The Double

"Little Miss Jiang, what’s special about that ’beggar bird’?" Old General Jih, probably a foodie, didn’t show any particular emotion toward Jiang Li’s tragic experiences; he merely pursued, "I’ve only heard of beggar chicken, not beggar bird."

"Actually, it’s similar to beggar chicken," Jiang Li said with a smile, "A bird brought down by a slingshot, cleaned up and not de-feathered, with some seasonings stuffed inside its belly, wrapped in clay, and buried in the hot ashes of a fire. After about half an hour, you take it out and knock off the clay, and the feathers come off naturally, revealing a beautifully golden color; then brushed with honey, it can be eaten."

Old General Jih slapped his thigh, "This is great! I’ll go and shoot a string of birds tomorrow!"

"Old man, it’s freezing cold. Where are you going to find birds..." Lu Jiu said helplessly.

"You lead a rich life," Jih Heng said, propping his chin with one hand, smiling as he looked at her.

He was no longer the terrifying figure he had been moments before.

"Yes, Miss Jiang the Second, your cooking is not quite what I had imagined," Wen Renyao said, "I thought your cooking involved you standing in your own little kitchen, with others preparing all the ingredients and the maids standing by, so you’d only need to move your mouth. I didn’t expect you’d have to find the ingredients yourself, and that you eat differently from others. But it sounds fun and different from the typical young lady in the boudoir!"

Jiang Li laughed, "Necessity dictated it."