Chapter 59 (Braised Lotus Root and Dried Fruit...)

The place for receiving guests is the hall in the outer courtyard.

When Yan Qiushu arrived, she heard a familiar voice smiling and saying, "What are you waiting for, elder sister? The Xue family is a rare and good family, with the Minister of Revenue! And I heard that the Xue family is trying to get their eldest son to become the governor of Jinzhou. As the youngest son, Xue Wulang definitely has a bright future, and the Xiao family will also gain another in-law."

The person who said this was sitting in the guest seat, leaning towards Madam Xiao, smiling widely and looking very enthusiastic.

Madam Xiao, as usual, had a serious face, even a hint of coldness and impatience. Upon hearing this, she sneered, "No matter how good she is, she's still a concubine!"

"How do you know she doesn't want to?" Madam Jiang asked, winking at her twice and saying in a low voice, "Are you really planning to leave her to your sixth son? She's an orphan with unknown origins, living for free in the Xiao family for so long. You've done your best. She deserves—"

"Shut up!" Mrs. Xiao finally couldn't help but scolded.

Mrs. Jiang's expression froze and she looked embarrassed, but she didn't dare to go against the wind and looked away, pretending to be calm.

When he looked up, he saw a young girl at the door.

Mrs. Jiang's eyes lit up, and she stood up to greet her, without any of the unfamiliarity or contempt she had shown her before: "Miss Yan is here. Oh, Grandma Dongdong is really something. She has to ask a girl like you, aren't you embarrassed to death?"

Yan Qiushu dodged her hand, walked past her without looking away, and came to Madam Xiao, bowing first: "Aunt."

Madam Xiao rubbed her aching forehead and said weakly, "Madam Jiang is here to propose marriage to you. She's talking about the fifth young master of the Xue family, a legitimate son, but the Xue family only offers him the position of a concubine. They say the legal wife is the Princess Yongqing, the daughter of Prince Jin. What do you think?"

As soon as the voice fell, Madam Jiang, who had just been ignored and had a bad face, came over and raised her face with a smile: "That's right, but don't worry, the Prince of Jin has an easy-going temperament, and the Prince of Jin is also humble and powerful. The daughter raised by such a family will naturally be a kind person-"

"I don't think it's a good idea and I don't recommend you to agree to it. But it's ultimately up to you to make the decision on this matter, so I'm asking you this. If you don't agree, I'll take care of the rest." Madam Xiao interrupted her again, looked at Yan Qiushu, and said in a gentle tone.

The coldness on Yan Qiushu's face dissipated a little and she smiled at her.

As long as Mrs. Xiao doesn't agree, she doesn't care about the rest.

Madam Jiang, on the other hand, had been repeatedly humiliated, and it was difficult for her to maintain a smile. She whispered a reminder, "Miss Yan, I'm not very talented. I only know that you're from Wucheng, an orphan, and that you came to live with the Xiao family because you saved Xiao Liulang. You can't expect to stay in the Xiao family forever, right?"

Yan Qiushu looked at her coldly and said in a cold voice, "Whether I stay in the Xiao family or not is none of your business. Please make it clear to the Xue family that I won't marry, and even if I'm the legal wife, I won't bother. Do you understand? Don't treat the position of a concubine as a treasure and use it to insult others!"

She had hardly gone out since she politely declined Xue Jiahe's offer last time. She thought the other party should be aware of her attitude.

He actually came to propose marriage now, and to a concubine, how humiliating!

Yan Qiushu originally had a good impression of this young man, but now when she thinks about it, she just feels disgusted.

Mrs. Jiang's face turned pale at her cold reception, so she couldn't help but said sarcastically, "Oh, do you really think you're a member of the Xiao family and are showing off?!"

Mrs. Xiao slammed her hand on the table.

The loud noise startled several people, including Nanny Huang, and they all looked over.

She also had a cold face: "Madam Jiang, I have tolerated you for a long time. If you continue to speak without thinking, don't blame me for being rude. Besides, who said Ah Shu is not one of my family? She is a member of the Xiao family!"

At this point, Mrs. Jiang became anxious: "Are you really planning to let her marry Liu Lang?"

Yan Qiushu's eyes trembled and her breathing became a little tight.

Madam Xiao glanced at the woman beside her with a gentle expression and said proudly, "Why not? As long as Ah Shu is willing, I can arrange a wedding for them when Lao Liu comes back!"

Yan Qiushu's heart slowly dropped to the ground. She lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and took two steps back.

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang was shocked. She completely disregarded Yan Qiushu and said anxiously, "That won't do. How, how can she be worthy of him? Didn't I tell you before? My niece was taught etiquette by a maid in the palace. Although her father is only a fifth-rank official, he works in the Dali Temple, a position with real power. It's much better than Miss Yan..."

Although she had been eager to stay away from the Xiao family before, now that Prince Chang has come out, he is openly close to the Xiao family. Moreover, he only had a title at the beginning, but now even his fiefdom is the best. Even Concubine Lu cannot compare with Prince Chang.

She and her husband had discussed that as long as Prince Chang ascended the throne, the Xiao family would definitely be more prosperous than ever before, and the position of Xiao Liulang's wife must be kept within the family. Unexpectedly, Madam Xiao had gone so crazy as to want to give it to a cook?!

Madam Xiao didn't care about her thoughts and just said to her in a deep voice: "No matter how good it is, it's useless if it doesn't suit my Xiao family. Madam Jiang, that's enough!"

Madam Jiang's face was embarrassed and she was furious. She blurted out, "Miss Yan, are you really not going to consider this? The Xue family is full of civil officials, which is much better than the Xiao family. Otherwise, you might end up with Dongdong and her two aunts—ah!"

"Bang!" There was a dull sound, and it was the sound of a stick hitting someone.

Madam Xiao, holding a cane, hit Madam Jiang once, but not satisfied, so she hit her twice more before pointing her finger at her nose and swearing, "You bastard, if you dare say another word, I'll beat you to death right here today!"

Mrs. Jiang was shocked by this sudden change. It was only after the nanny she brought with her supported her that she came to her senses. Just as she was about to get angry, she heard the terrifying scolding and her mind went blank again. It took her several breaths to remember what she had just said.

I immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Her face turned pale and her aura was suppressed, and she didn't dare to say anything.

God!

She was so angry that she even forgot that she couldn't mention her dead son in front of this old shrew. She just blamed this man for being ill for the past few years, and she had forgotten the shadow left by him.

Mrs. Jiang could only pinch her thigh and cry weakly, "I said the wrong thing. Why are you so anxious? My son is gone too..."

When mentioning her fourth son-in-law who had also died, Madam Xiao's harsh expression softened slightly, but she was still furious. Her chest heaved violently. After a while, she pointed outside the door and gritted her teeth, spitting out one word: "Get out!"

Mrs. Jiang quickly turned around and left with her people without saying goodbye.

Madam Xiao watched from behind and reminded: "Give me all the things you brought!"

Mrs. Jiang quickly ordered someone to come back and get it, and left the Xiao family in a hurry. The speed was astonishing.

Of course, what made Yan Qiushu even more shocked was the way Madam Xiao was angry just now. She acted so decisively and without any warning. She started beating as soon as she said she would, and after the beating she cursed and threatened. Such momentum and oppression made it impossible for a woman like Madam Jiang, who had been hanging around in the harem for many years, to withstand it.

Even Yan Qiushu, who had seen a lot of things in modern times, felt her heart pounding faster at this moment.

Fortunately, Mrs. Xiao regained her composure after seeing the culprit leave. She said apologetically, "Is it not frightening you?"

"No, no!" Yan Qiushu smiled and shook her head: "I am still very brave."

Just a little surprised.

Madam Xiao looked at her expression and saw that she didn't seem to be afraid, so she said, "Don't pay attention to her words. I tolerate her because of Dongdong's father. His father is an honest child, but our Xiao family has implicated him..."

Her throat choked, and she spoke the last few words through gritted teeth.

Perhaps unable to continue, Madam Xiao was silent for a while and said, "Just stay at home peacefully. Even if you and Old Six don't end up together in the future, I will adopt you as my adopted daughter and find you a good family so that you can live a peaceful life."

"Auntie..." Yan Qiushu was a little flattered. The Xiao family was really so kind. She just made some food and didn't make any other contributions, but they treated her so sincerely. However, she still had to explain:

"Thank you, Auntie. However, General Xiao and I are not what you think. He brought me back because he saw I was homeless and took pity on me. In fact, he saved me from a den of bandits. However, because my family had a bad reputation after being captured by bandits, they simply considered me dead and even cancelled my household registration..."

The original owner's incident did not become a big deal, and since she was an unmarried woman, not many people paid attention to it.

Apart from the close relatives of the Yan family, few people knew how Yan Qiushu, the concubine's daughter, died.

Therefore, when Yan Qiushu explained it so clearly, Madam Xiao did not think of anything else. Instead, she rubbed her head with pity and said, "You don't have to care about the pedantic people in the world. From now on, just treat the Xiao family as your own home."

Yan Qiushu smiled shyly and nodded.

The next second, Madam Xiao probed, "But I think you and Lao Liu are quite suitable. How about considering it? If you agree, we can prepare first and wait for Lao Liu to come back and get married directly in the bridal chamber..."

Yan Qiushu:?

T-So fast?

Her face flushed red, and she looked at the old man in front of her stupidly. He looked serious but was actually kind-hearted, and she was speechless.

border

The border between Da Zhou and Wuta is covered with withered weeds due to years of war.

The two armies had just fought a ceremonial battle two days ago, and many people died, but the Great Zhou side won. Therefore, the other side did not dare to attack again. Unfortunately, the Great Zhou did not take the opportunity to stop, but instead stayed on the spot to rest. The two sides continued to confront each other several miles apart.

Let's just confront each other, and the Uta soldiers, who have always been warlike, didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Even if the other party is a tough guy, they will not give up until they have taken a piece of meat.

However, the Uta soldiers could no longer hold back.

It’s nothing else but the other party is going too far!

There was a pleasant fragrance wafting through the air every day. It was hard to describe what the fragrance was, but there must be a lot of meat. Every time it wafted over, their stomachs growled with greed, and they drooled so much that they couldn't speak. They were afraid of drooling as soon as they opened their mouths.

So greedy!

We were all at war, and we only had good food occasionally. Most of the time, we only had dry rations. Why did the other side have such good food?!

Near noon, the soldiers of Wuta were chewing dry bread and drinking water. They were originally quite energetic, but suddenly someone's nose moved. After smelling the familiar fragrance, some people could not eat anymore: "Damn it, it's happening again!"

Not only ordinary soldiers, but also generals gathered together to eat. Their meals were better, at least there was some meat, but the smell was unbearable. One of them muttered: "Where does the Great Zhou get so many delicious foods for them to consume? Is the intelligence wrong?"

"It must be the people from the Great Zhou who are trying to frame us. The people of the Great Zhou are very cunning. They are trying to trick us into fighting them!" Another general cursed and swallowed his saliva. However, looking at the food in front of him, he felt that it was very bland and he lost interest.

"So shall we fight?"

"Fight! This time we ran into the Xiao family again and didn't get any advantage. We must fight. If you agree, you can eat all their delicious food!"

"Okay! Fight!"

While this side is trying to boost morale, the morale on the other side is already high.

Eating has always been the part they look forward to most.

Nowadays, it has become everyone’s mindset that they must train well so that they can have delicious food!

This time, I am so happy compared to the previous ones!

"Lao Zhang, give me an extra chicken foot!" a soldier shouted.

Another soldier said, "Add some marinade, add some, so I can make some steamed bread!"

"I know, I know, don't take it!" The cook reminded impatiently: "We always have it served. Don't drink it like water. It's so salty..."

"No, it's just delicious. Even dipped in rocks, it's incredibly delicious!" Someone laughed and said, "Every bite tastes like meat. Oh my..."

Everyone was bustling with activity. Even during the war, there was no sign of discouragement or panic on their faces. They were full of hope for a new day.

As the commander-in-chief, Xiao Huaiting was happy when he saw this scene during his inspection.

Only by eating more and exercising more can you increase your chances of survival!

The main reason why everyone’s spirits are so high now is that they have something to look forward to every day.

Xiao Huaiting came to the place where he got his meal and took a look into the big iron pot. The aroma was extremely rich. The aroma of the stew was a mixture of many kinds of spices and condiments. It was hard to describe how each of them tasted, but the mixture together was really delicious with anything.

They braised a lot of pig offal before leaving. The braised pig offal can be kept for a longer time. Apart from this, almost all food can be braised using the method given by Yan Qiushu.

Things like lotus root, chicken feet, and dried bean curd sheets.

After being boiled in the brine, the taste becomes different in a short time.

Seeing Xiao Huaiting coming over, the cook said, "General, would you like something to eat?"

But before he could answer, the soldiers in the queue stepped back and pulled him over: "General, come and eat. Today we have chicken feet and lotus roots. They are delicious!"

Xiao Huaiting's serious face showed a hint of smile, and the lines on his cheeks that had become cold and hard due to weight loss softened at this moment: "Okay, then I'll take advantage of you."

"You're welcome!" said a soldier.

Soon it was Xiao Huaiting's turn. The cook even gave him extra food and an extra steamed bun: "If the general is not satisfied, come and get more!"

"Yeah." Xiao Huaiting nodded, walked to the side with the bowl, squatted there like a group of soldiers, prepared with chopsticks, and then ate.

It was a big bowl full, with half of the top filled with shredded bean curd sheets, a piece of braised dried tofu, a few slices of lotus root, and two chicken feet. The other side was a bunch of fried wild vegetables and three steamed buns.

There was a spoonful of rice at the bottom of the bowl. Of course, this rice was not snow-white rice, but a mixture of coarse grains and cornmeal. It would make his throat hurt if he was used to eating fine grains, but he was used to it. It was just that the first bite of this rice was a bit dry.

Then he picked up a piece of lotus root.

The braised lotus root slices have absorbed the marinade and are no longer crispy, but the taste is excellent. I took a big bite and filled it up. The salty and fragrant marinade filled my lips and teeth, and I no longer felt dry and difficult to swallow. I even wanted to eat one more bite.

After finishing the lotus root slices, I took a bite of the braised dried tofu. This one was even more juicy, and its originally ordinary taste suddenly became its advantage. After taking a bite of this and then eating the steamed corn bread, I felt that the steamed corn bread had become more delicious?

Some people haven’t eaten enough and still want more. If you can’t give it to them, they can just give them some marinade and eat it directly with rice.

Xiao Huaiting used to eat quickly, but now when he's not in a hurry, he tries to slow down, eating bite by bite. He only finished half of his meal when the people around him changed. As Yan Xiang left, he muttered, "General, why are you eating slower and slower lately?"

Xiao Huaiwu came over after having eaten and drunk her fill. She saw her brother eating and laughed, "Why are you eating like a girl? Who are you showing off to?"

Xiao Huaiting rolled his eyes at her and ignored her.

Xiao Huaiwu chuckled, took out a dozen letters from her bosom, and said with a smile: "There are letters from home, do you want to read them? Mother said there is one specially for you, a special one..."

Xiao Huaiting quickly reached out to take it, but saw Xiao Huaiwu retracted it very quickly. He said in a deep voice: "Give it to me!"

"Eat, eat." Xiao Huaiwu said disdainfully, "There's something in here that my son wrote to me. I was planning to keep it so he can laugh at me when he grows up. The handwriting is so ugly, and there are even two mistakes!"

"Dongdong is so pitiful!" Xiao Huaiting laughed.

Xiao Huaiwu was unmoved, so he had to start eating again. After finishing a few bites, he put the bowl and chopsticks back and immediately grabbed the letter.

But he didn't read the others, but first found the one that was said to be written specifically for him.

The envelope was opened, revealing a familiar handwriting: "My son..."

It was written by his mother.

Xiao Huaiting sighed and continued reading. As he read, his expression became more and more strange. Until he finished reading the whole page, he put the letter away and went to read the others. These letters were a mess. There was one written by Dongdong, which mentioned a lot of things, such as what his sister Shu had cooked for him today.

The child's happy tone, conveyed bit by bit through the words, eased Xiao Huaiting's unyielding expression a lot. But as he watched, he saw something.

Dongdong said that Sister Shu and her friends went to a fried chicken restaurant and met one of his classmates, Xue Guangxiu, and his uncle. They enjoyed the meal very much and especially liked the tiger skin chicken feet. He was very envious when he knew that he could go directly to the braised food store next door to get chicken feet.

The Xue family again?

Xiao Huaiting narrowed his eyes slightly.

At this moment, the horn suddenly sounded, everyone's face changed, and they ran to the assembly point immediately.