Chapter 39: Warm Chicken Soup with Beans in the Memories of Cinderella's Stepmother...

Prince Oslov is dead.

The news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of the royal capital. As an ancient family that has been entrenched for nearly a hundred years, Oslov has always received a lot of attention from the outside world.

It was a clear, sunny autumn day. Newspaper offices were all bustling with activity. Signal birds and owls were flying around in the sky. Passersby walked in fear, fearing that a newspaper with the scent of warm ink would fall down from time to time.

After all, people in any country cannot avoid loving gossip.

Ye Wan was sitting at the dining table reading a copy of the "Star Daily", which seemed to be a newspaper under the "Starry Sky Daily". The entire page was filled with gossip about aristocrats and celebrities.

The headline on the front page now reads in bold:

Aristocratic secrets! Duke Oslov mysteriously found dead in the cellar of his mansion.

Our newspaper reports that a horrific murder occurred in the royal capital recently. Duke Oslov mysteriously disappeared on September 7. His body was found by a maid in the family cellar in the early hours of yesterday morning. According to people familiar with the matter, the Duke's face was filled with great resentment and resentment.

According to the coroner, judging from the livor mortis and the degree of rigor mortis on the body, the Duke died around the early morning of September 11. However, because the cellar was filled with various ice products, the low temperature delayed the decomposition of the body, making it extremely difficult to determine the time of death.

It is reported that these huge and exquisite ice crafts are the betrothal gifts from the Ice and Snow Kingdom to Jenny, the youngest daughter of the Duke's Mansion.

Some speculate that this may be related to the internal struggle for family succession rights. After all, the relationship between the current Duchess Catherine and her stepdaughter Jane has become irreconcilable.

"She even forbade poor Jenny to attend the night banquet at the palace and only took her two daughters with her!" said a former maid at the Duke's Palace who wished to remain anonymous.

This case has sparked heated debate throughout the kingdom. We will continue to follow the situation and will release "Scepter and Glory: A History of the Oslov Family" tomorrow.

(This issue of the newspaper is accompanied by a centennial genealogy of the Oslov family)

A large, animated photo was posted at the back of the newspaper. Duchess Catherine, wearing a black veil, stood silent before the coffin. It's no wonder rumors of a volatile personality persisted. She was dressed in black mourning, her dark hair tied in a single bun. Her face was thin and withered, her cheekbones sharp as knives.

She didn't cry, but just pressed her lips into a cold line and folded her arms as she looked at the law enforcement officers and corpse collectors who came.

It does look a bit mean.

"But it's unreasonable for them to arrest Jenny." Lawson said angrily to every diner in the tavern: "It is well known that Jenny was in this tavern on the night of the 11th. There is no way she did this. If necessary, I will testify in court." He puffed out his chest.

The diners around him nodded and some even applauded him.

Fortunately, the law enforcement officers in the royal capital were fair and just. Jenny was released after being interrogated. Her eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked as pitiful as a little white rabbit.

Anyone who sees this will think that this is an innocent "Cinderella".

Ye Wan comforted her and went to the kitchen to prepare the baked cake.

Youan and Jane were the only ones left in the corridor.

Under the flickering corridor light, Jenny stared at him for a moment before offering a faint smile. "Now that he's dead, a major obstacle to your national administration has vanished. I congratulate you in advance, but please keep your promise to me."

The endings of her words seemed to carry rough gravel.

Youan wanted to speak, but Ye Wan's voice came from the kitchen: "Youan, come and help me."

Youan strode into the kitchen, and soon his furious voice came from the kitchen: "You idiot."

Ye Wan took out the baked cake from the kitchen. Jenny walked in hesitantly, took out a bag of heavy silver coins from her bag and stuffed it into Ye Wan's pocket.

Ye Wan was surprised: "You want to treat someone to a meal?"

Jenny nodded: "But I want to try cooking myself, I hope you can help me."

Ye Wan weighed his wallet and said, "Okay, you want to treat a few people to a meal so I can prepare the ingredients."

"There's only one person, my stepmother." Jenny said without hesitation.

Ye Wan: “?”

She suddenly couldn't believe her ears. Was the world crazy or was she crazy? So Ye Wan confirmed with her again:

"Who are you inviting to dinner?"

"My stepmother." Jenny repeated herself.

This is obviously not the plot that should appear in "Cinderella", Ye Wan thought.

Ye Wan used the excuse of going out to buy seasonings and pulled You An out, but in fact the tavern had plenty of seasonings and there was no need to replenish them.

"Do you think she wants to poison the food and die with her stepmother?" Ye Wan covered his face with his hands in fear. "This is really terrible. I think I should persuade her, but I don't know how to start."

Youan was forced to be dragged by her to walk back and forth in the Golden Goose Park for nearly three times. He reached out his hands expressionlessly and pulled Ye Wan's hands off her face.

"Believe me, there's nothing scarier than the terrified look on your face right now."

Ye Wan: “…”

In the end, Ye Wan decided to stay in the kitchen the whole time and keep a close watch on Jenny.

Fortunately, the menu Jenny gave her was very simple. Ye Wan originally thought that she would ask for French black truffle mushroom cream poached eggs, Provencal stew, etc., but she only ordered two things: pizza and chicken soup tofu pot.

The chicken and tofu pot was simple, and the pizza wasn't difficult to make either, but they seemed a bit shabby to entertain the Duchess, but Jenny didn't seem to care.

Ye Wan took out a casserole and slowly simmered the chicken soup broth over low heat. The tofu should be steamed in the cabinet until it becomes a honeycomb state. It is best to add some dried shrimps and garlic to the chicken soup to enhance the flavor.

The next step was to make pizza. To make the dough crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, it needed to be carefully kneaded and fermented. Ye Wan guided Jane from the side, letting the dough stretch into an even, round, thin base in her hands, and the edges needed to be pinched into even pizza edges.

The pizza base is spread with a layer of rich tomato sauce, sprinkled with a handful of cheese, topped with salami, sliced ​​mushrooms and a few pitted black olives, and then put into the oven.

Soon, in the high temperature of the oven, the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes, the milky aroma of cream, and the fatty aroma of sausage were activated, forming an extremely fragrant storm in the kitchen.

Ye Wan had already told the old customers in advance that the tavern would be temporarily closed tonight. After all, Jenny didn't want the family in the storm to have to eat while accepting strange looks from outsiders.

Today's dusk is like an expired and spoiled blood orange, dyeing the bricks of Honey Lane into a strange color. The air is filled with a damp earthy smell. It is an evening that is about to bring a storm.

An old carriage stopped silently at the door of the tavern. The coachman in an old-fashioned suit got off the horse and reached out to help the passengers in the carriage.

Duchess Catherine was dressed in a black mourning dress. As her skirt swept down the stairs, the faded pearl ornaments on her shoes were exposed.

She looked exactly like in the photo, with a thin face and a pair of cold, indifferent grey eyes that showed no emotion and certainly no beauty.

The Duchess sat down at the table. "Is this the place you insisted on inviting me to?"

"Yes, mother." Jenny brought the still bubbling pot of chicken soup and tofu to the table along with the pizza. The Duchess took a look at the two dishes, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Janet?"

"No, you understand, Mother."

The two sat opposite each other at the ends of the dining table, looking at each other. The dim light shone on their faces, and the air in the entire pub seemed to be stagnant.

Finally, the Duchess gave in to the stare-down with her stepdaughter and took off her black lace gloves. "Then, let me taste the food you cooked first."

When you open the lid of the casserole, the fresh and mellow hot steam comes out, and the tofu trembles slightly in the golden soup, as if the solidified tofu has absorbed the essence of the chicken soup.

The Duchess scooped up a spoonful. The tofu was very tender, and the boiling hot and delicious soup inside burst out. The aroma of chicken and tofu intertwined together. After taking a sip, she felt her cold and stiff hands warm up a little.

The Duchess put down her spoon and looked at her stepdaughter, who had grown from a malnourished bean sprout into a charming young girl.

She said softly: "So you still remember."

"Yes, mother, I always remember it," said Jenny.

When Jenny was 10 years old, a new lady came to the Duke's Mansion.

The maid with bad intentions told her the stories of "Cinderella" and "Snow White" every night, but Jenny did not comment on it. After all, with her tyrannical father around, her stepmother could not be any worse.

So when the luxurious social event called "wedding" at the Duke's Mansion began, she sneaked into the cellar to get a cold pizza for dinner.

The servants were so busy that she hadn't had a meal for several days.

When Jenny finally found the food with a candle, the cellar door was opened. A dazzling light flashed outside the door, and the new Duchess appeared at the cellar door in a scarlet dress.

The butler behind her glared at her fiercely, then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and apologized to the Duchess in a low voice: "I'm sorry, Madam. I didn't take good care of the young lady."

Jenny sat on the cold ground, looking into those cold and harsh eyes.

The Duchess didn't say anything. She just looked at Jenny deeply, then turned and left.

That night, a hot freshly baked pizza and a bowl of warm tofu soup appeared outside Jenny's room. It was the most delicious meal she had had since her mother passed away.

Ye Wan hid on the second floor and looked down quietly, fearing that they would fight. You An felt a headache watching from the side, and he rubbed his forehead hard.

"Okay, Princess Rapunzel, I'm just taking precautions. Can you please stop pretending to be a domineering CEO?" Ye Wan said unsatisfiedly.

As they were still talking, the door of the tavern was pushed open again, and two law enforcement officers walked in. They showed their credentials to the Duchess and said in a tough tone, "Catherine Oslov, we now suspect you of being involved in a murder case. Please come with us."