Chapter 157: When a Foodie Meets a Kindred Spirit
Bai Ruozhu began to envy Madam Xie. Despite the difference in their ages, she could see that Mr. Xie doted on his wife. Bai Ruozhu herself preferred mature men. But in her former life, she was too busy making money to have an epic romance, and in this life, she got pregnant without any chance for love, to say nothing about doing so in ancient times.
"Elder members of my family passed away one after another so I observed three terms of mourning; hence, I didn’t marry until I was twenty-nine. I feel guilty for marrying such a beautiful woman like my wife when I’m an old scholar," Mr. Xie said, seeming unbothered by it.
Bai Zepei added, "Mr. Xie couldn’t take the Imperial Examination due to the mourning period. Otherwise, he’d have passed it long ago and getting an official post would have been no trouble."
Mr. Xie waived away this mention and said, "I am comfortable and free as I am now, but if I wish to take the exam again in the future, perhaps we might both be in the exam place tomorrow."
After talking, Mr. Xie laughed in self-mockery. It was unusual for him to take the examination alongside his own students.
In Danliang Country, filial piety was promoted. When a close relative dies, one must observe a three-year period of mourning during which marriage and entrance to the Imperial Examination were prohibited. In some places, one had to eat vegetarian food and wear linen clothing for three years.
Mr. Xie performed mourning rituals three times, taking up nine years. That was really bad luck. Observing his physique and appearance, it seems he had been on a vegetarian diet for nine years until he married the young Mrs. Xie after the mourning period. When he was twenty-nine, Mrs. Xie was probably only about eighteen; he was a decade older than her.
But when Mrs. Xie looked at Mr. Xie, her eyes were full of tenderness. "You’re being too modest again. You’re not old, but mature."
Mr. Xie immediately blushed. Perhaps he was naturally pale-skinned, coupled with his somewhat malnourished pallor, so whenever his face reddened, it was very noticeable.
Bai Ruozhu found Mrs. Xie quite interesting. She seemed exquisitely ladylike but spoke straightforwardly, with no pretenses.
However, she didn’t spend too much time chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Xie as her main duty was in the kitchen. She excused herself and left.
Unexpectedly, after she had been busy for a while, Mrs. Xie suddenly walked in from outside and rolled up her sleeves, saying, "Ruozhu, may I give you a hand?"
Bai Ruozhu was startled. How could she possibly let a guest lend a hand in the kitchen? Furthermore, the kitchen was filled with smoke and grease, which could dirty Mrs. Xie’s clothes.
"I’m probably just a few years older than you. Don’t be so formal with me. My maiden name is Yu Hongxiu. You can call me Sister Hongxiu, all right?" Mrs. Xie, noticing Bai Ruozhu’s nervousness, took her by the hand, laughing as she proposed this.
She spoke with the accent of Jiangnan, having a somewhat soft Wu dialect flavor, which made it sound like she was coquettishly flirting with Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu thought if she were a man, she would give in without resisting. Why wouldn’t she consent, especially given that Mrs. Xie had such a good disposition?
"Okay, then I’ll call you Sister Hongxiu. But you’re our guest, so you really can’t lift a finger. Otherwise, my second brother will be upset with me." Bai Ruozhu quickly used her second brother as a shield.
Yu Hongxiu laughed, "Don’t worry, if he dares to be upset with you, I’ll have my husband take care of him!"
Bai Ruozhu also started to laugh. No matter the era, it always helped to have high-level connections. Now, she wanted to see if her second brother would still dare to flick her on the forehead.
However, Bai Ruozhu adamantly refused to let Yu Hongxiu help out; after a while, she yielded and said, "Why don’t you keep me company and chat instead?"
Yu Hongxiu reluctantly agreed and laughed, "Actually, I can only make a few simple snacks. If I were to help, I could only aid in minor tasks."
Bai Ruozhu knew that people from Jiangnan liked dim sums. She became curious and questioned, "Sister Hongxiu, you’re from Jiangnan, right? What do you like to eat there? What kind of dim sums do you prefer?"
"Yes, I’m from Jiangnan. I prefer lighter dishes and have a sweet tooth. There are many dim sum dishes that I love," Yu Hongxiu replied with a laugh.
Bai Ruozhu thought that she had planned the meal correctly for the day. She pointed towards a pile of crabs and said, "We have crabs today. Are you a fan? I’ve also stewed some rock sugar pears, and I’ve made a northern dessert called ’Jinxianyou Tower’."
Yu Hongxiu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the crabs. "That’s great! It has been so long since I’ve eaten crabs. Not many people eat them here. I didn’t expect you to be able to cook them."
Bai Ruozhu wondered inwardly. Isn’t steaming them simple? It hardly required any skills, did it?
"I only learned about it from a merchant who sold it. Apparently, the crab roe is particularly delightful," Bai Ruozhu said, her tongue flicking subconsciously. Heaven knew how long she had been craving for it. Alas, it was a pity indeed.
"Yes, it is very delicious but remember not to eat it while breastfeeding. There is a saying in our hometown that doing so might make the infant ill," Yu Hongxiu reminded her kindly.
Bai Ruozhu nodded repeatedly, "I’ve heard about that. Thank you, Sister Hongxiu."
The two chatted amicably. Bai Ruozhu found Yu Hongxiu to be a very genuine person. It was understandable why Mr. Xie would adore her so much. With such a young, beautiful, kind, and adorable wife, any man would fall in love, wouldn’t he?
While Bai Ruozhu was cooking, Yu Hongxiu occasionally handed her the ingredients. It didn’t take long for Yu Hongxiu to compliment Bai Ruozhu’s culinary skills, commenting on how fragrant the food smelled. Bai Ruozhu pointed to a plate of cold dishes nearby. "Would you like a taste of this?"
"I’ll wait until it’s served at the table. Sneaking a bite would be so embarrassing," Yu Hongxiu said, though her eyes kept darting towards the dish. The gelatin dish that Bai Ruozhu had created emitted a clear and refreshing color. Each piece was cut into diamond shapes and arranged in the shape of a flower, adorned with three or five chrysanthemums and parsley leaves. The colorful array of food on the plate looked particularly vibrant.
Yu Hongxiu, even though she didn’t consider herself a foodie, was nonetheless very curious and wanted to give it a try.
"We have worked hard in the kitchen; we ought to be rewarded with a taste!" said Bai Ruozhu confidently, eliciting laughter from Yu Hongxiu. Before she could stop laughing, Bai Ruozhu had already picked up a clean piece of chopsticks and served a piece to Yu Hongxiu.
Each piece was just the right size to be eaten in one bite, and wouldn’t have made anyone look awkward for not being able to finish it. Yu Hongxiu chewed the food slowly and gave Bai Ruozhu a thumbs-up, not even bothering to wipe the corners of her mouth.
"Ruozhu, it tastes fantastic. It’s flavorful yet not greasy, with a rich meaty smell that’s still refreshing. The gelatin skin has a chewy texture that isn’t difficult to chew at all. How did you make this dish?" inquired Yu Hongxiu, with a face full of pleasant surprise.
Bai Ruozhu, being a foodie herself, was delighted when she discovered that Yu Hongxiu was one too. Most of the time, others would say something tasted good, but they could rarely say precisely what they liked about it.
Therefore, Bai Ruozhu felt a sense of kinship with her and enthusiastically explained the method of making the gelatin dish to her. Yu Hongxiu paid serious attention, nodding frequently. However, she suddenly remarked, "Oh no, the plate now looks incomplete with one piece missing!" to which she blushed deeply. After all, she was the one who had "stolen" it.