Chapter 367 - Determination (2/2)
Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and said to Xiaohu, “Yes! Xiaohu, go and bring the dish out!”
The plate piled high with braised food left a trail of fragrant and enticing aroma as it was taken from the kitchen and placed on the stone table in the courtyard. The four people in the Huang Family felt their saliva secretion speeding up. They could no longer swallow their saliva fast enough.
Huang Dachui rubbed his hands together and said in embarrassment, “This plate of food is quite costly, so it’s a waste if you give it to us to eat. Young Miss, we can just eat vegetarian dishes. Isn’t it best if we leave this plate of meat to sell?”
“I’ve already sliced the meat into pieces, how will I be able to sell it still? Let’s consider this dish as our welcoming gift to you. Come and eat, you’ll need to work later!”
Huang Xiaomei knew at first glance that the young miss had a pleasant personality. After she heard the young miss’s explanation, she hurriedly put a steamed bun on her father’s and younger brother’s plates. She even helped them pick some meat to put on their plate. She said to Yu Xiaocao, “Young Miss, this steamed bun is very beautiful. It has a golden color and it emits a slight fragrant scent. It doesn’t look like it’s made with bean meal.”
Yu Xiaocao smiled and replied, “It’s made from a mixture of cornmeal and white flour!”
“Cornmeal?” Huang Xiaomei pulled apart the steamed bun and sniffed the insides gently. Her face was full of confusion.
“Yes, Royal Prince Yang from the imperial court brought some corn seeds from the west. My family planted a few acres of corn seed, and the harvest was bountiful. After handing the seeds over to the imperial court, we still had some left. So, we just ground it and made it into cornmeal. We use the cornmeal to make steamed buns and porridges; the taste is pretty good. You guys eat, I’m going to the pickle shop to take a look.” Yu Xiaocao knew that if she stayed, then the family would feel uncomfortable, so she used an excuse to leave.
They waited until Yu Xiaocao’s figure disappeared from the view. Huang Xiaomei excitedly took a big bite of the steamed bun and chewed it carefully. She didn’t even wait until she swallowed it before she said, “It’s delicious! It’s more fragrant and delicious than the steamed buns we made from white flour for the New Years! Father, Mother, try it!”
Huang Xiaohu picked up the steamed bun and looked left and right. He muttered to himself, “Corn? Our master’s family is truly generous to use something as expensive as corn to make steamed buns!”
Huang Dachui thought about it for a while and said, “These must be the food our masters eat. Since we arrived here so suddenly, they probably had no time to prepare.”
Xiaomei’s mother said, “Husband, is it appropriate for us to eat the food our masters eat?”
Huang Xiaomei picked up a piece of braised pork belly and put it in her mouth. It was so delicious that she almost cried. After she swallowed the food in her mouth, she smiled and said, “How is it not appropriate? This is the food the young miss rewarded us! I heard that in big households, the masters reward their leftovers to their servant girls and senior servants! Xiaohu, try this. It’s so soft and fragrant!”
After hearing what her daughter had said, Huang Dachui finally relaxed. He picked up a large piece of pig head meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. His daughter wasn’t lying, it was delicious! No wonder the Yu Family’s business was so good!
“Father, the young miss is very generous. Just one plate of braised meat could be sold for quite a sum of money, yet she rewarded it to us! It seems that we shouldn’t worry too unnecessarily. Our master is a good person!” With just one meal, Yu Xiaocao was able to win over Huang Xiaomei’s heart. She decided to work hard for her master’s family!
Xiaomei’s mother ate some braised food and braised seaweed with firm tofu. She chewed the food carefully and sighed. She said softly, “This meal is even better than our family’s New Year’s meal! There are vegetables, meat, and even rice! The rice is not coarse. Is this our blessing?”
Yu Caifeng came out of the kitchen and overheard Xiaomei’s mother’s words. She smiled and said, “What are you saying? Rest assured, as long as you work hard, your days will only become better!”
The young miss had introduced this woman who was wearing a strange smock earlier. She was the young miss’s aunt. All the delicious braised food from the shop was made by her.
They stood up and greeted her. After she left, Huang Dachui said to his wife, “In the future, when you work under the aunt, you must be diligent. You need to rush to do all the dirty and tiring jobs. When the aunt is making braised food, don’t go into the kitchen unless she tells you to! Don’t talk about the braised food recipe. What’s more, don’t even think about stealing their recipe. Do you understand?”
Seeing how solemn and serious her husband appeared, Xiaomei’s mother nodded her head and said, “Husband, don’t worry, I won’t ask or even mention the secret recipe!”
After they finished eating supper, Xiaomei’s mother cleaned the dishes and brought the clean dishes back into the kitchen. There was a burst of noise from the side gate. Liu Hu and his son had butchered a pig and carried it in.