The traditional flower cake was given to another family's cook to make. Roasted meat, stir-fried vegetables, and other dishes were distributed among the others.
Grandma Sun only stews soups, and this time she only stews one soup: spring water beef.
The old ox on the farm died naturally before the New Year, and the steward brought over several dozen catties of good meat, which is still not finished.
For this spring outing, Grandma Sun specially went to the freezer to get two pieces of beef shank. She put the whole pieces of beef shank into a pot of cold water.
Put crushed ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and wild scallions that you just dug up from the mountain into the pot.
Cover and simmer for one hour, remembering to skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
After cooking, soak it in ice spring water for 25 minutes, then cut it into evenly thin, very thin slices.
Take another clean earthenware pot, add spring water and bring it to a boil. Place the beef in the pot of water, bring it to a boil, and then add a little salt and a little pepper.
Simmer over low heat for half an hour, then add a handful of finely chopped water celery, and turn off the heat immediately after three breaths.
The broth is clear yet rich in flavor, with a subtle numbing spiciness from Sichuan peppercorns and black pepper. The aroma of water celery and the springy texture of beef shank.
Refreshing and appetizing, this soup, served before the meal, really whets everyone's appetite.
Almost every lady of the house sent her head maid to reward the soup, fully expressing her approval of the dish. It was well worth the effort that Granny Sun had been making soup ever since she arrived.
It should be noted that the other cooks who prepared the meals arrived an hour later than Granny Sun to begin their work.
Wang Yan had already "tested the dishes" in advance and drank two large bowls of soup. Now she was preparing to eat mushroom noodles.
This is also a simple yet incredibly delicious dish. Take a piece of pork and mince it.
Season with salt, pepper, and perilla powder, then stir-fry the meat until fragrant, and finally add the mushrooms and stir-fry until cooked.
Then, she added water and brought it to a boil, then added the rolled-out noodles. Wang Yan filled a large bowl with the noodles, enjoying the mountain breeze while her feet dangled over the stream.
We made the right choice coming out; it's so beautiful! No wonder people in ancient times loved to go on spring outings. This feeling of being in contact with nature and experiencing the changing seasons is indescribably pleasant.
"Chunyan, come up here quickly, aren't your feet cold?" Aunt Sun jogged up and pulled her up.
Hehe, actually the flowers have just started to bloom, and it's a bit chilly in early spring, but I'm just too excited.
Moreover, you only need to put your feet on it to feel the coolness of the bubbling stream; it's not particularly cold.
After the meal, the head maids of each household, such as Qingqian, received a small porcelain bottle of tea from a maid Wang Yan didn't recognize, who appeared to be dressed as a first-class maid.
The small stove around which tea is brewed is filled with top-quality silver charcoal, and the tea in the porcelain bottle is called Mengding Ganlu, this year's new tea.
Wang Yan hadn't yet recognized which lady was so generous as to send a bottle to each family, but that wasn't important; what mattered was the taste of the tea.
It tastes sweet and refreshing, rich and sweet with a lingering aftertaste, fragrant and mellow, thick and smooth.
The aroma is delicate and high-pitched, and people sit around the stove, enjoying a cup of fragrant tea.
The feeling I get right now is exactly what Su Shi, the great master of poetry, described in his poem: "Let's use the new fire to brew new tea, and enjoy poetry and wine while we're young!"
Wang Yan downed the tea in her cup in one gulp, and Qingqian slapped her head, both amused and exasperated.
I went on a spring outing with my wife and came back with a purse containing 200 coins.
Everyone else was a little envious. The young maids could hardly even leave the courtyard, let alone go out of the mansion for a spring outing.
However, it was only a slight envy, without any jealousy or hatred.
Moreover, while they were in the mansion, their two older sisters, Qingping and Qingmei, would take them to the garden to pick flowers and play games with various herbs.
At this point, Chunye pulled her close and described the scene to her with a gloating expression.
"Several maids from our courtyards went out to play together, and those few people just happened to be assigned to the same group."
Wang Yan looked confused. "Who? Which people?"
Seeing her silly look, Chunxi got anxious and stamped her foot, "Who else could it be? Chuncui, Zhiju, Chunlan!"
"I understand, I understand, go on, what's wrong?"
"The 'Fighting Herbs' game is all about fighting and having fun. It just so happens that they bumped into our yard."
Let me tell you, they lost every single game. I don't know if these guys are just unlucky or deliberately playing the victim. Hahaha, that's hilarious!
Chunye laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up, and Chunxi laughed too.
"If you ask me, it's possible they were faking it at first, but later they got really desperate and were practically kicking and pulling at each other."
But they just couldn't beat us. Not only could they not beat us, but they couldn't even beat the nine-year-old girls from the other courtyards.
Actually, nothing was wrong, but those few people felt they had lost face and started making a fuss in the yard.
He was scolded in turn by several head maids from the courtyard.
Now that everyone's back, Zhiju and Chunlan are hiding inside, too afraid to come out and see anyone.
Wang Yan was quite helpless after hearing this. It was really bizarre; how could these three people get together when they weren't even in the yard?
"Got it, I'll avoid those two for the next couple of days."
Unexpectedly, even though Wang Yan and the others didn't cause trouble, Zhiju and Chunlan still wouldn't let it go.
When Zhiju and her companion went out for dinner that evening, they kept feeling that people in the courtyard were whispering about them.
Indeed, some people did say that, but it wasn't Wang Yan and her group; it was the group of gatekeepers making fun of them.
"Lan girl, I heard that Ju girl's luck isn't very good this year. The grass she chose isn't very resilient."
Should we ask Grandma to teach you how to choose? She's bound to win if she's persistent, so the girls don't need to get so worked up, right? Hahaha.
The gatekeeper is just a talkative woman; if you don't want to talk to her, just brush her off.
That's exactly what they did, but after everyone finished eating, they still felt resentful.
When Chunlan returned to the backyard that evening, she deliberately rushed over and bumped into Chunye.
Chunye was carrying a basin of water, intending to go back and add hot water to soak her feet.
He turned his head and saw it was her. He was furious and threw the remaining water in the wooden basin at her, but Chunlan cleverly dodged it.
"What's wrong? Are you here to cause trouble again? Do you only get through the year if I splash you once in a year?"
Chunlan looked aggrieved. "Have you been talking about me behind my back?"
Ouch! Chunye slammed the wooden basin on the ground. "What bad things are you saying? You'd better explain yourself today."
"What were you whispering about with the gatekeeper while you were eating?"
"Damn it! We were discussing gardenia balm, and Grandma Zhao wanted to buy a box for her granddaughter. Without even asking, she just started spewing slander."
After saying that, Chunye sneered again, "You don't dare to ask the old women who guard the gate, but instead come up to push and hit me. You only pick on the weak, right?"
"You just wait, I'm going to give you a good beating today, so you'll know just how many eyes Lord Horse really has!"
After saying that, he chased Chunlan around the yard and hit her. Everyone in the yard stayed up and came out to watch the commotion.
The reason is that everyone felt she didn't really hit Chunlan; Chunye was a sly girl who pretended to hit Chunlan.
In reality, what everyone saw was that after catching up with Chunlan, she went to scratch her itch.
Then, Chunye carried her on her back and pinched her while she was laughing uncontrollably.
The gatekeepers and others couldn't tell, so they all thought Chunye was chasing Chunlan around.
Chunyu also brought out some melon seeds, and everyone ate them together while watching the commotion for a long time.
Poor Chunlan, her feelings were truly unbearable, a mixture of pain and laughter.
They made a ruckus for a long time before Granny Zhao and the others finally stopped after they had finished laughing and gently told them to stop.
After stopping, Chunye quickly punched her twice, then took the wooden basin and went back into the house.
Chunlan was furious and pounded her chest, but she didn't dare to shout loudly, as it was already time to rest at night.
The next day, when Zhiju saw her pathetic state, she knew she hadn't gotten her revenge, so she didn't even bother to ask.
Everyone went to the front to collect cosmetics and perfumes, and Wang Yan picked one up and laughed.
Looking at Grandma Zhao, she said, "Now you don't need to buy any. The box we're giving out today is the same one I bought; it's from the same store."
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