Chapter 76 - 076 Dealing with the Shenanigans of the Wang Family
Chapter 76: Chapter 076: Dealing with the Shenanigans of the Wang Family
Chapter 76 -076: Dealing with the Shenanigans of the Wang Family
“But his friend said he could give me the heirloom jade pendant as a token.
He promised he wouldn’t run away and would come back once he got the chance,” Bai Ruozhu said, dabbing at the corner of her eyes.
“It’s just that his illness is very severe now.
I didn’t want to worry mom and dad, so I didn’t mention it earlier.”
Bai Yihong, and Lin Ping, who had hurried over, were both dumbfounded.
They hadn’t heard anything about this, but seeing Bai Ruozhu’s desolate face it seemed like she wasn’t lying.
Were they kept in the dark by their daughter all this time?
Was Mr.
Du really a friend of Chang Sheng?
The crowd began to reassure Bai Ruozhu, saying that Chang Sheng was an affluent and well-off man, and he would definitely return safely.
Bai Ruozhu chuckled inwardly.
Her acting must be pretty good, right?
Just as she was smug about her performance, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of her second brother’s sarcastically-tinged eyes.
The string in her heart twanged.
Ah, her second brother really wasn’t easy to deceive.
“What’s wrong with me today?
It’s wrong of me to dampen everyone’s spirits.
I’ll go back and cook, you all continue eating.
Don’t let me spoil the mood.” Bai Ruozhu shrugged off her desolation, putting on a show of strength and optimism that made everyone present secretly admire her.
Lin Ping placed the dish on the table and followed Bai Ruozhu back into the kitchen.
She asked in a low voice, “Ruozhu, did Chang Sheng really send a letter?”
Bai Ruozhu shook her head slightly, “Mom, we’ll talk about this later.”
Lin Ping’s heart sank again, watching her daughter’s face, she feared it was a lie.
What a heart-breaking false hope.
But she couldn’t blame her daughter.
Bai Yibo’s previous comment alluded not only to Chang Sheng running away and her daughter becoming a runaway bride, but also suggested that they had improperly betrothed their daughter to someone.
She knew her daughter, Bai Ruozhu would never tolerate this.
She sighed softly.
Her uncle and his wife really were insufferable.
Bai Ruozhu continued to stay busy in the kitchen, serving dish after dish, earning even more praises.
Only the last dish remained.
Bai Ruozhu wiped the thin layer of sweat on her forehead, hoping that once she finished up, she would go out and rest.
Of all the places, the kitchen was the hottest, and she was increasingly unable to bear the heat.
The last dish was the stewed pork trotters with soybeans, which she had been simmering on the stove from the very beginning.
The meat was now soft and bone-tender, melting in your mouth.
All that was left was to reduce the sauce, and garnish it with coriander.
Perhaps it was a habit of many years, Bai Ruozhu was always confident in her cooking abilities, but habitually tasted her dishes to ensure their quality.
After tasting this dish, she couldn’t help but furrow her eyebrows.
Damn, it’s too salty!
She wouldn’t make such a mistake.
In fact, she didn’t need to taste her food when she cooks, she knew how much soy sauce and salt to use.
There was no chance for her to add too much salt.
So, there was only one possibility, someone must have added salt to the dish.
As Bai Ruozhu glanced at the entrance of the kitchen, she narrowed her eyes at Mrs.
Wang, who was pretending to help.
It seemed like Mrs.
Wang must have added a handful of salt to the pork trotter dish while she was explaining the situation with Chang Sheng to her mother.
She almost laughed out loud.
Why didn’t Mrs.
Wang just dump a whole bottle of vinegar into the dish?
It seemed that Mrs.
Wang was pretty clever.
If the dish was too salty, the guests would only think that it was Bai Ruozhu who had slipped.
But if there were surplus vinegar, it would easily raise suspicions on her.
Bai Ruozhu gave Mrs.
Wang a quick glance.
As expected, Mrs.
Wang’s face showed disappointment when she noticed Bai Ruozhu’s changed expression after tasting the pork trotters.
She seemed to regret that her little sabotage didn’t work.
“Mom, could you help me throw away all the soup in the pot,” Bai Ruozhu said as she smiled.
The pot was too heavy for her to lift with her pregnant belly.
Lin Ping was taken aback, she looked at her daughter and asked, “Why throw it away?
Don’t we have to serve it on a platter?”
“I planned to make a soup with this dish, it’s not completely done yet,” said Bai Ruozhu with a smile.
She glanced at Mrs.
Wang.
Does she really think that her petty tricks can trip me up?
After taking a glance at the dish, Lin Ping’er figured out what might have happened after her daughter had tasted it, and her gaze deepened.
She picked up the pot and poured out all the soup, then put it back on the stove.
Bai Ruozhu ladled some boiling water from the side into the pot, stirring it and said, “Mother, pour it out once again.”
At this point, Lin Ping’er was completely certain.
She picked up the pot to pour out the soup.
When Mrs.
Wang pretended to lend a hand, Lin Ping’er swerved, bumping Mrs.
Wang aside, and said loudly, “It’s better if you don’t interfere, elder sister-in-law.
Your sleeves are too big.
If something accidentally falls into the pot, all the hard work will be wasted.”
Feeling guilty, Mrs.
Wang blushed and paled in quick succession and reluctantly stepped back.
The soup in the pot was diluted, but the meat still tasted salty because of the excess salt that had been stewed in.
Smugness filled Mrs.
Wang’s heart.
What much difference could it make?
Wouldn’t it still be salty?
However, Bai Ruozhu no longer paid attention to Mrs.
Wang.
She added a great amount of boiling water into the pot and had her mother stoke the fire.
Under Mrs.
Wang’s gaze, Bai Ruozhu suddenly started to pour an abundance of vinegar into the pot.
This time, Mrs.
Wang was truly dumbstruck.
Was Bai Ruozhu planning on completely ruining the dish?
In reality, Bai Ruozhu had just come up with an improvisation — she decided to use the method of making Hot and Sour Stomach Shreds Soup, replacing cow’s stomach with pork trotters.
Hot and Sour Soup uses a large amount of vinegar which can neutralize the saltiness.
Moreover, since the soup is normally strongly flavored, it could turn into a pleasant surprise for the diners.
Thankfully, the spiciness in Hot and Sour Stomach Shreds Soup doesn’t come from chili peppers, but from pepper powder.
Otherwise, Bai Ruozhu wouldn’t be able to make the soup without finding any chili peppers.
Luckily, there was pepper powder available in this era.
After adding the seasonings, she added some shredded vegetables to improve the colors.
After thickening the soup using starch, the soup was completed quickly.
“Mother, it’s finished.
Use a large bowl to serve it,” Bai Ruozhu said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Alright.” While Lin Ping’er hadn’t tasted this new soup, she fully trusted her daughter’s cooking skills.
She immediately divided the soup into two portions and carried them over to the two tables with trays.
When the guests saw this unusual last dish, they curiously asked about it.
Lin Ping’er smiled and said, “It’s something Ruozhu came up with.
I don’t even know what it’s called.”
At that moment, Bai Ruozhu walked out of the kitchen and smiled at the guests, “It’s Hot and Sour Pork Trotter Soup.
Big thanks to Aunt Wang for the inspiration.”
The guests all turned to look at Mrs.
Wang, confused.
What inspiration?
Did Mrs.
Wang teach Bai Ruozhu how to make the soup?
Startled, Mrs.
Wang replied stiffly, “I didn’t really help.
I’m just glad I didn’t cause any trouble.”
At this point, the guests began serving themselves and tasted the soup.
Ah, it had a novel flavor indeed — sour with a hint of spiciness, tickling their taste buds.
It was incredibly refreshing, and the guests immediately praised the soup.
They asked Bai Ruozhu how she made it and said that they would definitely teach their daughters-in-law how to make it when they go back home.
——
Lately, some dear readers have complained that the updates are too slow.
I’m in the process of moving, so dizzyingly busy.
Thank you all for your understanding.
I will definitely speed up the updates once I settle down in Mouka.
Furthermore, I recommend my friend Che Hanyi’s new series “Refuse to be a Cauldron: The Little Servant Girl Comes to Cultivate.” She is a novice, so everyone please support her.
We all had to start from scratch, just like our first day at work.
We were certainly hoping for encouragement and understanding then!
Description: Died from an unexpected confession of love, a rich and beautiful lady instantly turns into a poor and ugly little maid.
Along the way, she gets involved with demons and handsome men while possessing a strange treasure and successfully pursues both love and the cultivation of immortality…