Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 256 Sister
Xu Qingmeng listened quietly to He Shi's words, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She actually felt sorry for He Shi, who had gone through so much all by herself.

She had vaguely mentioned He's identity to Gu Yunyi before, but she hadn't expected He's identity to be so powerful.

“Mother, now that Pei Cheng has found you, we can’t pretend this never happened, right? Besides, Yun Yi and I believe that Pei Qingwan has always known where you are,” Xu Qingmeng said softly.

Madam He turned to look at her daughter-in-law and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mother, do you remember when Yunyi was reported to the authorities?"

"You mean? All these years? Why won't she let me go?" Mrs. He looked utterly devastated.

"Mother, because of Madam Pei, General Pei and the others have been looking for you."

He's tears fell instantly. She only thought of herself and was so unfilial!

"Mengniang, did I do something wrong? The Pei family's wealth and glory are like fleeting clouds to me; I don't care about them. But because of my weakness, I almost harmed Yunyi... and even Yunyi's maternal grandmother..."

Xu Qingmeng grasped He Shi's hand, shook her head, and said, "Mother, why would you think that way? It's not your fault. Everyone has their own choices, and there's no right or wrong! Grandmother and the others will only feel sorry for you."

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the dinner table outside was also somewhat awkward.

Pei Cheng was preoccupied with the He family's affairs. Although he ate his meal with relish, his mind was clearly not on the dumplings. Kang Hongxuan noticed his thoughts and patted him on the shoulder: "Pei Cheng, I know you're very excited, but you also need to give Madam Gu some time."

Pei Cheng frowned: "I know, but you know, I've waited too long for this day. You know, all these years, we've never given up. Mother has been blaming herself all these years, feeling that it's because she didn't protect my sister well and lost her again. Her health is getting worse and worse. I must bring her back to the Pei family. All these years, I..."

Mr. Shen: "Pei Cheng, don't be too anxious. You have to respect her wishes."

Although Gu Yunyi didn't speak, he genuinely disagreed with letting his mother go back, because he wasn't capable of protecting her right now. In fact, after Pei Cheng's words, he had already guessed that Pei Qingwan was the one targeting them. He was grateful for Pei Cheng's persistence, but he cared more about He Shi's feelings: "General Pei..."

Pei Cheng was somewhat excited: "Yun Yi, why call me General Pei? Call me Uncle."

Gu Yunyi: "..."

"Alright, alright, everyone stop arguing. You've waited decades for this, a little more time won't make a difference."

"Yes."

He Shi had calmed down thanks to Xu Qingmeng's guidance and even went to the kitchen to prepare the meat that Pei Cheng had brought.

After feeding the child, Xu Qingmeng went to the kitchen. Pei Cheng brought all kinds of meat, including rabbit, pheasant, wild boar, and venison. Fortunately, they had all been skinned, but the others had not yet been processed.

With this incident, it's likely that the group will stay for dinner that night. Xu Qingmeng had someone take care of it, and then she wondered how to eat all that meat, and how to store it if they couldn't finish it.

There were quite a few people there in the evening, but there was just too much meat. Mr. Shen and Fang Ziheng had brought a lot too. Even if they just marinated some for hot pot, they still couldn't finish it all.

In the end, some meat was cut off to save for hot pot that night. The wild rabbit was cooked separately because there was venison, but the pheasant was not cooked.

After all, there is an old saying that venison should not be eaten with pheasant meat, as it is easy to cause boils. This is because, from a medicinal point of view, venison is warm and nourishing, while pheasant meat is cold. The two properties clash, and eating them together may lead to indigestion or skin problems.

Venison should not be eaten with fish or shrimp: The Compendium of Materia Medica states, "Venison should not be eaten with fish or shrimp, as it can cause malignant sores." However, modern research suggests that fish and shrimp contain abundant enzymes, which may react adversely with the hormones in venison, affecting health.

Venison should not be eaten with cattail shoots: The "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber" states: "Venison should not be cooked with cattail shoots in soup, as it will cause malignant sores."

Cattail shoots are cold in nature, which conflicts with the warming and nourishing properties of venison. Eating them together may cause discomfort.

Venison should not be eaten with abalone: ​​The "Essentials of Diet and Nutrition" states, "Venison should not be eaten with abalone." Abalone is sweet and neutral in nature, which does not contradict the medicinal properties of venison. However, from a biochemical perspective, eating the two together may cause adverse reactions.

Other contraindications: Venison should not be eaten with catfish, as it may affect the nervous system and even cause muscle and nail contracture. Venison should also not be eaten with pumpkin, as it may cause bloating or discomfort.

Venison is actually quite scarce, and Fang Ziheng didn't bring much at noon, but Pei Cheng brought quite a lot, so the stew should be enough for everyone to eat.

Rabbit meat is perfect for braising.

The rabbit meat was chopped into small pieces and soaked in water for 15 minutes to remove the blood and fishy smell.

After removing them from the water, drain them and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, then add ginger slices, minced garlic, dried chili peppers, and other spices and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add the rabbit meat chunks and stir-fry over high heat until the surface changes color, forcing out excess moisture. Add Shaoxing wine, stir-fry evenly, and remove any fishy smell.

Add soy sauce and sugar, stir-fry evenly to color the rabbit meat, then add boiling water to cover the rabbit meat and start stewing (cold water will make the meat tough and difficult to stew until tender, so boiling water is essential).

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for one hour and one minute, until the rabbit meat is tender.

Remove the lid, reduce the sauce over high heat, add salt to taste, sprinkle with chopped green onions, stir-fry evenly, and it's ready to serve.

Rabbit meat is easy to overcook, so it should not be stewed for too long, but it must be thoroughly cooked. Rabbit meat is relatively lean, so you can add some side dishes such as potatoes and carrots when stewing it, which will enhance the flavor and nutrition. However, Pei Cheng brought two rather fat rabbits, so Xu Qingmeng did not add any.

Madam He has recovered and is currently talking to Xu Qingmeng.

The two were whispering to each other when Pei Cheng slowly walked into the kitchen.

Pei Cheng no longer possessed the intimidating aura he had shown earlier; in front of Madam He, he acted like a fawning puppy.

Xu Qingmeng was stunned. This was General Pei! How could he be such a different person now?

Actually, shouldn't Pei Cheng have a better relationship with Pei Qingwan? After all, they grew up together.

Now it seems that blood ties are indeed something that comes from the bones and cannot be changed no matter what.

"Sister," Pei Cheng called out softly, his expression cautious.

When He heard Pei Cheng call her "elder sister," He's body trembled slightly, and the movements of her hands paused for a moment.