Chapter 63 (Soy Sauce Rice)
It takes only a meal.
When Yan Qiushu returned to the yard again, she saw Zhou Zhaoqin packing his bags and about to leave.
She just stood there in a daze.
Prince Shun presented the gift very naturally and thanked Yan Qiushu: "Thank you very much, Miss Shu, for taking care of me these past few days. Ah Qin has been bothering me for many days, and it's time for him to leave."
Yan Qiushu looked at the little boy standing next to him, who was only about waist height. The small boy had handsome facial features despite his tenderness. His eyes, nose and mouth were all red, especially his eyes, which looked as if they had been washed with water. It was obvious that he had been crying.
He looked at Yan Qiushu reluctantly, but showed no resistance. He said in a voice so sweet that it made people feel distressed: "Sister Shu, thank you for taking care of me during this period."
After saying that, he tried to put on a smile.
Madam Xiao's heart softened again. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, where is the Second Emperor's grandson going this time?"
Although the Fifth Prince in her memory wasn't too bad, who knew how much he would change over the years? Power could always turn a normal person into a hideous monster.
Prince Shun smiled and said gently, "Let's go to the Shen family. I heard that Mr. Shen Qingmin is looking for a disciple. It's better to send this child there to work hard than to stay in Kyoto."
Madam Xiao felt relieved and smiled faintly: "This is a good place."
Yan Qiushu also smiled, looked at Zhou Zhaoqin, and said softly, "Well, Your Highness, take good care of yourself when you stay over there."
"Okay!" Zhou Zhaoqin nodded vigorously, his big eyes still blinking as he stared at the person in front of him. Finally, his mouth pursed, he rushed over to hug him, and burst into tears: "Wuwuwu..."
He doesn't want to leave!
This is the only place that feels like home to him since his mother left. Although his mother is gone, it is still warm here, unlike other places that are so cold that it makes him scared.
Yan Qiushu squatted down and held the child in her arms, her mouth pursed, and she felt like crying.
Although she didn't like the child at first, after spending these days together, she still liked him very much.
The main thing is that this child is well-behaved and quiet. He doesn't make noise or quarrel, and he rarely even laughs out loud. In stark contrast to the previous initial impression, it is very distressing.
However, he had only become a little lively in the past few days and was about to leave.
No matter how reluctant you are, you have to leave.
The two hugged each other for a while, and with a light cough from Prince Shun, Zhou Zhaoqin immediately withdrew from her arms, politely said goodbye to Madam Xiao and Yan Qiushu, and left with his short legs behind Prince Shun.
Until he walked out of the hospital and disappeared from Yan Qiushu's sight.
The three children, Dongdong, Wan'er and Xiao Pingsong, did not come until the next night.
It was also at this time that they discovered that Zhou Zhaoqin had left.
He left so suddenly that Dongdong muttered unhappily, "Why did you leave without telling me?"
Wan'er was also very disappointed: "Yeah, it was too fast."
After all, they had lived together for so long that they were considered friends and had developed feelings for each other, but he suddenly left without even seeing each other.
Yan Qiushu's sadness had subsided a lot. Seeing the three of them like this, she comforted them, "It's okay. It's not like we'll never see each other again. Shen Jiaping is over there. Maybe he and Pingyu will become good friends in a few days."
Dongdong frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Impossible."
"Ah?" Yan Qiushu was puzzled.
Dongdong covered his mouth and laughed, "Brother Pingyu doesn't like people who are too stupid. He can't even compare to me, so he definitely won't be liked by Brother Pingyu."
Yan Qiushu: "..."
That makes a lot of sense.
But in many cases, she is not even as good as Dongdong, such as in calligraphy and painting.
Yan Qiushu coughed guiltily and changed the subject: "Hey, speaking of which, you're all going to school soon. Dongdong is going to a new class, so does he have to change classmates as well?"
Dongdong became listless when he mentioned this, and nodded reluctantly: "Hmm..."
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Then let's make some back-to-school gifts. You can give them to your classmates. This will build a good relationship from the beginning so that you can get along better in the next two years."
"Okay!" Dongdong lost his composure when this was mentioned and nodded happily.
Although it is a back-to-school gift, he can be the first to eat it as long as it is made by Sister Shu.
Xiao Pingsong coughed lightly and said, "Aunt Yan, school is about to start for me too."
Wan'er clasped her fingers in confusion and said with her face tilted upwards, "Wan'er didn't go to school..."
Yan Qiushu pinched her little face: "Wan'er must have some too, and she has the most. When the time comes, you can give it to whoever you like, okay?"
Wan'er was immediately happy: "Okay!"
But Dongdong was still the foodie, confirming that there were back-to-school gifts, and even said, "So what are we eating tonight? I'm so hungry~"
Yan Qiushu thought for two seconds and said decisively: "Since we have to prepare your back-to-school gifts tonight, let's just have a simple meal!"
"What to eat?"
"Soy sauce rice!"
However, Yan Qiushu said that it should be simple, but in fact it is not very simple.
Soy sauce rice, the name sounds like it only has the word soy sauce in it, but in fact, it is more than just soy sauce, otherwise the taste would be bland and boring, and she herself doesn't like it.
Of course, this level is far from that of making cold skin, because cold skin requires pouring batter into boiling water over and over again. If you want to make enough for so many people, you have to do it several times.
Yan Qiushu chose to send this to the big kitchen to have someone cook it, and they ate bibimbap.
There was a lot of leftovers, so I took the fresh mushrooms sent from the main kitchen, washed and chopped them, chopped the pork belly, and also chopped the green onions, ginger, and garlic.
Heat oil in a pan, wait for a while, add onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, then add chopped mushrooms and pork belly and stir-fry until the oil is fried out, then add soy sauce, salt, pepper, Sichuan pepper powder and other seasonings, as well as half a bowl of water and a little water starch.
After boiling over high heat, you can see that the sauce-colored soup in the pot is very thick. At this time, you can add the prepared rice and stir it directly in the pot.
But in the blink of an eye, the white rice turned into a sauce-brown color, and the aroma of the sauce came out without any concealment, falling into the noses of several people busy in the kitchen.
Aunt Xu narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Young lady, you really know how to cook. This white rice smells so good when it falls into your hands."
Yan Qiushu stirred the food while saying, "It's not that I can do it, but I have the conditions. Just look at the oil, sugar, and meat, and put them in as you like. If there is less, how can we make it?"
Aunt Xu shook her head, her wrinkled eyes looking at the pot expectantly. It smelled so good!
Dongdong was also very greedy and kept standing on tiptoe to check it out.
But unfortunately, I’m not tall enough and can’t see anything.
She was so anxious that she wanted Xiao Pingsong to hold her, but Xiao Pingsong didn't want to hold her either. Her brother was too fat, and he was tired. Wouldn't he be able to eat soon?
Dongdong pouted angrily.
Just then, a gentle voice rang out in the yard: "What are you doing? Are you so greedy?"
Dongdong turned around and saw Xie Qingyun and Xiao Huaiqi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, approaching slowly. It was Xiao Huaiqi who was speaking. Dongdong immediately lost his impatience and said with a serious face, "It just smells so good. I want to see what Sister Shu has done."
Xiao Huaiqi raised his brows slightly, revealing a helpless smile: "If I'm not going to beat you up, why are you so afraid of me?"
Dongdong stuck out his tongue and called out obediently, "Uncle, Auntie!"
Xiao Pingsong and Wan'er also hurriedly followed and called for help.
Yan Qiushu, who was in the kitchen, naturally heard it too. She paused what she was doing and came out to see the two of them. She asked in surprise, "Young Master and Young Madam? Is there something going on?"
Although Xie Qingyun is not as homebody as Xiao Huaiyu, the third daughter of the Xiao family, Xiao Huaiqi rarely appears. The fact that the two of them appear together at this moment must mean something is going on.
Xiao Huaiqi nodded and said with a smile, "The food court is already ready. We'll choose an auspicious day to open it. Come over and tell Ah Shu what else needs to be prepared."
"Wow!" Yan Qiushu exclaimed!
Such high efficiency? Is it so easy to open a food court?
Of course not, but this is the Xiao family, so some things are easier.
Dongdong, Wan'er, and Xiao Pingsong all opened their mouths wide: "Wow! Food Street!"
I’m looking forward to it just by hearing the name!
Yan Qiushu was excited, but the stove was different from the gas stove. She couldn't just turn it off. There was still fire in the stove, so she had to say, "Why don't you stay for dinner? I've made a lot, but it's quite simple. We can discuss it while we eat."
"Okay." Xie Qingyun agreed readily.
Xiao Huaiqi also nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
"It's no trouble, no trouble." Yan Qiushu said with a smile, and went back to the kitchen to continue with the final finishing touches.
After the rice was served, she didn't stop, but took out a few eggs and started making omelets.
Otherwise it would be too monotonous.
Everything is ready. Each person gets a portion of rice with soy sauce and a fried egg, which is nutritious and filling.
The job was done, and Shui Yu and Aunt Xu took it to the dining table together.
Six people, three adults and three children were waiting around the table. Each person had a portion of rice, using the big bowls from Yan Qiushu's side. The portions were quite large, except for Wan'er's.
"It's time to eat! Come and try it and see how it tastes. If you don't like it, you can make something else." Yan Qiushu said.
As soon as these words were spoken, several people picked up their chopsticks.
The three children adapted very well and put the food into their mouths in big bites, eating it happily. However, Xie Qingyun and Xiao Huaiqi were still a little stunned.
They came from aristocratic families, and although they often led troops to fight, in most cases, their food was still very rich. Even if they went as guests and the host said the food was a bit simple, that was only relative to their daily food.
This time, it was the first time for the two of them to have a meal without any vegetables, only staple food.
Both of them were speechless, but not angry, just a little surprised. They both tacitly thought that there would be other dishes coming up, but they really were overthinking.
Xiao Huaiqi smiled and shook his head, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
A big round golden fried egg is placed on the rice. If you want to eat the rice underneath, you can only eat the fried egg with the first bite. This is the case for everyone.
Frying an egg also requires skill and timing. In just a moment, Xiao Huaiqi could taste the flavor.
It is not greasy overall and has a crispy texture, especially the crispness of the edges. When it comes to crispy outside and tender inside, there are probably few things that can compare to fried eggs. The thin shell is wrapped with a white egg yolk, which has no taste by itself, but when it is contaminated with a few grains of soy sauce rice, the light salty taste comes out.
After taking that big bite, a piece of the fried egg was missing, revealing the sauce-colored rice underneath. At this time, you can change to a spoon. The jade-white spoon scoops up the rice. The contrast between the white and the sauce-brown color makes the rice look even more delicious.
When he put the bite into his mouth, Xiao Huaiqi found that it was not only rice, but also soft mushroom pieces and a little minced meat. With this combination, every bite really did not need any other dishes.
There is a big difference in the taste of bibimbap and fried rice. The latter is mainly made of loose rice grains and many ingredients are added to increase the appetite, while the former has a softer texture and you can taste a little soup while chewing, which is neither dry nor astringent.
A mouthful of rice, then a bite of fried egg, and before you know it, the bowl is empty.
Xiao Huaiqi finished eating first, while Yan Qiushu still had half of her bowl full. Glancing at the man opposite her, she stopped eating and asked, "Can I have another bowl for you?"
"No need, this is enough to make me 80% full." Xiao Huaiqi shook his head.
Seeing this, Yan Qiushu stopped talking and continued to eat with her head down.
Hmm!
The fried egg was delicious too, I should have had one more.
There's not enough minced meat. Give more next time. Also...
After finishing her meal slowly, Yan Qiushu was already feeling a little full. When she looked up, she saw that everyone was looking at her. She smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm eating a little slowly. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Xie Qingyun smiled and said, "Seeing Ah Shu eating, I ate a little more."
Xiao Huaiqi also nodded, his eyes full of smiles. At least when he was eating at her place, he felt very relaxed and didn't feel like he was dealing with an outsider at all.
Yan Qiushu's cheeks flushed slightly. She coughed lightly, served tea to a few people, and then began to ask about the details of the food street.
The point is, how did it get done so quickly?!
Xiao Huaiqi said, "If we move some of the shops that have good food but bad locations here, and add the few we have prepared, we'll be almost there. When we make money in the future, we can add more shops in the same way."
That’s right!
Once the traffic volume increases, there will be no shortage of money. She nodded and said, "Then..."
We are excitedly discussing the food street here.
The other side is angry.
The elegant woman threw the valuable vase to the ground, her voice filled with anger: "How dare you! Who allowed you to send the child away without permission?!"
When the imperial concubine got angry, everyone in the palace trembled with fear, fearing that if the empress got unhappy, she would drag everyone out and beat them.
Only one young man stood steadily in the hall, staring directly at the woman before him. His beautiful lips were tightly pursed, his peach-shaped eyes filled with stubbornness. Facing his mother's anger, he simply said word by word, "This is my own opinion. As an uncle, it is my duty to find a suitable path for my nephew."
"As an uncle?" The imperial concubine laughed in anger, her beautiful eyes dark as she asked, "So you're blaming me for causing your brothers to kill each other?"
"Your son dare not." Prince Shun lowered his eyebrows and eyes.
Concubine Lu walked quickly up to him and wanted to hit him.
But after staring at that pretty face for a few breaths, she fell down in hatred. But halfway through, she reached out and pinched his arm fiercely, twisting it hard, and said in a cold voice: "Zhou Zelang coming out, does it make you feel like you've found a backer? Let me tell you, he was poisoned. It wasn't just me who did it. Your third brother and sixth brother also did it. You two really are brothers, aren't you?"
Prince Shun groaned and endured it silently. His fair cheeks turned slightly red and veins on his forehead began to appear.
Concubine Lu then let go and said hatefully, "Remember, Prince Chang, you can't rely on him. He's dead. Even if he's not dead now, he will die in the future!"
Prince Shun closed his eyes and avoided looking at the woman with a ferocious face in front of him.
She was possessed by a demon.
For this throne.
It should be said that it is for rights.
Concubine Lu hated his expression so much that she pushed him away in disgust, returned to the couch, and narrowed her eyes slightly. "You hate me? You hate your mother who carried you for ten months and gave birth to you?! Lu Zejin, how dare you do this to me?! Do you know how much I've endured to protect you? How many people have bullied me? If it weren't for me, you would have been a pile of mud long ago! What qualifications do you have to hate me?!"
Prince Shun reluctantly opened his eyes. The sixteen-year-old boy's eyes were filled with complex emotions. He finally sighed, "No, your son did not."
Anyone can hate the woman in front of him, but he can't.
In order to protect him, Concubine Lu suffered a lot. Although Concubine Lu was a favorite concubine at that time, the Empress Dowager disliked her because she was favored alone. The other concubines also disliked her, and the court officials even thought she was a witch.
One can imagine how many conspiracies she had to endure before she could give birth to this son safely and raise him to this state.
But that's how it is. She hated the empress dowager, the other concubines in the harem, and the emperor, so she would not allow other princes to be born, would not allow anyone to be higher than her, and the court officials would not allow her to be the queen, so no one was allowed to be the queen!
Now it is also her obsession to let Prince Shun ascend the throne.
This way, all those who dislike and hate her will kneel at her feet and call her Queen Mother!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
