diskusbooks Chapter 83 Thoughts
Chapter 83 Thoughts
Hua'er was the first to react, and couldn't help clapping her hands and laughing, "Sister Zisu, how's my luck? Pretty good, right?"
Zisu affectionately patted her hair and nodded with a smile: "You're incredibly lucky, it's not just ordinary luck! I've never seen a deer run headfirst into a tree before!"
Just now, they didn't surround and capture the muntjac; it simply ran headfirst into a tree. My goodness, this is truly a once-in-a-century miracle!
Hua'er immediately beamed with joy: "Hehe, so you're saying I'm really lucky! Hehe, when I get back to the capital, I'm going to tell my parents and my aunt, the Princess! When my older brother comes back, I'll use this to tease him, since he always says I'm unlucky!"
When her older brother Jiang Chun was mentioned, the little girl started chattering away: "Sister Zisu, I'll tell you a secret, it's about my older brother!"
"Oh? What secret?" Zisu immediately became curious.
"Hehe, it was when my older brother was ten years old. He went hunting in the mountains with my dad and uncle, and he was accidentally knocked unconscious by a running deer. Hehe, my older brother never lets anyone mention this incident; he considers it a disgrace to his life! Thinking about it now, I suddenly find it super funny!"
As Hua'er spoke, she laughed heartily, bending over backward with laughter, tears streaming down her face.
"It's really quite interesting." Zisu couldn't help but laugh.
Haha, I really never imagined that Jiang Chun, the future Grand Marshal of the Border, would have such an interesting experience.
As they spoke, Xiangli and Yingtao had already pulled up some vines and tied the muntjac's legs together with the vines. This was to prevent it from escaping if it woke up. Although Zisu rarely hunted muntjacs, this one had practically delivered itself to her doorstep; there was no reason to let it go, was there?
On the way back, pheasants and rabbits jumped out of the bushes. Zisu casually threw a few stones and caught two pheasants and a rabbit.
"Wow! What amazing kung fu!" Hua'er exclaimed in amazement, then said excitedly, "Sister Zisu, I want to learn kung fu from you too!"
Zisu: "Okay, it's good for girls to learn some martial arts so they can protect themselves and won't have to worry too much when they're out and about! But learning martial arts is very hard work. Can you endure that kind of hardship? And once you start learning, I will definitely be very strict with you and you can't give up halfway!"
Hua nodded vigorously: "I know, I will definitely study hard and practice diligently, and I will never give up halfway! Even if I want to slack off, please be strict with me and supervise me properly!"
"Okay!" Zisu smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.
The group chatted and laughed as they returned home.
Zisu personally took charge of the cooking, following the recipe for muntjac meat she had learned from Shangguan Zhihua in her previous life. First, she cut the muntjac meat into small pieces, rinsed them thoroughly with clean water, and drained them in a bamboo woven basin. Then, she heated a wok, added peanut oil, and after a few moments, sautéed chopped chili peppers and ginger slices until fragrant. She added the muntjac meat, clear broth, salt, and cardamom, then simmered it over low heat with the lid on until cooked through.
When the time came, the pot lid was opened, and the aroma of spicy and numbing flavors filled the air. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow.
Yi-ge and Han-ge smacked their lips, staring longingly at Zisu, almost drooling. Even Hua-er, without any attempt to hide it, swallowed hard, also staring longingly at Zisu.
Zisu chuckled and glared at the three of them before deftly plating the deer meat onto a plate and placing it on the table. She waved to everyone with a smile, "Dinner's ready!"
Yi-ge'er, Han-ge'er, and Hua-er rushed forward, each taking a spot and sitting down in front of the muntjac meat.
Hua'er's personal maids, Dongkui and Pukui, blushed, ashamed of their mistress's gluttony.
Oh dear, how could the mistress be so shameless? Yi-ge'er is only three years old, and Han-ge'er is only five. They're at home, so it's understandable that they might be a little greedy. But the mistress is already ten years old, and she's here as a guest.
Dongkui felt that the tips of her ears were so red they could bleed.
Pu Kui stood to one side, looking at her toes.
Xiangli tugged at Pu Kui's sleeve: "Let's sit down and eat quickly. There's a dish of braised deer meat on our table too!"
Led by Xiangli, Pu Kui mechanically walked to the table where the servants sat and sat down. Dong Kui also came over and sat down beside her. The two ate several mouthfuls of rice before finally reaching for the muntjac meat with their chopsticks, determined to taste just how delicious the muntjac meat that had made their master so craving it was.
One bite of the deer meat made my mouth water, and I exclaimed in my heart, "Delicious, so delicious!" No wonder my mistress was so craving it. Oh well, I won't hold it against her! I'll never tell Madam about her again.
The two realized that it wasn't that the muntjac meat was particularly delicious, but rather that Miss Zisu's cooking skills were simply too good!
Zisu doesn't like to be called "Miss"; she prefers to be called "Young Lady".
Perhaps the word "Miss" carries some negative connotation?
Everyone was completely baffled.
From that day on, Hua'er became fascinated with martial arts and hunting. She also showed great enthusiasm for picking wildflowers, wild fruits, and foraging for wild vegetables, as if she would never tire of them. Every time she went into the mountains, she was full of energy and had a radiant smile.
They stayed at Xiaoshitan for three months.
During this time, she learned a few self-defense techniques, basic cooking skills, and a signature dish: braised muntjac. She also learned about more than ten kinds of edible wild vegetables and most of the edible wild fruits found in the mountains. She could start a fire, sweep the floor, and wash her own clothes; except for combing her hair, she was basically able to take care of herself.
She doesn't know how to comb her own hair because she'd braid it or style it into a bun; she's not very good at doing it herself. But when she's in the mood, she'll actually comb Zisu's hair herself, and she's quite skilled at it.
Dongkui is skilled at combing hair, and Xiangli learned several nice hairstyles from her, some suitable for young girls, some for married women, and even some suitable for the elderly.
Only after learning how to do it could she style her master's hair.
During their time at Little Stone Pool, Hua'er and Zisu forged a deep friendship, and Xiangli and the others also developed a close bond with Dongkui and Pukui. They even made a pact that after they moved to the capital, they would visit each other often.
When Hua'er returned to the Jiang residence and saw her parents, she began to rave about how wonderful Zisu was. She practically praised Zisu to the point of devotion.
She kept talking and talking, as if she never got tired. Even after finishing a whole pot of tea, the conversation still revolved around perilla leaves.
"What? You mean Zisu has come up with a few more delicious dishes?" Jiang Shichang couldn't help but interrupt his daughter.
"Yes, there's a delicious dish, and I've even learned how to make it!" Hua'er glanced at her father proudly, as if seeking praise. "By the way, Sister Zisu said that she'll give this recipe to Good Days Restaurant unconditionally. She also said that I'll be responsible for teaching the head chef at Good Days Restaurant!"
"Oh, thank you very much! However, I have my doubts. Do you really know how to cook?" Jiang Shichang was deeply moved. Although Zisu liked money, she wasn't greedy at all. Giving away a recipe so readily was truly rare.
"Daddy, don't underestimate me!" Hua'er proudly raised her head and said triumphantly, "I brought back the ingredients for this dish. Tonight, I'll cook it myself and show you my skills! I guarantee you'll want to eat it again after you've tasted it!"
Madam Jiang: "Alright, I'm just waiting for you to show off your skills! I need to send someone to tell your grandparents, as well as your uncle and aunt, that Hua'er will be cooking tonight and invites them all over for dinner!"
Although the eldest and second branches of the Jiang family did not live in the same mansion, they were right next door, making it very convenient for them to visit each other. Hua'er's grandparents lived with their eldest son, and the eldest princess's husband was none other than the eldest son of the Jiang family.
Hua'er glanced at the sky: "It's still early, only noon. How about this, I'll take a bath and change, then rest well. At 3:15 PM, wake me up, and I'll make a hot dish. For the appetizers, I'll use the ones I brought back; there are five in total!"
Hehe, that means I've prepared six dishes! Tonight, the first and second wives are having a dinner party, so I'd better show off my skills!
When the eldest princess heard that Hua'er was going to cook herself, she exclaimed in surprise, "What? She went to Wuliping and came back and she can cook?"
"Your Highness, the young lady said she can cook one of her signature dishes, and she will also prepare five unique appetizers," the head maid replied respectfully.
This head maid was the head steward of the second branch of the Jiang family, and also a trusted subordinate of the Second Madam Jiang. The Second Madam sent her personally to convey a message, expressing respect for the Eldest Princess. If the First Madam were not the Eldest Princess, it would usually be sufficient to send a head maid to deliver the message.
The two sisters-in-law of the Jiang family got along very well. This was not only due to the eldest princess's kind nature, but also inseparable from the second wife's proper conduct. The second wife had always been very respectful and courteous to her elder sister-in-law, the princess, and never dared to neglect the details just because of her status as her sister-in-law.
As the old saying goes: "The big picture can be seen in the small details."
Many things are reflected in the details.
Although the Second Madam and the Eldest Princess were not as close as sisters, they were like good friends and got along amicably.
Amidst everyone's anticipation and curiosity, night finally fell. All those who had gone out or to the yamen returned home and gathered in the banquet hall of the Jiang family's second branch.
This dinner party consisted of ten hot dishes and six appetizers.
Hua proudly introduced the dish to everyone: "This is a braised muntjac meat dish that I made. I even helped hunt the muntjac myself. It was Sister Zisu who came up with the recipe three months ago. I learned from her five times, and then made it on my own five times, before I finally mastered about 70% of her technique. Please do me the honor of trying it and see how good my cooking really is!"
Also, these five appetizers were pickled by Sister Zisu herself. The ingredients were either grown by Sister Zisu herself or foraged by her from deep in the mountains. Absolutely no pollution; Sister Zisu calls these "pollution-free green ingredients!"
"What are pollution-free green ingredients?" Princess Yue'er asked curiously.
Hua'er: "From what Sister Zisu said, it seems to be something that grows naturally and is not polluted. To be precise, it's wild fruits and vegetables from deep in the mountains."
Yue'er clapped her hands: "Sister Flower, I want to eat wild fruit!"
Hua'er: "Let's try the muntjac meat and appetizers that you made first, sister. We can eat the wild fruits after dinner while we're having tea and chatting, okay?"
"Alright! When the time comes, you absolutely can't go back on your word and refuse to give it to me!" Yue'er is a reasonable person, and she will listen if there is a reason to it.
Hua'er said with a smile, "I won't go back on my word. This time when I came back, Sister Zisu gave me a whole basket of wild fruits! She also said that when autumn comes, she will give me a basket of hazelnuts and sunflower seeds!"
Yue'er interjected, "Sister Hua'er, what are sunflower seeds? Are they tasty?"
Hua'er: "Sunflower seeds are the seeds of sunflowers. Sister Zisu said they taste very good when roasted and are a great snack."
Yue'er: "What's a sunflower?"
Hua'er: "It's a sunflower! The flowers are as big as a washbasin, and the inflorescence follows the sun. It's a very beautiful flower! Sister Zisu's farm has hundreds of acres planted with them, and the sea of flowers is truly spectacular!"