“I don’t believe you! Tell me, did you steal the potato chips? There’s only one pack left, and we didn’t even manage to buy any today! I heard from that old Su Dong that they’ll stop selling them tomorrow!”
No wonder the Grand Duke of Zhen’guo was so furious. Earlier that morning, when those old friends saw he didn’t manage to buy any chips, they had been showing off and gloating so much that he wanted to beat them all up.
The Grand Duchess looked at her furious husband and said helplessly, “Alright, old man, stop hitting him. Besides, you can’t outrun your grandson anyway.”
In the end, it was decided that the Grand Duke punished Leng Yunmo by making him kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours and forbidding him from having lunch.
The Grand Duchess asked in confusion, “Why are the Su family chips only being sold until tomorrow? Aren’t they very popular?”
“I heard from Su Dong that they’ve run out of potatoes. No farmers nearby grow them. His granddaughter happened to find two families growing them on their estate and bought everything they had. I’m going to send someone to the Su residence later to inform Su Dong that I’ll personally go tomorrow to buy them, so they won’t be taken again by that unfilial grandson.”
To this day, the Grand Duke still didn’t believe his grandson’s words.
“You greedy old man,” the Grand Duchess muttered. In truth, she was also quite greedy—but lately she had been craving not chips, but fruit leather. She loved its sweet-and-sour appetizing taste, and even her great-grandson liked it. The last batch had already been eaten. She had originally thought she would get more today, but… she might have to ask her grandson for some later to satisfy her craving.
Clearly, neither of the two elders trusted their grandson.
..
When Su Lele returned from the market, she saw Butler Guan preparing lunch.
“Madam, please cook two fewer dishes. I’ll make two seafood dishes later.”
“Just now, two young men delivered a large basket of seafood and said it was what you bought at the dock. I didn’t know how to handle it, and I was afraid of ruining it, so I waited for you to come back.”
Even Butler Guan didn’t know how to cook it—clearly seafood was rarely eaten in the capital. Such delicious ingredients going unnoticed was truly a pity.
Su Lele planned to make spicy shrimp and braised fish stew for lunch. Since there were more people at dinner, she would prepare a full seafood feast then.
She instructed Qiu Yu to clean the small fish. Then she removed the shrimp veins.
After cleaning, she soaked the fish in salt water for fifteen minutes to remove any fishy smell and enhance flavor.
The cleaned shrimp were drained and placed in a bowl, marinated with salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, and ginger strips for fifteen minutes.
She first prepared the fish stew:
In a heated clay pot, she added a little oil and ginger slices. When the aroma came out, she added the fish and cooked over medium heat. Once the fish aroma emerged, she added soy sauce, cooking wine, and a little water. Then she covered the pot and instructed Xia Zhi to simmer it over low heat for fifteen minutes. Finally, she added scallions. The fish stew was done.
Next, she made spicy shrimp:
In a wok with cold oil, she added garlic, dried chili, and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-frying until fragrant. Then she added the shrimp, turned to high heat, and pan-fried until the shells became crispy and aromatic.
She added a bit of soy sauce and sugar, continuing to stir-fry until the shrimp became fragrant and crisp. Finally, she added salt. The result was a dish with a dry-pot shrimp flavor.
Grandfather’s eyes lit up when he saw the two unfamiliar dishes.
“What smells so good!”
Fourth Sister Su Tongtong ran into the dining hall, sniffing excitedly.
“Try my new dishes—spicy shrimp and fish stew.”
Grandfather tasted a shrimp. “Mmm—rich spicy flavor, firm and springy texture. Delicious!”
“This fish is so tasty, and it has very few bones! The fish my maid used to cook had so many bones I didn’t dare eat it,” Fourth Sister said, recalling past experiences with fear.
Wang Huilan praised it as well: “Yes, it’s fresh, fragrant, and not fishy at all. Very good.”
“Second sister, I can eat fish now without feeling nauseous. I used to feel sick just smelling it,” Sister-in-law Li Chuyun said happily.
Su Lele looked serious and reminded her, “Sister-in-law, you can eat fish, but eat shrimp in moderation, and do not eat crab. Pregnant women must avoid crabs—remember that clearly.”
“Mm, I’ll remember!” Li Chuyun nodded quickly. She had no idea pregnancy required dietary restrictions.
“Also, everyone—if you feel itchy or uncomfortable after eating shrimp or crab, stop eating immediately. Some people are not suitable for too much seafood.”
People in this era likely did not understand seafood allergies, so she had to warn them in advance.
Everyone responded in unison, “Understood.”
At that moment, Grandfather Su said regretfully, “Granddaughter, Chen Butler went to the escort agency and asked around. No nearby prefectures grow potatoes. Only the northern desert region does—it’s dry, suitable for potatoes, and farmers there use them as staple food.”
It seemed that only northern regions grew them.
Looks like they would have to wait for the next harvest season.
“No problem,” Su Lele said. “I plan to make grilled shrimp and fish balls to sell instead. Grandfather, remember to help promote them for me.”
Grandfather leaned close and whispered, “As long as you secretly save me a portion each time, I’ll promote them with full effort.”
This old man…
Sea fish couldn’t be stored for long, or the flavor of fish balls would be affected. So Su Lele planned to start making fish balls that afternoon.
In modern times, she had loved eating fish ball snacks from a brand called “Yumi Xiang.”
To make fish balls, she needed sweet potato starch, so she immediately instructed Chen Butler to buy it from the general store.
There was also a major task ahead: separating fish bones from meat and mincing the fish finely.
She assigned Chen Butler’s son Chen Dali and maid Xia Zhi to handle the fish, while Butler Guan’s group continued making fruit leather.
It seemed she would need to hire more young, strong men with good knife skills in the future, since fish balls would become a long-term product.
After her nap, Su Lele went to the kitchen. By then, Chen Dali had already minced the fish into a fine paste.
She placed the fish paste into a large wooden basin and kneaded it vigorously until it became sticky and elastic.
Then she added salt, sugar, egg whites, and ginger-scallion water, mixing thoroughly. After that, she added dissolved sweet potato starch and continued kneading and pounding in one direction.
This part required strength, so Chen Dali handled the pounding for a full fifteen minutes until the fish paste became springy, elastic, and glossy.
Next, Xia Zhi heated a large pot of water until it was almost boiling.
Su Lele squeezed the fish paste through her thumb and index finger into round balls, dropping them into the pot one by one using a spoon. She carefully ensured the water did not boil too violently.
When all the fish balls floated to the surface—white, round, and plump—it meant they were fully cooked.
Finally, she scooped them all out of the pot.