Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 20 Stewed Goose in Iron Pot

Xu Qingmeng had expected to have to use a lot of words, but before she could even open her mouth, the butcher had already started asking questions.

"Miss Gu, I heard you're going to renovate your shop?" The butcher's surname was Liu. He was chubby, which suited his image as a butcher, since butchers never lacked meat to eat.

Xu Qingmeng nodded, "Yes, we've already started work today."

"With Madam Gu's shop doing so well, it will surely be even better after the renovation. That means you'll need quite a bit of meat every day. Madam Gu, do you think our meat is still fresh?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingmeng understood what the boss meant and said with a smile, "The meat at Boss Liu's place is very fresh."

Upon hearing that there was a chance, Boss Liu quickly said...
"Madam Gu, look, from now on, I'll deliver the meat you need every day to the shop, how about that?"

"Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Liu. If you are willing to believe me, then I will send some meat every morning."

"Alright then, when Madam Gu is free later, I will bring the contract to visit you."

Xu Qingmeng agreed and left with the meat and other things she had bought.

After Xu Qingmeng left, she bought a lot of things. Then she saw geese for sale and it reminded her of stewed goose in an iron pot, with flatbreads stuck around the edge of the pot. She subconsciously swallowed.
Thinking that there were still workers, he directly asked the stall owner to pick out two relatively fat geese, and then made them into two flavors, one spicy and one non-spicy, and then used the goose fat to make pancakes.

Xu Qingmeng bought a lot of things, her basket was full, and she was carrying things in her hands. When she couldn't carry any more, she walked back from the street.

When they returned to the restaurant, Madam He was already at home, talking with Gu Yunyi. When she saw Xu Qingmeng return, she quickly got up and came over to help take the things.

Xu Qingmeng realized it was getting late, so she hurriedly went to cook.

There were quite a few people eating today, so goose alone probably wouldn't be enough. I also peeled a lot of potatoes, cut them into chunks, chopped a large cabbage, and soaked some glass noodles.

Xu Qingmeng started kneading the dough again. She mixed cornmeal and wheat flour together to make iron pot pancakes, then added four eggs and a little salt, and set it aside to rest.

Mrs. He had already slaughtered the goose. Xu Qingmeng took it and chopped it into pieces. She put it in a pot of cold water to blanch it and then washed it clean. She heated the pot, put in the goose fat and rendered the oil, then put in the chopped goose pieces and stir-fried them until the moisture evaporated. She set aside the excess oil for later use in stir-frying, which would make it especially fragrant.

Leave a very small amount of oil in the pan, add rock sugar and star anise, stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in about half a bowl of Shaoxing wine along the edge of the pan, stir-fry for a while, and finally add some soy sauce and stir-fry again. The color will then be very beautiful.

Finally, add boiling water, just level with the goose, add the chopped potatoes, bring to a boil over high heat, cover and simmer over medium-low heat.

While the goose was still stewing in the pot, Xu Qingmeng stewed some cabbage and vermicelli, and also stir-fried some eggs.

The goose stew was almost done, so Xu Qingmeng lifted the lid and started making flatbreads. Since there were many people, she made quite a lot. Fortunately, the pot was big, and not only were the sides of the pot covered with flatbreads, but the goose itself was also covered.

By this time, the aroma of goose meat had filled the entire kitchen and even drifted into the yard and front hall. The two little ones playing in the yard sniffed hard, looked at each other, swallowed hard, and ran into the kitchen.

The people working in the front hall couldn't help but pause for a moment.

"This smells like meat! I wonder what kind of meat it is. I'm really looking forward to it!"

"We can still eat meat!"

Li Quan nodded, a smile spreading across his dark face. "Madam Gu is a very honest person." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

After all these years of working, I've never seen anyone provide such honest and generous meals.

Even Gu Yunyi, who was reading in his room, couldn't help but put down his book and walk outside when he smelled the fragrance.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, I saw my younger brother and sister lying by the stove, staring longingly at the pot, their little mouths occasionally swallowing saliva.

Xu Qingmeng had just finished placing the last pancake on the stove and put the lid on the pot when she turned around and saw Gu Yunyi standing at the door, just staring at her.

Xu Qingmeng, being stared at by Gu Yunyi, subconsciously wondered if she had somehow offended this powerful figure again. After thinking for a moment, she couldn't recall anything, so she asked,
"busy?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunyi shook his head, then nodded.

Xu Qingmeng, “…” Is there something wrong or nothing wrong?

Gu Yunyi coughed lightly and then said, "I just wanted to ask if the food is ready, and if there's anything I can help with."

Xu Qingmeng was stunned for a moment, then realized that this big shot had smelled the aroma and was hungry.

"It'll be ready soon. Take these two dishes to the front of the room first. The goose will be ready soon."

When Gu Yunyi returned, Xu Qingmeng had already served the goose and picked out the flatbreads, both spicy and non-spicy, filling a large bowl, along with two large bowls of flatbreads.

Gu Yunyi ate with the workers in the front hall, while Xu Qingmeng set aside some of each dish. Madam He and Xu Qingmeng, along with the two little ones, ate in the main hall of the back courtyard.

Mrs. He raved about the stewed goose, especially the flatbread made with goose fat—it was fragrant, soft, and incredibly delicious. Mrs. He herself particularly enjoyed noodles and other wheat-based foods. She ate with such satisfaction that her eyes were practically squinting.

Xu Qingmeng smiled and said, "If you like it, Mother, eat more. I can make you other kinds of noodles next time."

Mrs. He was still happy to hear this, but then she shook her head and said, "Making noodles is too troublesome. You're already busy enough at the shop these days. You haven't had a proper rest these past two days. Don't go through all that trouble tomorrow. When you're steaming buns in the morning, just make some extra dough, steam some mantou (steamed buns), and stir-fry a couple of dishes."

Xu Qingmeng smiled, feeling quite happy inside, since Madam He genuinely cared about her. Then, Xu Qingmeng mentioned her desire to renovate the kitchen.

The current kitchen has a large stove, but it's still not enough. "We can build another large stove in the middle of the kitchen, plus the original stove, one for steaming buns, one for making braising liquid, and then build a smaller stove for us to cook our own meals."

Mrs. He said, "You can handle the kitchen matters yourself. Your Uncle Li and the others should know how. You can ask him later."

After finishing their meal, Xu Qingmeng asked Gu Yunyi to inquire with Uncle Li Quan, who soon arrived at the backyard.

After talking with Xu Qingmeng, Li Quan looked at the empty space in the kitchen and immediately agreed.

"It's not a big problem. The bricks were delivered this morning and are at my house. The bricks for the platform in the front hall won't be put on until the day after tomorrow. We can start building the stove later. It will only take an hour. We can light a fire tonight and it will be ready to use."

Uncle Li Quan was very thoughtful, which made Xu Qingmeng very happy.

(End of this chapter)