Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Everything was ready. Jiang Shangxian stood by the counter, slightly tilting her head and stretching her neck, showing her hypocritical eagerness in just the right way and with extreme sincerity. The moment she saw Zhao Yue's figure, her facial expression began to change.

At first, there's anticipation, then it turns to delight. The corners of her mouth must slowly widen—note, there's a three-second pause here—before turning into pure joy. Her feet also begin to move, taking small, quick but steady steps to meet her. Her opening tone must be the rising one of a New Year's Eve Gala announcer: three parts enthusiasm, two parts excitement, and four parts respect: "Madam Cui, you're finally here. It felt like we were old friends yesterday, and I've been looking forward to seeing you this morning."

Zhao Yue was so weirdly enthusiastic that she froze for a few breaths. She used the experience gained from years of clan life to suppress the urge to rush out. It was really not for many years that she heard someone use such superficial words to get close to someone and flatter them. She was not used to it. Without Cui Shuhua's company, she was afraid that her fighting power would not be enough!

Fortunately, the ability to pretend that she had learned from years of training at the Cui family had become an instinctive reaction. Even though she was nervous, she smiled just the right amount, with a gentle yet distant smile. She could still hold her own: "It's my fault. I kept you waiting for a long time."

Jiang Shangxian ignored her half-step back movement. As the saying goes, if the mountain doesn't come to me, I will go to the mountain. He nimbly stretched out his chubby little hand and tried to wrap it around Zhao Yue's arm. Zhao Yue didn't even have to think. Her body's instinctive reaction made her move two steps to the right silently while swinging her waist. She glanced quickly at the people in the building and laughed in her heart.

This commoner woman's tactics were truly clumsy. Did she really think that just by showing that they were close, she could seal the deal? How ridiculous!

If she fails, she will be the one to be embarrassed! The man will only have a reputation of being a playboy at best.

"I'm not old enough to need help, so I can do it myself."

Jiang Shangxian, whose arm was empty, passed his hand through her temples, as if she was just going to stroke her hair, and continued to talk to her shamelessly and enthusiastically: "Come, come, come this way, Madam. Be careful of the steps. Hey, be careful, there is a small pond here. Be careful not to dirty your skirt..."

"Thank you, Miss Jiang. You are indeed someone who has come out to make a living at such a young age. You are more careful than others. No ordinary young lady can be as considerate as you..."

When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other, each smile was more hypocritical than the other.

The private room where Jiang Shangxian invited everyone to dinner today was the same one where Cui Bianxu usually ate when she came. This was the battle place she chose for herself. People's tense nerves are easier to relax in a familiar environment. She was most familiar with this private room, so she would not make any mistakes here because of being too nervous.

In the private room, the table was filled with food neatly arranged, and the aroma could be smelled outside the door. Zhao Yue moved her nose slightly and felt hungry. She couldn't help but think to herself that this young lady might really have some skills.

Jiang Shangxian pushed open the door: "Mrs. Cui, please."

Zhao Yue nodded reservedly, her steps a little hurried. She was a little curious whether today's dishes were really better than yesterday's.

Thinking of Master Li from yesterday who looked rough and resembled their Guazhou people, she couldn't help but recall what the waiter said, that was the apprentice of this young lady Jiang. Judging from the appearance, the other one looked more like the master, while this one looked a little childish.

Jiang Shangxian followed her into the room, turned around and closed the door tightly before walking to the table. Zhao Yue did not sit down immediately, but stood and looked at the dishes on the table. Whether a dish is delicious or not depends on its color, aroma and taste. Only when it has all these features can it be considered a delicacy.

I haven’t tasted these dishes yet, but they look pleasing to the eye. It’s obvious that a lot of effort has been put into the appearance.

"Ma'am, please take a seat."

"Well, this dish looks good." Zhao Yue quietly swallowed her saliva. She wanted to try them one by one quickly, as most of them were things she had never eaten before.

After she sat down, Jiang Shangxian smiled and sat down opposite her. "Although I've never been far away, I've heard from my grandmother that the roads outside are difficult to travel. Although there are post stations along the way, they are not as good as being at home. Thinking of Madam coming all the way from Qinghe for my matter, she must be exhausted from the journey. I feel uneasy. I don't have any special skills, but I can show off my cooking skills."

As she spoke, she picked up the serving chopsticks and served Zhao Yue the food. "The daily life of the world is most soothing to the hearts of ordinary people. The most daily life in this world is delicious food. Madam, try this squid."

(According to Compendium of Materia Medica, squid is called squid.)

This coriander and onion salad squid is made with vinegar, which is very refreshing when paired with the slightly spicy onion shreds, and is perfect for whetting the appetite.

Zhao Yue ate it without hesitation. The squid was soft and chewy, followed by the crispy onion. The unique aroma of coriander exploded in her mouth, and the sour taste of vinegar made her saliva secretion even more severe. "This squid can be cooked like this, I have never eaten it before."

Usually squid is fried with pickles, steamed with sauce, or braised. This kind of cold dish was the first time she had tried it, and it was very fresh.

Seeing that she liked it, Jiang Shangxian tactfully picked up another piece of food for her with his chopsticks. "Madam, you must have eaten many squid dishes in Qinghe. I'm just trying to please you. I thought a more refreshing dish would be good for your appetite."

Today Jiang Shangxian put himself in the role of a maid in Suiyuxuan and acted as a bootlicker as he could.

Zhao Yue didn't refuse her thoughtful gesture. Jiang Shangxian opened a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green and poured two cups of it. He then took a small bowl and filled it with sea cucumber and corn porridge. "Madam, have a bowl of porridge first. Although this corn is cheap, it is very nourishing to the stomach."

"Oh? It's corn porridge?"

Zhao Yue was really surprised. Corn was cheap and wealthy people seldom ate it. Apart from the yellowish color that resembled corn, this bowl of porridge did not feel cheap at all. Although the abalone was sliced, anyone who had eaten abalone could tell at a glance that it was sprinkled with finely chopped green onions. The aroma was not the strongest among these dishes, but it was the most eye-catching.

She picked it up and stirred it twice, only to see translucent white particles inside. She was curious: "What is this?"

"It's shrimp meat, diced and cooked together. This porridge is also cooked with shrimp oil."

When Jiang Shangxian makes seafood porridge, he likes to put diced shrimp into it. Of course, the shrimp heads cannot be thrown away directly. They must be stir-fried with a little oil to produce shrimp oil to make the best use of them.

That is, there were no blue crabs, and it was too troublesome for ancient noble ladies to eat crabs, otherwise her favorite would be blue crab seafood porridge.