Tled by Serena Love

Unedited

Chapter 40: Congee with Preserved Egg and Lean Meat

When Xie Xun returned from work, he saw a table in the courtyard where Jiang Shuyao often lay around to enjoy the wind as soon as he entered.

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He walked over and saw that the table was full of recipes written by Jiang Shuyao.

Her handwriting is a mess, it looked like it lacked arms and legs.

It seemed that the rumor that she was uneducated was true. It was not an exaggeration at all. Xie Xun shook his head helplessly and picked up one paper to slowly recognize her words.

At this time, Jiang Shuyao came out of the small kitchen with two bowls in her hands. She was followed by two little dots that were following her like a string of little tails.

"Third Uncle." Xie Zhao called loudly.

Xie Xun put down the paper, nodded to him, and rubbed his hair, "Why are you here?"

'Isn't this nonsense? Of course, it is for third aunt.'

Xie Zhao hesitated but did not answer.

He whispered in his heart: 'Sorry, third uncle, your position in my heart has been taken by third aunt.'

Jiang Shuyao put down the bowl in her hand and sighed, "They just finished today's homework, so they had a rare free time and came here."

'No wonder Duke Xie's mansion had the literary air everywhere. It turns out that everyone had been so strictly educated since childhood.'

Just now, Xie Zhao told her about it, and she was like an old grandma who felt bad when she saw her little grandson studying. She immediately rushed into the kitchen to make them a delicious meal.

Little kids, of course, would want desserts.

Jiang Shuyao originally wanted to make a piece of milk pudding, but because she had no toast, milk pudding without bread crumbs had no soul, so she switched her ideas.

She still followed the previous steps. She poured milk into a pot, added sugar and starch, and stirred it slowly until the milk thickened. Then she scraped the thick and dense milk slurry into a bowl and let it cool.

Then fried some soybeans, added sugar, and ground them into powder. Soybean flour is delicate and sweet. It would be delicious when used to make brown sugar glutinous rice cakes or rolls.

Jiang Shuyao dug a spoonful of glutinous custard, put it in the soybean powder, and rolled it. The thick surface of the custard was covered with beige soybean powder, and ready to enjoy. It looked simple to make, but the taste is not bad at all.

Xie Zhao watched eagerly, and quickly reached out when he saw it. Jiang Shuyao handed him a spoon, and he immediately put the custard in his mouth happily.

Soybean flour is refreshing and sweet. After Xie Zhao bit into it, the inside is soft, sticky, waxy, and full of milky flavor.

"Yeah~" Xie Zhao nodded, "The third aunt is really amazing. Next time I will ask the chef to make this for us." As he said, he stretched out his spoon and continued to dig the milk pudding.

Xie Yao watched from the side. His body was weak, he was extremely shy, and his words were few. If Jiang Shuyao didn't take the initiative to ask him, he would not come and ask for food.

It would be reasonable that sick and weak children should be more favored, but in fact, people are more likely to pay attention to the lively and sweet Xie Zhao. Even Xu-shi gave Xie Zhao more attention even though she felt sorry for Xie Yao.

Jiang Shuyao watched Xie Yao quietly standing aside. She pulled him to her side and asked, "Want to eat?"

Xie Yao blinked. He looked at his brother and the dessert made from milk and nodded gently.

"Then why don't you speak?"

Xie Yao's small face was thin, making his pair of black grape-like clear eyes appear a bit rounder and bigger. He looked at Jiang Shuyao suspiciously, not understanding what she meant.

Jiang Shuyao rubbed his head and handed him a spoon. He thanked her quietly and gently scooped up the custard.

"Learn to speak up next time, you understand?" she persuaded him gently.

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Before Xie Yao nodded, Xie Xun suddenly spoke, "Ah Yao is shy by nature. You don't have to force him to be as lively and cheerful as Ah Zhao."

Jiang Shuyao retorted after hearing these words, "I didn't force him to be lively. I just think others easily ignore him."

Xie Xun frowned, "He is the son of a big family, how can anyone ignore him? You worry too much."

"I don't mean to blame anyone. I just think it is not good to be too quiet." 'Especially when his brother is a sweet little sun.'

Jiang Shuyao sighed silently, "Forget it. I just talk casually. I don't know anything about parenting. I'm just afraid that others will ignore him because he doesn't talk much. After all, not everyone could guess what a child thinks."

Xie Xun sat down next to her and said again, "It shouldn't be." Xie Yao was the baby held in everyone's palm in the Xie family.

Jiang Shuyao observed the two brothers. Xie Yao paid attention to their conversation while still scooping the dessert, but Xie Zhao was careless and didn't care what they said. He ate by himself happily, and his cheeks were bulging like a hamster.

The characters of the brothers went completely to two extremes.

She suddenly felt a little puzzled, "I saw that although Ah Yao doesn't eat much and eats slowly, he still eat very well. He shouldn't be so thin."

Xie Xun was still thinking about the sentence that Jiang Shuyao mentioned casually, and replied, "He grew up eating medicine since he was a baby. Medicine is a three-point poison, so after drinking too much, it hurts his stomach. He doesn't love anything. He only has some appetite in front of you."

"Huh?" Jiang Shuyao opened her eyes slightly and took Xie Yao to her side. "Are you giving third aunt some face?"

She felt affirmed by her feeding habit, so she was naturally extremely happy.

Xie Yao has rarely been hugged so intimately. Xie Zhao would be the only one who people lift up every time. Xie Zhao was the only one that the old madam held in her arms and called 'good grandson.' Even though Xu-shi thought that he is weak and fragile, and always take good care of him, she rarely hug him.

Xie Yao's eyelashes trembled slightly. He nodded and whispered, "Third aunt cooks delicious food."

Jiang Shuyao's heart melted instantly, and couldn't help but touch his thin cheeks.

On the other side, Xie Zhao had scraped clean the bottom of his bowl, put the spoon down, and said, "Third aunts, the more I eat, the hungrier I get."

Jiang Shuyao was amused and told Bai Zhi, "Go and bring the porridge cooked in the kitchen."

Bai Zhi responded and led the maids to the kitchen to serve porridge.

Jiang Shuyao didn't want to go back to the main house for dinner. In the early summer, eating in the courtyard was much more leisurely than in the main house.

The maids put up a pot of rice porridge, four bowls, and dinner is as simple as that.

As a person who feels uncomfortable if she doesn't tinker with food for a day, Jiang Shuyao had already made a series of homemade pickles and sauce jars next to the small kitchen. Naturally, she would not forget about making preserved eggs and salted duck eggs.

Preserved eggs made by local methods are much easier to fail than common methods, and they are slightly thinner, but the advantages are simple materials and its lead-free.

Today, she took out a preserved egg and cracked its skin. Seeing that the duck egg had hardened, she cooked this pot of preserved egg lean meat porridge on a whim.

Xie Xun had never seen someone who put the pot of porridge directly on the table. He looked at the empty bowl in his hand and the steaming pot, and feeling a little confused.

Jiang Shuyao served the two small ones with porridge and filled another bowl for herself then then started to eat.

Xie Xun was ignored. He waved his hand to the maid who was about to serve him porridge and silently dragged his sleeves to fill his bowl.

The porridge is more fragrant and soft than ordinary porridge. The rice was crystal clear and soft. The porridge's surface is sprinkled with green onion, the lean meat is mixed in the rice, but the black-green preserved egg looked particularly conspicuous.

Xie Xun saw preserved eggs for the first time and asked, "What is this?"

Jiang Shuyao explained to him how to make preserved eggs. Xie Xie was a little surprised after hearing her, and was very curious about the taste.

He bit into a spoonful of preserved egg and lean meat porridge. The rice was extremely soft and waxy. It seemed to be melted inside the pot. The lean meat was delicious and a bit chewy, without any smell of ginger and green onion.

The singular mellow aroma of preserved eggs gave the porridge a light and heavy taste, and the rice also had a smooth and delicious flavor, which was a bit more mellow and long-lasting flavor than ordinary meat porridge.

Not everyone could accept the taste of preserved eggs, but preserved eggs cooked in lean meat porridge are different. Rice porridge diluted the irritating and astringent taste of preserved eggs, leaving only the eggy flavor of duck eggs.

The white part of the eggs was springy and fragrant, and the center was soft and mellow. It was very suitable with the light and sweet white rice porridge.

He praised, "This is the first time I have tasted this kind of porridge. It's hard to tell the taste. The mellow egg fragrance left by this preserved egg is really great."

Uncle and two nephew have similar tastes, Xie Xun liked it, and the two little guys didn't hate it.

Xie Yao drank the porridge quietly on the side. The porridge was cooked until it was soft and melted in the mouth. You don't need to chew, and only leaving the fragrant lean meat and the preserved eggs flavor. One bite, the mellow aroma is spread all over your mouth. 

He had a comfortable smile on his face, and he ate slowly.

Xie Zhao was different. He didn't seem to have anything bad in his heart. He drank the porridge while it was hot, and felt that even the green onions were fresh and sweet.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Shuyao quickly stopped him, "Don't be too impatient. Eating something too hot is not good for your body."

Xie Zhao looked at Jiang Shuyao grievously and slowed down obediently.

After Xie Zhao finished eating two bowls, Xie Yao only finished eating half a bowl.

There was a lot of porridge in the pot, more than enough for four people. After everyone was filled, there was still a half pot.

The preserved egg and lean meat porridge nourished the heart and the stomach. After they drank a bowl, their stomach felt warm and comfortable. With the fresh air in the courtyard and looking at the setting sun, it was really pleasant.

Xie Zhao stood on his tiptoe and looked at the pot, then he acted like a baby to Jiang Shuyao, "Third aunt, can I take this half pot of porridge back?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shuyao refused, "Children should eat less preserved eggs."

Xie Zhao pouted.

Jiang Shuyao continued, "Next time I will make shrimp porridge or fish porridge for you. It is easier to drink."

Xie Xun was about to tease Xie Zhao but he quickly glanced at Xie Yao. He remembered what Jiang Shuyao had just said, and pay attention on him.

Xie Yao ate a whole small bowl of porridge today. Usually people had to persuade him to eat just a small bowl.

Xie Xun said with concern, "Ah Yao, can you eat more?"

Xie Yao was still listening to his brother's asking Jiang Shuyao for the next time she is cooking, but he didn't expect Xie Xun to speak to him. He only shook his head.

But then he remembered that Jiang Shuyao persuaded him to speak more and said, "I don't want it, I'm full."

Xie Xun nodded and was surprised. It turned out that Ah Yao didn't have a very small appetite. Most of the time, probably he didn't get the meal he liked.

Jiang Shuyao and Xie Zhao just made an appointment to eat porridge next time. Hearing Xie Yao's answer, she smiled and said, "That's not bad, you actually ate a small bowl. As long as we continue to stick to this amount, you will grow meat soon."

Jiang Shuyao wiped the corners of his mouth, "Children should have a little meat."

Xie Zhao asked sweetly, "Is third aunt complimenting me?"

Jiang Shuyao laughed and poked his forehead, "Yes, yes."

Xie Yao watched this scene, somehow infected with their joy. He smiled shyly with the corners of his mouth raised and his eyes were sparkling.

Xie Xun shifted his gaze from Xie Yao to Jiang Shuyao's face.

'Perhaps for Ah Yao, it's not just because the food is nice, but more because the cook is agreeable?'

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