Xu Jiang couldn't help laughing.
Jiang Gu was annoyed by the laughter and refused to talk to anyone no matter how they teased him.
Xu Jiang drank a bowl of medicinal porridge and went to the next house.
On the winter solstice, the sage offered sacrifices to heaven in the southern suburbs, and all officials of the fifth rank and above were required to follow. The Lou family father and son entered the imperial city early in the morning. The Lou residence was also holding a sacrifice ceremony. Xu Jiang didn't want to interrupt, so she gave the festival gift to the gatekeeper and asked him to pass it on to Madam Lou.
Mrs. Lou knew that she was coming, so she prepared a return gift early and asked the servant to give it to her.
Then came the Yuan family, the Du family, the Li family, the Zhong family, the Hu family... and each family was visited along the way. After wandering around for most of the day, Xu Jiang finally arrived at the gate of Nanshan Academy.
Lin Hongchu looked back and forth at the door several times before he finally saw her coming. He quickly tied up the donkey for her and took out her things.
As soon as they entered the yard, they found that many people came to pay their respects to Master Lin, most of them were students and their families. Xu Jiang didn't want to disturb them, so she went to the backyard with Lin Hongchu to find Lin's mother.
Lin's mother was in the kitchen, steaming red bean and glutinous rice. As Xu Jiang stepped into the house, she smelled the fragrance of rice.
"Aunt, have a happy winter solstice."
Mother Lin turned around in surprise, only to be hugged by her mother. She hurriedly said, "Oh, my hands are dirty. Don't stain my new clothes."
Xu Jiang chuckled, walked to the stove and lifted the lid of the pot. A burst of hot steam wrapped in the fragrance of rice blew into her face.
“It smells so good.”
Mother Lin took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of food and fed it to her mouth, and asked, "Have you steamed the heart?"
Xu Jiang nodded repeatedly, "Just add another fire and it will be fine."
Lin Hongchu came over and acted coquettishly, "Mother is partial to me. Since my sister came, she no longer loves me."
Xu Jiang took the chopsticks from Lin's mother's hand, picked up a big piece of food, and stuffed it into Lin Hongchu's mouth, "Come, sister loves you."
Lin Hongchu pouted and murmured, unable to utter a word. Seeing the two of them playing around, Lin's mother's eyes were filled with a loving smile.
Xu Jiang had agreed with Lin Hongchu yesterday and came early today. Lin's mother was in poor health and could not be relied upon, so she took over the Winter Solstice Banquet.
Master Lin had prepared the dishes yesterday, including chicken, duck, fish and meat. Xu Jiang also brought some wine and food, so this dinner was destined to be a sumptuous one.
Xu Jiang and Lin Hongchu brought a table, put all the bought dishes on it, quickly made a list, and started to process.
"Let me see which one to start with." Xu Jiang picked up a rack of lamb, "You're the one."
The lamb chops were braised in a sauce, then grilled and eaten with their hands, a truly hearty and satisfying experience. She took a heavy knife and, following the rib fascia, detached the bones one by one. After washing them, she blanched them with scallions, ginger, garlic, and wine, removing them once the meat had tightened around the bones. She then boiled water again, prepared the sauce, and added the lamb chops to the braising sauce, adding the spice sachet and simmering over low heat. Simmer until the meat was tender but not mushy, then removed and set aside for grilling later.
A winter solstice banquet is bound to include soup, and Xu Jiang prepared a lamb leg and radish soup. As the saying goes, eat radish in winter and ginger in summer. Radish is good for the stomach and warms the body, making it perfect for the coldest months of winter. A bowl of it can warm you up all winter long.
First, burn off any excess hair from the lamb legs over a fire, then wash and chop them into pieces. Blanch them in water to remove the blood and smell of the lamb, then remove them and stew them in clean water. The lamb needs to be cooked for a long time to remove the bones and soften it. While stewing, find a piece of turmeric, crush it, and throw it in; this is the most effective way to remove the smell of the lamb.
After stewing the lamb legs, she began to pick other ingredients. Although Lin Hongchu was not good at cooking, she was very good at helping others.
Thinking that Lin's mother was taking medicine and could not eat irritating foods, Xu Jiang took a clay pot and cooked a chicken. He only used one root of Adenophora Root to make the soup, and added red dates and wolfberries to enhance the flavor. It was very light.
The fish were river fish, a mixed variety, all small in size. Xu Jiang planned to make a mixed fish stew. First, pan-fry the fish on both sides until the crusts were left. Then, add water and rice wine and simmer until the juices have mostly evaporated. Then, add dried cucumber, shredded bamboo shoots, and tofu to the stew. Then, seal the pot and simmer in freshly burned wood ash. When the lid is opened and served, the aroma wafts across the street.
The braised lamb chops were already fragrant and tasty. As soon as Xu Jiang lifted the lid of the pot, the freshness of the lamb and the aroma of the marinade instantly spread out, making people's stomachs almost jump out.
"What's that smell? Why does it smell so good?"
Waves of fragrance washed over the students, and the students who had come to pay their respects to the winter worshippers seemed to have their noses pierced with strings, all sniffing in the direction of the fragrance. Finally, they discerned that the fragrance was coming from the backyard of the academy, and they asked Master Lin Lin, "Master, what delicious food is your wife cooking?"
Master Lin's face was full of seriousness, but he didn't know in his heart. However, as soon as he smelled the scent, he knew it wasn't the work of his beloved wife and daughter, but that girl Xu Jiang.
It smells really good, no wonder the students are distracted.
Xu Jiang was unaware of the situation in the front yard and was busy chopping duck meat. Lin Hongchu was busy washing ginger, and Lin's mother was watching the fire and peeling garlic.
"Sister, how do you eat this duck?"
"Ginger Duck." After Xu Jiang chopped the duck meat, he felt his arms sore. The duck was an old duck with hard bones, and it was also a time-consuming dish.
"Ginger Duck?" Lin Hongchu's mouth watered at the mere mention of the name. "How do I make it? Sister, teach me."
"Let me teach you. This ginger duck probably needs a new name."
Lin Hongchu asked curiously, "Why did you change your name? And what name did you change it to?"
Xu Jiang smirked, "Steamed duck instead."
Mother Lin chuckled. Lin Hongchu was stunned for a long time before she realized what was going on. She glared at Xu Jiang and said, "Sister, you only know how to make fun of me."
Mother Lin shook her head and sighed, "This girl can't stand the stove. Even if she cooks porridge, half of it will burn. I wonder if she offended the Kitchen God in her past life. What will happen to her as the head of the household in the future?"
"Not being able to cook is a blessing." Xu Jiang saw Lin Hongchu's expression darken and quickly changed the subject. "Although those who are capable should do more work, the more work, the more tired they are. It's better not to be able to cook. As long as you can coax and feed them, they won't starve."
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