Chen Biao frowned: "Xiao Chong..."
Chen Chong, who had been beaten, fell to his knees with a plop, kneeling in a particularly heroic manner.
The corners of Ma's mouth twitched.
When she beat Chen Chong, Chen Chong still had a rogue look on his face, just like when Zhu Yuanzhang was playing tricks on him.
Why is it that when Biao'er has a stern face, the second son is so obedient?
Ma felt very uncomfortable.
The bad feeling in her heart was not because of "the lack of dignity as a mother", but because of guilt.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a bad temper, and Ma was worried about him, so she had to personally help Zhu Yuanzhang manage the logistics, and when Zhu Yuanzhang got angry, she would pull him back from the wrong path.
Ma knew in her heart that how could she have a family when the world was not yet settled?
As long as the world remains in chaos, their family and her children will not be able to have a stable life.
So for the sake of everyone, she had to neglect her own family and let her children grow up in a safe place under the care of others.
The reason she couldn't discipline Chen Chong was not because Chen Chong was naturally naughty, but because she didn't always stay by his side.
The image of her as a mother is too thin in Chen Chong's eyes.
Fortunately, there is a sign.
Ma looked at Chen Biao with soft and guilty eyes.
Even though Chen Biao was a fairy boy, fairy boys were still children, but she had to put the burden of educating the children on Chen Biao, making Chen Biao play the role of both father and mother, and also a teacher to his younger brothers.
Seeing his brother kneeling so decisively, Chen Biao's mouth twitched slightly.
How come this guy looks so emaciated at such a young age? Who does he resemble?
My father is an honest man, my mother is a kind person, not to mention me, perfect!
Isn't this a genetic mutation?
Chen Biao was very worried. What would happen to Chen Chong when he grew up if he was like this at such a young age? Could a child's character be judged by his age?
Chen Biao pressed his eyebrows and said, "You are still young. If you do something wrong, I will share at least half of the blame. I will write a self-criticism and you will recite it. Until you recite the self-criticism, neither you nor I can eat snacks. How about that?"
Chen Xun put his hands on his knees and curled up into a small ball: "Brother, I was wrong, you punish me, don't punish yourself."
Chen Biao rubbed his brother's big head and said, "I told you, I'm your older brother. I've taught you since you were a child. If the younger brother doesn't teach, it's the elder brother's fault. You do deserve punishment, but I must punish you as well. All right, get up. Let's talk about self-reflection later. Let's go for a walk with mother. It's a cool day today, let's go for a picnic in the bamboo forest."
Chen Biao pulled Chen Chong but failed.
Seeing Chen Biao stagger, Chen Chong quickly stood up and supported Chen Biao.
Chen Biao: "...I don't really need your help."
Seeing that Chen Chong became obedient in an instant and looked extremely regretful, Ma seemed to be thinking about something.
Could Biao'er apply the strategies she taught Chong'er to Chongba? After all, Chong'er looked like a smaller Chongba.
Ma decided to give it a try later.
Chen Biao was too young, and when he held Ma's hand, it was Ma who took care of him.
He asked the stout maid to look after Ma, who pushed the small stroller carrying Chen Tan, who only knew how to eat and sleep. Chen Biao himself led Chen Tan towards the bamboo forest in the backyard.
The cobblestone road was a bit bumpy, and Chen Tan was swaying in the stroller, sleeping motionless with his eyes closed like a pig.
Chen Chong walked a few steps, peeked at his brother, and then said to Chen Biao that his brother looked like a little pig. Then he walked a few steps, peeked again, and again slandered his brother as a little pig.
Chen Biao was very helpless: "You grow taller only if you sleep more. You can also sleep more."
Chen Xun hugged Chen Biao's arm and said, "No. I want to play with my brother."
Chen Biao sighed. He would rather Chen Chong sleep more and not bother him and give him a headache.
Ma suppressed a laugh and said, "It is indeed a little pig."
You are all little Zhu Zhu.
Chen Biao said, "Mom, please don't be too indulgent with Xiao Chong. He's already so mean now, what will he be like in the future?"
Chen Chong hugged his brother's arm and rubbed it back and forth, making Chen Biao stagger and walk in a serpentine manner: "I'm not a bad person. I'm not bad to my brother."
Ma finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
When they arrived at the bamboo forest, they found Zhu Wenzhen and Zhu Wenzhong digging bamboo shoots.
The main force digging bamboo shoots was Zhu Wenzhen, while Zhu Wenzhong was watching from the side.
Seeing Ma and the others coming, Zhu Wenzhong was stunned for a moment and shouted, "Wenzheng, run!"
Zhu Wenzhen almost dug his foot with a hoe.
Chen Biao was speechless: "What are you doing?"
Zhu Wenzhong answered honestly, "Stealing bamboo shoots."
Zhu Wenzheng argued: "Digging bamboo shoots from my uncle's house, how can that be called stealing!"
Chen Biao was even more speechless: "If you want to eat bamboo shoots, just ask me for them. Why do you have to steal...dig them yourself?"
Zhu Wenzheng said: "Because my uncle said that food that is stolen tastes the best, so I wanted to try it."
A big question mark popped up on Chen Biao’s head.
What the hell did my dad teach his nephew? If my uncle knew about this, he would probably come into my dream and beat my dad to death!
Chen Biao looked up at Ma: "Mother..."
Ma's face couldn't hold back any longer: "Look at me taking care of him!"
Zhu Wenzhong: "Oh no, Wenzheng, you are in trouble."
Whoever brings bad luck to his uncle will be brought bad luck to him.
Zhu Wenzheng: "...Aunt, I was wrong!"
Ma smiled and said, "You are not wrong. Even if you are wrong, Guo Rui, who taught you, is at least half wrong."
Chen Biao wanted to pick his ears. "My mother's words sound so familiar? It must be my imagination."
Chen Biao tried to smooth things over: "Okay, now that we've dug, let's have a picnic. You guys must have built stoves when you were on the march."
Hearing that Chen Biao was going to make something to eat, Zhu Wenzheng's mouth immediately filled with water. He immediately forgot about the possibility that his uncle would be unlucky and that he would suffer the same fate.
The literati said it well, drink today and be drunk today, worry about tomorrow when it comes!
Zhu Wenzhong looked at his sworn brothers and felt very tired.
He always felt that his sworn brother's intelligence was concentrated on fighting, and he was a complete fool in other aspects.
Zhu Wenzhong was worried that his sworn brothers were so stupid that they might be badly cheated in the future.
With my uncle and Biaoer looking after me, it shouldn’t be that bad, right?
"Wen Zhong, what are you standing there for? Come here and help me move the stones! Otherwise I won't give you anything to eat!" Zhu Wenzhen shouted.
Zhu Wenzhong sighed: "Okay."
When Zhu Wenzhen and Zhu Wenzhong were building the stove, Chen Biao asked someone to bring the yellow mud that had been boiled in water and disinfected.
Today he wants to eat beggar's chicken.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had not yet become emperor, and the dish of beggar's chicken did not exist in the world. However, Chen Biao's father told Chen Biao about the time when he stole chickens, wrapped them in yellow mud, and stewed them.
Chen Guorui said that even if the meat was fragrant, the chicken cooked in that way would not taste good, so he asked Chen Biao not to try it.
The meat is very fragrant, meaning that it is very fragrant just by eating it. But that braised chicken in yellow mud...
Zhu Yuanzhang, disguised as Chen Guorui, felt that he would spit out his own son even if he smelled his own son, let alone eat him.
The real way to cook beggar's chicken is to strangle the living chicken to death, wrap it in yellow mud and simmer it over fire without doing anything else.
When you are ready to eat, break the yellow mud apart, and the yellow mud will tear off the feathers and chicken skin together, so you can eat the meat inside.
The soil itself has a salty taste, so there is no need to look for salt.
After watching the authentic beggar's chicken cooking method, you will know that the chicken made in this way will definitely have a strong fishy smell, and it is inevitable that the chicken will be stained with yellow mud when you eat it.
Zhu Yuanzhang cooked chicken like this when he was a beggar, just to seal the aroma of the chicken so that it would not be noticed by others.
If it is roasted and eaten directly, the aroma of roasted chicken will spread ten miles away, and Beggar Zhu will be found and his legs broken immediately.
Chen Biao asked his father, "If I use the Marshal's story as a gimmick to make a beggar's chicken, and give half of the profit from this dish to the Marshal as his own money, will he chop off our heads?"
Zhu Yuanzhang patted his chest and said, "Absolutely not! The Marshal will be very happy, believe me!"
Chen Biao felt it was a bit risky, but he still tried to come up with the Beggar's Chicken. If Marshal Zhu disagreed, he would call it Chen's Merchant Chicken, saying it was the chicken that Zhu Yuanzhang's general Chen Guorui ate while traveling as a merchant.
Or he would ask his uncles and use the name of the one who had made the greatest contribution and was the most famous.
It’s better not to borrow Zhu Yuanzhang’s reputation.
Chen Biao chose a half-grown rooster, washed it, removed the internal organs, and marinated it for an hour.
Now he stuffs mushrooms, taro, bamboo shoots and other vegetables with seasonings into the chicken's belly as stuffing, coats the chicken with honey, and then wraps it with freshly picked lotus leaves.
After cleaning up the study, Zhu Wenying brought over a jar of roasted beets and accompanied Chen Chong in making mud with liquor and wrapping the chicken in the liquor mud.
Smelling the aroma of soju, Zhu Wenzheng's eyes lit up immediately as he was lighting a fire: "This soju tastes good!"
Zhu Wenzhong stammered, "Using, using such fine wine and mud? What a waste! Wouldn't that violate military orders?"
Chen Biao said, "We brew our own wine, not sell it, so we won't violate military orders. Besides, this wine is made from beetroot, so strictly speaking, it doesn't count as grain."
Sugar beets were widely cultivated in Arabia and Persia as early as the 12th century AD, and were also introduced to northern China a long time ago, but they were only eaten as vegetables and not grown in large quantities.
It was not until 1747 that German scientists discovered that beetroot contained sucrose and began to use beetroot to make sugar.
Sugar was a luxury in ancient times.
At present, there are no sugarcane varieties with high juice yield like those in later generations. The efficiency of sugar production from sugarcane is low, and it is an economic crop. It is obviously not possible to grow sugarcane without growing grain in troubled times.
The entire beet is edible and can be used as food in troubled times. Chen Biao, with his clever mind, naturally planted beets in the Chen family farm ahead of time, breeding varieties with high sucrose content and using beetroot to make sugar hundreds of years in advance.
Chen Biao ferments the beetroot residue left over from sugar production to make wine.
The wine was of poor quality, low in alcohol and tasted bland. But in this world, Chen Biao could easily sell wine made from the residue left over from beetroot sugar production as a luxury product after the ban on selling alcohol was lifted.
When it comes to making money with shady intentions, Chen Biao is a professional.
Zhu Wenzheng didn't care about the source of the wine at all. He was a stubborn person. If his uncle didn't care, why would he care?
Zhu Wenzhong breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Chen Biao's explanation.
He exclaimed, "Brother Biao is amazing. He can make use of everything. I only knew that dried beetroot could barely satisfy hunger, but I didn't expect it could be used to make wine."
Chen Biao warned, "That's right. Remember this from now on: don't steal or rob during the march or battle. Keep your hands and feet clean. If you need money, come to me and I'll give you a share."
Zhu Wenzhong smiled and said, "Okay."
Zhu Wenzheng complained, "Brother Biao, every time I come back, you always nag about this. Got it, got it."
Zhu Wenzhong said, "Just keep repeating it. I won't forget, but you do."
Zhu Wenzheng said angrily: "What do you mean? What do you mean I forget easily?"
Zhu Wenzhong said, "You have a bad memory, so Biaodi should remind you more."
Zhu Wenzheng said: "Let's have a competition to see who has the longest forgetfulness!"
Zhu Wenzhong rolled his eyes at Zhu Wenzhen and ignored this rough man whose brain was not even one tenth the size of a fist, except for marching and fighting.
Zhu Wenzhong ignored Zhu Wenzhen, and Zhu Wenzhen didn't want to rush up and hit him, so he could only dig a hole to make a stove angrily, feeling helpless and furious.
What made Zhu Wen Zheng even angrier was that Chen Biao not only kept talking, but also walked up to Zhu Wen Zheng and kept nagging him.
We are all people who have suffered the hardships of war. We should put ourselves in others' shoes and not bring suffering to others. Even if the Marshal doesn't care, our consciences can't bear it. Blah blah blah...
Zhu Wenzheng covered his ears tightly, not caring that his hands were covered in dirt. "Stop reading, stop reading, brother Biao, Biao'er, my Master Biao, your brother's ears are about to get calluses."
Chen Biao laughed and threw himself on his squatting cousin's back, wrapping his arms around Zhu Wenzheng's neck and hanging on him: "Do you think I want to nag you? It's because Daddy said that you get carried away easily, so he asked me to nag you more."
Zhu Wenzhong nodded vigorously.
Chen Biao smiled and said, "Look, Brother Zhong said the same thing about you."
Zhu Wenzhen rolled his eyes fiercely.
Uncle, godfather, Marshal Zhu! You are so cruel!
Zhu Wenzhen would rather be scolded by Zhu Yuanzhang than hear Chen Biao nagging him.
Doesn't he have any dignity when being nagged by such a young child?
Chen Biao shouted into Zhu Wenzheng's ear: "Cousin! Did you hear that?"
Zhu Wenzheng: "I heard it, I heard it. Stop shouting, my ears are buzzing."
Zhu Wenying saved Zhu Wenzheng's ears: "The mud has been sealed, when it be buried?"
Chen Biao said, "Sir, a pile of fire."
They laid the mud-covered chickens out in the sun and started a small fire in the hearth. When the fire died down, they placed the chickens, now reduced to mud shells from the wine dregs, side by side in the fire, covered them with earth, and then re-started the fire.
After the fire was lit, Chen Biao asked someone to bring the barbecue grill and grilled the skewers of fish, vegetables, rice cakes, and steamed bread slices. "Let's fill our stomachs first."
His three brothers all had huge appetites, and those few pieces of meat could not fill their stomachs.
Seeing something delicious, Zhu Wenzheng's mood improved: "Where's uncle? Don't you want to eat with us?"
Zhu Wenying said, "My foster father just left."
Chen Biao complained, "He's busy with work. Who told him to sign a military order in front of the Marshal, saying he could take over Yangzhou by himself? He deserves it."
Everyone in the know, including Ma, tried hard to grit their teeth and not smile.
Yes, yes, Chen Guorui signed a military order in front of Marshal Zhu, hahahahahahahaha.
"Mom, eat less barbecue. I made chicken soup for you. You can have chicken soup rice later." Chen Biao reminded.
The chicken soup rice he makes is, of course, made by tearing off the chicken completely, with more meat and less rice. Adding vegetables and mushroom granules, it fully guarantees the protein and dietary fiber for pregnant women.
Ma smiled and nodded: "You should pack a copy for your father and send it to him, otherwise he will definitely make a fuss when he comes back."
Chen Biao stretched out his voice and said, "Okay! Send him the mud shells together, but don't tell him how to eat them. Xiao Chong! Stop playing in the mud, wash your hands, and eat the meat!"
Ma laughed heartily: "Okay, I won't tell him how to eat it."
Chen Chong waved the mud in his hand: "Don't tell him! Don't tell him!"
…
Zhu Yuanzhang: "A-choo!"
He sneezed loudly while carrying a bamboo basket of books like a scholar taking an imperial examination in the previous dynasty.
Could it be that Biao'er missed me as soon as I left? Zhu Yuanzhang thought narcissistically.
After leaving the house, Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down from the joy of "the destiny has been chosen by heaven" and began to think about the " future" revealed by Chen Biao.
No matter how he thought about it, he didn't think he would go so far as to restore human sacrifice - even though he was a rough man, he knew that an emperor who restored human sacrifice would be cursed in history books.
His own reputation is not a problem. If this becomes the ancestral precept, how could his kind-hearted Biaoer do such a cruel thing? Isn't he setting a trap for Biaoer?
Could it be that my future self might be crazy?
Under what circumstances would I go crazy? It's impossible that I would become enemies with Biaoer.
Could it be that Biao'er is rebelling against me? Isn't that something that can be solved by simply abdicating?
Biaoer becomes the emperor, and I become the emperor emeritus, leading the army to expand his territory. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and thought hard, his head a mess.
He thought and thought, and the paste finally cleared a little. But just as he was about to grasp that tiny bit of inspiration, a burst of wild and piercing laughter hit him hard on the head like a sledgehammer, and the little bit of inspiration instantly sank into the paste, making his head even more dizzy.
Isn't the street where our Biaoer lives a military stronghold?! Who's making such a fuss over there?!
Zhu Yuanzhang rushed around the corner of the street angrily and saw Zhou Dexing sitting on the stone steps in front of the Zhou family mansion, covering his ears with his hands and frowning.
The stern commander Xu Da, who was always serious and stern in front of outsiders, and the kind and honest general , jumped around Zhou Dexing like two madmen, just like Mongols dancing around a campfire.
Look at the sign, I won't take you with me! Eat a big meal, I'll isolate you!
Who made you stutter every time you lied, and almost exposed the Marshal's true identity again and again?
Useless guy, next time you just keep lying on the wall and smelling the scent, hehe!
Zhou Dexing was so angry that he yelled, "Enough! I'm going to chop you to death!"
Xu Da and Tang He put their arms around each other's shoulders and exchanged glances: "Go ahead and chop it off! If you don't, you'll be my grandson."
Zhou Dexing was so excited that he screamed, took off the big sword from the scabbard at his waist, and waved it wildly at Xu Da and Tang He.
Zhu Yuanzhang held his forehead.
He was talking about what Zhou Dexing was worried about during the meeting today. It turned out that Xu Da and Tang He, the two old men, were trying to irritate Zhou Dexing again.
"Enough! What are you arguing about!" Zhu Yuanzhang rushed over with a basket of books on his back and kicked Xu Da and Tang He hard on the buttocks.
Zhou Dexing rushed over with tears in his eyes: "Marshal! You have to make the decision for me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang reflexively kicked Zhou Dexing to the ground.
Zhou Dexing: “…”
Xu Da and Tang He patted the shoe prints on their buttocks and laughed out loud: "We should share the happiness, but we should share the difficulties, good brothers, hahahahaha."
Zhou Dexing lay on the ground pretending to be dead.
He might as well not have these three brothers!
Zhu Yuanzhang knew he was in the wrong and pulled Zhou Dexing up from the ground. "Alright, alright, hurry up and practice some more. When you're done, I'll take you to see Biao'er. When Biao'er brought me food, when have I ever left you out?"
Zhou Dexing said aggrievedly: "You guys only gave me some after you were full."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "At least you got a taste."
Zhou Dexing rolled his eyes in anger.
Just wait! I've hired an opera singer to teach me! I'll be ready soon, and I'll grab all your food from Biao'er!
"Marshal, is this the same book Biao'er has read?" Xu Da asked, "Show it to me right after you finish reading it."
Tang He said, "I want it too, I want it too. Hey, even the great scholars couldn't teach me, but after reading Biao'er's book, I understood everything in an instant."
Zhou Dexing dusted himself off and said, "It would be great if Biaoer could teach my son. My son has driven away several teachers."
Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, "Isn't it because you dote on him too much? You should hold him down and whip him a few times to see if he dares to drive the teacher away."
Zhou Dexing retorted: "You talk as if you know how to mark things, boss."
Zhu Yuanzhang was pleased: "I don't need that."
Xu Da said, "Speaking of scholars, Boss, I just received news that Zhu Xi's family is making trouble again. They promised to send someone, but they claimed to be sick. I guess we have to show some sincerity."
Tang He scratched his head. "I guess it's not a matter of sincerity, but we're just too weak. Boss, let's take over more territory and have what they call the aura of an emperor before we go find Zhu Xi to form a clan alliance."
Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "No need, I won't look for you anymore. I'm just a farmer's son, and my ancestors aren't famous."
Zhou Dexing said anxiously, "Boss, don't be angry. Those scholars love to do things like visit the thatched cottage several times. Now those scholars are scolding you with their eyes closed. If you don't unite with Master Zhu, they will scold you again in the future."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Curse me if you want. I'm not fighting for the throne for those scholars."
The three brothers looked at each other.
Xu Da was the first to speak: "Alright, let's ignore them for now. Who knows, once the boss becomes emperor, they might come to us and ask for help."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Even if they come to me to ask for help, I won't respond. I, Zhu Yuanzhang, started out as a beggar and worked my way up to become emperor. Look at all the emperors in history books, only Liu Bang can compare to me. With such achievements, why should I acknowledge my ancestors? As for those talkative scholars..."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and laughed: "A few crows are chirping, their mouths full of feces. Don't have fun today, or you will all have rotten mouths tomorrow morning."
The three brothers looked at each other again, and then someone started clapping and laughing, and then all three of them burst into laughter.
"Good poem, good poem!"
"Boss, this poem is amazing! It will definitely be passed down through the ages!"
"Why recognize a scholar as your ancestor? I am a great scholar myself!"
Zhu Yuanzhang walked in front with a basket of books on his back, while Xu Da, Tang He and Zhou Dexing followed Zhu Yuanzhang with their arms around each other's shoulders.
The sunlight shone in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, casting a golden glow on the faces of the four people.
Looking from behind them, it seemed as if the four of them had merged into the light and were walking towards the sun.