The main task had arrived; half a barrel of fresh milk was left in the hot spring, waiting to be turned into pearl milk tea to serve the guests.
There were still plenty of tapioca pearls made with brown sugar and cassava flour from before, boiled until cooked and soaked in specially drawn cold spring water to enhance their chewiness.
Skimmed milk, along with red tea and sugar, was poured into a large copper pot and placed in the hot spring mouth to slowly heat up and thicken. After two or three hours, the tea leaves were filtered out and added to the freshly heated milk at around 40 degrees Celsius, along with a spoonful of tapioca pearls, to complete the pearl milk tea.
While waiting for the milk tea to steep, Xiangbei wandered around the space, collecting various materials she would need for the next day, all piled up at the hot spring campsite. She then made a list while sitting at a small table in the camp. Since she wanted to leave a lasting impression on her mother's family this time, she decided to use a modern rotating round table and tried to mimic modern practices as much as possible.
For the cold appetizers, she opted for a sweet wine to set the tone for the banquet atmosphere, without cocktails like mojitos. Instead, she used lemon soda water mixed with honey wine.
For the eight cold dishes, she replaced peanuts with fried bee larvae and bamboo worms cooked over a low flame, as peanuts from South America were unlikely to be available.
She prepared a platter of braised chicken, eggs, pork stomach, beef tripe, and tofu; marinated jellyfish, fish, and shredded ginger and garlic in soy sauce; and crystal jelly with minced chili and preserved eggs. Crystal jelly was a novelty of this era, and its taste might take some getting used to.
There were many options for vegetarian dishes, including Aunt Li's signature pickled radish mixed with seasonal vegetables, bamboo shoots and wood ear fungus mixed with fragrant celery, honey-infused medicinal herbs like Chinese yam and kudzu suggested by Tong Xi, and fresh tofu mixed with fragrant rice.
Speaking of this rice tofu, it was during a cultural research project in Miao Ethnic Minority when Xiangbei was in college. She stayed with a Miao grandmother, who was preparing food for the Guzang Festival, a traditional gathering of the tribe.
Xiangbei learned several delicious dishes from the mountains, including pickled fish, meat, and peppers in jarred rice flour; various kinds of noodles and skins made from fern roots, kudzu roots, and sweet potatoes; rice wine, glutinous rice cakes, green rice balls, rainbow rice, and frozen rice sugar. Among all the dishes, she especially loved the Chilled jelly made with mung bean flour, and rice tofu.
The Chilled Jelly required grinding mung beans into powder before making, while the rice tofu used ready-made rice slurry and alkali water in the kitchen. After mixing, boiling, cooling, and cutting the rice tofu, it was then cooked in boiling broth, mixed with soy sauce and fresh fragrant vegetables, and served. Once you tasted it, you couldn't stop.
For the first dish of the banquet, Xiangbei took the lead in making the "Nine Treasures Head Basin." Bamboo fungus and shiitake mushrooms formed the base, with egg dumplings, chicken breast, and pork belly surrounding them. Sea cucumber, abalone, and prawns adorned the top, symbolizing the highest honor. The layers were carefully cooked in a charcoal pot, allowing the flavors to slowly meld together, arousing the guests' anticipation for a rich and multi-dimensional culinary experience.
Busy days passed quickly, and after soaking in the hot spring for a while, Xiangbei emerged from the space when the sky was just starting to brighten. Instead of sleeping, she decided to get up and prepare for the day.
She neatly clipped the menu onto carbon paper and copied it twice, meticulously noting the recipes and cooking methods for each dish. With the table set, it seemed like Fu Hai Lou would soon have some new additions to its menu. As she was about to head downstairs, she heard a knock on the door.
"Miss, it's me, Duo'er."
"Duo'er, why are you here so early?" Xiangbei glanced at the morning glow outside and quickly opened the door.
"The Lord has prepared something for you. He arranged for me, Chengdian, Haizi, and others to accompany you up the mountain at the hour of the tiger. You just need to take care of the dinner arrangements. He said that he will take care of the matters down the mountain, so you can rest assured."
"Chengdian is here? Perfect timing, let's go find them."
Cheng Mo was a reliable person. In just a few hours, the revolving table had been set up, and several people from Hai Bu of the Chang Family Guards Troop had arrived, including carpenters, craftsmen, and chefs from FuHai Pavilion. They also brought various dried seafood ingredients, such as ginseng, bird's nest, and abalone.
Although Xiangbei had the help of the space, she still felt nervous about meeting her uncle's family for the first time. It wasn't until this moment that she finally felt the tension ease.
When the Huo family's fleet arrived at Dongbin, local officials greeted them at the dock, but there were no arrangements for them to disembark. Instead, representatives from the Dongbin Royal Palace requested to come aboard to receive water.
The visitors included Huo Changfeng, the eldest son of the Huo family and a general, and his nephew Huo Qixiang. Although there were changes to the previously arranged itinerary, they didn't say much. Since they had come to Dongbin, they naturally had to follow the Dongbin King's orders.