The old lady Chu's illness is not only known to everyone in the Anping Hou Mansion, but several mansions in Changzhou who are interested in marrying the Anping Hou Mansion have also secretly sent people to inquire about the situation in the Anping Hou Mansion.

Although she was obviously here to visit the old lady Chu in the sickbed, the old lady Chu couldn't see the purpose of these people, she just wanted to come and see her niece and nephew with her own eyes and examine it.

Seeing the purpose of these ladies, Mrs. Chu didn't hide it, her family Yaoyao was so good, she naturally could stand the scrutiny, so every time these ladies came, she always called Xu Yao to accompany her. As for Xu Jiayi, when she heard the news of these ladies coming, she didn't let the old lady Chu say anything to drive her away, and she bowed and retired with an extremely eye-catching salute.

It's a pity that Xu Yao, who was left behind, didn't have the heart to listen to their conversation, and sat beside Mrs. Chu in some places, her spirit was also wilting, hanging her head and playing with her nails, and she didn't talk.

"I heard that the old lady is sick, I specially brought a twenty-year-old ginseng from the house today, I hope it will help the old lady's condition, and I hope the old lady will not dislike it."

"Where ......" Old Lady Chu waved her hand and said in a pleasant voice, "I'm already very happy that you can come, and what kind of gifts do you bring?" ”

The two of them exchanged pleasantries and polite words, and then turned the conversation to the children. Old Mrs. Chu looked at Xu Yao beside her and sighed and said, "This girl in my family is also a miserable girl, she has no father and mother at a young age, and I am an aunt who loves her." Now she is not young, and the girls from other families have already married at her age, and I don't know which family she will marry in the future. ”

"Old lady Chu, you are too worried," Mrs. Su put down the teacup in her hand with a smile, glanced at Xu Yao's body with a sparkle in her eyes, and spoke out of comfort, "Miss Xu is knowledgeable, gentle and virtuous, and sooner or later she will be able to find a wishful husband." ”

"Then I will accept Mrs. Su's auspicious words, I don't ask for anything else, I just hope that this girl can be safe and happy for the rest of her life, and I will be content." Old Mrs. Chu smiled slightly, knowing that this Mrs. Su had a high probability of taking a fancy to Xu Yao.

Having said this, Mrs. Su naturally wanted to say a few words to Xu Yao, so after answering Mrs. Chu's words, she turned her head and fell on Xu Yao, and asked with a smile, "Definitely." I don't know what Miss Xu likes to do on weekdays? Reading, embroidering or juggling swords? ”

Then after Mrs. Su finished speaking, Xu Yao still lowered her head and played with her handkerchief, as if she hadn't heard it. The scene became embarrassing in an instant, and Old Lady Chu glanced at Xu Yao and secretly tugged at her sleeve, but there was no reaction.

"Cousin!" Mama Yao snorted softly in a low voice, Xu Yao came back to her senses, and saw that everyone's eyes fell on her, knowing that she had just lost her mind and made a fool of herself. Old Lady Chu also whispered with some displeasure, "Mrs. Su talked to you just now, and I called you several times and there was no response." ”

Although I don't want to marry into the Su family, I can't lose the face and rules of the Marquis of Anping, I just got distracted, so it's naturally wrong. Xu Yao subconsciously got up and said embarrassedly, "Mrs. Su, I just got distracted and couldn't hear what Mrs. Su said, and I ask Mrs. Su to forgive me." ”

Mrs. Su originally saw that she ignored herself, and thought that she was deliberately taking Qiao, and she was also a little dissatisfied in her heart. It's just that at this time, seeing her raise her eyes and look at herself with a pair of bright watery eyes, this delicate appearance made this Mrs. Su feel a little soft-hearted towards her, "Don't get in the way, sit down." Nothing else, just ask what you like on weekdays. ”

Xu Yao replied respectfully when she heard this, and she didn't dare to wander anymore at this time, and sat seriously and listened to the two of them.

The two spoke again, and Mrs. Su got up and said goodbye. Old Mrs. Chu got up and sent her off because she was uncomfortable, and asked Xu Yao to send Mrs. Su out of the house on her behalf, "Yaoyao, send one to Mrs. Su for me." ”

"Yes......" Xu Yao stood up and sent Mrs. Su out of the house without humility or arrogance.

A winter rain and a cold.

The continuous light rain was endless, and the cool breeze blew it, and I felt that my body was full of cold. As soon as the window was opened, Xu Jiayi couldn't help but shiver, and hurriedly asked Cuiyun to take her cloak of emerald brocade and feather satin and put it on, so that she felt warmer.

In the blink of an eye, it's almost the end of the winter moon.

Xu Jiayi instructed in a low voice, "Burn the charcoal fire in the house more vigorously, and when my cousin comes back from outside, it will definitely be cool, and it will be warmer when you enter the house." ”

Yesterday, Chu Changfeng sent someone to deliver a letter, and the letter said that he would arrive at the house today. This time, I can stay in the house for a few more days, and then go back to the barracks to inspect when the moon is over, and if there is no other situation, I can go back to the house for the Spring Festival.

The weather is bitterly cold in winter, coupled with the lack of food and grass, let alone fighting, whether or not you can survive in such bad weather is a problem. Even their great dynasty is also short of food and grass, and if they save some frugality, they can only survive the winter. Of course, these are just what Xu Jiayi heard Chu Changfeng talk about occasionally.

But fortunately, the team sent by Yanjing City to transport grain and grass will be able to send a batch of new grain over in the spring next year.

Xu Jiayi walked back and forth in the house several times and didn't see Chu Changfeng coming back, and she couldn't help but feel a little anxious. After thinking about it, she simply went out of the courtyard, Cuiyun hurriedly chased after her, thinking that Xu Jiayi was going to go to the front yard to wait for the prince to come back, but who knew that Xu Jiayi went all the way to the kitchen.

Cuiyun couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Madam, this is the way to the kitchen." ”

"I know."

"You're ......"

"It's okay to be idle left and right, and it's not safe to wait in the house, so why don't you go to the kitchen and see if you can cook a dish for my cousin, he has never tasted my cooking skills."

"Madam, you are a superb cook, and the prince will definitely praise it when you eat it."

"I haven't been in the kitchen for a long time, and I don't know if the craftsmanship is rusty." Xu Jiayi hooked her lips and smiled, and muttered to herself.

In the past, when she was still in Shangshufu, she would make some meals for her grandmother and two aunts, and she had to make some every day when she was a child, but then it was not very frequent, only once or twice a month. Although there is little actual operation, Xu Jiayi's cooking skills are not bad, and the taste of the dishes she makes is always praised by the Su family.

However, I thought that the girl's family should be pampered, but I didn't want Xu Jiayi to run into the kitchen all the time, and the province would make her hands rough, which would outweigh the losses.

"Madame, why are you here?" A round-faced grandmother in the kitchen looked at Xu Jiayi's figure, and when she was dazzled, she raised her hand and rubbed her eyes before she was sure that it was not her dazzled, and hurriedly greeted her, "But what do you want to eat?" Madame asked the slaves and maids below to come and tell me, the kitchen smelled of fumes, Madame ......"

"I'm going to cook a few dishes myself today." Before the round-faced grandmother's words were finished, she was interrupted by Xu Jiayi's voice.

The round-faced grandmother couldn't help but flutter when she heard this, and unconsciously fell her eyes on her thin white and tender fingers, secretly thinking in her heart, does Madame really know how to cook?

Even though he thought like this in his heart, he didn't show it on his face, and welcomed Xu Jiayi into the kitchen very enthusiastically. After Xu Jiayi walked into the big kitchen, everyone in the kitchen saw that she was busy stopping what she was doing and saying goodbye, Xu Jiayi waved her hand, "You are busy with yours, don't worry about me." ”

After finishing speaking, I looked around the kitchen and saw that there was a live bass in the water tank, and my eyes couldn't help but light up. Originally, she hadn't figured out what to do, but now she thought about it when she saw it.

She's going to make a steamed sea bass.

It's just that it's okay to make steamed sea bass, but she can't do it if she wants to kill fish and deal with fish scales and internal organs, so she can only turn her head to look at the round-faced mama who just welcomed her in, and stretched out her hand to point to the perch in the water tank and ask, "Mama, can you help me kill this fish?" ”

The round-faced grandmother glanced sideways, nodded immediately, grabbed the fish from the water, and turned her head to ask Xu Jiayi as if she remembered something, "I don't know what Madame is going to do?" Is it cut into pieces or fillets? ”

"Just scrape off the scales and take out the internal organs, I'm going to make steamed sea bass." Xu Jiayi replied slowly. As soon as these words came out, the round-faced mama knew what to do.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the fish had already been processed, and then he retreated to the side and gave way to Xu Jiayi. Xu Jiayi held the knife in her right hand, and skillfully slashed a few oblique knives on the front of the fish, and then smeared it on the surface of the fish with fine salt and pepper to marinate for a while. I took advantage of this time to sort out the side dishes at the bottom of the steaming tray, and there was nothing else, all of them were green onions and ginger, and then put the fish on it, and then spread a layer of green onion and ginger slices on the upper layer, and put it in the steamer to steam.

The round-faced grandmother has been standing aside and watching Xu Jiayi's movements, thinking that she will not be able to, and she can also help one or two from the side, and she will never ask this lady to make something too unusual. Who knew that this lady looked like a person with ten fingers that didn't touch the spring water, but she didn't expect that this cooking skill was not bad.

The shredded shallots and carrots she was cutting now were no worse than those of her who had been in the kitchen all year round, but she had underestimated the lady. It's just a flash of effort, and when the round-faced mama comes to her senses again, Xu Jiayi has already finished all kinds of processes, just waiting for the hot oil in the pot to be spicy and pour it on the fish covered with shredded green onions, and this steamed sea bass will be considered ready.

Xu Jiayi looked at the plate of steamed sea bass born from her hand and showed a satisfied smile. She can't guarantee how this dish will taste, but from the word "color fragrance" alone, it is not bad. After all, she was already secretly swallowing saliva when she smelled this smell at this moment, perhaps because she made it more fragrant.