Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 24 (Part 2)
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure and unsaltedfish
Chapter 24 (2): Egg Tarts
Jiang Shuyao remained in her courtyard every day, occasionally preparing snacks when she had free moments, and basking in the sun whenever she felt lazy..
Recently, Xu-shi had been keeping a tight rein on her two little nephews, so they could only sneak into her courtyard from time to time. With Xu-shi in charge of the household affairs, she surely knew about it but she chose to turn a blind eye.
Jiang Shuyao was extremely delighted whenever she saw the two children. When they came today, she rushed to the kitchen to make egg tarts for them.
It took some time to make the pie crust, so it was already dusk by the time the tart came out.
The whole yard filled with the sweet milk aroma of the pastry, and Xie Zhao greedily wandered in front of the bread kiln. When the tart was baked, and Jiang Shuyao took it out, he could not wait to open his mouth and eat it immediately.
The freshly baked egg tarts were scorching hot, causing the crust to inflate. The egg custard in the inner layer was solidified, soft and yellowish, and a few bubbles were roasted to a brownish-yellow color.
The egg tart looked absolutely irresistible. Xie Zhao couldn’t help gushing, “Third Aunt, you’re amazing! It smells so good! Can I have a piece?”
In ancient times, there was no tin foil, and extracting aluminum was difficult, so Jiang Shuyao chose to use kraft paper instead. The oven’s temperature had to be kept slightly lower so as not to burn the paper, and to mend that, she baked it a bit longer.
Jiang Shuyao took a bite first, and the final result still fell short. The crust wasn’t as crisp, and the filling wasn’t tender enough.
Xie Zhao watched her eat with wide, eager eyes, his mouth watering as if he might drool at any moment. Afraid she wouldn’t let him try it, he tugged at her skirt and whined, “Third Aunt, Third Aunt, please let me have just one bite! Just one bite!”
Seeing him like that, Jiang Shuyao couldn’t help but smile. “It was made for you all in the first place.”
She put the baking tray on the table, picked up a piece of egg tart, and handed it to Xie Zhao. "Be careful, it's still hot."
Xie Zhao couldn't wait to take it. Jiang Shuyao gave Xie Yao another piece, and Xie Yao thanked her quietly before taking it.
Xie Zhao had watched Jiang Shuyao make the egg tarts the entire time, so he naturally felt that after all the effort and the new baking method, these tarts must be extraordinary. He ate them with the utmost care.
He first took a small bite and bit off the outer layer of the puff pastry layer on top. It was so crisp that it broke with the touch of his teeth. It had a hint of sweetness and a light and sweet oily aroma when he chewed.
The puff pastry was so delicious that Xie Zhao squinted happily and took another bite.
This time, he bit into the inside. The freshly baked egg tart's filling was very hot, but the inside tasted softer and sweeter because of the temperature. The rich and mellow milk flavor melted in his mouth. The tart was moist and soft, sweet but not greasy.
Xie Zhao sipped the remaining egg tarts. The fragrance filled his lips and teeth, and the mellow, tender taste of the filling remained on the tip of his tongue.
After he finished eating, Xie Yao only ate half of his tart, and he seemed to be reluctant to finish it. He just wanted to eat slowly.
Xie Zhao smirked at Jiang Shuyao. His clever big eyes kept blinking. "Third aunt, hehehe, please give me one more."
Jiang Shuyao tapped his nose. “You were so sweet-talking me just now, have you run out of compliments already?”
Xie Zhao shook his head. “Of course not! Third Aunt, you’re the best…um…you’re beautiful, have a pretty voice, and your cooking skills are amazing too.”
Jiang Shuyao snorted, but took a piece and handed it to him.
Xie Zhao hurriedly continued flattering. "You are good to us and amiable to the servants. It's a great blessing for the third uncle to marry you."
Jiang Shuyao gave him another piece, and just put it in his hands. The usually quiet and well-behaved Xie Yao suddenly opened his mouth and whispered, "Third aunt has a beautiful heart and moon-like face."
Xie Zhao was shocked, and Jiang Shuyao was also stunned.
Xie Yao stretched out his hands to make a cup shape, pursed his mouth, and looked at Jiang Shuyao, as if saying: Where's mine?
Jiang Shuyao was about to melt because of these baby nephews. She rubbed Xie Yao's head and handed him the egg tart.
Feeling the need to one-up himself, Xie Zhao protested with indignation, “Third Aunt, you’re naturally stunning! She’s a beauty who could topple kingdoms!”
Xie Yao nibbled on the egg tart, while continuing, "She is the hibiscus in the distant mountains, making swallows jealous and orioles ashamed."
...
When Xie Xun stepped into the courtyard, he heard the childish voice inside. Listening more closely, he realized that there was something unusual about what was being said.
He walked toward Jiang Shuyao’s yard and saw her on the rocking chair beneath the tree, smiling like a blooming flower, while her two nephews practically spilled compliments without restraint, every word praising her looks.
Especially Xie Zhao, tugging at her sleeve as if he couldn’t wait to wrap his little arms around her, acting extremely affectionate.
The scene was offensively conspicuous.
Xie Xun walked over and interrupted them. "Xie Zhao, what are you doing?"
Xie Zhao was startled, but when he saw the candied hawthorn skewers in Xie Xun's hand, he obediently called out "Third uncle" sweetly.
"Well, didn't you learn the gentleman's style on weekdays? What about the rules and etiquette, was it all forgotten?" Xie Xun scolded with a sharp glance.
Xie Zhao was still a little scared of him, so he shrank his head slightly, afraid to look at him.
Jiang Shuyao was the only person in this yard who was not afraid of Xie Xun, but she still couldn’t understand Xie Xun's strict and indifferent appearance to children. She still half-leaned on the rocking chair without proper posture, and said, "What was that for?"
Xie Xun looked at her, "You too..."
"What am I?" Jiang Shuyao thought Xie Xun was reprimanding her by reprimanding her little nephew. She was irritated by him blaming her without any yin and yang, so she relentlessly retorted. "I have no rules?"
Xie Xun was stunned, but it was a pity that it was not visible on his face. From the outside, it was still the usual coffin face.
Jiang Shuyao took a look at his face and thought that she was right. She snorted in her heart, and then said to Xie Zhao, "Look at your third uncle, he was jealous."
Boom!
There was a loud noise in Xie Xun's mind, and his heart was turbulent. What did she say? Was he jealous? How can he be jealous? Whose vinegar was he eating? Why did she know that he was jealous? No, he was not jealous!
His heart had ups and downs, and he almost couldn't hold the candied hawthorn skewers, but Jiang Shuyao slowly continued, "You only praise me, but not your third uncle, he is not happy. Come here, tell me how good your third uncle is?"
Xie Zhao was very responsive. He believed everything Jiang Shuyao said, and immediately answered, "I know I know! The third uncle is beautiful; he will make the moon hide and the flowers ashamed, a peerless beauty who is all over the country!"
Xie Xun was stunned.
Before his mind could turn, he heard the little nephew, Xie Yao, who was always quiet and well-mannered since he was a child, it was rare to hear his usual voice, which was like mosquitoes and flies, and he said carefully but fairly smoothly, "Third uncle has a beautiful face and a beautiful appearance. National grace and divine fragrance." This sentence was a bit long. He almost didn't breathe for the second half.
Jiang Shuyao was also dumbfounded. She really didn't expect these two little guys to answer like this. When she reacted, she almost rolled from the rocking chair to the ground with laughter.
She trembled with laughter, Xie Xun's complexion gradually turned red, and he was embarrassed by her smile. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jiang Shuyao."
Jiang Shuyao reluctantly stopped her, laughed, and looked up and down at Xie Xun, "Although you are not wrong by saying that..."
Xie Xun: ???
"...But you can't praise men like that. You have to say that your third uncle's style and appearance is handsome, and his grace is unparalleled."
Xie Xun has no idea how to react. He was neither ashamed nor annoyed. The roots of his ears were getting redder and redder, but he didn't know if Jiang Shuyao was angry.
Xie Zhao didn't have eyes to see it. He stared at the candied hawthorn in Xie Xun's hand and asked, "Third uncle, did you buy this for us?"
Xie Yao looked up at him curiously when he heard the words.
Of course not! Before Xie Xun returned home, he had no idea they would come to his courtyard.
He glanced at Jiang Shuyao and saw that she didn't respond. He handed the candied hawthorn to Xie Zhao and Xie Yao, pretending to be reluctant.
Xie Zhao hadn't eaten food that was sold outside, so he happily took it and thanked Xie Xun.
Jiang Shuyao looked at the hawthorn's full and bright color and lamented, "I haven't eaten candied hawthorn in a long time."
Xie Zhao heard this and handed it to Jiang Shuyao, "Third aunt wants it?"
Jiang Shuyao was not polite. She bit the top one and chewed it crunchily.
Xie Xun looked at their affectionate and undisturbed appearance. Suddenly a sour bubble popped in his heart. It was bursting and overflowing with grievances.
He turned and walked back to the study, but the excitement in the courtyard continued.
After arriving at the study, Xie Xun took out the stack of books he had just bought and read them one by one.
The beginning of the chapter was when the scholar and the beautiful woman fall in love at first sight. The two hearts were delighted with each other, how they loved each other, but why they loved each other was unclear.
He flipped through all the textbooks in boredom, but in the end, he couldn't find the answer. He really wanted to catch those scholars who wrote these kinds of books and force them to rewrite it.
He walked to the copper basin to wash his hands. Gazing at his reflection on the water’s surface, a faint spark of inspiration stirred within him.
A talented scholar falls for a beauty because of her exquisite looks….but what about Jiang Shuyao?
He bent down and looked at his reflection in the water carefully.
He hadn’t paid much attention to his appearance. When the imperial exam winners crossed the long street, the sachets and flowers thrown at him were overwhelming. No one seemed to throw flowers at the first place winner. At the time, he was just irritated. So why did they throw everything at him? Now when he thought about it, could it be because he looked better than the first place winner?
Xie Xun, who had no clear knowledge of his own beauty, fell into confusion. He even forgot about dinner. Jiang Shuyao heard that the door of his study room was closed, she thought that he was angry and ignored him.
By the time Xie Xun realized it was past mealtime, Jiang Shuyao had already finished her dinner.
He only then realized how hungry he was and hurriedly sent someone to the main kitchen to see if any leftovers remained. In the end, the servant returned with just a bowl of meat soup and a small plate of side dishes.
This was obviously not enough, so Zhi Mo asked, "Master, do you want to order the main kitchen to do something more?"
Xie Xun waved his hand. “No need.” He planned to just have some pastries to tide him over.
But eating pastries at night was never enough, and before long, he was hungry again.
Stepping out of his study, about to send someone to the main kitchen to ask the cook to make something, he suddenly caught a strong, savory aroma.
Following the scent, Xie Xun arrived at the small kitchen and found it empty. Only a pot simmered quietly on the stove.He felt a pang of disappointment, the rich, appetizing smell made his stomach growl twice. Too hungry to wait for the servants to fetch food from the main kitchen, he hurried off toward the main kitchen himself.
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