After making good arrangements for her mother and brother, Mei Niang felt a lot more relaxed. She looked up at the sky, thinking about preparing a sumptuous hot pot dinner for the old lady tonight. She handed Heng Ge'er in her arms to the wet nurse, telling her to take good care of him. She left Cui Si in the yard to help with the cooking, and brought Cui Xi and Cui Lian to the kitchen.
The kitchen food warehouse is now filled to the brim. The harvest has just been brought in from the farm, and the Bai family has returned all the food they borrowed the day before. There are all kinds of vegetables, fresh and crisp. The side yard where all kinds of poultry and livestock are kept and fish and shrimps are raised is also bustling. The Xu family has experienced an unprecedented shortage of food and fodder, and they are actually afraid. The housekeepers urge the farm to deliver goods to the city whenever they have nothing to do, regardless of how much is stored in the mansion. They would rather let the food rot than let the warehouse be empty.
The kitchen managers, Madam Cai, Madam Liang and other maids had received a message from Madam Ji in the old lady's room, saying that the old lady wanted to eat the hot pot feast that the great grandmother had mentioned, and asked them to cooperate with the great grandmother to select the ingredients. Madam Cai, under the command of the great grandmother, organized the barbecue feast that day. She knew that the great grandmother must have many clever ideas on how to eat food. She could explain the methods of making so many novel and rare small foods in one breath. The maids were a little hesitant when they were cooking, and they were surprised to see the effect after they were done. Madam Cai felt that this great grandmother who had come back from the dead was several times stronger than the third grandmother Ning, and was probably on par with the second grandmother Bai. She did not dare to neglect it, and followed the great grandmother closely, introducing her to various situations in the kitchen in detail, and pointed to the long and large table, where a row of neatly placed copper pots were shown to Mei Niang.
Ancient copper pots were made of fine brass. Cooks scrubbed them diligently until they were shiny enough to be used as mirrors. No wonder ancient people used "copper mirrors". However, there were so many copper pots, each one bigger and deeper than the one Mei Niang had in mind. In the end, she had to pick a relatively small one, which was still much bigger than a wash basin.
She thought that she would have to draw some patterns in the future and teach people to go to the workshop to make a few different styles of special hot pots.
Instruct Mother Cai to cook rice and make some delicious snacks, such as pumpkin cakes, crystal dumplings, buckwheat pancakes, etc., and set them aside while they are still hot. Then soak the vermicelli and cut them into pieces.
Then they selected meat and vegetables. They found out that a big fat sheep had just been slaughtered and the sheep bones were stewing on the stove. They went to open the lid of the pot and took a look. They found a few ingredients in the kitchen and threw them into the soup pot. They also asked them to slice the fresh mutton finely, catch a fish and kill it, and keep the fish head and tail. They didn't have meatballs, so they taught them to make some beef balls and pork balls. When making beef balls, they first beat the beef with a rolling pin until it was almost rotten, then chopped it with a knife, and then kneaded it into balls. A fat chicken was also prepared, which was chopped into small pieces and served on a plate. Considering that the old lady should not eat too complicated dinner, these were the meat dishes prepared, and they had to control her eating. The other side dishes were more than ten kinds of cabbage, mushrooms, day lily, lotus root slices, coriander, lettuce, small green vegetables, potato slices, enoki mushrooms, tofu skin, etc. The vegetables were green and emerald green, and the dried vegetables were golden white after being soaked in water. The dishes were selected and washed and placed, which looked very beautiful.
The old lady was from the south and loved spicy food. However, her daughter, Zhuang Yulan, who was raised in the same family, did not eat chili peppers. Thinking that the young ladies in the mansion did not eat chili peppers either, Mei Niang made two kinds of salt dishes herself, one spicy and one not spicy, with and without coriander and white scallions, and made a few of each.
Everything was ready, and the charcoal in the small red clay stove in the corridor was burning vigorously. The old lady sent someone to serve dinner. Mei Niang nodded in response, but sat still, waiting for Mother Cai to make mutton porridge for Heng Ge'er with mutton bone soup, and asked Cui Lian to take it back to Qinghua Courtyard and feed it to Heng Ge'er while it was hot. Then she led everyone, holding all kinds of things and ingredients, and walked leisurely to Jinhua Hall.
Jinhua Hall was still as lively as it was last night. All the young ladies were there, chatting and laughing with Zhuang Yulan. Even Zheng Meiyu was invited and sat with Zhuang Yulan, but the two of them didn't talk much. They sat on opposite sides, all of them were guests. Zhuang Yulan was obviously more welcome. Even the eldest wife's illegitimate daughter Xu Xiaorong gathered around Zhuang Yulan and didn't talk much to Zheng Meiyu.
The carved mahogany table was covered with a layer of solid Baiyue brocade and a piece of kraft paper. Then the small red clay stove was brought up, a copper pot was placed on it, and mutton soup was poured out of the copper kettle. The aroma of meat filled the room in an instant. The old lady nodded frequently, watching Mei Niang directing the maids and servants to put up one exquisite and beautiful dish after another. It was not enough to have a circle around the table, so another table was placed at the back before all the dishes were put in place. She couldn't help laughing:
"How many days have you, as a grandmother, not eaten? Even your sisters can't eat so much!"
"Grandma, don't you think these dishes are fresh and delicious?" Mei Niang asked, tilting her head.
Madam Xu said, "Okay, okay, they are all what I like. Now that I'm hungry, I really want to eat some of each!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "That's it. Eat a little bit of everything. Hotpot is all about tasting fresh food. You'll see that there may be a lot of meat left over, but not many vegetables. I wonder how delicious the vegetables cooked in this delicious broth will be!"
The old lady smiled and said, "Oh, it smells delicious. I had mutton soup in the past, but it wasn't as fragrant as today. Why is that?"
Mei Niang deliberately kept the secret: "Grandma, my granddaughter-in-law added a medicinal ingredient to the soup. Not only does it make the soup more fragrant, but eating more of it can also help you stay healthy!"
"Oh? Tell me, what is it?"
"Yes, Grandma! I can't tell you this. It's a dietary secret that is only passed down to girls and not boys. Brother Heng won't tell him about it in the future!"
Old Madam Xu pointed at her and scolded her with a smile: "You are such a clever monkey, you only know how to tease people!"
Mei Niang was trying to please Old Lady Xu, while Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu were secretly watching her. Zhuang Yulan's eyes were clear, but Zheng Meiyu's were full of question marks. She couldn't understand how Qin Mei Niang suddenly became so capable and good at dealing with people. That was Bai Jingyu, who was so versatile and eloquent. The Qin Mei Niang in front of her seemed to be even more capable than Bai Jingyu!
As they were chatting and laughing while waiting for the soup pot to boil, a voice came from outside the door: "Master Hou is here! Master San, Master Wu, and Master Liu are here!"
Old Mrs. Xu smiled even more happily: "My grandchildren are here, and they will definitely enjoy this hot pot!"
When the warm curtain was opened, it was indeed Xu Junying who came with his brothers. Xu Junying had changed out of his official uniform and was wearing a purple jade crown on his head, a dark purple brocade robe with small floral patterns and arrow sleeves, a black deerskin belt inlaid with gems around his waist, and thick-soled boots made of the same leather. He walked in with a smile on his face, walked straight to the old lady, bowed, and greeted her. He looked like an ordinary young man from a noble family, not a senior official of the court who held a large number of troops.
Mei Niang was sensitive to the fact that Xu Junying's aura attracted several people. She was not the only one staring at Xu Junying. Zhuang Yulan and Xu Junying looked at each other. Xu Junying smiled at her, and Zhuang Yulan blushed and lowered her head. Zheng Meiyu smiled, and her peach blossom eyes were glued to Xu Junying. Mei Niang was a little confused. She heard about the "affair" between Zheng Meiyu and Xu Junying in the coffin. What about Zhuang Yulan? Mrs. Xu mentioned that they were childhood sweethearts and cousins, and they had a good relationship. Could there be another hidden story
Heng'er's father was cold and indifferent to his wife, but flirted with other women. Qin Meiniang, are you so bad? Do you not want to hold on to this husband, or does he not care about you anymore after he coveted your beauty
"Oh!" Mei Niang shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the audience. Xu Junying then realized that she was also in the upper room of Jinhua Hall and could not help but look at her twice.
Mei Niang smiled and said, "The soup is boiling and overflowing. The hot pot feast is about to begin!"
Today she wore a silk brocade gown with narrow sleeves embroidered with red lotus. She held a soup spoon in her delicate pink hands and scooped a small bowl of hot soup for everyone. She waved to the maid to add soup to the copper pot, and said to Xu Junying with a smile:
"My husband, help my grandmother to the table. All uncles and girls, please come and have a seat. Have some hot mutton soup to nourish and warm your body."
"Go, help me over there!" Old Madam Xu was already hungry, and she patted Xu Junying's hand gently: "It's your daughter-in-law who is causing trouble again today. She wants me, her grandmother, to eat the hot pot feast she made. I want to see if it's good. If it's good, I'll reward you. If it's not, I'll scold you too!"
Mei Niang came over lightly, and she and Xu Junying helped the old lady over, and said coquettishly: "Grandma, please give me some face. Even if it's not delicious, just say it's good, okay? It's okay for me, but my husband is busy with government affairs every day, and it's very hard. I can't bear to go home and have to accompany me to be scolded!"
Old Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "Okay, okay! Just say it's delicious, okay? Little monkey!"
Xu Junying was stunned: Little monkey? This was the name the old lady used to call him and his brothers when they were naughty when they were little. As they grew older, the little naughty boys grew up and the old lady stopped calling them that for a long time. Why was she calling it Mei Niang now
He watched Mei Niang carefully stir the soup with a silver spoon, and then gently placed the back of her hand against the wall of the bowl. When she thought it was no longer hot, she brought it to the old lady's mouth and said with a gentle smile:
"Grandma, have a sip!"
Old Mrs. Xu took a sip from her hand, pursed her lips, and took it: "I'll drink it myself. This mutton soup really doesn't taste the same as before. It's delicious!"
Mei Niang smiled triumphantly, her bright eyes flickering as she glanced at the young men and women sitting around the table:
"Everyone drink it, it's ok, it's not too hot!"
Then he walked to Xu Junying, reached out and touched 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!"
He raised his head and met Zhuang Yulan's eyes. Zhuang Yulan blinked to cover it up and said, "Cousin-in-law, don't you want to drink?"
Mei Niang nodded at her: "Drink it, cousin Lan. You are weak. It is good for you to eat more beef and mutton in winter... I have drunk it a long time ago!"
Fourth Miss Xu Xiaomin finished her soup, raised her head and sniffed, then smiled and said, "It's really comfortable - but you are so bad, sister-in-law, you secretly ate and drank such a good thing!"
Mei Niang smiled, walked over and rinsed a piece of tender mutton for her and put it in the bowl: "Eat it while it's hot! If I don't eat and drink enough 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 well first!"
Old Mrs. Xu choked and burst into tears. She laughed and scolded, "When did I teach you this? You monkey, you always use me to block your own actions!"
Third Master Xu Junya, Fifth Master Xu Junqiao, and Sixth Master Xu Junxuan all laughed when they heard this. Xu Junxuan said, "Where did you learn this skill, sister-in-law? Even the most famous Youranju in Beijing may not be able to prepare such delicious food, especially cooking directly on the table with a copper pot. No other restaurant does this!"
Mei Niang's heart moved, and the maid brought the hot wine pot to her. Mei Niang took it and filled the wine glasses one by one, starting from the one in front of Old Lady Xu. Then she came to Xu Junxuan and said to him softly with a smile:
"Thank you, Sixth Master, for sending my brother off today!"
Xu Junxuan blushed: "Big brother is busy with government affairs, and we, as younger brothers, should help take care of our uncle!"
Mei Niang poured wine for the Third Master and the Fifth Master one by one and thanked them with a smile.
Xu Junying sat next to the old lady. Through the steaming heat, he could only see Mei Niang's rosy face, smiling as she talked to her three younger brothers. The little sisters were advising each other on how to cook, but he could not hear a word.
The hot soup was filled with mutton, sweet fish, beef balls, pork balls, and all kinds of fresh side dishes. They were ready to eat right after boiling. They were so tender and sweet! The salt sauce was just the right amount of salty and spicy. The old lady's appetite was whetted, and she felt warm all over. If it weren't for Mother Ji's persuasion, she would not have stopped eating.
Several gentlemen and ladies also ate their fill. Xu Xiaomin held her stomach and groaned, "Sister-in-law, what should I do if I'm too full?"
Everyone laughed, and Old Lady Xu said with a smile: "Quickly bring the digestive tea, girl, even if it's delicious, you can't do this. It's no joke if your stomach bursts!"
But I forgot that I was eating so hard that I couldn't bear to leave the table.
Everyone moved into the warm room to drink tea. Old Madam Xu and several masters of the Xu family sat on one side, while Mei Niang brought several young ladies from the Xu residence and two guests - Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu, to the other side. Eight kinds of tea and fruit were served. A flower of the same color as the third lady Xu Xiaowan's hair bun was knocked off by Xu Xiaomin who was sitting next to her. Mei Niang put it back on for her. She saw from the corner of her eye that Zheng Meiyu quickly adjusted the fruit plate and replaced the dried plums in front of Xu Junying with a plate of walnut kernels.
Xu Junying is a man, he doesn't eat sour dried plums, right? Who doesn't eat walnuts? She eagerly moved in front of him, this move was a bit obvious. (To be continued)