Chen Ahfu quickly put down what he was doing, and together with Wang, called Aunt Mu and Aunt Zeng to the kitchen. At this time, there was still more than half an hour before the hour of You, so it was impossible to make something too complicated and time-consuming. He could only stir-fry a few home-cooked dishes, mix a few cold dishes, and make some stewed food.
Cook the dishes first, and then make the golden silk cake while they are eating.
Chen Afu thought for a while and decided on a menu. Braised rabbit, braised pork liver, braised spareribs, braised dried tofu, cold mixed shredded vegetables, cold mixed black fungus, garlic kelp shreds, sugar-cooked peanuts, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, golden shrimp balls, scallion-wrapped lamb, braised beef with radish, stir-fried mushrooms, bear paw tofu, and clear-cooked chicken. A total of four braised dishes, four cold dishes, six hot dishes, and one soup.
After the decision was made, several people started to work.
Aunt Zeng lowered her head and hid the smile in her eyes. If it were the old days, she would definitely think that these dishes, except for the golden shrimp balls, were very ordinary. Even the cooks in Tangyuan could make dishes more complicated than these. I don't know why the masters didn't stay in Tangyuan for dinner, but had to come to Luyuan for dinner.
After eating hot pot that day, I realized that such a young girl's cooking skills have reached such a level. In addition, although she cooked the most ordinary dishes in the past few days, the taste is good. Yesterday, Sister Mu had something to do, so she cooked a few dishes. My God, I didn't expect her cooking skills to improve so quickly. The dishes she cooked were much more delicious than before...
Wei also went into the kitchen to help light the fire. While she was working, she told Chen Afu about the legendary life of Chu Guangkai, the third master of Chu. She said that the third master of Chu went to the border at the age of fifteen and returned at the age of thirty-five this year. It has been a full twenty years, and he has made countless military achievements. Eight years ago, when he was just twenty-seven years old, he was conferred the title of Xijin Bo, and in the same year he became the general of Yucheng, the youngest general in the Dashun Dynasty. He is the favorite son of the old marquis, the favorite uncle of Uncle Chu, and the pride of the Chu family.
Although the border has been very stable in recent years, the emperor still hopes that Master Chu San will continue to guard the border in Yucheng. But the old marquis made several memorials, saying that he was old and longed for his son, and even cried, and only then did Master Chu San cry back.
Judging from Wei's expression, she admires Mr. Chu San very much.
"Our Yongning Marquis Mansion has produced three of the greatest figures of the Dashun Dynasty. The first one was the late old marquis, who was conferred the title of marquis at the age of 22, making him the youngest marquis. My third master became a general at the age of 27, making him the youngest general. My eldest uncle became a lieutenant general at the age of 22, making him the youngest official of the third rank." Wei said very proudly.
"Your old marquis made Master Chu San cry and came back. Isn't he afraid of ruining his future?" Chen Afu asked casually.
"Alas, the old marquis had no choice. He asked the third master to come back, not only because he missed him, but also because he wanted him and the third mistress to come back to help look after the marquis's mansion..." Wei might have felt that she had said too much, so she quickly shut up.
Aunt Zeng was stunned and asked, "Didn't the Third Master and the Third Madam live in Xijinbo Mansion when they returned to Beijing?"
Wei shook her head and said, "No, the old marquis asked their whole family to live in the mansion, saying that the third master had been living away from home since he was a child and rarely showed filial piety to him. He asked the third master to live in the mansion for a few years and show more filial piety to him."
Aunt Zeng smiled and whispered, "It would be good if the Third Madam returned to the Marquis' Mansion. If the Marquis' Mansion is still controlled by her..." Aunt Zeng pointed to the number two with her fingers and continued, "If it is controlled by her, it will become an empty shell when it is handed over to Master Chu in the future."
Wei smiled and said, "That's why the old marquis called them back. The third wife is powerful, her family is powerful, and she has a good relationship with the eldest... my master, and she is not afraid of... that person. With her in charge, the second wife can't jump up and down. From now on, the affairs of the inner courtyard will be managed by the third wife, and the affairs of the outer courtyard and outside the mansion will be looked after by the third master. The old marquis will have more free time and can stay in Tangyuan for more days."
Chen Ahfu was confused, but she didn't ask any more questions. It's not that she doesn't gossip, in fact, she is full of curiosity about many things. It's just that she feels that the Marquis' Mansion has nothing to do with her, and she doesn't like the distant terms such as inner courtyard, backyard, and house fighting, so apart from being interested in the hero Chu San, she is not interested in anything else.
When the dishes were almost ready, Chen Ahfu went to the upper living room and asked someone to move the Eight Immortals Table to the middle and take out the set of yellow-glazed green-colored porcelain tableware. This was sent by Tangyuan as a New Year gift, and it was just in time for use.
He took out another jar of blue and white wine. After thinking about it, he heard that military commanders were good at drinking, so he took out another jar of blue and white wine.
Chen Ming was so nervous that he kept turning around in the room, and even the muscles on his face were shaking. Seeing that the dishes and chopsticks were already on the table, he became even more scared.
He said to Chen Ahfu, "Ahfu, Dad is scared. When I saw Lord Chu before, Dad was so scared that he couldn't eat. Now that I'm going to see the old marquis, I'm even more scared. I heard that those nobles will beat people when they are unhappy. Dad is afraid that if I say something wrong, it will implicate you."
Chen Afu advised, "The old marquis is not crazy, how could he beat someone without thinking? Judging from the character of Lord Chu, his grandfather and uncle should not be so domineering."
He thought to himself, if he knew that Master Chu San was a noble, a commander-in-chief, and a great general who made the enemy tremble in fear, wouldn't he be even more afraid?
Dabao on the side also said, "Don't be afraid, Grandpa Chu is a very good man and won't lose his temper easily."
Chen Ming added, "I won't eat with them this time. Let the three of them eat by themselves, okay?"
Chen Ahfu said, "Then let them eat by themselves. After all, they are not our guests, they came here on their own."
It was almost the evening hour, and Chen Ming, with trembling legs, led A-Lu and Da-bao to the door to greet them. He also reminded them not to talk too much, as too much talk would lead to mistakes.
Chen Afu led Zeng Xiaoqing to place the braised food and cold dishes on the table first.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the courtyard. Then, Chen Ming said in a trembling voice, "I greet the old marquis and the two adults." He was a little out of breath, obviously frightened.
The voices of Dabao and Alu were heard again, "I greet the old marquis and the two adults."
Dabao's voice was very loud, but he was not scared at all.
An old man's voice came, "Please stand up quickly. We are shameless enough to come to your house for dinner. No need to be polite."
Chu Lingxuan's voice came, "Uncle Chen, please stop being so polite. We are all acquaintances and need to interact with each other frequently. Too much courtesy is not good."
It should be said with a smile, not as cold as before. However, the call of "Uncle Chen" not only scared Chen Ming, but also scared several people in the kitchen. Wei looked at Chen Afu again.
Then a strange and cheerful male voice came, "Hahaha, I heard from Xuan'er that your family's food is very delicious. Before I returned to Beijing, I shamelessly knocked on your door to taste it."
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