Fields of gold

Chapter 346- 350

Chapter 346 - Free Labor

She first soaked the dried razor clams in some water and then rinsed them with some boiling water. After all of the grit and sand was washed out, they were finely minced. Then she instructed one of the imperial chefs take some fresh shrimp, peel and clean them before cutting them into small pieces to use.

After the rice was washed, it was put into a large deep pot to simmer into congee. The minced dried razor clams, shrimp, and some ham was also put into the pot to stew slowly. Since the little divine stone had healed the little prince in the afternoon, she knew that his stomach would be able to digest more, so she was able to put more delicious ingredients in the food. After the congee finished cooking, she sprinkled some crushed roasted peanuts on top to add an additional layer of flavor. A little bit of sesame oil was also drizzled on for the same purpose.

Throughout the entire process, Yu Xiaocao didn't try to hide any of the steps from the imperial chefs. When they had questions, she even patiently explained her reasoning. Thus, the impression the imperial chefs had of this little girl, who knew how to make many odd things, had improved a lot. Other than the noble masters in the palace, these old imperial chefs didn't really put anyone else in their eyes. However, they now treated Yu Xiaocao with a lot more respect and reverence.

That night, the three great personages of the palace ate to their delight. It was said that the empress was very fond of the braised pig trotters, while the emperor liked braised pork knuckle and also enjoyed braised pig head meat. However, the emperor emeritus hogged most of the braised pig head meat and only gave the emperor a miserly tiny portion. The emperor emeritus ate more than half a large plate of braised pig head meat by himself and almost finished all of the sliced pig ears seasoned with chili oil. He couldn't bear to give the leftovers to the eunuchs and palace maids, so he had the servants carefully pack the food up and had it stored in an ice cellar. He stated that he planned on eating the rest at his next meal.

The young prince was also very pleased. He ate two small bowls of seafood congee and still wasn't satisfied, so he also ate a goblet of razor clams stewed with egg. He was so stuffed afterwards that he had to stroll around his rooms several times with a palace maid to help with digestion. Only then was he allowed to go to bed. All of the imperial physicians were amazed at the speed of the little prince's recovery. Usually, a patient would need at least a few days to recover from even the mildest bout of dysentery. However, only two days had passed yet the prince had made almost a full recovery and no longer needed to take medication. Was it because the Yu Family's little girl's recipe for medication was really that good? Even Imperial Physician Wang, who had some resentments towards Yu Xiaocao, had to admire the efficacy of the girl's medicine recipe.

During the time that Yu Xiaocao was in the palace, she had to spend some time almost every day in the imperial kitchens to make two dishes that the emperor emeritus personally ordered. The dishes she made for him included: sweet and sour crispy pork, dry-fried pork strips, pickled vegetables with fatty meat and blood sausage. The emperor emeritus ate until he was completely satisfied. He praised the food, stating that these dishes were more delicious than all of the northeastern cuisine dishes he had during his entire life. In fact, the emperor emeritus had previously traveled all throughout the country in an effort to find the taste of his hometown. Unfortunately, he was never able to satisfy his cravings before.

There was a reason why Yu Xiaocao knew how to cook northeastern cuisine dishes. In her past life, her mother was from the northeast. Before her mother passed away, the family's financial circumstances were considered decent, so her mother often made some authentic northeastern dishes to eat. She had helped her mother cook in the kitchen and learned the ways to make this type of cuisine. Many years had passed then and she was now finally able to recreate the foods from her memories. These dishes all held the flavors of the food her mother used to make, such a good memory...