Rebirth of an Abandoned Woman

Chapter XI

The Past She Cannot Avoid

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"Alright. I'll be back before you know it, so help me keep an eye on the stove!" Sang Wan sighed to herself and hurried back to the small garden.

Once she had handed the keys back to Shi Fengju, she hurriedly headed back to the kitchen. Knowing that she had to prepare the dishes for tonight's dinner, Shi Fengju remained silent and let her continue with her cooking.

On the route back to the kitchen, Sang Wan gradually slowed her pace.

The flame strength and duration for both dishes on the stove were different. The distance between her stove and Liu Ya's stove was far, and Zhide had already promised to look after her stove when she was away. Under such circumstances, she could not request Liu Ya keep an eye on her stove. It would definitely embarrass Zhide! Moreover, the winter melon soup had already been gone from her sight for a long time. And since Zhide wasn't her, who was extremely wary of her surroundings due to her past life's experiences, if someone wanted to tamper with her soup, that person would have had ample time to do so during her absence.

Regardless of whether that soup had actually been tampered with, she could not afford to take that risk!

By any chance, if Wang Shi were to develop red rashes after eating the soup she made, the result was not something she'd like to experience again!

The winter melon soup must not be served.

So what should she do?

Sang Wan lifted her head to look at the vast empty sky as the sun gradually set in the west, emitting a bright orange glow across the horizon. The view was like a beautiful dream and yet, all Sang Wan could feel was the coming of a nightmare.

Her gaze fell suddenly onto a large flourishing tree. With that, her eyes glistened in triumph. That was a Chinese mahogany tree. She remembered that her mother-in-law not only loved winter melon soup, but also bean curd with Chinese mahogany. Unfortunately, the leaves on that tree were no longer young; the season to eat bean curd with Chinese mahogany was already over!

However, her face gradually brightened and her will firmed up. Her lips hooked to a side and she sneered. Tonight, she would make bean curd with Chinese mahogany!

There were no Chinese mahogany shoots to be used, but the bark of the old Chinese mahogany tree could still be boiled. Once boiled, the water was then filtered before soaking the shoots of the Chinese leafy vegetables for around two minutes. After soaking the shoots, the Chinese leafy vegetables were chopped finely and it would look similar to when Chinese mahogany shoots were used. As for the bean curd, boiling it in the Chinese mahogany flavored water before taking it out and mixing it together with the chopped Chinese leafy vegetables would add further flavor. With the significant Chinese mahogany taste, the dish could be confused as an actual dish of bean curd with Chinese mahogany.

In her past life, Gu Fangzi had also made this dish for Wang Shi when there was no Chinese mahogany to be used. Once Wang Shi had tasted it, she had been delighted and had praised Gu Fangzi for being skillful in her cooking. Today, Sang Wan would follow her example, which didn't seem like a bad idea.

Sang Wan's mind was set. She immediately called for a strong maidservant to peel two big pieces of bark from the old Chinese mahogany tree before taking the two pieces to the kitchen herself and preparing the dish with the method that her memory of Gu Fangzi had explained to Wang Shi. Her actions attracted amazed and curious gazes from Lady Jian and several other kitchen staff.