"Heh heh, I spent a lot of effort on this broth. I separately blanched old hen, old duck, cured ham trotters, ribs, and dried scallops in boiling water, then seasoned them with cooking wine, ginger, and garlic for at least 4 hours.
Then, I minced the chicken breast into a paste, mixed it with fresh broth to form a slurry, and poured it into the pot to absorb impurities.
After repeating this absorption process two or three times, the slightly cloudy chicken broth in the pot became as clear and pure as boiling water..."
Xiangling stated that this seemingly simple broth took her an entire day to perfect.
The finished dish, at first glance, looked plain and devoid of oil, but its aroma was intoxicating, and its taste was fresh, light, and delicate, far surpassing countless delicacies.
Xiangling felt that it was all worth it to see guests leave satisfied, with genuine smiles on their faces.
"Not bad, not bad! The culinary world of Liyue will surely have a place for you in the future!"
While tasting the dish, Feng Yi hadn't forgotten the main purpose of his visit.
"After the milk tea last time, I've developed a new dessert. Prepare the ingredients you need, and I'll show you how to make it first. The ingredients required are ordinary eggs, ordinary milk, and ordinary sugar..."
Feng Yi didn't want to repeat the experience of making ice cream with strange effects like he did earlier.
"Alright! Wait a few minutes, I'll be right back!"
Upon hearing that Feng Yi was going to make a new dessert, Xiangling excitedly dropped her tools and quickly ran towards her family's storeroom.
"Feng Yi, do you think this new dessert will be as good as the milk tea?"
Guoba carried two cups of milk tea over and handed one to Feng Yi.
"Thank you, Guoba. The new dessert is called ice cream, it's... Huh?! Guoba, you can talk now?!"
Feng Yi accepted the milk tea from Guoba and began to introduce the ice cream. Mid-sentence, he suddenly realized that Guoba could actually speak!
This was truly astonishing!
"Ah, it's a long story. It all started over three thousand years ago in ancient Liyue, when demons and gods clashed. Though I had no intention of seeking power, I understood the suffering of the common folk. I only wished to purify the land and protect a corner of this world..."
Guoba's eyes were deep as he approached, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle, his face filled with reminiscence.
Feng Yi: Hey, hey, these don't seem to be your lines, do they?!
Zhongli: I don't have many lines to begin with, and you've already snatched two of them from me...
"Wait, I've already grasped the general gist of past events. Let's focus on how you've recovered now, shall we?"
If Guoba were allowed to continue, he might talk until tomorrow. So, Feng Yi quickly interrupted him. He was mainly curious about how Guoba had recovered.
Feng Yi understood Guoba's situation. He had sacrificed all his power, rendering him almost mindless, and could only recover by absorbing the faith and devotion generated by the people of Liyue during the cooking of their meals.
However, there hadn't been any large-scale cooking events recently, and even if there had been, the generated faith and devotion wouldn't be enough for Guoba to recover to his current state.
"Sigh... Alright!"
Guoba's nostalgic mood was interrupted, and he let out a sigh of resignation.
He had been planning to brag to Feng Yi about his glorious past, accompanying the Geo Archon, kicking demons, and fighting gods to protect Liyue. But the other party was not cooperating at all.
This made Guoba feel as though he had swallowed a lump of fat – a stone stuck in his throat, making it difficult to swallow!
"This happened a couple of days ago. That day, you brought Yuanbao over for a meal, and Yuanbao gave me a golden spark. That's when I gradually regained my consciousness and stopped feeling so muddled..."
"A golden spark?"
"Yes, it's somewhat similar to the Phoenix's Flame of Life, containing the magical ability to ignite intelligence. I used this spark to reignite my dying flame... By the way, where is Yuanbao?"
When Guoba mentioned Yuanbao, he suddenly reminisced about the leisurely times they had drinking milk tea together, so he asked Feng Yi.
"Yuanbao, she... she got tired from playing and is currently resting in the Serenitea Pot!"
Yuanbao had chased Qiqi around the grasslands for several laps and was exhausted. When Feng Yi found her, she was fast asleep on the grass.
Feng Yi settled her in the small hut built by Shenhe and asked Shenhe to keep an eye on her before leaving the Serenitea Pot.
"Is that so... Then I'll have to invite Yuanbao for milk tea again next time!"
Guoba said with slight regret. He didn't want to disturb Yuanbao's rest.
"Feng Yi, I've brought the ingredients! What are you guys talking about? Guoba, quickly start the fire!"
Xiangling returned, carrying the ingredients Feng Yi needed. She saw them chatting about something with Guoba and quickly called for Guoba to start the fire.
"Let's go, making ice cream is important!"
Feng Yi followed Guoba towards the stove.
"Guoba, spit fire!"
Guoba: Judgment, Ula (rua)~
Only Xiangling would dare to use a god as a tool for starting a fire.
And only Guoba would willingly be used as a fire-starting tool.
"Feng Yi, do you need my help?"
Xiangling saw Feng Yi busy and felt restless just watching. She urgently wanted to do something.
"Uh... If you want to help, you can help me mix this bowl of egg yolks with milk, then heat it over low heat, stirring constantly, until the egg yolk mixture is fine and thick, indicating that the egg yolks are cooked. Then, let the egg yolk mixture cool down..."
Feng Yi had just cracked two eggs into a bowl, keeping only the yolks, and added 30 grams of sugar and about 20 milliliters of milk to the yolks...
"This is easy, leave it to me!"
Xiangling immediately agreed, took Feng Yi's place, and began stirring.
With Xiangling's help, Feng Yi was much more relaxed and only needed to prepare the whipped cream.
After Xiangling finished stirring, Feng Yi added about 20 grams of white sugar to the heavy cream and whipped it until the cream increased in volume and the lines became distinct.
Then, just like last time, he added the ingredients one by one and stirred them to form the ice cream base.
He poured the finished ice cream base into a container, leveled the surface, and shook out any large air bubbles...
"Xiangling, now it only needs to be frozen at low temperature for about an hour and a half. Take it to your family's cold storage!"
Feng Yi handed the container with the ice cream base to Xiangling.
"A faint milky aroma, it smells wonderful!"
Xiangling nodded in agreement, took the container, and turned to leave.
Feng Yi's peripheral vision caught Xiangling's subtle movement of wiping her mouth. He suddenly worried: would Xiangling get greedy and steal a bite?
It wasn't that Feng Yi was stingy, but the ice cream hadn't solidified yet, and its texture would be greatly inferior if eaten now, making it not worth it.
When Xiangling returned, she couldn't stop swallowing, her large eyes filled with a sense of grievance: 'Under the temptation of the milky aroma, do you know how much willpower and determination it took to resist eating it?'
Xiangling channeled her grievance into inspiration and cooked new dishes frantically, keeping Feng Yi's palate constantly engaged.