Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1279 Tomato and Sliced ​​Meat Soup

Using chopsticks, Shi Jia placed the marinated meat slices into the nearly boiling water. "Take the fire off, just leave a little charcoal. Don't let the water boil," Shi Jia told the fire-tender.

The slices of meat sink to the bottom of the pot, gradually turn white in the boiling water, float to the surface, and rise and fall in the slowly churning water, like fallen leaves, drifting away with the wind.

"This is a crucial step. To keep the meat slices tender, besides the marinating method, you must pay attention to the heat when cooking the meat slices. Don't let the water boil. Just like it is now." Shi Jia glanced at Wang Quan, who nodded quickly.

"When the meat slices turn pinkish-white, they are about 80-90% cooked, and then you can take them out," Shi Jia said.

"Whoosh!" A bamboo strainer forcefully plunged into the water, violently impacting the floating meat slices in the pot, causing them to tumble erratically. The strainer had broken through the water pressure and quickly rose, "Splash!" With the sound of water falling back down, only a small pile of meat slices remained in the strainer.

Shi Jia quickly scooped the sliced ​​meat out of the pot with a slotted spoon and placed it in a small winnowing basket next to him to rest.

Wang Quan, who was standing nearby, immediately stepped forward to help Shi Jia wash the pot. After the clean pot was placed back on the stove, Shi Jia began to stir-fry the tomatoes and garlic slices until fragrant. He then added the tomatoes, stir-fried them until they became mushy, added water and brought it to a boil, then added the meat slices and waited for it to boil again.

"Splash~" The red soup was poured into the porcelain white soup bowl, and steam rose up. Accompanying the steam was a sweet and sour fragrance.

"Gurgle~" The fire-stoker sitting behind the stove quickly covered his stomach and smiled shyly at Shi Jia.

Shi Jia didn't mind. "This soup has a sweet and sour taste that whets the appetite. It doesn't need too many seasonings, just a little salt will do."

Wang Quan nodded, "Okay, Master, I've got it."

"If the pork weren't so gamey, there would be no need to use so many seasonings to marinate it," Shi Jia muttered. "We should hurry up and find Prefect Wan to complain about the castrated pigs."

"Master, what did you say?"

"It's nothing, just call someone to come and get the groceries."

"Ok."

The delicious tomato and pork soup whetted Lu Xing'er's appetite, and she ate two bowls of rice, which relieved Lu Mama.

"It's so delicious! Granny Lu, you should try some too." Lu Xing'er said to Granny Lu with satisfaction, patting her bulging belly.

Looking at the empty soup bowl, Granny Lu smiled and said, "No need, I'm happy as long as the young mistress can eat."

Lu Xing'er noticed the empty soup bowl and immediately blushed. "Ahem, how about we ask Chef Li to make another one?" she said, heading to call for someone.

Granny Lu hurriedly said, "Young Madam, you've forgotten, Chef Li goes home every day after he finishes preparing dinner. He's probably already eating by now."

"Oh, I forgot." Lu Xing'er slapped her forehead, suddenly remembered something, and her face turned pale, startling the old woman next to her.

"Young Madam, are you feeling unwell?" Granny Lu quickly supported Lu Xing'er's shoulders, afraid that she would faint.

"Waaah, Granny~" Lu Xing'er burst into tears.

Granny Lu's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in panic. "Young Madam, are you feeling unwell? Is your stomach hurting?"

"Hongliu, go quickly and call the doctor."

Hongliu, who was already completely flustered, rushed out of the room upon hearing what Granny Lu said.

"Waaah~ No need, Granny, I'm fine, no need to call the doctor." Lu Xing'er quickly waved her hand to indicate that she was alright, but her tears didn't stop. Granny Lu held Lu Xing'er in her arms with heartache and coaxed her softly. After a long time, Lu Xing'er finally calmed down.

Granny Lu breathed a sigh of relief. "Young Madam, can you tell me why you're crying?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xing'er's eyes reddened again, but she didn't cry this time. She said, "Granny, I don't want Master Li to leave."

Granny Lu said, "Then I'll talk to Master Li later and ask if she can stay at the mansion?"

Lu Xing'er shook her head, "More than half of the year has passed. Master Li will be leaving soon, boohoo."

Only then did Granny Lu remember the contract that the second young master had signed with Master Li.

"Well, then we'll talk to Master Li about it. Maybe she'll be willing to stay in the manor?" Granny Lu coaxed, though of course she didn't think the other woman would actually want to stay. These days, who wants to be a servant when they can make their own decisions?
"Will Master Li agree?" Lu Xing'er looked at Granny Lu hopefully.

"Well... people are all made of flesh and blood." Granny Lu could only continue to coax her. She couldn't let her young mistress be sad. The most important thing for a pregnant woman is to maintain a good mood. "Young mistress, you treat Master Li so well. I'm sure Master Li has noticed it. He will definitely consider your situation and might even stay in the manor."

"Yes, yes, that's great!" Lu Xing'er nodded vigorously, as if Shi Jia had already agreed to stay in the Wan family as a cook forever.

*
"Ah!"

Shi Jia quickly turned her head away from the dining table.

"Sister-in-law, have you caught a cold?" Wang Tieshan and Wang Tiehua looked at her with concern, while the little one she was holding looked bewildered. What was that loud noise just now? "Mother?"

"I'm fine." Shi Jia took out a handkerchief to wipe her nose, and then comforted the little guy. "Hurry up and eat. In a little while, we'll all turn over the ground in the yard together."

The family isn't home during the day, so they can only do some chores before going to bed.

"it is good."

Although Wang Tieshan, Wang Tiehua, and Xiaocao were young, they had been used to farm work since childhood. The amount of land in the yard that could be cultivated was less than half an acre, and the group quickly finished turning it over.

However, Shi Jia did not immediately plant the sweet potato vines. Instead, she temporarily planted them in the ground. After the soil had been turned over and dried for two days, she created ridges and then proceeded with the planting.

On the day of planting sweet potatoes, Shi Jia made a point of going home at noon to finish the work. Although Li Yunniang came from a farming family, her farming skills were only those of an average farmer; it was practically impossible for her to cultivate high-quality seeds.

So, from the moment he decided to cultivate superior varieties himself, Shi Jia began reading agricultural books.

That day, when Shi Jia returned the book he had finished reading to Prefect Wan, he was stopped by him.

"Madam Li, I heard you've been trying to cultivate superior sweet potato varieties?" Prefect Wan said with great interest. In fact, the government has always been working on this aspect of cultivating superior varieties, such as using the fullest rice and wheat grains each year as seed crops.

“Yes, the current sweet potato fiber is... well, it’s too coarse to eat.” Shi Jia was so engrossed in watching that she almost misspoke. “I think if sweet potatoes tasted better, people would definitely be more willing to grow them.”

She still couldn't understand why people were unwilling to grow sweet potatoes, given their high yield and slightly inferior taste. Did they think that going hungry was more bearable than eating sweet potatoes?

Shi Jia sighed, unable to understand.

Prefect Wan looked at Shi Jia with a complicated expression. "Li Niangzi's idea is good, but cultivating superior seeds is not a simple matter." To be honest, he was not optimistic about her.

"Yeah, I know. I don't have any ideas either, so I can only keep doing it for now." Shi Jia rubbed his head. He had already read more than a dozen books on agriculture, but he still had no ideas.