Li Ping'an closed his little notebook, marveling at these people's peculiar ideas.
One dish had left the deepest impression on him: eggplant buns.
Lamb, lamb fat, sheep's tail, scallions, and orange peel were chopped into a filling.
An eggplant was hollowed out, stuffed with the filling, and put in a steamer.
Once steamed, it was eaten dipped in mashed garlic and cilantro.
Li Ping'an had just this one hobby: indulging his appetite.
Every place he passed through, every dish, every cooking method, even a food custom-he wrote about them all with relish.
After staying another day with the Revitalization Mercenary Corps, Li Ping'an and Old Ox had experienced some of the local customs.
Before setting out, the mercenary corps held a grand ceremony.
They slaughtered pigs and cattle and feasted guests from all quarters.
They lit candles and burned incense, made offerings to their ancestors, and prayed for divine protection.
Zhang Long muttered, "May we take in ten million loads of silver a day, and remain safe upon this long road..."
And other words of that sort.
Today was the sixteenth, carrying the auspicious meaning of "six upon six, all goes smoothly."
In short, it was all to seek good luck.
Li Ping'an and Old Ox squatted beneath a tree, watching with great interest.
The man and ox each held a box of frozen dessert.
It was called Su Shan.
The bottom layer was ice, covered with cream and clarified butter, and decorated with flowers, colorful twigs, and the like.
They had this in Great Sui's Capital City too, sold specifically in summer.
It was outrageously expensive, and Li Ping'an could not bear to buy it.
They were even serving him this, not to mention last night's meal.
Clearly, Zhang Long, the head of this mercenary corps, was a generous