Chapter 50 (Fried Chicken Fillet)
Shen family
The Shen family’s grandparents are about the same age as Madam Xiao, but they are in much better spirits than Madam Xiao.
Their heads were already covered with silver hair, but there were not many wrinkles on their faces. They might have been married for many years, as their faces had some similarities. Their eyes were full of love as they looked at the young boy who was walking slowly towards them.
"Grandfather, grandmother." Shen Pingyu respectfully performed the etiquette of a younger generation.
Grandma Shen smiled and waved: "Come and sit down. Why are you a little late? Did your second grandfather assign too much homework?"
Shen Pingyu's second grandfather is Grandpa Shen's half-brother. He is the only son of a legitimate wife and is also the default head of the Shen family. As the head of the family, Grandpa Shen still has less energy in studying. On the contrary, his half-brother, who focuses on his studies, has become more and more knowledgeable over the years.
Until now, he is still concentrating on studying and rarely accepts disciples. Apart from a few disciples who have already graduated, the only one he needs to pay attention to is the child in front of him.
However, in addition to learning from his second grandfather, Shen Pingyu also had to learn from Grandpa Shen to be the head of the family. As the only direct descendant, the best resources of the Shen family were concentrated on him.
But he did not disappoint others' expectations. He was so outstanding at such a young age.
Chen Pingyu said shyly: "It's the child who has something to do."
He waved his hand and the maid brought up a food box. The food in the main courtyard was based on the number of people. There were only three people having lunch at this time, so there were only five dishes and one soup. There was still a lot of room on the table. The maid opened the food box and took out the fried chicken fillet and placed it on the table.
It immediately formed a sharp contrast with these dishes.
The Shen family pays attention to seasonality when eating. Just after the Spring Festival, the main dishes are still Chinese cabbage, celery fried meat, and white radish stewed fish. They are all the kind with clear soup. Just smelling the fragrance is the flavor of the food itself.
Until this fried chicken fillet is put on.
They are golden in color, and are placed one by one in an interlaced manner, forming a small pile on the jade-white plate. When placed on the table, they stand out from the crowd.
The key is that it smells so good!
The aroma, which was thoroughly invigorated by deep frying with lots of spices, overshadowed the other dishes and also attracted the attention of the other two people at the table.
Grandma Shen sniffed it curiously and found that the dish smelled a little pungent, but after the initial discomfort, it became more and more fragrant, so she asked, "What kind of dish is this?"
Shen Pingyu suppressed the shyness and uneasiness in his heart and explained: "This is fried chicken fillet. Aunt Yan, a guest at my grandparents' house, taught the Xiao family's cook to make it. My grandmother was afraid that I wouldn't be able to eat it when I returned to the Shen family, so she sent me a cook. I never had the chance before, but today I really wanted to eat this, so I specially asked the cook to make it and bring it over."
Grandma Shen nodded suddenly and looked at her husband.
Grandpa Shen remained silent until he heard his grandson's explanation. His brows began to furrow slightly, and he noticed that the young boy beside him seemed to be breathing a little nervously.
His eyebrows twitched, and before he could say anything, his arm was pinched.
Grandpa Shen shuddered, coughed lightly, stroked his beard, and said with a smile: "It looks good, then Grandpa must try it. Pingyu, it's rare for you to like something so much."
Shen Pingyu's tense face instantly showed a smile when he heard this, and his voice became lighter: "Actually, there are more than just this, there are many other foods, but some of them taste a bit strong, so I chose this one. You try it, it tastes pretty good."
He used serving chopsticks to pick up food for each of them and looked at them expectantly.
That rare childish look made Grandpa Shen’s heart soften, and he also picked up the chopsticks to eat.
Because the tastes of each household are slightly different, Chef Zou has reduced the amount of pepper and salt in this snack, and after being fried twice, the skin is crispy.
Even for the most advanced teeth, the shell breaks open easily with a snap, revealing the tender chicken inside. The shell is crispy, devoid of any other condiments, leaving only a hint of saltiness and a wonderful texture. Inside, the marinated chicken is tender and smooth, with a hint of numbing Sichuan peppercorns and a subtle spiciness from Japanese dogwood.
It was light and subtle, just enough for their tongues to taste, but not overly stimulating. Instead, it made the two old men's eyes widen slightly as they ate. They nodded repeatedly as they chewed, "It tastes good."
Grandma Shen followed suit and nodded repeatedly: “This is delicious!”
Shen Pingyu smiled with relief: "Then grandpa and grandma, you have to eat more."
After tasting the chicken fillet, Grandpa Shen drank a cup of tea first to relieve the greasiness in his mouth, and then said: “It’s a bit greasy, which is not good for health. Don’t eat too much.”
As an old man who eats a light diet all year round, he rarely eats such fried food. The taste is good, but he is not very used to it.
Chen Pingyu's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly adjusted himself and said apologetically, "My grandson is wrong..."
“But it’s okay to eat it occasionally.” Grandpa Shen added, and took the initiative to pick up two dishes for his grandson, and said with a smile: “When eating this, don’t forget to eat vegetables, it’s good for your health.”
Shen Pingyu was completely relieved, and his handsome little face showed a cute and soft smile: "Yeah!"
He first took two bites of vegetables, then a bite of chicken fillet. The crispy crust and the spicy, salty, fragrant and extremely tender chicken stimulated his tongue, which had not tasted such flavors for many days. It made him feel so comfortable that his appetite increased a lot. He took another big mouthful of rice, and his delicate little mouth kept eating, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
Seeing their grandson enjoying the meal so much, the two elders of the Shen family couldn't help but pick up their chopsticks faster.
Actually, apart from a little too much oil, the taste is pretty good.
The key is that there is no excess oil in the chicken inside, which just neutralizes the oil in the outer shell. Overall, it is not greasy.
The person who made this delicacy has some ingenuity!
The Shen family pays attention to not talking while eating. You can say a few words before eating, but once the meal starts, everyone eats in silence. So no one talked during this meal, and they just ate one bite at a time.
By the end, everyone had eaten their fill one after another. There was still a little bit of other dishes left, but the chicken fillets were all gone.
Shen Pingyu realized this and became more and more happy. After sharing, he got the other party's recognition. That kind of satisfaction made him happier than eating a lot by himself.
The two old people also smiled happily. Although the Shen family did not advocate eating too much, it was not good to eat too much.
So the three of them put down their chopsticks, and Grandma Shen said with a smile: "Pingyu, what else can your cook make?"
Shen Pingyu's eyes lit up, and he said very sensibly: "Aunt Yan taught him a lot, I will let him do a little each time in the future."
Grandpa Shen nodded reservedly, stood up and gave his stomach, which was rarely full, a break: "Yes."
Shen Pingyu took note of this matter seriously, and talked with Grandpa Shen for a while, reporting back on his academic progress with Second Grandpa, and then talked about what he heard in the teahouse today, listening to Grandpa Shen’s analysis of himself, and taking classes anytime, anywhere.
He didn't stand up and say goodbye until all the conversation was over.
With brisk steps.
Actually, it’s a little different, but not as serious as I thought!
In this case, from today on, he can also give his grandparents more other good things to eat. If they eat more, they will definitely like it!
Thinking this way, he asked the chef to make crispy chicken wings that night, and hot and sour soup the next day. On the third day...
The fourth day was a letter.
The word "Dongdong" was written on the cover of the letter.
It’s a thick stack, probably containing several sheets of letter paper.
When the usually calm boy received a letter from his younger brother for the first time, his face was filled with joy.
He couldn't wait to put down everything he was doing and read what was written in the letter. When he opened the envelope, he was still thinking about what to send in reply. He didn't like learning, so he decided to send some delicious and fun things from Leping.
However, when he opened it, he fell silent.
Apart from the routine greetings at the beginning, the rest of the conversation was actually... what have you eaten recently???
The longest part of the painting is about the barbecue they had at the farm during an outing. I was afraid that he didn't know what barbecue was, so I drew it with my childish brushstrokes!
After reading it, Shen Pingyu silently removed all the delicious and fun things he had chosen in his mind, took a bunch of articles he had studied, and asked someone to send them over, with a note that he would check it when he went to the Xiao family again at the end of the year!
After all, even the military generals in the Xiao family are quite talented and are truly all-rounders in both civil and military fields.
As a future general, Pingzhou naturally cannot lag behind in this regard!
After doing all this, Shen Pingyu took out the letter paper in his hand and looked at it again, staring at the ugly handwriting and painting style on it. He looked at it again and again, and finally moved his throat slightly and called Chef Zou: "Can you make barbecue?"
The other party looked bewildered: "Master, Miss Yan didn't teach us this..."
Shen Pingyu thought of the skewers mentioned in the letter, the oven, and the seasoning techniques, and said decisively: "Then I'll tell you, you do it!"
Not to mention that Shen Pingyu has been tricked by Dongdong, his unlucky brother, and has started thinking about barbecue.
Time goes back to the day of the outing.
After a wonderful outdoor barbecue, the few people who originally thought they needed to have lunch said they couldn't eat anymore after being overwhelmed by the barbecue. Manager Yao regretfully gave up the idea of making another delicious meal for them.
After eating and drinking, everyone found something to do.
When you go out for an outing, you can't just go back after eating. There are good things on this farm, it's good to take a look at more.
So everyone went out in batches.
Several children went to see the various animals raised on the farm, while Mrs. Xiao went to see the farmland. Yan Qiushu also wanted to see the animals. She had originally suggested raising some chickens and fish, but after listening to Xiao Huaiqi's ideas, she felt that there were too many things in the farm.
I don't know how much land is needed to support all these things?
But before she could move, Xie Qingyun stopped her. She took two steps forward, took Yan Qiushu's hand, and said with a smile, "Ah Shu, will you accompany me for a walk?"
Yan Qiushu looked at Xiao Huaiqi hesitantly. Isn’t this a bad idea?
Being a third wheel is horrible!
Xie Qingyun scolded: "Don't worry about him, he doesn't like these lively occasions. I don't have anyone to talk to, so just let him follow behind."
Xiao Huaiqi, who was mentioned, spread his hands helplessly and said, "Ashu, you can follow me. With my body, I can't stay in the wind for long. I guess I have to go back soon."
Yan Qiushu was too embarrassed to refuse and had to nod.
Manager Yao led the way in front, followed by a middle-aged man of about the same age as him who looked very gentle and polite. Yan Qiushu was walking behind the two of them with Xie Qingyun holding his arm, and Xiao Huaiqi was pushed by a servant at the back. They turned left and stopped at a farm several hundred meters away near the city.
The woman beside him pointed to a somewhat desolate and untended patch of grass in front of him, and a farm that seemed to have been recently tended and inhabited, and asked, "What do you think of this place, Ah Shu?"
It looked familiar, as it was the same farm that Yan Qiushu had visited with the human trafficker before.
But it’s too expensive, because the land around here costs two thousand taels!
Yan Qiushu couldn't afford it, so she gave up after a quick glance. Unexpectedly, she was asked this question now. She seemed to sense something in her heart and asked tentatively, "Could this be the Xiao family's manor?"
Xie Qingyun nodded with a smile, confirming her guess, and said apologetically, "I just bought it. Ah Shu, don't blame me for asking about these things. It's just that you went out a lot in the past few days, so I asked casually. Besides, with our relationship, you can just tell me what you want to buy. Why do you need to go and see the house in person? Besides, the location here is good, and it's close to our village. If anything happens, we can keep in mind each other. I bought it and gave it to you."
Yan Qiushu took a deep breath and froze.
Directly give it to Zhuangzi? !
While she was stunned, Manager Yao took out a stack of documents with a polite smile and handed them to her: "Miss Yan, these are the deeds to the manor and the indentures of some servants. This isn't Kyoto after all, so having more people will be safer."
Then he pointed to the middle-aged man next to him and said, "This is Steward Gu."
Steward Gu bowed and spoke slowly, "Greetings, Miss Yan. I used to be a steward in a wealthy family. Later, the master of that family got into trouble, so I came to the Xiao family and have been working as an accountant there ever since. If you don't mind, I would like to be your steward. I promise to manage this farm in an orderly manner. All you ask is that you give me something to eat."
Yan Qiushu: “!!!”
She looked at Zhuangzi, then at Manager Gu, and then at Xie Qingyun, who was looking at her with gentle eyes, and her heart was trembling.
Is this what it feels like to be with a rich woman?!
Everything has been arranged for her?
The beauty is a little panic.
Yan Qiushu was not one who liked to take advantage of others. She would usually accept small gifts, jewelry, etc., and make some delicious food and give some recipes in return. But she thought this kind of thing was too expensive!
Feeling guilty.
Yan Qiushu opened her mouth with difficulty and reluctantly refused: "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but this is too expensive, I can't accept it!"
"Ah Shu, don't feel guilty. I do have a request." Xiao Huaiqi gestured, and the servant pushed him to the side of the two of them. He sat leaning back in his wheelchair, looking up at them, but relaxed and calm, his voice soft and gentle. "Ah Shu has made a lot of food. Ever since this braised food shop opened, I've been thinking about that food court that Miss Ah Shu mentioned."
Yan Qiushu's eyelids jumped. She didn't expect that the food street was on the agenda.
She accidentally let slip the name Food Street when Xiao Huaiqi asked her about it frantically last time. She thought that if the whole street was filled with all kinds of delicious food, then when the people of Kyoto mentioned food, the first thing they would think of would be this street. As long as the taste of the food was maintained, the customer flow would definitely be considerable.
But she only mentioned it once and didn't say anything further. I didn't expect that this person still remembered it!
Xiao Huaiqi smiled and said, "Popcorn, pork jerky, boneless chicken feet... and today's barbecue. I think this food street is very feasible. However, these are all made by you, Ah Shu, so we naturally can't use them directly. How about using this farm in exchange for a bigger cooperation opportunity to fully develop the food street?"
Yan Qiushu used her not-so-good business thinking to make a rough judgment. This deal seemed to be a good deal, but every time she made it, she said that these recipes could be used at will.
She shook her head: "No, just use these prescriptions if you want, there are so many of them."
Xiao Huaiqi spread his hands helplessly: "But I still hope that we can continue to cooperate in the future. You have given so many prescriptions, and there will definitely be better ones in the future. Can I get priority? If Ah Shu doesn't accept them, I can't use these prescriptions with peace of mind."
That makes sense.
Under the onslaught of these two people, Yan Qiushu nodded dazedly: "Then... thank you, Young Master and Young Madam."
Woo woo woo, as expected, follow the thigh and you will get meat to eat!
Manager Yao immediately stuffed the land deed and other things into her hands and said, "I wish the Young Master and Miss Yan's food court will open soon and have a booming business!"
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