped using her chopsticks, stood up, and returned to the small room.

Zhou Jun watched her leave and asked, "Are you full?"

Not long after, Huayue came back with a jar of wine in her arms.

Zhou Jun's eyes widened and he asked, "Where did this wine come from?"

Huayue: "I keep it under the bed."

Zhou Jun wanted to ask again, but Hua Yue returned to the small room again and fetched another jar of wine.

Huayue unsealed the two jars of wine, moved one jar in front of herself, and moved the other jar in front of Zhou Jun. She took out two more bowls and said, "Let's drink."

Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "How old are you, what kind of wine do you drink?"

Huayue said: "I'm leaving tomorrow, can't I still drink some?"

Zhou Jun hesitated for a while and then said: "Just drink a little."

Huayue nodded, raised her own wine jar, and poured a bowl for herself, then raised Zhou Jun's wine jar, and poured a bowl for the other party.

"I want to respect you for this first bowl." Hua Yue said with determination on her face: "If it weren't for Erlang, Hua Yue would have been slaughtered in the city like a wild dog."

After saying that, Hua Yue drank all the wine in the bowl and shocked Zhou Jun.

Taking the bowl and drinking too, Zhou Jun saw Hua Yue had poured the second bowl and picked it up.

"This second bowl, I want to respect everyone in this garden."

"As a big cannibal, everyone in Bieyuan has never looked down upon me for this. They treat me like a sister and a junior, and I will be inscribed on the moon."

After saying that, Hua Yue raised his neck and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Huayue looking over, Zhou Jun had no choice but to pour himself a bowl and drink it slowly.

After finishing two bowls of wine, Zhou Jun saw Hua Yue pouring the third bowl. He quickly took a few bites of the food and planned to drink more wine.

Hua Yue poured the third bowl and said: "In the days of the Turks, Hua Yue once prayed to God, hoping that one day he could escape."

"Before meeting Erlang, Huayue once doubted her faith."

"But now, Huayue not only believes in Allah, but also believes in fate."

"This third bowl of wine is just a tribute to this elusive fate."

After Hua Yue drank the third bowl of wine, Zhou Jun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We've finished the wine. Let's sit down and eat."

Unexpectedly, Hua Yue started to pour the fourth bowl, and said: "In my hometown, there is no reason to drink an opened bottle of wine next time."

Zhou Jun wondered, was there such a rule in the customs of the Arab Empire?

Huayue glanced at Zhou Jun and said angrily: "This wine is not very strong. Is it possible that Erlang's drinking power is not as good as that of a woman?"

Having said that, Zhou Jun could not shirk anything else.

Just listen to Zhou Jun say: "Anyway, we will leave very late tomorrow, so it doesn't matter if we drink some more."

Huayue lowered her head, but there was a glint in her eyes.