Chapter 11: Hot and Sour Soup

Although Yan Qiushu was an outsider and didn’t understand the situation of this era, she understood what Shui Lu meant. 

Originally, she thought she wasn’t the official master of the Xiao family, so she rarely ordered anyone around. Recently, she had asked Shui Yu and Aunt Xu for help, treating them with food when she cooked a lot.

Unexpectedly, she found that they didn’t want to listen to her because of pride.

Yan Qiushu was speechless. She had never learned to manage her facial expressions, so a funny look appeared on her face.

Xiao Huaiting, who had just refused help out of habit, wiped his sweat with his sleeve. Seeing her expression, his sword-like eyebrows frowned. But he didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he commanded in a deep voice, “Everyone leave.”

He was the true master of the house. After his command, everyone left. Shui Lu finally had a chance to show courtesy but was rejected directly, making her pale. Noticing Xiao Huaiting’s expression, she approached him, saying, “Sixth Young Master, you’re sweating; you should wipe it off. My handkerchief is clean.”

Xiao Huaiting’s face turned colder as he looked at Shui Yu, “Take her away!”

Shui Lu felt her mind buzz, almost feeling dumbfounded.

“Yes!” Shui Yu shivered and acted without hesitation.

Shui Lu didn’t resist this time, her hands and feet limp as her vision went dark.

Yan Qiushu found the situation somewhat amusing, but when she saw this, she couldn’t laugh anymore. The young man had a strong presence, and when his face was cold, his eagle-like eyes were particularly intimidating. A murderous aura seemed to surround him, making her feel uneasy.

Yan Qiushu felt embarrassed because she had some shameful secrets. She worried Xiao Huaiting might have discovered something new. It was frustrating that her only life-saving skill was cooking, which the original owner didn’t know how to do. Although the original owner didn’t know many people, what if someone could find her?

Just when she was feeling nervous, the young man in front of her held out a small, hardcover notebook between his fingers. It had the title “Road Guide” written on it.

Yan Qiushu paused and then felt pure joy. Her eyes sparkled as she asked, “Is this mine?”

“Yeah,” Xiao Huaiting nodded. He hadn’t expected her to be so happy and felt a little guilty. He could’ve given it to her sooner, but he was cautious about confirming her identity. The Xiao family held military power, and too many people were watching them, so he had to be careful.

Yan Qiushu took the notebook and saw it was written in traditional Chinese characters, which she could read. It said that she came from Wucheng, and due to bandit attacks and family loss, she came to the capital to seek refuge with relatives.

In ancient times, there were no ID cards, but the government registered the population. Household registrations were checked every six months and thoroughly. If someone didn’t appear in the household registration, they needed a pass to show where they came from. Without a pass, they were considered an illegal resident.

Yan Qiushu had been expelled from her previous household registration and couldn’t get a pass, so she turned to Xiao Huaiting for help. She hadn’t expected to get an ID card after only two days at the mansion.

Yan Qiushu was deeply moved: “Thank you, General Xiao! I promise to be your cook for the rest of my life!”

Feeling more guilty, Xiao Huaiting looked away: “No need to thank me. You’ve done well these past two days. My mother has been eating more, so you deserve this. If you want to settle down, you can.”

“That’s enough,” Yan Qiushu replied. Having a pass was all she needed. Once she saved enough money to buy a house, she could settle down without troubling others.

Seeing the omelet on the table, Yan Qiushu asked, “General, have you eaten yet? If not, why not stay and have some?”

In modern times, it was common to invite guests to eat when they arrived at mealtime. When she returned to her rural hometown, she was used to this. But during this era, it was uncommon for a woman to invite a male guest to eat.

Yan Qiushu didn’t realize this, but Xiao Huaiting did. He saw her flushed cheeks and how she stared at him with anticipation.

His face turned red, and he coughed lightly, declining, “No, I still have official business to handle.”

Yan Qiushu enthusiastically invited him to sit: “No rush. Tonight we’re having egg burritos, and I’ll add some soup. After eating, you can go back to work.”

Since the Xiao family provided her meals, she wanted to repay them with cooking, smiling warmly. Xiao Huaiting felt a little greedy. After eating her food, he found other meals didn’t taste as good. But it wasn’t proper for a man and woman to be alone, so he was about to refuse again.

Yan Qiushu said, “Dongdong will be back soon. Please sit down. I’ll get busy.”

Thinking of Dongdong, Xiao Huaiting compromised, “Thank you.”

“No trouble,” Yan Qiushu smiled and went to the kitchen.

She first made egg burritos as the main dish. But soup was also necessary; otherwise, it would be too dry.

Xiao Huaiting was so kind, giving her the pass she needed before she had even worked long. She couldn’t be half-hearted, so she decided to make hot and sour soup. He seemed to have a big appetite.

Looking around the kitchen, she saw some black fungus, tofu, and other ingredients delivered that afternoon. She thought Xiao Huaiting might not accept very sour food but a slightly sour taste would be fine. So, she planned to make a hot and sour soup to be appetizing and filling.

Hot and sour soup is simple to make. She shredded fungus, tofu, and carrots. Then, she heated oil, quickly added peppercorns and green onions, and stir-fried until fragrant. She added water and waited for it to boil before removing the peppercorns. This way, people wouldn’t accidentally bite into them later.

She added water starch to thicken the soup. Then she added the finely chopped ingredients and stirred with a long spoon, making the soup rich and hearty. The finely chopped ingredients didn’t need to cook long.

When the time was just right, Dongdong returned, skipping into the yard, shouting, “Sister Shu! I delivered everything, and everyone loved it! They even gave you gifts!”

Seeing Xiao Huaiting, Dongdong’s eyes lit up as he ran over happily, “Uncle!”

Hearing the noise, Xiao Huaiting came out and lifted Dongdong up in a playful embrace. The uncle and nephew chatted warmly until Dongdong sniffed the air and asked, “What smells so good?”