Chapter 45 (Spicy and Sour Boneless Chicken Feet (Part 2)...)
Wan'er found the food a bit stimulating, so spicy that her lips turned slightly red, but she was reluctant to throw it away. Instead, after finishing it, she took a big sip of the milk tea held by the wet nurse.
Then he took a deep breath, letting the cold air cool his warm mouth.
Ah Heng was in a similar situation. He seldom ate such spicy food. The spiciness brought tears to his eyes, his face flushed, and he kept swallowing his saliva. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at the chicken feet was still full of desire.
It’s so delicious, I want to keep eating it!
Dongdong has gotten used to it. The spiciness is much weaker than that of spicy strips. Apart from a slight numbness in his mouth, he licked his fingers before letting the nanny wipe them for him. He still said coquettishly, "Sister Shu, I want more!"
"Wait a moment, we'll be here soon!" Yan Qiushu comforted.
When Dongdong heard this, he knew it was impossible for the time being and could only give up with regret.
The group arrived at the main courtyard.
Mrs. Xiao's health looked much better. In the past, she was just suffering from some illnesses caused by her weak body, so she looked thin. Later, when she started eating, her spirits became much better. Now she is willing to take the initiative to ask for food, and she eats like a normal person. Occasionally, when she comes across something delicious, she eats a little more, and her condition is better.
The sallowness on her face faded, and her cloudy eyes became clearer. She was no longer holding a cane and was walking in the yard. The sun was shining brightly, and her two daughters-in-law and one daughter were also sitting here chatting.
When there was no one around, Mrs. Xiao's face was usually expressionless and her lips were tightly pursed, so the sadness on her face did not decrease much.
But when a group of lively children came into the yard.
Madam Xiao's lips subconsciously relaxed, her brows softened, and her voice was especially gentle, fearing that a loud voice would frighten the child. "Why are you little naughty monkeys all here together?"
The few of them greeted each other first, and Yan Qiushu stepped forward and said, "Auntie, Pingsong, Wan'er, Dongdong, and Ah Heng and I made some snacks yesterday. They're ready now, so I brought them over especially for you to try."
As she spoke, Shui Yu took out the lunch box.
Previously, the boneless chicken feet were marinated in a large bowl, but when they were taken out to others, the chicken feet were taken out separately.
They were stacked into a small hill and placed on a plate. When they were taken out, the morning sun shone down on them, giving the chicken feet an inexplicable layer of gold, making the overall color even more beautiful.
The three women who were chatting quietly nearby also looked over. Xie Qingyun asked in surprise, "It looks like it's been boned?"
"Yes, it's boneless, so it's easier to eat." Yan Qiushu smiled and nodded: "Aunt, Young Madam, Second Young Madam, Third Miss, please try it and see how it tastes."
The maid brought over chopsticks, and several people took them and picked up the food with curiosity and anticipation.
Mrs. Xiao has a strong taste and likes to eat this kind of food. She only takes a look at it when she picks it up and puts it into her mouth decisively.
She is old and her teeth are not so good. She can't chew hard things, but the chicken feet are just right for her, chewy, flavorful, sour and spicy.
Madam Xiao ate with satisfaction, her eyes slightly narrowed, and she nodded. Just as she was about to give a compliment, she saw the children around her looking at her eagerly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "What's wrong? Do you want to eat?"
The children nodded hesitantly.
Of course I want to eat, but there are more things.
However, Yan Qiushu hadn't spoken yet, so they didn't know how to speak either. She was small and her speech was not very clear. What if they refused directly?
Mrs. Xiao didn't understand, so she asked someone to wipe their hands and let them eat directly.
The children ran over and ate the food with gusto, but their eyes kept looking at Yan Qiushu.
"Mother, it must be... cough cough!" Xie Qingyun had just finished one and was eating the second one. She wanted to speak, but was afraid that it would be rude if she hadn't finished the food in her mouth, so she chewed it quickly and anxiously, and almost choked.
Song Mingdai handed over the tea.
Xie Qingyun drank it, and after recovering, she said, "Excuse me." She straightened her expression and looked at Yan Qiushu, "If my guess is correct, they probably want to go out and have fun, right? Tonight is the 13th, and the day after tomorrow is the 15th. The Lantern Festival only has two days left. It's so lively, are you willing to miss it?"
Dongdong chuckled, and seeing Yan Qiushu nodding with a smile, he nodded quickly: "Grandma, is it okay? Sister Shu said that we need your consent."
"Of course." Mrs. Xiao responded readily.
Huh?
So easy?
Yan Qiushu didn't even have time to say all the explanations she had prepared!
Madam Xiao noticed this and leisurely picked up another chicken foot. After finishing her meal, she said, "His Royal Highness Prince Chang has a lot to do in the palace, and a lot has changed in the past five years. Naturally, it's difficult for him to take care of His Royal Highness the Grandson. But our Xiao family is different. We don't have many guards except for one thing!"
That tone was inexplicably domineering.
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Aunt, you're so kind. But don't worry, for safety reasons, I won't let these kids go out directly. I plan to get a carriage and set up a stall. I'll give out some lantern riddles. If you answer them correctly, I'll give you a box of popcorn..."
She told her plan.
Madam Xiao was listening casually at first, but then her expression brightened slightly. Xie Qingyun and Third Miss Xiao Huaiyu also glanced at her and said, "That's a good idea."
"It sounds fun. I want to join in the fun."
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Everyone come together, it's more fun when there are more people. We'll see how many copies we can sell then."
Xiao Pingsong also smiled and said, "Yes, mother, you come too. I have never done this before. It would be best if you could help me figure out the answer..."
However, Song Mingdai suddenly put down her chopsticks, raised her cold eyes, swept past Yan Qiushu, and looked at her son, interrupting his sales pitch. Her voice was slightly lowered: "Pingsong, I indulged you in having fun for a few days during the New Year holiday, and you're already losing your mind to playing around? You're the daughter of a Duke, and you're actually setting up a street stall?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally harmonious atmosphere suddenly froze.
Xiao Pingsong was dumbfounded and looked at his mother with a helpless look on his face.
The eyes of the others were also filled with surprise, and Mrs. Xiao's face looked a little bad.
Even though so many people were looking at her, Song Mingdai didn't look at them. She just lowered her eyes and said calmly, "I'm right. Pingsong is the eldest son of the Xiao family and will soon be an adult. My sixth brother often fights in the wars, so we need a pillar to support the family. Otherwise, if..."
She didn't say anything more at this point, and her tender white fingertips played with the handkerchief as if nonchalantly.
But given the Xiao family's situation, everyone understands what this means.
Madam Xiao's eyes darkened slightly, and she shouted, "How dare you!"
Song Mingdai's eyes trembled, and her thumb dug into her flesh, but her face remained calm. "I thought mother couldn't wait to call her daughter-in-law back just to train us Pingsong. Why shouldn't I tell her? If I don't tell her, it won't happen."
Madam Xiao's face darkened completely, and she said, "Shut up! Say another word?!"
Some things are her sore spots and cannot be mentioned, but this person offends her again and again.
Yan Qiushu was startled, but when she looked over, she saw that Song Mingdai had a tense expression, with her chin slightly raised, as if she was dissatisfied, but it always felt out of place. In her mind, Song Mingdai with this face should not be like this!
Is it because she is too obsessed with appearance? Is it the beautiful wish she habitually gives?
Song Mingdai's body seemed to have already stiffened, and she was about to continue talking back.
Xie Qingyun pulled her sleeve, interrupted her, and asked in a deep voice, "Mingdai, do you really care about the position of Duke of Zhenguo?"
Song Mingdai said as a matter of course: "If you don't care about me, why come back? If you don't want me to worry about you, then give my father and brother some benefits first——"
"Mother, you clearly said you didn't want the position of Duke of Zhenguo!" Just as she was talking, Xiao Pingsong suddenly spoke up, his honest face showing confusion and slight anger. He glared at the person in front of him: "You said that all you wanted was for your child to live well, you lied!"
Yan Qiushu: “?”
Song Mingdai's words were interrupted, and her expression cracked. Her fair face suddenly turned a bright red, and she looked at her son coldly: "Shut up!"
"Mom!" Xiao Pingsong stomped his feet in anger, his mind was in a mess.
"Puchi!" A light laugh broke the tense atmosphere. Everyone with a bad expression looked over and saw Xie Qingyun's face, which was filled with genuine laughter. They all showed some doubts.
Only the youngest child, Dongdong, was extremely nervous just now, thinking that his grandmother was going to be angry, but suddenly his aunt smiled.
With his thick nerves, he immediately thought that this matter was not that serious, so he grinned and laughed: "Haha..."
Xie Qingyun's smile suddenly became even more cheerful. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she tried to restrain herself a little. Then she looked at the woman beside her and said with a smile, "Mingdai, if you keep deliberately angering your mother like this, be careful that she will beat you up herself. Have you never been beaten before? How about waiting for Lao Liu to come back next time and let him explain it to you?"
Song Mingdai: "..."
Her eyes were clearly speechless, but the blush on her cheeks did not disappear. She stood up suddenly and was about to leave.
But he was stopped by Xie Qingyun, who raised his voice slightly: "Stop! Don't leave!"
Song Mingdai held her breath for a moment, then sat back down, her pretty face as cold as ice.
Xie Qingyun then turned to look at the others: "Mingdai is not that kind of person. If you don't believe me, ask Pingsong. So we don't have to worry about her. Pingsong, have fun with Ashu tonight, and protect your younger brothers and sisters, okay?"
Xiao Pingsong, who was scolded by his mother, was originally stubborn and naive. However, when he was suddenly comforted, his eyes turned red, his mouth pursed, and he nodded sullenly: "Yeah!"
"Be good, don't be angry. Your mother is stupid, don't worry about it." She came over and ruffled his hair gently.
Xiao Pingsong threw himself into his aunt's arms and cried softly in grievance.
It was at this moment that Yan Qiushu saw Song Mingdai's expression suddenly change. It seemed as if she regretted and was annoyed. She wanted to comfort her son but was concerned about the people around her, so she hesitated to move. The fingers that had been pretending to be nonchalantly playing with the handkerchief were twisted into a knot.
She pursed her lips, and when Xiao Pingsong felt better, she stepped forward and said, "Actually, I have an unwelcome request. We're planning to make lantern riddles, but unfortunately, I only know how to make food, so I'd like to ask a few of you to help. Each of you can give a few riddles, and Dongdong and the others can also give a few, so that we can have a hundred riddles and a hundred servings of popcorn. Is that okay with you?"
Lantern riddles can be word riddles or couplets, all kinds of riddles are acceptable. Yan Qiushu studied science and is not good at it, but this group of people in front of her can definitely do it.
Xiao Huaiyu smiled slightly and jokingly said softly, "No wonder they sent us some delicious food. If we didn't help, would we still be able to eat the rest?"
"That's not necessarily true." Yan Qiushu also said with a smile.
Xiao Huaiyu: "Okay, I'll do it."
Xie Qingyun was also very interested: "I'll come up with a few questions too. Madam Huang, please go get some paper and pen. Mother, please come too?"
Madam Xiao nodded reservedly: "Yes."
Nanny Huang took the order and left. In addition to paper and pen, a table was also needed, and someone was asked to grind ink. The maids also got busy and soon made a large desk in the front yard.
Almost everyone held a pen, including Yan Qiushu.
Although she can’t come up with any herself, she still has a lot of brain teasers in her head – brain teasers!
However, considering the limitations of the times, the ones she came up with were very simple and easy to guess.
Dongdong was also racking his brains, holding a pen in one hand and a chicken claw in the other, writing a word and taking a bite. Wan'er was beside him, moving to the other side with disgust: "Be careful, don't dirty my clothes."
Ah Heng said, "Wan'er, let me switch places with you."
"Thank you, Brother Heng!" Wan'er responded happily.
Yan Qiushu wrote a few and then gave up, turning to look at the only woman who hadn't moved. She sat beside him with her back straight and a reserved posture, but because of this, she seemed out of place.
She thought for a moment, then walked over and handed the pen to her: "Second Young Master's Madam, would you like to help write a few too?"
Song Mingdai looked up at her.
Yan Qiushu tilted her head with a smile and handed the pen over.
Seeing that she didn't answer, he blinked in confusion, his slightly childish face full of sincerity.
Song Mingdai lowered her eyes in frustration, and pursed her pink lips helplessly.
Just when Yan Qiushu thought it was definitely not going to work, she stood up, took the pen, and as she walked past her, she emphasized in her clear and cold voice: "For the sake of the food, just write a few."
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