Chapter 100 (Beggar Chicken)

Yan Qiushu also thought that what she cooked was delicious.

In her previous life, she actually didn't eat much pig's trotters, and most of the time she ate roasted ones. Living in an era when there was no shortage of meat, she didn't like to eat fatty meat very much.

So she doesn't like pig's trotters as much as other meats. But if it is made into spicy pig's trotters like this, the greasy smell will immediately reduce a lot, and what remains is the soft and tender taste of pig's trotters that few foods can match.

This bite of pig's trotter not only does not feel greasy, but also tastes exceptionally delicious, especially when you take a bite of the pig's trotter and then a bite of the sweet rice. The richness and sweetness are mixed together, and the latter seems to just make up for the slight fattiness of the former. It is simply a perfect match!

After finishing a pig's trotter, there was still a lot of rice left in Yan Qiushu's bowl. After a brief thought, she decisively took a spoon and poured the fragrant soup on the rice.

After a long period of stewing, the soup has completely absorbed the aroma of pork skin and meat. It is mellow, thick, fresh, fragrant and spicy. When eaten with rice, it goes down faster than anyone else.

It was getting late, time to go to bed.

The three of them took a walk for a while and then went back to their respective yards.

One good thing about the countryside is that white noise is very comfortable. The chirping of insects and birds is not abrupt at all and will not disturb people. On the contrary, this sound makes it easier to rest.

This resulted in Yan Qiushu getting up earlier in the countryside than in the Xiao Mansion because it was easier for her to fall asleep.

Xiao Huaiya was the same. He went to bed early and got up early for two consecutive days, following Yan Qiushu, helping her with some small tasks and doing some heavy work.

She was a lady from a wealthy family, and in just a short period of time she had become very skilled at fetching water from the well and helping to wash vegetables.

Yan Qiushu found it amusing every time she watched it.

Such a skinny and weak-looking girl actually likes physical work the most. I wonder if Wan'er will become like this in the future?

It was another morning, and Yan Qiushu was sitting at the dining table at about half past the hour of Mao as usual.

Shui Yan made breakfast today, which was pan-fried buns. She had only eaten two when Hsiao Wai-ya and Zhao Shu-hong also came over.

While eating, Yan Qiushu was thinking about how to entertain the guests today. The previous few times when the guests came, they had already followed a regular routine.

The focus of farm tourism is to enjoy life. There is nothing else here, but there is a lot of land and the scenery is also very good. It is completely possible for these dignitaries to experience various handicrafts such as grinding tofu.

But there is no more. Due to the geographical location, there are no hot springs or mountains nearby. Fortunately, Yan Qiushu is not short of money now, so it is good enough if she can earn a little, so there is no need to worry too much.

However, Yan Qiushu would still feel a little nervous every time she received guests. In her previous life, she was doing live streaming, and it was enough for her to show a group of netizens her leisurely farm life every day. She had never personally entertained guests.

"Are you talking about the Si hour?" Yan Qiushu asked again.

Steward Gu nodded with a smile: "Yes, don't worry, young lady, everything has been prepared, you can just receive us."

Yan Qiushu: "Well, it's much easier with only one person than at other times."

As he was speaking, a black dot appeared at the end of the road and slowly expanded.

This must be the guest.

only……

Yan Qiushu frowned: "One person?"

Manager Gu also hesitated. The person who came to make the reservation looked like a servant from a wealthy family. How could the guest come alone?

Soon the man approached, riding a horse, with a tall stature. Upon closer inspection, wasn't this Zhuo Ning whom I had seen at Mrs. Xiao's birthday party two days ago?

"Lord!" Zhuo Ning came up to him, quickly dismounted, and greeted him with a bow: "Lord, you look very good. I think you have heard the news."

"What news?" Yan Qiushu asked in confusion.

Zhuo Ning replied, "The day before yesterday, Duke Zhenguo reported that His Royal Highness Prince Xuan had recovered from his injury but was still staying in Kyoto, which was suspected of violating His Majesty's will. His Majesty personally ordered him to go to his fiefdom."

Yan Qiushu nodded without further comment. She felt uncomfortable with this person. She nodded: "So that's how it is. Is Mr. Zhuo the guest that was scheduled for today?"

Zhuo Ning saw that she didn't reply, so he didn't mind and said with a smile: "Yes, Miss Fifth is at your place?"

"Yes." Yan Qiushu nodded and smiled: "Master Zhuo, I will take you to see your residence."

"Okay." Zhuo Ning handed the horse to the manor's servant and followed Yan Qiushu and Gu Guanshi, but he kept asking, "Is the Fifth Miss used to living here?"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Master Zhuo can go and ask her directly."

Zhuo Ning curled his lips and sighed, "Hey, you are worthy of being a member of the Xiao family, you are so tight-lipped."

Yan Qiushu glared at him, and when she saw that they had arrived at the place where he would be staying, she immediately said, "We're here. Check to see if you need anything. Tell Steward Gu later that I won't entertain you all the time. Except for the inner courtyard, you can go anywhere else as you like. If you want to eat anything, tell the people in the manor. They can cook for you anytime..."

"Hey——" Zhuo Ning wanted to say something.

But Yan Qiushu had already run away.

Yan Qiushu didn't want to be a messenger between the two of them. If something went wrong, it would be her fault.

Matters of the heart are the most troublesome.

When she returned to the inner courtyard, she saw Hsiao Wai-ya playing hopscotch, a little game she had drawn out of boredom. The girl was enjoying it so much that she stopped playing when she saw her coming and asked, "Have you prepared the reception? Who is coming this time?"

Yan Qiushu nodded and said, "It was Zhuo Ning. He also asked about you."

Xiao Huaiya frowned: "Why are you asking me?"

Yan Qiushu looked at her with a smile, which made Xiao Huaiya's fair cheeks slightly red. She glared at her angrily: "Why are you looking at me?! You didn't say anything, did you?"

"No, I'll let him ask you."

Xiao Huaiya breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I won't go out to play today. Let's talk about it after he leaves."

Yan Qiushu crossed her arms and said slowly: "Really? I was thinking of taking you to be a beggar's chicken today~"

When they went out to play yesterday, they saw a wild rabbit. They didn't know how it ran into the field, but it was scared away by their movements. Zhao Shuhong drooled at the sight and shouted that she wanted to eat the rabbit.

Yan Qiushu felt that rabbit meat was just average and not as delicious as frogs.

Frogs are bullfrogs, but no one else knew. Hsiao Wai-ya thought she wanted to eat pheasants, so he patted his chest and guaranteed: "I know how to hunt! I'll take you to hunt pheasants tomorrow!"

Yan Qiushu also said: "No need for pheasant, I will make you beggar's chicken tomorrow, it's super delicious!"

Xiao Huaiya was naturally tempted, and agreed that they would go after entertaining the guests today. However, she backed off when she found out that the guest today was Zhuo Ning.

Yan Qiushu always felt that the girl knew what Zhuo Ning meant, so she avoided him, so she deliberately made a teasing remark.

Xiao Huaiya was anxious: "Ah!"

Zhao Shuhong saw that she was almost jumping up and down with laughter, "If you don't go out, you can still be a beggar, right?"

Xiao Huaiya looked at the woman in front of him with suspicion.

Yan Qiushu pursed her lips and smiled, very obediently: "Yes, I didn't say I had to go out."

Xiao Huaiya: “…”

She pouted and pulled Yan Qiushu to the kitchen: "Come on, let's get something to eat!"

Yan Qiushu suppressed her laughter and followed her.

The chicken is naturally processed. The chicken at this time is really the most delicious free-range chicken. The chicken meat is plump and tender. Just by looking at it, you can imagine how delicious it will be after it is cooked.

Yan Qiushu picked out the chicken and asked, "How much can you eat? I think I can eat a whole one!"

The beggar's chicken tastes light and not greasy. If you eat it with some milk tea, you don't even need to eat any rice, your stomach will be full.

Hsiao Wai-ya was the first to raise her hand: "Then I'll eat a whole one too!"

Zhao Shuhong and Shui Yu also expressed their desire to eat one!

How nice it is to eat meat in big bites!

At worst, you can just eat less at night to lose weight.

So Yan Qiushu made five, four of them and one for Zhuo Ning. She didn’t know whether he would like it or not, but she still made it, at least to get to know him.

The steps to making beggar's chicken are also very simple. First, give the chicken a massage, which is also called marinating. Yan Qiushu has made many kinds of sauces, and marinating is just one of them. Once she opens her mouth, the chicken can be made.

Yan Qiushu and Zhao Shuhong were massaging the chickens separately. In order to make them taste better, they pricked them with needles many times.

This time, no seasoning will be added to the beggar chicken, so it takes a little longer to marinate. Afterwards, some scallions, ginger and garlic are put into the chicken's belly. Then Xiao Huaiya comes over with lotus leaves, and a large pile of lotus leaves is used to wrap the chicken layer by layer. Then the lotus leaves are covered with mud.

When Hsiao Wai-ya saw this operation, he was stunned: "Can this be eaten?!"

Yan Qiushu rolled her eyes at her and said, "It's not like it came into direct contact with the mud, of course it's edible!"

Xiao Huaiya frowned and stared at her in distress. Can this be eaten? Can it really be eaten? Why do you need to add wine to the mud? Isn't it separated by a layer of lotus leaves?

It’s hard for a kitchen novice to understand, but Yan Qiushu did it very smoothly.

After wrapping the chicken in mud, the originally irregular whole chicken had become an oval-shaped mud ball. They walked out together, each holding a mud ball.

But there was a bad point. In order to avoid the chicken from getting mushy, it had to be simmered in the firewood pile. In order to ensure that it was heated evenly, Yan Qiushu wanted to dig a hole.

But it’s not good to dig holes in the manor, and then dig five holes at a time. It would be ugly, wouldn’t it?

So Yan Qiushu led them out and found a place to dig a hole. Xiao Huaiya took the lead and followed reluctantly behind. She didn't want to come out because it would be bad if she ran into Zhuo Ning.

But she just didn't want to do that. She had only taken two steps out when she saw a man standing on the edge of the field chatting happily with an old farmer.

She saw Zhuo Ning, and Zhuo Ning saw her too. Their eyes met, one was happy, the other wanted to run away.

"Fifth Miss!" Zhuo Ning was delighted and ran over directly.

Xiao Huaiya turned around and wanted to run, but Zhuo Ning soon caught up with her. Seeing her running, he laughed angrily: "Xiao Huaiya, are you going to keep hiding from me like this?!"

Xiao Huaiya stopped walking, pretended to pick up something, and returned to Yan Qiushu with a hoe on his shoulder and a sullen face: "Who is hiding from you? It's so annoying!"

When Zhuo Ning saw her coming back, he grinned and stopped talking to her. He looked at Yan Qiushu and said, "Xiang Jun, what are you doing?"

Yan Qiushu motioned him to look at what the person behind him was touching: "I'm going to make beggar's chicken. There's a portion for you. Do you want to eat it? If you do, I'll be there to help you."

"Okay! No problem!" Zhuo Ning happily joined the group: "I'll do whatever you want, can you let me take this?"

He wanted to take the hoe from Xiao Huaiya's shoulder, but was dodged and glared at. He didn't get angry and just smiled and walked past.

Yan Qiushu thought that this person had a good temper, but it was a pity that Xiao Huaiya was probably still in the middle of a difficult period. She shook her head, found an empty space, and pointed at it: "Dig it."

Xiao Huaiya stepped forward decisively and hoeed the soil with his hoe head, which sank deeply into the soil. Then he exerted force again and the soil was lifted up.

There was more than one person holding a hoe, there were also two little girls. Seeing this, Zhuo Ning also took a hoe and started digging with them, but...

Yan Qiushu turned around, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing so hard that she almost convulsed. It was so cruel. Zhuo Ning was a grown man, but he was no match for Xiao Huaiya in digging holes. As he worked harder and harder and his face became redder, it was Xiao Huaiya who began to smile.

In the end, Xiao Huaiya took care of two by himself, Zhuo Ning only took care of one and a half, and the remaining one and a half were taken care of by the other two strong maids.

Yan Qiushu, Shui Yu and Zhao Shuhong went to collect firewood. There was a lot of dry firewood nearby, but since it was Yan Qiushu's territory, farmers nearby would not come over and no one wanted the dry firewood, so it was particularly convenient to burn firewood at this time.

Soon the fire was lit, and five piles of firewood were burning fiercely. It was the middle of summer, and at noon, the sun was strong. Several people were sunburned so much that they ran to a straw shed nearby to eat watermelon and wait for the fire to die down. When it got smaller, they put the pheasant on it, covered it with some firewood, and waited for it to slowly simmer.

The watermelon is chilled and cool, and tastes like smoothie, but it has a sweet texture. It is not the greasy sweetness from adding sugar, but a natural sweetness.

Yan Qiushu ate several pieces in a row and didn't feel sick, but her stomach was full.

The others were similar. Zhuo Ning ate half a watermelon directly, fanned Xiao Huaiya comfortably, and said with a smile: "It's quite comfortable here. No wonder everyone who has been here praises it so much."

Hsiao Hwai-ya had worked hard, had eaten and drunk his fill, and was in a good mood. He gave a rare lively reply: "That's right, it doesn't matter who did it."

"My Lord is amazing!" Zhuo Ning said, taking advantage of the situation.

Hsiao Wai-ya gave him a look that showed he was very knowledgeable, and said disdainfully, "Try harder, there's not much wind."

"Yes, I will increase my strength now." Zhuo Ning smiled good-temperedly and really used a lot more strength.

Yan Qiushu covered her teeth and turned her head silently. Why couldn't she avoid dog food wherever she went? It was rare. Yan Qiushu wished that Xiao Huaiting was here.

"Is it about time?" Zhao Shuhong couldn't bear to watch it anymore and asked.

Yan Qiushu looked at the sky and nodded: "Okay, I'll go take a look."

Suddenly several people rushed out to get things.

The last bit of firewood in the fire was burned out, and the originally soft mud was burned hard, hot and boiling. Yan Qiushu didn't dare to touch it, so Zhuo Ning found a frame and took it back.

So the five beggar hens returned to the farm and lay down in the large living room in the outer courtyard, surrounded by ice cubes to cool them down.

Yan Qiushu took chopsticks and knocked them one by one. Zhuo Ning was not afraid of the heat, so he directly pulled the mud off, revealing layers of lotus leaves inside. As soon as the hole was opened, the fragrance of the lotus leaves spread out.

Then, with a poke of chopsticks, the lotus leaves layer by layer broke open, revealing the tender and fragrant chicken inside. The aroma that followed made people salivate.

"Wow! It smells so good!" Zhao Shuhong took a deep breath. The scents of lotus leaves and chicken in the air blended perfectly, without any smell of greasiness at all.