Although the preparation process of hot pot is rather complicated, it does not require any very sophisticated cooking methods and can be prepared quickly.
The only slightly difficult part is that Su Qingluan needs some knife skills to cut the lamb, pig head and fish slices.
Madam Xi had never truly experienced Su Qingluan's cooking skills, but she couldn't help but marvel at the few times she came to the kitchen. "I've traveled a lot, so I've gotten some experience. Madam Su, your knife skills are no match for the chefs in our town, let alone the chefs in the wealthy families of the capital, right?"
Su Qingluan repeatedly said she didn't dare, but Liu Yunniang was showing off proudly: "Of course, mother, you have seen the food Qingluan gave us. Every single one of them is so delicious that you want to swallow your tongue."
Su Qingluan: ...That’s not necessary.
When Yang brought Su Xuanhe and Su Xueyan to the Liu family, Su Qingluan had basically finished slicing the meat. All that was left was finishing work such as arranging the meat on the plate, preparing the base ingredients and seasonings, and making some appetizers.
So Yang and Xi simply let the two older children take the two younger children to play in the yard, and the two hostesses became the main fighting force to control the kitchen.
There was a tinkling sound from the corner of the left wing of the courtyard, and occasionally there was a deep voice of an adult male whispering something.
Su Qingluan whispered to Liu Yunniang, "It's been almost an hour since I came to your house, right?"
Liu Yunniang looked at the angle of the sun's shift above her head and nodded, "Yes, just enough."
"My father is such a taciturn person, but it's surprising that someone can patiently chat with him for such a long time," Su Qingluan looked at Liu Yunniang, "Your Uncle Liu is truly a god!"
Liu Yunniang herself was also curious: "Although my father said that he can chat with all kinds of people when necessary, it is rare to see him take the initiative to chat with anyone for such a long time." Unless there is some benefit to be gained.
However, Su Guangfu was only a carpenter, so it was hard to say what Liu Sheng could possibly gain from him. Could it be that Liu Sheng, after half a lifetime of wandering the world, was finally planning to switch careers and become a carpenter's apprentice? Liu Yunniang irresponsibly plotted against her own father.
But even though she was making up her mind, she still had to give her father some face on the surface, so Liu Yunniang just smiled and said, "Maybe Uncle Su and my father have the same temperament?"
Su Qingluan: ...I don't know who my father, with his stubborn personality, can get along with.
Just as Su Qingluan had thought before, hot pot is actually a very inclusive food - even if people have different attitudes towards the soup base, it can be improved by using various seasonings and dipping sauces.
This is a cooking method that does not require catering to anyone's taste, yet everyone can be satisfied with the meal.
After the meal, the children were sent out to play in the yard as usual, and the remaining four adults cleaned up the leftovers.
Su Xueyan has been addicted to hopscotch recently. Su Qingluan and Liu Yunniang have played the game with her several times before.
By then, the two older guys had lost interest, but fortunately, Su Xuanhe was piqued. Coupled with the strange desire to win between children, the two little guys were having a lot of fun.
So Su Qingluan simply let the two children play by themselves, and she and Liu Yunniang walked and chatted slowly in the yard.
"I see Uncle Liu's legs are moving much more freely." Su Qingluan's tone revealed joy. "It looks like he'll be back to normal soon!"
Liu Yunniang's tone was cautious. "I don't expect Dad's legs to recover to the level they were before the injury, but I just hope he can walk normally without suffering on rainy days."
It’s not that she was pessimistic, but she had encountered too many times before where she grasped a glimmer of hope but ended up being disappointed. This made Liu Yunniang particularly cautious about her father’s health and also particularly easy to satisfy.
Su Qingluan patted Liu Yunniang's back comfortingly: "No matter what, we have finally made it through the most difficult times."
Liu Yunniang didn't say anything when she heard this, but just sighed heavily as if she wanted to vent something, and finally nodded silently.
The air felt heavy for a moment. Su Qingluan wanted to change the subject and find something lighthearted, but she didn't know what to say. Liu Yunniang, however, asked about the whereabouts of the previous batch of jam. "Qingluan, although I haven't asked in detail, judging by the materials used in the jam packaging, I'm afraid these target customers are quite influential, right?"
Su Qingluan hadn't intended to hide it from Liu Yunniang from the beginning, but if she hadn't asked, she wouldn't have bothered to explain. Since Liu Yunniang mentioned it today, Su Qingluan pointed in the direction of the outside and whispered two words: "The capital."
Liu Yunniang gasped when she heard this. Instead of excitement or the impending windfall, she felt a sense of worry. "I'm not trying to dampen your spirits, but I've been to the capital twice before with my parents. The behavior of those dandy young men...tsk tsk tsk..."
Liu Yunniang's eyes flashed with obvious disdain: "They all look like dogs, but they don't do any human things, but they do a lot of dog things."
Su Qingluan was amused by her adjective and asked with interest: "Why are you doing dog things?" You can't just mark your territory on the street like a dog, right?
Liu Yunniang tutted, "Let's not talk about these disgusting things after we just finished eating. Let's talk about your jam."
Su Qingluan: ...So what exactly is it that is disgusting?
However, since the other party didn't intend to explain in detail, she didn't ask - it probably wasn't a good thing.
"I'm confident in the jam I make," Su Qingluan said confidently. Putting aside other things, simply speaking of "freshness preservation," Su Qingluan's jam was already exceptional, far surpassing those jams that rotted and spoiled in just two or three days.
"In that case, one day when you make a lot of money, you must treat me to a big meal!" Liu Yunniang said with a smile.
She was actually mostly joking when she said this, but Su Qingluan suddenly thought of something: speaking of treating someone to a meal, Su Qingluan also wanted to treat Liu Yunniang to a thank-you dinner, because she wanted to thank her for her previous dedication and efforts that far exceeded the remuneration.
But speaking of this thank-you banquet, there was another party - Mu Xingzhi, who had just been attacked by her "biochemical rice cake" not long ago!
If Su Qingluan were asked to contact Mu Xingzhi at this awkward time, she would rather take a train and flee the earth overnight.
Although Su Qingluan knew that her avoidance was only a temporary solution to this kind of problem, she always avoided thinking about this person based on the principle of delaying it for as long as possible.
However, she never expected that what was to come could not be avoided - Su Qingluan's trial products were widely praised in the capital and were hyped to the point that they were almost becoming some kind of hard currency.
This is naturally a good thing, but it also means that in the future, Su Qingluan will have to deal with Mu Xingzhi, the packaging designer, again.
It is difficult to say whether it is good or bad at this moment.
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