"Sihua, there's no need to ask Master Niu to prepare meals today. I'll eat at Aunt Cui's place." Lanqin finished reading the account books that the steward had brought over that morning, and it was almost lunchtime.
"Master Niu will be sad!" Si Hua said, handing Lan Qin a cup of tea.
“Let Master Niu rest occasionally, no need. His cooking is still my favorite!” Lanqin said, thinking that Niu Baoquan had been cooking for her for seven or eight years. She felt that she hadn’t paid much attention to his family affairs, unlike Cui Niang and the others who were always by her side. In fact, Niu Baoquan had been with her for so many years.
“That’s good. Master Niu is getting old. Yesterday, I heard him say that he’ll work for his master for a few more years and then go back to his hometown,” Si Hua said.
"Sihua, go and talk to Master Niu for me. Ask him where his hometown is and who his family is," Lanqin said.
“Yes, I once heard him say that he has a wife and children at home!” Si Hua said.
"Then you should talk to him more!" After Lanqin finished speaking, she took the three children and went to Aunt Cui's place.
When Lanqin and the others arrived, they saw Aunt Cui directing several maids to chop cabbage in the courtyard. Lanqin noticed their movements resembled those used for making Korean spicy and sour cabbage, and asked, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
Several children were also attracted by the scene of the cabbage being arranged so elaborately, and they all squatted around to watch. Nianxue and Xicha came out, supporting their pregnant bellies, and when they saw their three little masters, they quickly pulled them over to ask them all sorts of questions.
"Even the concubine knows this. Winter is just around the corner, and the old man is having them pickle cabbages. In winter, adding a spoonful of this spicy cabbage to the meat soup will be incredibly appetizing," said Aunt Cui.
Lanqin could almost smell the delicious aroma of the Korean kimchi; her saliva was constantly flowing from her throat. She asked, her face flushed, "Auntie, who taught you how to pickle this cabbage?"
Aunt Cui said, "This was given to me by my mother. Today we're having braised beef brisket with dried green beans that I brought from home, as well as fish that was just prepared in the kitchen. Consort, we don't need anyone to serve us. They insist that we rest and won't let me cook."
Lanqin smiled and said, "Auntie, would it be good if they helped you? You should teach them more. Nianxue and Xicha are in the period when they need a lot of nourishment. You should spend more time making delicious food for them so that their babies will be healthy and chubby."
"Yes. Consort Cui need not worry about that. The old master has already prepared menus for them. They can eat a different meal every day!" said Aunt Cui.
"Yes, Nianxue and Xicha are so lucky to have a mother-in-law like Auntie," Lanqin said with a smile.
"I just feel sorry for my eldest daughter; I wonder what she's eating at the Li family's house," said Aunt Cui.
"Don't worry, although Old Mrs. Li's cooking isn't as good as yours, her dishes are still very good. Cui Niang won't go hungry," Lanqin said. "Auntie, there's an old lady over at Sister Song's place. Would you like to get to know her?"
"Alright, but I don't know if Madam Song would be willing to befriend this old woman," said Aunt Cui.
“I think Madam Song is a very kind person. It would be nice if you two spent more time together and had a chat,” Lanqin said.
"Alright, how about I go with the concubine to pay my respects to Madam Song this afternoon?" Aunt Cui was actually quite restless.
Lanqin and the children enjoyed a delicious and satisfying meal at Aunt Cui's house.
Aunt Cui said, "Consort, remember to tell them to take out the pickled cabbages I made and eat them when the time comes. I'm not staying here for more than a month; I'll be going back soon."
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to deliver the pickled cabbage back once it's ready," Lanqin said with a smile.
"No, no, I'm just pickling these things for the concubine and the other princesses to try," said Aunt Cui.
"Mother, what delicacies haven't the concubines and the other princesses eaten? Why would they miss your cabbage?" Nianxue couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, they've been eating too many delicacies, and their mouths are so dry. That's why they need these simple foods to whet their appetites," said Aunt Cui.
“Auntie is absolutely right. I really love Korean kimchi. Auntie, you know what? Your method will definitely become widely known in the future,” Lanqin couldn’t help but blurt out a term from a later era.
"Huh? What is this 'Korean kimchi'?" Aunt Cui asked.
“Auntie, it’s a kind of delicacy, just like the cabbages you pickled today. It’s just given a nicer name,” Lanqin said.
“Oh. Anyway, it was my mother who taught me. Nianxue and Xicha, you will both learn it and pass it on, haha!” Aunt Cui said.
“Yes, Mother, I’ve already learned how. It’s just splitting the cabbage in half, sprinkling it with salt, pepper, red chili peppers, soy sauce, chopped apples, and so on, then pressing it down in a jar to keep it out of the light. It’ll be ready in about twenty days,” Nianxue said.
“Yes, the method is correct, but the skill isn’t something you can just rely on books for; you need years of experience to make the most delicious food,” Aunt Cui said to her daughter-in-law.
"Yes, we still need to learn more from Mother so that we can cook the dishes she makes. It's all about accumulating experience over time!" Xicha said obediently.
“Yes, it’s all accumulated over time,” said Aunt Cui.
Lanqin couldn't help but think of her parents in another time and space, and the dishes her mother used to cook. She wondered how they were doing now, whether they still thought of her? Perhaps they had already gotten used to life without their daughter?
"Consort, what's wrong?" Aunt Cui's voice interrupted Lanqin's thoughts.
"No, nothing. Eating Auntie's food reminded me of the dishes my mother used to make!" Lanqin told a lie that wasn't quite a lie.
“Master, are you missing Madam? Why don’t you go back and visit her?” Nianxue said. She naturally assumed that Lanqin was thinking of Anjia.
"Yes, it's been a long time since I've been back. I wonder how my mother and father are doing," Lanqin replied.
“Why don’t you bring her over for a few days, Consort? Even I, an old man, am fortunate enough to live in such a paradise on earth thanks to you. How much more so for your mother?” said Aunt Cui.
Lanqin nodded and said, "Alright, I'll send someone to pick up Mother in a few days so she can come and stay for a while."
In truth, Lingzhu did send a letter to Lanqin, but Lanqin didn't want to concern herself with the matter in the letter. He wanted Lanqin to plead for his and Yang's son's future before the Fourth Prince. Lanqin simply didn't reply.
And so, the two sides reached a stalemate, neither of them taking the initiative to contact the other, and even Anjia didn't come to see Lanqin again.
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