The cause was that the matter was too big. Countless families could not pay their debts. Men were punished to build dams and women were sold into brothels. People were living in misery. Finally, someone collected evidence and went to the capital to file a complaint.
According to common sense, Jinzhou and the capital are separated by hundreds of miles. It is difficult for a heavily indebted person, even a young and strong man, to come to the capital alive under the control of the Jinzhou provincial government.
But he came!
Everyone knew more or less about the problem, but the Third Prince had made many enemies. Except for those who had already surrendered to him, everyone else was eager to add more dirt to his foes, so the matter was directly concluded - the Third Prince's Yue and Qiao families were indifferent to human life, and all of them were thrown into jail.
This incident shocked the people of the capital. Public opinion spread, and everyone said that the Qiao family should be severely punished. As the son-in-law of the Qiao family, the third prince was naturally implicated. As an adult prince, he held a considerable position. Because of this incident, the emperor immediately withdrew his power.
The third prince is now unable to take care of himself. How could the emperor agree to let the descendants of the Xiao family serve as study companions for the third prince's son at this time?
The matter was just proposed and then rejected the next day.
The emperor then ordered the liquidation of Jinzhou.
In addition to escorting the Qiao family back to Beijing, they also had to investigate any connection between other people and the Qiao family. For a while, the Third Prince's Mansion was deserted.
But this is a good thing for the Xiao family.
On the day the news came, although the Xiao family did not celebrate out of concern for the royal family, everyone in the mansion was filled with joy.
Yan Qiushu naively thought it was just a good thing.
Until the news came that Mrs. Xiao was ill.
Although Mrs. Xiao was weak before, she was still normal. Suddenly, she fell on the bed, and Yan Qiushu was scared.
She also went to visit as soon as possible, with a lot of doubts in her mind.
Madam Xiao was obviously very happy yesterday when she heard that something happened to the Third Prince. She usually ate half a bowl of rice for dinner, but this time she ate the whole night. How come she fell ill?
When she arrived at the yard, she thought she could at most meet someone or wait outside, but in the end she was told that it was not convenient to meet anyone.
But unexpectedly, Mrs. Xiao had someone bring her in directly.
Seeing this, Yan Qiushu was stunned.
Unlike the frail old woman imagined, there was much more brilliance in Mrs. Xiao's eyes than usual!
Yan Qiushu actually didn't see her very often, but she would meet her every few days. She could see that Mrs. Xiao was getting better little by little, but she didn't expect that this time when she was sick, she seemed to be radiant.
The doctor was taking her pulse, so when Yan Qiushu went in, it was quiet.
It wasn't until the doctor removed his hand that he said, "Mrs. Xiao, there's nothing wrong. It's just that the weather is very cold, and you've been thinking too much. Don't be too happy or sad in the future!"
Xie Qingyun asked the doctor to go out and talk.
Madam Xiao looked at Yan Qiushu calmly, her tightly pursed lips slightly relaxed: "Ashu is here, please sit down."
She was ill, and her spirits were still a little low, and her voice was much weaker.
Yan Qiushu sat down obediently and asked with concern, "Auntie, are you hungry? I brought some snacks."
Madam Xiao shook her head: "I'm not hungry, and I'm fine. I was just too happy yesterday."
Too happy?
Just because the Third Prince got into trouble and Dongdong didn't have to go as a study companion, how could Madam Xiao be so happy? She really values her grandson too much.
However, Yan Qiushu always felt that this logic was a little unreasonable, but she still said, "Okay, whenever Auntie wants to eat, just send someone to tell me and I will prepare it and send it to you immediately."
Madam Xiao seemed to be tempted. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I want to eat something flavorful. This is too bland..."
This is the first time that Madam Xiao wants to eat on her own initiative!
Xie Qingyun, who had just finished talking to the doctor outside, came in and was delighted when she heard this. She clasped her hands together and said with a smile, "That's great. I'll have someone make spicy chicken right away. It's delicious!"
Madam Xiao thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."
Yan Qiushu stood up excitedly: "Let me do it! I haven't done anything yet today!"
If the boss needs something, she must satisfy it!
Xie Qingyun held her down and said with a smile, "Why do you need me? You've already taught the recipe to the cooks at home. They all know how to do it. Besides, it's cold out, so girls shouldn't touch water."
Yan Qiushu was embarrassed and wanted to struggle, but Xie Qingyun directly asked the nanny to tell the people in the kitchen to do it. In any case, she would not let Yan Qiushu do it and let her talk there.
Only when Mrs. Xiao was tired did she let Yan Qiushu leave.
Leave the main courtyard and return to your own courtyard.
Yan Qiushu always felt uncomfortable, mainly because the things that the boss was supposed to do were done by others.
She earned so much thanks to the Xiao family, but the return was far from enough.
Besides, the spicy diced chicken is the main dish, which goes well with rice. Mrs. Xiao has a cold and her mouth has no taste, so she probably wants to eat some snacks to add some taste to her mouth.
Tasty snacks...
What can be better than spicy noodles?!
When Yan Qiushu thought of this, she suddenly turned away.
Shui Xuan, who was following behind, almost bumped into her: "Girl, what's wrong with you?"
"Make spicy noodles!" Yan Qiushu said.
Shui Yu: "What are spicy strips?"
Yan Qiushu smiled mysteriously and said, "A very delicious snack!"
She really regretted it. Why didn’t she think of making spicy noodles before?
When you have nothing to do, you can have snacks to kill time.
Moreover, spicy strips are not difficult to make. Although they lack seasonings, they have spicy and numb flavors, as well as various spices. If nothing goes wrong, you can make them almost like the original.
The ingredients you need...leftover rice, flour, starch, eggs and chili powder.
Once these things are mixed, there is no need to add water. The eggs can help to stick them together. Knead them repeatedly and gradually it will become the same as dough, except that the color will not be off-white.
Shui Yu was unable to help at the moment, so she just watched. When she saw leftover rice among the ingredients, she was stunned: "This is the first time I've seen leftover rice used as a snack?"
"There are so many things you can do with leftover rice!" Yan Qiushu said with a smile.
After rubbing for a while, she felt tired and asked Aunt Xu to continue.
Knead it into a smooth dough, then roll it flat on the table, print fine patterns on it, and finally cut it into strips the length of a palm and the width of a thumb with a knife, and steam it in a pot for the time it takes to cook for a cup of tea.
While steaming, you can season it.
Mix cumin, sesame, pepper powder, cornus officinalis and other things, and drizzle hot oil on them in batches.
At this step, the sizzling sound of oil was poured over the mixture of various seasonings, and the fragrance was already released with the first touch.
Shui Xian, not quite used to it, quickly ran out: "A-choo!"
Yan Qiushu coughed lightly: "It's okay, it will be over soon." She continued to stir, slowly pouring in the second and third times of oil, and by the fourth time, all the hot oil had been poured in.
However, in this way, the somewhat pungent smell disappeared, and what remained was a spicy and numbing fragrance!
Shui Yu timidly lowered the hand that was covering her nose, took a deep breath, and her eyes lit up, her mouth watering...
Finally, add salt and sugar and mix well.
By the time it’s almost time, the steamer next door is also done.
Aunt Xu took out the steamed strips and, considering the convenience of eating, cut them into pieces about two centimeters thick. Finally, she put them into a large bowl. Yan Qiushu took the seasoning and poured it into it, stirring it with chopsticks in her other hand so that every part of it was covered with the sauce.
When the final product appeared, they were stacked neatly on the plate, with more at the bottom and fewer at the tip, piled up into a red mountain of fire!
Familiar look, familiar taste!
Yan Qiushu picked up a piece and tasted it. The spicy taste of the chili oil stimulated her tongue so much that it made her tongue shrink. Although Yan Qiushu has been cooking heavy-flavored ingredients these days, she has never cooked anything this spicy.
But she soon got used to it. She bit it a little harder and the familiar soft, chewy, fluffy and elastic texture of the spicy strips came with the chewing. The spicy, salty and sweet taste made her feel refreshed!
It’s spicy and numb, and my mouth is watering from the spiciness. The spicier it is, the more I want to eat it!
Yan Qiushu quickly ate the second and third slices...
It tasted good, but a little spicy. The hot oil brought out the aroma and spiciness at the same time. However, after just a few bites, her mouth turned slightly red.
Aunt Xu couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so she stopped her and frowned slightly, saying, "Young lady, don't eat too much of these things. They are very oily and spicy. Just try them."
Yan Qiushu: ...
Too.
No matter how healthy it looks, spicy strips are still 'junk food'.
Yan Qiushu cleared her throat and reluctantly put down her chopsticks: "You guys try it too. I'll make a new portion for Madam Xiao. She wants something flavorful, but not too much. If she feels bland, just try it."
The stomachs of the elderly are weaker, so they should not eat too much.
Xiao Family Main Courtyard
When the spicy strips were delivered, Chen Ping met Mrs. Xiao.
He always comes to pay his respects morning and evening. Now that his grandmother is ill, he has to take care of her, so he stays here longer and longer.
As the grandfather and grandson were talking, they heard Nanny Huang say that Yan Qiushu had sent someone to deliver food.
Madam Xiao's eyes lit up slightly, and she looked a little more energetic than before: "Let me see it quickly."
Nanny Huang quickly opened the food box and saw a plate inside. The pungent smell emitted by the pile of greasy and red spicy strips on the plate made her saliva start to flow.
"It smells delicious, Madam. Come and try some." Nanny Huang placed the plate on the bedside table and said with a smile, "Shui Yu sent it over. He said it's spicy noodles, meant to be eaten as a snack. But since you have a weak stomach, just try a couple of bites. This thing can be kept for a long time if stored properly."
The thing was placed next to her, and Madam Xiao quickly smelled it, a slight smile spreading across the corner of her lips: "Ashu is a thoughtful child. I told her not to do it, but she went back and made this specially."
She took the chopsticks handed to her by Nanny Huang, picked up a piece of spicy strips and put it in her mouth.
As soon as she tasted it, the taste was so stimulating that her eyebrows trembled.
The young boy who had been watching his grandmother stood up nervously and offered her tea: "Grandma, if it doesn't suit your appetite, spit it out and drink some tea."
Mrs. Xiao quickly said, "No need!" and then tasted it carefully. The more she ate, the more surprised she looked. Before she had even swallowed the food, she had already picked up the second piece with her chopsticks.
Chen Pingyu looked at his grandmother in surprise, then at the plate held by Nanny Huang. It smelled delicious, but there were too many seasonings and too much oil. Was it really delicious?
But this was the first time he saw his grandmother's appearance.
In fact, ever since he could remember, his impression of his grandmother was that she was a person who didn't like to eat. If she ate one more bite of rice on a normal day, she would feel like she had done something wrong and would feel uncomfortable for a long time, not physically but mentally.
Gradually her body began to reject more and more food.
When he was a child, his grandmother could still hold him in her arms, but later on she was completely unable to do so and needed someone to support her even when walking.
But this time when he came back, it was very different. Although he didn't eat much, he ate every time. He couldn't eat as much as a normal person, but his health was getting better day by day.
However, it has never been like now, expressing a signal similar to "food protection" towards a certain food?
He tried to ask, "Grandma, is this delicious?"
Madam Xiao had already eaten three slices. Upon hearing this, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her serious face was now filled with a childlike joy: "Mm, delicious, very flavorful!"
This thing called spicy strips probably has no taste of gluten itself, but the chili oil on it is spicy and numbing, yet salty and fragrant. Just when she felt she couldn't bear it anymore, a sweet taste soothed her over-stimulated tongue.
The spiciness made her scalp numb and her back sweat, but her mouth was still drooling and her tongue, tempted by the taste, kept expressing her desire to continue eating.
After answering her grandson's question, Mrs. Xiao went to pick up the fourth piece.
However, this time, Madam Huang moved the plate away and said with a smile, "Madam, that's enough. This is irritating to the stomach after all. Don't eat too much at once."
Madam Xiao: “?”
She looked at Nanny Huang in disbelief, and counted in her mind, three pieces!
Just three tablets is considered too much?
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