Chapter 671: Century Egg Tofu
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Qin had nothing good to say about Madam Ma. Even if the latter’s attitude had improved, Lin Qin did not speak up for her. After all, Shen Qiuhua would not have needed to move away if not for Madam Ma’s horrible attitude.
Shen Qiuhua said, “It’s good that Madam Ma’s attitude has somewhat improved. Perhaps she has become wiser with age?”
She remembered meeting people who behaved like insensible children. However, she knew they might change after experiencing something life-changing.
Shen Qiuhua hoped her sister-in-law’s attitude would improve. Like how Shen Qiuhua felt after becoming a grandmother, she became even more patient with children.
She had not been very patient with her sons, but after meeting her first grandson, Su Xuexuan, she treated him much more patiently than her sons. She felt it was because she was poor and had to be calculative.
Now, she could be more generous since the Su family’s lives had improved.
Su Binglan told her mother to accompany Lin Qin for a chat while she went to cook. She insisted on letting Jiang Nainai rest, but the latter felt bad just sitting idly by, especially since she had visitors.
Su Binglan felt helpless and could only ask Jiang Nainai to help light the fire. After all, that should be the most straightforward task for her compared to cooking.
She also asked Shen Zhishan to help out. Soon after, Luo Jin’an returned with the water for his father-in-law. After filling the tank, he went to help his wife and the others cook.
Meanwhile, Shen Mohen helped Su Fengmao chop firewood before helping the others prepare dinner.
Su Binglan intended to prepare more dishes that night. Fortunately, she knew about her grandparents’ situation and brought more than enough ingredients.
Shen Zhishan and his wife were shocked when they saw how many things Su
Binglan brought. Their eyes widened when they saw the pork ribs, especially
since they had not eaten meat for a long time.
Shen Zhishan and Jiang Nainai never thought they could eat meat again because they were poor.
“Cousin Mohen, help me blanch the ribs and boil them for about as long as it takes an incense stick to burn,” Su Binglan said.
“Understood,” Shen Mohen replied. He had gained much knowledge about cooking after staying with the Su family for a few days. He knew what to do when Su Binglan mentioned blanching.
Jiang Nainai listened on the sidelines. After returning to her senses, she hurried to light the fire under the stove.
Shen Mohen poured water into the pot and placed the ribs inside. He needed to cook the ribs for a while before seasoning them.
Next, Su Binglan made the century egg tofu, and Su Fengmao came to help. Su
Binglan said, “Father, help me peel the garlic for the century egg tofu.”
Immediately after, she asked Luo Jin’an to help cut the century eggs. Luo Jin’an knew what to do and did not need his wife to instruct him. Nonetheless, he cut the tofu into small pieces.
To make century egg tofu, Su Binglan would need another pot. Shen Mohen asked, “Cousin Binglan, do you need another place for this pot? I’ll get another fire going.”
However, Shen Zhishan hurriedly said, “L-Let me do it.”
He had just brought in more firewood and wanted to help.
“I won’t take long blanching the tofu.” Su Binglan placed the cut tofu into the pot after the water started to boil. After blanching them for a while, she removed and drained the water.
Soon after, she placed the tofu in the middle of a plate before adding garlic, chili, chopped onions, and coriander to the tofu. Then she took a bowl and added some seasonings, including vinegar, sugar, and oil.
Afterward, she placed the century egg and tofu pieces on a plate and poured the mixture to complete the century egg tofu dish.
Jiang Nainai was stunned when she saw the dish. She wondered what it was because she had never seen such a thing. However, she remembered eating tofu once because Shen Qiuhua had hired someone to send some over.
The family only cooked and ate the tofu then and thought it was delicious.
Still, she thought Shen Qiuhua had bought the tofu from somewhere. Jiang Nainai did not expect Su Binglan to cook the tofu in such a way.
‘Did she add a century egg to the tofu? Aunt Qiuhua had sent some over before, and we’ve tried them. So that’s how they prepare the century eggs. The plate looks so beautiful, too.’
Shen Zhishan exclaimed, “Cousin Binglan, that dish looks gorgeous!”
Shen Mohen said, “You have no idea how good Cousin Binglan’s cooking is.
You’ll know soon enough.”
He could still taste Su Binglan’s food. Still, he had never tried century egg tofu and wondered how it tasted. He thought it smelled good and got hungry just thinking about it.
The group had traveled all day and only had some dry foods at noon. Although the dried food was delicious, Shen Mohen looked forward to dinner, especially since he could eat Su Binglan’s cooking.
Su Binglan looked at the plate and said, “You can try some if you want.”
Shen Zhishan shook his head. In every household, people would wait for their elders to take the first bite.
At that moment, the ribs had finished cooking, so Su Binglan marinated the ribs with seasoning. Afterward, she blanched the chicken to make braised chicken.
She added oil and sugar to the pot, then put everything together in the chicken and stir-fried. After stirring for a few minutes, she added some seasonings and stirred the chicken.
A moment later, she added water to cover all the ingredients, including salt, mushrooms, and potatoes. Afterward, she added a little chili for flavor and removed the scum at the top.
The aroma from the pot wafted throughout the house. Shen Zhishan smelled the fragrance, and his stomach growled. He could not help but gulp his saliva while watching his cousin cook. He felt like he was hallucinating.
‘Am I dreaming? No, that can’t be because it smells so good. It must be real.’
Jiang Nainai was just as hungry. After all, she only had some cabbage stewed with radish for lunch. Since there was nothing much to eat at home, she would eat less and keep the balance for later.
She was already hungry in the middle of the afternoon but was too embarrassed to say it. However, her stomach growled when she smelled the aroma and looked at the food.
Jiang Nainai felt even more embarrassed and wanted to hide in a corner because she knew Su Binglan had heard her stomach growling.
Su Binglan quickly took a small bowl and put some chicken in it for Jiang Nainai, saying, “Please, eat first.”
“No, no… How could l?”
“It’s not for you, Nainai. It’s for your soon-to-be-born child. Even if you’re not hungry, your child needs nutrients.”
Jiang Nainai did not argue when Su Binglan mentioned the child.
Su Binglan continued, “Nainai, your future days will improve, so you’ll have more of this kind of food often. You can eat without worry.”
Jiang Nainai looked at Su Binglan gratefully and said, “T-Thank you..”
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