dognovel Chapter 84 A Happy Journey
Chapter 84 A Happy Journey
As they stepped onto the vast grassland, Madam Nangong and her children were instantly enveloped by the boundless greenery. The fresh air and expansive views lifted everyone's spirits. Among them, Nangong Xiawu was the most excited. Since reuniting with her family, she seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, her chatter flowing like a machine gun. Her smile was as radiant as the warm spring sun, and she was just like a cheerful little bird chirping incessantly around her mother.
"Mother, look at this market over there. Although there aren't too many people, the goods are truly dazzling! If you see anything you like, just pick it. I'll pay for it for you today!" Nangong Xiawu said loudly with a smile on her face. Her voice was clear and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley.
Madam Nangong chuckled softly upon hearing this, looking tenderly at her daughter and replying, "Silly child, there's no need to spend so much. I'm now a carefree single noblewoman, with more than enough money to spend. You, on the other hand, are still young and don't yet understand the value of money. You should save this money for when you need it later." As she spoke, she took out some loose silver from her purse and carefully selected some jewelry, eventually buying a pair of exquisite earrings and a simple bracelet.
As the mother and daughter strolled through the market with great interest, Madam Nangong suddenly looked puzzled. After looking around, she asked, "Logically speaking, beef jerky should be a specialty of your grasslands. Why can't we see any stalls selling beef jerky? Could it be that we haven't arrived at our destination yet?"
Nangong Xiawu explained with a smile, "Mother, you don't know, every household here makes beef jerky, so there's no beef jerky for sale. Any leftover beef jerky is packaged up and sold to other places."
Madam Nangong nodded slightly, her delicate brows furrowing as if she were deep in thought. After a moment, she nodded gently and slowly said, "So that's how it is. I was thinking of buying some delicious beef jerky to take back for your father to try, but unfortunately, it seems I won't have the chance this time." Her words revealed a hint of regret and disappointment.
Upon hearing her mother's words, Nangong Xiawu quickly replied in a sweet voice, "Mother, don't worry. Your daughter and Cade have already prepared for this and stockpiled a large amount of beef jerky in the granary. I'll have someone prepare some for you later, so that Father can also enjoy this delicacy." As she spoke, a radiant smile, as beautiful as spring flowers, bloomed on her pretty face.
Upon hearing this, Madam Nangong's worry vanished instantly, replaced by joy. She nodded repeatedly and smiled, "That's wonderful! That's wonderful! My good daughter is so thoughtful and sensible."
Just then, the mischievous and restless young master Nangong was excitedly following his brother-in-law to the horse farm to learn horseback riding and archery. After all, boys always have a strong interest in such energetic and challenging sports. The leader of the grassland alliance was also a generous man. Seeing the young master Nangong's enthusiasm, he personally stepped forward to give him some pointers.
Strangely enough, this young master Nangong seemed to have quite a talent. After only a simple lesson from the leader of the grassland alliance, he was able to easily ride a horse and gallop across the vast grassland.
However, compared to horseback riding, archery is a much more difficult skill to master. Although the leader of the grassland alliance had imparted the basics of archery to Young Master Nangong without reservation, his skills were still far from satisfactory, as he was new to the art, and his arrows often missed the target by a considerable margin. However, this did not dampen Young Master Nangong's enthusiasm for further study. Holding his longbow, he focused intently on aiming at the bullseye, attempting again and again…
"Oh dear, archery is so difficult! Why am I so stupid? No matter how hard I try, I just can't grasp the knack." Young Master Nangong frowned, his face full of frustration, muttering to himself and occasionally hitting his head with his hand, as if that would make him smarter.
Just then, the leader of the grassland alliance strode over, a gentle smile on his face, and softly comforted her, "Alright, don't be so sad. When I first started learning archery, I was just like that, even worse than you are now. But later, I would set aside a whole hour every day to concentrate on practicing archery, and I practiced like this persistently for about three years before I could barely hit the bullseye. After two more years of hard training, I finally achieved my current skill of hitting the bullseye every time. So, don't rush, take it slow, as long as you persevere, I believe that one day you will also become an excellent archer."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Nangong raised his head and looked at the leader of the grassland alliance. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. He said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother-in-law, my archery skills are really terrible. You mustn't tell my mother and sister, or they'll definitely laugh at me." As he spoke, his face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
Upon seeing this, the leader of the grassland alliance couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the entire grassland: "Hahahaha, I didn't expect you little fellow to be so concerned about your reputation! Don't worry, I promise you, I will never tell your family about this. Let's keep this secret together."
"By the way, brother-in-law, aren't camels only found in the desert? But why did I just hear your guards say that there are people riding camels on our vast grasslands?" Young Master Nangong blinked his big, curious eyes and asked with a puzzled look.
The leader of the grassland alliance calmly explained with a smile, "Camels are actually quite easy to raise. All they need is fresh, tender grass to eat and clean water to quench their thirst. Besides, our grasslands are vast, and we need to transport a lot of goods, so many years ago, camel caravans were already traversing this land. It's nothing unusual, little brother. How about it, are you interested in riding a camel yourself?"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Nangong became as excited as a child, nodding repeatedly with a bright smile on his face: "Of course! I couldn't be happier! I've been wanting to try riding a camel for ages!"
So, the leader of the grassland alliance smiled, took his younger brother's hand, and together they headed towards the camel caravan. Along the way, young Master Nangong couldn't contain his excitement, constantly looking around.
When they finally arrived at the camel caravan, young Master Nangong was deeply attracted by the tall and gentle animals before him. The leader of the grassland alliance first arranged for someone to select the strongest camel and carefully helped young Master Nangong onto its back. Then, he patiently taught his younger brother how to ride the camel and maintain his balance.
Young Master Nangong was initially a little nervous about riding a camel for the first time, but with the encouragement and guidance of the grassland leader, he quickly adapted to this unique way of riding. He then enthusiastically participated in activities such as feeding the camels and attaching bells to them. Every activity was new and interesting to Young Master Nangong, making him reluctant to leave.
"Brother-in-law, you're so kind! I've learned so much from coming out with you today!" Young Master Nangong said gratefully as he ran to the leader of the grassland alliance after getting off the camel. "If I ever have the chance, I'll definitely repay you properly. I'll invite you to our northern desert to try the most sumptuous local cuisine, and then I'll show you around and let you experience the unique customs and culture of the northern desert."
Upon hearing this, the leader of the grassland alliance laughed heartily and patted Young Master Nangong on the shoulder generously: "Alright! Then I'll be waiting for your invitation, brother! I'm sure it will be a very unforgettable experience." After saying that, the two smiled at each other, their friendship growing even stronger.
After returning from shopping, Madam Nangong couldn't wait to go home and immediately began learning how to make salty milk tea from Nangong Xiawu. Nangong Xiawu calmly prepared a series of ingredients: fresh milk, tea bricks exuding a rich aroma, golden and crispy fried rice, chewy beef jerky, and melt-in-your-mouth milk tofu, etc.
As Nangong Xiawu gently arranged the ingredients, she patiently explained in her gentle and melodious voice, "Madam, you should know that when we're making milk tea in this northern desert, if we can't find tea bricks, we can actually use regular black tea as a substitute. Also, if we don't have roasted rice, then using millet or rice is perfectly fine. As for the other toppings, you can add them according to your personal taste and preferences."
Madam Nangong listened very attentively and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, I've got it all in mind!"
Next, Nangong Xiawu skillfully poured a little ghee into the pot. Once the oil was slightly hot, she gently added the rinsed rice grains and began to stir-fry them slowly. As time passed, the rice grains gradually turned a deep yellow, and a rich aroma of rice instantly filled the air, making one's mouth water. Nangong Xiawu carefully scooped the stir-fried rice out and set it aside.
Next, she added an appropriate amount of water to the pot, along with the precious tea brick, and boiled it together. Slowly, the originally clear water turned dark brown. At this point, Nangong Xiawu carefully used a strainer to remove the tea leaves.
After completing this step, Nangong Xiawu poured the previously brewed tea back into the pot, then added the prepared fried rice and fragrant milk, and continued to simmer it slowly over low heat. Watching the liquid in the pot begin to boil and bubble, Nangong Xiawu remained patient, quietly waiting for the rice, tea, and milk to blend perfectly. After about fifteen minutes, a pot of steaming, fragrant savory milk tea was finally ready! Madam Nangong, standing nearby, praised, "The boiled milk tea smells so good!"
"Yes, the reason I say that is because the tea leaves used in this tea brick are all carefully selected top-quality teas," Nangong Xiawu replied with a smile and a gentle voice. Her gentle tone seemed to bring a sense of warmth and comfort, like a spring breeze.
Next comes the crucial step – adding the toppings after cooking! Nangong Xiawu skillfully picked up a spoon, first sprinkling a few crystal-clear grains of salt into the steaming milk tea, then gently scooping up a spoonful of fine, snow-white sugar and evenly sprinkling it over the surface. As the spoon stirred, the salt and sugar quickly dissolved into the milk tea, blending together to add a unique flavor to the already rich milky aroma.
Next, Nangong Xiawu carefully placed several fragrant pieces of beef jerky from a plate beside her into the milk tea pot. This beef jerky was specially prepared by her; its firm and chewy texture complemented the milk tea perfectly. Then, she gently added thin slices of milk skin and pieces of pure white milk tofu to the milk tea. The milk skin melted in her mouth, while the milk tofu was tender and smooth; their addition not only enriched the texture of the milk tea but also greatly enhanced its deliciousness.
And so, after careful preparation, a pot of Inner Mongolian-style milk tea, exuding an enticing aroma, rich in milk flavor, and deliciously fresh, was finally completed!
She gently lifted the teapot and slowly poured in the boiling tea. The water flowed into the cup like silver threads, making a crisp sound. At the same time, she softly reminded her, "Mother, you must try this salty milk tea. This flavor is more authentic."
Madam Nangong smiled and nodded slightly in agreement. Then, she gracefully reached out and gently picked up a steaming cup of milk tea. She first brought the cup to her nose to inhale its aroma, then carefully took a small sip. After the fragrant liquid slid down her throat, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Mmm, truly excellent! This milk tea is incredibly smooth, rich, and sweet, leaving a lingering aftertaste."