Section 11: Delicious Food and Household Chores

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  Yun Ye was given the warmest welcome at the gate of his home, where the whole family gathered to welcome their master back. As soon as he dismounted, the little maids surrounded him and chattered excitedly about how the bad guys who had bullied them before were now kneeling outside the door begging for forgiveness.

  At the door, Yun Ye naturally knew what was going on. The beating of He Lao Er and today's grandeur in the imperial court had caused them great trouble, worrying that the Yun House would bring up old accounts from before. With no way to escape or avoid it, they could only come to the door to apologize and make amends, hoping to appease the Yun family's anger.

  Standing high, the view is different. In the past, the Yun family was just a wealthy household in Chang'an City, with hundreds of acres of ancestral land and three or four shops. Several men from the Yun family held minor official positions in the government, and they were considered to be unambitious. However, due to their association with the infamous Yun Dingxing, they suffered greatly. Who was Yun Dingxing? He was the father-in-law of Yang Yong, the Crown Prince of Sui, and was known for his greed, corruption, and unpredictability. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang had once served under him when he was at the height of his power. When Yang Yong fell out of favor, Yun Dingxing immediately switched sides and joined Emperor Yang Guang of Sui, pursuing and killing Yang Yong's remaining supporters with even greater zeal than Yang Guang himself. He even personally killed his own daughter's two sons by Yang Yong, truly a beastly act. Later, when he fell out of favor, no one stood up for him because he had offended too many people during his time in power, so he escaped without a trace. As a result, the Yun family in Chang'an City suffered greatly, and anyone with the surname Yun was targeted, regardless of whether they were involved or not. Furthermore, when Yang Xuanjing rebelled, Yun Dingxing was implicated again, sealing the tragic fate of the Yun family. Almost all the men were slaughtered, and the women's property was plundered by others, leading to a miserable fate.

  Yun Ye's greatest desire is to kill Yun Ding Xing, the mastermind behind all this. Without wisdom that matches one's ambition, one should not play with fire and harm others as well as oneself. One of the reasons why he ran back to the Tang Dynasty without reason might be because heaven couldn't bear the sight of the Yun family's misery and brought him back to save these women and children. Of course, Old Madam's day-and-night prayers also played a role in making this happen.

  You ate mine, spit it out and give it back to me. If you bully me, you must have the awareness of being bullied by me. Kneeling at the door hoping for forgiveness? Too naive. Without making a sound, I picked up Xiao Bei, this little girl was squeezed outside and cried, wiping away Xiao Bei's tears, telling the housekeeper aunt: "Find out the details of the Yun family's previous property, calculate how much income should be added over the years and let them compensate twice." After finishing speaking, she took a group of little maids back to the mansion. This small matter didn't need the young master to show up, just one household manager was enough. Now, my top priority is to see how that fat pig was dealt with, the whole family is still waiting to eat.

  The housekeeper aunt also felt that the majestic marquis handling such a thing was somewhat embarrassing, and hastily went to discuss with the old lady whether there were any forgotten Yun family properties. The servants closed the main gate of the Yun Mansion, and the merchants and minor officials outside knelt even more respectfully, the master of the Yun family has returned...

  A large fat pig was hung on the rack outside the kitchen, cleaned up by the butcher. Yun Rong directed the butcher to dissect the pork, separate the bones, tenderloin, and five-flower meat, leaving out the fatty skin on purpose. He then found the hind leg meat with a balance of lean and fat and instructed it to be chopped into minced meat for later use. The four pig trotters were clearly not enough, so Yun Rong had already bought a cartload of them at the West Market. If Old Cheng knew that he was cooking delicacies without sending him any, he would fly into a rage, which ordinary people couldn't withstand. To avoid being beaten a few times, it's better to make his share as well.

  The cooking utensils made in the military camp have been sent back, and the dishes of the Tang Dynasty are either boiled or roasted. If not eaten raw, it's just a dish like "yin" (a type of cold dish), which is unhygienic and can't kill parasites inside, leading to various strange diseases. Just thinking about pork tapeworms crawling all over my stomach makes me shudder. In later generations, even with sanitary inspections, I wouldn't be at ease, let alone now.

  Stir-frying dishes probably originated in the Song Dynasty, which was an era that emphasized fine food and clothing, with extremely rich material wealth, a paradise for scholars. As long as you're not a radical youth, it's the first choice for travelers through time. Since I'm in the Tang Dynasty, everything has to be done by myself. No wok, make one; no spatula, make one; no seasonings, find them myself; no MSG, can't make it now, so just simmer chicken soup. No soy sauce, go back to the village and brew some more. When I was young in the countryside, I learned how to do this early on, not difficult at all.

  No green vegetables, this is a matter of life and death! The imperial kitchen does have some, but it only supplies a limited number of royal family members. Even the crown prince doesn't get it every meal, let alone myself as a mere marquis. All I have are radishes, lotus root, and a plate of garlic shoots contributed by Xiaoyu, which is her favorite thing because her brother doesn't eat. Then there's tofu and over ten types of dried vegetables. Today the main dishes are pork, fish, and mutton, so no need for those.

  Note: Some terms may not have direct English translations, but I've tried to convey the original meaning as closely as possible.

  In the casserole, pig's feet were cooked. Ten casseroles were used. The water was boiled over high heat, then discarded and new water added. Ginger, scallions, and garlic were put in. The seasonings were wrapped in gauze. It was simmered over low heat. Aunt stood behind watching carefully and even called Rouniang to take notes. Old Madame said she couldn't bear to see her grandson toil in the kitchen so she didn't come. Yunheng thought it strange, how could cooking a few dishes be considered toiling?

  After being busy for two hours, just as they were about to finish eating, Yun Ruo packed the cooked pig's feet, lotus root, red-braised pork, red-braised lion's head, sugar and vinegar ribs, each in two portions. He also packed the fried sesame balls, oil cakes, and chicken pieces, and instructed the housekeeper to send them to the Cheng and Niu households as a token of goodwill.

  A group of little girls behind me have been eating non-stop since Yun Ye started cooking, and Auntie can't stop them. They say it's a bad habit for girls to be gluttonous. Yun Ye doesn't care, she herself used to sneak food when her mom was cooking when she was young, and she turned out fine. Not to mention the few younger sisters who have suffered, thinking about how they had to serve the master's family at the age of five or six, going hungry and cold for over a year, it hurts just thinking about it, let alone worrying about sneaking food.

  The blood sausage is done, the five-spice sausage is done, and the pork kidneys are stir-fried into a kidney flower. Two large tables are filled to the brim, leaving the old lady speechless with her eyes wide open.

  The dining hall was filled with the sound of slurping, and the sound of fighting over food came from outside. Zhuang San's shouting voice was particularly loud, it seemed that the battle was intense.

  "Yan'er, do you and your master usually eat such delicious food?" The old lady found it somewhat unbelievable. The braised lion's head was appetizing, the sweet and sour pork ribs were tangy and tasty, and the pig's trotters were soft and fragrant, filling one's mouth with satisfaction.

  "This is nothing, just some rough home cooking. Wait until my grandson grows the missing seasonings and you can taste it properly." Yun Ye bragged loudly. The delicacy of future meals could only be savored in dreams, he was just a half-baked chef, making a few home-cooked dishes was no problem, but trying to make grand southern or northern cuisine was a pipe dream.

  Yun Ye had eaten his fill, and was now busily serving dishes to the elderly lady. The other seniors hadn't been neglected either. The little maids were each holding a pig's trotter and gnawing on it, their faces smeared with grease. Afraid they would overeat, he ordered the servants to prepare some hawthorn juice to help them digest.

  The rice was untouched, but all the dishes were eaten clean, and everyone's face was flushed with happiness, feeling completely satisfied.

  Auntie covered her mouth, looking embarrassed, and let out a belch before saying: "No wonder Brother Yan doesn't want to eat dinner. After eating such delicious food, other dishes are really not edible. Brother Yan is indeed living a life of luxury following the old immortal."

  "Haha, Auntie is right. When the Yun family was suffering, I was the only one who followed my husband to enjoy good fortune all over the world. It's true that it wasn't fair, but since we're back now, there's no reason for me to enjoy good fortune while you suffer. The enemies of the Yun family are kneeling outside the door. Who owes a life debt to my family? Who owes money to my family? We'll settle these accounts one by one, without showing mercy. Since Your Majesty has publicly awarded me a title, he won't stop me from taking revenge.

  You can handle it however you want. I told my elders and sisters in the husband's household that I'm not an unfeeling person. They ruthlessly drove out the Yun family daughter back then, so now we'll warmly welcome her back home with great fanfare. Except for the Yun family members, no one else will be allowed to set foot in our door.

  If there's any humiliation or mistreatment when returning to the husband's household, I'll make them face a life-or-death crisis! Earlier in the kitchen, Auntie said that several aunts and sisters with children at home wanted to return because their husbands' families had come to fetch them. In the end, it's hard for them to abandon their flesh-and-blood relatives. The men just need to apologize and show some humility, and all the grievances of these years will be forgotten."

  "I won't go, brother, I'm not going back," Xiao Xi hugged Yun Ye's leg and wailed loudly, while Second Aunt looked at them with a difficult expression.

  "Xiao Xi will not go, and from now on, she'll live with her brother. As for marriage, I'll arrange it myself later. If they get tired of each other, they can come home to ask for someone." Yun Ye didn't leave any face for the second aunt, finished speaking, bid farewell to the old lady, and took the eight younger ones out of the dining hall to digest their food in the garden.

  "Second brother, what's wrong with you? Why leave the good life in the Hou Mansion to suffer again? Yan Ge is a kind person, likes Xiao Xi and has filial piety. In these few days since he came back, he truly treated us as elders with respect. You're being like this, isn't that piercing his heart?" Big Aunt was very angry.

  The old lady stopped the complaints of the elder: "The road is walked by oneself, whether the shoes fit or not only the feet know. Since you want to go back, then go back. Your husband's family still has two sons, and it's reasonable to worry about them. You don't need to worry about Rong Ge, he's young and a general, his temper is naturally bad. Xiao Xi will arrange things well, much better than following you in a small household. Your husband's family isn't just looking at the Yun family rising again, having thoughts of climbing up. With you there, Rong Ge will give some face. Take 300 taels of silver when you leave, this is your nephew's private gift to you, for emergencies." After finishing speaking, she got up and left the dinner table, being supported by a maid as she went to the garden.