Chapter 99 (Spicy Pig's Trotter)

After entertaining Dongdong, it was time for Yan Qiushu to go back.

Before leaving, she said something to Mrs. Xiao. Her son was injured last night and she herself did not sleep well. As she was old, she would not be in good condition when she worked hard. So after saying a few words, she asked Nanny Huang and Xiao Waiting to see her off.

Yan Qiushu refused. Just after the scorpion bombing, Xiao Huaiting came out of the main room, passed by her place, and went in to say hello. He had something else to do and couldn't see her off, but he gave her a gift.

It is a jade hairpin with a green flower ornament wrapped in a golden hairpin, but the style is simple and small, and not eye-catching.

After talking to Mrs. Xiao, Yan Qiushu turned around and left.

But when she reached the outer door, Xiao Huaiya was standing at the door with his bag on his back, waiting for her. When he saw her coming, his eyes lit up and he took two or three steps forward to greet her: "You are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a while."

"What are you doing?" Yan Qiushu looked at her strangely.

Xiao Huaiya's eyes curved, and he said shyly, "I want to stay at your place for two days."

Yan Qiushu didn't expect that after last night, she would be even more enthusiastic about her. She thought they would be good sisters in the future, but this time she wanted to go back with her and live with her: "Are you sure?"

Xiao Huaiya nodded vigorously, the hairpins on her temples swaying, her beautiful eyes and eyebrows were very firm: "Are you sure? You... won't dislike my dad?"

As she said this, she looked at Yan Qiushu with some worry, afraid that she didn't like her that much.

Yan Qiushu shook her head hurriedly: "No, no, then you go up, we'll leave now."

Xiao Huaiya was delighted at once, and quickly got into the car. She was skilled in martial arts, and climbed into the car very quickly. When Yan Qiushu climbed in, she even reached out to help.

The two of them sat down, and Yan Qiushu asked Huang Ma to go back. Huang Ma looked at them with a smile and nodded, saying, "I see, young lady, please go slowly, and send someone to tell me if you need anything."

"Yes." Yan Qiushu responded, and after Shuixiang got on, the driver started the journey.

She then looked at Xiao Huaiya curiously, still a little puzzled.

Hsiao Wai-ya has almond-shaped eyes, which become crooked when she smiles, and are open normally when she is not smiling. Her pupils are relatively large, with little white in her eyes, making her eyes look particularly dark and bright.

At this time, she frowned and sighed, "I came here to hide from people. Last night, we embarrassed Qin Rou. She argued at that time, but when she came to her senses, she would definitely find fault with me. In the past, I would definitely whip her and make her cry and curse her parents, but now I can't do that. I can only hide."

As he spoke, Xiao Huaiya narrowed his eyes slightly, and his delicate eyebrows revealed a bit of hostility.

This was also the reason why she was reluctant to come back before.

The daughter of the Xiao family lived a carefree life. Although her reputation was not so good, her family really loved her and treated her the same as their own son. Take her name for example. Normally boys and girls are given different characters in their names, but only the daughter of the Xiao family was not treated differently.

Even getting married was a form of bribery. The key was that they were lucky because all the sons-in-law they married were excellent. In particular, the husband of her third sister, Xiao Huaiyu, made countless noble ladies so jealous that they tore their handkerchiefs into pieces. They also mocked Xiao Huaiyu excessively for being rejected in an engagement before.

Hsiao Huai-ya was young and hot-tempered. When she heard others insulting her sister, she just started to hit them back. For a teenage girl, fighting was nothing. She had learned martial arts and could beat them so hard that the opponents would only cry and look for their brother. However, when the brothers came over, they were beaten again, so they did not dare to confront her anymore.

But five years ago, things started to go wrong for both parties, making it difficult for Xiao Huaiya to get married. As it happened, the only adult male members of the Xiao family who died were Xiao Huaiting and Xiao Huaqi. Xiao Huaqi was also frail and sickly at the time, and was blamed by the old emperor for his defeat. Only then did she start to restrain herself and be patient.

Now that she was back, Qin Rou and Dai Zheng had already married and had children, so they naturally felt qualified to mock her.

Yan Qiushu patted her shoulder and said seriously, "It's okay if you don't get married. Life is only a few decades long. You have to live for yourself. Try to ignore what others say and don't be affected by them. If they say something too much, you can fight back. You can't hit them, but you can scold them. They claim to be a noble family and a family of etiquette, so they definitely can't scold us better."

"Hahaha..." Xiao Huaiya was really happy. He moved to her side affectionately, hugged her, and said in a soft voice as if he was acting coquettishly:

"Ah Shu, thank you. My mother thinks it's time for me to get married. I like what you said! I was afraid to get along with you before, but now I am not afraid anymore. When you marry Lao Liu, if he bullies you, just tell me. Although I haven't used force for so many years, my hands and feet are still useless. I will tie him up and bring him to you to make him admit his mistakes!"

Yan Qiushu also smiled: "Okay, I will definitely find you!"

Yan Qiushu went away for a while, and when she came back, she brought a guest with her.

Zhao Shuhong thought it was someone like Fu Mingwan, and was about to greet her when she saw the girl affectionately holding Yan Qiushu's arm. She was disappointed for a moment.

Yan Qiushu introduced the two people to each other, settled Xiao Huaiya down first, had lunch, and then ran to the vegetable garden to check on her precious peppers.

Many more peppers were ripe, so she picked them.

Seeing her busy, Xiao Huaiya followed her out of curiosity.

There were few people on the farm. No matter how powerful the Xiao family was before, there were still many maids and old women coming and going. When there are too many people, there will be a lot of gossip. She was afraid of being gossiped about.

But on the farm, there are not many maids, only servants. But generally everyone is busy working in the fields. Only when guests come will they help deliver some things. They are not needed for other purposes, as guests will bring their own servants.

So Xiao Huaiya now dares to go out like this. When he walks out, the wide fields are more comfortable to look at than the Taoist temple before. In the summer, the plants are all lush green, which is comfortable for the eyes. When he looks up, he sees the endless blue sky again.

"That's great!" Xiao Huaiya exclaimed and followed Yan Qiushu's example to help pick peppers.

Yan Qiushu looked at her land and was very happy: "Yes, it's great. If it weren't for my aunt and General Xiao, I wouldn't be like this now..."

Xiao Huaiya looked at the busy people in front of her. When she was in the mansion, she was served and didn't have to do anything. On weekdays, she played with Dongdong and the others, and was as lively as a young lady. But at this time, she was particularly adaptable in the field, with a calm face, but she still felt a little admiration in her heart. There are always people who are ashamed to talk about the help of others, but she is so frank.

No wonder everyone in the family likes her.

Xiao Huaiya felt deeply that she had missed a lot, but she did not say it out loud. She pretended to be shy and said, "You still call me General Xiao? That's for outsiders."

Yan Qiushu turned around and looked at her helplessly.

Xiao Huaiya chuckled and said, "You really like Lao Liu? In fact, I think Lao Liu is the most boring among my brothers. Doesn't the eldest brother look like a romantic scholar? My second brother is very interesting and quirky. Dong Dong looks like my second brother. Although Lao Liu looks like a man of both civil and military talents, he is actually not interesting at all. There was a little girl who liked him very much before, but he disliked that she always followed him around and was a hindrance to him, so he made her cry..."

Yan Qiushu listened to her and couldn't help but think of a half-grown boy in his most unruly state. He would frown and disdain the little girl who followed him, and would also run off to fight with others if they didn't agree with him...

"Isn't this good?" Yan Qiushu thought and laughed: "This way he won't attract any attention, it's safe!"

"So that's how it is~" Xiao Huaiya suddenly realized: "I'm going to tell Lao Liu that you like him because he doesn't attract many people..."

"No!" Yan Qiushu said quickly.

"I will!"

The two laughed for a while, Xiao Huaiya wiped the sweat off his face, and suddenly said in a panic: "Ah Shu! It hurts so much! Is there something wrong?!"

Yan Qiushu was startled and turned around quickly, only to see that the uncovered part of the girl's cheek was red. Her skin was delicate to begin with, and when it turned red, it looked very scary.

She immediately led the group back and asked, "Did you see any bugs? Or where did you scrape them?"

"...It seems not?" Xiao Huaiya shook her head in confusion, holding her hand tightly, her face turned pale with fear, which made the burning red on her face even more terrifying: "I just touched it, and then my face was burning and painful, wuwuwu... I am so miserable..."

Yan Qiushu suddenly stopped, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "You got capsaicin on your face!"

"Ah?" Xiao Huaiya was stunned.

Yan Qiushu explained it to her and then looked through her basket. Sure enough, there were two broken peppers in it. It looked like they were pecked by a bird, probably because it touched this one.

Xiao Huaiya was relieved, but still felt aggrieved, and soon her hand, which had a slightly thicker skin, began to feel burning pain.

Yan Qiushu quickly took her to shower and soaked her in ice water for a while, which made the spiciness on her face and hands disappear.

Xiao Huaiya looked at the pepper with tears in her eyes, and she was terrified: "It tastes so good, but I didn't expect it to be so terrible!"

Yan Qiushu held back her laughter as she applied the ointment to her: "Spicy is a pain sensation, not a taste sensation. We just happen to like chili peppers. Is it uncomfortable? You look so miserable. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."

Xiao Huaiya's eyes lit up and he was no longer upset: "It's okay, I want to eat pig's trotters! I heard that pig's trotters are delicious. I asked the chef to make them, but they are definitely not as delicious as yours!"

Yan Qiushu naturally agreed, as she was also thinking about what to eat.

In addition to pig's trotters, you can also make something else, such as stinky tofu, which we haven't eaten for a long time. This thing is very lethal. Although Dongdong and the others like it very much, there are substitutes, so no one asked for it.

Yan Qiushu always ate by herself, which was a bit boring, so she cooked less.

But now she has two new partners, want to see if they like it?

If he's willing to eat pig's trotters, then there's a high possibility that he likes it, Yan Qiushu thought, and ran to the kitchen to start cooking.

Xiao Huaiya felt embarrassed to eat for free, and it would be a mistake for her to give money to him given their relationship, so she followed him to the kitchen and wanted to help, but she knew nothing, and Zhao Shuhong and Yan Qiushu could handle most of the things, so she couldn't find any work for her.

So she looked for a long time and said, "Then I'll go chop wood."

Zhao Shuhong: “???”

Yan Qiushu, who had also never seen Xiao Huaiya do heavy work, was also surprised. When they saw her really chopping wood, the two of them secretly watched her while she was busy. They saw that she was wearing a beautiful dress and wielding the hoe with great vigor.

Those slender arms don't look very strong, but with one hoe, they can cut such a thick piece of wood into two halves, one at a time, very quickly, as if they don't feel tired at all.

"Oh my god..." Zhao Shuhong murmured.

Yan Qiushu said "Fuck" countless times in her heart and then went back to work quietly. This was the foundation of other people's martial arts training since childhood. She was a loser, lazy, and didn't like to exercise. She could only rely on dieting to lose weight, so she didn't envy him.

It is not difficult to cook pig's trotters. They started cooking quite early. Yan Qiushu put the last bit of seasoning in it, added water, covered the pot and let the water help to simmer it slowly over low heat, then started to do something else.

There are three people, plus Shuiju, which makes four people, so we have to cook more food.

Cooking can sometimes be a kind of enjoyment, especially when you get along well with the people around you. You can chat and work at the same time without feeling tired, and the work can be done in a short while.

After the pig's trotters are stewed, the spicy flavor wafts out from the gaps in the pot lid, carrying with it a strong meaty aroma that is so appalling that one can't walk.

Manager Gu came over and told Yan Qiushu that someone had booked to stay here today. When she smelled the odor, she couldn't help but drool.

He has eaten a lot of delicious food, but the food made by his own master is always especially delicious.

Yan Qiushu cooked a lot today, and there were quite a few pig's trotters. Eating too much of this would make it greasy. Seeing that Steward Gu frequently looked towards the kitchen, she smiled and said, "Wait a moment, I'll serve you a bowl."

“No, no, this won’t do…” Steward Gu waved his hands repeatedly, trying to refuse.

But I couldn't bear to move.

Yan Qiushu ran to get a bowl. It was almost ready to eat, but the other dishes were not ready yet, so she let it stew for a while longer. The longer the pig's trotters were stewed, the more delicious they would be!

After the last dish of green vegetables was prepared, the water was used to serve the pig's trotters.

Yan Qiushu then started to make her stinky tofu. She put slices of stinky tofu into the hot oil. After a while, the stinky tofu that had sunk to the bottom would float up, and then the belly of the tofu would become bigger and bigger, and finally swell up.

At this point, you can take it out.

The taste of the stinky tofu sauce is different with the addition of chili peppers, and even better! Yan Qiushu skillfully lined up the tofu, pierced their bulging bellies one by one, poured the sauce into them, and then placed them on a plate, stacking them like a tower, and poured the remaining sauce from top to bottom.

The dark brown sauce flowed all the way onto the plate, dyeing the white plate dark brown. A few red pepper rings lost their balance and rolled down from the top, landing on the plate like a small red flower.

Finally, sprinkle with chopped green onions and you’re done.

Yan Qiushu carried the plate over with great anticipation. The two people who were already seated suddenly sniffed. Zhao Shuhong asked hesitantly, "Sister, do you smell it? Where does it stink?"

Xiao Huaiya nodded and frowned.

Shui Yu tilted her head and smiled secretly, put down her bowl and chopsticks without saying a word, and quietly left.

She is not needed at this time, so she can go and eat the food Yan Qiushu left for her.

Yan Qiushu coughed lightly and put down the source of the stench: "This is stinky tofu, do you like it? It's delicious!"

To prove her words, she took the lead in picking up a piece. The taste was even spicier than before, with a thick salty sauce coming out of the crispy tofu shell. The stinky tofu, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, was really delicious.

Xiao Huaiya and Zhao Shuhong looked at each other in bewilderment. The latter was a bit braver and ate it directly, but she still held her breath before eating. When it entered her mouth, her eyes lit up: "This tastes good!"

Xiao Huaiya hesitated for a moment, not because of anything else, but because she had not taken off her veil. However, since they had already decided to have dinner together, she slowly took off her veil and then picked up a piece of stinky tofu with her chopsticks.

She ate delicately, taking small bites, the stinky tofu was bitten in half, and the juice fell into the bowl. But what she got was enough, the sauce was thick and the stinky tofu was crispy.

Xiao Huaiya ate the food and nodded: "Delicious, delicious!"

Yan Qiushu smiled with satisfaction and started eating as well. There wasn't much stinky tofu and each person only ate two or three pieces. After the stinky tofu was gone, the three of them focused their attention on the highlight of the day.

After a long time of stewing, the spicy pig's trotters have been thoroughly flavored. The pig's trotters dyed brown are cut into small pieces, each piece is filled with soft and elastic pork skin and meat.

There is less fat here. When Yan Qiushu picked up the pork trotter, she dipped it in the soup. As soon as she ate the hot pork trotter, the taste, which was even spicier than stinky tofu, began to spread on her tongue. After two more bites of the meat, she felt it was even more delicious, especially the meat was tender and not greasy.

However, the pieces of pig's trotters were still a bit large, and it was not convenient to hold them with chopsticks. After a brief thought, Yan Qiushu decisively took action and held them with both hands, which was more convenient!

Xiao Huaiya also thought the food was delicious, but it was a bit difficult to eat. If there was no one else around, she would have just used her hands. But wasn’t this outside?

But when he saw Yan Qiushu doing the same thing, he felt relieved and followed suit.

Pinch the bones of the pig's trotter with two fingers and take a bite. Do it steadily without worrying about the trotter falling off.

However, when Xiao Huaiya took a bite, she found that the pig's trotter was really soft and tender. Her teeth had clearly bitten through the flesh and skin, but there was a strand that was not separated and was torn apart by her teeth.

When the two sides were finally separated, the meat on the pig's trotter bounced back, visibly tender and delicious.

She ate the meat happily and smiled at Yan Qiushu: "Sure enough! Ah Shu, your cooking is the most delicious!"

It was right to follow Yan Qiushu out this time!

It’s much happier than staying in a Taoist temple and eating vegetarian food!