Capítulo 1817: Chapter 1792: Stead Pork (Fifth February Monthly Ticket Bonus)
After thinking for a mont, she said, “But if you can buy beef, you can bring back a piece, and then I’ll chop it up to make sauce for you, or make it into a paste to take into the palace to eat. It’s better than mutton.”
The three of them brightened up, and Manbao looked at Bai Shan and Bai Erlang eagerly and said, “I’m going into the palace on duty tomorrow.”
Bai Shan said, “I’ll go find Yin Huo.”
Bai Erlang: “I’ll go too, I’ll go too!”
The three of them lingered by the kitchen door for a quarter-hour, eventually leaving after Junior Ms. Qian urged them repeatedly.
Daji had already handed their things over to the servants to be taken back. Seeing them rushing back, he also couldn’t help but glance towards the kitchen.
The three of them washed up and changed clothes at the fastest speed, then all ran to the West First Courtyard’s kitchen.
Junior Ms. Qian was just opening the stear. She used chopsticks to poke a piece of at, confird it was tender, and took a bowl out with a cloth-wrapped hand before turning off the heat to let it soak in the flavors.
She placed the stead at on a small table in the kitchen and let them sit on small stools to eat, smiling, “It’s not the best ti to eat it yet, let it simr slowly. It’ll still be hot when we have our evening al, and that’s when the stead at will be the best.”
The three nodded in unison, and Bai Shan casually took three pairs of chopsticks from the side to hand them each a pair, then looked at Junior Ms. Qian and asked, “Big sister-in-law, would you like to eat so with us?”
Junior Ms. Qian shook her head with a smile and said, “You eat, I’ll wait till the evening.”
She glanced at the sky outside, then said, “Hurry up and eat, Lixue and the others will be back soon.”
Manbao was the first to stretch her chopsticks to pick a piece of stead at. Bai Shan and Bai Erlang followed quickly, eating while thinking about how pitiful Lixue was — he was, after all, the son of their sister-in-law.
Junior Ms. Qian saw how their eyes sparkled as they ate, which made her happy. She said to them, “After dinner tonight, I’ll take out three bowls to freeze outside. You can see if you can bring them into the palace to eat. Isn’t it said that there are also stoves in the palace?”
Manbao said while eating, “Sister-in-law, we’re on holiday until the seventh day, and this definitely isn’t enough for the family to eat.”
Junior Ms. Qian laughed, “Then I’ll make so more when you’re about to return to the palace, but at is expensive during the New Year…”
Bai Shan waved generously, “Leave the at acquisition to us, don’t worry about it, sister-in-law.”
The three shared a bowl of stead at, which was not much — just three pieces per person. They not only finished the stead at but also all the white radish under it.
The three were still sowhat unsatisfied, but Junior Ms. Qian said, “Save so space for dinner. We’ll all eat together with several families, and Aunt Rong is already cooking. Later, I’ll go help.”
On the other side, Old Madam Liu, who could not wait for her grandson to co over, slled the faint aroma in the air and said with a smile, “This child must have gone over to the West Courtyard to eat at.”
Even Ms. Zheng felt a bit tempted.
She said, “We’re far from there, but the servants who ca back said that the street near the West Courtyard is filled with the aroma of at. Several families have already been lingering near the side door today.”
Old Madam Liu thought for a mont and laughed, “That’s a good idea. Isn’t the Zhou Family unsure what gifts to give the neighbors? Too heavy isn’t good, too light isn’t good either. Simply send over so homade items.”
Junior Ms. Qian’s cooking skills aren’t particularly refined, at least in terms of presentation compared to a chef, but her dishes have a unique flavor, making people want more after eating, and the flavors just feel right.
Even Old Madam Liu had watched Junior Ms. Qian teach Aunt Rong to make atballs, but even though the at and flour were the sa, and the steps identical, the atballs turned out to be two different flavors.
The atballs Junior Ms. Qian made were more tender and chewy.
This was the first New Year the three families celebrated in the capital, and with so many mbers of the Zhou Family, they prepared many good things.
Long before the heavy snow, Junior Ms. Qian was already preparing New Year goods.
They smoked bacon and sausages in the village and made a lot of jars of at and fish. After the Little New Year, she also made atballs at the Zhou Residence…
Even Aunt Rong was inspired to bring out her best skills, and with the help of the kitchen staff and the sisters-in-law of Zhou, they made a lot of delicious foods.
You could say that there was no shortage of food at the Zhou Residence now.
Even though their family backgrounds don’t require such early preparation of these foods — they could have just eaten readily available ones — Old Madam Liu expressed her support.
Just watching these kids happily bustling around the kitchen was enough.
As the sunset approached, Old Zhou and Ms. Qian led their sons and grandsons back. Seeing Manbao, Old Zhou was overjoyed and said to her, “The restaurant is already closed, and we’ve packed everything up from the restaurant. Tomorrow you can go out and play, where do you want to go?”
Manbao looked regretful, “Dad, I have to go into the palace for duty tomorrow.”
Old Zhou wasn’t disappointed either, smiling as he asked, “No problem, then the day after tomorrow?”
Manbao hesitated and nodded, “If I’m not too tired, and can get up.”
Ms. Qian stopped Old Zhou and asked Manbao, “How many days do you have to be on duty?”
“I’m on duty tomorrow and on the thirtieth day.”
Ms. Qian frowned slightly, “You have to be on duty on the night of the thirtieth?”
Old Zhou was also a bit unhappy since that was New Year’s Eve.
Manbao sighed and said, “Imperial Doctor Liu said that Director Xiao has not been ho for New Year for six years, always on duty every thirtieth.”
Old Zhou, hearing this, felt so sympathy, “Six years? The last ti I saw Director Xiao, he wasn’t young. Does he have grandchildren?”
Manbao nodded, “Yes, I think they’re six or seven years old?”
Old Zhou instantly didn’t feel it was a big deal for his daughter to be on duty on the thirtieth. He sighed, “Then go, this poor grandson hasn’t celebrated New Year together since birth.”
Really pitiful.
Ms. Qian glanced at Old Zhou and said to Manbao, “Tell your mother what you can bring into the palace, then I’ll have your sister-in-law make you sothing to take along, so you can eat while on duty at night.”
Manbao swallowed and said, “Stead at?”
Ms. Qian laughed and tapped her nose, “Greedy you, we’re eating it tonight. Your sister-in-law made plenty. You can eat it for two consecutive days if you want, why bring it to the palace?”
Though she said that, Ms. Qian agreed.
That evening, everyone ate together, and because there were many people, they split into three tables. The younger ones like Manbao sat at one table, while Mr. Zhuang sat at a table with Old Zhou, Old Madam Liu, and others.
He missed Junior Ms. Qian’s cooking skills, especially the stead at, which could only be eaten during the New Year.
Mr. Zhuang, being Manbao’s teacher, was the only one who could receive a bowl of stead at from their family. Even the Bai Family didn’t have this honor; Bai Shan and Bai Erlang could only go to the Zhou Family with Manbao to eat.
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