Tled by Serena Love

Edited by and Mia

Chapter 2: Thick Fried Egg and Green Onion Noodles

Before the wedding, Jiang Shuyao had learned about the state of Duke Xie's mansion, but Xie Xun told her again on the way to the main hall.

Xie Xun was the third son in the family. Both of his two 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.

The two stepped into the hall and 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. No matter whether in character or 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.

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 and the subsequent greetings were 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 and the older ones were around Jiang Shuyao’s age. When they called her "Third Aunt" with blushing faces, she had the feeling as if she was taking advantage of her peers when she went home for the New Year.

She pursed her lips and smiled. Her smile made 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's mansion and had been a figure above the stars since she was a child[1]. Her three elder brothers, each one 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 that she had to call Jiang Shuyao "Third Sister-in-law," 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 Shuayo 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 test by the elders, she couldn’t with this little young miss.

She smiled sweetly, deliberately turned a blind eye to her provocation and softly said, "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 have 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. When 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, especially causing trouble today.

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 win 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 Shuyao didn't think of approaching her mother-in-law to be ridiculed. Seeing that Xie Xun was leaving, she quickly followed 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 waiting for a while, Xie Xun noticed that Jiang Shuyao had followed him the whole way and he felt 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 realized that he was reporting to his wife, making him feel uncomfortable.

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 was still thinking about saying something to cover up his embarrassment. Hearing Jiang Shuyao, he felt that she was mocking him for thinking too much just now.

He looked down at Jiang Shuyao who was so much shorter than him.

Jiang Shuyao blinked her eyes innocently and stretched out her hand to make a "please" gesture.

Xie Xun choked and gritted his teeth secretly.

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!" 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 didn't have breakfast. Now, she was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back.

People in the main kitchen saw Jiang Shuyao coming in and they 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 young madam, you are..." A nanny asked her when she saw her looking east and west.

"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 was not used to being followed so she said, "You can go ahead and get your work done. I'll just get something."

Yesterday, Xie Xun slept in the study room and everyone in the mansion knew that. They couldn't help but look down on the third young 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.

When 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 maids who worked in the kitchen.

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 scallion, 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 best, 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, 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 scallions in the pan.

With a crackling sound, a strong scallion fragrance filled the air. Compared with the mellow egg fragrance, the scent of scallion in oil was much stronger.

When the scallions were slightly charred, she poured the prepared sauce in, simmered it for about a minute and the scallion oil was finally ready.

Then she poured the scallion oil into the noodles that were drained of cold water, mixed it well, and the simple green onion noodles were ready.

The few people just ate some egg and their stomachs were satisfied but then they smelled the scallion oil and they got hungry again. The fragrance of scallion floating all over the room made them salivate uncontrollably.

As soon as the scallion noodles were ready, before Jiang Shuyao called for them, the four maids came forward with their bowls in hand.

With their first bite came the strong scent of scallion oil. The sauce was fresh, complementing the richness of the scallion 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 scallion 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 scallion 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.

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