Chapter 105: Game of Chess (Niuniu Twisting Old Cow)
Xue Wulang seemed not to have heard it, and bowed to his father, "I will go to my room to review my lessons first."
Lord Xue was so angry that his nose was smoking. "It is obvious that Prince Zhao and Young Master Fan are both in the Su family, why doesn't he try to get close to them? Such a good opportunity is wasted. Really, why doesn't this kid look like me?" He is so good at scheming, and at the age of thirty, he is already a fifth-rank official.
Lord Xue was very complacent.
Mrs. Xue was pregnant. Since Mr. Xue got promoted, his salary, favors, and respect from his subordinates were much more than before. The Xue family lived a comfortable life. She was not as serious as before. When she heard the man complaining, she smiled and interrupted: "Then cultivate the baby in your belly."
Lord Xue always complained that he had too few sons. This time, she finally got pregnant with another one. He was finally happy. "Yes, if the old one doesn't work, we'll just raise the smaller one." After the old imperial physician took his wife's pulse, Lord Xue had no doubt that the child in her belly was a son.
Behind closed doors, each family lives their own life, and Dayin Dynasty is no exception.
This time, Zhao Lan and Fan Yanjia had already made arrangements in advance and brought the ingredients for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall yesterday, so early this morning, Su Ruojin prepared them and put them into the casserole, simmering them on low heat. It has been almost five or six hours, and the flavor is just coming out, and the kitchen is filled with fragrance.
In addition to Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Su Ruojin also made cabbage stewed with tofu. Put the fried tofu aside for later use, use lard to fry the onions, garlic, dogwood and other ingredients in a casserole, add cabbage, quail eggs, black fungus, pork belly slices, and the fried tofu, then pour in the boiled bone soup, and simmer over high heat for about ten minutes before serving.
Once you open the lid of the casserole, the aroma is as good as the precious ingredient Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!
It couldn't be all soup, so Su Ruojin made a pot-fried pork, braised pork intestines, and tiger skin chicken feet. All meat dishes would make you tired, and there were really no decent green leafy vegetables in the winter in the north, so Su Ruojin had to work hard on radish and made stir-fried shredded radish, which was light and refreshing. He also served a plate of small green vegetables. The staple food was not pasta, but the rare white rice, which was considered a way to entertain guests.
Before people sat down at the table, Fan Yanjia and Su Sanlang had already eaten half of the sweet and sour pork as a snack. If Su Ruojin hadn't reminded them, the whole plate would have been gone.
Amid the steaming heat, the group finally reached the table and started their delicious lunch.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Cabbage Stewed Tofu are served in separate portions, with a bowl placed next to each person. It doesn't matter whether you eat the vegetables first or drink the soup first, as long as you eat your fill.
It is cold in winter and the body spontaneously demands heat, which makes people unconsciously greedy. Therefore, the only sounds heard on the table are the sound of drinking soup and chewing vegetables. No one cares about chewing slowly, everyone just wants to eat until they are hot and satisfied.
Even the world-weary and pretty second-generation rich kid was warmed by the steam rising from the food on the table, and he ate heartily with everyone else. The Su family and Fan Yanjia seemed to have forgotten his status and became one with them.
After half an hour, everyone left the Eight Immortals Table contentedly. Cheng Yingzhen wanted to clean up, but was stopped by Shuangrui, "Madam, please take a rest and let us do it." He led his men and Mao Ya, and they cleaned up the Eight Immortals Table quickly.
In fact, Shuangrui and the others were also hungry from the aroma of the food on the table! They quickly cleaned up and started eating.
Cheng Yingzhen: ...I'm used to working so I still feel a little uncomfortable.
Since someone was clearing the dishes, Cheng Yingzhen took out the small stove to make tea for her husband and the two little guests.
Su Yanli was already sitting in the corridor with a group of children, which was shielded from the wind and facing the sun. Su Ruojin looked at his father and thought he was a child king. She laughed secretly.
"Why are you acting so weird?" Su Yanli glared at his daughter, "Hurry up and bring my chess pieces over. I want to play a game with Zijin."
Su Dalang wanted to get it, but was stopped by Su Yanli, "Let this little bastard go."
It turns out that Su Erniang is not only a crybaby, a squeamish person, but also a mean person. She is truly a monster.
Su Ruojin, who came out with the chess pieces, saw the two young men who were laughing at her and snorted secretly, "Sister is still a thousand-year-old fairy. If I tell you, you will be scared to death."
It was a leisurely afternoon. A gentle middle-aged man and a handsome boy were sitting in the corridor playing chess. A circle of children gathered around a small table to watch the game. Su Sanlang didn't understand and screamed with excitement when he saw the pieces being captured.
Su Ruojin only knew how to play the simplest five-piece chess game, so she sat on the sunny side, her little head nodding in the sun, and she actually fell asleep.
Su Yanli: ...He knew his daughter’s character.
Zhao Lan: …He thought of another sleepyhead.
Su Ruojin who was dozing off: ...Thank you!
Fan Yanjia was good at chess, and he enjoyed watching the game between the Master and the young prince when he was learning and pondering.
Su Dalang supported his sister's sleepy head with one hand, while thinking about the young prince's style of play. Just like his cold personality, his style of play was also cold and hard. Once he caught an opportunity, he would not care about whether he was a teacher or not, and would just go for it and take action without leaving a single piece of armor behind.
Su Dalang: ...Is this what my sister said about those children from wealthy families being born with the determination to kill?
Su Yanli played chess with Zhao Lan for the first time. He did not expect that Zhao Lan, despite his young age, had such superb chess skills. He actually lost and sighed: "Young people are to be feared, young people are to be feared."
Su Ruojin was awakened by her father's sigh, "Dad, you lost?"
"Yes." Su Yanli did not look like he could not afford to lose just because he was his teacher. He looked at the incredibly beautiful boy opposite him with admiration. If he was not a son of the royal family, he would have already...
Although she clearly didn't know how to play Go, Su Ruojin still straightened up and looked at the chessboard again and again, "Did the young prince ever learn from a famous teacher?"
Su Yanli: ... He knows everything about his daughter's poor chess skills. He feels amused and relieved when he sees his daughter pretending to save his face. After all, she is his own daughter!
Zhao Lan looked like he saw through everything but didn't say anything. "I studied with Liu Daru for two years."
"It is rumored that Master Liu will not leave Mount Zhongnan..."
"When I was six, I went to Mount Zhongnan, and when I was seven, I returned to the capital."
"Wow, no wonder, if my dad had studied for two years he would definitely not lose."
"Ajin..." How come this kid can't accept losing?
She is originally a young lady, she can't afford to lose, what can she do?
"Brother Fan, you go ahead!"
"ah!"
"It's boring to play chess with people who are not on the same level. You should come and play with my father."
"Oh." Fan Yanjia was itching to try, and really wanted to play with the teacher, so he looked at Zhao Lan.
Zhao Lan actually stood up and gave his seat to him, and he squeezed next to Su Ruojin.
Su Ruojin turned to look at him and asked, "Why do you have to stand next to me instead of standing in such a big place across from me?"
Zhao Lan looked like he could stand wherever he wanted and it was none of his business.
Hey, this kid!
Su Ruojin suppressed her anger and said, "I won't argue with the guest. Besides, he brought a lot of good things when he came. Yes, for the sake of these good things, I will just give them to him."
Humph! Su Ruojin pushed her calves away and ran away.
"Ajin, where are you going?" Su Dalang seemed to be speaking.
The young lady deliberately pushed him as she ran away. Her little hand was incredibly soft. Zhao Lan thought, won’t it break?
(End of this chapter)
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