border cook

Jiang Yanyi pushed Chu Yan back to their courtyard in Chu's house.

Although they moved out, Mrs. Chu kept the yard for them all the time, so that they would have a place to rest when they came over occasionally.

Chu Jiabao came over and gave Jiang Yanyi a purse, but Jiang Yanyi was quite surprised.

Chu Shubao smiled and said, "Every year on the eve of Chinese New Year, Jiabao will embroider a purse for the family. Ah Yi, you are the first one to receive it this year!"

She glanced at Chu Jiabao, pretending to be jealous: "I was the first to receive it in previous years."

Hearing this, Jiang Yanyi smiled and thanked Chu Jiabao.

The purse in my hand is exquisitely embroidered, every stitch and thread is painstakingly worked out, and it is made of Su embroidery. Even in the market, it is difficult to buy such exquisite ones.

If she was a young lady who didn't worry about anything and was pampered, she wouldn't spend such thought and effort every year to please her family.

Jiang Yanyi thought about the second room's status in the Chu family, and he could more or less guess why the girl in front of him wanted to do this by herself.

Children who are not favored are always fragile and sensitive.

Chu Jiabao snorted at Chu Shubao, and wanted to get closer to Jiang Yanyi, but his eyes met Chu Yangui who was sitting in a wheelchair reading a book, so he didn't dare to go over.

Chu Yangui's complexion is still pale, but the sickness on his face is much better than before. It's just that his figure is too thin, and the clothes that originally fit him still look a little loose.

He noticed Chu Jiabao's little movements, but didn't make a sound.

Chu Jiabao said to Chu Shubao: "Big sister, if you don't bring me a piece of tinkering rouge, you will be the last one to embroider this year's purse."

She glanced at Jiang Yanyi, pinched the corner of her clothes and said awkwardly: "Second sister, I heard that you bought the teahouse in Ruyifang, and I want to do business with you in the future."

Second Master Chu is useless by himself, and it is impossible for her to plan for her after her mother is reconciled.Second Master Chu didn't have a man under his knees, so it would only be a matter of time before he remarried in the future. Second Master Chu often angered her because of her mother's affairs. When the time comes when she has a stepmother, it may not be too long before her own father becomes a stepfather.

At the beginning, Chu Jiabao also thought that when he arrived in Xizhou, he would also be a lady of his own duty, and when he was old, it would be fine for her family to take care of her marriage.

But seeing that Chu Shubao, as the eldest daughter of the Chu family, was able to do business with Jiang Yanyi regardless of outsiders' eyes, and made a lot of money, he couldn't help but have some thoughts.

A woman fights her father before she gets married, and her husband after she gets married, but if she doesn't have a strong father or a promising husband, is it possible that she won't live in this life?

Chu Jiabao is the most active of the sisters of the Chu family, because she has received little care since she was a child, and everything she does is purposeful, even if her mother had an argument with Mrs. Liu before, At the risk of being scolded and scolded by her mother, she also wants to play with Chu Shubao and the others.

Because Mrs. Chu hopes to see her children and grandchildren in harmony, she will like Mrs. Chu by doing so.

Sister Chu Shubao really doesn't have much scheming. As the eldest sister, although Chu Shubao is sometimes careless, she and Chu Huibao have always been treated equally. She approached with a purpose at the beginning, but now she has become In order to show my heart and soul to Sister Chu Shubao.

Because of her mother, Chu Jiabao also hated Jiang Yanyi and his brother at first.

But until now, perhaps because of the sympathy for each other, she sometimes thinks of her mother crying at night and her eyes turn red. Jiang Yanyi and the others will never be able to see their mother again in this life, and it will probably only be more painful.

Seeing that after Jiang Yanyi moved out with Chu Yangui, not only did she not have a difficult life, but she gradually expanded the business by herself. She really admired Jiang Yanyi and wanted to live a prosperous life like Jiang Yanyi.

Jiang Yanyi knew more about the three sisters of the Chu family, and also knew more about Chu Shubao. When Chu Jiabao suddenly made this request, she really didn't know how to respond for a while.

Chu Shubao seems careless on weekdays, but she is very clear about her sister's temperament. She half-jokingly said to Chu Jiabao: "Ayi runs a restaurant, Jiabao, are you going to help wash the dishes?" ? You still work on rouge with me, hey, the second purse has to be embroidered on me!"

Chu Huibao was pampered and grew up, but she didn't have the high expectations of being the eldest daughter of the family. Compared with Chu Shubao, she lived a more relaxed life, with a pure heart, and she didn't learn from the elder sister's few words. Hearing something, he only remembered the purse, and immediately shouted: "The third one who embroiders Huibao!"

Chu Jiabao "rubbed" the little knot on Chu Huibao's head, "Okay, okay, the third one is embroidered on you."

She also knew that her words were too abrupt, so she explained to Jiang Yanyi: "The eldest sister can sell rouge in the second sister's antique soup shop, and I think I can also sell pearl hairpin jewelry and the like."

He does not mean that.

Jiang Yanyi thought about the layout of the business district in later generations, and then thought about the structure of the tea house. She might be able to build an ancient business district.

The tea house is a rare five-storey building in Xizhou City. It was built in the shape of a six-sided pagoda, with wooden stairs that go up in a spiral. There is an indoor pool in the center of the lobby on the ground floor, and there is a stage on the pool.It is said that this building was built by an anti-king in the previous dynasty, and it was specially used for his enjoyment.

When the Hu family didn't close down, this teahouse was also equivalent to a higher-end selling gold cave, and there were often Qingguan Huji performing arts on the stage.

Now that this building is in Jiang Yanyi's hands, she still expects to do more business with female customers, so naturally she won't invite Hu Ji, the Qing servant.

Jiang Yanyi thought, when the time comes, the first and second floors will sell food, the third floor will sell women's favorite rouge, gouache, clothes and jewelry, and the fourth floor will sell elegant things such as the four treasures of the study and folding fans commonly used by men.

When the time comes, the fame will increase, and some unused sites can be rented out, which can not only earn rent, but also earn fame and attract business.

With a rough calculation in mind, Jiang Yanyi said to Chu Jiabao: "If you sell jewelry, you will need a lot of money."

It’s okay to only sell ordinary beads and flowers, but to sell those gold and silver jade hairpins without a few thousand taels of silver as a backing, I really dare not do this business.But if you don't sell hairpins made of real gold and silver, ordinary beaded flower hairpins covered with iron and copper may not be appreciated by girls from wealthy families.

Chu Jiabao only came up with an idea. She hasn't done business yet, and she hasn't calculated the cost. Hearing what Jiang Yanyi said, she couldn't help but feel a little frustrated: "I thought it was too simple."

Chu Shubao said: "Ah Yi has changed to a big place, and my rouge business has also improved. I am short of manpower. You don't want to do rouge business with me because you don't want to embroider the second purse to me." gone?"

Chu Jiabao didn't know that Chu Shubao said this on purpose to make her feel relieved.

This seemingly careless cousin puts all her heart and soul into protecting the family and sisters.

She said yes with red eyes.

When Jiang Yanyi got along with Chu Shubao, she only thought that she was a heartless girl who could be used as a quilt when the sky fell.Now I feel that this girl has a delicate mind, but she can see clearly and live freely.

Her mother, Liu Shi, has shallow eyelids, but she is rare to see clearly.

Several people chatted for a while in the yard about the decoration of the shop after the change of location. Chu Huibao clamored to eat pickled fish, so Jiang Yanyi couldn't laugh or cry and went to the kitchen, and the three sisters of the Chu family followed.

The cook of the Chu family is already cooking. The mutton is stewed in the casserole. It has been stewed for about a few hours. Bring to a simmer.

The glutinous rice balls are being fried in the big pot on the stove. The fragrant glutinous rice and freshly minced pork are rubbed into the balls. They are wrapped in egg liquid and flour and left in the pan. They are crispy and golden when they are picked up. Healthy fragrance.

Master Dunzi on the chopping board is slicing a roasted chicken that is golden and shiny...

Chu Huibao's eyes widened, looking at this and that, wanting to eat everything.

Chu Shubao had no choice but to carry her back to her room for fear that Chu Huibao would make trouble.

Jiang Yanyi couldn't help but laugh when he saw Chu Huibao's face about to cry when he was carried away by her sister.

She told the cook that she was going to make pickled fish, and the cook set aside a pot for her to cook.

Sauerkraut Fish Jiang Yanyi has cooked it many times, and when he is familiar with it, he can make a big pot full of it. The cooking techniques are so sophisticated that even the chefs of the Chu family can feel inferior.

Jiang Yanyi saw the ribs soaking in the wooden basin beside him, and asked, "What do you plan to cook with these ribs?"

The cook said: "When I went back to the second lady, I planned to make steamed pork ribs with rice flour, but the boy who bought them came back late, and I was afraid that I would not be able to catch up with the meal, so I planned to use Codonopsis pilosula to make soup."

There is already a mutton soup, and the pork rib soup will be heavy.

Jiang Yanyi picked up a piece of pork ribs and looked at them. The bones were small and the meat was firm. She said, "It's a pity to make such good ribs into soup. Let's make them into general ribs."

The cook had never heard of the name of this dish, so Jiang Yanyi had to come up with it himself.

The ribs had soaked a lot of blood in cold water, but Jiang Yanyi still mixed cooking wine and ginger to blanch the ribs. At this time, the fishy smell of the ribs was almost gone.

Control the underwater oil in the dry pan, stir-fry the onion and ginger when it is [-]% hot, add the cornel sauce and stir well, then pour the cooking wine, add water to the pan, and pour in the red yeast water to adjust the color.

Red yeast rice has been the best natural coloring agent for cooking cooking since ancient times. The red yeast rice wine sold in the market is made from red yeast rice.

After the red yeast rice was submerged in the pot, the color of the whole pot of soup became bright and pleasant. Jiang Yanyi added some sugar to enhance the freshness, which increased the layering of the taste, and added some soy sauce to taste.

After the water boils, put the blanched pork ribs into the pot, add bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise and simmer over low heat.

The meaty aroma of the pork ribs is more intense under the action of spices, and the color of the red yeast rice is natural. The color of the pork ribs after stewing is red and bright, which is very beautiful.

The pork ribs are stewed until they are soft and rotten. If you want to make it easier, you can just put it on a plate and eat it.

But to make general ribs, there is another step of frying.

Jiang Yanyi asked the servants in the kitchen to bring her some sweet potato starch, coated the cooked pork ribs with starch, poured a lot of oil in the pan, and when the oil temperature came up, deep-fried until the shell was crispy and then picked it up, and another small dish of peanuts rice.

Leave only a small amount of oil in the pot, throw a handful of sliced ​​scallions into the pot and stir fry, add dogwood and green peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant, pour in the fried pork ribs and peanuts, stir-fry until fragrant, and then put on a plate.

If there are fried small twists, you can also add some small twists to fry the pork ribs at the last step. Unfortunately, there is not enough time now, and Jiang Yanyi doesn't make twists.

The ribs are out of the pan just in time for the meal.

The Marquis of Xing'an came to Xizhou, and now Chu Changping, as a general under Feng Shuo's command, naturally had to receive the Marquis of Xing'an together, and would not come back for lunch.

The family still ate in the courtyard of the elders of the Chu family.

During the dinner, Chu Huibao saw that the pickled fish she had been longing for was finally there, her eyes almost lit up, and after moving her chopsticks, she almost just raised her head to pick up the fish and buried her head in cooking.

Mrs. Chu deliberately asked Jiang Yanyi and her brother to sit next to her. It was probably because she saw the two grandsons being indifferent to their sister and brother when she greeted her earlier, and wanted her grandson and grandson-in-law to understand how much she valued Jiang Yanyi and her brother.

Jiang Yanyi picked up a piece of ribs for Mrs. Chu.

Chu Chengmao saw the lake-green purse hanging on Jiang Yanyi's waist, and several younger sisters rushed to get her food, even Chu Huibao, a foodie, reluctantly put the fish fillet he had just picked up into Jiang Yanyi's bowl inside.

On the other hand, I was the one who was most liked by the little guys in the past, but no one paid any attention to him. The more Chu Chengmao looked at it, the more he didn't like it. Seeing that Jiang Yanyi had picked up the ribs for Mrs. Chu, he said: "Grandma is old and her teeth are not good. Eat these oils." It takes a lot of effort to fry something."

Jiang Yanyi heard that his tone was unhappy, but he thought he was worried about Mrs. Chu, and said: "The ribs are stewed in advance and then fried, so it's easy to eat."

At this time Mrs. Chu had already bitten open the ribs, the ribs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.Stir-fry with dogwood and Chinese prickly ash. The golden skin on the outside has a spicy smell, which is exactly what Mrs. Chu wanted. When the teeth touch it, the meat inside will be bitten off. The meat is tender and fragrant when stewed. The aroma of the meat is all cooked into the meat, and it is extremely fragrant.

Mrs. Chu smiled and said to Chu Chengmao: "Grandmother is greedy, she can still bite!"

Turning around, I picked another piece for Old Master Chu, "The ribs are delicious, old man, you should try it too."

Chu Chengmao thought that Mrs. Chu deliberately let Jiang Yanyi go down the steps. He knew that his grandmother preferred his aunt's sons and daughters, so he didn't say anything, he just picked up a piece of ribs and ate it sullenly.

After biting off the crispy shell, he found that the meat inside was really as soft and tender as Mrs. Chu said, and Chu Chengmao couldn't help being stunned.

He took another piece and boasted: "The cook in our house is good at cooking."

Chu Huibao made a face at him: "The ribs and pickled fish are made by the second sister, not the people in the kitchen."

The rib that Chu Chengmao picked up had just been brought to his mouth, so he didn't want to eat it for a while, and he didn't want to eat it.

He hesitated for a while, but still opened his mouth to eat, but he didn't touch the pork ribs and fish with pickled cabbage, although these two dishes were the most delicious in his opinion.

Chu Huibao found out that he didn't grab the pickled fish from him, and took the initiative to grab a slice for him: "Why doesn't the second brother eat fish?"

Facing the gazes from everyone at the banquet, Chu Chengmao said out of conscience: "I don't like fish."

Chu Huibao was full of suspicion, obviously he was fighting over food with her just now.

Chu Shubao squeezed Chu Huibao's hand secretly, and Chu Huibao knew that her sister meant to tell her not to talk nonsense, so she just buried her head in her meal.

Although Chu Chengmao's chopsticks didn't reach into the two dishes, the scent still penetrated into his nostrils. He glanced at Jiang Yanyi who was sitting next to Mrs. Chu eating in a gentle manner, and endured it!

He ate slowly. With the eating habits of the Chu family, there would definitely be leftovers at the end of the meal.

However, several pairs of chopsticks stuck in and out of the pork rib plate and the sauerkraut fish soup, and the ribs disappeared at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.

The word "forbearance" in Chu Chengmao's heart was cracked.

It's okay, there is pickled cabbage fish.

He comforted himself.

Chu Huibao scooped up the pickled cabbage and fish soup with a spoon. After scooping up the last piece of fish, he scooped it up a couple more times. After confirming that there was no more meat, he said in disappointment, "There is no more fish..."

Chu Chengmao: "..."

The crack of the word "forbearance" is getting bigger.

It's okay, at worst, he can make a meal with soup.

Chu Chengmao was stunned to the end of the meal, and before leaving the table, Mrs. Chu asked him with concern: "Brother Mao, you haven't had a good meal outside, have you?"

Look how many bowls of rice have been added to the hungry child.

Chu Chengmao looked at the sauerkraut fish bowl and nodded.

Mrs. Chu told him to eat slowly, and let the kitchen cook if he didn't have enough. The old man was a little full after eating this meal, so Jiang Yanyi and Chu Shubao accompanied him to go for a walk to digest the food.

Everyone left the table one after another, Chu Chengbai's concubine was still haggard after his death, and her wife Xue Shi spoke softly, as if she couldn't be more considerate, but there was a bit of mockery in her raised face.

Liu felt sorry for her son, so she went to the kitchen to cook another soup for Chu Chengbai.

Finally, there was no one in the dining room. Chu Chengmao was about to scoop some sauerkraut and fish soup into a bowl with a spoon, when the maids who cleaned up the table suddenly swarmed in.

Chu Chengmao's face was not very good-looking: "Why?"

The boy saw that he had put down his chopsticks, thinking that he had finished eating too, pointed at the sauerkraut fish bowl, and smiled shyly: "Second young master finished eating, can you give this bowl of soup to the younger one? The big guys are planning to use this soup to soak eat."

Chu Chengmao: "..."

He silently put down the spoon: "You take it away."

Isn't it just a pot of pickled fish, what's so rare.

The boy left happily carrying the sauerkraut fish bowl, and the maids began to clear the table.

Chu Chengmao's heart was stuffy.

Damn, he is still rare!

***

Seal the government.

Today, a banquet was held for the Marquis of Xing'an, and the cooks of Feng's mansion showed eighteen skills, and all kinds of delicacies were sent to the front hall.

Feng Shuo sat on the main seat, and the first seat on the left was the Marquis of Xing'an, and further down were some of Marquis Xing'an's confidantes and generals.On the right is the general under Feng Shuo's command, Chu Changping is already on the list.

This time, Lu Linyuan also got a seat because of his meritorious deeds in rebelling against the Marquis of Xing'an, but he was at the bottom of the list. He was thinner than before, but he had a calm expression on his face, obviously he had been tempered a lot.

"I have admired the lord's reputation for a long time, and now it is my fortune to discuss a great deal with the lord." The Marquis of Xing'an is nearly fifty years old and has grown a beard. Perhaps he has cultivated himself in the past few years. He is obviously a general, but he is full of elegance. ‌.

He raised his glass to Feng Shuo: "Mr. Yang respects the prince."

"Master Hou is very polite. Danzhou's difficulties are all thanks to Master Hou's help." Feng Shuo toasted in response.

When the strong wine entered his throat, he couldn't taste anything except a burning pain.

Jiang Yanyi is not in the antique soup shop today, and the Chu Mansion is too far away, so he has no sense of taste.

"Danzhou's narrow victory in the battle of Danzhou is because the emperor did not expect Yuzhou to rebel. When the imperial court mobilizes troops and horses, Yuzhou will inevitably have a war." Xing'an Hou sighed.

On the surface, he was saying that Yuzhou would be in danger, but in fact he was asking for credit from Feng Shuo. This time, he was able to catch the court by surprise and allow Chu Changping and his family to break out of the encirclement.

Feng Shuo said: "Master Hou can rest assured, Xizhou stationed 20 troops, and sending [-] to [-] troops to Yuzhou is no problem."

The Marquis of Xing'an has 5 military power in his hands, and Yuzhou is a small one. If he sends another [-] to [-] people, it will be difficult to say whether Yuzhou will be surnamed Yang or Feng.

Marquis Xing'an did not expect to encounter such a soft nail.

Since he agreed to form an alliance with Feng Shuo, he won't tear up his face so easily. He said this now just to divide more benefits.

Chi Qing was the best at singing black and white with Feng Shuo, and immediately said: "Master Hou, try this roast suckling pig. It is roasted with a young wild boar that was just caught on the mountain. It tastes better than ordinary pork."

Marquis Xing'an picked up his chopsticks and put them down again. Naturally, he came to Xizhou himself to have a meal with Feng Shuo.

Since Feng Shuo refused to answer the secret words, he went straight to the point and made it clear.

Marquis Xing'an said: "My lord, I will not betray you anymore. I have only one daughter under my knees. I have used the power of Yuzhou to get to this point, just for the future of my little girl. Since the lord is not married yet, Yuzhou is willing to work with Xi The state is good with Qin and Jin."

This is the meaning of asking Feng Shuo to marry his daughter as his concubine.