Chapter 545 - Pig Banquet (2/2)
Zhao Han nodded and took the cup of honey water from Chunhua’s hands. He drank it down in one gulp. The honey water had a sweet and mellow flavor, similar to the brilliant smile on the young maiden’s face. He glanced at the dimples at the side of Xiaocao’s mouth and was spellbound for a second. It distracted him from the warm feeling of the water relieving the pain near his lungs.
As he laid on the mattress that smelled faintly of sun-dried laundry, Zhao Han felt as if he had never been this relaxed before. The wounds on his back felt cool and comfortable after getting their dressings changed. They no longer felt as sharp and painful as before. Even the heavy pressure he had near his lungs had also disappeared——did Xiaocao add some special medicine to heal internal wounds in his honey water earlier?
Before he knew it, Zhao Han’s breathing became comfortable and he fell into a deep sleep in the bright early morning light of winter. By the time Wutong woke him up and gave him a bowl full of medicine to drink, Zhao Han felt as if his body was now full of energy and that all of his hurts had been banished away. He knew this medicine was something that Xiaocao herself had personally prescribed for him, so he didn’t hesitate as he drank the whole mess of bitter contents down in one gulp.
Xiaocao had gone over to her eldest granduncle’s residence to get in on the fun. When she got there, she saw that the large fat pig had pretty much been cleaned and divided. There were plenty of friends and family in the courtyard helping out. Some helped to wash and take the hairs off of the freshly slaughtered pig, while others were cleaning and preparing the pig innards. Yu Hai and his wife didn’t go to the farmstead today and instead were in the courtyard working busily.
A group of matrons were with Xiaocao’s eldest grandaunt. They were was.h.i.+ng and chopping the ingredients in a busy manner. Before long, the pig’s head was placed in a heated pot to cook while another pot that was cooking blood sausages bubbled merrily. Madam Liu used her family’s secret spice recipe to help braise the pig trotters and offal…
At lunch, everyone who came over to help sat around in the full courtyard. Yu Xiaocao and her servants were sitting with the Yu Family. Even Erya revealed a silly smile as she sat next to Madam Liu, inquisitively regarding the scene around her. Originally, Xiaocao’s maidservants were a bit hesitant to sit at the same level as their master. Only after Xiaocao half-jokingly scolded them did they finally reluctantly sit down next to her to partake in the meal.
Everyone said that northern people were very practical. Each plate here was piled high with food for the pig banquet. There was fatty pork with garlic sauce, pork with kidney beans stewed with vermicelli, pickled vegetables with pork blood sausage, simmered pig’s head, sliced pork diaphragm with garlic sauce, braised pork bone meat...although all of the dishes looked very fatty and greasy, they tasted incredibly delicious and Xiaocao almost couldn’t stop eating.
Xiaocao loved eating the sliced pork diaphragm with garlic sauce and the pickled vegetables with pork blood sausage the most. The four maidservants watched as their master happily ate the black colored blood sausage and gobbled down the braised pork bone meat. Although the food wasn’t very elegant, it definitely stimulated their appet.i.tes and made them want to eat more too.
Wutong didn’t quite understand her master’s enthusiasm. She had never seen her young miss eat with such gus...o...b..fore, even when they were at Zhenxiu Restaurant dining on their finest dishes. The food here looked very crude and greasy, so how could it be so suited to her young miss’s tastes? She looked at the other three maids, Yingchun, Chunhua and Qius.h.i.+. They all seemed to be eating quite happily too. She couldn’t help but pick up her chopsticks and grab a slice of pork diaphragm meat that didn’t look too greasy. After placing into her mouth, she carefully chewed a bit——Mm, it was a bit bland and chewy, nothing else.
Yu Jiang’s wife, who was sitting next to her, smiled, “Girl, you need to dip this pork diaphragm meat into the garlic sauce to eat. Otherwise, it’ll have no flavor at all.” As she spoke, she picked up a piece of meat and dipped it into the sauce before placing it in her mouth. She chewed it with gusto.
In the past, the residence’s senior servant had instructed her that a good personal maidservant couldn’t eat anything that was too heavily flavored. In fact, she should avoid eating too many meat-containing dishes too in order to avoid having any strong smells sticking to her, causing her master to dislike her. In the afternoon, she still needed to take care of her mistress. Was it really alright for her to eat garlic sauce and other foods that had a very distinct smell?
Yu Xiaocao could see the hesitation on Wutong’s face and patted her shoulders before personally giving her a piece of pork diaphragm meat that was dipped in garlic sauce, “This afternoon, all of you will get a half day break and there’s no need for any of you to stay by my side. Eat whatever you want to eat and don’t sit there twiddling your thumbs. It’s too awkward that way! This piece of boiled meat may look fatty on the outside but it’s not the least bit greasy when you eat it. Try some! Also, my eldest grandaunt makes the best blood sausage in the area. You wouldn’t be able to try this anywhere else!”
Xiaocao had noticed that the muscles on Wutong’s face involuntarily twitched when she picked up a blood sausage, so she silently laughed at the maid. She deliberately picked the foods that the maid obviously didn’t want to try and placed it in Wutong’s bowl.
Wutong truly wanted to cry when she saw the evil and mischievous expression on her master’s face. However, as the servant, it was a great honor to be awarded food by her master so she needed to eat it even if she wanted to weep. She gathered her courage and placed the pork diaphragm meat with garlic sauce into her mouth. As expected, the combination was much more flavorful together and the more she chewed, the more she liked its unique flavor.
As for the fatty pork with garlic sauce, the fatty slices of meat looked very greasy. Wutong pinched her nose and placed a slice that was about the size of half her palm into her mouth in a manner that clearly showed her reluctance. She forced herself to chew. As she chewed, the expression on her face gradually changed and she no longer looked as reluctant as before. Eh? So odd, it didn’t taste greasy at all. Instead, it had a fresh and savory flavor she never tasted before.
As for the blood sausage, Wutong had seen her young miss eat piece after piece. Now that she had complete faith in her master’s tastes, she wasn’t the least bit hesitant as she tried a blood sausage. In any case, hadn’t she eaten braised pig intestines in the past before? What was the point in being squeamish now?
Wutong, who had no misgivings now, started to try all of the foods she had never had the opportunity to eat before and went through all of the dishes. Although each dish looked very crude and simple, their taste was quite unique and surprisingly delicious. Yu Jiang’s wife felt her heart relax when she saw this city girl finally eating with gusto and enthusiasm.
For the honest and simple commoners, they felt like they only fulfilled a host’s duties when their guests were all able to eat to their fill and enjoy their meal. In Yu Jiang’s wife’s eyes, despite the fact that Yu Xiaocao now had a prestigious t.i.tle, she was still a part of the family and a child she had watched herself grow up.