Chapter 324: The Goddess of Harvest!
"Phew..."
Yurine slurped several mouthfuls of the noodle soup in succession, then exhaled a satisfied puff of hot air.
As the warm soup entered her mouth—
The first sensation was a perfectly balanced savory flavor. Then, the faint aroma of lard, carried by the soup, melted gently on the tip of her tongue, forming a mellow base note.
After swallowing, a hint of flour fragrance still lingered between her teeth and cheeks. The warmth traveled from her throat down to her stomach, gently dispelling the morning chill that had settled on the mountaintop.
"My body is warming up..."
Yurine said with a gentle expression, picking up a clump of noodles with her chopsticks and happily sending them into her mouth.
The outer layer of the noodles had absorbed the savory flavor of the soup, making them smooth upon entry, but the inside retained just the right amount of chewiness, offering a slight resistance between her teeth.
As she chewed—
The fragrance of the wheat perfectly blended with the savory soup base and the rich aroma of lard, weaving a simple yet warm flavor!
It wasn't flashy, but it solidly satisfied the dual expectations of her stomach and taste buds!
"..." Yurine couldn't help but tilt her chin up and close her eyes, intoxicated by the warmth and texture of that mouthful of longevity noodles.
When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't help but stare blankly—because she found herself standing in a resplendent palace!
The young Emperor Wu of Han sat high on his throne, chatting idly with his ministers.
She heard him say slowly, "The Book of Physiognomy says that if the philtrum is long, one's lifespan will be long. If the philtrum is one inch long, one can enjoy a lifespan of a hundred years."
As soon as his voice fell, Dongfang Shuo, sitting to the side, burst out laughing with a pfft. The surrounding ministers were all dumbfounded, thinking he was being too disrespectful to the emperor.
Emperor Wu of Han wasn't angry, but simply asked, "Why do you laugh, my dear minister?"
Dongfang Shuo bowed calmly and explained, "I am not laughing at Your Majesty, but at Peng Zu. If a one-inch philtrum means a hundred-year lifespan, then Peng Zu lived for eight hundred years; wouldn't his philtrum be eight inches long?"
He paused slightly, a clever glint in his eyes: "Just imagine, if a face had to accommodate an eight-inch philtrum, what would it look like?"
When he put it that way, everyone in the hall couldn't help but burst into laughter.
With that laugh, everyone understood that relying on a long face for longevity was too unrealistic. However, they could use a clever method to express this wish for longevity.
A quick-witted person in the hall had a flash of inspiration, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Long noodles! 'Mian' (noodles) sounds like 'Mian' (face)—why not use long noodles to symbolize longevity?"
"..." Yurine stood by the side of the hall, suddenly realizing she seemed to have witnessed the birth of longevity noodles.
After breakfast, Ryohei had Lucoa cast a "Purification" spell to clean the used pots and bowls.
Then he took out his phone, checked the time, and said, "It's six o'clock. Let's go check out the morning market."
Achi Village had a "Farmers' Morning Market" that specialized in selling fresh local fruits, mushrooms, dried persimmons, handmade jams, and other seasonal delicacies.
It was considered a place not to be missed when visiting here.
"Where is it?" Lucoa turned her head and looked around.
Ryohei smiled and said, "Take us back to the campsite. We'll follow the GPS and walk there."
"That works too."
Lucoa snapped her fingers with a pop, and a circular spatial portal opened in front of them.
Ryohei stored the table, chairs, cassette stove, and other items back into his storage space. The group returned to the campsite first, then followed the GPS to the "Farmers' Morning Market" near Hirugami Onsen.
"..."
At just past six, the morning market was bustling, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.
Lucoa enthusiastically followed Pekola and stopped in front of a snack stall.
"Two guests, would you like to try some freshly grilled Gohei Mochi? This is our local specialty snack; you generally can't find it anywhere else."
Guarding the grill was a beaming, chubby auntie.
Under the influence of "Cognitive Hindrance," she automatically ignored certain details and greeted Lucoa and Pekola warmly.
"Ryohei-kun, do you guys want some?" Lucoa turned her head with a smile.
"No thanks."
Ryohei waved his hand.
Yurine shook her head as well. "Me neither, I'm already full."
"Oh."
Lucoa turned back and held up two slender white fingers to the chubby auntie. "Then we'll take two."
"Alrighty."
The chubby auntie responded with a face full of smiles and deftly placed two skewers of non-glutinous rice cakes onto the grill.
Although Gohei Mochi was called "mochi," it was actually made by pressing non-glutinous rice into a flat cake shape, skewering it on a wooden stick, coating it with a special sauce, and grilling it. It was a type of grilled rice skewer.
"..." Ryohei's gaze fell on the introduction Pekola had been reading in front of the stall—
Gohei Mochi, originating in the mid-Edo period, was an important offering to the gods during spring and autumn festivals in the Kiso and Ina regions, used to pray for a bountiful harvest or give thanks for the harvest...
Ryohei subconsciously looked at Pekola—coincidentally enough, this one was the Goddess of Harvest!
"Hmm?"
Seeming to sense his gaze, Pekola turned to look at Ryohei, tilted her head, and said, "Are you offering tribute to me?"
"Sure, why not."
Ryohei automatically translated—Are you going to pay for me?
He was generous enough to save her face. He took his wallet out of his pocket, counted out six hundred yen, and placed it on the stall—paying for Lucoa's share as well.
The chubby auntie looked at Ryohei, then warmly said to Lucoa and Pekola, "We recommend pairing it with apple juice or hot tea; it has a unique flavor."
This chubby auntie really knew how to do business!
"I want apple juice."
Pekola said in a cool tone, turning her head to look at Ryohei.
"Then I'll have hot tea," Lucoa said, also looking over.
"..." "Wallet-kun" looked down at the prices and silently paid.
"..."
For the rest of the time, the group continued to stroll through the morning market.
Ryohei bought two boxes of Shinsei pears and two boxes of Nagano apples, planning to bring them back as souvenirs to share with everyone.
He also picked out some fresh mushrooms and a 25kg bag of buckwheat flour.
Nagano Prefecture's geography was very suitable for growing buckwheat, and the buckwheat flour produced here was of excellent quality. Ryohei planned to find time to make homemade soba noodles later.
Lucoa and Pekola, on the other hand, ate their way from one end of the market to the other.
Of course, they didn't just eat by themselves; whenever they tasted something good, they actively shared it with Ryohei and Yurine—resulting in the couple tasting most of the delicacies in the morning market!
Well, that worked too. At least it was a trip worth taking!
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