Chapter 30 The General's Free Meal Plan

Jiang Yanyi asked Qiu Kui to put two meals' worth of rice into the pot, so that they could just heat up the cold rice at night and not have to bother with it anymore.

She picked up a large yellow pumpkin from the corner and peeled it with a kitchen knife.

Because the pumpkin was older, Jiang Yanyi deliberately peeled the skin thicker. Whether the pumpkin is delicious or not can be judged from the feel of the knife when peeling and the color of the pumpkin flesh after peeling.

As Jiang Yanyi was handling the pumpkin in her hand, she smiled: "This pumpkin must be sweet."

Qiu Kui was squatting beside her cleaning the seeds in the pumpkin flesh. Upon hearing this, she raised her head with a greedy look on her face. Her face was stained with orange juice from the pumpkin flesh, like a little cat: "Sweet?"

Sugar was outrageously expensive in that era. It was estimated that ordinary families could hardly buy a little throughout the year. Only the rich families often ate sugar cakes and sweets.

Jiang Yanyi nodded, washed the peeled pumpkin, cut it into small pieces, prepared a quarter for pumpkin stew rice, and the remaining three quarters for pumpkin pancakes. She said, "Light a fire in the stove next to you, and I'll steam the remaining half of the pumpkin to make pumpkin pancakes."

When Qiu Kui heard about making pumpkin pancakes, he hurried back to the back of the stove to light the fire.

There were three pots on the stove, and Jiang Yanyi was very satisfied. The big pot could be used to put the steamer and make steamed dishes; the middle pot was used for stewing, and the remaining small pots were used for frying.

There was also a water-boiling pot placed between the middle pot and the small pot. The bottom was connected to the stove. When making rice, a fire was lit, and the water in the pot was heated, which could save a lot of firewood.

Jiang Yanyi steamed the chopped pumpkin in a steamer and used a large iron spoon to stir the rice in the pot. The rice soup was thick and sticky, and the rising steam was mixed with a strong rice aroma. Jiang Yanyi had only seen rice

cooked in a wood-fired pot when she was a child at her grandmother's house. The rice cooked in this way seemed to be more fragrant than that cooked in an electric rice cooker.

Seeing that the rice still needed to be cooked for a while, she picked the pumpkin seeds from the half-peeled okra, washed off the orange pumpkin juice on it with clean water, filtered it into a colander, spread it flat, and took it to the yard to dry.

The pumpkin seeds were not dry yet, but Jiang Yanyi had already thought about how to fry them and eat them as a snack. Well, I have to save some pumpkin seeds and plant them in the yard in the spring of next year. Then I will have pumpkin buds and pumpkin flowers to eat.

Jiang Yanyi sighed and felt that the pumpkin was full of treasures.

When she returned to the kitchen again, the rice was already cooked to 70%. Jiang Yanyi found a clean basin to put underneath, put a colander on it, and scooped the rice in the pot into the colander with a wooden ladle. The rice was drained out, and the basin was filled with thick and white rice soup.

The okra was rotten, and I couldn't wait for the rice to be cooked, so I drank two big bowls of rice soup first.

Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You drank too much rice soup now, you won't be able to eat much rice later."

Qiu Kui shook her head while holding the bowl: "I think I can still eat three bowls."

Jiang Yanyi was amused by this silly girl.

I don't know if it's because she has regained her freedom, but even though it's the same cooking, Jiang Yanyi just feels much more relaxed here than when she was in Huotouying. She is happy and has the energy to do anything.

She cleaned the pot, drained the water and added oil. When the oil was hot, she smashed some garlic and put it in to stir-fry until fragrant, then took it out. Then she poured the quarter of the pumpkin she had reserved into the pot and stir-fried it. She only added salt and no other seasonings. The smell coming out of the pot was already very fragrant.

She used a spatula to scoop the pumpkin in the pot into a pile. The pumpkin pieces were covered with oil and looked shiny and beautiful. Jiang Yanyi then used chopsticks to carefully spread the simmered rice on the pumpkin, covering the pumpkin tightly so that the sweetness of the pumpkin would be locked into the rice. Jiang Yanyi

added water around the pot and said to Qiu Kui, "Turn to medium-low heat. If the fire is too high, the pumpkin will get mushy before it's cooked."

Qiu Kui nodded vigorously and obeyed.

After doing all this, Jiang Yanyi covered the pot. When the pumpkin in the pot is cooked, the rice on top will also be cooked. She doesn't need to keep track of time. She can tell when to turn off the fire just by looking at the steam coming out of the pot.

The pumpkin chunks in the steamer were also steamed. Jiang Yanyi took out the steamed pumpkin chunks, mashed them into a paste, added glutinous rice flour, and kneaded them until they were no longer sticky to the bottom of the pot. She then covered

the pot with a clean wet towel and let it rise for a while. At this time, the white steam coming out of the pot lid from the pumpkin rice in the pot had become smaller. If you listen closely, you can still hear a faint "crackling" sound inside. It was the rice grains sticking to the pot that had begun to turn into pot crust. Jiang Yanyi hurriedly asked Qiu Kui to put out the fire in this pot and transferred the firewood to the stove under the small pot.

She rolled the dough into long strips, pinched it into small pieces with extremely fast hands, rolled it into a small ball, and pressed it on the chopping board to make a flat pumpkin cake.

Seeing that the pan was hot, he added oil and put the pumpkin cake in to fry until both sides were browned. Under the effect of the heat, the browned outer shell of the pumpkin cake would swell up, which was very beautiful.

After the pumpkin cake was taken out of the pan, Jiang Yanyi asked Qiu Kui to taste it. Qiu Kui took it directly with her hands, and it was burned, so she changed her chopsticks to pick it up, but it was still hot when she put it in her mouth. She ate it in a hurry, and it was so hot that she stuck out her tongue and breathed.

"Eat slowly, there are so many." Jiang Yanyi was afraid that she would burn her tongue.

"Good to eat, I'm not afraid of being boiled." Qiu Kui was indeed tongue-tied when she spoke again. She took a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Jiang Yanyi: "Eat it."

Jiang Yanyi picked up a piece and tasted it. The pumpkin cake was fried crispy on the outside, but soft and glutinous on the inside. It tasted sweet, not the kind of sweet that makes people sick, but the sweetness of the pumpkin itself.

When Jiang Yanyi mixed the glutinous rice flour, she didn't add sugar because there was no sugar at home. She thought the taste might be a little bland, but unexpectedly the finished product was very pleasing to her.

She nodded with satisfaction and turned to lift the lid of the pot: "Let's eat."

There was a sudden knock on the door outside, and Qiu Kui went to open the door with a piece of pumpkin cake in her mouth.

Jiang Yanyi had just served the pumpkin stewed rice when Qiu Kui came back again, holding a pumpkin cake in her mouth, like a little mouse that had seen a cat.

Jiang Yanyi asked her, "What's wrong?"

Qiu Kui trembled and said, "There's someone outside."

Jiang Yanyi thought, isn't it just a person? How could the child be scared like this?

She wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, walked across the yard to the shop in front, and when she saw the person standing at the door, she was not surprised why Qiu Kui was so scared.

It's just... why is this general holding a pot of chili in his hand?

Jiang Yanyi couldn't help but glance at the peppers in his hand a few more times, then she looked up at him: "General, what are you doing..."

Feng Shuo handed the potted plant to her, "I heard that you opened a shop here."

Their eyes met, and he looked away uncomfortably, but his voice was as clear as always.

Jiang Yanyi was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that the Protectorate was right next to her, and they were neighbors now. This general came over with a plate of peppers. Was it to congratulate her on opening a store?

Apart from anything else, this general was really nice in that he was friendly with his neighbors, without any official airs.

Because of his action, Jiang Yanyi's favorability towards him increased a lot.

But although sending a flower basket for the opening of a business is good, her store hasn't opened yet. Jiang Yanyi was a little embarrassed, but she couldn't refuse other people's kindness, not to mention that he didn't send anything else, but peppers!

Jiang Yanyi took the potted peppers he handed over, and thought that with the general's cold personality, he was just coming over to give a gift.

But after a few polite words, he obviously still had no intention of leaving. It was not good to stand at the door all the time. They both had outstanding looks, and there were many people coming and going on the street. Anyone who passed by could not help but take a few glances at them.

Jiang Yanyi felt a little embarrassed by being looked at, but it was not good to chase away a guest who had given her a gift. She could only say tactfully: "We just moved here today, and we haven't had time to clean up the house or outside. If you don't mind, General, please come in and have a seat."

"Come in and have a seat" was just a polite remark. She had already said that the house had not been cleaned up yet. When ordinary people heard this, they would definitely know that it was not convenient to entertain guests.

But Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether this general didn't understand the ways of the world or what. After she finished speaking, he replied with one word: "Yeah."

If it weren't for his cold face, Jiang Yanyi would have suspected that he had been standing at the door for a long time just to wait for her to say this.

She gritted her teeth and welcomed him in. The shop had not yet been set up with a table, and it was empty. There was only a counter where the cashier used to be, so Jiang Yanyi put the pot of peppers on the counter.

She then went to the backyard to find a foldable wooden table, brought it over, and put a chair on it for him to sit.

The shop door was closed before, but now that he was invited in, in order to avoid suspicion, Jiang Yanyi simply left the shop door open.

She searched for a long time but couldn't find the tea leaves left by the original owner. She didn't have time to buy some, so she didn't want to let him sit there. She went back to the kitchen and brought out a plate of pumpkin cakes: "I'm sorry for the poor hospitality. I just made some cakes. General, please have some."

Feng Shuo nodded coldly and picked up a piece of cake to eat.

Jiang Yanyi felt that his cold face and the way he ate pumpkin cake were really inconsistent.

He ate a piece without any intention of stopping. He kept a noble and cold face and ate the second piece. Jiang Yanyi couldn't help but look at the sky. It was noon. Could it be that he came back from the army, but the chef of the Protectorate thought he would have lunch in the army at noon and didn't cook for him?

She asked tentatively: "There is pumpkin stewed rice in the kitchen, would you like to try it, General?"

Feng Shuo uttered a word in a noble and cold manner: "Yes."

He had come to Huotouying's private stove to eat before, and Jiang Yanyi knew how much he ate. When serving the rice, she found a large bowl and scooped up the golden pot crust at the bottom of the pot along with the rice and pumpkin.

When Jiang Yanyi took the large bowl out, she found that most of the pumpkin cakes on the plate were gone. She was quite surprised. Although pumpkin cakes were delicious, the powerful and nobles didn't like them very much. They preferred those exquisite pastries with exquisite methods. This general was not picky.

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself that he was indeed a soldier.

She respectfully presented the pumpkin stewed rice to him, "General, enjoy your meal."

Feng Shuo saw that the bowl she used to serve the rice was as big as a soup basin, and his expression froze for a moment, and the corners of his delicate mouth tightened instantly. But seeing that she looked extremely sincere, he still reached out to take it.

Although he had a big appetite, he always used a small bowl to eat. Thanks to the royal family's rules and education, even if he used a small bowl to add rice ten times, he was still polite and elegant when eating.

Feng Shuo felt as if he was being rejected for his large appetite when he was handed such a big bowl out of the blue.

But this bowl of rice smelled really good and looked very appetizing.

The rice grains were distinct, the rice aroma was rich, and it was just the right amount of softness and hardness when chewed. The fried pumpkin was bright yellow and oily, but it didn't feel greasy at all when eaten. It had a light sweetness in the salty taste. The golden hot pot was probably the most delicious part, and it was crispy and fragrant when chewed.

It was the first time that Feng Shuo knew that rice and pumpkin could be so delicious.

Seeing him pick up his chopsticks, Jiang Yanyi went back to the back yard to get her own bowl of rice.

Fearing that Feng Shuo would call her, she moved a pony and sat under the eaves at the back door of the store to eat.

Feng Shuo looked up inadvertently and saw her sitting there, holding a half-sized porcelain bowl in her hand, her mouth stuffed with food, her cheeks bulging like a hamster, and her eyes narrowed in satisfaction as she ate so much. Behind her was a courtyard wall covered with green vines, and lavender bougainvillea was blooming beautifully in the sun.

He suddenly thought that this little cook was pretty.

A secret and absurd thought arose in his heart. He didn't want to know her true identity, nor did he want to know who her fiancé was, or what was her relationship with Lu Linyuan... After

Jiang Yanyi finished her meal, she found that Feng Shuo was looking at her.

She leaned over and saw that his big bowl was empty.

She thought Feng Shuo was staring at her because he was embarrassed to ask her to add more rice, so she walked over very considerately and asked, "General, do you want more rice?"

She spoke abruptly, and Feng Shuo came back to his senses and nodded expressionlessly.

Jiang Yanyi took a large bowl and scooped rice from the pot. Qiu Kui was going to eat one more bowl, but when she saw Jiang Yanyi came in with only a bowl in his hand and no chopsticks, she knew that the general outside wanted more rice.

She stared at the only bowl of rice left in the pot and put down the shovel pitifully.

Jiang Yanyi comforted her: "I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Qiu Kui's eyes lit up again: "Is it still pumpkin stewed rice?"

Jiang Yanyi said: "I'll make whatever you want to eat."

Qiu Kui immediately said: "Pumpkin stewed rice!"

Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This silly girl was too easily satisfied. A pumpkin stewed rice made her so happy.

When Jiang Yanyi brought the rice out, Feng Shuo saw that the bowl was not full, and he guessed something. He ate it without saying a word, and left two taels of silver on the table when he left.

This meal was originally a return gift for the pot of peppers, so Jiang Yanyi couldn't accept his money. She quickly chased after him and returned it: "General, this meal is very crude, how can I accept your money."

Feng Shuo asked her in return: "If it doesn't taste good, you won't charge me?"

Jiang Yanyi was a little embarrassed by his question. She thought to herself that this general was really a good chatterbox. Did he really not understand the ways of the world?

She gritted her teeth and handed the small change to him, maintaining a smile on her face as she said, "General, you took good care of me when I was in Huotouying before. Now that our shop is next to the Protectorate, I hope you will come and take care of our business often in the future. I really can't accept the money for today's meal."

Feng Shuo was much taller than her. From his perspective, the young cook nodded slightly, lowered her eyebrows, and smiled, as if she was a young wife who was seeing her husband off.

He stared at her for a long time without saying a word. He

gave her the silver because he felt bad that he came over without saying a word and ate up all the rice in the pot, leaving them both with nothing to eat. But now the young cook insisted on returning it to him.

Feng Shuo frowned unconsciously. In his opinion, it was only two taels of silver. How could he take it back after giving it

? But when she said that she would come often in the future, he was tempted again. So

he asked, "When do you plan to open this store?"

Jiang Yanyi was actually not sure yet. After all, she was planning to open a hot pot restaurant. If there was no chili, she would sell clear soup pots first. As the weather was getting colder, there would definitely be a market for hot pot. This street was rich and powerful, and the wealthy families naturally had money to buy a hot pot.

The trouble was that she had to find someone to decorate the store, customize tables, chairs, benches, special pots for cooking hot pot, and plates and bowls.

She thought for a while and said, "It will probably be when the army is on holiday next time."

The army only had one day off every ten days, so it would be about ten days before the store could open.

Feng Shuo glanced at her still empty store and nodded in understanding.

Jiang Yanyi said, "Please take the silver back."

Feng Shuo's eyes fell on her palm. Her hand was small, her fingers were slender, and extremely white and tender. The small piece of silver was dragged by her like a rock protruding from the snow.

When he reached out to take the silver, his fingertips inadvertently brushed across her palm, and it felt soft and delicate, as if he had touched a piece of warm, slightly solidified milk.

Feng Shuo felt as if something like a tentacle was spreading from his fingers to his heart, causing a slight itching sensation and numbness in his fingertips.

He quickly withdrew his hand and put it behind his back, "I'll come again next time."

He walked out of the shop and turned a corner to reach his own mansion, where Xing Yao was standing with a food box in his hand: "Master, Nanny Song heard that you will be returning to the barracks soon, and you may not have time to eat, so she asked the kitchen to prepare some food for you."

Feng Shuo's hands behind his back were rubbing his fingertips unconsciously, and the warm and delicate touch seemed to still remain on them. Hearing this, he only said lightly: "I have already eaten, and I give this to you as a reward."

Jiang Yanyi had no idea that someone was eating for free. She was holding the pot of peppers and her whole body was almost smiling like a flower.

Qiu Kui was puzzled: "Hua Hua, why are you always smiling foolishly while holding this potted plant?"

Jiang Yanyi said with a face full of longing: "With it, you can make many, many of the most delicious foods in the world!"

When Qiu Kui heard that she could make delicious food, she immediately treated the potted plant as a treasure and took care of it more diligently than Jiang Yanyi.

In order to open the store quickly, Jiang Yanyi made a list in the afternoon, wrote down all the things she wanted to buy, and planned to purchase them in batches. As for

tables, chairs, benches, pots and pans, she planned to go to the market to ask around, to see which chef has better craftsmanship, and then go to discuss in detail.

She was now settled down, but she didn't know what the situation was in the capital. She thought about it and decided to write a letter to the Chu family in the capital.

She originally planned to write to her original body's younger brother, asking about his and Madam Jiang's recent situation, and to let them know that she was safe. She didn't dare to return to the capital now, and could only find another opportunity to meet them in the future.

But Jiang Yanyi was afraid of any accidents. If the letter didn't reach her younger brother Jiang Yangui, it would be troublesome. After all, her stupid and cheap father was absolutely unreliable.

In the original body's memory, her grandparents loved her very much, especially her uncle who also joined the army.

After the letter was written, Jiang Yanyi took Qiu Kui out for a stroll, intending to see if there were any peppers for sale in the market, and to go to the post station to mail a letter. The letters at the post station were all sent out early in the morning.

Neither she nor Qiu Kui noticed that someone had been following them stealthily since they left the house.

After Jiang Yanyi came out of the post station, the man quickly entered the post station again and came out with a letter in his hand.