Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 54 Sweet and Sour Pork
"I knew it! It doesn't look like a fall at all."

"That's right, they were jumping around just a moment ago, but once they were exposed, they were lying on the ground. It happened faster than a face-changing act on a stage!"

"The day before yesterday, I saw her stealing scraps of fabric from the fabric store!" an older woman shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Me too! Last month, she ate noodles at my noodle stall with her eldest grandson, and after they finished eating, she claimed there were bugs in the noodles and tried to extort five taels of silver from me!” A tall, thin man also stepped forward.

"She even stole my chickens!" a child's voice rang out from the crowd.

“She also frequently went to Grandma Li’s house to eat and take things, taking advantage of the fact that the old woman was blind.”

In an instant, voices exposing the evil deeds of Old Lady Sun rose and fell, surging towards her like a tidal wave.

Grandma Sun's face was deathly pale, and her eyes darted around. Before she could even be interrogated, she confessed everything.

She wanted her eldest grandson to work at the Gu family's restaurant, but He Shi refused. In the end, she was resentful and falsely accused He Shi of accepting her bribes and taking her gold hairpin in order to damage Gu Yunyi's reputation. This way, she could extort money from the Gu family and force them to pay her off.

Grandma Sun is so old, yet she loves to throw tantrums and threaten suicide. There's no reasoning with her. Most people would just accept their bad luck and pay her off if they encountered someone like that.

Now that they see that Grandma Sun has run into trouble, they certainly won't let this opportunity pass. Those who had previously spoken up for Grandma Sun have all fallen silent.

Seeing Xu Qingmeng come out, Gu Yunyi stepped forward and said, "Let's go in, the matter has been resolved."

As the two walked inside, Xu Qingmeng asked, "How will the yamen handle this?"

"Although this old lady Sun is despicable, her crime does not warrant severe punishment. I have spoken to the yamen and they have decided not to pursue the matter concerning the Gu family. They only need her to apologize at the door and explain the situation clearly."

Xu Qingmeng nodded; it was indeed similar to what she had thought.

It's not that they're easy to talk to; after all, they still have to live here, and they still have to run the Gu family restaurant. Besides, the government won't give her a good treatment. They're just doing this to be a good person.

"She implicated an official of the imperial court, which is a serious crime. Moreover, she is usually very particular about her conduct and has offended many neighbors and merchants. She will definitely have to pay a lot of money, and it is inevitable that she will spend several years in prison."

Xu Qingmeng suddenly realized and couldn't help but sigh. This old lady Sun had been running rampant in the West District for many years, taking advantage of her age. She had done a lot of things like staging accidents and extorting money. Now the government would definitely settle accounts with her. Given her age, it was hard to say how many more years she could last.

"Where's Erlaizi?"

Gu Yunyi shook his head: "I didn't see it."

Such a big matter has alarmed the officials, and everyone in the entire West Street knows about it. There's no way this scoundrel wouldn't know, yet he hasn't even shown his face, and his house is completely empty.

Er Laizi and Granny Sun are the same; they're always stealing chickens and dogs, extorting money, and last time they even tried to seduce Yun Sheng. I wonder what they're up to.

The two went to the kitchen, then decided to stop thinking about it; there were still guests waiting.

"Let's eat first, bring all of this over."

"Hmm. Why is there an extra portion?"

"The two kids at home are quite noisy, and Xinting and Xun Ge'er are a bit nervous, so I just let them stay in the kitchen."

"Alright, but I'll still need to teach you more in the future."

"Um, would you and Young Master Huang like some drinks?"

"No need, a simple meal will do."

The food was brought to the main hall. Although there weren't many dishes, the portions were generous. After all, so much fish was prepared for the lunch set meal, and any dish with fish was served in a large bowl.

Xu Qingmeng prepared rice as the main dish.

Although the dishes on this large table weren't particularly elaborate, they were so appetizing that they made one's mouth water at first glance.

Throughout the large table of dishes, Madam Huang's gaze remained fixed on the sweet dishes.

"what is this?"

Xu Qingmeng: "Madam Huang, this is sweet and sour pork. Try it and see if it suits your taste."

Sweet and sour pork has a very long history. It is said that this famous dish existed as early as the Qin Dynasty. At that time, Qin Shi Huang liked to eat both sweet and sour foods, so his mother called on everyone in the world to make this dish for him so that he could have delicious food.

If this dish is made well, it can be given an important position, and this tradition has continued to this day, becoming the well-known sweet and sour pork.

Sweet and sour pork is one of China's classic traditional dishes, found in Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Huaiyang, Cantonese, and Fujian cuisines.

Xu Qingmeng learned the cooking methods of Shandong cuisine, which uses pork tenderloin as the main ingredient, along with flour, starch, vinegar and other seasonings, making it sweet and sour and very appetizing.

Pound the pork tenderloin with the back of a knife to tenderize it, cut it into strips, add cooking wine, salt, and an egg, mix well, and marinate for about 15 minutes.

Coat the marinated pork tenderloin with a suitable amount of starch, and pat off the excess starch.

Heat oil in a wok until it reaches 60% of its maximum temperature. Add the pork tenderloin coated in flour and fry over medium-low heat until cooked through. Remove from the oil.

Heat the oil in a wok until it reaches nine-tenths of its maximum temperature, then fry the oil a second time over high heat until the surface is golden brown and crispy. Remove and set aside.

Leave a little oil in the pan, add an appropriate amount of tomato sauce and stir-fry over medium heat. Add a little white vinegar, salt, sugar and a little water, then pour in a small bowl of cornstarch slurry. Turn up the heat to thicken and reduce the sauce.

Add the fried pork tenderloin and stir-fry until evenly coated with the tomato sauce, then it's ready to serve.

Finally, sprinkle with a little toasted sesame seeds and shredded green onions.

Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, with its caramel color and generous amount of sauce covering the meat, is incredibly appetizing.

Xu Qingmeng was quite satisfied with the meal, but she didn't know if it suited Madam Huang's taste.

Madam Huang didn't stand on ceremony and picked up her chopsticks directly.

Pick up a piece of sweet and sour pork and put it in your mouth. Instantly, the sweet and sour flavors explode in your mouth. The crispy skin and tender pork meat combine perfectly, making you want to pick up another piece.

"Delicious, absolutely delicious!" Madam Huang exclaimed, her face beaming with satisfaction. "I've had sweet and sour pork before, but I've never thought it was edible. Madam Gu's cooking skills are truly remarkable."

He was finally relieved, and then felt quite proud, because she thought Mengniang's cooking was excellent.

Madam Huang not only tasted the sweet and sour pork, but also tried all the remaining sweet dishes. She praised each one highly and even had the urge to bring Xu Qingmeng home.

"Madam Gu, your cooking skills are so good that even the head chef of Zuixianlou Restaurant might not be able to match them!"

Zuixianlou is the most famous restaurant in the city. Its chef's skills are second to none in the entire city. The dishes are exquisite and the prices are expensive. Those who can dine there are all high-ranking officials and nobles!

(End of this chapter)