Border Cook

Chapter 666: Revenge of the Red Fruit
Honey fruit is made of flour, alkaline water, eggs, etc., with a thin skin, wrapped with syrup made from maltose, honey, etc., wrapped into small crescents, fried in a pan, and then coated with a layer of icing. It tastes crispy on the skin and full of syrup inside. When you take a bite, it is as sweet as honey and goes straight to your heart...

Xia Yunji followed Xia Mingyue in making these dishes with great relish, but he also raised his own question, "Sister, why are all the dishes made today sweet?"

"Don't you need something sweet right now?" Xia Mingyue tilted her head, smiling slyly, "Or have you reached the point where you don't even need sweets now?"

After all, the sweetness of this love is beyond honey.

You don't even need to eat, you can feel full just by breathing and drinking water.

Xia Yunji now completely understood his sister's teasing and felt a little embarrassed, "How could that be possible..."

"I don't see any." Xia Mingyue blinked her eyes. "If that's the case, then I won't say anything. A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. You should get out of the kitchen."

As she spoke, Xia Mingyue pretended to push Xia Yunji out.

Xia Yunji hurriedly apologized with a playful smile, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, sister, please don't chase me out. Let me learn a little from you."

This way, when he has time in the future, he can show off his skills and it will become a little sweet thing between the two of them, right?

After all, this Madam Fan seemed to be extremely fond of food and drink.

If you want to win someone's heart, you must first win their stomach.

My brother-in-law is a perfect example!

"That's more like it." Xia Mingyue couldn't help but smile from her previously tense face, and continued to teach Xia Yunji how to make some delicious food.

He even taught Xia Yunji a little trick to coax girls.

Candied Haws.

Use a short bamboo stick to insert a cored red fruit. Instead of immersing the whole fruit in syrup to cover it as usual, use two bamboo sticks to pick up some of the syrup to form a syrup thread. Hang the thread on the red fruit and keep wrapping it around it until the whole fruit is covered with the syrup thread, becoming a completely candied red fruit.

The candied haws made in this way become chubby round dolls. The candied haws on the surface are layered and look golden, which is very appetizing. When you eat it, the skin is crispier. It tastes even better when eaten with red fruits.

Xia Mingyue even used modern aesthetics to stick round cardboard eyes on the candied red fruit haws, making them look even smaller and cuter.

Xia Yunji couldn't let go of this kind of candied red fruit, and he followed Xia Mingyue's instructions very carefully.

It is not difficult to make candied red fruit. Xia Yunji is smart and studies very seriously. After trying several times, he can pull the candied red fruit into long and even threads. He can also wrap the red fruit very evenly, which looks great.

Then follow Xia Mingyue’s method and paste eyes on the candied red fruit…

perfect!

Xia Yunji made a lot of them in one breath, and even made a haystack by himself to stick the candied haws on it, and stuck all the candied red fruit candied haws, each with a different look in their eyes but a smile on their faces, on it one by one.

Then he excitedly delivered the pile of candied red fruit haws to the door of Fan's house.

Because it was the Chinese New Year period, and since he and Fan Jinglan had already been verbally married, it would not be appropriate for them to meet privately. Xia Yunji did not ask to meet Fan Jinglan, but simply handed the pile of candied red fruit haws to a servant of the Fan family and asked him to give it to Fan Jinglan.

Naturally, everyone in the Fan family already knew about the arranged marriage between Fan Jinglan and Xia Yunji, and they were polite, respectful, and enthusiastic towards the future son-in-law of the Fan family, repeatedly assuring that the stack of candied red fruit haws would be delivered to Fan Jinglan safely and intact.

After Xia Yunji left, the servants did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly delivered the candied red fruit haws to the second gate and handed them to the old women guarding the second gate to go in.

At this time, Fan Jinglan had just returned from accompanying her mother to her maternal grandparents' home, and had not even returned to her own yard. When she heard that Xia Yunji had sent something over, she hurriedly asked someone to bring it over.

When he saw a pile of exquisite and lovely candied red fruit candied haws, his eyes widened and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

Touching this, looking at that, Fan Jinglan couldn't let go of it, her eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, "Is this really sent by General Shenhu?"

"Yes." The maid smiled. "I heard from the concierge that it was delivered by General Shenhu himself. When delivering it, he gave many instructions, and told the old servants to deliver it carefully to the young lady, and not to bump it."

"The concierge also said that General Shenhu said he made this by himself. He doesn't know if the young lady likes it. If she likes it, he will make some more next time. If she doesn't like it, he will make something else next time."

Did Xia Yunji make it himself?
Fan Jinglan's eyes opened a little wider.

How could Xia Yunji, who looked so honest, simple and cute, have such skillful hands?
The most rare thing is that he still wants to please her?
Does that mean that Xia Yunji has been interested in her for a long time, no later than she was?

In this world, there is nothing more gratifying and joyful than two people being in love with each other.

Fan Jinglan smiled so hard that her eyebrows and eyes disappeared, and a blush flashed across her cheeks.

Mrs. Fan, who was standing by, also smiled kindly when she saw this.

Fan Jinglan is the darling of the entire Fan family and the apple of her mother's eye. As for her daughter's future husband's family, family background and young talent are one thing, but the most important thing is that the entire Fan family should treat Fan Jinglan as a treasure, and only then will the entire Fan family feel at ease.

Judging from the current situation, Xia Yunji is still pretty good.

Know how to use your heart.

Mrs. Fan was delighted, but also teased, "This candied haws looks really unique, mother has never eaten it before!"

After saying that, he looked at Fan Jinglan's expression and reaction at this moment.

"It's very unique. It's amazing that he has such an idea." Fan Jinglan smiled and picked a bunch from the pile and put it into Mrs. Fan's mouth. "Mother, try it too and see if it's sweet!"

"Of course it's sweet!" Mrs. Fan nodded affirmatively.

The mother-in-law always likes her son-in-law the more she looks at him. She now has a high opinion of Xia Yunji, so naturally she thinks the candied haws made by Xia Yunji are very delicious.

Fan Jinglan chuckled, plucked another bunch from the pile, and gave it to her father, "Dad, have a taste too."

Seeing this, Fan Hongyu stretched out his hand, "Brother, try one too!"

Fan Jinglan even squinted her eyes, "Brother, don't you usually not eat sweets?"

"I suddenly wanted to eat it today!" Fan Hongyu was very shameless, "Besides, this candied haws is sweet and sour, I think it must be very delicious."

"Could it be that my little sister is reluctant to give this candied haws to big brother because it was made by General Shenhu?"

Fan Jinglan pinched her fingers awkwardly.

She was really reluctant to give it to me. "It's okay." Fan Hongyu waved his hand, not caring at all. "It's okay if I don't want to give it to my brother. I'll go to General Shenhu and ask for some more. I think General Shenhu will not refuse to give it to my brother-in-law in the future..."

As he spoke, Fan Hongyu raised his foot and walked out.

Fan Jinglan hurriedly reached out to stop him.

Judging from Big Brother’s personality, I wonder how many candied haws he will ask for when he goes to see Xia Yunji this time!
Moreover, Fan Hongyu came to ask for candied haws, which meant that he didn't get any from her. If she gave them to him first, it would be embarrassing for her. But if she didn't give them to him, it would seem that he was ignorant...

Well, well, in order to make Xia Yunji less embarrassed, just give one to the eldest brother!
Fan Jinglan gritted her teeth, made up her mind, took a candied haws from the pile, and handed it to Fan Hongyu, "If you like it, take it and eat it!"

"Thank you, little sister!" Fan Hongyu took it with a smile that stretched from his ears to his mouth. He even said to Madam Fan smugly, "Can you see, mother? In my little sister's heart, I am still her big brother!"

Even if he shows some temper, his status can still surpass Xia Yunji!

Mrs. Fan took a bite of the crispy candied haws on the outside of the red fruit, savored the slight sweetness, and said faintly, "Have you ever thought that Lan'er gave you the candied haws to make General Shenhu less embarrassed? Does it mean that in Lan'er's heart, General Shenhu is more important?"

Fan Hongyu, "..."

The candied haws in my hand suddenly didn’t seem sweet anymore.

Damn it, he was still no match for that brat Xia Yunji!
But if you think about it from another perspective, at least he got a string of candied haws, right?

No matter how dull it is, it is still sweeter than bitter medicine soup!
Fan Hongyu comforted himself psychologically, picked up the string of candied haws and tasted it happily.

Here, Xia Yunji made some more candied haws with sugar-coated red fruits to thank Xia Mingyue for teaching him how to make it, and invited Xia Mingyue and Lu Qiyan to eat together.

The crispy skin and sweet and sour red fruits are a perfect enjoyment when eaten in the afterglow of the sunset while drinking two cups of hot fruit tea.

The three of them were enjoying a very leisurely afternoon tea time, but they received a piece of news.

The news came from the palace that the emperor was seriously ill and bedridden. All state affairs were temporarily handed over to important officials in the court, under the supervision of the second prince Xiao Luohe.

"The emperor's illness..." Xia Mingyue hesitated to speak.

Lu Qiyan continued, "The Third Prince died, and the First Prince killed his brothers and sisters. The Emperor must be very sad for a while, and needs to rest for a while."

"Yeah." Xia Mingyue nodded.

When people reach middle age and encounter such things, it is probably difficult for anyone to fully accept it.

The emperor is no exception.

However, there were already undercurrents in the court, and now that the emperor was ill, I was afraid that everyone in the court would start to have doubts.

During this period of time, it is better to stay at home peacefully.

Xia Mingyue felt emotional.

That night, the news that the emperor was seriously ill and needed to stay in bed to recuperate, and that the second prince Xiao Luohe was assisting in handling state affairs spread throughout the capital.

Candles burned late into the night in many wealthy homes, and the next morning, the number of carriages on the streets suddenly increased.

Many people quietly left the house in carriages or sedan chairs from the corner gates of their houses, avoiding the busy and prosperous roads and choosing alleys with fewer people, hurrying to their destinations.

Even in teahouses and pubs, people have started talking about it in the past two days.

"Although the emperor is young and strong, this illness came like a mountain. There is no news from the palace now. The situation may not be good."

"Since the emperor is seriously ill, I guess he will appoint a crown prince. I don't know which prince he will appoint as the crown prince..."

"Can't you see that? The emperor has many princes, but except for the first three princes, the rest are still young. Among these three princes, the eldest prince killed his brothers and sisters, and the third prince has died. Only the second prince can take on the important task."

"That's right. The Second Prince's mother's family is noble, and he has been carefully nurtured since childhood. I heard that he is both civil and military, and he is indeed a qualified candidate for the position of Crown Prince."

"I also heard that the Second Prince is kind and generous, helping the poor and the weak in private. He is a very kind person. If the Second Prince is honored as the Crown Prince, it will be a blessing for the common people."

"Our Great Zhou is about to welcome a wise ruler..."

The discussions reached the ears of Wen Lixin in Juyunxuan.

Wen Lixin's face immediately turned gloomy and he smashed a set of Ru kiln teacups on the table.

The Cui family thought they had a sure win and deliberately released so much public opinion to build momentum, just waiting to push Xiao Luohe to the position of crown prince?

Delusion!

You, the Cui family, will soon understand what it means to be too clever for your own good, and that blood debts must be repaid with blood!

Another teacup was thrown hard on the ground, and the fragments were all over the floor. Under the candlelight, it emitted an eerie light.

After the calls praising Xiao Luohe had been circulating in the capital for several days, new news reached the capital.

This news made everyone's jaw drop.

In the Cui family, whether it is the direct line or the side branches, all young men around the age of 20 have died mysteriously in recent days.

The Cui family never explained the cause of death, but there was a vague rumor that they encountered robbers who robbed their property and were afraid that the news would leak out, so they killed everyone.

Along with this news, all the males over fifteen years old in the Wen family, whether from the direct or collateral branches, were brutally massacred by robbers.

These two pieces of news spread to the capital at almost the same time, causing an uproar.

"The Wen and Cui families are both first-class aristocratic families. How dare those robbers and bandits touch such tough guys? Aren't they afraid of being retaliated by the Wen and Cui families and being killed without a burial place?"

"It's about robbers, but the Wen and Cui families both encountered such things, and so many people encountered them at the same time, and they were all young people between fifteen and twenty years old. Isn't this too much of a coincidence?"

"It's more than just a coincidence. There aren't so many robbers out there. And what kind of fierce robbers must they be to easily take the other person's life when they have attendants following them and the children of the Wen and Cui families are both skilled in martial arts?"

"This is clearly an enemy seeking revenge, in order to cut off the foundation of the Wen and Cui families..."

The old man in my family had his birthday. I was busy all day yesterday and didn’t write in advance. I wrote it today, so the update is a bit late. These days, I may write on the same day. You can read it in the evening.