Chapter 53 (Steamed Sea Bass, Beef Patties...)
Staying for two days?
Yan Qiushu never imagined that one day she would become a soothing agent for young children.
Looking at Princess Chang's expectant eyes, then at Ah Heng's bright eyes, and Zhou Zhaoqin's slightly brighter eyes, she felt a little pressured.
This...I am so distressed whether I accept it or not.
If she accepted it, she would have to go to a strange place again, which was the territory of the royal family. As everyone knew, even if Prince Chang and his wife were easy to get along with, other people were not. If they were not careful, they might get into trouble, especially since she was from the Xiao family and had no strong identity. If someone who disliked the Xiao family took their anger out on her, they would have no way to deal with it.
She wouldn't accept it. It seemed like Zhou Zhaoqin had experienced such a huge change. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for her to suddenly lose so much weight. There must be something else going on. Besides, she was a little worried that she might offend others.
But before Yan Qiushu could say anything, Dongdong had already jumped off the chair anxiously and shouted, "No!"
The child's clear and loud voice startled the adults present and they all looked over.
Dongdong had already run to Yan Qiushu's side, frantically protecting her, shaking his head in resistance, "No! Sister Shu can't leave!"
Madam Xiao: “…”
She said with a dark face: "Dongdong, come here and talk properly!"
Dongdong didn't move, but looked at the adults vigilantly, afraid that they would take the person away.
Xie Qingyun covered her lips and chuckled, and the others also smiled to varying degrees.
Prince Chang and his wife were equally speechless. At this moment, Ah Heng also tugged at Princess Chang's sleeve and shook his head, saying, "Mother, no more..."
Princess Chang immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, Dongdong. It's my fault. I didn't think about it enough. I won't take your sister Ashu away from you."
Yan Qiushu was at a loss for words, but she also felt relieved.
Dongdong looked at her suspiciously, as if trying to judge whether what she said was true. After confirming, he pursed his lips, did not go back, and stood leaning on Yan Qiushu's legs.
Yan Qiushu rubbed his head with a smile, looked at Princess Chang, and politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. However, Ah Shu is timid and has been accustomed to living in the Xiao family. I can only live up to your trust."
As soon as she finished speaking, the little boy, who had been silent all this time, lowered his head silently, and two tears fell on his clothes, instantly turning the two spots dark.
Princess Chang was filled with regret, but she could not say anything and just sighed.
Madam Xiao saw the two tears clearly and sighed. Even though she hated the Third Prince, the child was only five years old, the same age as Dongdong, and she couldn't bear to ignore him.
It was the adults' business, not the children's. She gritted her teeth and said, "If the princess doesn't mind, you can let the Second Grandson stay at the Xiao family for a while. The Xiao family has many children now, and they can play with him. Ah Shu likes to cook, and the Second Grandson also likes to eat. I think they are the same."
"This..." Princess Chang's heart moved slightly. This suggestion was good, but she was afraid that the child would not be able to accept it.
The little boy, who had been silent the whole time, raised his watery eyes and nodded slowly when she looked over.
Princess Chang smiled with relief: "Then Ah Qin, I will go and tell your grandfather the emperor. If he agrees, I will send you over."
"Thank you, second aunt." Zhou Zhaoqin got up and bowed respectfully.
The matter was settled. The remaining matters were discussed by Princess Chang and Madam Xiao and had nothing to do with Yan Qiushu.
She returned to the yard holding the gift.
Once opened, it was filled with all kinds of beautiful and precious jewelry that were not out of place, including a complete set of hairpins, earrings, and jade pendants!
In this situation, they naturally did not give silver. For wealthy families, giving silver was an insult, and they were not short of silver.
Yan Qiushu happily tried on the jewellery in front of the mirror, and whispered in her heart that she actually didn't mind if she was insulted with money!
After putting on all the jewellery, a noble face appeared in the polished mirror. The hairpins on her head were pretty but not cumbersome, dazzling but not overly bright. Except for the fact that the clothes she was wearing could not support these jewellery, she looked really beautiful.
It's just not good at all.
She is always walking around in the kitchen. If she lowers her head and pearls or something falls into the frying pan, should she feel sad for the frying pan or for the pearls?
After some hesitation, Yan Qiushu sighed and reluctantly put these treasures into the box.
At this time, Shui Yu came over and asked, "Miss, the farm has sent more milk, and we are almost full of it. What should we do with it?"
Yan Qiushu was about to answer, but when the words reached her lips, she changed the question: "Does the mansion have any ice stored?"
"There are quite a few. If you want them, I'll get them right away." Shui Yu nodded.
Yan Qiushu shook her head: "No, no, let's go boil some milk."
Shui Yu thought they were going to make something similar to double-skin milk, so she went there quickly.
What Yan Qiushu wants to do is butter. Many cakes taste good only with butter, and the essential product for making cakes, whipped cream, also needs butter. With this, the dessert shop in the food street can be opened!
When the dessert shop is ready, there will be a milk tea shop in the future...
She can get dividends without having to open her own store, which is wonderful to think about!
Prepare a large pot of milk and heat it directly on the stove. Stir it constantly during heating to prevent the milk from sticking to the pot. Wait until the milk boils and then cook it for a while longer to sterilize it.
When the time was up, Yan Qiushu took the pot off the stove and said, "Put it aside, cover it, and wait for it to cool down."
"Oh? Just like that?" Shui Yu wondered.
Yan Qiushu raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Of course, it's very simple. Once it's cool, place it around ice cubes and freeze it overnight. This may be a little difficult, as it requires more ice cubes."
"No problem. There's plenty of ice in the house. We've prepared enough for the whole summer. If it's not enough, we can make ice ourselves." Shui Yu said very confidently.
The young lady and others have said that as long as Miss Yan wants something, they will try their best to satisfy her. Ice is not a very expensive thing for the Xiao family.
That’s right, since there are fireworks, it’s normal for saltpeter to make ice.
Yan Qiushu felt relieved: "That's it, we'll probably get the results tomorrow morning."
Shui Yu didn't expect that it would take a whole night, so he had to find a place to put the pot to avoid scalding anyone.
Yan Qiushu stretched and began to prepare dinner.
We had barbecue and toothpick meat yesterday, both of which were strong flavors, so we have to eat something lighter today. Although the spiciness is not that spicy under her control, if it keeps going like this, I’m still worried that the children’s taste will be too strong.
It just so happened that this time, Zhuangzi not only sent milk, but also fish.
What Yan Qiushu took a fancy to were two sea bass.
Yan Qiushu was not very good at killing fish, so she had to hand it over to Aunt Xu. After everything was done, she would cut the surface of the fish, spread salt on it and marinate it for a quarter of an hour.
Then cut the green onion and ginger into shreds, spread them on the surface of the sea bass, pour a spoonful of sake on it, put it into boiling water, add a spoonful of lard, and steam it over high heat for a cup of tea.
This is a very simple dish, but although sea bass is delicious, it is not very appetizing. The staple food cannot be just white rice, so she made a beef pancake.
The palm-sized pancake was fried until both sides were golden brown. Then it was taken out and cut into two pieces neatly with a knife. You could only hear a "click" sound, and then the outer layer of crispy skin slightly curled up, revealing the fragrant beef filling inside.
After the beef pancakes were prepared, the steamed sea bass was also out of the pan. The oil was heated in the pan, so when the sea bass was out of the pan, I picked it up directly. After a "sizzle" sound, the soft green onion shreds on it curled up. The well-prepared fish lay on the plate, and the tender fish meat was exposed from the knife edge. The aroma was also stimulated at this time. There was no fishy smell, only the full fragrance of fish meat.
Yan Qiushu took a deep breath of satisfaction, smelling the fragrance, and took her own portion. She asked Shui Yu and Aunt Xu to give the rest to others. When she arrived at the dining table, she was still sighing, why didn't Dongdong and the others come?
They don't come every three meals a day. For example, they didn't come this morning or at noon.
But he would come once a day, and Dongdong would come more often. Except for occasionally having breakfast with Mrs. Xiao, he would spend the rest of his time with Yan Qiushu because his mother was not at home.
Just as I finished exclaiming in amazement, I heard Dongdong's loud voice shouting: "Wow! It smells so good——"
"Sister Ashu, I'm here!" Wan'er shouted crisply.
Yan Qiushu was speechless and looked at Shui Yu: "Put aside another portion of beef patties."
"Yes." Shui Yu nodded with a smile.
But when the two children came over, Yan Qiushu was no longer so easy to talk to. She raised her eyebrows and pretended to be unhappy and said, "You came so late and didn't help with the work, and you want to eat now?"
Dongdong was very considerate. He came over with his little fist and gave her a back massage: "You must be tired from cooking. Let me give you a back massage. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
"Well, this shoulder." Yan Qiushu pointed to the other side.
Dongdong immediately winked at his sister.
Wan'er was a little slow, but she finally understood. She came over and rubbed her back very obediently, her voice soft and sweet: "Sister Shu, is this strength okay?"
Actually, it doesn't have much power.
Both children were soft and floppy, but Yan Qiushu was happy. She enjoyed herself for a while and then held one in each hand. "Okay, okay, thank you Wan'er and Dongdong for massaging my back. I'll treat you to dinner."
"Wow! It's ready to eat!"
"Thank you, Sister Shu!"
Dongdong happily found a seat and sat down. Wan'er sat on the other side of Yan Qiushu. Although she didn't shout as loudly as him, she was also very happy. At this time, Shui Yu also came over with the prepared food.
Half a bowl of rice, half a beef patty, plus the steamed sea bass in front of it, and a bowl of mushroom soup.
The light dishes were far less attractive than the rich fish and meat before, but if you smelled them carefully, you would find another kind of deliciousness. Dongdong sniffed his nose and smelled a slightly stronger fragrance: "It smells so good!"
"This fish has few bones, so you can eat it, but you have to eat it slowly and chew every little bit, okay?" Yan Qiushu reminded.
"Yeah!" Dongdong nodded vigorously, and the chopsticks had already passed over.
It was a pity that the fish was so tender and smooth, and he was not so skillful in holding the chopsticks, so he couldn't pick it up for a while.
Yan Qiushu picked up a piece of fish belly for each of them and also picked up a piece for herself.
The fish meat was specially soaked in the soup, and when it was eaten, it was still salty and fragrant. The tender and smooth fish meat was like a top-level enjoyment when it entered the mouth. With the blessing of Yan Qiushu's cooking skills, this fish not only had no fishy smell, but was surprisingly delicious!
There are not many fish bones, only a large skeleton and a few bones on both sides. You don’t need to spit out the bones when you put them in your mouth. Just put your lips and tongue together, and the fish meat will slide down your throat.
At this time, take another bite of rice. The sweet taste and the salty fragrance remaining in your mouth do not conflict at all, but complement each other.
Wan'er has a lighter taste, and she particularly likes this steamed sea bass and is reluctant to stop eating it.
Dongdong took two bites and found it delicious. At least he remembered to eat half of the beef patty in the bowl.
The meat filling inside seems to be gathered together, but it is not hard at all. When you bite it, it seems that there is soup in the filling. The initially crispy shell quickly softens under the soaking of the soup, mixed with the beef filling with meaty aroma, every bite is satisfying.
"This beef patty tastes better!" Dongdong concluded.
Wan'er also took a bite of the cake and shook her head: "It's delicious, but the fish is better!"
The two looked at each other, neither of them willing to give in. So Dongdong rolled his eyes and said, "Then give me the beef patties and you can have the fish."
Wan'er blinked: "Why can't I eat them all? I like beef patties too."
Dongdong: “…”
His desire to eat one more bite was so easily exposed. Unwillingly, he leaned close to Yan Qiushu's ear and whispered, "Sister Wan'er isn't as easy to fool as before!"
Yan Qiushu narrowed her eyes slightly: "Did you lie to Wan'er before?"
Dongdong smiled guiltily and buried his head in eating meat.
Well, as a man from the Xiao family, of course he prefers the feeling of eating meat with big mouthfuls!
Yan Qiushu snorted and ate the patty in big mouthfuls. As an adult, she had a whole beef patty.
It’s great to be an adult.
She smiled happily and picked up another piece of fish. This time, it was not soaked in soup. The fish tasted less salty and more sweet. It tasted great even if it was eaten without rice.
When they had almost finished eating, Yan Qiushu took another sip of the delicious and hot mushroom soup. It had no extra flavor, but was delicious enough. After one mouthful, she felt warm from her throat to her esophagus and then to her stomach.
After the last bite, the three of them tacitly wiped the corners of their mouths with handkerchiefs, and Yan Qiushu invited them: "Let's go for a walk?"
"Sure!" Dongdong held his stomach and burped contentedly.
Wan'er also nodded: "Okay! Take a walk after dinner, so you won't be as fat as Dongdong."
Dongdong: “…”
But before the three of them left the yard, they saw several people rushing over. Running in front was a five-year-old child, who was Zhou Zhaoqin.
Yan Qiushu took a deep breath and looked at the sky.
They ate slowly, from dawn to dusk, and by now the sky was already dim.
Why did they send Zhou Zhaoqin here at this hour?!
As she got closer, Yan Qiushu realized that not only had he been delivered, but it had been personally delivered by Princess Chang. She looked apologetic and embarrassed, and her voice revealed an awkwardness: "Miss Yan, I asked the Emperor, but I didn't see him. The Imperial Concubine said that since Ah Qin likes him, then let him stay at the Xiao family for a few days and let Nanny Li come along to take care of him."
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