Chapter 50 Making Snake Soup
"My lord, I dare to guess that Lady Liu would never agree to Liu Rong taking a concubine, but Liu Rong wanted to bring his mistress back to the family in a legitimate way. So Liu Rong and his mother conspired to murder Lady Liu."
"As for Fangyun, I believe she was aware of the situation. Knowing the truth but not reporting it makes her an accomplice. I urge you, sir, to uphold justice and ensure that Lady Liu can rest in peace."
Tao Tao bowed and cupped her hands in greeting to Gao Shaoguang.
"Don't worry, now that we have witnesses and physical evidence, according to the laws of the Celestial Empire, the murderer should be beheaded and his head displayed to the public."
He was right. Tomorrow, the case will be brought to light in court, and the truth will be revealed to the world.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Tao Tao and Tu Miaoling left the government office and walked down the street.
"Liu Niangzi's parents passed away before she died, and she had no children. Her husband and mother-in-law buried her hastily in the suburbs. Liu Niangzi took care of our Tao family many times during her life. I plan to go with my mother to pay our respects on the seventh day after her death. Do you want to come?"
Tu Miaoling nodded quickly: "Go! I'm sure I'll be fine that day. Madam Liu is my close friend. I'll go and talk to her one last time and see her off on her final journey."
"By the way, do you know where I can buy snakes?"
"snake?"
She looked surprised, her gaze filled with a mixture of doubt and oddity.
"Uh... I heard that snake soup is nourishing. I'm injured, so I'm planning to buy some and try it."
Tao Tao raised her hands and gave a few dry laughs.
"I really don't know that. The problem is, very few people eat this stuff. Why don't you go to the market early tomorrow morning and take a look?"
Anyway, she had hardly ever seen anyone eat it before.
Tao Tao nodded thoughtfully.
Early the next morning.
She specifically told Tao's mother that she would go grocery shopping today.
Tao's mother was still a little worried because she was the one who did most of the shopping. Only a few times did her daughter bring back vegetables that were too old and not very tasty.
However, since she brought it up, it proves that she is willing to learn to cook, so that she won't make a fool of herself when she goes to her husband's family after the wedding.
So she gave her daughter a few more careful instructions and then let her go.
The market was bustling, and there were quite a lot of things for sale.
"Come on! Come and see the fresh and crisp cabbage."
"Fish! Fish for sale! Lively, jumping fish..."
Tao Tao wandered around several alleys, asking people for directions, and finally saw the stall owner squatting at the foot of the alley, with two woven baskets beside him, hawking snake meat.
However, few people stopped, and those who did glance at it quickly left with a look of disgust.
As the stall owner continued selling, he became somewhat disorganized, sitting on the ground against the wall, casually calling out to customers.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. He lifted his eyelids and looked down, saying weakly, "Young lady, I'm selling snake meat."
"I know!"
The girl crouched down, her bright eyes shining slightly. "I want to buy a snake."
The stall owner suddenly sat up straight, turning to look at her with a broad smile. "What kind of snake do you want to buy? Venomous or non-venomous? For cooking or as a pet?"
"I don't know much about making snake soup. What kind of snake do you think would be best?"
He immediately launched into a long explanation: "The edible snakes I have include the black-tailed snake, the king snake, and the green snake. Among them, the black-tailed snake is the most delicious and suitable for making snake soup, and there are also..."
"Then this one will do."
She interrupted him.
The stall owner was taken aback, then quickly nodded: "Okay, okay, but I won't kill it for you. You'll have to go back and kill it yourself. I'll teach you this: grab the snake by its neck with your left hand, step on its tail with one foot, and then chop it down on its neck! Like this..."
As evening approached, after having dinner, she began to prepare the black-tailed snake.
She untied the sack, opened it, and looked inside. Suddenly, a dark figure darted out.
Tao Tao was startled and couldn't dodge in time. A snake's head hit her nose, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes, making her feel extremely sore.
She quickly grabbed the snake's body with both hands to prevent it from escaping.
Watching the black snake writhing in my hand, I was relieved that its mouth was tied up, otherwise I would definitely have been bitten.
The scales were hard and cold, and the snake's tail was tightly wrapped around her wrist, instantly giving her goosebumps.
Her expression was full of disgust as she muttered, "Ugh, how disgusting! This pervert is really a pervert, actually liking to eat this..."
"Tao'er, what are you doing?"
Tao's mother came out from the inner room at this time and saw her squatting in the yard, so she couldn't help but ask her.
"Oh, that Miaoling likes to eat snake soup. To thank her for her help, I'm going to make a bowl of snake soup and send it to her."
"Snake soup?!"
Tao's mother cried out in shock, her expression showing a hint of fear.
"Tao'er! This... how could anyone like to eat snake soup? Did you hear me wrong?"
"It's true, this snake isn't poisonous. If you're scared, Mother, come inside. I'll cook it and take it out right away."
She picked up a kitchen knife, intending to kill him right there in the yard.
Seeing her so unfamiliar with the situation, Tao's mother slowly stepped forward, hesitating to speak: "Tao'er, be careful with your hands, and your injury hasn't healed yet. Give it to your mother, and I will kill it."
Tao Tao looked up at her mother upon hearing this, but saw her mother turn her face away as if she dared not look at her. She smiled.
"It's okay, I can handle it."
As she spoke, she raised her knife and chopped off the snake's head. The snake's blood gushed out instantly, splattering onto her face and dripping onto her clothes.
"Ugh, it stinks! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."
The foul-smelling blood almost seeped into her eyes as it ran down her long, curled eyelashes, forcing her to squint. Bloodstains were on her lips, and when she gently pursed them, she immediately tasted the nauseatingly fishy flavor.
"Ouch..."
Tao's mother quickly squatted down and used her sleeve to wipe her clean.
"That's fine."
"Mother, you can go inside now."
Tao Tao urged her to go inside, but Tao's mother looked back at her worriedly every few steps before returning to the house.
"Why does this person have to like snake soup?! What's wrong with them?!"
As she gutted the animal, she complained, the nauseating smell lingering in her nostrils, making her hold her breath.
"Just eat it, and we'll be even! It's good enough that it's edible, but my cooking skills are worth a fortune!"
Even so, she still followed the steps and did her best to complete them.
Following the advice of the person next to him that the fresher the better, she added very little ginger and scallions.
After finishing that, she made a sugar pear soup, which was the simplest syrup she could think of. She put in the sugar, then added the pears, and cooked it.
She then put it in a food box and carried it to the Privy Council.
After walking for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she stopped in front of the Privy Council and approached the guard at the gate, saying, "I've come to deliver food to Consul Chen. Please inform him of my arrival."
He glanced at her and suddenly said, "I recognize you. Aren't you the funeral director from last time?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes."
"Why would you bring food to my consul? Could it be that you..."
Seeing that the two of them looked a little strange, Tao Tao quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, I was asked to do this."
That's even stranger. She's a funeral director, in the business of handling funerals. When did she become a cook as well?
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