Chapter 36: The Sizzling Sound of Grilled Meat!

“Mu Si greets his mother, mother-in-law, Madam Liu, Madam Song, and Madam Wen.” It was Mu Si who first noticed them, and upon hearing his greeting, everyone hurried to return the gesture.

“Grandmother, Honorary Grandmother, Aunt, Madam Wen, Shu Er greets you.” Mu Rong Shu was in the middle of grilling lamb skewers and couldn’t free her hands, so she gave a half-hearted greeting that made everyone laugh out loud.

“You little rascal, just focus on grilling your skewers. Look at how much saliva Wen Xiao Gong Zi is about to spill,” the old lady teased, looking at the young boy standing next to her granddaughter.

Everyone laughed even harder when they looked over at Wen Yu.

“Father, Ru Yan, you and grandmother, and the others, go ahead and take a seat. I’ll be done here soon and let everyone taste it. Then we’ll get everyone to do it themselves,” Mu Rong Shu said. Noticing that the family was crowding around, especially with her grandmother and Honorary Grandmother being older, she decided to have her father lead them to their seats first.

“Madam, please help the others to their seats. I’ll stay here and continue learning how to grill these skewers. You can try my skills later,” Mu Shi asked his wife, Song Wei, to escort the others while he stayed behind to continue his grilling lessons.

“Madam, I’m the smartest, I’ll definitely do it better than my older brother. You go ahead and take mother and mother-in-law to rest, and I’ll join you soon,” Mu Si was confident he’d outdo his older brother.

“Mother, Aunt, and Ming Yi, please go sit down. I’ll keep learning a bit longer,” Song Yan ran was very eager to perfect her grilling technique.

“Mother, second aunt, I’ll definitely do it better than second uncle,” Wen Yu said, though he dared not mention his third uncle, who was undoubtedly better than him at grilling.

“Why don’t you dare say you can do it better than your third uncle?” Wen Ye, hearing that his nephew was too shy to compare himself to his third brother, felt an immediate sense of injustice.

“Third uncle is definitely better than all of us! Don’t you know that after all these years?” Wen Yu said, his voice quick and confident, which made Wen Ye so annoyed he almost wanted to scold him. It was as if he had no dignity in front of Mu Si, always being compared unfavorably.

“Master Wen, I didn’t know you had so little standing at home. Unlike me, I’ll always be number one in Shu Er’s heart,” Mu Si shamelessly declared, earning a collective roll of eyes from everyone around him.

The meat sizzled as it cooked, with hot oil slowly dripping down the tender flesh, following the natural grooves of the meat, filling the air with a mouth watering aroma.

“Alright, stop bickering. This batch is done. Let’s each have a skewer to taste. Let’s send some to grandmother first. I hope you all learned the process, from here on, you’ll have to do it yourselves!”

The first batch of lamb skewers was ready, and Mu Rong Shu decided to get everyone involved to speed things up. She was worried that if she did it alone, everyone would starve before she could finish.

Fortunately, she had arranged for three outdoor grills to be made, which were now perfect for the job. She instructed Er Zhu to add charcoal, and the group took turns grilling, freeing up some people to eat and chat in the meantime.

Mu Rong Shu personally took on grilling the roasted suckling pig and fish. Er Zhu was quick-witted and learned fast, after just one lesson from Mu Rong Shu, he was able to handle the roasting of the pig and fish on his own, following her instructions to a T.

Mu Rong Shu handed Er Zhu and Xiao Tao each a skewer of grilled lamb. “Try this first, and later you can grill your own with a small stove.”

Xiao Tao had long grown accustomed to her mistress’s generosity, but Er Zhu was clearly stunned. He hadn’t expected to get a share and was deeply touched. “Thank you, Miss.”

Mu Rong Shu took a skewer for herself. The craving she had developed while grilling had built up, and now that she could finally eat, she bit into the lamb eagerly. The hot, tender meat was bursting with flavor, and the sensation of warmth and satisfaction filled her.

“Wow, this is incredible! It smelled amazing earlier, but now it’s so tender, crispy, and flavorful!” Er Zhu’s enthusiastic praise made Mu Rong Shu smile truly, nothing was more gratifying than seeing a food lover thoroughly enjoy their meal.

Hearing Er Zhu’s exaggerated compliments, Rong Qing was slightly embarrassed, but when she tasted the lamb skewer, the spiciness and savory flavors mingled perfectly, leaving no trace of the usual gamey taste, and the meat was so tender it practically melted in her mouth.

“Mother, elder sister-in-law, Madam Wen, Madam Song, please try it. The flavor is so unique, it’s wonderful!” Rong Qing urged everyone to taste the lamb while savoring the flavors herself.

At first, the old lady didn’t take her son’s dramatic praise seriously, but after hearing her daughter-in-law’s approval, she couldn’t wait to try it herself. The flavor was mildly spicy but fragrant, tender without being greasy, and the meat was incredibly delicious.

The old lady’s eyes lit up, this granddaughter was truly skilled. She had made these skewers so delicious!

Seeing the old lady’s reaction, everyone else couldn’t wait any longer and eagerly dug in, all the while anticipating the next batch of grilled skewers.

Just then, the roasted suckling pig was also ready. Mu Rong Shu had it sliced and sent to everyone, making sure each person received a small portion. It wasn’t that she was being stingy, she didn’t want anyone to fill up too quickly, as there was more to come.

Without exception, the roasted suckling pig received unanimous praise. Mu Rong Shu had promised Uncle Zeng, the steward, so she also made a plate for him and sent it along with a few skewers by Xiao Tao.

Little Wen Yu, meanwhile, was enjoying himself immensely. “This meat is so delicious! I want to eat it every day. When I grow up, I’ll marry my beautiful sister and make sure we always have this!”

Mu Rong Shu then had people bring out the small hotpots. She showed the ladies how to use them and then went back to grilling fish. Although she liked the hotpot too, she preferred the skewers.

The hotpot base was a health-boosting medicinal soup, specially prepared to suit everyone’s preferences. At first, people were hesitant, but once they tried the thinly sliced beef, their appetites were immediately captured. It was so fresh and didn’t taste medicinal at all.

The tender beef slices paired with the vegetables Mu Rong Shu had chosen were irresistible, and with the addition of the grilled fish, everyone was completely satisfied, only wishing they had bigger appetites.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Mu Rong Shu served a digestive tea before bringing out the small cakes she had prepared. Mu Si and Wen Ye immediately thought back to their trembling hands from having whipped the egg whites, nearly moved to tears.

But as soon as they tasted the small cakes, they felt they could easily whip up two more large bowls if necessary.

The ladies especially adored the small cakes. Soft and not overly sweet, they melted in the mouth, perfect for elderly people with delicate teeth.

“All these years in the capital, and I’ve never had such delicious pastries.”

“I didn’t expect Shu Er to be this talented!”

“Shu Er, we want to learn too!”

A group of people surrounded Mu Rong Shu, either praising her or asking to be taught. Mu Rong Shu quietly glanced at Wen Jing and noticed that he was quietly enjoying the cakes. It was clear he liked them.

Seeing Wen Jing’s little secret, Mu Rong Shu’s heart soared. She hadn’t realized that handsome men also had a sweet tooth.