Chapter 542 If you can't afford to offend them, you can avoid them
Madam Xu may seem to have a fiery temper, but she is actually very patient when it comes to learning to cook. She remembers every step meticulously, including the amount of oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, etc.
Lin Yuesha doubted whether Xu Da's words were too exaggerated. She believed that if Madam Xu had a good master, her skills would not be bad as long as she studied diligently.
The braised pork was first stir-fried over high heat, then water was added and the heat was reduced to low. The two dishes and one soup took more than half an hour to complete.
The stir-fried potato shreds were cooked to perfection. Because a shredder was used, each potato shred was of uniform thickness and looked glistening on the white porcelain plate.
The aroma and color of braised pork belly are incredibly tempting. Egg drop soup is simpler; just sprinkle some finely chopped green onions and a few drops of sesame oil on top before serving.
Madam Xu brought two dishes and a soup to the flower hall, where Xu Da was sitting in a chair with a look of utter despair, waiting for torture.
"Mother, did you make this?"
Xu Da looked at the dishes on the tray. At least they weren't burnt, and surprisingly, they even looked quite appetizing.
"Of course, if it wasn't me, then who did it?"
Madam Xu put down the tray and served the food herself, dismissing the maids. She personally served rice to Lin Yuesha and Xu Da.
"Auntie, I can't eat this much."
A bowl of rice piled up like a small mountain, making Lin Yuesha feel ashamed. If Granny Fang saw this, she would definitely nag her.
To maintain a proper figure, ladies from respectable families would not fill their small bowls more than two-thirds full with rice; this was an unwritten rule.
"You used up your energy practicing the horse stance today, and then you accompanied me into the kitchen this afternoon. This bowl of rice is not too much for you."
When Madam Xu was Lin Yuesha's age, she practiced martial arts every day and ate two large bowls of rice per meal, and the bowls were much bigger than that. She needed to eat a lot to grow tall. She was almost of marriageable age, but she was still as thin as a bean sprout, which made her family seem poor.
Women should eat more meat; it's not like they can't afford it.
"Don't be like those people in the capital who pretend to be vegetarians, but who knows how many lives they've killed behind the scenes."
Madam Xu was alluding to Zhuang Shi, saying that her niece Zhuang Wanjun hadn't grown up yet, and it would be difficult for her to speak ill of others in the capital in the future, as she looked too young and lacked dignity and authority.
Eating more meat is good for women; it makes their complexion rosy and healthy during their period, and Mrs. Xu never suffers from the pain of a woman's stomach.
Unable to refuse Madam Xu's hospitality, Lin Yuesha could only keep her mouth shut and eat. Before she could even pick up some food, Xu Da asked in shock again, "Mother, are you sure you made this?"
How come they're not only not bad, but actually delicious? His mother must have been making these two dishes for the first time, how did she learn them so quickly?
Even if his mother is good with a knife, it's only good for wielding a large knife, not for cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife.
The shredded potatoes in front of me are all the same thickness; even the chefs at small restaurants might not be able to produce this level of quality.
"Dog, what do you mean by that?"
After being looked down upon twice, Madam Xu immediately called out Xu Da's nickname. How could someone impersonate another person when it comes to cooking? She didn't have that kind of vanity.
She did it, she did it, Xu Damo isn't convinced?
"tasty."
Seeing that he was about to anger his mother, Xu Da quickly gave her a thumbs up. Even if it didn't taste good, he had to go against his conscience, otherwise his mother could practice until it tasted good and then make him taste it every meal.
Xu Da wasn't lying. The braised pork was tender and the broth had a deep red sheen. He ate rice soaked in the broth and quickly finished a large bowl. He then started on his second bowl, eating with great satisfaction.
As for the taste of the pig heart soup from a year ago, Xu Da had long forgotten it. He thought that perhaps he had offended his mother and was given croton oil.
"Mother, the government office is very busy lately, so you don't need to wait for me to eat."
After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Da put down his chopsticks, patted his belly contentedly, and said...
Today his mother went to the Five Cities Military Command to find him. He's such a grown man, yet he's being led around by the nose by his mother. It's a bit embarrassing for him.
"You're ashamed, aren't you? Is your mother the same as other mothers? If war breaks out on the border, your mother can go to the battlefield and kill the enemy."
Madam Xu was not an overly domineering person; on the contrary, she disliked controlling her son and gave Xu Da a lot of freedom.
However, she reflected on her actions and realized that letting Xu Da roam freely like a sheep was not a good thing for him. Instead, it made him stray from the norm and start associating with men when he reached the age of marriage and having children.
Madam Xu brought up the marriage proposal again, and Xu Da, who was being forced to agree, became rebellious, leading to a bitter parting between mother and son.
The next day, Lin Yuesha came to see Madam Xu as usual to practice the basics of horse stance. She wanted to teach Madam Xu new dishes, but was refused.
"I need to reinforce the steps you taught me yesterday. Practice makes perfect, and the same applies to martial arts."
Madam Xu had her own attitude and made the exact same dishes as yesterday. She went from being unfamiliar with the dishes at first to quickly getting into the swing of things without needing Lin Yuesha's guidance.
Xu Da had not returned from the yamen, but Madam Xu was not discouraged. She personally went to the Wucheng Military Command to bring Xu Da a meal.
On the sixth day, Xu Da finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked the Prince of Luo for leave to go see Lin Yuesha.
"Cousin, please save me."
Xu Da looked miserable, as if he had eaten a bitter pill. "My mother brought me food again."
After delivering the goods for six consecutive days, Xu Da couldn't take it anymore.
"I heard the government office is busy, and your aunt was afraid you'd forget to eat, so she brought this."
Lin Yuesha has been practicing horse stance every morning recently, and then returning home because she's been busy making preparations for Jiang Baozhu and her group's upcoming visit.
Madam Xu's insistence on sending meals to Xu Da was also a way to ease the relationship between mother and son, a conciliatory policy of Madam Xu's forced marriage.
"Didn't you teach my mother any other dishes?"
Xu Da looked pale and sickly. He had been eating shredded potatoes and braised pork for six days in a row. It tasted the same every time, and no matter how delicious it was, he was getting tired of it.
However, his mother seemed to have not done enough, serving the same two dishes and egg drop soup at every meal, making Xu Da shudder at the sight of the food box.
Lin Yuesha was embarrassed. Madam Xu was serious. If martial arts training were incorporated into cooking, Xu Da would probably have to eat for a year.
"You can talk to my mother and ask her to change the dish."
Xu Da knew his chances were slim, so he decided to avoid trouble and leave the capital.
"Cousin, you can't be serious, can you?"
Lin Yuesha was dumbfounded. Others eloped for true love, taking their sweethearts with them, but Xu Da only had himself. He was truly miserable.
"As for that, I'll be leaving in a bit."
Xu Da only hoped that when he returned, his mother would prepare some new dishes to entertain him, even something as simple as pig's heart soup would be fine.
"Where are we going?"
Lin Yuesha stood up; it turned out Xu Da had a mission.
"It's the case you reported a few days ago about the fraud gang. We've caught the ringleader, and now we're going to Cangzhou to arrest the key members of the fraud gang."
Not only was the Song family ruined, but many others who had nowhere to turn for justice also committed suicide. The Prince of Luo took this very seriously and sent Xu Da to Cangzhou to arrest people, making a big show of it as a warning to others and to make the merchants with ulterior motives behave themselves.
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