Chapter 188: Curses

‘Hmph. What a stupid man. Why would you side with that bitch? This is just perfect.

‘When you’re jinxed, you’ll definitely come begging me for help.’

…

“Oh my, it smells so good.” Doctor Zhang smelled the salivating aroma the moment he entered the small courtyard. “Girl, what delicious food did you make?”

Lin Yuelan gave Doctor Zhang a mysterious smile. “Grandmaster, you’ll know in a moment!”

This piqued Doctor Zhang’s curiosity even more.

He turned his head and asked the honest Little Six. “Come, Little Six, tell me what dish this is. It smells like chicken.”

Before Little Six was dispatched to get Doctor Zhang, he only knew that Miss Lin was going to cook the pheasants they hunted the day before. But he didn’t know what kind of dish she was making.

Little Six blushed and said, “Doctor Zhang, I don’t know either. Miss Lin didn’t tell me.” However, his eyes were darting around. It smelled so good. He also wanted to know what miss Lin had made.

When Doctor Zhang saw the burning fire, he asked in confusion, “girl, it’s summer. Even if it’s nighttime, it’s not cold enough to start a fire. What’s going on here?”

Little three and little twelve, who knew the truth, giggled to themselves. They looked at Lin Yuelan, then lowered their heads and continued to add firewood to the fire.

Doctor Zhang was an astute man. One look at their expressions, and he knew that they definitely knew something.

He immediately stepped forward and patted Little Three’s shoulders. He said, “Little Three, tell me. Why are you starting a fire?” He was very sure that the bonfire had something to do with the fragrance. Doctor Zhang’s nose twitched. Then, he asked in confusion, “The smell seems to be coming from underground. What’s going on? Is the chicken buried underground?” Doctor Zhang was asking Little Three.

Little Three’s eyes immediately lit up. He nodded and said, “yes, this chicken was buried here to roast. Doctor Zhang, you’re really amazing!” Little three was not stingy with his praise.

The corner of Doctor Zhang’s mouth twitched. ‘This child is so innocent. Plus, the fragrance from the ground is so strong.’

But Doctor Zhang was still puzzled. “Why was the chicken buried underground to be roasted? Plus, if the chicken was buried underground, it would be very dirty. How are we going to eat it?” Doctor Zhang was interested, “Or have some preparation been done to the chicken before it was buried?”

“Oh, the chicken was wrapped in lotus leaves, coated with mud, and tied with a few strings.” Little three said.

That answered a lot of Doctor Zhang’s questions. However, he was still confused. He was an elder who had tasted all the delicacies in the world. He had not heard of any dishes that needed to be buried in the ground to be cooked.

Doctor Zhang walked to the side and sat down quietly.

Anyway, he would know the answer when they ate. His impression of Lin Yuelan became more favorable. ‘The dishes she cooks are simply superb. Even I have to be impressed by her creativity and skills.’

For a moment, only the crackling sound of firewood could be heard in the courtyard.

Guo Bing was eating the fresh lotus seeds picked from the pond. He asked Lin yuelan, who was mixing the sauce, curiously, “miss Lin, what dish is this?”

“Beggar’s chicken!” Lin Yuelan replied indifferently.

“What?” The lotus seed that Guo Bing put in his mouth rolled down. Obviously, he was very surprised by the name of this dish. The others were filled with curiosity and surprise too.

After a while, Guo Bing, the curious baby, asked, “Why is it called Beggar’s chicken?”

Lin Yuelan said, “according to legend, in a wartorn era, an Emperor lost a battle and was pushed out of the palace by the rebels. He lost contact with his subordinates. Poor and hungry, the emperor fainted from hunger. A beggar passed by, and he fed the emperor a chicken he stole from a farmer. The chicken was covered in mud and roasted inside the ground under a bonfire.

“The emperor was impressed by the taste. He asked curiously about the name of the food. The beggar didn’t know many words and thus named it Beggar’s Chicken. When the Emperor re-ascended the throne, he still remembered the best chicken dish he had ever tasted. Thus, beggar’s chicken became popular.”