“Mmm mmm mmm, so delicious! Absolutely delicious!”
Before Zhao Shi and her husband could even taste the food,
Gu Yu had already rushed out from the kitchen holding a bowl of Pea Jelly, eating noisily with his mouth all greasy.
“This Goddess is truly divine! How is every dish she teaches so delicious? If only she could teach me, then I could make delicious food for myself every day!”
With every bite he took, Gu Yu would praise it.
He was providing emotional support quite effectively.
Gu Guosheng also tasted it and was so astonished his eyes lit up,
“Delicious! The seasoning is similar to Liangmian, but the texture and flavor are completely different.”
“Liangmian is chewy and smooth, while this is delicate and silky, yet very resilient. Having a bowl like this in summer makes your whole body feel refreshed! A’yan, another bowl please!”
Zhao Shi ate in small bites, the admiration in her eyes impossible to conceal.
The Pea Jelly once again received unanimous praise from everyone.
Especially Gu Yu, who couldn’t stop praising it after tasting it, strongly suggesting that his sister sell this along with the Tieban Tudou and Liangmian.
However, Gu Yanxi wasn’t in a hurry.
Although the food was delicious, the preparation process was quite complicated.
She had worked all afternoon just to produce one and a half jin of starch – this amount was far too little to be worth selling.
It was fine for family members to enjoy at home.
She would make plans later when she had more free time to produce more pea starch.
After the evening meal, her parents and younger brother continued making bamboo strips.
Gu Yanxi sat in the courtyard.
Watching this warm family, she felt enveloped in happiness.
In this world, she had family who loved her, plus a money-making business – such a fulfilling life was truly wonderful!
However…
Gu Yanxi glanced around the house – it was really too small.
A tiny courtyard that barely caught any sunlight, with the main room next to the central hall and two small side rooms on either side.
Her parents slept in the main room, which wasn’t large either – just enough for one bed, a shabby wardrobe, with remaining space barely enough for one person to pass through.
Gu Yanxi slept in the right side room that originally stored miscellaneous items, with only a single small bed and her clothes stuffed in a modest cabinet.
Her younger brother didn’t have his own room – the left side room was the kitchen, where they had partitioned off the firewood storage area for him to make do.
The whole family slept in cramped conditions – they needed a larger house.
Moreover, Gu Yu was only fourteen and still needed to continue his studies!
To achieve these goals, there was still a long way to go!
Early the next morning.
At the Gou Residence in Dong Shi.
A sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked youth of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in underclothes, was throwing things and smashing chairs in the courtyard.
Tables were overturned with legs in the air, chairs missing arms and legs, the ground covered with ceramic shards from his tantrum, with exquisite seafood congee and crystal dumplings thrown everywhere.
A long line of maids and servants knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
“What are you all good for? I give you so much silver every day to support you, and now you serve me this garbage? I’ll sell you all off, every single one of you!”
With a loud crash, a porcelain piece shattered on the ground, breaking into fragments.
When Old Master Gou heard that his youngest son was throwing another tantrum, he rushed over anxiously.
Just as he stepped into the courtyard entrance, this Ru kiln celadon porcelain shattered right at his feet.
“You unfilial son!”
“You spend your days without learning or working! What time is it already, and you’re still not at the Academy? All you know is taking out your anger on these servants!”
Old Master Gou was so furious he was huffing and puffing, stomping over to Gou Dehao in a few quick steps and pointing right at his nose as he scolded him.
Yet this rebellious son still refused to admit his mistake.
His mouth was harder than stone.
“Look at this! Nothing but bland broth and tasteless food every day. It’s disgusting! They’re deliberately starving me, they should be punished!”
Old Master Gou glanced at the food on the floor and glared fiercely at the servants. “Didn’t I tell you to prepare some braised dishes for the young master? Are you deaf?”
The head chef trembled as he stepped forward to reply, “Master, I did prepare braised dishes yesterday, but the third young master had an upset stomach after eating them. That’s why the madam ordered us to switch to these lighter dishes.”
“Useless fools!” Old Master Gou flicked his sleeves and turned back to his son. “Go to the Academy first. I’ll have the kitchen prepare some food and send it to you there.”
“I’m not going!”
“You…”
Gou Dehao was determined to stand his ground against his father.
Just then, he spotted a familiar servant boy passing through the corridor.
“Stop right there!”
Li Mo immediately froze when he heard the voice.
He had been so careful, yet the third young master had still noticed him.
It seemed these snacks were doomed once again.
Young master… please forgive this humble servant…
“Sneaking around like a thief! What are you holding?”
Gou Dehao snatched the bundle from Li Mo’s arms and roughly tore it open.
Inside were several lotus leaf packages.
He disdainfully threw the bundle onto a nearby table.
The lotus leaves unfolded, revealing their contents—just some potatoes.
“And here I thought that bastard Gou Dezhu had gotten his hands on something special. Turns out it’s just this worthless trash, not even fit for dogs!”
He kicked Li Mo and was about to walk away when…
An overwhelmingly delicious aroma suddenly wafted into his nostrils, making him instantly feel ravenous.
He sniffed the air, confirming the scent was coming from these potatoes.
“Bring me chopsticks!”
Old Master Gou watched his son’s interest in the potatoes with disgust. “Such vulgar food, just throw it away.”
But Gou Dehao had already picked up a potato strip with chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.
The unique flavor instantly exploded on his tongue, utterly irresistible, even better than the delicacies he usually ate.
“Delicious! So incredibly delicious!”
Gou Dehao devoured several more potato strips before noticing his father’s dark expression.
He had another pair of chopsticks brought over.
“Father, you have to try this! This is truly delicious, the more you eat the more you want! I’ve never tasted anything this good, it’s even better than the imperial chefs’ cooking!”
“Hao’er, the palace has every delicacy imaginable. Another day, I’ll have the imperial chefs prepare some dishes for you.”
Old Master Gou looked at the potatoes with utter disdain.
In their household, such food was meant for servants. Someone of their status would never touch it.
“Come on, father, try it!”
Gou Dehao was eating with such relish, oil dripping from his lips, that he clearly found it extraordinarily tasty.
Knowing his son well, Old Master Gou understood that ordinary food never impressed him. If it could drive him this wild, it probably wasn’t bad.
Well, maybe just one bite.
The moment a piece of potato entered his mouth, Old Master Gou’s expression completely changed.
What heavenly food was this!
Father and son ate voraciously, finishing the Tieban Tudou before moving on to the Liangmian, which was equally extraordinary!
Li Mo stood by, swallowing hard.
This was his young master’s favorite food, and now they were devouring all of it.
The Tieban Tudou and Liangmian were completely wiped out.
Gou Dehao looked up and commanded Li Mo, “Go buy two more portions for me! No, make it ten portions!”
Li Mo lowered his head and curled his lips. “Third Young Master, that shop’s business is booming. I had to wait in line for a long time to buy these four portions. They’re probably sold out by now.”
He would never go buy more!
All because his own Second Young Master was born of a concubine, the Third and First Young Masters had never missed an opportunity to bully his master.
Since childhood, they had always snatched things from his young master, and now they even wanted to take his food.
The master of the house always favored those two and never showed any concern for his young master.
He had long been fed up with this!