Бездействующие цветы и тени

Глава 22

"How did your brother get scolded because of Sister Biluo's matter?" This really doesn't make sense.

“How could brother let someone like that marry Sister Biluo? They grew up together! Brother went to Mother to plead for her and not let her marry him. Mother was already furious with Third Aunt, and brother just walked right into the line of fire. He deserves to be scolded~” Yongjiao stuck out her tongue at her and smiled charmingly.

"Rabbit, why aren't you in a hurry? Don't you like Sister Biluo?" According to Yongjiao's usual temper, she would have jumped up and started yelling by now, but today she was actually in the mood to chuckle, which was very strange.

"What's the rush? Mother isn't someone to be trifled with. I heard from the maids that Sister Biluo has already been chosen to be Brother's concubine. With Grandma keeping things in check, what's there to be afraid of? Only Brother rushed off to tell Mother in such a hurry." Yongjiao chuckled. "He deserves to be scolded. I've never seen him this anxious when it came to my affairs before. You don't know how flustered he was when he heard the news; he lost his mind."

“By analogy with Jia Baoyu, if Hua Xiren were to be kidnapped, would he still have any brains left…” He Su Chen murmured.

"What did you say, Guazi?" Yongjiao asked, not having heard clearly.

"No, nothing. Little Rabbit, why do you think Third Aunt always does these annoying things?" Liu Shi's position in the Third Branch is really peculiar. Almost all the servants in the mansion have no good words for her. Even the maids in the Third Branch who are not part of the dowry cry and shout to be transferred every year when it's time to change shifts. But no matter how outrageous she is, Tang's mother won't care much.

Yongjiao said disdainfully, "Auntie has always been like this. She thinks she's so great. And it seems that her family and our family have conflicts. When I overheard Father and Mother talking, I heard about taking sides, fighting, war, and talking about the Crown Prince and Empress. I guess she's not on our side. I don't know how she married into the family, but she's definitely not a good person."

Han said, "Where did you hear such things? Little Rabbit, don't spread them!" It was unbelievable that a little girl would hear such topics as political struggles.

According to He Su Shi, the current Empress has a three-year-old son, while the Crown Prince is the son of Consort Ye. After the Empress gave birth, her faction consolidated its power, wanting to install the three-year-old as heir. However, many court officials objected, arguing that primogeniture has always been the way of the eldest son, and that the Crown Prince, with his impeccable character, was the only suitable candidate for the succession. Because Emperor Huizong remained silent, the Empress's faction held onto their hopes, and the two factions were currently locked in a fierce struggle.

The He family happened to be on the Crown Prince's side, and Liu's father was the younger brother of Liu Guozhang and the Empress's uncle.

Chapter Thirty-Four, Desserts

The "Propagandist" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! "Lots of people know about this, what's all this talk?" Yongjiao blinked and said, "Even the servants sometimes talk about this kind of thing, why are we afraid?"

...What kind of world is this...can people really discuss politics so freely? It's a strange feeling.

Yongjiao wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose with a handkerchief and said, "Guazi, what good food do you think there is now? I always want to eat something, but I'm getting tired of the food in the manor."

"Didn't you just have a bowl of chilled plum juice? You want to eat something again?" Su Chen said with a smile.

Speaking of food, it reminded her of the desserts she used to love. Those things were simple to make and tasted great. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Does Little Rabbit like snacks?"

"Of course I like it!!! Guazi, aren't you just saying useless things?!" Yongjiao's eyes lit up.

"How about we cook something ourselves?" she asked excitedly. It was her first time showing off her culinary skills in ancient times. Although her skills were terrible, she thought she might be able to come up with something new.

"Make it ourselves? But the kitchen is all dirty, and Granny will definitely scold us if she finds out." Yongjiao was somewhat tempted, but still cautious.

“We’re not doing it ourselves, we’re just having someone else do it for us. We can just talk about it and treat it as a game, okay?” She subtly coaxed Yongjiao, and sure enough, she couldn’t resist and nodded repeatedly. “What are we going to make? Snacks? It’s so hot now, how about we make something cool and sour to eat? How about we make plum juice? I’ve been craving it, but Granny always says it’s bad and I can’t eat too much of it.”

Plum juice...didn't you just drink a bowl of it...?

He Su pondered for a moment, what can one eat in the summer?

Guilinggao (turtle jelly)? No way! I'm not from Wuzhou, I don't know how to make it... (Such a weak excuse...)

Fruit smoothie? No, that's too difficult, and if Grandma finds out I'm eating something so cold, she'll nag me for ages.

Jelly? Absolutely not. I used to just boil ready-made boxed powder and call it a day. I know there's something called jelly seeds that can be used to make jelly, but that's incredibly difficult, and I don't even know if I could find the ingredients.

Chilled wine juice? That's a good thing. My aunt's wine is sweet and sour with a low alcohol content, and even an elderly person can drink five or six glasses.

Hmm, it seems like you peel the grapes, put them in a glass jar, layering grapes and rock sugar, adding as much sugar as you like, then seal it and leave it in a cool, dark place for a month.

Thinking about the taste of wine, she became very excited. "Little Rabbit, shall we make wine and drink it?"

"Wine? Are you out of your mind?" Yongjiao looked her up and down. "How could the nanny possibly let us drink that? Besides, why would we need to brew it? Doesn't the manor have some?"

"No, it's different from the wine in the manor. It's a wine like grape juice, and it's very delicious!"

"No!" Yongjiao decisively voted against it. "Where are we going to get grapes now? Besides, making wine will take at least a few months, right?"

She thought, "Not several months, just one month will do..." But the fact that she couldn't get grapes was indeed a problem.

She thought for a long time, then seemed to have grasped something, "Rabbit, do you like milk?"

Yongjiao smiled and said she liked it.

"How about we make double-skin milk pudding?" It's a simple, convenient, and delicious dessert that's sure to be easy for people to accept and like.

"Double-skin milk? What's that? I've never heard of it before," Yongjiao asked, puzzled.

You wouldn't know about something from the Qing Dynasty... unless you're wearing it too. She patiently explained, "It's something made from milk and eggs, steamed over water, and it tastes pretty good."

"I like milk and eggs!" Yongjiao's eyes lit up even more. "Let's make that!" She then asked, somewhat puzzled, "Where did you hear about sunflower seeds? I've never heard of them before."

“My brother told me this before. He said that Dad ate it outside and thought it was delicious, so he told him about it.” He Su Chen smiled sweetly.

Believe it, believe it; doubting it won't help. Where are you going to find out about the formula He Ziyuan got? This guy went to the West and served as a cultural scout; it would be strange if you followed him all the way to the West or to foreign lands to inquire if this thing even existed.

Yongjiao, now without further doubt, urged them to make double-skin milk pudding. He Suchen rang the bell to let Dongkui in to help.

Several young maids carried a small stove to the courtyard, along with a small milk pot, bowls, chopsticks, plates, and spoons. Someone had already gone to the kitchen to fetch milk and eggs. Three or four young maids, along with Dongkui, stood there waiting for instructions with an air of authority.

"How embarrassing! I could finish this in ten minutes by myself back then. Are you going to make ten big bowls with so many of you?" He Su Chen had no choice but to send the little girl away, leaving only Dong Kui behind.

"Yes, pour the milk into a bowl and heat it in a double boiler first."

"Separate the egg whites and yolks, just take the egg whites. Add rock sugar to the egg whites and stir." Seeing that Dongkui hesitated, she added, "Stir vigorously, the more evenly the better."

Because the milk was raw, it could only be taken off when it reached the right temperature. Then, the skin on the milk was carefully peeled off, and the milk in the bowl was mixed again with the egg white and sugar. The milk skin was then put back on and steamed for five minutes.

Mission accomplished!

Yongjiao had been watching for a while, and when she finally saw the creamy, pure white, and delicate milk product, she couldn't wait any longer and wanted to eat it immediately. He Suchen half-grabbed and half-stopped her, barely managing to stop her, "This stuff tastes best chilled in the summer, can you wait a bit?"

Yongjiao licked her lips, still refusing to give up, "Just a little bit, just a little bit, okay?"