Chapter 221 Case File 3: Twin Butterflies Dance at Rose Villa (9)
In addition to the seafood porridge that is rich, smooth and fresh to the bone, Andre also tried the crystal shrimp dumplings and shrimp rice rolls.
The translucent white dumplings look like a shell and a purse, with a crescent-shaped edge at the seal. The crystal dumplings are plump and the orange-red shrimp meat can be seen through them, making them look super cute.
Jiangyou specifically told him that the shrimp dumplings contained soup and were very hot, so he couldn't swallow them all in one gulp and had to eat them in small bites.
Andre picked up one carefully, blew on it, bit the crescent tip, and carefully sucked the steaming soup.
Fresh, this is the first word that comes to Andre's mind, followed by sweet, not the sweetness of sugar, but the freshness of seafood, just like a beauty wrapped in a veil dancing gracefully, you can smell the fragrance, but just enough, it makes people scratch their heads and feel itchy in their hearts.
He blew on the shrimp dumpling again and took a bite of half.
The soft, chewy dumpling wrapper, the bouncy shrimp, the plump meat filling, and the crisp, granular texture all burst with sweet juice as you chew them. The flavor is surprisingly good, and the texture is unique. Andre couldn't help but ask, "What's that crunchy thing in there? Bamboo shoots?"
"No, there are no bamboo shoots at this time of year," Jiang You replied, "but Sister Yadela has a lot of Nanyang crops here. I found water chestnuts, also known as water caltrops."
Jiangyou was accustomed to the modern world's globalized food supply, where everything he wanted could be easily purchased. After arriving in this magical medieval world, he found it difficult to adapt to the arduous process of procuring even the smallest ingredient. But Yadra, worthy of being the woman in charge of the South China Sea fleet, had a vast storehouse of exotic produce. Even if they weren't available, he could simply ask the butler, and a puppet servant would deliver it in no time.
Jiang You suspected that there were more expensive ingredients stored in the underground cave, which were not normally taken out and were only taken out by special personnel when needed.
Of course, these water chestnuts are similar to the pineapples mentioned above. They are all natural wild fruits that are grown naturally. Their quality is far inferior to modern varieties that have been artificially selected, grafted and cultivated by professionals to enhance their advantages and eliminate their disadvantages.
But since they were transported across the ocean from such a distance, they can be considered the best wild crops of this era. The taste is not bad, but there are more woody parts, and the sweetness, moisture and flesh yield are much lower. From a small fruit, only about half of the usable flesh can be peeled out.
Perhaps, when she left here, she could ask Madame Butterfly for some crops and take them back for Holly to cultivate.
However, Jiang You didn't dare ask the housekeeper about the prices for the ingredients, fearing that hearing the exorbitant price tag of several gold coins would give even this heartless skeleton a heart attack. But anyway, cooking for the nobles here was a no-brainer. The more exotic and expensive Jiang You's dishes were, the more prestigious Madame Butterfly would be.
Perhaps because someone died at the party, both Madame Butterfly and the butler were under a lot of pressure. The butler repeatedly urged Jiangyou to make the dishes more exquisite, expensive and delicious, as if he wanted to restore Madame Butterfly's precarious reputation in this way.
Baron Chandler has been killed, and no matter how much Madame Butterfly does, he cannot be brought back to life. However, there are many forgetful and indifferent people among the nobles. As long as the benefits and services are in place, people will continue to attend the next party held by Madame Butterfly.
"So, what did you find out last night?" Jiangyou asked curiously. She went back to her room to sleep after taking a shower yesterday, but Andre seemed to be busy until very late, and no one knew what he had found out.
"We've uncovered quite a few things, but some clues are still missing, so they're not conclusive at the moment." Andrei's expression grew more serious once he got down to business. "But with the existence of the secret passage, the alibis of at least two people are no longer valid... I need to discuss this with my eldest brother."
Before he could elaborate, Jiangyou's food delivery map started to make a ding-ding-ding sound. It was obvious that the guests had already gotten up and were ready to enjoy the delicious and novel breakfast.
Takumi turned up the heat on the steamer and quickly steamed the small plates of snacks according to the order. Andrei finished his breakfast and joined her. Together with the half-retarded, half-intelligent puppet Leila, the three of them moved with swift, smooth coordination. The first wave of food was quickly placed on trays, which were then carried to the guests by the puppet servants.
Andrei's gaze lingered on the puppet servant for a moment.
The servants at the manor were divided into two categories. One category was the puppets like Leila, so meticulously crafted that, if it weren't for some artificial ingenuity, they would hardly be recognizable as human creations.
There were far more than the "few" puppets Vivian had mentioned; Andre counted at least twenty. These puppets were all handsome men and beautiful women, and aside from their cold, icy eyes, they looked remarkably like living people. Their primary responsibilities were guiding guests, serving them meals, and taking care of their daily needs.
The other type of servants were a group of full-grown men with a bandit-like air. They wore standard servant uniforms and looked ordinary on the surface, but if you looked closely, you would find that their skin was dark and rough, like sailors who had been exposed to the sea breeze for a long time.
These people usually hang out among a group of puppets, or hide near the stables or in the servants' passages in the mansion, joking, smoking and playing cards. They are a group of their own, and it is difficult to blend in.
Last night, on his way back to his room, Andrei encountered several human servants in the secret passage. They had come carrying fish and shrimp from the hidden harbor at the bottom of the cave. They had simply handed their cargo to the puppet servants before dispersing to rest. Andrei took the opportunity to try to get close to them, but gained little. These people were even more secretive than the puppets, completely tight-lipped.
But what is certain is that they are the crew members of the South China Sea fleet that Yadra mentioned, responsible for transporting supplies to the villa.
Madame Butterfly is a mysterious woman whose true identity remains unknown. She has many underlings, and if she sends someone to pretend to be her and chat with Madame Duran, she can then escape, go through the tunnel to the flower pavilion, and unnoticed, induce an allergic reaction in Baron Chandler with roses dipped in almond powder, and then return to the secret passage.
Or maybe... Andre thought of the many women's dresses hidden behind the secret door of the hot spring changing room. If Valentine also had the pass to the secret passage of this villa, he could use those clothes to disguise himself as Madame Butterfly, pass through the secret passage to kill Baron Chandler, and then return to the hot spring, pretending nothing had happened, waiting for the butler to bring his own clothes.
This explains the second Madame Butterfly that Ms. Landna witnessed - there are two Madame Butterflies in this villa, one real and one fake, just like the legendary twin butterflies, dancing and fighting endlessly.
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