Chapter 149 (2/2)

Yu Hai looked like he had a sudden realization, “So it’s General Fang! Quick, come inside the house to sit!!”

“No need, I want to see how century eggs are made!” Fang Zizhen stood in the courtyard and saw all kinds of vegetables growing vigorously in the yard . The yard was clean and tidy, and all the items were arranged in an orderly way . He inwardly nodded his head .

“Century eggs? Oh, that’s a novel food our family’s Xiaocao is preparing to make . I wonder what the finished product will be like!” Yu Hai looked at his younger daughter with a hint of a smile in his eyes, and his heart was full of pride .

Yu Hang brought out a stool from inside the house and placed it beside General Fang . He said softly and politely, “General Fang, please sit!”

“Is this your eldest son? Sure enough, he’s a fine-looking boy! Younger Brother Yu, I really envy you for having these wonderful children!” Fang Zizhen patted Yu Hang’s shoulder, and then lifted his official’s robe and sat down . His tone was filled with sorrow .

Yu Hai laughed and said, “General Fang, you’re flattering me! With a father like you, the general, your children will surely have good prospects…”

“Father…” Yu Xiaocao blinked at her father . Based on what she heard from Wu Yun and General Fang’s conversations, she had learned that General Fang didn’t have any children . So she was afraid that her father would poke at his sore spot .

Fang Zizhen was even more satisfied with this clever little girl . He waved his hand and said, “There’s nothing that can’t be said . I fought in wars when I was young and ended up with an unmentionable disease . I’m afraid that it will be very difficult for me to have any children in this lifetime . Brother Yu, to tell you the truth, I really like your younger daughter . I want to become nominal relatives with you and adopt Xiaocao as my daughter . Would Brother Yu be willing to agree?”

Although the kind Yu Hai didn’t really want to share his daughter with someone else, he pitied Fang Zizhen for being childless . Moreover, the other party solemnly declared that he wasn’t trying to take his daughter away from him . He hesitated for a long time, but still ended up agreeing . Hence, Yu Xiaocao now had a third-ranked general as her G.o.dfather .

After Yu Xiaocao solemnly served him tea and acknowledged him as her G.o.dfather, she began her attempt to make century eggs . Fang Zizhen watched with interest beside her .

Yu Xiaocao first mixed salt, white lime, loess, and plant ash into a mud-like matter . Then, she added an appropriate amount of black tea and huangdan powder into the mud-like matter . After that, she wrapped the fresh duck eggs with the mud-like matter and covered each of them evenly in battered straw and rice husk . After she wrapped each of them securely with an oiled paper, she placed all of them on top of the warm kang bed . As it turned out, for the watermelon breeding, they had also heated up the kang bed in the west room, which was unoccupied . In the warm environment, the production time of the century eggs would be shortened .

There was extra of the mud-like matter leftover, so Xiaocao got several chicken eggs from the kitchen . Century eggs made with chicken eggs were bright and transparent, like a fine yellow jade . It tasted cool and refres.h.i.+ng, and it was fragrant but not greasy . In her past life, Xiaocao really liked eating the ones with a sweet filling, which had an even softer and smoother mouthfeel .

“That’s it?” Fang Zizhen, who had also followed Xiaocao and personally made several century eggs, didn’t think that it was very difficult .

“That’s right! It’s just that easy . It should be ready to eat in twenty or so days!” Xiaocao nodded . After she said that, she stood up and went to help prepare lunch in the kitchen . With this great lord here, they definitely couldn’t just casually make two dishes .

Fang Zizhen also realized that his visit was too abrupt and felt rather embarra.s.sed . So he stood up and said, “Don’t prepare my meal . This morning, I told my master that I will return for lunch! Brother Yu, I will come have a good drink with you in the evening!”

Yu Hai graciously urged him to stay, “General Fang, it’s already noon . How can we just let you leave without eating? Everything at home is ready-made, so it all very easy to make…”

Fang Zizhen interjected, “Brother Yu, why are you still calling me ‘General Fang’? You’re treating me like an outsider . I’m several years older than you, so you can just call me ‘Older Brother Fang’!”

Yu Hai rubbed his hands and chuckled, “Fang… Older Brother Fang…”

“Alright! I can’t let my master wait, or else I will be punished to stand on a stake! Tonight, I’ll come over with Xiaofan . The three of us needs to have a good drink! Daughter, when the construction at the docks are completed, G.o.dfather will take you to visit our residence in the capital . Your G.o.dmother will definitely be happy to have a G.o.ddaughter like you!”

The capital? If she had a chance, Xiaocao long wanted to visit the capital! In her previous life, she had stayed in a small county town and devoted herself to raising her younger siblings . Had she not visited her younger siblings, who had worked and settled in a big city, it would probably be very difficult for her to walk out of the small county town during that lifetime . Thus, it was even more unlikely for her to have a chance to visit the capital .

In this lifetime, she hoped she would be able to make up for the regrets she had in her previous life . She wanted to visit the capital and have the opportunity to look at the elegant demeanor of the imperial city . Of course, if that fellow transmigrator wasn’t in the capital, she would antic.i.p.ate it even more .

In the evening, Yu Xiaocao took her new G.o.dfather’s likings into consideration and made ‘soy-braised pork’ with the perfect ratio of fatty and lean meat . It was fragrant and soft, and just melted within one’s mouth . She also used the bighead carp within the vat to make the colorful and pungent ‘steamed fish head with chili pepper’, which had a tender texture . After picking out the bones, the rest of the fish was battered into paste and used to make ‘fish b.a.l.l.s soup’ . There was also stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, eggplant with minced garlic…”

Fang Zizhen felt that he had never been so happy before as he ate the food personally cooked by his G.o.ddaughter, drank the wine that the emperor awarded to him, and chatted with two like-minded brothers . He looked at his dear daughter who was busy like a bee and felt a sense of satisfaction of ‘everything was well with a daughter’ .

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