Ruan Meng explained with a smile, "Before leaving, Madam Xu asked me to make a stone frog dish for Lord Xu..."
"Madam Xu said that stone frogs were Lord Xu's favorite food, but since she fell seriously ill, Lord Xu has not had a single good meal."
"She said she really liked the duck soup with bamboo shoots we made last night, and deeply appreciated the comfort food brings, so she asked me to..."
"Originally, I had already asked Xiao Kai to help the He family restaurant acquire the stone frogs, but who knew that the frogs would walk right into my trap!"
"It's much easier to handle than a stone frog!"
"Although there is only one crucian carp, think about it, Lord Xu can only eat it this once. You are with me, how could you miss out on the opportunity?"
"Let's go back and climb the mountain! We'll catch stone frogs to eat!"
Hearing this, the second and third brothers calmed down a little.
I was somewhat comforted when Ruan Meng told me that the innards of the frogfish tasted just as good as chicken giblets.
Several people carried out a few tables from inside the house, put them together, and drank alone in the courtyard.
The second son poured a cup of Shanlan wine and delivered it to Lord Xu's room.
Just as Lord Xu picked up his bowl, he saw the second son enter, who was much more polite than before, and stood up to greet him.
After hearing from her second son that everyone was drinking outside the courtyard, Madam Xu urged her husband to go outside and join in the fun.
Xu Zhen was worried and left his wife alone in the room, feeling lonely and isolated. He had just politely declined the offer when his second son suggested:
"Why don't you move your wife to the courtyard as well, sir?"
"The temperature is just right now, and you won't catch a cold. A light blanket is just right. If you feel tired, we can bring you back here; the air outside is fresh too."
Xu Zhen was still hesitating when the second brother rushed to the door and called for Ruan Meng's help.
When Ruan Meng came in, she heard her second brother's suggestion and saw that Madam Xu was somewhat interested. She immediately agreed and suggested that Madam Xu get some fresh air.
Madam Xu had been bedridden for many years, so one more night wouldn't make a difference, especially since she had already shown some improvement.
For patients, a good mood is also beneficial to recovery.
Xu Zhen had unknowingly developed trust in Ruan Meng.
Seeing Ruan Meng say this, he got up and began to hug the lady.
Ruan Meng helped carry blankets, mattresses, etc., the second brother helped move the recliner, and the third brother, who came in to help, took Xu Zhen's bowls and chopsticks out.
This was probably the first time Madam Xu had ever seen such a scene.
Seeing Sun Chengen openly sitting next to the servant, he showed a hint of surprise.
Although we've only met a few times, I could tell that this pampered young master has his own temper. I never expected him to be so easygoing.
After settling Madam Xu in, Ruan Meng returned to the room, poured a glass of warm mint water, and slowly poured it into Madam Xu's mouth. Madam Xu's eyes lit up.
Ruan Meng smiled and explained, "Madam, this is peppermint water. I picked the peppermint from the mountain; it's refreshing and helps relieve fatigue."
Madam Xu nodded slowly.
Xu Zhen's bowl and chopsticks were placed in the center of the long table, and Song Shiwen, Fan Zizhong, and others welcomed him in.
Fan Zhizhong sat down next to him, giving Sun Chengen the seat to Xu Zhen's left.
Sun Chengen did not dawdle and followed their arrangements.
Xu Zhen noticed that his plate contained the only fish; there hadn't been any on the table before. He then pushed it towards the center...
The second and third brothers exchanged a glance, unable to suppress the smirk on their faces.
Ruan Meng suppressed a laugh.
Even the usually aloof Sun Chengen spoke a few more words than usual when accompanying the Ruan family.
He had eaten the flying fish and shrimp on the table before, and he vividly introduced them to Xu Zhen in a few words.
Xu Zhen was very obliging and tried a little of everything, his expression clearly showing amazement.
When Xu Zhen tasted the perilla-flavored frogfish specially prepared by Ruan Meng, he couldn't stop eating. Fan Zizhong toasted him, and with the addition of Shanlan wine, the frogfish flavor was even more complete.
"Eat, you guys eat!"
Xu Zhen couldn't ignore the expectations of his second and third sons, so he pushed the plate aside. The second and third sons couldn't resist and quickly grabbed a piece.
The second child, however, put a piece into Ruan Meng's bowl first, saying, "Little sister, you made this yourself, try a piece!"
Although the frogfish was large, there were many people at the table. Xu Zhen ate half of it, leaving half a plate, so each person could only get one piece at most.
Although the frogfish was ugly, once the skin was removed, at least you could tell it was a fish, so Sun Chengen wasn't so averse to it.
A Yuan picked up a piece for him, and Sun Chengen tasted it. Although his face was expressionless, his chewing motions and reactions showed that he liked it.
After drinking the Shanlan wine, Xu Zhen's spirits lifted considerably. Pointing to a plate beside him, he asked:
"What's this?"
Song Shiwen reached out and moved the plate away, explaining:
"My lord, you don't know, these are the guts of the frogfish that my younger sister removed. You ate the fish, so these are left for us."
"Wait a minute, I've heard that a good chef can make offal taste even better than meat. I've never tried it before, and I really want to try it now..."
A piece of fish belly is very chewy.
A bite of fish maw wasn't fishy at all, just a little spicy.
Song Shiwen reminded him, "Sir, you should eat this with rice; the fish offal goes well with rice!"
Xu Zhen took a mouthful of rice, and sure enough!
I couldn't stop eating it!
"I never expected that the frog carp offal would taste even better than the fish meat!"
The second and third brothers had just refused the frogfish meat...
a bolt from the blue!
What a blunder!
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