Wu Yufei, who had been hiding behind the crowd like a quail, suddenly rushed in front of Tian An and looked at her expectantly: "Sister An An, can you cook?"
Tian An just smiled and said, "I understand a little bit."
Wu Yufei's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she looked at Tian An as if she was a god.
God knows how uneasy she felt just now. Originally, she was responsible for preparing the ingredients and the chef, but such a big mistake happened. Her brothers took the blame for her!
When Qin Yalan heard that Tian An was going to cook himself, her eyes lit up and she took the initiative to say, "Then I can help out."
Seeing her expression, the others began to speculate, could there be another surprise at today's meal?
Tian An smiled and said, "Sister Yalan, just wait and eat. Shaoyao will come to help us." He looked at the sky again and suggested, "It's getting late now. How about we have a simple hot pot for lunch?"
"hot pot?"
There is no hot pot in Beijing. Rich families pay attention to the pomp when dining, and the table is filled with plates and dishes. Naturally, no one has heard of this word.
But at this time, it was good to have something to eat, so no one cared about being particular. So everyone agreed to have hot pot.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Tian An took two maids to the kitchen to prepare. Fortunately, all the pots, pans, and utensils were available. There were two large iron pots, and two other medium-sized pots, which were just right for cooking hot pot.
Tian An first asked Mangzhong and Chen Feng to get rice, noodles, vegetables and various seasonings from their own carriages.
Originally, rice and noodles were not on the list, but later, a carriage was added, and Tian An inexplicably had some people move some onto the carriage. Unexpectedly, they would come in handy now.
After sorting out the ingredients in the kitchen and leaving the maids Mangzhong, Dengxue, Shaoyao and Shiqin to cook rice and wash the ingredients, Tian An left the tent.
"Brother Yiming, you have to help me deal with these prey."
"Okay, no problem."
Zhao Yiming picked up three pheasants and three rabbits and headed for the kitchen. Chen Feng followed with the remaining prey.
Just as Zuo Qing was about to call out to him, Wu Hongjing stopped him. Zuo Qing looked at him in confusion and asked, "Why are you stopping me?"
Wu Hongjing didn't answer but asked, "Then why did you call Brother Yiming?"
Zuo Qing said as a matter of course: "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. Why should I stop him?"
Before Wu Hongjing could say anything, Wu Hongyi interrupted and said, "The wife follows the husband's lead, so don't worry about it."
Zuo Qing disagreed: "But..."
Wu Hongyi said impatiently, "But what? You scholars are so pedantic. Let alone preparing game, what's wrong with helping to cook a meal? Does this mean Brother Yiming's academic performance will suffer from now on, or his future is over?"
Wu Hongjing nodded and said, "That's right. We military commanders do everything ourselves when we're away from home. It's no big deal. It's normal for Brother Yiming to dote on his wife! My father even often takes time out to make soup for my mother!"
Hearing this, Zuo Qing frowned even deeper, "They haven't gotten married yet! She can't be considered a daughter-in-law."
At this time, the eldest brother Wu Hongkun stepped forward and said, "In our Wu family, once an engagement is made, it is final. We will only marry one wife for the rest of our lives and never take concubines. Pampering your wife is the first rule of our family."
Zuo Qing was shocked. His father was the Minister of Rites and was extremely strict with their etiquette and teachings. He had never heard of anyone pampering their wife as a family rule. Besides, how could a man go into the kitchen and make soup for his wife? This is completely the opposite! Isn't this completely wrong?
Seeing Zuo Qing's face full of disbelief, Wei Bo stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "The Wu family is famous for doting on their daughters-in-law. Your way of doing things won't work for them. Just let it go."
Gu Jinzhi also said: "Let's just wait and eat, why think so much?"
Song Qian pulled him away directly: "Come on, let's play chess. I've been wanting to learn your chess skills for a long time."
Several people went back into the tent to play chess, and the three brothers of the Wu family also went to other places to be busy.
The remaining girls looked at each other in confusion. Wei Lingran pulled Wu Yufei's sleeve and asked softly, "Yufei, is the first rule of your family really to spoil your wife?"
Don’t look at the others who are looking at the sky, some are looking at the scenery, their ears are standing up!
Kristy Wu did not disappoint them and nodded, saying, "It's true. This rule was set by my great-grandfather. I have always asked the younger generation in the family to strictly enforce it."
Song Zhiyun couldn't help but envy and said, "Then wouldn't the woman who marries into your family be the happiest?"
Wu Yufei nodded, then shook her head, her mood a little low, not at all her usual heartless look, under the doubts of several people, she slowly said: "It is fortunate, but also unfortunate.
Although the women who marry into our family are pampered, as a family of military commanders, you have to be careful with your head. You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident.
After a pause, he continued, "It is said that my grandmother committed suicide because my grandfather died on the battlefield. She couldn't accept it and committed suicide."
The atmosphere was a little depressing for a moment.
"This is what it means to be faithful until death!" Qin Yalan murmured.
This is probably why the general's wife insisted on staying at the border despite the harsh conditions! The love of the Wu family is passionate and dedicated, but it is not something that ordinary people can bear.
In the kitchen tent, Zhao Yiming and Chen Feng quickly prepared the hare and pheasant. Tian An then had him shave the meat off. Then he threw the bones into the cauldron, added the spices they had brought, and began to make the soup base.
As for the shaved meat, I cut any chunks into thin slices and saved them for the hot pot later. I also minced some meat to make meatballs. I originally wanted to fry some crispy pork, but since it tastes better with pork, I gave up.
The side dishes were ready, and the bone broth was almost done. Tian An prepared a clear broth and a red broth. Finally, he prepared a soul-dipping sauce for each person, and the meal was complete.
In the dining hall, men and women sat at separate tables. Everyone looked at the small, red stove on the low table, a bit bewildered. Then, servants carried two pots of broth, one red and one clear, onto the stove. Then came various vegetables, slices of meat, and finally, a bowl of dipping sauce in front of each person.
Wu Hongyi asked doubtfully, "Does this need to be cooked fresh?"
Seeing that everything was almost ready, Zhao Yiming added two plates of sliced meat. "Hot pot is meant to be eaten while it's cooking. The food won't get cold, and it'll warm your stomach. It's perfect for gathering with friends in winter."
On the women's side, Tian An was ready. As soon as he came in and wanted to serve everyone, Qin Yalan took the initiative to stand up and said, "An An, take a rest! Leave the serving to me."
The meat slices were cut very thinly and cooked after being put into the boiling soup pot and rolled twice. Zhao Yiming invited everyone to eat the meat. They picked up the meat slices with chopsticks and put them into the dipping dish and dipped them in the sauce. The taste was so delicious that you could swallow your tongue.
Zuo Qing, Wei Bo, Song Qian and Gu Jinzhi were a little concerned about their scholarly airs, so even when they wanted to eat, they still acted like gentlemen, taking their time.
The three brothers of the Wu family didn't care about these things. After they understood how to eat it, they put the vegetables and meat in without Zhao Yiming doing anything, and ate with great joy.
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