Chapter 304: Rice Blood Cake and Lychee Meat

"Come on, folks, thank you for coming. We two brothers would like to toast everyone!" Just as the fight between Su Yuchen and her daughter affected Su's father, the two Wei brothers began to toast from table to table. First came the table at the end of the courtyard, where Su's father and mother were sitting. Each of them took a small glass, exchanged a few pleasantries, and drank it all in one gulp.

The two daughters-in-law followed the two brothers, each holding a basket filled with small red envelopes. After the toast, they immediately stepped forward and handed one to everyone at the table. "Come on, come on, let's have some good luck! It's not much, but it's a token of our love. Everyone, take it home and put it under your bed. May everyone be healthy, safe, and live a long and peaceful life!"

"Congratulations! I wish the old lady good fortune and a long life!"

"The old lady is so blessed. Look at how filial these grandchildren are. They are all growing up well!"

"Who says it isn't true? The son is generous, the daughter-in-law is virtuous, and the old lady is kind-hearted. She will definitely live a long life!"

Everyone received red envelopes, and auspicious words poured out like water, with joy on their faces.

The second son of the Wei family is good at making money. In recent years, he has also become rich with his elder brother. As the saying goes, he is rich and powerful, so he holds a birthday banquet just for fun. He does not accept any gifts from anyone, but instead gives red envelopes to those who dine at the banquet. Therefore, the blessings from the villagers are particularly sincere.

Su Yuchen smiled as he watched the four members of the Wei family toast at one table and then move on to the next. His smile deepened with each visit. He couldn't help but glance at Su's parents, "Dad, Mom, when you're eighty or ninety, I'll host a grand banquet for you in the village with dozens of tables! I won't accept any gifts from anyone, just to make you happy!"

"Oh hey, then your father and I would like to thank you, but please don't empty your meager salary by throwing us a banquet!"

"Hey, your grandpa is almost ninety years old. Why don't you set up a few tables for your grandpa first? After your grandpa's banquet, there will be your grandma's banquet in two years. After your grandma's banquet, there will be your third grandma's banquet. Our family is waiting for you!" Father Su said jokingly.

"Grandpa still has four years to go before he turns ninety! Grandma and Third Grandma will be even later, so you guys are just trying to trick me!" Su Yuchen's face darkened instantly. He ignored Su's father and mother and continued to send messages to Zhao Xiaojing with his head down.

The four members of the Wei family toasted each of the fifteen tables in order. After distributing red envelopes, the guests gradually sated their food and drinks. Table after table asked for plastic bags to pack up the leftovers, packing up and leaving one by one. Two apprentices each carried a large basin, one emptying the leftovers while the other loaded the tableware. The two sisters-in-law who arrived later, one wiping the tables while the other swept the floor. The place was quickly cleaned up, and soon the second round of guests took their seats.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, all the dishes for the third round of banquets were served. Zhao Xiaojing and her group sat at the same table with the band performing at the banquet. After the dishes were served, they also started eating with the third round of banquets.

When they sat down, the dishes on the table had already been served. The six members of the band were waiting for them but didn't eat first. The people at the table exchanged a few polite words before they started eating.

Zhao Xiaojing glanced around, regretting the lack of dishes cooked by Wei's relative. As soon as she sat down, the relative arrived with two plates of food. "I saw you weren't done yet, so I didn't cook for your table with the others. I made this just because you were here. This dish should be eaten hot, freshly cooked. It's a Fuzhou specialty. I wonder if you're used to it. Come try it!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you! Let's sit down and eat something together." Seeing this, Chef Huang quickly took the plate, and everyone moved their plates to make room.

"Then I'll sit down for a while and chat!" The relative actually sat down and greeted everyone quite naturally, "Eat while it's hot!"

Zhao Xiaojing's eyes were already burning with excitement as she picked up a serving spoon and scooped up a spoonful of fried rice blood cake. Su Yuchen hadn't been able to see it clearly from a distance, but now that it was on the table, she realized the rich toppings were quite impressive. Besides the scallions and ginger, and the stir-fried shredded cabbage, there was also pork belly, diced mushrooms, and dried shrimp.

Isn't this the three-fresh bean curd with pig's blood? Zhao Xiaojing thought as she tasted it. As soon as she took a bite, she found that although it was also glutinous rice, it was completely different from the three-fresh bean curd.

The rice blood cake has a unique texture: soft, chewy, and a bit chewy, yet tender. Su Yuchen said someone at the table specifically explained that it was made by mixing pig blood with glutinous rice and steaming it. Many people at the table were afraid to eat it because they thought it was bloody.

Zhao Xiaojing didn't taste any blood when she ate it. It should be because the ingredients were fresh and properly processed. However, the taste was indeed strange, somewhere between the soft and glutinous rice fragrance and the tenderness and astringency of fresh blood clots. There was a little bit of both flavors, but they offset each other, forming an indescribable new taste. It was not unpalatable, but it was a little beyond the scope of Yangcheng's delicious taste for more than 20 years. In short, it was hard to describe.

Zhao Xiaojing mixed the rice blood cake with various other ingredients and put it all into her mouth with one spoonful.

"How is the meal?" Chef Min's relative asked with a smile as he saw Zhao Xiaojing eating slowly.

"It's quite special. You must have made it very delicately. Eating the rice blood cake alone has one flavor, and stir-frying it has another. It's also delicious when mixed with these savory and fresh ingredients."

"Hey, I met someone who understands! It took me quite a while to mix and filter the pig's blood thoroughly, otherwise it wouldn't be so smooth!" The relative was very happy and scooped another spoonful of lychee flesh into Zhao Xiaojing's bowl. "Try it! You little girls all love this."

The lychee flesh in the bowl was a bright mixture of red and white. Zhao Xiaojing recognized the white semicircular piece as a water chestnut, and the red ball seemed to be made of meat, covered with starch sauce. If you look closely, you can see knife marks on it. Zhao Xiaojing picked it up and took a bite.

"Delicious!" Zhao Xiaojing praised. The lychee meat was sour and sweet, with a crispy texture. Although it was in ball shape, when you picked it up, you could tell it was a round shape made of rolled-up meat slices, not really solid. The meatballs were juicy, but because the sourness outweighed the sweetness, it wasn't greasy. Adding a bite of water chestnuts further enhanced the sweetness and flavor.

"Brother Fan, your lychee meat is really good, even better than our sweet and sour pork!" Chef Huang on the side became familiar with the relative in just a few words and gave a thumbs up in praise.

"If you like it, eat more!" A relative nearby was delighted to receive praise from a colleague. He also picked up a chopstick of shredded pork and green peppers, took a few bites and couldn't help but look at Zhao Xiaojing, "Girl, you are really good at cooking! The shredded pork and green peppers are so fragrant and fresh. Is it a secret recipe? Why can't I cook it to your taste?"

"It's a secret recipe. It's very simple to make, but it might be a bit complicated." Zhao Xiaojing wanted to laugh. She was tasting the lychee meat carefully, thinking about replicating it when she had time. It turned out that people were also thinking about her shredded pork with green peppers.