Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 2
Tled by Serena Love
Edited by unsaltedfish, ,and Mia
Chapter 2: Thick Fried Egg and Green Onion Noodles
Prior to the wedding, Jiang Shuyao had learned about the state of Duke Xie's mansion, but Xie Xun explained it to her again on the way to the main hall.
Xie Xun was the third son in the family. Both of his elder brothers were already married and had children, some of whom were around Jiang Shuyao’s age. He also had a younger sister who was only a year younger than him.
As the two stepped into the hall, everyone turned their heads around to look at them.
Jiang Shuyao was a little nervous and followed Xie Xun to greet his parents.
The Old Madam was not very satisfied with her daughter-in-law. After setting the date of marriage, she sent someone to inquire about Jiang Shuyao and every word she heard was more unpleasant than the last. Whether it was in character or in family background, Jiang Shuyao wasn’t worthy of Xie Xun.
But seeing that she couldn't find any fault with her etiquette, the Old Madam looked a little better.
Jiang Shuyao respectfully offered tea to the two elders in accordance with etiquette, but the Old Madam did not reach out to pick it up.
On the contrary, Duke Xie had always been a kind-hearted person. After he picked up the teacup served by his daughter-in-law, the Old Madam could not continue making things difficult.
The first hurdle was easily passed which made the subsequent greetings much easier. Jiang Shuyao received red envelopes one after another and gave the gifts she had prepared to her juniors.
There were many children in the first and second branches, with the older ones around Jiang Shuyao’s age. When they called her "Third Aunt" with blushing faces, she felt as if she was taking advantage of her peers when she went home for the New Year.
She pursed her lips and smiled, making her look even brighter.
Xie Pei, who was on the side, saw this and was extremely dazzled.
She was the youngest daughter of Duke Xie and had been a figure above the stars since she was a child[1]. She had three elder brothers, with each one being more capable than the other, especially her third brother. How many ladies intentionally approached her in order to inquire about him? Unexpectedly, her third brother ended up marrying Jiang Shuyao. When she thought about the fact that she had to call Jiang Shuyao "Third Sister-in-law" now, she felt like she had lost her face[2].
When it was Xie Pei's turn, she took the gift, handed it over to a maid and said “thank you” perfunctorily. She made it clear that she didn't want to give Jiang Shuyao any face.
The atmosphere was awkward.
Jiang Shuyao had been prepared for some people to make things difficult. She didn't expect that while she passed the elders’ test, she couldn’t pass the little young miss’.
She smiled sweetly, deliberately turning a blind eye to her provocation and said softly, "You don't have to thank me. I'm glad that younger sister likes my gift."
Xie Pei was speechless. She hadn't even opened the box to see the so-called gift. How can she just assume that she liked it? Jiang Shuyao was really cheeky.
She snatched the box from the maid's hand angrily, opened it, glanced at it lightly, and smiled, "Third sister-in-law is really generous. This set of jewelry is extremely luxurious, but I’ve always liked more elegant and exquisite jewelry; I'm afraid I won't be able to wear this set."
Jiang Shuyao had always been ridiculed by others for her vulgar appearance. The purpose of her remarks was to ridicule Jiang Shuyao for her inelegance.
The targeted Jiang Shuyao didn't feel hurt or upset. Just as she was about to respond, Xie Xun spoke first, "You are still young, there will be many opportunities for you to wear it in the future."
Although he didn't like Jiang Shuyao, he didn't want others to bully her or cause trouble either, especially on this day.
After he finished speaking, he led Jiang Shuyao past Xie Pei.
Xie Pei was stunned.
Everyone present did not expect Xie Xun to speak up for Jiang Shuyao. After all, his attitude was very clear during the wedding.
Jiang Shuyao glanced at Xie Pei secretly and found that the little girl's eyes were red with grievance.
Xie Xun, the pig teammate[3].
Originally, she could have won her over with some tricks, but he took the initiative to provoke hatred and even broke her sister-in-law's fragile heart.
After the tea was finished, the members of the family dispersed one after another. Jiang Shuyou had no intention of currying favor with her mother-in-law. Seeing that Xie Xun was about to leave, she quickly followed after him.
***
Xie Xun didn't want to continue staying in the mansion with Jiang Shuyao, so he made plans with his friends to go horse racing outside the city.
After walking for a while, Xie Xun noticed that Jiang Shuyao had followed him the whole way, making him feel inexplicably guilty.
He stopped and cleared his throat, "I'm going out for a while. I have an appointment with my friends." After speaking, he felt uncomfortable as he realized it sounded like he was reporting to his wife.
Jiang Shuyao didn't understand why he suddenly reported his itinerary to her. She nodded in confusion, "Oh."
Xie Xun started walking again and noticed that Jiang Shuyao was still behind him.
He couldn't help but turn around and say irritatedly, "Why are you following me?"
Jiang Shuyao was baffled, "I’m not following you." She tilted her head for a moment and then realized, "I'm going to the main kitchen, and it happened to be in the same direction as you're heading."
Unexpectedly, Xie Xun had overthought. Feeling embarrassed, his ears turned slightly red.
Seeing him looking down silently, Jiang Shuyao suddenly took a big step back and said, "Why don't you go first?"
Xie Xun had originally intended to say something to smooth things over, but after Jiang Shuyou’s remark, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was mocking him for being overly sentimental just now. His ears flushed a deep red in embarrassment.
He turned to look at Jiang Shuyou, only to see her blinking innocently, as if she had done nothing wrong. She even raised a hand and made a polite “please, after you” gesture.
Xie Xun was momentarily at a loss for words, secretly gritting his teeth in shame and frustration.
His pair of magnetic eyes, which usually looked cold, now looked slightly annoyed. His ethereal appearance looked a bit irritated, so he looked more lively than his usual cold and calm appearance.
Jiang Shuyao didn't realize what she did was "wrong" at all and after seeing Xie Xun looking at her, she continued, "Or should I go first? The main kitchen is just around the corner."
"No need!" Xie Xun turned around sharply and took a long step. His legs flew away, as if they were on fire.
Jiang Shuyao looked at his back, sighed and silently thought: Young people should be a little more lively. The appearance of him fleeing was really pleasing to look at.
After sighing, she led the maids towards the main kitchen.
She had gotten up late in the morning and hadn’t had breakfast yet. Now, she was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back.
People in the main kitchen saw Jiang Shuyao coming in and all greeted her in unison.
Jiang Shuyao waved her hand and walked directly into the kitchen.
Large households emphasize fine cooking and small portions. Generally, the kitchen servants would take care of leftovers, so when Jiang Shuyao strolled around the kitchen, she only saw soup simmering for the masters.
"Third madam, what are..." Nanny Changshi, seeing Jiang Shuyao glancing around anxiously, stepped forward with some unease and asked cautiously.
"It's okay, I'm just looking for something to eat."
"What do you want to eat?"
The nanny bent down and bowed her head respectfully, following Jiang Shuyao. She wasn't used to being followed so she said, "You can go ahead and get your work done. I'll just get something."
Everyone in the mansion knew that Xie Xun had slept in the study room yesterday, so they couldn't help but look down on the third madam. When she said that, the nanny didn't follow her anymore and walked out of the kitchen after bowing.
Seeing that her four maids were just as hungry as her, she chose to cook two quick dishes.
As she rolled up her sleeves and was about to start cooking, she realized that none of the five people in the kitchen could make a fire, so she asked her maid to go bring one of the kitchen maids.
The little maid was short and thin, but she worked briskly.
After the fire was started, Jiang Shuyao put a big pot on the stove and boiled water to make noodles.
She found and neatly diced some carrots, vegetables, and green onions.
The maids were startled by her knife skills. They looked at one another and tried to recall when their lady had learned how to cook.
When the water boiled, Jiang Shuyao dropped noodles into the large iron pan.
She took a large bowl, beat eggs, added the chopped vegetables and green onion, sprinkled in salt and starch, and stirred them well. She then let the kitchen maid start another stove, set the flame to small and put oil in the hot pan.
When the oil was hot, she poured a quarter of the beaten egg and stirred it. Then, she rolled up the still runny egg, pressed it with a spatula to shape it, waited until the inside was set and poured another quarter of the beaten eggs.
She repeated this several times. The noodles were already cooked after the last portion of egg mixture was poured into the pan.
Jiang Shuyao asked the maid to scoop up the noodles and put them in cold water. The maid then put the prepared thick egg on a plate and divided it into five portions.
"Come and taste it," she beckoned to the maids.
The maids were shocked. They didn't expect that Jiang Shuyao, who had always been difficult to serve, would cook for them. Several people thought about it. They all agreed that Jiang Shuyao was just curious and wanted to try cooking. Now the task of trying the dishes fell on them.
Bai Zhi was the most courageous of the four maids. Seeing that the other three were stunned and afraid to come forward, she decided to take up the task of tasting the dishes.
'Isn't it just a bit unpalatable? At worst, it's not cooked yet. It’s not as if it’s poisonous.'
She comforted herself and took the plate Jiang Shuyao handed her.
When she got closer, the rich egg fragrance penetrated into her nose and Bai Zhi couldn't help but salivate.
She picked up a thick fried egg that was golden on the outside and tender inside. When she picked it up, it was very elastic and quivered slightly.
Bai Zhi took a bite under the gazes of anticipation and sympathy from the crowd. The thick egg had just come out of the pot so it was a bit hot. When she bit it, the delicious juice inside burst in her mouth. The egg was soft and tender and the rich egg scent was mixed with the fragrance of diced vegetables. The taste was rich and her taste buds awakened.
"How is it?" Jiang Shuyao asked. The temperature of this kind of earthen stove was not easy to control and she was a little nervous because she was cooking using it for the first time.
Bai Zhi nodded vaguely and swallowed the thick fried egg in her mouth, then said, "It's delicious, very delicious. You guys, try it quickly."
The other three maids were shocked, as Bai Zhi had always been calm. They didn't expect that she would be so skilled at flattery and also drag the three of them into the water.
They picked up the plate, bit the fried thick egg, and were left speechless.
They were already hungry and had low expectations so they naturally found the thick fried egg delicious.
The taste was rich but not greasy and also fresh. It was more delicious than the porridge and side dishes that they were used to eating.
Jiang Shuyao tasted a piece herself and it tasted better than she hoped.
She ate two slices of eggs to pad her stomach and then went back to the stove. She adjusted the sauce with soy sauce and sugar, chopped green onions, and minced garlic. She then heated the oil in the pan, set it to high heat and put green onions in the pan.
With a crackling sound, a strong green onion fragrance filled the air. Compared with the mellow egg fragrance, the scent of green onion in oil was much stronger.
When the green onions were slightly charred, she poured the prepared sauce in, simmered it for about a minute and the green onion oil was finally ready.
Then she poured the green onion oil into the noodles that were drained of cold water, mixed it well, and the simple green onion noodles were ready.
The few people who just ate some egg already had their stomachs satisfied, but when they smelled the green onion noodles they got hungry again. The fragrance of green onion floating all over the room made them salivate uncontrollably.
As soon as the green onion noodles were ready, the four maids came forward with their bowls in hand even before Jiang Shuyao had called for them.
With their first bite came the strong scent of green onion oil. The sauce was fresh, complementing the richness of the green onion and the noodles were firm. The scent spread in their mouth with each bite.
They didn’t care about etiquette, sitting on a long table and gobbling down the delicious green onion noodles.
Jiang Shuyao saw the kitchen girl standing next to her, eagerly staring, so she gave her a bowl of noodles. She tried to refuse twice, but in the end, couldn't resist the temptation of the food. She took the bowl and started gobbling down the noodles.
The thick fried eggs and green onion noodles weren’t delicacies, but one was delicious and the other was heavy. The combination of these dishes was very suitable. Jiang Shuyao, who was forced to eat clear soup and vegetables for more than a month to lose weight, finally satisfied her cravings.
Footnotes:
[1] “A figure above the stars” is an idiom referring to someone greatly revered and viewed as a figure others revolve around.
[2] Losing face refers to being greatly embarrassed or humiliated.
[3] "Pig teammate" is a term used to describe a teammate who is as stupid as a pig. It is usually used in online games.
