Chapter 37037 Addicted to Beauty
Chapter 37
How much does a jade hairpin cost? What does it have to do with this person? Meng Yuning wondered.
But looking at the somewhat gloating smile on Qi Jingyan's face, and Mu Feng, who was burdened with baggage and trying hard to hold back his laughter, Meng Yuning immediately realized who this person was.
She looked at Qi Jingyan, asking with her eyes, is this man the young Marquis Yu?
Qi Jingyan smiled and nodded, answering with his eyes, "Exactly."
This was stealing other people's money and being caught red-handed. Meng Yuning suddenly felt embarrassed. She took Yi'er's little hand, gave Qi Jingyan a wink, and planned to sneak away.
But Qi Jingyan pretended not to notice. He reached out and grasped her wrist, pulling her towards the chair beside him. "You've been walking around for quite some time. You must be tired. Come on, An Ning, sit here and rest for a while."
Yi'er was short and stocky, so he didn't see the eye contact between his brother and An Ning above him. He was also worried that An Ning would get tired, so he pushed her legs and asked her to sit down: "An Ning, take a rest."
The big one pulled and the small one pushed. Meng Yuning had no choice but to sit down.
By this time, Yu Xiao had already pulled out the jewelry store bill, looked at it, and read out, "A men's jade hairpin with cloud pattern, five ounces of silver."
After he finished reading it, he reached out and snatched the jade hairpin from Qi Jingyan's hand, took a look at it, and said with disgust: "This broken thing is worth five taels of silver?"
Mu Feng had just put all his bags on the ground when he heard this and said quickly, "Young Marquis, we bargained for the price and reduced it by one or two taels of silver."
Young Marquis Yu sneered, "Foolish outsiders like you should just cut the price in half when you go to buy something from a store, so you don't get hurt."
Mu Feng suppressed his laughter and bowed: "I will teach you."
Qi Jingyan reached out and took the hairpin back. He slowly took it off the bun and replaced it with a new one. Then he said, "Mu Feng, next time you dock, you must do as the young marquis says. If the merchant refuses, you must use the name of the young marquis Yu."
Yu Xiao threw the stack of bills in his hand into Qi Jingyan's arms and said angrily, "Qi Yunzhou, you're such a jerk! You're spending my money and ruining my reputation. You're really taking advantage of me, aren't you?"
Meng Yuning remembered that Yunzhou was Qi Jingyan's pen name.
Qi Jingyan laughed out loud and bowed to him: "Brother Lingchuan, I'm sorry." Lingchuan is Yu Xiao's pen name.
Yu Xiao glared at him: "Don't give me that."
Yi'er blinked her big eyes, observing the expressions of her two brothers back and forth. Finally, she concluded that it was her own brother who had angered Yu's brother, so she followed suit, raised her fist, and bowed to Yu Xiao: "Brother Lingchuan, I'm sorry, please don't be angry with my brother."
The child's babyish voice called out "Brother Lingchuan," instantly dispelling all the pent-up anger in Yu Xiao's heart. He reached out and picked up the child, poked his forehead with his hand, and laughed out loud: "You little guy, who taught you to be so pedantic?"
Yi'er pointed at Qi Jingyan and said, "I learned it from my brother."
Yu Xiao was so delighted that he threw Yi'er into the air and caught her safely: "Don't learn from your old-fashioned brother, or you'll become a little old-fashioned."
When Yier heard that "old-fashioned" was not a good word, he nodded his head and said seriously: "Yier will not be old-fashioned."
Everyone laughed.
Looking at this happy scene, Meng Yuning suddenly understood why Qi Jingyan shamelessly bought things under Yu Xiao's name. They have a really good relationship.
Seeing that Yu Xiao had calmed down, Qi Jingyan introduced him, "An Ning, this is the young Marquis Yu, the heir of Cheng'an Marquisate, Yu Xiao."
After saying that, he introduced to Yu Xiao: "This is Miss Meng whom I just told you about." He didn't introduce her any further.
Meng Yuning wondered why Qi Jingyan had told Yu Xiao about her while she was away, but before she could dwell on it, she saw Yu Xiao stand up and bow to her, "Miss Meng."
She also quickly stood up and bowed to him in return, "Young Marquis."
Yu Xiao nodded in response, then sat back down.
Although Yu Xiao was very polite from beginning to end, Meng Yuning still felt a subtle indifference and alienation, or even a hint of hostility, from his words and actions.
Could it be that "she" had offended Yu Xiao before? But no matter what he remembered or what happened in the original book, there was no feud between the two of them. They were just pure strangers who had never even exchanged a word.
So where did his hostility come from? Did it come from that old man Meng Huaifu? Probably.
After all, Yu Xiao and Qi Jingyan have a good relationship. Meng Huaifu, as Qi Jingyan's future father-in-law, turned against him and stabbed Qi Jingyan in the back. It is normal that Qi Jingyan's relatives and friends who really care about him hate Meng Huaifu, and also dislike her, a daughter of the Meng family.
After realizing this, Meng Yuning no longer cared. After all, she was not the biological daughter of that old man Meng Huaifu.
Besides, she is not money, so how can everyone like her?
Meng Yuning found some malt sugar from the package Mu Feng put down, took out a piece and fed it to Yi'er: "Come here, Yi'er, try it and see if it's sweet."
When Yi'er was in the palace, she had snacks and sweet soups every day, but since she came out, she really hasn't tasted anything sweet. When she took a piece of candy, it was so sweet that the little baby squinted his eyes: "A Ning, it's so sweet."
As he said this, he stretched out his little hand, wanting another piece.
Meng Yuning smiled and touched Yi'er's head, coaxing her gently: "If you eat too much candy, your teeth will be damaged. You can only eat one piece a day."
When Meng Yuning said this, her expression was gentle and her voice was melodious. Qi Jingyan's eyes were unconsciously attracted to her.
After Meng Yuning coaxed Yi'er, she reached out and took another piece of candy, ready to try it herself, but when she looked up, she found Qi Jingyan staring at her. She was stunned. What was going on? He wanted to eat it too?
The two looked at each other for a moment, and seeing that Qi Jingyan still didn't look away, Meng Yuning stuffed the piece of candy in her hand directly into his mouth.
Eat, eat, you greedy boy, you want to try everything.
Even though he was already such a grown-up, every time she fed Yier something new, he would try it too.
Qi Jingyan suddenly felt sweet in his mouth: "..."
Yu Xiao, who was watching his friend being mesmerized by the beauty with a look of infatuation, said coldly: "..."
After Meng Yuning finished feeding Qi Jingyan, she didn't even look at him. She took a piece of candy and ate it. Then she showed him the little things she bought for Yi'er one by one: "Yi'er, this is a bamboo dragonfly, this is a windmill, this is a nine-linked ring, and this is a spinning top."
Yi'er held a candy in his mouth, one cheek puffed up, and spoke unclearly: "Are these all Yi'er's?"
This little guy, even before he even arrived in Lingnan, started speaking with a Lingnan accent. Meng Yuning burst out laughing, reached out to touch his head, and imitated his big tongue: "Yes, it's all our Yi'er's."
Qi Jingyan chuckled at her strange tone, and Mu Feng also laughed. Only Yu Xiao looked at Meng Yuning with a hint of scrutiny and suspicion.
Meng Yuning had been walking all morning, and her legs were sore. Thinking of going back to lie down for a while, she stood up and took Yi'er to pay her respects to Qi Jingyan and Yu Xiao respectively. "Your Highness, Young Marquis, I will take Yi'er back to my room first."
Yu Xiao nodded in response.
Qi Jingyan advised: "Go back and lie down for a while. You must be tired after walking all morning. Let Mu Shan and the others make lunch. You don't have to get up to prepare it."
It was already past noon, so if he was going to have a big dinner, there was no need to make it too complicated now. He nodded and said okay, then left with Yi'er.
Mu Feng then put the bags he had just put down back on his shoulders and followed him down. When he reached the second-floor deck, he saw Su Yang sitting in the shade, so he asked him, "Why did you run away so quickly?"
Su Yang smiled, stood up, took the two bags from his hands, and followed him: "I saw that Brother Qi had guests, so I came out first."
Mu Feng: "That's Young Marquis Yu, he's not really a guest."
Su Yang was surprised: "So he is Young Marquis Yu, so is he here to collect a debt?"
Mu Feng laughed: "How could that be? The young marquis is a good brother of our prince. They have been cheating each other since they were young. Spending a little of his money is nothing."
The two of them talked as they followed Meng Yuning into the room. They piled all the bags, big and small, on the table.
Su Yang said, "Sister Meng, take a good rest."
Mu Feng said, "Miss Meng, I'll call you when the meal is ready."
Meng Yuning pointed to the snacks they had just put down and said, "Yi'er and I will just have some snacks later. No need to call us."
Mu Feng agreed, and left with Su Yang, chatting and laughing.
Meng Yuning carried Yi'er to bed and placed all the little toys on the bed, letting him play with them by himself while she went to organize the things she had bought.
On the table were not only the candies and snacks that Mu Feng and Su Yang had just put down, but also two bags of clothes and two boxes of jewelry that they had bought at the market today.
She took out the clothes, carried them to the bathroom, put them in a wooden basin, added water, sprinkled some soapberry powder, soaked them for a while, rubbed them a few times, rinsed them with clean water again, wrung them dry, and then hung them on the two clotheslines by the window in the bathroom.
Then he went back to the house and opened the two boxes of jewelry to take a look. Although they were things from a small place and were picked by two half-grown boys, Mu Feng and Su Yang, you have to say, they were all pretty good-looking.
She casually took out a pair of jade earrings and put them on the empty ear holes. When she wanted to find something to look at herself, she suddenly remembered that she forgot to buy a mirror today.
For so many days, she has not had a mirror. Not only does she have to rely on groping to comb her hair every day, but most importantly, she has never looked in the mirror.
I was thinking about buying it before going to bed last night, but I was so distracted by the matter of charging the young marquis that I completely forgot about it. Oh, I can only buy it next time we dock.
She took off the earrings, put them back in the jewelry box, and put both boxes in the cabinet.
She took all the snacks on the table out of her bag, washed a plate, and took out two pieces of each. She then asked the little boy who was happily playing on the bed, "Is Yi'er hungry?"
Yi'er had eaten the same bowl of noodles that morning. In fact, he had been hungry for a long time, but his attention had been distracted by his new toy. When Meng Yuning called him, he touched his stomach and said, "Yi'er is hungry."
Meng Yuning smiled and waved: "Then let's go wash our hands, and then we can have some snacks."
Yier agreed, went downstairs to put on his shoes, took An Ning's hand, and the two went to the bathroom to wash their hands. Then they came back and sat on the chairs beside the table. Each of them ate a piece of dragon beard crispy cake, and then each of them ate a piece of snowflake crispy cake, a piece of mung bean cake, and tasted various candied fruits.
They were all sweet, and I felt sick of them after eating a few pieces. Meng Yuning poured two more glasses of water from the kettle. After each of them drank one glass, they felt full.
After eating and drinking, the two of them felt sleepy as usual, so they went to bed and hugged each other for a nap.
---
On the third-floor terrace, Yu Xiao leaned slightly towards Qi Jingyan and said, "Yun Zhou, there are some things I'm not sure whether I should say or not."
Qi Jingyan still had the candy in his mouth: "Then don't say anything."
Yu Xiao ignored him and continued to talk: "This Miss Meng, what's wrong with her..."
Qi Jingyan interrupted him: "A Ning is a very good person. If you want to slander her, don't say anything."
Yu Xiao said dissatisfiedly: "Look at how you're protecting your child, and I haven't even opened my mouth yet."
Qi Jingyan: "Then tell me."
Yu Xiao: "Yunzhou, don't forget, her last name is Meng, and her father is Meng Huaifu."
Qi Jingyan took a bite of the candy in his mouth, chewed it, and then said, "A Ning is A Ning, and Meng Huaifu is Meng Huaifu. They can't be confused."
He was worried about his safety, but this guy was so heartless as to eat candy. Yu Xiao laughed angrily: "Why can't they be confused? She is a girl from the Meng family. That old bastard surnamed Meng raised her up. There's no guarantee that she will betray you for that old man in the future."
Qi Jingyan said firmly: "An Ning won't do that. An Ning said that she will just be herself from now on and will have nothing to do with the Meng family."
Yu Xiao rolled his eyes: "A Ning, A Ning, A Ning, I think you are just bewitched by beauty."
Qi Jingyan didn't say anything, just kept chewing.
Seeing his stubborn attitude, Yu Xiao really wanted to beat him up, but when he saw his two broken legs, he had to suppress his anger.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Okay, even if you are addicted to beauty, you still have to be careful and never put your true heart into it."
Qi Jingyan glanced at him sideways: "What do you mean?"
Yu Xiao: "First, you pinched your voice to talk to Yi'er, then you imitated Yi'er's strange accent, and just now you stuffed candy directly into your mouth. Look at all these things, you don't have the dignified manners of a lady from a noble family at all. How can you be worthy of being the Princess of Shen?"
Qi Jingyan straightened his expression and said, "Lingchuan, I know you are doing this for my own good, but An Ning is really good. This is the first and last time you say these words. Don't say them again in the future, or I will beat you up."
Seeing his friend completely bewildered by the beauty, Yu Xiao was helpless. He didn't even bother to get angry anymore and just waved his hand: "Okay, okay, I'll forgive you for meddling in my business."
Qi Jingyan patted his shoulder and said, "Lingchuan, believe me, I'm not the kind of person who indulges in beauty."
Yu Xiao rolled his eyes, stood up and walked out: "I don't want to bother with you. I'm going to see if the meal is ready. I've been running around looking for you lately. I can't eat or sleep well. My butt hurts from all the shaking. I'm going to bed after I finish eating."
Qi Jingyan kindly reminded him, "Lingchuan, eat less this time."
Yu Xiao didn't even turn his head: "You wasted so much of my money, and you still have to meddle with everything even for a meal. Qi Yunzhou, you are really getting more and more stingy."
Qi Jingyan shook his head and smiled.
Yu Xiao went to the kitchen and asked as soon as he entered the door: "Is the meal ready? I'm starving."
Mu Shan, the apron-wearing noodle chef, and several of his brothers have already cooked three large pots of hand-rolled noodles in hot soup, topped with beef slices and bok choy.
Seeing the young marquis come in looking for food, Mu Shan quickly took out a large bowl, filled it with soup, noodles, and vegetables, and handed it to him: "Young marquis, you eat first."
Yu Xiao looked at the half bowl of noodles and said, "Why, are you also learning to be stingy like your Highness? You only have this half bowl of noodles to give to a beggar."
The guards were all trying to hold back their laughter, but Yu Yan, who was waiting with a bowl in hand, just laughed out loud: "Beggar, hahahaha."
Mu Shan secretly kicked Yu Yan and quickly explained, "No, my dear, it's because the meal tonight is more delicious, and I want you to save some space."
Yu Xiao was obviously unconvinced: "How can a bunch of you rough guys prepare anything delicious? Come on, give me some more."
穆山知道孟姑娘做菜有多美味，也知道郁小侯爷是个独爱美食的饕客，生怕他现在吃太饱，晚上看到那么多美食吃不下，回头要揍他，于是就是不给他加，还特意解释了一句：“我们当然做不好，晚上是我们孟姑娘做菜。”
Yu Xiao was even more unconvinced. He had never heard of any noble lady in the capital who could cook and make delicious food, especially one with thin arms and hands like the girl he had just seen. She might not even be able to hold a cooking spoon.
He held the big bowl, waiting for Mu Shan to serve him noodles, but after waiting for a while, Mu Shan, the fool, held the spoon and refused to move. He was so angry that he grabbed the spoon and said, "Okay, okay, your highness spoiled you, and now you can't use it anymore. Give it to me, I'll add more myself."
After saying that, he took a spoon and filled a big bowl for himself, turned around and walked out, and started eating with chopsticks as he walked.
Everyone in the kitchen looked at each other in bewilderment. "It's all over. When we have dinner, the young marquis will probably beat us up and blame us for not stopping him."
Yu Yan's eyes were filled with curiosity: "Mu Shan, are the dishes cooked by Miss Meng really that delicious?"
Mu Shan didn't say much, just said: "There's no point in saying more, you'll know when you get tonight."
Yu Yan was still a little worried and whispered his concerns, "But isn't Miss Meng the daughter of that old man Meng Huaifu? Aren't you afraid that she might poison the food?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the guards working in the kitchen stopped and glared at Yu Yan.
Yu Yan spread his hands: "Why? I'm telling the truth. As the saying goes, like father, like daughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards dropped what they were holding, rushed over with a roar, pinned Yu Yan to the ground, and beat him up severely.
"You are not allowed to slander our Miss Meng."
"Our Miss Meng is kind and beautiful, and you are not allowed to talk nonsense."
Yu Yan screamed miserably, followed by a burst of laughter: "Ouch, spare me, brothers, spare me, I won't dare to do it again, hahahaha, don't tickle me~"
Yu Xiao took a big bowl of noodles to the third floor and sat next to Qi Jingyan to eat.
Looking at the big bowl that was almost overflowing, Qi Jingyan said "tsk" and shook his head.
What are you saying? It's so confusing. Yu Xiao ignored him and continued to eat.
---
Meng Yuning slept for nearly an hour before waking up. He moved his arms and legs, and felt all his fatigue swept away. He felt full of energy again.
She sat up and saw Yi'er still sleeping soundly with the tiger-head quilt in his arms. She reached out and gently patted his little butt: "Yi'er, wake up."
After shouting a few times, Yi'er turned over, but still did not open his eyes. He just closed his eyes and naturally crawled into Meng Yuning's arms: "A Ning, hug me."
Meng Yuning then took the little boy into her arms and kissed his chubby little face: "Okay, hold me, An Ning."
Meng Yuning held Yier and rocked him gently for a long time. The little baby finally recovered, opened his eyes, and smiled when he saw Aning.
Meng Yuning also smiled, picked up Yi'er and moved him to the bed: "Come on, let's go out and play for a while, then we'll have to cook."
Yi'er lay on Meng Yuning's shoulder: "A Ning, is there any meat tonight?"
The little guy loves to eat meat. Meng Yuning smiled: "Yes."
The two put on their shoes and went downstairs. Meng Yuning took out the blue headband she bought for Yi'er and tied his hair into a neat bun. Then she looked around and said, "Your Highness is handsome."
Yi'er's face flushed with praise, and her eyes curved: "A Ning is also handsome."
Meng Yuning was overjoyed and went out holding Yier's hand.
As soon as they reached the deck, they both said in unison: "Wow~"
The setting sun shines in the sky, and everything is golden. It is a beautiful scene of sunset.
Meng Yuning took Yi'er's hand, and they ran to the west railing, looking at the setting sun, their eyes full of intoxication.
Meng Yuning suddenly felt inspired to write a poem: "A ray of setting sun spreads across the water, half of the river is rustling and half is red."
Yi'er recited it again, tilting her head and asking curiously, "An Ning, is this a poem you wrote?"
Meng Yuning shook her head: "No, this was done by a poet named Bai Juyi."
Qi Jingyan and Yu Xiao came down from the third floor and just happened to hear Meng Yuning's poem.
Yu Xiao recited it again in a low voice and praised: "This Bai Juyi is really talented."
Qi Jingyan's focus wasn't here: "Does Ling Chuan recognize this person?"
Yu Xiao shook his head: "I've never heard of it."
Qi Jingyan waved to Mu Yun, who was pushing a wheelchair behind him. Mu Yun leaned over and Qi Jingyan whispered, "Go back and check this Bai Juyi to see where he is from and why An Ning recognized him."
Mu Yun responded in a low voice and silently memorized the three words "Bai Juyi" in his heart.
Although Qi Jingyan's voice was low, Yu Xiao was standing next to him and heard it clearly. He snorted coldly, "Why do you have to take it so seriously?"
Qi Jingyan ignored him and quietly looked at the two figures in front of him, one big and one small.
The orange-red sunset spread across the sky, a gorgeous scene. Yi'er held Aning's hand, and the two of them quietly looked at the picturesque sunset in the distance. Aning's hair fluttered gently in the river breeze, and the hairband on Yi'er's head also fluttered in the wind.
This scene is peaceful and beautiful.
Qi Jingyan's brows relaxed and the corners of his mouth raised high.
Yu Xiao looked at the two people standing in front of the railing, then looked down at Qi Jingyan, sighed softly, and muttered in an inaudible voice: "Well." He originally thought that he would see a depressed and depressed Qi Yunzhou, but he didn't expect that this guy was in good spirits. I think it has something to do with this Miss Meng.
No matter how beautiful the scenery was, the setting sun eventually set, and the colorful clouds in the sky gradually dimmed.
"Let's go, let's go cook." Meng Yuning took Yi'er's hand and turned around, and immediately saw several people standing quietly in their direction.
She walked over with Yi'er in her hand, bowed to Qi Jingyan and Yu Xiaofu, and looked at Qi Jingyan with a smile: "Your Highness is also enjoying the scenery?"
Qi Jingyan nodded slightly: "Very beautiful."
"Then Your Highness will take your time to read it." Meng Yuning said, and took Yi'er to the kitchen: "I'm going to cook."
Qi Jingyan turned his wheelchair and watched her go: "Thank you, An Ning."
When they saw Meng Yuning come out, the kitchen helpers had already gathered together waiting. Now when they saw Meng Yuning walking towards the kitchen, they all followed her.
Yu Xiao crossed his arms, a look of doubt on his face: "She really can cook?"
Qi Jingyan: "You'll know after you try it later."
Yu Xiao shook his head: "I won't eat it. I'm afraid of being poisoned."
Qi Jingyan just smiled and said nothing.
---
In the kitchen, Meng Yuning had already decided on tonight's menu: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried beef with edamame, lamb with cumin, stir-fried wild rice stem, braised tofu with minced meat, and a little tofu to make carp and tofu soup with the two carp that Qi Jingyan and his friends had caught during the day.
The kitchen helpers each took on a task, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work in a lively manner.
Everyone was processing the ingredients, but Meng Yuning didn't do anything herself. She just kept looking around and giving timely instructions.
After the three pots of rice were cooked and freed from the heat, Meng Yuning put on an apron.
When the oil in the pot was heated, she put the two carps that had been processed and cut a few times in the middle into the pot one by one, and the oil in the pot could be heard crackling.
Mu Shan, who was standing nearby studying, was startled and stepped back crying out, fearing that the oil would splash on him.
There was a tall and strong man, shouting and yelling, making everyone laugh and laugh at him.
Meng Yuning also laughed and asked him to stay away while she continued to fry the fish.
The fish skin gradually hardens until it can be pushed with a spatula. Fry for a while, turn both fish over, and fry them until both sides are golden brown. Pour out the excess oil, leaving some in the pan, and add chopped ginger slices to remove the fishy smell.
Then he scooped out the boiling water from the pot beside him and added it to the pot where the fish was fried, saying, "When making fish soup, you have to add boiling water. That way the soup will be milky white."
The kitchen helpers nodded repeatedly: "So that's how it is."
After adding half of the water, Meng Yuning slowly poured the white tofu cut into small cubes into the pot and added an appropriate amount of salt: "Bring it to a boil over high heat."
"Okay." The guard in charge of the fire quickly added firewood, and the fire quickly burned up, and the pot was boiling again. After waiting for about a cup of tea, Meng Yuning covered the pot and instructed the guard, "Simmer over medium heat. It will be ready in about a quarter of an hour."
After the guard indicated that he understood, Meng Yuning went to the pot next to her and prepared to make braised tofu with minced meat.
However, she did not plan to make this dish herself, but taught it to Mu Shan who was eager to try.
Under Meng Yuning's guidance, Mu Shan skillfully heated the oil in a pan, poured the chopped onions, ginger and garlic into the pan and stir-fried until fragrant, then added a large bowl of chopped minced meat and stir-fried until the minced meat was golden and fragrant, then added cooking wine, soy sauce and salt to season, then added water, and then poured in the half wooden basin of tofu cubes.
Meng Yuning instructed the guard in charge of the pot: "Bring it to a boil over high heat and simmer for a cup of tea. Once the liquid has dried up, it's ready to be served." The guard agreed, keeping a close eye on the pot while he lit the fire. With only one pot left, Meng Yuning thought for a moment and decided to make the sweet and sour spare ribs first, as that would take more time.
First, put the ribs washed with flour into the pot with cold water, add some cooking wine, blanch them, then take them out and put them in a bamboo basket on the side to drain the water.
Heat the pan dry, add oil, and when the oil is hot, add three tablespoons of white sugar bought today, and slowly stir-fry the sugar over low heat until it melts and turns red.
This was the first time everyone saw Meng Yuning cooking with sugar, and they couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss Meng, if you put sugar in the food, will it taste good?"
Meng Yuning: "Don't worry, I promise to make you all dizzy with fragrance later."
Yi'er was held on Mu Feng's neck and watching the fun. When he heard what An Ning said, the little guy laughed along with everyone else.
After frying the sugar, Meng Yuning poured the drained ribs into the pot and stir-fried them until they were colored. After they were all coated with syrup, she added a few slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell, then poured in the sweet and sour sauce that had been prepared earlier, and then added boiling water to cover the ribs.
Then he instructed the guard who was in charge of the pot: "Boil it on high heat for about a cup of tea, then simmer it on low heat for half an hour, then turn it back to high heat to reduce the sauce. Keep an eye on the pot, if it gets burnt it won't taste good."
The guard patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, Miss Meng, it will definitely not be a mess." Others nearby also said that it would not be a mess, as they were all watching.
As soon as the sweet and sour spareribs were put into the pot, the braised tofu and carp tofu soup were ready. The two guards had already served them out and cleaned the pot.
Meng Yuning called out to Mu Shan, who had a talent for cooking: "Come, Mu Shan, you try to stir-fry this edamame beef."
Mu Shan rubbed his hands in anticipation and agreed. Then, under Meng Yuning's guidance, he took the thinly sliced beef and added cooking wine, soy sauce, minced ginger and garlic into the bowl. He also added a little sugar to enhance the flavor. He then added a little oil to lock in the moisture. He stirred it evenly with chopsticks and left it there to marinate for a while so that the flavor could be absorbed.
When it's almost done, pour oil into the pot and heat it over high heat until it smokes. Pour the marinated beef into the pot and stir-fry quickly. When the beef changes color, Meng Yuning immediately says, "Take it out."
Mu Shan obediently fished the beef out while questioning, "But the beef was just put in and hasn't even been stir-fried twice. How can it be cooked?"
Meng Yuning nodded: "Don't worry, it's cooked. If you fry it again, it will become overcooked and not tasty."
He patiently explained, "For beef, if you're stir-frying it, you have to stir-fry it quickly to make it tender. If you're stewing it, you have to stew it for a long time to make it tender."
Mu Shan nodded to indicate that he remembered. After he took out all the beef from the pot, he added a little oil to the pot according to the instructions, then added onions, ginger and garlic to stir-fry, then poured the peeled and washed edamame into the pot, stir-fried for a while, added a small amount of water and simmered for a while. When the edamame was cooked and the soup was almost dried up, he poured all the beef back into the pot, stir-fried quickly to heat it, and then took it out.
Seeing that several dishes had already been prepared, Yier was so anxious that she kept pulling Mu Feng's hair, and her saliva almost dripped on Mu Feng's head: "An Ning, can Yier taste the dishes?"
"It's too hot now, let it cool down for a while." Meng Yuning took out a little bit of each dish in a small bowl and put it aside to cool.
There were two dishes left. Meng Yuning asked Mu Shan to make the stir-fried water bamboo shoots, and she made the cumin lamb herself.
She marinated the chopped mutton pieces using the same method she had used to marinate beef. She then fried the cumin, chili powder, and white sesame seeds she had bought, mixed them together, and set them aside.
After doing all this, add oil to the pot, heat it up, pour the marinated mutton chunks into the pot, stir-fry vigorously until the mutton sizzles with oil and the surface is golden and slightly charred, sprinkle in an appropriate amount of salt and stir evenly, then sprinkle with the previously fried cumin, sesame and chili powder, and the aroma will come out immediately.
Now not only Yi'er, but everyone started swallowing their saliva.
Listening to the slurping sounds, Meng Yuning smiled as she served out the large pot of cumin mutton.
Mu Shan's stir-fried wild rice stem had already been served, leaving only the sweet and sour spareribs. After waiting for the broth to dry out, Meng Yuning announced, "Serve."
The guard watching the pot quickly served out the big pot of sweet and sour pork ribs.
All the dishes have been prepared, and the only thing left is the last ritual before each meal, which is to wait for the little prince to taste the dishes. Yi'er couldn't wait to get down from Mu Feng's neck and waited on tiptoe in front of the row of small bowls.
Meng Yuning touched the edge of the bowl and saw that the temperature was about right, so she handed over a pair of chopsticks: "Now, I'll trouble our little prince Yi'er to taste the dishes."
Yier picked up the chopsticks and tasted them one by one. After tasting them, his eyes sparkled and he nodded heavily: "Delicious, all of them are delicious."
Everyone was waiting for this sentence. They cheered and ran out with a pot of food in their hands: "Dinner is ready, dinner is ready."
After a while, everyone was seated on the second-floor deck, looking at Qi Jingyan in unison, waiting for him to start eating.
Qi Jingyan picked up the chopsticks, smiled and waved his hand: "No need to wait, let's eat."
The guards picked up their chopsticks and started eating like hungry wolves, devouring the food in no time.
Meng Yuning's table was the same as usual, with her, Yi'er, Qi Jingyan, Doctor Tang, Su Yang, Mu Yun, and now Yu Xiao.
Seeing Qi Jingyan pick up his chopsticks, everyone started eating and no one had time to say a word.
Only Yu Xiao sat there with his arms folded, leaning against the back of his chair, looking uninterested and aloof.
Meng Yuning didn't know what was wrong with him. She just assumed that he wasn't hungry. Since they were not familiar with each other, she didn't care and just introduced tonight's dishes to Qi Jingyan one by one.
Yi'er pointed to the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs and said, "Brother, try this dish. It's so sweet."
Qi Jingyan usually doesn't like sweet dishes, but seeing the two, one big and one small, blinking their equally clear eyes and looking at him eagerly, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
The ribs had been stewed until the bones fell off. The meat came off with a slight bite. The meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was sour and sweet and very appetizing. Qi Jingyan's eyes lit up. He chewed it slowly and picked up another piece to eat.
Yier clapped her hands: "Brother, it tastes good, right?"
Qi Jingyan smiled and said, "It's delicious."
Meng Yuning recommended cumin lamb to him again, "Your Highness, try this."
Qi Jingyan obediently took a piece and ate it. The mutton was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a spicy and salty aroma, and the unique aroma of cumin. Qi Jingyan was stunned by the taste and then recommended it to Yu Xiao, who was swallowing his saliva quietly: "Lingchuan, try this. It's a bit like the barbecue made by the Northwest chef when we were in the army."
Mu Yun also tried his best to persuade him: "Yes, young marquis, please try it quickly, it's delicious."
Yi'er gnawed on a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and nodded in agreement: "It smells so good that I'm dizzy."
Yu Xiao had been secretly drooling at the sight of the delicious food on the table, but he'd previously declared that he wouldn't eat it. Now, everyone was offering him a ladder, and he finally found the step. With a look of "begging me to taste it," he reluctantly picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of mutton to taste. His eyes lit up green as he glanced at Meng Yuning in astonishment. He remained silent, only picking at the mutton.
Qi Jingyan shook his head and smiled, then picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs for him and said, "Try this dish again."
Yu Xiao was unfazed. Without a word, he picked it up and put it in his mouth. He spat the bones onto the bone dish beside him and picked up two more pieces of sweet and sour spare ribs. After finishing the two pieces, he picked up the bowl of milky white fish soup and raised it to Meng Yuning, his eyes full of admiration: "Miss Meng is really a good cook."
Meng Yuning quickly picked up her bowl and replied, "They are just some home-cooked dishes. My Lord, thank you for your praise."
Yu Xiao then tried the stir-fried edamame and beef. The edamame was soft, tender, and the beef was incredibly fresh. He took a few bites before leaning over to Qi Jingyan and whispering, "Yun Zhou, I misunderstood you."
Qi Jingyan looked at him curiously: "What's wrong?"
Yu Xiao: "You are not obsessed with her beauty, you are trapped by her delicious food. This woman is really resourceful."
Qi Jingyan shook his head and laughed. Ah Ning was clearly a very simple person.
Yu Xiao leaned closer and spoke earnestly, "Yun Zhou, let me be frank. If such a scheming woman stays with you, I really can't let her go. How about I take her away when I get back?"
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