Chapter 59 (Halloy Lotus Root and Halloy Dried Fruit...)

The place for receiving guests is the hall in the outer courtyard.

When Yan Qiushu arrived, she just happened to hear a familiar voice saying with a smile: "What are you waiting for, elder sister? The Xue family is a rare good family, with the Minister of Revenue! And I heard that the Xue family is trying to get their eldest son to be the governor of Jinzhou. As the youngest son, Xue Wulang will definitely have a bright future, and the Xiao family will also get another in-law."

The person who was saying this was sitting in the guest seat, leaning towards Mrs. Xiao, with a big smile on his face, looking very enthusiastic.

Mrs. Xiao had a serious face as usual, even showing a bit of coldness and impatience. Hearing this, she sneered: "No matter how good she is, she is still a concubine!"

"How do you know she doesn't want to?" Mrs. Jiang asked back, winking at her and whispering, "Are you really going to leave her to your sixth son? She is an orphan with unknown origins who has been living in the Xiao family for free for so long. You have been very kind and righteous. She deserves--"

"Shut up!" Mrs. Xiao finally couldn't help but scolded.

Mrs. Jiang's expression froze and she looked embarrassed, but she didn't dare to go against the wind and committed a crime, so she pretended to be calm and looked away.

When I looked up, I saw a young girl at the door.

Mrs. Jiang's eyes lit up, and she stood up to greet her, without any of the unfamiliarity or contempt she had shown before: "Miss Yan is here. Oh, Grandma Dongdong is really something. She has to ask a girl like you. Aren't you embarrassed to death?"

Yan Qiushu dodged her hand, walked past her without looking away, came to Madam Xiao, and bowed first: "Aunt."

Madam Xiao rubbed her aching forehead and said weakly, "Madam Jiang is here to propose marriage to you. She is talking about the fifth young master of the Xue family, who is the legitimate son, but the Xue family only offers him the position of a concubine. She is also talking about the principal wife, who is the daughter of Prince Jin, the Princess of Yongqing County. What do you think?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Jiang, who had just been ignored and looked unhappy, came over and raised her face with a smile: "That's right, but don't worry, the Prince of Jin is easy-going, and the Prince of Jin is also humble and capable. The daughter raised by such a family will naturally be a kind person--"

"I don't think it's a good idea, and I don't recommend that you agree. But you have to make the decision on this matter yourself, so I ask you. If you don't agree, I will take care of the rest." Mrs. Xiao interrupted her again, looked at Yan Qiushu, and said in a gentle tone.

The coldness on Yan Qiushu's face dissipated a little and she smiled at her.

As long as Mrs. Xiao didn't agree, she didn't care about the rest.

Madam Jiang was repeatedly humiliated, and it was difficult for her to maintain a smile. She whispered, "Miss Yan, I am not talented enough. I only know that you are from Wucheng, an orphan, and you came to live in the Xiao family because you saved Xiao Liulang. You can't expect to stay in the Xiao family forever, right?"

Yan Qiushu looked at her coldly and said in a cold voice: "Whether I stay in the Xiao family or not is none of your business. Please tell the Xue family clearly that I will not marry, even if it is the position of the main wife, I will not bother. Do you understand? Don't treat the position of a concubine as a treasure and use it to insult others!"

She had seldom gone out since she declined Xue Jiahe's offer last time. The other party should be aware of her attitude.

He actually came to propose marriage at this time, and to a concubine, how humiliating!

Yan Qiushu originally had a good impression of this young man, but now when she thinks about it, she just feels disgusted.

Mrs. Jiang was so upset by her cold reception that she couldn't help but said in a sinister tone, "Hey, do you really think you are a member of the Xiao family and are showing off?!"

Mrs. Xiao slammed the table with a "bang".

The loud noise startled several people, including Nanny Huang, and they all looked over.

She also had a cold face: "Madam Jiang, I have tolerated you for a long time. If you continue to speak without thinking, don't blame me for being rude. Besides, who said that Ah Shu is not one of my family? She is a member of the Xiao family!"

At this point, Mrs. Jiang became anxious: "Are you really planning to let her marry Liu Lang?"

Yan Qiushu's eyes trembled and her breathing became a little tight.

Madam Xiao looked at the woman beside her with a gentle expression and said proudly, "Why not? As long as Ah Shu is willing, I can arrange a wedding for them when Lao Liu comes back!"

Yan Qiushu's heart slowly fell to the ground. She lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and took two steps back.

When Madam Jiang heard this, she was shocked and didn't care about Yan Qiushu at all. She said anxiously, "That won't work. How can she be worthy of him? Didn't I tell you before? My niece was taught etiquette by the maid in the palace. Although her father is a fifth-rank official, he works in the Dali Temple, which is a job with real power. It's much better than Miss Yan..."

Although she had been eager to stay away from the Xiao family before, now that Prince Chang has come out, he is openly close to the Xiao family. Moreover, he only had a title at the beginning, but now even his fiefdom is the best. Even Concubine Lu cannot compare with Prince Chang.

She and her husband had discussed that as long as Prince Chang ascended the throne, the Xiao family would definitely be more prosperous than before, and the position of Xiao Liulang's wife must be kept within the family. Who would have thought that Madam Xiao would be so crazy as to give the position to a cook? !

Mrs. Xiao didn't care about her thoughts and just said in a deep voice: "No matter how good it is, it's useless if it's not suitable for my Xiao family. Mrs. Jiang, that's enough!"

Madam Jiang was embarrassed and furious. She blurted out, "Miss Yan, are you really not considering this? The Xue family is full of civil officials, which is much better than the Xiao family. Otherwise, you might end up with Dongdong and her two aunts-ah!"

"Bang!" There was a dull sound, which was the sound of a stick hitting someone.

Madam Xiao held a cane in her hand and hit Madam Jiang once, but she was not satisfied. She hit her twice more and then pointed at her nose and cursed: "You bastard, if you dare to say another word, I will beat you to death here today!"

Mrs. Jiang was shocked by this sudden change. She only came to her senses after the nanny who brought her there supported her. Just as she was about to get angry, she heard the terrifying rebuke and her mind went blank again. It took her several breaths to remember what she had just said.

I immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Her face turned pale and she felt suppressed, not daring to say anything.

Oh my God!

She was so angry that she even forgot that she couldn't mention her dead son in front of the old woman. She just blamed the man for being ill for the past few years and she forgot the shadow he had cast on her.

Mrs. Jiang could only pinch her thighs and cry weakly: "I said the wrong thing, why are you so anxious? My son is gone too..."

When talking about her fourth son-in-law who also died, Mrs. Xiao's expression became less fierce, but she was still very angry. Her chest heaved violently. After a while, she pointed outside the door and gritted her teeth and spat out one word: "Get out!"

Mrs. Jiang quickly turned around and left without saying goodbye.

Mrs. Xiao was watching from behind and reminded them, "Take all the things you brought with you!"

Mrs. Jiang quickly ordered someone to come back and get it, and then left the Xiao family in a hurry. Her speed was astonishing.

Of course, what surprised Yan Qiushu even more was the way Madam Xiao got angry just now. She was so decisive and attacked without any warning. She started beating as soon as she said she would, and then she cursed and threatened after the beating. Such momentum and pressure made it impossible for a woman like Madam Jiang, who had been in the back house for many years, to resist at all.

Even Yan Qiushu, who had seen a lot in modern times, felt her heart pounding at this moment.

Fortunately, Mrs. Xiao regained her composure after seeing the culprit leave. She said apologetically, "I didn't scare you, did I?"

"No, no!" Yan Qiushu smiled and shook her head: "I am still very brave."

Just a little bit surprised.

Madam Xiao looked at her expression and saw that she was not afraid, so she said, "Don't pay attention to her words. I tolerate her because of Dongdong's father. His father is an honest child. It's our Xiao family that has implicated him..."

Her throat choked and she uttered the last few words through gritted teeth.

Perhaps she couldn't continue, Mrs. Xiao was silent for a while, then said: "You can live at home peacefully. Even if you and Lao Liu don't get together in the future, I will adopt you as my daughter and find a good family for you so that you can live a peaceful life."

"Aunt..." Yan Qiushu was a little flattered. The Xiao family was really too kind. She just cooked some food and didn't contribute much else, but they were so sincere to her. However, she still had to explain what needed to be explained:

"Thank you, auntie. But the relationship between General Xiao and I is not what you think. He brought me back because he saw that I had no home to return to and he felt sorry for me. In fact, he saved me from the bandits' den. But because my family had a bad reputation because I was captured by bandits, they just regarded me as dead and even cancelled my household registration..."

The original owner's affair didn't cause a big fuss, and since she was an unmarried woman, not many people paid attention to it.

Apart from those close to the Yan family, few people knew how Yan Qiushu, the concubine's daughter, died.

Therefore, when Yan Qiushu explained it so clearly, Madam Xiao did not think of anything else. Instead, she rubbed her head with pity and said, "People in the world are pedantic. You don't have to care. From now on, you can treat the Xiao family as your own home."

Yan Qiushu smiled shyly and nodded.

The next second, Madam Xiao tried to test him: "But I think you and Lao Liu are a good match. How about considering it? If you agree, we can prepare first and wait for Lao Liu to come back and get married directly in the bridal chamber..."

Yan Qiushu:?

T-So fast?

Her face flushed, and she looked stupidly at the old man in front of her who looked serious but was actually soft-hearted and kind-hearted, and she was speechless.

Border

The border between Da Zhou and Wuta was covered with withered weeds due to years of war.

The two armies had just fought a ceremonial battle two days ago, and many people died, but the Great Zhou side won, so the other side dared not attack again for a long time. Unfortunately, the Great Zhou did not stop while it was going strong, but instead stayed on the spot to repair. The two sides continued to confront each other with a few miles between them.

Let's just confront each other, and the Uta soldiers, who have always been warlike, didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Even if the opponent is a tough guy, they will not stop until they have taken a piece of the meat.

However, the Uta soldiers could no longer hold back.

It’s not anything else, it’s just that the other party is going too far!

There was a pleasant aroma wafting in the air every day. It was hard to describe what that aroma was, but it must be a lot of meat. Every time it wafted over, their stomachs growled and they drooled so much that they couldn't speak. They were afraid of drooling as soon as they opened their mouths.

So delicious!

We were all at war, and we only had good food occasionally. Most of the time we ate dry food. Why did the other side eat so good?!

It was almost noon, and the soldiers of Uta were eating dry cakes and drinking water. They were quite energetic at first, but suddenly someone's nose moved. After smelling the familiar fragrance, some people couldn't eat anymore: "Damn it, it's coming again!"

Not only ordinary soldiers, but also generals ate together. Their meals were better, at least there was some meat, but they couldn't stand the smell. One of them muttered: "Where does the Great Zhou get so many delicious foods for them to consume? Is the intelligence wrong?"

"It must be the people from the Great Zhou who are trying to frame us. The people of the Great Zhou are cunning and are trying to trick us into fighting them!" another general cursed and swallowed his saliva. However, looking at the food in front of him, he felt it was very bland and he lost interest.

"So shall we fight?"

"Fight! This time we met the Xiao family again. We didn't get any advantage at all. We must fight. If you agree, you can eat their delicious food!"

"Okay! Fight!"

While efforts are being made to boost morale here, morale is already high on the other side.

Eating has always been the part they look forward to the most.

Nowadays, it has become everyone’s concern. They must train well, only then can they have delicious food!

This time, I am so happy compared to the previous ones!

"Lao Zhang, give me an extra chicken claw!" a soldier shouted.

Another soldier said, "Add some brine, add some, so I can get to the nest!"

"I know, I know, don't take it!" The guy who served the food reminded impatiently: "It's always served, don't drink it as water, it's so salty..."

"No, it's just delicious. It tastes great even when dipped in rocks!" Someone laughed and said, "Every bite tastes like meat. Oh my..."

Everyone was bustling with activity, and even during the battle, there was no sign of despair or panic on their faces; instead, they were filled with hope for a new day.

As the commander, Xiao Waiting was very happy when he saw this scene during his inspection.

Only by eating more and exercising more can you increase your chances of survival!

The reason why everyone’s mood is so high right now is mainly because we have something to look forward to every day.

Xiao Huaiting came to the place where he got his meal and took a look into the big iron pot. The aroma was extremely strong. The halogen aroma was a mixture of many kinds of spices and condiments. It was hard to tell what each tasted like individually, but the mixture together was really delicious when dipped in anything.

They chlorinated a lot of pig offal before leaving. The shelf life of chlorinated pig offal was extended. In addition to this, according to the method given by Yan Qiushu, almost all food can be chlorinated.

Things like lotus root, chicken feet, and dried bean curd sheets.

After being boiled in brine, the taste becomes different in a short period of time.

Seeing Xiao Huaiting coming over, the guy serving the food said, "General, do you want to eat something?"

But before he could answer, the soldiers in the queue stepped back and pulled him over: "General, come and eat. Today we have chicken feet and lotus roots. They are delicious!"

Xiao Wai-ting's serious face showed a hint of smile, and the hard lines on his face, which had become cold due to his weight loss, softened at this moment: "Okay, then I'll take advantage of you."

"You're welcome!" said a soldier.

Soon it was Xiao Wai Ting's turn. His husband even gave him more, and Wo Wo Tou also took one more: "If the general doesn't have enough, come over and get more!"

"Yeah." Xiao Huai Ting nodded, walked to the side with the bowl, squatted there like a group of soldiers, picked up chopsticks, prepared, and then ate.

It was a big bowl filled to the brim, with the top half filled with shredded bean curd sheets, a slice of dried salted fish, a few slices of lotus root, and two chicken feet, and the other half filled with a bunch of stir-fried wild vegetables and three steamed buns.

There was a spoonful of rice at the bottom of the bowl. Of course, this rice was not snow-white rice, but a mixture of coarse grains and cornmeal. It was a bit sore to the throat after being used to eating fine grains, but he was used to it, so the first bite of this one was a bit dry.

Then he picked up a piece of lotus root.

The brined lotus root slices have absorbed the brining juice and are no longer crispy, but the taste is excellent. One big bite will fill it up immediately. The salty and fragrant briny taste fills your lips and teeth. Suddenly, you don’t feel the dryness and difficulty in swallowing anymore, and you even want to eat one more bite.

After finishing the lotus root slices, I took a bite of the dried halved vegetables. This one was even more juicy, and its originally ordinary taste suddenly became its advantage. After taking a bite of this and then eating the wok-wo-tou, I felt that the wok-wo-tou had become more delicious?

Some people haven’t eaten enough and still want more. If you can’t give them food, you can give them some brine to eat directly with the rice.

Xiao Waiting used to eat fast, but now that he is not in a hurry, he tries to slow down, eating one bite at a time. He only ate halfway when the people around him changed. When Yan Xiang left, he muttered, "General, why are you eating slower and slower recently?"

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Xiao Huaiwu came over and saw how his brother was eating. He laughed, "Why are you eating like a girl? Who are you trying to show off to by eating so slowly?"

Xiao Huaiting rolled his eyes at her and ignored her.

Xiao Huaiwu chuckled, took out a dozen letters from her pocket, and said with a smile: "My family sent me a letter. Do you want to read it? Mom said there is one specially for you, a special one..."

Xiao Huai Ting quickly reached out to take it, but Xiao Huai Wu quickly took it back. He said in a deep voice: "Give it to me!"

"Let's eat." Xiao Huaiwu said disdainfully, "There's something my son wrote to me in here. I was planning to keep it and laugh at him when he grows up. The handwriting is so ugly, and there are two mistakes!"

"Dongdong is so pitiful!" Xiao Huaiting laughed.

Xiao Huaiwu was unmoved, so he had to start eating again. After finishing in a few bites, he put the bowl and chopsticks back and immediately grabbed the letter.

But he didn't read the others, but first found the one that was said to be written specifically for him.

The envelope was opened, and familiar handwriting appeared: "My son..."

His mother wrote it.

Xiao Huaiting sighed and continued reading. As he read, his expression became more and more strange. After he finished reading the whole paper, he put the letter away and went to read the others. These letters were a mess. There was one written by Dongdong, which mentioned a lot of things, such as what his sister Shu made for him to eat today.

The happy tone of the child, conveyed bit by bit through the text, eased Xiao Waiting's unswerving expression a lot. But as he watched, he saw one thing.

Dongdong said that Sister Shu and his friends went to a fried chicken restaurant and met one of his classmates Xue Guangxiu and his uncle. They enjoyed the meal very much and liked tiger skin chicken feet very much. They were very jealous knowing that they could go directly to the salty shop next door to get chicken feet.

The Xue family again?

Xiao Huai Ting narrowed his eyes slightly.

At this moment, a horn suddenly sounded. Everyone's face changed and they ran to the assembly point immediately.