Crossing Over to Yamada Love

She cut the tofu into small cubes, boiled water, added a little salt to the pot, and blanched the tofu in the hot water to remove the beany taste. Then she took it out and soaked it in clean water.

Then she asked Liu to mince the beef for her, added a little Shaoxing wine and light soy sauce, mixed it, and marinated it. She put the peppercorns and chili peppers into a pot and stir-fried them until fragrant, then scooped them out and asked Qiu to crush them for her.

She took the minced beef, added a little cornstarch and mixed it well. After heating the pan, she added a lot of oil, then added the minced beef and stir-fried it for a few seconds until it changed color. She then added soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and stir-fried for a few seconds. After that, she added tofu, chili flakes, water, salt, and soy sauce, covered the pan, and started cooking.

While cooking tofu, she picked up the bean paste that Wang had prepared for her that morning, removed the bean skins, turned it into red bean paste, and squeezed it into small round balls.

"Mother, please help me stir this egg. Stir it until it foams and can be pulled up." Mo Lan handed the bowl full of egg whites to Qiu Shi.

"You spendthrift! You only want the egg white, why don't you want the yolk?" Qiu felt a pang of heartache when she saw her daughter had left out the egg yolk, thinking she was going to throw it away.

"I'll keep the yellow one for later," Mo Lan replied to her mother. She knew her mother was worried about it, but she hadn't said she wanted to throw it away.

After the egg whites were mixed, Qiu shook her arms, realizing that mixing egg whites was actually quite tiring work.

Mo Lan had already heated the pan, added a little oil, poured in the beaten egg yolks, and spread them into thin pancakes. After making two thin egg pancakes, she stacked them, cut them into strips, and placed them on the cutting board.

As soon as she placed it on the cutting board, Qiu Xiaojun picked it up to leave.

"Brother, wait a minute, it's not ready yet," Mo Lan hurriedly called out to him.

Qiu Xiaojun hurriedly put down the dishes and told Mo Lan to continue preparing them.

Mo Lan watched as the oil in the pan heated up, then put the shredded eggs in to fry until they puffed up. She then took them out. She told Qiu Xiaojun to wait a moment, and while the oil was still hot, she evenly coated the red bean paste with egg white, then fried it in the oil. After frying, she sprinkled a layer of crushed rock sugar on top—this was her beautiful red bean paste.

She asked Qiu to help her clean the oil pan, while she took the fried egg strips to the small stove. Oil was added to the small stove, and rock sugar powder was gently stirred until it slowly simmered into a syrup. Then the fried eggs were added and quickly stir-fried until the egg strips were evenly coated with the syrup. This was then poured into a plate; this was the "caramelized crispy yellow vegetable dish."

Qiu Dajun had already served the beautiful red bean paste and the candied yellow vegetables, and Mo Lan then picked up a plate of soaked beans.

After stir-frying star anise and chili pepper pieces in the pot until fragrant, Mo Lan added the beans and quickly stir-fried them. She then added the seasonings, stir-fried them a few more times, and served them.

These beans are fragrant and spicy when stir-fried, and they go perfectly with rice.

Mo Lan checked that the tofu was almost ready, added Sichuan peppercorn powder, scooped it out, and asked Qiu Xiaojun to bring it to the table.

After finishing the tofu, she went to check on the other pot of boiling water. Although there was no meat in it, so the taste would be a bit different, it was still pretty good. She added radish slices, cabbage slices, potato slices, and bean sprouts to the pot and cooked them together. Looking at the layer of oily chili on top, Mo Lan felt very hungry.

She served a bowl and had Qiu Xiaojun take it upstairs, keeping the rest for her family.

Once the dishes were served, Mo Lan picked up a tray with warm water on it, thinking that Madam Xue would need it later.

"Lan'er, be careful and don't say anything carelessly. That's your future mother-in-law. If she doesn't like you, you'll suffer in the future," Qiu Shi said to her daughter, somewhat worried.

"Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing and won't say anything out of line." Mo Lan smiled at her mother and then walked out.

Inside the private room, Madam Xue was eating boiled vegetables. The flavor was strong and a bit spicy, but she didn't want to stop eating. The more she ate, the more addictive it became, and she couldn't bear to let anyone put down their chopsticks.

With a smile, Mo Lan placed a glass of warm water in front of Madam Xue.

Madam Xue glanced at her, picked up the hot water, and took a few sips. It felt so good, really so good; the hot water washed away much of the taste in her mouth. After finishing the water, she wanted to eat again, but too much of a good thing can be bad. She didn't touch her chopsticks. She had already eaten quite a bit today, and all the dishes suited her taste perfectly. Marrying a wife like this wasn't bad. At least she was satisfied with the food. Besides, the girl was quite generous and well-mannered.

Madam Xue waved her hand, and the two old maids in the private room withdrew, leaving only the maid who had come with her last time. It seemed that this maid held a special place in her heart.

"Mo Lan, please sit down." Madam Xue gestured to a stool, inviting Mo Lan to sit.

Mo Lan thought for a moment, then said yes and sat down.

"Feng'er told me what happened, and I didn't object. The reason I came to see you is to talk to you and clarify some things." Madam Xue was satisfied with Mo Lan's appearance; she wasn't petty or timid in front of her. She wasn't someone who was unworthy of being discussed.

"Please speak, Madam." Mo Lan was not familiar with her personality, so she could only listen first before making a decision.

"Feng'er said you don't want to enter the manor, but you need to think this through. Feng'er is a member of the Xue family. Even if you don't enter the manor, you can't escape this relationship. Not entering the manor doesn't mean there won't be trouble in the future. Do you understand?" Madam Xue looked at Mo Lan, hoping that Mo Lan could understand her meaning. No matter what, this girl was still a bit young, and even if she was smart, there were limits.

“I have no choice about my identity and background. My decision not to enter the manor is not to escape, but to live a more relaxed and carefree life. I know that there will inevitably be trouble in the future, but I am happier and more carefree in the villa than in the Xue manor. So I choose not to enter the manor. But if something happens, I will not run away and will face it.” Mo Lan looked directly at Madam Xue without flinching.

Madam Xue nodded gently. The girl was speaking from the heart. Her choice was a good one.

"You and Feng'er will inevitably encounter many difficulties. Are you mentally prepared?" Madam Xue asked again.

"Difficulties are solved by people. If a difficulty can be solved, it's not a real difficulty. Life can't always be peaceful; there will always be ripples. As long as you're focused, I believe you can overcome any difficulty." Mo Lan smiled slightly. Once she made a decision, she should face it bravely. She wouldn't shrink from difficulties.

"Alright, I'll remember what you said. There's something else I need to tell you first." After speaking, Madam Xue glanced at Mo Lan and then at the maid behind her, saying, "Her name is Dongmei. She's been by my side since she was ten years old. She's clever and sensible. When the time is right, I'll have Feng'er take her in as a concubine. Apart from her, I won't let Feng'er take any other concubines. I won't add any more people to his household. What do you think?"

The maid named Dongmei blushed upon hearing this. She knew that the mistress had always harbored this idea, and that the person she truly loved was also the Fifth Young Master. She had always hoped to be by his side, and had originally thought that her future status as the mistress would surely be noble. She never imagined that the Fifth Young Master would take a fancy to a country girl and even want to marry her. But it was alright; this girl was of lowly status, and even if she became the young master's wife, she couldn't bully her, because she was given to her by the mistress. She had to be treated with respect.

Mo Lan looked at the blushing maid. This maid probably also had feelings for Xue Lingfeng, judging from her handsome face turning red.

Mo Lan sighed softly in her heart, but her smile remained unchanged. She said, "Madam, I'm afraid you haven't discussed this matter with Young Master Xue, have you?"

Madam Xue stared at Mo Lan in surprise. What did she mean? Did she disagree? She hadn't discussed it with Feng'er, but she figured Feng'er wouldn't refuse.

“I don’t think Feng’er will refuse. What? Lanlan doesn’t agree?” Madam Xue’s smile faded slightly.

“Madam, Lanlan doesn’t want to deceive you. Young Master Xue has stated that he will only have Lanlan in his life. He will not have any concubines, mistresses, or maids. Therefore, Lanlan begs Madam to find a suitable marriage for Dongmei.” Molan didn’t want to play games. She didn’t want to agree to Madam Xue’s request on one hand and then have Xue Lingfeng reject her on the other. If she married Xue Lingfeng, she would have to live under the same roof as her mother-in-law. Playing mind games would be too tiring.

Dongmei's face turned pale instantly upon hearing Molan's words. She had actually rejected Madam's suggestion! She actually wouldn't let her be with the young master, saying that the young master couldn't have anyone else. How could the young master like such a jealous woman? She must be lying.

"Do you know that jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce?" Madam Xue took a sip of water, her smile vanished, and she stared at Mo Lan.

"Madam, may I speak with you alone for a while?" Mo Lan did not answer her question. There were some things she did not want Dong Mei to hear. No matter how much the madam liked Dong Mei, she was still a person with her own thoughts. Today she was loyal to the madam, but what about tomorrow? If someone bribed her, she might say something reckless and cause trouble.

Madam Xue carefully examined Mo Lan; this girl was truly peculiar. She waved her hand, dismissing Dong Mei. Dong Mei was unwilling, but she couldn't disobey Madam Xue's wishes, so she withdrew.

Mo Lan went to the door to check, and saw that Dong Mei was standing there and refused to leave. Did she still want to eavesdrop? She reached out and called Qiu Xiaojun over, asking him to keep an eye on Dong Mei for her.

"Madam says I'm jealous. Lanlan, may I ask you this: is it a jealous woman who lives a more authentic life, or a virtuous woman?" Molan asked Madam Xue softly.

Madam Xue looked at her but did not answer.

"Women take their husbands as their heaven. If a husband has three wives and four concubines, the wife must be virtuous. She must not only be good to her husband, but also to the other women. Otherwise, she is considered jealous. Is this really what women think? Yes, I don't want my husband to have other women around him in the future. Because if he has other women, he will no longer have me in his heart. I will be sad and heartbroken. I am afraid that I will do something extreme. I don't want to be sad and heartbroken myself, so I cannot tolerate it."

"If in the future Young Master Xue really has someone else, I will not stop him. That means he is no longer mine. I will write a letter of divorce, leave, and never interfere in his life again." Mo Lan said firmly, she could not do what ancient women did—share a husband with another man.