Border Cook

Chapter 693 Angry

"I don't need to go through all these troublesome formalities. I won't wear a complicated wedding dress either. I'll just wear a tight outfit. When Xia Yunji comes, I'll ride on a tall horse with him and take a tour around the capital!"

"and then?"

"Then the two of us rode our horses at full speed, all the way out of the capital, and traveled all over the mountains and rivers!"

After Fan Jinglan finished speaking, she even nodded vigorously and clapped her hands, "This is a great idea, let's do it!"

Xia Mingyue, "..."

Traveling to get married?

It’s really trendy!
Suddenly I feel that compared with her, Fan Jinglan is the one who traveled through time!
-
It has been sunny for several days and the temperature has continued to rise. Even in Jinqiu County, which is further north than the capital, flowers are blooming and spring is in the air.

The apricot blossoms in the yard have reached their peak, and the branches look full of flowers, which is very beautiful.

The blooming apricot blossoms attracted many bees, which flew in and out, busy as a bee.

Because there were quite a lot of bees, Xia Mingyue had to dodge a few times when going in and out, so as not to accidentally bump into a bee and provoke its defensive attack.

Wu Jin was very happy about this. Not only did he watch the bees buzzing around under the apricot tree with great interest every day, he would also jump up from time to time and play with the bees for a while.

I don’t know if there is some wonderful way of communication between animals, but there has never been any friction or fighting between Wu Jin and the bees. Not only do they coexist peacefully, but sometimes the bees even stay on Wu Jin’s body for a while before flying to the lush flowers.

Apricot blossoms are in full bloom, and even though Qingming Festival has passed, the mugwort here is still fresh and tender.

Xia Mingyue simply made some green rice dumplings with the extremely fresh and tender mugwort.

The Qingtuan has a soft and glutinous green skin and is filled with fresh and delicious fillings. It is a delicacy that we can never get enough of every year.

This time, when Xia Mingyue made the green rice dumplings, she specially put in some meat floss that had been prepared in advance.

Meat floss is made by rolling, pounding and stir-frying the cooked tenderloin. It is dry and fluffy, tastes salty and delicious, and the flavor becomes stronger the more you chew it.

With the addition of meat floss, the taste of the green rice dumpling has been taken to the next level. It has immediately become the most sought-after food by everyone in the past two days, and everyone wishes they could have it with every meal.

And if you want to eat, you need to show due sincerity. There is no reason to let Xia Mingyue be busy alone.

So, we cut mugwort, crushed it to extract juice, made glutinous rice dough, and pounded meat floss...

Many hands make light work, and with everyone's constant busyness, the Youth League finally achieved freedom.

Although I can't eat as much as I want, at least I can eat at every meal.

Just when everyone was immersed in the delicious Qingtuan, Xia Mingyue received a piece of news - Mrs. He returned to Dexinyuan.

On the second day after receiving the news, Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan went to Dexinyuan to visit.

It was Jin Bao who opened the door. When he saw that the visitors were Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan, he smiled and went in to greet them. But he did not forget to remind them along the way, "Madam Xia, Madam Fan, please forgive me for being so nosy. The old lady has not been very happy since she came back. You should also be careful to avoid being scolded by the old lady."

"Unhappy?" Xia Mingyue was a little surprised, "Do you know why?"

"I don't know." Jin Bao sighed, "I just heard from Madam Gui that it seemed to be because of someone. I don't often serve the old lady, so I don't know much. I just heard it vaguely, so I reminded Madam Xia and Madam Fan."

Jinbao usually ate a lot of the food prepared by Xia Mingyue, so naturally he thought more about her now.

"Thank you, little brother."

Xia Mingyue thanked her and glanced at Fan Jinglan.

Fan Jinglan spread her hands.

After all, Madam He was not an ordinary person. Even the empress dowager had to say that she was unnatural. It was normal that they could not guess what she was like.

Xia Mingyue pursed her lips and continued walking inside with Fan Jinglan.

Walking to the back garden where Old Madam He usually basked in the sun and admired the flowers, Mother Gui had already received the news and walked over quickly, "Madam Xia and Madam Fan are here."

When she said this, Gui's mother's voice was deliberately very loud, and she glanced inside.

Just as Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan were surprised by Mother Gui's actions, Old Madam He snorted coldly from inside, "No matter who comes, I won't see her!"

Well, it looks like he’s quite angry.

Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan looked at each other again.

Mother Gui suppressed her laughter, winked at the two of them, and raised her voice again, "Since the old lady said so, then I will let them go back."

"Madam Xia, Madam Fan, the old lady is not feeling well today and cannot see any guests. Please go back..."

Before she finished her words, Madam He, who was lying on the recliner, suddenly stood up and shouted at Mother Gui, "I don't want to see anyone, but I didn't tell them to go back now!"

"Yes, yes, I misunderstood." Mother Gui said with a smile, "Then please come in, ladies..."

"I didn't let them go back, and I didn't say we'd meet right now!"

Xia Mingyue, "..."

Fan Jinglan, "..."

Mother Gui: "..."

Nothing works, right?

The three of them looked at each other and laughed.

The old lady is angry with the two of them, she needs to be coaxed!
Xia Mingyue cleared her throat first, "Old Madam really doesn't want to see us now?"

"This is natural, how can it be false?"

"It's okay if the old lady doesn't want to see us now. We can wait. But I'm afraid that my pork floss dumplings will not taste good if we keep waiting..."

Madam He, "!!!"

After a light cough, Madam He still had a stern face, "Since Qingtuan can't wait, then you two can come in. But let me tell you first, I'm here because of Qingtuan, not because of you two!"

"understand!"

Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan followed Mother Gui and walked in together until they came to Old Madam He, who was surrounded by various flowers and trees. Then they greeted her with a playful smile, "Hello, Madam."

"Not good." Madam He turned her head away. After a moment, she turned her head back and looked at Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan angrily, pointing at their noses and questioning, "You two are so heartless!"

"We didn't understand what the old lady said..." Xia Mingyue touched her nose. Fan Jinglan also became shameless, "That's right, as soon as we heard that the old lady was back, my sister and I hurriedly sent Qingtuan to the old lady to eat. How can we be regarded as heartless? It's unfair!"

"Don't interrupt." Madam He puffed up her cheeks, like a squirrel with its cheeks full of food. "I'm talking about what happened before!"

"Let me ask you, why didn't you tell me when you left the capital, and why did you sneak back here alone?"

"This..." Xia Mingyue suddenly felt wronged, her face full of grievance, "I went to the He family specifically to tell you, but you were not at home and it would take some time for you to come back, so we had no choice but to leave a letter for you and come back first."

"I was dragged by that old woman, the Queen Mother, to burn incense. I stayed in the temple for more than ten days. I was definitely not at home."

Madam He was still unhappy, "But this is not a reason. You two should have waited for me, an old woman. But you came back first. Aren't you disloyal?"

Well, it’s hard to figure it out for the time being.

Xia Mingyue rolled her eyes and looked at Madam He, "Then according to what Madam meant, we should wait until we finish offering incense with the Queen Mother before leaving the capital?"

"Of course." Madam He nodded.

"But I also specifically instructed someone to send a letter to the old lady to let her know. She should have received the letter on the same day."

Xia Mingyue pouted as she spoke, "It means that the old lady got the news a long time ago and waited until she finished accompanying the Queen Mother before leaving."

"Yes." Madam He nodded again.

"The old lady said that we are disloyal, but I think it is the old lady who is disloyal." Xia Mingyue changed the subject and directed her criticism directly at Madam He.

Madam He was stunned and even widened her eyes. "Why am I not loyal?"

"Since the old lady knew that we were leaving, she didn't pack up and come back with us, but stayed with the Queen Mother. Isn't it because the Queen Mother doesn't care about our loyalty?"

Xia Mingyue puffed up her cheeks, "The old lady is still angry with us, we should be angry with the old lady!"

Fan Jinglan also chimed in, "Sister is right, that's exactly what happened!"

Madam He, "..."

Can you do this?

Can't be bothered, can't be bothered!
Madam He coughed lightly, looking embarrassed. "Whatever, whatever, you left so suddenly, and I had already promised that good thing, so it's not appropriate to leave early. Let's just consider it as a draw, and no one is allowed to be angry with anyone else!"

"Hurry up and make the best tea for Mingyue and Lan'er, and bring the new fruits over!"

Seeing that Madam He handed over the ladder, Xia Mingyue and Fan Jinglan naturally hurried down the ladder, "Well, then we'll listen to Madam, and we'll be even."

"Madam, please try it. This year's new qingtuan is even more delicious than last year's."

Xia Mingyue enthusiastically took out the packaged green dumplings, and Mrs. He picked one up with a smile and put it in her mouth.

Once you taste it, you can’t stop eating it.

The meat floss filling is soft and delicious, with a salty and fragrant taste, while the red bean paste filling is delicate and sweet...

Each one is delicious!

Madam He exclaimed that it was delicious and could not help but nod, "It is even more delicious than last year. Mingyue's cooking skills have improved."

"As long as the old lady thinks it's delicious," Xia Mingyue said, "the tender mugwort leaves can still be eaten for a while. Bring some to the old lady every day in the next few days."

"That's great." Madam He smiled, "But Dexin Garden is far from the county town. You and Lan'er don't have to come here every day for this matter. Just ask someone to deliver it."

"Okay." Xia Mingyue responded with a smile.

The two of them talked with Old Madam He for a long time, and at noon they had lunch at Dexin Garden.

Since it was a rare opportunity for her to come here, Xia Mingyue cooked two dishes herself.

One dish is almond salad with shepherd's purse, and the other is a steamed dish.

The former is needless to say, the shepherd's purse is slightly blanched in water to retain its fresh taste, and it is eaten together with the almonds with a strong aftertaste, and it is a perfect combination and very delicious.

For the latter steamed dish, Xia Mingyue used the broom seedlings she brought with her.

Broom seedlings were originally wild things. They could grow luxuriantly and very large without any care. At first, they were despised and treated as weeds. Later, it was discovered that after they had grown up completely, when the leaves fell in autumn, the dry branches could be tied together to make a large broom, which was very suitable for cleaning the yard.

As a result, broom seedlings became a favorite of many families. Even if the courtyard of their home was not spacious, they would sprinkle some broom seedlings seeds in front of and behind the house and plant several broom seedlings.

Therefore, Xia Mingyue picked a lot of young shoots of broom seedlings, washed them clean, mixed them with a little white flour, and steamed them directly in the steamer.

The steamed dishes are served with a little garlic juice or chili oil, and eaten in big mouthfuls. They are both refreshing and rich in flavor and very delicious.

Both of these delicacies were full of farm flavor. Old Madam He ate them with great satisfaction and happiness. She even had half a bowl more of rice than usual.

In the following days, Xia Mingyue went to Dexin Garden with Fan Jinglan from time to time, and each time they went, they brought a lot of food.

Homemade hand-broken sausages with distinct meat pieces, hot noodle dumplings with a translucent skin and full of fillings, crispy and tender horseshoe-shaped sesame cakes that can be washed directly with boiling water, and oil tea noodles, an upgraded version of fried noodles...

The food was different, but all delicious. Madam He was smiling from ear to ear, and she praised Xia Mingyue all day long.

Praise aside, Mrs. He felt that this good thing also needed to be put into practice.

So, from time to time, Old Madam He sent people to give Xia Mingyue some of the things she had that she felt were presentable.

Brocade fabrics from Suzhou, hams as valuable as gold, fresh shrimps and dried goods from the seaside...

Among them, there are even many precious teas and wines.

The wine is Xiangxue wine, which is famous for its snow-white lees. The wine is light yellow in color, with a fragrant and elegant aroma, and a rich, mellow and sweet taste. It is a rare good wine.

It was so good that even Xia Mingyue, who had no interest in alcohol, couldn't help but smack her lips and was planning to make some food with this Xiangxue wine.

Xiangxue wine is a type of rice wine, and since it is rice wine, drunken shrimps are a must.

Xia Mingyue prefers cooked food, and this drunken shrimp is also a cooked version.

After cleaning the shrimps, cook them and let them cool, then soak them in a sauce made from Xiangxue wine, soy sauce, sugar, cinnamon, pepper, star anise, dried chili peppers and other seasonings overnight before you can start eating.

There is no need to worry about eating the cooked and drunken shrimps. The original fresh and fragrant taste is fully stimulated by Xiangxue wine and white sugar, making it more fresh and fragrant and the taste stronger. It is very suitable as a side dish with rice or as a midnight snack.

The eggs boiled in Xiangxue wine are not poached eggs, but whole fried eggs, which are then stir-fried with shredded ginger and served with red dates and wolfberries. You will get a bowl of egg soup that is colorful, fragrant and delicious, and warms the body and nourishes the body.