Chapter 38
Yao Chunnuan's life now was much like that of later generations. She would go to work on time every day, and after work, she would have food and clothes provided for her.
Luo Suyi was actually quite capable of cooking. Otherwise, the Fang family wouldn't have let her cook all day. Her cooking skills, whether it was rice or food, were exceptional, and her control of heat was even better than Yao Chunnuan's. She simply didn't have the opportunity to use seasonings like Yao Chunnuan, nor did she have her extensive knowledge.
But these days, when Yao Chunnuan cooks, she always gives her instructions on how to prepare each dish and which side dishes to pair with so that the taste will be unique.
Yao Chunnuan taught without reservation. Isn't that nonsense? She wanted to free herself from the kitchen, so of course she couldn't hold back. To be honest, she liked cooking, but it was really annoying when she did it too much.
Luo Suyi also worked hard, as she had a natural talent for this. Before long, she was making delicious home-cooked meals.
After arriving in the South District, Luo Suyi, like a diligent young woman, single-handedly kept the household in perfect order. In her free time, she sewed, making small clothes and diapers for her unborn child. Yao Chunnuan also needed to wash her hair every five days, but her large belly made it difficult, so Luo Suyi would wash it for her while she lay down. Not only did she wash it clean, she also meticulously dried and fumigated it. Overall, Luo Suyi took excellent care of her pregnant daughter.
Yao Chunnuan is quite satisfied with her current life.
Yao Chunnuan first met her immediate superior, the champion general Xing Changfeng, on a lightly snowing afternoon. She had been working for a long time and her eyes felt a little sore, so she went out for a walk in the courtyard.
The shogunate was located in the outer courtyard of the Shogun's mansion. He was striding back from outside the mansion, followed by several young generals and a group of trotting soldiers at his tail. His black cloak rustled as he walked, and his long legs were looming as he moved. Before he got close, he was greeted by a bloody and murderous aura.
When the general saw someone in the outer courtyard, he paused, nodded slightly at her from a distance, and led his people into the second courtyard from another path.
Yao Chunnuan raised an eyebrow. Had this great general seen her before? But she quickly realized what was happening. She glanced down at her bulging belly. It was such an obvious feature. Even if she had never seen her before, she could still guess her identity.
In addition to the general, Yao Chunnuan also noticed that one of the young generals looked at her with a strange look in his eyes.
Later, Yao Chunnuan learned that the young general was named Ji Ze and Wang Lang served under him.
When they were off duty that day, the general's personal guards came to tell them that the general had gone hunting in the mountains today and had caught a lot of prey. He couldn't finish eating it, so he took out some and shared it with the people in the shogunate.
Yao Chunnuan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the general was full of blood and murderous aura when he returned home. It turned out that he had gone to the mountains to hunt.
Everyone was very happy to hear that they could share the meat, and they took it home in the evening to add a meat dish to their family!
Yao Chunnuan got a big fish weighing seven or eight kilograms and two pheasants. The general hunted a lot of rabbits, and each one was quite fat, but considering that she was pregnant, none of them were given to her.
There weren't many fish in the game they were given. But because she had been happily drying fish heads during a meal two days earlier, and had casually mentioned that eating fish was good for pregnant women and the baby, everyone unanimously gave her the biggest fish. There was also pheasant, and she also drank the chicken soup. The pheasant meat was tough, but the stew was delicious. They were all taking good care of her.
Because the meat was divided, Yao Chunnuan happily called Gui Qi to go home together for dinner.
People like Gui Qi ate communal meals with the general's guards morning, noon, and night. In fact, if they wanted to cook on their own, they could apply for permission and have the accounting office allocate them food on a monthly basis so they could cook their own meals.
But Gui Qi didn't think so. He was alone, so why would he start a fire? He felt he was too idle. Besides, the food in the big kitchen was delicious, much better than what he cooked himself.
But now Yao Zhubo is his superior, and if he is invited to dinner, he will go, bringing seven or eight frozen pears with him, so he will not go empty-handed.
So there were three of them in a group. Yao Chunnuan walked in front with her hands in her tucked away. Xiao Jieming was carrying a bucket with the big fish in it. Gui Qi was holding two pheasants that were still clucking.
Yao Chunnuan looked at the fish, still struggling to survive in the barrel, and wondered how to eat it. Fish weighing seven or eight kilograms were rare these days, and they were wild, in the middle of winter. He had no idea how the general and his men had caught them.
After cleaning, the fish should only weigh about six pounds. After removing the head and bones, there should be at most four pounds of meat. Fish is best enjoyed fresh, and she didn't plan to save it for another meal, so the four of them should be able to handle it, right?
She was craving the barrel fish. It was rare to find such a large fish, and braising or pan-frying it wasn't quite her cup of tea. Besides, cooking it in a barrel was possible. She had some green peppercorns at home. Luo Suyi had collected pebbles and raindrop stones when they'd been digging and sifting sand from the river. She'd collected them because Yao Chunnuan had mentioned a recipe for barrel fish and lamented that they hadn't caught a large fish, so she couldn't make it. All she needed was a barrel made of cedar.
Yichun doesn't have much in terms of other things, but it has a lot of wood. Considering Yao Chunnuan's current position as the chief clerk, is it a big deal for him to ask for a few pieces of fir wood to make a wooden barrel?
Gui Qi was also impressed that such a large number of people were mobilized just to eat a fish.
But once he took a piece of the fragrant, spicy fish fillet, he was speechless. It was delicious, truly delicious. The fish fillet was fresh, fragrant, and tender, and the broth was rich and savory. After two sips, he could feel the broth draining straight from his mouth into his stomach, warming his entire body. The effect was comparable to the strongest liquor in the army.
In just one meal, Gui Qi and Xiao Jieming became familiar with each other.
When Gui Qi left, Xiao Jieming went to see him off.
After a satisfying meal, Gui Qi put his arm around Xiao Jieming's shoulder and spoke heartfeltly, "Brother, from now on, we'll be in this together. I'll be watching when Chief Secretary Yao is on duty, and if you feel like going to the training grounds anytime you have time, feel free to do so." Gui Qi had noticed that Xiao Jieming always seemed interested when the palace's guards were training, so he said this. If Xiao Jieming wanted to increase his strength, it shouldn't be difficult to ask Chief Steward Wu for help.
Xiao Jieming has indeed been thinking about how to improve his strength recently. Upon hearing this, he shook his hand back and told him that he would consider it.
Gui Qiyi praised and publicized Yao Chunnuan's wooden barrel fish meal, making it known to everyone in the general's mansion.
Whether it was the people in the shogunate or the soldiers in the palace, they were all curious about what the wooden barrel fish tasted like. Why was it worthy of Gui Qi's praise? Their curiosity made the chef feel embarrassed.
The people in the kitchen were at a loss and had to ask Yao Chunnuan, but Yao Chunnuan just pushed Luo Suyi out.
Well, after some communication, Luo Suyi was sent by Yao Chunnuan to the general's mansion kitchen as a guide.
The people in the kitchen have also gained some knowledge. Take the green and red peppercorns for example. They have always been used by nobles as spices to wear or as medicinal herbs. Now they are used as seasonings in Yao Zhubo's family.
Then there were the rain flower stones and pebbles, heated over a charcoal fire, and then the marinated fish was placed in them, sizzling and fragrant. Then, boiling hot pheasant bone broth was poured into the cedar barrel, and a refreshing fragrance mixed with a spicy aroma filled the air, whetting the appetite. The kitchen staff were also unfazed, each taking a pair of chopsticks to fish out of the barrel to eat.
It just so happened that the general was going to entertain guests in the evening, and the chief chef in the kitchen was having a headache about what fresh dishes to prepare.
The main issue was that in such cold weather, there weren't many dishes to choose from. Also, even the most exquisite dishes would be cold by the time they were brought from the main kitchen. Yes, they could simmer them over charcoal, so they wouldn't get cold, but the flavor wouldn't be as good as it was when they were freshly cooked. It was fine for eating alone, but it wasn't ideal for entertaining guests.
The master chef was worrying at his own stove. Over in the big kitchen, he couldn't help but come over because of the cries of surprise from the wooden barrel fish and he vaguely heard something saying "It smells so good".
At first glance, he was attracted by this wooden barrel stone! Tonight's special dish is here!
This wooden barrel fish is a new way of eating, so it definitely cannot be made in the kitchen and then served.
The chef decided that, except for the pheasant bone soup which was cooked in the kitchen, all other work would be done at the banquet so that the general and the guests could have an open look.
The general's dinner was a success, and both the host and the guests were delighted. The wooden barrel fish dish was particularly eye-opening. They had tasted all sorts of delicacies from land and sea, and had seen all sorts of dishes, but they had never seen fish prepared this way. The key was that the fish fillet was delicious, and the soup was also good; it warmed everyone up, making it a perfect dish for winter.
So before the banquet was over, several people asked the general how to cook this fish.
The general promised them directly that he would give them the recipe of the dish "wooden barrel fish" when they left.
Because of this wooden barrel fish, Luo Suyi also received a reward from General Manager Wu.
Luo Suyi was at a loss as she held the reward money. She had rarely received praise or affirmation from others, ever since she was a child. Even after Yao Chunnuan realized that she had always felt inferior due to the Fang family's perpetual manipulation, she often encouraged and praised her, but it only had some effect at first. Later, Luo Suyi simply thought she was kind and felt grateful for her, but she didn't believe she was as good as she said. But the reward money from Manager Wu made her believe what Yao Chunnuan had said before: she was good, not bad.
Yao Chunnuan watched her eyes turn red, then gradually brighten, and she smiled. She had been undermined for far too long, and so needed the affirmation of others to gradually regain her confidence. Her weight, combined with that of Manager Wu, was greater than that of many people she knew, which was why her emotions were so volatile today.
Ji Ze's Mansion
Ji Ze had just returned from the General's Mansion. He was a little drunk and spoke casually, "Your ex-wife is amazing. She's doing really well in the General's Mansion, like a fish in water."
Wang Lang didn't say anything, but he knew that Yao Chunnuan had become the acting chief clerk of the general's shogunate, and soon he was highly valued by the general and had established a firm foothold in the shogunate.
"Is it really impossible for you two?" Ji Ze asked again.
"have no idea."
When asking this question, Ji Ze felt quite regretful. It would have been such a good opportunity to connect with the general, but the Yao family didn't give them a chance, so they couldn't connect.
He was also a little confused. Wang Lang was not stupid. What did he do to anger God and people that made Yao so cold-hearted and unwilling to live with him?
Although Yao was born into a common family, she was not lacking in talent and means. Otherwise, she wouldn't have risen from a mere prisoner to her current position. The position of Chief Clerk of the Shogun's Mansion was not something that ordinary people could handle. Many men couldn't even do that.
Sometimes he secretly regretted that he acted too late, otherwise it would be great to recruit her to work for him. She was a talent that even the general valued.
"If it's really impossible, then you should consider marrying a local Yichun woman. I can act as a matchmaker for you then." Given Yao's status in the general's court, he would consider her wishes more. If she didn't want to reconcile, he didn't want Wang Lang to continue to bother her, lest she become disgusted and then flatter him in front of the general.
Wang Lang's heart trembled, "Let's talk about it later."
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