Chapter 295 Hot Pot

The birds by the window chirped, causing Jiang Yuzhu on the bed to moan and wake up slowly.

The afternoon light was dazzling. The maid Hong Jin scattered a handful of corn on the windowsill and neatly pulled up the blackout curtain.

Hearing the footsteps, Hong Jin hurriedly brought a cup of light tea and said, "Madam, you are awake. What dishes do you want for dinner?"

There are several restaurants opposite the inn. The master and servants went there once and found the food there too light.

Aunt Lanhua happened to be traveling with them, so Hongjin and the inn's waiter borrowed the kitchen and prepared to cook for themselves.

Ever since Jiang Yuzhu became pregnant, she has become even more picky with her words.

"Hot the pot."

In early April of the lunar calendar, the weather in the north is still quite cold in the mornings and evenings, which is the best time to eat hot pot.

Jiang Yuzhu instructed: "Tell Aunt Lanhua that there is no need to prepare anything, but for the meat, we need to buy some tender lamb meat and cut it into thin slices that fit the plate, use sesame paste as the base, add fermented bean curd and chives, and add a little vinegar to enhance the flavor..."

Jiang Yuzhu remembered that the Ma family ran a sesame oil workshop. The reason why they were well-off was that they relied on their ancestral secret recipes to supply dipping sauces to restaurants.

Just when dealing with the Ma family, Jiang Yuzhu recalled the most distinctive Erba sauce that she had eaten before.

If you want the dipping sauce to taste good, add 80% peanut butter.

Hong Jin was also very excited and said with a smile, "Then the vegetarian dishes should follow the old rules?"

There is a food shortage in the border town, and except for the cabbage, radishes and potatoes stored from the winter, vegetables are more valuable than meat.

Jiang Yuzhu didn't want to be shortchanged, and she had more money than she could spend, so she said generously, "I heard from my buddy that there is a local family nearby who has built a greenhouse and grows lush green spinach. Let's buy some, and add bean sprouts, old tofu, vermicelli, black fungus, and some seafood, and it will be just enough to fill the table."

By the time the sun set, Aunt Lanhua had already prepared all the ingredients.

Ningxiang borrowed a small stove from the waiter, and bubbles were already bubbling from the bottom of the old chicken soup pot.

Jiang Yuzhu put a piece of mutton in the pot. In a breath, the mutton was cooked and turned white.

She quickly fished out the dipping sauce and couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise: "This is what Erba sauce tastes like!"

Hong Jin tapped it with her chopsticks and couldn't help but admire, "Madam, I just mentioned it to Aunt Lanhua and she already knew how to season it!"

According to Jiang Yuzhu's preference, half a spoonful of sugar is added to the dipping sauce to make the sauce more flavorful.

The weather suddenly changed in the evening, and the cold wind made the branches sway left and right.

Jiang Yuzhu was eating the steaming hot pot in the room, feeling particularly satisfied.

Just after eating a few pieces of meat, the red carp came back in a hurry.

"Madam, I and Doctor Yan went to the home of the herbal medicine merchant. That man is indeed a dishonest businessman. We must not offend either side."

According to that person's ambiguous attitude, we will stay longer than expected.

Hongli went there but didn't get any definite news, so he sighed.

Jiang Yuzhu pinched Hongli's face. Perhaps because she was too familiar with the plot in the book, she was particularly tolerant of Hongli, the noisy and gossipy little maid.

For Jiang Yuzhu, no one is without weaknesses, and Hongli is only loyal to her, and that is enough.

"Come and eat the hot pot. As for the medicinal materials, you can't escape."

It is said that the people should not fight against the officials, so Jiang Yuzhu was not in a hurry at all.

If she still couldn't get any confirmation after giving the medicinal material merchants two more days, she would go to the prefect to negotiate.

From the north to the south of the Yangtze River, Xie Zhao had taken care of all the checkpoints along the way.

When Xie Zhao was mentioned, Hong Jin twitched her eyelids and subconsciously flattered him: "Madam, the master will do his best for everything you do."

And, be willing to take risks.

A senior official of the Great Qi State pretended to be sick and fell.

If Hong Jin hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.

Jiang Yuzhu held her chopsticks in mid-air, and after tasting the food carefully, she said, "That's right."

I have been traveling recently, so the letters Xie Zhao writes will not be delivered on time as before.

With Xie Zhao around, it's icing on the cake. Even without him, Jiang Yuzhu is still living a good life. This is the state she wants most.

After eating a few slices of tender mutton to fill his stomach, Hongli regained his spirits. Thinking of the rumors he heard on the road, Hongli's eyes sparkled.

"Madam, the farce of the Ma family is not over yet!"

Hongli began to babble, speaking very quickly: "The three brothers and sisters went to the government office to check the files and found out that Old Man Ma has a large house with five entrances on North Street."

When Zhang died, the two brothers and sisters were all panicked.

Especially Ma Laoer, he wanted to take all the money for himself.

When they found the house with five entrances, Ma Laoer took the lead, followed by Ma Xiaoqin and her husband, and they went to the door with sticks.

"Could it be that Old Man Ma has a mistress behind the Ma family's back?"

Several maids stopped eating the meat and joined the gossip team.

The development of events from yesterday to today is really incredible.

Hongli took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then withdrew his hand and said seriously, "The three brothers and sisters of the Ma family rushed to the mansion, but the house was empty."

Old Man Ma was gone, and overnight, all the valuable things in the mansion were sold off, even the carved bed.

The huge mansion can be described as bare.

"A servant came to take the bed and other things, and had a quarrel with Ma Xiaoqin. Ma Xiaoqin said that the things in the house were all the old man Ma's relics, and should be divided equally among the three siblings. Of course, the servant did not tolerate her and took out the receipt that the belongings were sold."

Hongli lamented that he was not at the scene and only heard it from the old lady who was watching.

The old lady was spitting heavily and was very excited, and she couldn't help but exaggerate the story.

"Ma Xiaoqin asked the neighbors and learned that there was a beautiful woman living in the mansion, and she had a son who was a few years old. She didn't know if it was the son left by old man Ma."

"After hearing the news, the beautiful woman started pawning her belongings yesterday. I heard that she took her son and ran away before dawn."

Hongli commented, "She is also a smart person. Otherwise, she would not be able to make any money from the three brothers and sisters of the Ma family, and she would have to give up all the benefits she had gained before."

The auntie watching the scene couldn't find words to describe it, but the expressions of the three Ma siblings kept changing, it was very interesting.

"Hongli, something doesn't sound right to me."

Hong Jin considered carefully and finally grasped the key point, "Yesterday at the Ma Mansion, Zhang threatened Boss Ma and specifically mentioned North Street..."

Are the North Street that Zhang mentioned and the residence where old man Ma secretly kept a mistress the same place?

Hongli's face became solemn, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "I also think Zhang's death is very strange."

Jiang Yuzhu is pregnant and doesn't want to meddle in other people's affairs.

There is a tacit understanding between the maids.

Ever since learning that Old Man Ma’s residence was on North Street, Hongli’s doubts grew more and more serious.

"If the North Street that Zhang mentioned is the mansion, does it prove that Boss Ma already knows that Old Man Ma has a mistress? Then what leverage does Zhang have over Boss Ma?"

Hongli took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone and wrote down a series of questions.

If it is true as speculated, Zhang's death is not simple.

Calling the Ma family to the backyard, and then hanging herself in front of them, what was Zhang's purpose?