Chapter 69 Disassembling the Braised Fish Head Mother Pang's mouth was dry; she had thought about many things…
Madam Pang's words were slurred. She had considered many possibilities, but she never imagined that Steward Zheng and Xu Lang's servant had gotten into trouble by drinking. She had misunderstood what the other party meant by "disassembling fish head meat to make soup" and mistakenly thought it meant splitting the fish head open to make soup.
How can one make amends for such a mistake?
Seeing Steward Zheng weeping uncontrollably, Madam Pang felt both anxious and angry, and at the same time, she was also worried.
She had been serving her wife since the very beginning of the banquet, and had witnessed firsthand the arrogance of Aunt Xu and Mrs. Xu at the start of the meal.
Although the wife reacted quickly and managed to smooth things over with the old lady's help, everyone in the house was shrewd. They feared that once they realized what had happened, they would use this incident as gossip, which would truly embarrass the husband and wife.
Being driven to the countryside to farm, as he himself said, is still considered good. If the master gets angry, he might sell everything off.
Just thinking about it made Pang's mother break out in a cold sweat.
She didn't care whether Steward Zheng lived or died, but her daughter had married him, and if something happened to her, it would be a burden on her daughter.
"Mom," Manager Zheng cried out again.
"Shut up." Madam Pang glared at him, her gaze sweeping around. She pulled out the handkerchief tied around her waist, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and forced herself to remain calm: "Master Xu loves fish, and today's dishes are mostly fish-related... I'll go to the kitchen and see if there are any dishes that can impress Master Xu and bring honor to the couple."
Despite saying this, Mrs. Pang wasn't very confident. She knew the main course was over, and what followed were cold dishes and snacks like crystal sashimi, hand-washed crab, and imitation clams, before soup and steamed buns as the main course.
Mrs. Pang frowned as she walked toward the kitchen, pondering to herself. She remembered that the steamed buns they had used today were also made with fish and meat.
Just as it was steamed, the maidservant brought her one to try. The bun had a soft and fluffy outer layer, and the meat juice inside was rich and flavorful with a strong fish aroma. Although it tasted better than the meat buns sold outside, it was still just a bun.
Another thing is—
Suddenly remembering the young cook, Mrs. Pang paused abruptly: "Let me see the order form."
Manager Zheng, who was following behind, hurriedly handed over the form, his eyes full of expectation: "Has Mama thought of something?"
Pang's mother ignored him and continued reading carefully. When she reached the very end of the form, her breath caught in her throat: "Is it really true?"
"What do you mean, real or fake? There's hardly any food left..."
"..." Before Steward Zheng could finish speaking, Madam Pang shoved the form back into his hand, then quickened her pace and hurried away.
"Mom? Mom?" Manager Zheng jogged to catch up. He looked at the menu with a confused expression, repeatedly looking at the last few dishes, but he couldn't see anything that would make Madam Pang so excited.
As the two approached the kitchen and more people began to gather outside, Madam Pang slowed her pace and whispered to Steward Zheng, "It's that soup."
"Soup, soup..." Zheng Guan was puzzled at first, then his heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously avoided Pang Mama's gaze, his heart pounding. He liked to drink and gamble, and that day he was drunk and lost several tens of coins.
If it were a familiar gambling den, he would have been told to come back and pay the money the next day. But that day he had been drinking and randomly picked a roadside stall to gamble. The stall owner and the winner wouldn't let him leave, saying that if he didn't pay, he would follow him home.
Steward Zheng dared not let anyone follow him back to the manor; what would become of his job? But the more unwilling he was, the more suspicious people became of him. Just as the argument was reaching its conclusion, a...
The young man surnamed Yao helped him pay the money, which prevented him from losing face in front of the family.
Manager Zheng was grateful and, being quite drunk, casually agreed to let Brother Yao come to the mansion today to prepare some snacks and soups.
Although he regretted it a little the next day, the braised food that Brother Yao brought was really good, so he decided to go with the flow and finalize the matter.
Manager Zheng dared not reveal the inside story, feeling uneasy. He dryly advised, "What's so special about the soup that young man makes? It's just the kind of food people eat in the neighborhood. Why don't we go find Chef Lü and ask him for some advice?"
"What are you afraid of? I just took a peek into the kitchen, and the cook made... um?" Madam Pang answered as she walked into the kitchen. But as soon as she spoke, Steward Zheng's words echoed in her mind: "Young Master?"
In the kitchen, the person making the soup was clearly a young woman.
Madam Pang was puzzled for a moment, then glanced at Steward Zheng's wandering gaze, and immediately felt a surge of anger: "...You don't even know who we invited to the banquet?"
Steward Zheng stammered, unable to speak, and only pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his head. He thought for a moment and remembered that when he led Yao Ge'er into the mansion, he had seen him with a middle-aged man and a young girl, and he had assumed that the two were his helpers.
Thinking of that young girl again, Manager Zheng felt cold in his hands and feet, and all his strength vanished. His legs felt as weak as noodles.
If it were someone else, he would still have some hope. What good fish soup could such a young girl make, let alone satisfy Xu Lang?
"It's over... it's over..."
"You're finished, my foot!" Looking at his spineless posture, Madam Pang felt both resentment and hatred. Her poor daughter was born from her own womb, destined to be a slave. When her mistress arranged for her to marry the old steward's son, she was initially happy, but little did she know that Steward Zheng was all show and no substance, only maintaining his facade because of his father.
After his father passed away, he and his daughter were left to support themselves.
Despite her inner turmoil, Madam Pang tried to appear friendly and spoke to him gently, "What nonsense are you talking about? That girl's skills are amazing, and I think her cooking is exceptional."
"Wasn't that stewed pear in wine made by them too? And Madam Xu even praised it."
"It seems that there is such a thing." After being told this by Madam Pang, Steward Zheng gradually remembered.
When the stewed pears in wine were served, the pear flesh and rose petals were arranged on the plate, a beautiful sight to behold. Xu Lang and the other officials even used it as a drinking game, taking turns reciting poems and composing couplets. Poor Master Peng, who could barely be considered to come from a scholarly family, stumbled and fell when faced with these challenges. Fortunately, Master Peng was well-versed in the rules of poetry and rhyme, so he didn't lose face.
Thinking of this, Manager Zheng's eyes lit up with anticipation, but considering the girl's age, he still felt a little uneasy: "At her age, being able to make cold dishes and snacks is already a sign of exceptional talent. Can she really make good soups?"
Pang's mother didn't speak to him, but only gestured for him to be quiet before stepping into the house.
Manager Zheng followed them in with a worried look on his face. He looked ahead without any hope and saw Yao Lang, whom he knew, helping another man prepare utensils. And standing in front of the stove was indeed the young woman.
Hearing someone enter the kitchen, Su Zhihan assumed they were there to urge her to prepare the meal, so she quickly sped up her work. She removed the fish bones and other ingredients used for simmering, leaving only the pure fish broth, and then added shredded wood ear mushrooms, shredded ham, shredded bamboo shoots, and shredded shiitake mushrooms in that order.
Once the broth boiled again, she added the dissected fish meat, and finally moved the chopped tofu into it as well.
With just a gentle stir of long chopsticks, the tofu in the bowl swirls and disperses like smoke, its delicate strands intertwining with the equally slender fish, wood ear mushrooms, ham, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms, creating a landscape painting on the snow-white, clear broth.
Manager Zheng, who happened to see this, was speechless.
His eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets. The scene before him was somewhat beyond his imagination. How did the tofu turn into threads after being put into the pot and stirred with chopsticks?
And the fish meat sprinkled in...
Zheng Guanxian was as excited as he had been before. He grabbed Pang Mama's sleeve and whispered, "Mama, look at that fish paste. Could this be the braised fish head that person was talking about?!"
"Dismantle a braised fish head? It's more like dismantling a fish soup... Hmm?" Su Zhihan answered subconsciously upon hearing the voice. After she finished speaking, she realized that the voice was both unfamiliar and familiar. Turning around, she saw Manager Zheng: "Mama Pang, and Manager Zheng? What brings you two here?"
Mrs. Pang smiled and said, "We're here to ask."
Following Su Zhihan's words, she inquired about the methods of making the dishes, and at the end she tried to cover it up: "...At banquets, many gentlemen and ladies ask about the origin and preparation of the food, so my lady instructed me to find out."
Su Zhihan recalled the routines in the Marquis's mansion and suddenly realized that it wasn't something that Chef Xu did on purpose, but rather a common practice everywhere.
With a smile, she responded. The original story about having to choose small mandarin fish because there were no large ones was transformed into a story about choosing palm-sized mandarin fish for their tender flesh, and then deep-frying them to shape them so that the fish meat inside would be fresh and delicate.
The tofu, wood ear fungus, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots were all provided by Master Peng's mansion. Su Zhihan didn't describe them in detail, but when she got the ham, she started talking about its origin.
Madam Pang and Steward Zheng were stunned. After they left and walked a distance away, Steward Zheng whispered, "I think that girl is small, but she's quite good at bragging. Look, she can make even a piece of salted meat sound like a fine item from the Dali Kingdom."
"I've never heard of it before in all my life."
"..." Mrs. Pang had never heard of it either, and she was suspicious, but she still told him, "At least this dish they made will let you get away with it. You should thank them properly later."
Manager Zheng gave a perfunctory reply, then slipped into the adjacent tea room. Using the hot water on the stove, he wet a towel, wiped his face, tidied himself up, and then went back inside to serve.
Madam Pang frowned, watching the man's retreating figure, and felt that Steward Zheng probably hadn't taken her words to heart. She shook her head, turned around, and entered the flower hall courtyard, giving Madam Qi a meaningful look from afar.
Qi apologized to everyone and got up to go to the outhouse. As soon as she stepped outside, Pang Mama immediately stepped forward, leaned close to Qi's ear, and whispered the story about the soup to her.
Qi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and a smile bloomed on her face. She then instructed Pang Mama, "The gift to Aunt Xu should be three times more generous."
Aunt Xu was the person contacted by Master Peng, and that's how she managed to cover for Madam Qi. What she's afraid of isn't the fish head, but rather that she might let something slip and lose face.
"Don't worry, my wife, I know."
Qi returned to the room with light steps. After the rest of the meal was served, the servants brought out the soup and said, "Speaking of the next soup, there is a lot to it."
Aunt Xu was just sipping her refreshing tea when she heard this and was startled. As for Mrs. Xu, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh? Then I'd like to see for myself."
Qi's palms were sweaty. When the soup was brought to her, she glanced at it and immediately felt relieved, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Just as Mama Pang had said, the soup was as beautiful as a painting.
Looking at the soup, Qi felt more confident. Seeing Xu's wife scoop up a spoonful of soup, she quickly gave a wink to the familiar merchant's wife beside her.
The other party understood immediately and quickly said with a smile, "Madam Zhang, look at our Sister Qi, she really loves to hide riddles. I'm not very knowledgeable and can't figure it out. Please help me out and tell me the origin of this thing, so as to put Sister Qi's pride to rest."
Madam Zhang, wife of Xu Lang, lowered her head to look at the soup, took a sip, and showed surprise on her face: "Those white threads in here are actually tofu?"
Then, Madam Xu took another bite: "Is that fish paste?" After a while, she tasted another spoonful and couldn't help but look at Madam Qi: "Is this soup made from braised fish head?"
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