Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 53 Full Fish Feast

She opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by people. She was so frightened that she trembled and dared not say anything more.

Just then, the officials from the yamen arrived. Since it was the Gu family who reported the case, they dared not be negligent. Now that they saw their mistress and son were also there, they immediately became alert and dared not make the slightest mistake.

"Madam! Young Master!"

Madam Huang nodded slightly, pointed to the trembling old lady Sun on the ground, and said calmly, "This old lady has accused the Gu family of colluding with the yamen and oppressing the good people. Investigate this matter thoroughly and give an explanation in front of so many people today."

"Yes!"

Grandma Sun was so frightened that she trembled all over and couldn't say a word.

She had hoped to use Madam Huang's arrival to escape, but instead she ended up in an even bigger mess.

Huang Boyang: "Madam Gu, Mother, please go inside first. Brother Gu and I can stay here."

Gu Yunyi nodded to Xu Qingmeng and Madam He.

The truth is already clear, and the surrounding people have also seen it. We are not afraid of anything else, but we are afraid that some people will deliberately spread it to damage the reputation of the Gu family.

At this time, with Huang Boyang and the government officials present, Gu Yunyi was the most suitable person to step forward.

"Everyone, due to unforeseen circumstances, Gu Family Restaurant was unable to prepare the lunch set meals today, causing you all to make a wasted trip. To express our apologies, all braised dishes this afternoon will be 20% off." Xu Qingmeng bowed deeply to everyone as a gesture of remorse.

As soon as Xu Qingmeng finished speaking, many workers in the crowd expressed their regret, but they couldn't blame the Gu family. They glared at Old Lady Sun, gritting their teeth in anger, and expressed their understanding.

Although it took some time, it wasn't too late to prepare the set meal. However, it was obvious that the county magistrate's wife had come for the meal, so Xu Qingmeng thought it best to deal with Madam Huang first.

Madam Huang greatly admired Xu Qingmeng, whose manner of dealing with people was unlike that of someone from a farming family.

Madam Huang seemed completely unaffected by what had just happened. She entered the main hall, drank tea, and had a very kind expression.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Madam Gu and Madam Gu."

"Not at all, it's a blessing for our shop that Madam Huang could come." Madam He was a little reserved.

Madam Huang smiled and said, "Madam Gu, there's no need to be so formal. I've been longing for the dragon beard candy that Bo Yang brought from your house ever since I ate it." She paused and then added, "I also wanted to see if Madam Gu, who could make such delicious pastries, could do it. Now it seems that she is indeed a wonderful person."

Madam Huang and Huang Boyang hadn't just arrived; they'd been standing in the crowd for quite a while and had witnessed the whole farce clearly. Naturally, they'd also seen Xu Qingmeng's performance. That kind of demeanor was not something an ordinary peasant woman could have; even a lady from a prominent family might not be able to compare to her.

Madam Huang thought to herself, "Gu Yunyi has really married me a good wife! And Gu Yunyi, with his status as Master Shen's disciple, his knowledge and demeanor, he's bound to be extraordinary in the future. The Gu family is destined for prosperity."

"Madam Huang is too kind to me. There's no need for you to make the trip yourself for these snacks. You could have just sent someone to give the order," Xu Qingmeng replied.

"Mrs. Gu's cooking is excellent. Whenever the Gu family restaurant opens, it is always packed with people. I've also heard that merchants passing through Quan County praise Mrs. Gu's cooking repeatedly. It's worth coming all the way from the prefectural city to have a bite, let alone coming from the yamen."

Madam Huang spoke softly and without airs, making her very approachable. Madam He gradually relaxed, becoming less reserved and chatting casually with her. Madam Huang had come specifically for the food, and Xu Qingmeng, without delay, quickly went to the kitchen to prepare the meal after a few words.

Today's set meal was originally planned to include fish, but now that the set meal is cancelled, all this fish will go bad by afternoon if we don't eat it.

Xu Qingmeng asked Madam Huang if she had any dietary restrictions, and whether she could eat spicy food.

Huang Furen was there to freeload, so of course he wouldn't say anything to spoil the mood. He went along with the host's wishes and had no dietary restrictions.

Xu Qingmeng had no reservations and the first thing she made was sauerkraut fish. She sliced ​​the fish, marinated it with cooking wine, a little salt, a suitable amount of starch, and an egg for 15 minutes to let it absorb the flavor.

Heat oil in a wok, add ginger slices and scallion segments, then add chopped pickled cabbage and chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant.

Pour in water and simmer for a while to infuse the soup with the flavor of pickled cabbage. Remove the pickled cabbage and place it in a large bowl.
Add the fish fillets, bring to a boil, then transfer to a large bowl containing the sauerkraut that was just removed from the water.

Sprinkle with chopped scallion leaves, dried chili peppers, and dried Sichuan peppercorns.
Heat some oil in a separate pot and pour it over the dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. The pickled fish is now ready.

There are also steamed fish, braised fish, sweet and sour fish chunks, boiled fish, fish balls, fish head soup, and all kinds of fish prepared in various ways. The aroma is irresistible and makes your mouth water.

Besides fish, Xu Qingmeng also cooked a few light vegetarian dishes: spinach and eggs, green pepper and potato shreds, and stir-fried cabbage.

In addition to these, she made a dish of candied sweet potatoes to cater to Mrs. Huang's sweet tooth.

Peel and wash the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks, and set them aside to dry.
Pour oil into a pan and heat it. When you insert chopsticks and see small bubbles appear around the edges, add the sweet potatoes and fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan.
After the oil boils, reduce the heat to low and add the sweet potatoes again. Sweet potatoes brown easily, so be sure to use low heat.
Use chopsticks to poke the sweet potato; if they can be easily pierced, it means it's cooked through. Remove the cooked sweet potato and drain off the excess oil.
Pour out most of the oil from the pan, leaving a little. Add sugar and a small bowl of water, bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and simmer the syrup slowly. When the sugar bubbles and changes color, pour in the fried sweet potatoes and stir-fry quickly. Once the syrup completely coats the sweet potatoes, turn off the heat and plate them.

Besides candied sweet potatoes, Xu Qingmeng also made a sweet and sour pork dish.

She also specially made several sweet desserts, such as osmanthus cake, jujube paste pastry, almond tofu, and the dragon beard candy she made last time, all of which are flavors that Madam Qi likes.

Finally, Xu Qingmeng used the soaked red beans to make a red bean paste glutinous rice ball dish.

In the kitchen, Xu Qingmeng was nearing the end of cooking, while the results were already in.

She finished making the last dessert, wiped the sweat from her brow, and was about to go out to serve the food when she heard a commotion outside the door...

Xu Qingmeng's heart skipped a beat. Was something else going to go wrong again?

She strode out and saw that the area outside was completely surrounded, with a buzzing murmur like a boiling oil pan.

Surrounded by the crowd, Grandma Sun had regained consciousness and was sitting on the ground rubbing her "injured" leg, groaning softly.

"She's awake! Good thing she's awake!" A loud voice rang out, and Huang Boyang stepped out from the crowd, followed by Gu Yunyi and the officials. He then looked at the old lady Sun on the ground and said, "The doctor has examined her and there's nothing seriously wrong. It's just a temporary fainting spell."

Grandma Sun's eyes flickered, and she was still thinking of continuing her tantrum, but after seeing Huang Boyang's eyes, her momentum vanished instantly.

(End of this chapter)