Foster son and husband

Chapter 14 Dinner
Chapter 14Dinner
After making good arrangements for her mother and elder brother to go, Mei Niang felt much relieved. She looked up at the sky, thinking that she would prepare a sumptuous hot pot feast for the old lady tonight, so she handed Brother Heng in her arms to the nanny. He told her to take good care of her, and left Cuisi to help cook some in the yard. She brought Cui Xi Cui Lian to the kitchen.

The warehouse of the kitchen ingredients is now full of piles. The village has just harvested them, and the Baifu also returned all the borrowed ones the day before yesterday. There are all kinds of vegetables, fresh and tender, and all kinds of poultry and livestock are kept for stocking fish and shrimp. The side courtyard is also very lively. The Xu mansion experienced the unprecedented shortage of food and grass, and was actually scared. The housekeepers urged the village to deliver goods to the city, no matter how much the mansion still had, they would rather have more. to rot, but never to leave the warehouse empty.

The kitchen stewards, Mama Cai, Mama Liang, and other women had already been notified by Mama Ji in the old lady's room, saying that the old lady wanted to eat the hot pot feast that Grandma had said, and asked them to cooperate with Grandma in choosing ingredients.That day, Mama Cai organized the barbecue banquet under the direction of Grandma. I knew that Grandma must have many wonderful ideas on how to eat food. The servants were a little hesitant when they were doing it, and they were pleasantly surprised to see the effect when they were done.Mama Cai felt that the eldest grandma who came back from the dead was several times stronger than the third grandma Ning Shi, and she was probably on par with the second grandma Bai Shi.She didn't dare to be negligent, and followed closely beside the grandma, and introduced all kinds of situations in the kitchen to her in detail, and pointed to the long and large desk, a row of neatly arranged copper pots for Mei Niang to see.

The copper pots of the ancients were all made of high-quality brass. The cooks scrubbed them diligently, and they were so bright that they could be used as mirrors. No wonder the ancients used "bronze mirrors."However, there were so many copper pots, but each one was bigger and deeper than the other one, not the one Meiniang had in mind, so in the end I had to choose a relatively small one, which was still much bigger than the washbasin.

She thought that she would have to draw some patterns in the future and teach people to go to the workshop to make several special hot pots of different styles.

Instruct Mama Cai to stew the rice and make some delicious snacks, such as pumpkin cakes, crystal dumplings, buckwheat pancakes, etc., warm them up for later use, and then soak the vermicelli and cut them into sections for later use.

Then he chose the meat and vegetables, and asked that Ming had just slaughtered a big fat sheep, and the sheep bones were being stewed on the stove. Finely slice the mutton, catch a fish and kill a good piece of meat, keep the head and tail of the fish without cutting it, and keep it on the plate, if there is no meatball, teach them to make it now, make some beef balls and pork balls, and make beef balls When cooking, first use a rolling pin to beat the beef until it is almost rotten, then chop it with a knife and melt it, and then knead it into balls.The fat chicken also prepared one, cut it into small pieces and put it on the plate. Considering that the dinner should not be too complicated for the elderly, I prepared these meat dishes and controlled her to eat. Other side dishes chose Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, Day lily, lotus root slices, coriander, lettuce, small green vegetables, potato chips, enoki mushrooms, tofu skin, etc. There are more than ten kinds. The vegetables are green and green, and the dried vegetables are golden and white when soaked. is good looking.

The old lady is from the south and loves spicy food. The daughter of the same family, Zhuang Yulan, doesn't eat chili. Thinking that the ladies in the house don't eat chili, Mei Niang makes two kinds of salt dishes by herself, spicy and spicy. For the non-spicy ones, make a few each with coriander and white onion segments and those without.

Everything was ready, and the charcoal in the small red clay stove on the porch was also burning vigorously. The old lady sent someone to deliver the dinner, and Meiniang nodded in agreement, but sat still, waiting for Mama Cai to give Brother Heng the mutton bone soup Er made mutton porridge, taught Cui Lian to send it back to Tsinghua University, and fed it to Brother Heng while it was hot. Then he led the crowd, holding various things and ingredients, and Shi Shiran came to Jinhua Hall.

The Jinhua Hall was still as lively as last night. The ladies all came, chatting and laughing with Zhuang Yulan, and even Zheng Meiyu was invited to sit with Zhuang Yulan, but the two of them didn't talk much, and sat separately. On one side, there are all guests, Zhuang Yulan is obviously more welcomed, even Xu Xiaorong, the concubine daughter of the big house, surrounds Zhuang Yulan and doesn't talk much to Zheng Meiyu.

A layer of solid Baiyue brocade was placed on the carved mahogany table, and a piece of kraft paper was placed on it, and then the small red clay stove was brought up, and a copper pot was placed on it, and mutton soup was poured out of the copper pot, and the smell of meat filled the room instantly. The old lady nodded frequently, watching Mei Niang directing the girls and servants to put out all kinds of exquisite and beautiful dishes. It was not enough to surround the table, and another table was needed to be placed behind to arrange all kinds of dishes. Can't help laughing:
"You haven't eaten for a few days as a grandmother? With your sisters, you can't eat so much!"

"Grandma doesn't think these dishes are very fresh and delicious?" Mei Niang asked with her head tilted.

Mrs. Xu said: "Okay, okay, I like them all. Now that I'm hungry, I really want to eat some of everything!"

Mei Niang smiled and said: "That's it, eat a little of everything, hot pot is about trying something new, just wait and see, there may be a lot of meat left, but not much green vegetables. I don't know how to cook vegetables in this delicious broth." How delicious it is!"

The old lady smiled and said: "Oh, it smells delicious. In the past, there was mutton soup, but it didn't smell as good as today. Why?"

Mei Niang deliberately sold off: "Grandmother, my grandson added a medicinal material to the soup. Not only does the soup taste better, but eating more can also keep fit!"

"Oh? Tell me, what is it?"

"Grandmother! I can't say this. The diet secrets are only passed on to females but not males. Brother Heng won't tell him in the future!"

Old Mrs. Xu pointed at her and scolded with a smile: "You clever-mouthed monkey, you are good at coaxing people!"

Meiniang is flattering Mrs. Xu here, while Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu are watching her secretly. Zhuang Yulan's eyes are clear, but Zheng Meiyu's eyes are full of question marks. I can't figure out why Qin Meiniang suddenly became so capable and capable, so she can do things well. The eloquent one is Bai Jingyu, and the Qin Meiniang in front of her seems to be even stronger than Bai Jingyu!

Just talking and laughing while waiting for the soup pot to boil, an announcement came from outside the door: "Master Hou is here! Masters Three, Masters Five, and Masters Six are here!"

Mrs. Xu smiled even more happily: "My grandchildren are here, this hot pot meal must be very enjoyable!"

The noren curtain was lifted, and indeed it was Xu Junying leading his younger brothers. Xu Junying had already changed his official uniform, wearing a purple jade crown on his head, a brocade gown with small dark purple flowered arrow sleeves, a black buckskin belt inlaid with gemstones around his waist, and his feet Wearing thick-soled boots of the same leather, he walked in with a smile on his face, walked straight to bow to the old lady, and said hello, he looked like a son of an ordinary family, how could he look like an important court official with a heavy soldier in his hand?
Meiniang sensitively noticed that Xu Junying's aura attracted several people, not only she stared at Xu Junying, Zhuang Yulan and Xu Junying looked at each other over there, Xu Junying smiled at her, and Zhuang Yulan became red face, lowered his head.On the other hand, Zheng Meiyu was smiling, her peachy eyes stuck to Xu Junying, and Mei Niang was a little confused about the situation. She heard about Zheng Meiyu's "adultery" with Xu Junying in the coffin, and that Zhuang Yulan was what happened?Mrs. Xu mentioned that they are cousins ​​of childhood sweethearts, and they have a very good relationship. Could there be something else hidden?
Heng'er's father is indifferent to his wife, but flirting with other women, Qin Meiniang, are you so bad?Is this husband you don't want to catch or does he not care about you anymore after he is greedy for your beauty?
"Oops!" Meiniang yelled, attracting everyone's attention. Only then did Xu Junying realize that she was also in Jinhuatang's room, so she couldn't help but look at her more.

Mei Niang said with a smile: "The soup is boiling and overflowing, the hot pot feast is about to begin!"

Today I specially wore a brocade gown with narrow sleeves embroidered with red lotus and silk, held a soup spoon in my delicate pink hand, scooped up half a bowl of hot soup for everyone, and beckoned the maid to add the soup into the copper pot, smiling at me Xu Junying said:

"My husband helped grandma to the table, all uncles and girls, sit down and drink hot mutton soup to nourish and warm up."

"Go, help me there!" Mrs. Xu was already hungry, and patted Xu Junying's hand: "Today is your daughter-in-law's demon moth again. I want my grandmother to eat her hot pot feast. I want to see it." It’s not good, if it’s good, there will be a reward, if it’s not good, I’ll scold you too!”

Mei Niang walked over lightly, and helped the old lady with Xu Junying one by one, and said coquettishly: "Grandmother, please show me face, can you just say it's good if it's not delicious? I'm fine with it, my husband is busy with government affairs every day, and it's very difficult for me. It's hard work, and I'm not willing to be scolded with me when I go home!"

The old lady Xu smiled: "Okay! Just say it's delicious, okay? Little monkey!"

Xu Junying was taken aback: Little monkey?This is what the old lady used to scold when he and his younger brothers were mischievous when they were young. As they grow older, the little naughty boy grows up. The old lady hasn't scolded people like this for a long time. Why is it used on Mei Niang now?
He watched Mei Niang carefully stir the soup with a silver spoon, and then lightly pressed the back of her hand against the wall of the bowl, guessing that it would not be hot, and brought it to the old lady's mouth, with a gentle smile:

"Grandma, take a sip!"

Mrs. Xu took a sip from her hand, pursed her lips, and took it: "I'll drink it myself. This mutton soup is really not the same as before. It's delicious!"

Mei Niang smiled smugly, and her delicate eyes turned to look at the young masters and ladies sitting around the table:

"Everyone drink it, it's ok, it's not too hot!"

He walked to Xu Junying's side again, reached out to touch the wall of his bowl, leaned over slightly and said to him, "Drink it, it's not hot anymore. Drink another bowl, this soup is very good!"

She raised her head and met Zhuang Yulan's eyes. Zhuang Yulan blinked concealedly and said, "Your cousin doesn't drink?"

Mei Niang nodded to her: "Cousin Lan, drink it, you are weak, it is good to eat more beef and mutton in winter... I have already drank it!"

The fourth lady Xu Xiaomin finished drinking the soup, raised her head and sniffed her nose, and said with a smile, "It's really comfortable——sister-in-law, you are bad, such a good thing, go and eat and drink secretly first!"

Mei Niang smiled, and went to boil a piece of fresh lamb for her and put it in a bowl: "Eat it while it's hot! If I don't eat and drink first, how can I have the energy to serve you? ——This is what my grandmother taught me If you want to serve your family, you have to eat yourself first!"

Old Mrs. Xu choked, tears also came out, and laughed and scolded: "Since when did I teach you like this? You monkey, let me block the things you do by yourself!"

Xu Junya, the third master, Xu Junqiao, the fifth master, and Xu Junxuan, the sixth master, all laughed when they heard this. There is no restaurant that does this before serving the pot on the table!"

Meiniang's heart moved, the girl brought up the hot wine pot, Meiniang took it, starting from the old lady Xu, filled the wine glasses one by one, went to Xu Junxuan, and said softly to him with a smile:
"Thank you Liu Ye for sending my brother off today!"

Xu Junxuan blushed: "Brother is busy with government affairs, we younger brothers should help take care of uncle!"

Meiniang poured wine for the third and fifth masters one by one, and thanked them with a smile.

Xu Junying sat next to the old lady, through the steaming heat, she could only see Mei Niang's face flushed, smiling and talking to her three younger brothers, and the younger sisters persuading each other one sentence at a time, but he couldn't hear anything.

Just boil lamb with fragrant hot soup, sweet fish meat, beef balls, pork balls, all kinds of fresh side dishes, you can eat it as soon as it is hot, the taste is fresh and sweet!The salt dish is moderately salty and spicy. The old lady has a big appetite and she is warmed up from eating. If it wasn't for Ji's mother to persuade her, she would not stop chopsticks.

The masters and ladies were also full, Xu Xiaomin hugged her stomach and hummed: "Sister-in-law, what should I do if I'm full?"

Everyone laughed, and Mrs. Xu said with a smile: "Hurry up and bring Xiaoshi tea, this girl, you can't do it like this if you eat it, it's not fun to burst your stomach!"

But he forgot that he was also eating and was reluctant to leave the table just now.

Everyone moved into the Nuan Pavilion to drink tea. The old lady Xu and the masters of the Xu family sat on the side, Meiniang took the girls from the Xu family and two guests—Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu sat on the side, and eight kinds of tea and fruits were placed on the table. Coming up, a pile of Sagong flowers on the hair bun of the third lady Xu Xiaowan was knocked off by Xu Xiaomin beside her. Meiniang put it back on for her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Zheng Meiyu quickly adjusted the fruit plate, and exchanged a plate of walnuts for her. He left the dried plum fruit in front of Xu Junying.

Xu Junying is a man, he doesn't eat sour dried plums, right? Who doesn't eat walnuts?Changing in front of him bluntly, this move is a bit obvious.

(End of this chapter)