After Zhu Jiayu finished speaking, she left the kitchen. After Qin Fang finished preparing Mingxin's food, she suddenly remembered that Mingxin had previously been in charge of preparing her aunt's medicinal meals. So she asked Qin Fang what Xiao Wan had been eating these past few days.
Qin Fang counted on her fingers as she spoke: "Steamed old duck with cordyceps, glutinous rice porridge with donkey-hide gelatin, chicken soup with four herbs, longevity dragon and phoenix stew, fish head soup with gastrodia and angelica..."
As she counted, she noticed that Zhu Jiayu's complexion was getting worse and worse, so she dared not continue counting and cautiously asked her, "Miss, is there a problem?"
Zhu Jiayu sneered, "That's a huge problem! Have you ever heard of someone who is too weak to tolerate good tonics?"
"Since there is a physician in the household, go and tell him about today's events and ask him for a prescription to treat it. Fortunately, Mingxin has only been here for a short time, so it shouldn't have caused any major disaster yet."
After she finished speaking, Qin Fang hurriedly agreed and then hurriedly left.
Zhu Jiayu returned to Xiao Wan's courtyard, pretending nothing had happened, and complained to her:
“The smoke from that stove is too thick. I get choked as soon as I go there. I can’t even take care of myself, let alone how to prepare your medicine. It seems this job is not suitable for me. I’d rather cook for you next time.”
Xiao Wan smiled and peeled a grape for her, scolding, "I told you to stay here and talk to me, but you insisted on learning how to decoct medicine. Now look what you've done, you've brought this trouble upon yourself!"
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for not listening to the elders. Now I'm suffering the consequences." Zhu Jiayu took her hand, leaned down and pressed his face against her stomach. After a while, she looked up in surprise: "My little brother kicked me!"
"So you know it's a younger brother?" Xiao Wan was overjoyed by her words, but her face remained serious.
Zhu Jiayu said, "I know."
"By the way, Aunt, I noticed that Mingxin seemed quite unwell, so I sent her back first. But we still need to find someone to prepare your medicine, right? Why don't you pick a clever girl and have her learn from Mingxin?"
Xiao Wan thought for a while and shook her head: "Since Mingxin is not feeling well, then let it go. Let someone consult her when she is feeling better. What kind of logic is it to make her work hard when she is sick? As for the medicine to help with pregnancy... I am now in my later stages and my pregnancy has stabilized, so missing one dose won't make a difference."
Zhu Jiayu smiled and nodded: "Auntie is truly kind-hearted. Mingxin is so lucky to have met a master like you!"
After hearing her finish speaking, Xiao Wan said to Qin Luo, "I almost forgot, go find Doctor Bai to take a look at Mingxin, and give her two taels of silver so she can get the medicine and some candied fruit too."
Bai Langzhong was the physician of the Ning family. Whenever someone in the household had a headache or fever, they would go to him.
Zhu Jiayu looked up and poured Xiao Wan a cup of tea: "Aunt, no need. I've already sent Qin Fang there and left some money for Mingxin. If you don't believe me, wait until Qin Fang comes back and ask her."
The fewer people who know about one's own conscience, the better.
As Zhu Jiayu pursed her lips and thought this, Qin Fang returned.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and her temples were damp with sweat. Her face was an unnaturally pale white. In the September weather, she looked more like a patient than Mingxin, whom Zhu Jiayu described as unwell.
Afraid that she would give herself away, Zhu Jiayu asked her with a smile, also reminding her, "You're back so soon? Tell your aunt quickly, did I ask you to go outside and fetch a doctor, and did I leave money for Mingxin to pay for the medicine?"
Qin Fang blinked, then realized what was happening and curtsied to Xiao Wan, saying, "Yes."
Seeing the prescription in her hand, Xiao Wan asked, "What are you holding in your hand?"
Qin Fang, quick-witted, lowered her head and said, "Reporting to Madam, it was Mingxin who gave me the prescription for the medicine to prevent miscarriage. The doctor said she has a serious illness and it may take many days for her to get better. But even though Mingxin is sick, she cannot stop taking this medicine to prevent miscarriage. So I went to her place to copy the prescription and thought of finding someone to decoct the medicine for her."
Xiao Wan nodded slightly: "You're very thoughtful."
Zhu Jiayu didn't stay long before bidding farewell to Xiao Wan and returning to the Zhu residence.
She had just told Xiao Wan that she would cook for her next time, and in a flash she remembered that she had also promised Jiang Shaoxing that she would make Suiping pastries for Madam Jiang.
She'd been so busy lately that she'd almost forgotten about it, and now that she remembered, she felt a little guilty. But she figured there was no time like the present, so she decided to go back today, make the pastries, and deliver them to the Jiang residence.
When she went into the kitchen, she rolled up her sleeves and directed the cook to knead the dough while she placed the osmanthus flowers in a porcelain bowl and used a mallet to extract the juice.
After finishing her work, she poured the osmanthus juice into the dough and asked the cook to continue kneading. Once the dough was kneaded, the two of them began to roll out the dough. The thin dough was laid on the cutting board, white and light, as if it could shine through.
Walnuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds are mixed together. To highlight the individual textures, these crumbs are small granules, not too finely ground, but not too large either. This is to be spread on the dough.
After spreading the filling, wrap the black sesame paste into the dough. The black sesame paste is also special; it is made by mixing roasted sesame seeds with white sugar, crushed peanuts, and lard. Although the enticing aroma is blocked when it is wrapped in the dough, the glossy black color of the sesame paste seems to flow through the dough.
To make the dough softer and more chewy, Zhu Jiayu used dough mixed with glutinous rice flour.
After wrapping the glutinous rice balls, you can put them in a steamer. Once the water in the pot has evaporated, the glutinous rice balls in the steamer will be almost cooked.
The cook lifted the lid of the steamer and, following Zhu Jiayu's instructions, took out the glutinous rice balls one by one and placed them on a plate, praising, "Miss is so skillful; these pastries look quite unique."
Zhu Jiayu smiled but didn't say anything.
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