2:20 PM
It was just the time for the Xiao family to have dinner.
Every time at this time, the aroma of food from Yan Qiushu's yard would waft out, some strong, some weak, but without a doubt, it always made people's mouths water and want to eat it very much.
The same is true today.
The only thing I wasn't used to was the second house's yard.
Yan Qiushu's yard was close to the main house and not far from the second house, so the fragrance drifted over quite a bit.
Song Mingdai also smelled it, and her calm eyes fluctuated slightly, then turned cold again.
Xiao Pingsong couldn't sit still.
The twelve-year-old boy was taller than his mother because of his martial arts training. He was strong and healthy, so naturally he had a big appetite. In the past, when he was at his grandmother's house, he would have a snack an hour before lunch.
But today I was delayed because I was going back to the Xiao family. I felt a little hungry before I had even eaten the snack. When I smelled the food, my stomach started to growl in protest.
Fortunately, the people from the kitchen came to deliver the food at this time.
He looked forward to it, and when the food box was opened, everything smelled delicious, but nothing could compare to the faint aroma that wafted over.
Xiao Pingsong's heart felt more like being scratched by a cat. It didn't hurt, but it was itchy, an itch that couldn't be touched!
For the first time ever, he asked a question about food: "Wait a minute, I just smelled something delicious, why isn't it in this dish?"
The maid who brought the food smiled and said, "Young Master Pingsong, this is a dish made by Miss Yan from the mansion. I don't know what it is. How about I go and ask?"
"Is that so..." Xiao Pingsong waved his hands awkwardly: "No need."
Although he had heard that there was a guest in the mansion who was particularly good at cooking, in the past two months, because of Dongdong, many parents of children in the Imperial Academy sent their own chefs to learn a few tricks to deal with their children's dislike of the food at home.
But I didn't expect it to taste so good.
He had just returned and was not familiar with the other party, so how could he dare to ask? Besides, the food brought by the maid was also very delicious, at least it was a delicacy that he did not remember in the Xiao family.
Xiao Pingsong picked up the chopsticks and started eating.
Hmm, this meat is delicious. I think it’s called spicy diced chicken?
I just heard the maid say that it was really delicious. It would be great if I drank it.
And this chicken wing tastes good too.
He ate the food like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice jar, feeling extremely satisfied. However, after he had taken a few bites, someone else came into the yard and said, "Miss Yan asked me to bring some food to the Second Young Master's wife and Young Master Pingsong."
Xiao Pingsong's eyes lit up and he looked at his mother.
Song Mingdai nodded implicitly: "Thank you."
The maid quickly brought it over: "Miss Yan said to eat it while it's hot. It's been New Year's Day these days, and I guess everyone is tired of eating big fish and meat, so we didn't make a lot of meat dishes, but it's very delicious."
Then the dishes were presented one by one.
Minced meat and eggplant casserole, pan-fried tofu covered in broth, and a milky white tofu and fish soup.
The familiar fragrance appeared at the tip of his nose, and before the maid left, Xiao Pingsong couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks.
The first one is the minced meat and eggplant stew, it is really delicious!
He chewed twice and quickly took a big mouthful of rice. The sweet and light rice blended perfectly with the salty, sweet and sour taste of the eggplant stew. The eggplant was soft, tender and smooth, wrapping the rice. He swallowed the rice unknowingly.
tasty!
It’s also delicious!
Xiao Pingsong's eyes sparkled. It was the first time he knew eggplants were so delicious!
He looked at his mother and said eagerly, "Mom, try it, it's delicious!"
"Mom doesn't like such strong flavors." Song Mingdai shook her head slightly and continued eating vegetables.
Xiao Pingsong gave up in disappointment and picked up the fried tofu. The tofu, which should have been off-white, was covered with thick brown soup, which looked pleasing to the eye. He thought it would have the same strong taste.
But when you take a bite, the first thing you feel is the subtle spiciness and the strong salty fragrance. Then the crispy outer shell of the tofu separates under the pressure of your teeth, revealing the tender tofu inside. It is really crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but not bland, because the tofu inside is also soaked in juice.
Not heavy, but not bland either, just the right texture and flavor.
Xiao Pingsong immediately looked at his mother, wanting to share, but thinking of what had just happened, he hesitated for a moment and directly picked up a piece of tofu for his mother: "Mom, try it."
A square piece of tofu fell on the white rice, and the rice around it turned brown.
Song Mingdai's eyes were a little helpless. She didn't like these heavy-flavored foods, but her son had picked up some, so she had to eat it anyway.
She opened her mouth slightly and took a bite. The expected strong taste did not come. The soup hanging on top was thick but not heavy. After the crispy tofu shell, it was sweet and tender.
The numb, spicy and salty flavors are all light, just enough for her to taste without putting too much burden on her tongue. This tofu can be eaten directly.
It is still more attractive than plain rice.
As Song Mingdai was thinking this, her son's smiling voice rang in her ears: "Mom, how does it taste?"
Song Mingdai lowered her eyes to glance at the tofu she had already eaten, then glanced at her son and said calmly, "Not bad."
"You're obviously enjoying your meal!" Xiao Pingsong grumbled in dissatisfaction, and picked up another piece of tofu and an eggplant for her: "Eat more, Mom, you're eating too little!"
Song Mingdai's eyes softened and she tasted the eggplant without resistance.
Then, this meal was the largest she had eaten in recent years.
Not only a bowl of rice and four pieces of tofu, but also a bowl of fish soup and a few pieces of eggplant!
A wonderful lunch ended.
The children gathered in her yard also went back to their homes. Yan Qiushu yawned lazily, took a walk in the inner yard, and went to sleep.
The two dishes and one soup I made today were so delicious that she felt a little full.
As I was walking, I suddenly saw a slightly thin little boy coming from the other side. Judging from the route he was taking, it seemed that he was going to a certain yard.
However, when the little boy saw Yan Qiushu, he turned and walked towards her, trying to smile and shouted, "Hello, Sister Shu!"
Zhou Zhaoheng is now the eldest grandson of the emperor.
But the little boy is still the same as before, simple, straightforward and easy to get along with.
Yan Qiushu was initially confused when she learned his identity, but soon calmed down. She had no demands, so it didn't matter. She thought he was just Dongdong's good friend, so she smiled subconsciously: "Hello, Ah Heng."
Noticing his forced smile, she changed the subject: "What's wrong, Ah Heng? Are you feeling unwell?"
Because of Zhou Zhaoheng's special status, in order to avoid any accidents, he always followed Madam Xiao when eating. Even when he came to her place to eat some snacks yesterday, they were tested for poison by palace servants. Logically, nothing should have happened.
Just after she asked, the child's eyes turned red. Perhaps he felt that she was very close to him. He came over and hugged her waist, sobbing softly: "Wuwuwu..."
"What's the matter?" Yan Qiushu hugged him back, her tone becoming softer, and at the same time she looked at the palace maid who came with him.
This palace maid was sent by the deposed crown prince, now His Royal Highness Prince Chang, to protect his son. She should know something.
When she saw this, the palace maid also smiled bitterly and said helplessly, "Miss Yan, the young master is feeling unwell because of the news from His Royal Highness Prince Chang."
Yan Qiushu wanted to ask again, but the other party had avoided her eyes. Perhaps it was difficult to say.
There are always many things that the royal family cannot say.
Yan Qiushu took Zhou Zhaoheng's hand and said, "How about coming to my place and sitting down?"
"Yeah." Zhou Zhaoheng nodded sullenly.
The two returned to the courtyard and dismissed the servants. Yan Qiushu then asked, "Can you tell me what's going on with your father?"
Zhou Zhaoheng wiped his tears and whispered, "Actually, my father was poisoned. I miss him and my mother, but he won't let me go back..."
Poisoned?!
Yan Qiushu's eyelids twitched, but then she felt it was all within her expectations, because in the plot, when the deposed crown prince died the next year, the emperor was immediately enraged and fell seriously ill. Similarly, the remaining two princes made even more trouble, but the old emperor had no energy to care, so he let them make trouble until it got out of hand...
If it were someone else, Yan Qiushu might have just ignored it in such a situation.
She can hardly protect herself.
But now the Xiao family is obviously close to Prince Chang, and the children are taken over at this time. The two parties have no intention of hiding it at all. I don’t know whether they are fearless or trying to lure the snake out of its hole.
Under such circumstances, the better off Prince Chang is, the better off the Xiao family will be.
Yan Qiushu's breathing became heavy. She felt that she should be useful, but she didn't know how.
On weekdays, she learned a lot of basic medical knowledge from the doctors in the mansion. She could handle some common headaches and fevers by herself, but she couldn't handle anything more difficult.
The diagnosis of observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation is completely meaningless.
Unless - she can help make the medicine!
Using her golden finger to stimulate the medicinal properties will naturally provide better treatment. Even if it is food supplement, it can better strengthen the body.
Thinking of this, Yan Qiushu looked at the child in front of her.
Zhou Zhaoheng nervously grasped the hem of his clothes, his low voice now brighter: "A-Sister Shu, what's wrong?"
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Ah Heng, do you want to see your father?"
Zhou Zhaoheng trusted her after all. In this family, besides Dongdong, the person closest to him was this sister in front of him. Not only was she gentle, she could make a lot of delicious food and also played with them. So when he heard the question, he nodded subconsciously: "I want to! Nan Qi said it would rain in the next two days. My father is in poor health and will feel severe pain when it rains. He must be very uncomfortable now that he is poisoned..."
He hesitated again and muttered, "But my father won't let me go back. He said there are a lot of things going on at home and I'm safe here. I can only go back after he has sorted out the things at home."
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "You can go back and take a look, then come back. It will only take a little time on the way. There will definitely be no problem, right?"
Zhou Zhaoheng's heart moved slightly and he nodded vigorously.
Yan Qiushu continued to induce: "Do you want to make medicine for your father yourself?"
Zhou Zhaoheng nodded again, looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to give a solution.
"Then you go first..." Yan Qiushu leaned close to his ear and gave him some advice.
Zhou Zhaoheng's face flushed red after hearing this, but his wet eyes brightened up a lot. After he finished speaking, he jumped off the chair and was about to walk out, nodding vigorously at the same time: "Okay, I'll go right away!"
Yan Qiushu quickly stopped him: "Wait, he hasn't come back yet. Let's talk about it in the evening. I'll teach you how to make sugar cakes. Medicine is bitter, but it won't be bitter if you eat something sweet. If you make this, your parents will definitely be very happy."
Zhou Zhaoheng responded expectantly: "Okay!"
Xiao Mansion
It was past 3:00 PM, which was exactly when the Xiao family was having dinner.
The second branch of the family came back today, and tonight was the main meal. Plus, the New Year hadn't ended yet, so everyone in the Xiao family gathered here to eat together.
Although Shen Pingyu left, Xiao Pingsong came again. The Xiao family was very happy. It was the New Year, so they specially opened a bottle of wine.
Men drink slightly stronger wine, and women drink some fruit wine with lower alcohol content.
The charcoal stoves burning around kept the temperature from being too low, and the atmosphere was just right while eating hot meals.
Xie Qingyun took a sip of wine and noticed that Song Mingdai and her son were not talking much, so she took the initiative to ask: "Sister-in-law, Pingsong, did you eat the dishes that Ah Shu cooked for lunch today? Was it delicious?"
The honest young boy nodded honestly: "Yeah, it's delicious. Sister Ashu's cooking skills are amazing. Pingsong is so full that he has to practice martial arts for an hour before he feels better."
Song Mingdai glanced at the strange woman who heard the noise and looked over, and nodded coldly: "Not bad."
Xiao Huaiwu snorted coldly: "You call this okay? Is Second Sister-in-law's cooking skill better? Otherwise, why don't you make it for us to try some other day?"
Song Mingdai's expression was slightly cold, and she seemed about to refute.
Xiao Pingsong beside her laughed out loud and said, "Fourth Aunt, my mother is okay, that's very good. You don't know, she also ate too much. She didn't even take a break at noon, and she kept watching me practice martial arts~"
Xiao Huaiwu, who was waiting for the other party to refute so that he could continue to ridicule, said: "Puff..."
The coldness that came over Song Mingdai suddenly cracked, her ears turned red, and she said in a deep voice: "Pingsong!"
However, that aura gave off a feeling of being powerful on the outside but weak on the inside.
Xiao Pingsong blinked in confusion, not understanding what he had said to make his mother yell at him like that. He quickly lowered his head innocently, not daring to say another word.
Xiao Huaiting found it funny. Only his second brother and Pingsong could control someone like his second sister-in-law. He shook his head and drank a glass of wine. A burning sensation spread from his throat all the way to his stomach. In the moment of joy, his eyes met a pair of big eyes staring at him, and he paused in pouring the wine.
"Aheng? What's wrong?" Xiao Huaiting shouted.
At this moment, Yan Qiushu quickly winked.
Zhou Zhaoheng secretly pinched his thigh, his eyes reddened, his mouth pursed, and he looked extremely aggrieved, as if he was about to cry. Then he looked at Xiao Huaiting and said pitifully, "Uncle Xiao, I miss my parents. Can you go back and see them? I'll be back soon!"
The pitiful appearance of the little girl gave the tipsy boy a sudden shock. Now that he was sober, he realized that it was just a look and it wouldn't cause any trouble. He was also going over, so he nodded and said, "How about... tomorrow?"
success!
Zhou Zhaoheng nodded vigorously, then timidly said, "Can I go with Sister Shu? My parents will definitely like the food she cooks!"
Xiao Huaiting was speechless. He looked at the woman next to him. Before he could ask, she nodded. He also nodded and said, "Okay."
Zhou Zhaoheng's small body relaxed, revealing a broad smile: "Thank you, Uncle Xiao Liu!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
