Chapter 117

The New Year is coming soon. All the restaurants and teahouses in Xizhou City are closed to let their employees go home to celebrate the New Year.

The clothes that Jiang Yanyi asked Chen Niangzi to make are all finished. The employees of Ruyi Tower and Noodle Shop each got a new dress, plus a red envelope containing 100 coins. The employees were all grinning and kept saying congratulations on making a fortune.

The old scholar was the only one left at home. It was very lonely. He simply said goodbye to Jiang Yanyi and set up a stall in front of Ruyi Tower to help people write couplets.

He was a good calligrapher. He wrote the couplets for Ruyi Tower and Noodle Shop. Jiang Yanyi also posted a couplet at the door of his shop on Duhufu Street.

Thousands of doors and windows are bright in the sun, and they always replace the old charms with new ones.

The joy of every household sweeping their doors and bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new can really be seen from the fiery red couplets in front of the door.

The children in the neighborhood who often rolled in the dust pile also changed into brand new clothes. If it weren't for the two snots still hanging under their noses, Jiang Yanyi would hardly recognize them.

They went back to the Chu family for the New Year. Chu Zhong and Yang Xiu Bing Shao were originally servants of the Chu family, so they would go with them. Aunt Guo had broken her arm and it hadn't healed yet, so Qiu Kui took the initiative to stay and take care of Aunt Guo. Duke Chen said he wanted to go to Feng Mansion for the New Year.

Huo Jianjia weighed it and felt that she could eat more delicious food with Jiang Yanyi, so she chose to go to the Chu family with Jiang Yanyi.

As soon as the carriage arrived at the door of the Chu family, the three sisters of the Chu family, who had received the report from the doorman, came out to greet them.

Chu Shubao rolled up her sleeves, and her face was covered with a lot of flour. When she saw Jiang Yanyi, she was like seeing a savior: "You are here. I told my grandmother that we sisters will cook for the New Year this year. Grandma wants to eat spring cakes, but I haven't made the dough yet."

Mrs. Chu is a native southerner. In the past, when the Chu family celebrated the New Year, the chefs at home would prepare southern New Year snacks according to Mrs. Chu's taste. It is not popular to eat spring cakes during the New Year in Xizhou, and the new chefs hired by the Chu family don't know how to make them. Chu Shubao asked the old servants in the mansion about the craftsmanship of making spring cakes, but unfortunately, the old servants were also half-baked and could only talk but not cook.

Chu Zhong carried Chu Yan back from the carriage. Jiang Yanyi helped him to hold up his hood to block the wind. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "You were looking forward to my coming just so that I can sell spring cakes?"

Chu Shubao sighed and said, "Okay, Yi, don't squeeze me now."

Chu Chengmao stood aside with his arms folded, looking at Chu Shubao with extreme disdain, "Who boasted in front of grandma that he learned skills from the kitchen in Ruyi Tower and can cook all kinds of dishes now?"

Chu Shubao was embarrassed and turned around and said, "Second brother, you only care about food, and you still have the nerve to talk about me! Come to the kitchen and help too, go and knead the dough!"

Chu Chengmao refused mercilessly, "It's not me who boasted."

Chu Shubao was so angry that she hummed, but the other sisters all laughed.

The first time Jiang Yanyi brought a maid home, Huo Jianjia had a birthmark on her face again. Only the youngest Chu Huibao showed some surprise, while the others were slightly stunned and then ignored it.

Chu Huibao looked at the attitudes of his brother and sister, and soon put away the strange expression on his face.

Huo Jianjia had been disliked because of the birthmark on her face since she was a child. She had never been treated badly by Jiang Yanyi, and when she returned to the Chu family, the Chu family did not treat her as a monster. Huo Jianjia did not show it on her face, but she was touched in her heart.

Chu Yangui was sent back to his own yard. In order to avoid Chu Shubao's nagging, Chu Chengmao hid in Chu Yangui's room and played chess with Chu Yangui.

Jiang Yanyi took off his cold-proof awning, and Huo Jianjia took it to the warm room to dry Jiang Yanyi. Jiang Yanyi followed Chu Shubao into the kitchen.

The eldest sister-in-law Xue was busy on the stove. When she saw Jiang Yanyi, she also said warmly: "Yanyi is here."

"Are you the lamb chops stewed by sister-in-law? They smell so good." Jiang Yanyi had a keen nose and could smell the aroma as soon as he entered the house.

Xue smiled and said, "The purchasing boy bought a lot, so there is a rack of lamb chops left. Third Uncle said that the smoked lamb chops you made are delicious. I can't make them, so I'm waiting for you to come and take over the cooking."

Chu Shubao hurriedly said, "We need Yi's help to make the spring rolls."

Jiang Yanyi rolled up his sleeves and said, "Blanch the blood from the remaining lamb chops and put them in a pot to cook. A pot will be set up in the yard for smoking later. I'll see how the dough is going."

The flour in the basin for making spring roll wrappers was muddy and would stick to your hands if you touched it. Jiang Yanyi said, "You put too much water in the dough. Add some more flour."

Chu Shubao quickly added two spoonfuls of flour under Jiang Yanyi's instruction. Jiang Yanyi slowly kneaded the flying cotton ball into a smooth dough, pinched off a small piece and touched it with the tip of his tongue to taste the saltiness and alkalinity.

Someone tugged at her clothes, and she looked down and saw Chu Huibao's frightened face: "Second sister, you can't eat raw dough!"

Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I didn't eat it."

She threw away the small dough, washed her hands in the basin, and added another spoonful of salt to the dough.

To make spring cakes, you need to use high-gluten flour. The gluten degree of the kneaded dough is not enough, and adding some salt can increase the gluten degree.

Chu Shubao tapped Chu Huibao's forehead: "You greedy cat, do you think everyone is the same as you?"

There was flour on her hands, so a little bit of it left a white fingerprint on Chu Huibao's forehead. Chu Jiabao saw it and laughed.

Jiang Yanyi was infected by them and smiled a little more.

Spring cakes evolved into spring rolls in later generations, but at this time, spring cakes did not need to be fried in a pan. Instead, people could just use a thin pancake to roll up the food they wanted to eat on the dining table.

After the dough for making spring cakes is kneaded, there are three more steps: pressing the dough, letting it rise

, and shaking the dough. Jiang Yanyi made a half fist, dipped his knuckles in some water and pressed the dough. When the water was fully kneaded into the dough, he continued to press with water until the dough was grabbed by his hands and pulled up from the basin without breaking. This meant that the dough was pressed well.

The dough for making spring cakes is different from the dough for making steamed buns. The dough must be soaked in cold water and left to rise for half an hour.

During this period, Jiang Yanyi started to prepare the filling for the spring cakes. Although some people eat pork in this era, the rich and powerful prefer to eat mutton during the New Year. Mother Yang, who takes care of the old lady, said that in the past, people in Jiangnan used to eat spring cakes with mutton filling during the New Year, so the meat filling prepared by Xue and her family was also mutton.

However, there are still servants in the mansion, so it’s okay to make some pork filling to share with the servants.

Jiang Yanyi cut some cabbage shreds and planned to mix them into the meat filling to eat together, so that the taste would be richer.

She poured oil into the pot, waited for the oil to heat up, and then poured the shredded mutton into the pot and stir-fried it over high heat, adding salt, rice wine and soy sauce. When it was 70% cooked, she added the shredded cabbage and continued to stir-fry. When the cabbage was cooked, she thickened the sauce and removed from the pot.

After making the pork and cabbage stuffing in the same way, Jiang Yanyi asked Chu Huibao, "Huibao, do you want to eat the one with red bean paste?"

Chu Huibao was helping to pass the plates to the sisters on the side, and nodded vigorously when she heard it: "Yes."

Chu Shubao said fiercely, "Watch out for your cavities," but she still started to prepare the bean paste.

Looking at the two sisters, Jiang Yanyi laughed and shook her head.

The dough had already risen, so she poured out the water on the dough and started to shake it. This step was more strenuous. She had to grab the dough with one hand, let it fall three inches from the palm of her hand, and then shake it back into her palm until the dough was firm. Whether the dough in your hand can be shaken well when selling spring cakes depends on this step.

Since they were going to make spring cakes, the Chu family's kitchen had set up a griddle early. After the griddle was heated and coated with a thin layer of oil, Jiang Yanyi took the dough and turned it clockwise on the griddle, then pulled it back into his palm. The excess dough was pulled back, leaving only a thin layer of dough sticking to the griddle.

After a while, the edge of the spring cake flared up, and with a peel of the hand, a piece of dough was baked.

After Jiang Yanyi finished baking most of the spring cakes, Chu Jiabao thought it was fun and wanted to try it too. Jiang Yanyi handed the remaining dough to her. Chu Jiabao was so busy that she accidentally slapped the whole dough on the griddle, which made everyone in the kitchen laugh.

Jiang Yanyi wanted to make some fried spring rolls. She filled the dough with enough fillings, sealed it with flour, and fried it in a pan until golden brown. The spring rolls were crispy on the outside and the cabbage and meat filling inside was fragrant and juicy.

She fried a plate of mutton and cabbage filling, pork and cabbage filling, and red bean paste filling.

After the lamb chops were cooked, they were already set up in the yard and fried with brown sugar, tea leaves, and spices. Since it was the New Year, fish was indispensable for the dinner, and Jiang Yanyi also made a dish called "Year after Year of Abundance".

When cutting the sea bass, Jiang Yanyi asked the three sisters of the Chu family and Mrs. Xue to cut a cut on the fish, so that everyone could complete this dish together.

The cut fish was placed flat on an oiled plate, and then scallions, ginger, and the sauce were added and steamed in a pot for half an hour. When it came out of the pot, the perch was already fragrant, but there was a lot of distilled water in the plate.

Jiang Yanyi poured out the distilled water, changed to a clean plate, put the fish back on the plate, put freshly cut scallions and ginger on it, put oil in the pot to heat green peppercorns and pepper powder, and then poured the oil on the scallions and ginger. With a "sizzle" sound, the scallion and sesame aromas were all stimulated.

The main dish, glutinous rice balls, were also made by the sisters together. Some were filled with pure black sesame, and some were filled with almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and brown sugar.

Chu Huibao couldn't wrap the filling, so Chu Shubao asked her to roll a solid ball. Seeing that Chu Huibao was too frustrated, Chu Shubao teased her: "Huibao, if you eat the solid glutinous rice balls you rolled yourself, your cavities will be cured next year."

This successfully distracted Chu Huibao's attention.

When the meal was served, the whole family was eating glutinous rice balls. Chu Huibao broke all the glutinous rice balls in her bowl, and the black sesame and peanut brown sugar fillings all flowed into the soup.

"No..." Chu Huibao didn't find a solid glutinous rice ball in her bowl, and looked eagerly at Chu Shubao and Chu Jiabao.

Mrs. Liu scolded her, "Huibao, just eat. Why are you always staring at your sister's bowl?"

Chu Huibao held the chopsticks and said, "I'm looking for the solid glutinous rice balls that I rolled."

Chu Chengmao, who had just finished eating a glutinous rice ball, changed his expression, "So you rolled it. I was wondering why there was no stuffing in that glutinous rice ball just now."

When Chu Huibao heard this, she pouted and was about to cry, "Second brother ate my glutinous rice balls, and my toothache will never be cured..."

Chu Chengmao was confused. Chu Shubao quickly picked up a fried spring roll for Chu Huibao, "Little sister, eat this."

Old Lady Chu looked at her children and grandchildren's little actions and asked, "What's going on?"

Mrs. Xue smiled and said, "Shubao teased Huibao that if she ate the solid glutinous rice balls she rolled herself, her toothache would be cured next year."

As soon as these words came out, everyone at the table laughed.

The Chu family was having a great time. Although the Feng family also put up New Year paper-cuts, it was still too deserted. The servants knew their master's temper, and they would not show their happiness even during the New Year. Everyone was quietly doing their own things, and there was no sign of celebrating the festival at all.

Feng Shuo was alone in the study, handling official business. The housekeeper Fu Xi came in and said that the Grand Empress Dowager had prepared a meal and asked Feng Shuo to go over for the New Year meal. Feng Shuo knew that the Grand Empress Dowager hated him so much that she would never let him go over for the New Year meal. It was probably Nanny Song's idea.

If he didn't go, he would still have a thought in his heart. If he went, he would just be scolded by the Grand Empress Dowager during the New Year.

Feng Shuo closed his eyes. In the eyes of outsiders, he was a powerful vassal king, but when he really looked back, what else was left in this life except a desolate place?

The only person who could soften his heart should still be celebrating the New Year at the Chu family. Where she was, it seemed to be more lively.

Perhaps because he felt that the study was too deserted, Feng Shuo asked Xing Yao: "Did you interrogate anything from the mouth of the former palace maid?"

Xing Yao clasped his fists and said: "She is very stubborn, as if she wanted to die."

Feng Shuo closed the half-read document and said: "I will go to interrogate her personally."

There was no New Year atmosphere in the dungeon of Feng Mansion. The torches on the wall reflected the bloodstains that had not yet dried on the ground, which seemed a bit gloomy for no reason.

When Fang Zhi was dragged out by the jailer, she was already covered in blood.

When the jailer saw her tied to the rack, he poured a bucket of cold water on her, and Fang Zhi woke up.

Seeing Feng Shuo, Fang Zhi sneered and said, "The prince came to interrogate me in person on New Year's Eve. It's not bad luck."

Feng Shuo's eyes were cold and fierce: "I thought about it and finally let you live through this year. It's a good deal for you. But I heard that you had spies in Marquis Mu Wu's army. As long as you tell me how Marquis Mu Wu lost that battle, I will spare your life."

After the defeat of the Mu family, the military power fell into the hands of the Gao family, the Queen Mother's in-laws. These people in the previous dynasty would not help the Gao family to get the military power to strengthen Feng Shiyan's power. They must know something hidden.

Fang Zhi burst into laughter. Her whole body was covered with wounds from the torture and she could hardly breathe from laughing. "The affairs of the Mu family are indeed a stain on the emperor, but why should I help you use this stain to overthrow him? The bastard of the Feng family is not worthy of sitting on the throne of my Daqi!"

Xing Yao swung his hand and whipped her: "Watch your mouth!"

After being whipped, Fang Zhi didn't have the strength to speak for a long time.

Her words just now made Feng Shuo guess that she must know something. He half-squinted his eyes and said, "Your noble Princess Daqi is on her way back to the capital. If you tell the truth, I will be kind enough to send you back to her."

Fang Zhi's throat moved, and she laughed while coughing up blood: "King of Liaoning, do you know why the Grand Empress Dowager has been crazy for many years?"

Feng Shuo didn't say anything, but his eyes suddenly became sharp.

Fang Zhi sneered, "Because I have been using crazy drugs for her for more than ten years!"

Feng Shuo's veins bulged on the back of his hand, and the armrest of the yellow pear rosewood armchair was crushed by him.

The angrier he got, the happier Fang Zhi laughed, "Fang Qing, the maidservant beside the Grand Concubine, is my biological sister. Over the years, the Grand Concubine, who took crazy drugs, has always obeyed her orders... uh..."

Her throat was tightly locked, and the air was so thin that Fang Zhi's eyes turned white, but she kept grinning at Feng Shuo viciously.

Feng Shuo's eyes were bloodshot, staring at the face in front of him that was blurred by blood and could not be seen clearly, wishing he could peel off her skin and bones.

In the end, reason prevailed, Feng Shuo took a step back, and Fang Zhi lowered her head and couldn't stop coughing.

Xing Yao called out worriedly, "Your Highness..."

Feng Shuo used all his self-control to resist the urge to cut the prisoner into pieces. He said cruelly, "Find a doctor to treat her injuries. I will make this vicious woman know what it means to be unable to live or die. Since she likes to give people medicine so much, I will make her into a medicine man!"

Medicine men are not just for testing ordinary medicines. Some non-lethal poisons also need to be tested. It is really worse than death.

After coming out of the dungeon, Fang Zhi's words kept lingering in Feng Shuo's ears, and he felt very heavy in his heart.

He always thought that his mother had been ill for so many years, and it turned out that she was controlled by the traitor with drugs...

Feng Shuo didn't even have time to change his clothes before going to Mingtan Courtyard where the Grand Empress Dowager lived.

Compared to other places in Feng Mansion, Mingtan Courtyard is much more lively. A table full of delicious delicacies is prepared in the warm pavilion. The Grand Empress Dowager is sitting at the table, but she doesn't eat anything, as if she is waiting for someone.

Feng Shuo stood at the door of the warm pavilion. Before he could even say "Mother," the Grand Empress Dowager saw him first.

"My son..."

Time has never failed to make a beauty. When the Grand Empress Dowager smiled, she looked just like a twenty-year-old girl.

The word "my son" made Feng Shuo look dazed for a while. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether it was a dream or the Grand Empress Dowager really recognized him.

The Grand Empress Dowager stood up. When she saw the blood on Feng Shuo's hand, the smile on her face froze and turned into worry: "My son, are you injured?"

"Mother." Feng Shuo was stunned where he was, still not daring to believe that the Grand Empress Dowager had really regained consciousness.

"Madame Song, call a doctor!" The Grand Concubine Dowager anxiously ordered Madam Song.

Feng Shuo finally woke up from his dream and walked into the warm room: "I'm not injured, mother."

He washed his hands in the basin to remove the blood stains before sitting next to the Grand Concubine Dowager.

The face of the Grand Empress Dowager remained the same, but her eyes were still old. She looked at her son who was now able to stand on his own two feet, and tears slowly welled up in her eyes: "Are you busy with official duties? I asked Nanny Song to send a message to Fu Xi, asking you to come for dinner. The food is getting a little cold now..."

She measured Feng Shuo's height with her hand and found that he was very different from the skinny child in her memory. She couldn't help feeling sad in her heart, "My son is so big now. All these years, mother always felt like she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up... Now that you are awake, mother dare not see you. Mother treats you like this... Oh no, my son has suffered all these years alone..."

Feng Shuo's heart ached, he shook his head and knelt in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, with his head on her lap. Thousands of words were stuck in his heart, and in the end all he could say was: "Mother... I miss you."

These words made the Grand Empress Dowager burst into tears and choked, "Hurry up, mother has steamed your favorite rice cake."

When Feng Shuo raised his head, although he had a smile on his face, his eyes were red. The Grand Empress Dowager also wiped away a few tears with a handkerchief and put all the dishes on the table into his bowl.

"Mother heard that you are engaged to a capable girl."

"She is very good, mother will like her when she sees her."

"The girl my son likes is of course the best girl in the world, how can mother not like her?"

Jiang Yanyi was staying up all night at the Chu family. She waited from afternoon to evening but did not hear that Feng Shuo would come to the house. She could not help but suspect that Feng Shuo's previous words were just teasing her.

In the evening, someone in the city set off fireworks, and Chu Chengmao also made some fireworks and set them off in the yard. Chu Huibao, who was the most entertaining, was the first to clamor for sleep after eating and drinking enough.

Jiang Yanyi pushed Chu Yanyi out to watch the fireworks. Chu Chengmao stood by the corridor with his arms folded. When the fireworks exploded, he stared in one direction in a daze.

Jiang Yanyi had heard that the county lord of Xing'an was trying to find out about Chu Chengmao's whereabouts and was trying to create an encounter with him.

However, the Jixiang Inn was in the east, and Chu Chengmao was looking in the south, so Jiang Yanyi was a little confused.