Crossing Over to Yamada Love

After chopping the tomatoes, Mo Lan poured them into the pan and stir-fried them until they turned into a paste and released their red oil. Once the oil was released, she added sweet and sour sauce, and finally poured in the pork strips and stir-fried. The pan sizzled, and when the sauce thickened, Mo Lan ladled the dish out.

She asked Xia Yu to add water to the pot, and left only one piece of firewood burning in the stove, so that she and Xia Yu could try the dish.

The two praised the dish after eating, both saying it was delicious. Mo Lan smiled and nodded; this was just as she expected. She knew how to make this in her past life, so it wasn't difficult to make it now. The taste was also quite good. However, she currently had only one problem: in her past life, they had tomato sauce, but they didn't have it here. It would be fine if they had tomatoes, but what about when they didn't?

Of course, she could try making tomato sauce, but how would she store it? It spoils easily and doesn't last long; tomatoes are only available for a few months. What would she do if they ran out? That was a problem. Mo Lan hadn't figured out a solution. Besides, without tomatoes, neither sweet and sour pork nor sweet and sour fish would look as appealing.

Mo Lan had no choice but to watch the two eat. Following the procedure, she made another plate without tomatoes this time. After it was done, Granny Bai and Xia Yu tasted it and remained silent.

"Mother Bai, Xia Yu, please speak frankly." Mo Lan understood the problem, so she encouraged them to speak directly.

“Miss, to be frank, if it weren’t for that first dish, this one you made later would also be very delicious, with a good flavor. But because I’ve tasted the first dish, I feel this one is inferior, and the color isn’t as appealing. I don’t understand, if you could make the first dish, why make this one?” Granny Bai voiced her confusion. Xia Yu nodded in agreement, clearly thinking the same thing.

"Mom probably saw it too. I put tomatoes in the appetizer for flavor and color, but Mom also knows that tomatoes aren't available all year round. What if we don't have them? How do we make this dish?" Mo Lan didn't hide anything and told the truth.

Granny Bai and Xia Yu frowned. What the young lady said was right. There was no time for persimmons. No wonder the young lady made this dish later. But this dish was indeed worse than the first dish. If the customers in the restaurant were served this after the first dish, they would probably have complaints.

Seeing the two women frowning, Mo Lan knew they were also at a loss. Mo Lan didn't dwell on it and tried again, omitting the tomatoes and increasing the intensity of the seasonings. After several attempts, she still couldn't achieve the desired effect.

Mo Lan knew she couldn't make it right away, so she stopped making the tenderloin and started making the ribs instead. Anyway, the ribs just didn't need tomatoes.

When cooking pork ribs, don't stir-fry them for too long, otherwise the meat flavor will be lost. After stir-frying, Mo Lan deep-fried half of the ribs, and left the other half unfried.

She started by cooking the spare ribs that weren't fried.

Mo Lan put oil and crushed rock sugar into the pot and simmered it over low heat until the oil changed color. Then she added the pork ribs and stir-fried them.

Once the ribs were evenly coated with the sauce, Mo Lan added boiling water, enough to cover the ribs, then added aged vinegar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. She covered the pot and, after the water boiled, instructed Xia Yu to reduce the heat to low and simmer.

Mo Lan started cooking again. She added a little water to the pot, then a little rock sugar, and slowly melted it over low heat. When bubbles appeared on the surface and the color gradually turned yellow, she added salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, mixing well and letting it simmer until it turned a deep red. Then she added the fried ribs and stir-fried them, ensuring each piece was coated in the sauce. When the sauce was almost ready, she ladled it out and garnished it with some cilantro.

Mo Lan carried the ribs to the table and placed them for the two to try. She then looked at another pot and saw that there was only a quarter left of the broth. Mo Lan added salt, explaining that adding salt too early would make the meat tough and unpalatable.

Mo Lan turned up the heat and reduced the soup with the lid off, because reducing the soup with the lid off would make it reduce faster. Before the soup was completely reduced, Mo Lan ladled it out of the pot; if the soup were completely evaporated, it would turn into oil and wouldn't taste good.

After serving, Mo Lan sprinkled some cilantro and white sesame seeds on top, making it look quite appealing.

Mo Lan smelled it and thought it smelled wonderful, so she brought it over for the two of them to try.

"Miss, it's delicious! You've been busy all day, have a couple of pieces too." Xia Yu excitedly handed Mo Lan a pair of chopsticks and urged her to eat.

"You guys eat, I'm not hungry. Besides, I don't eat cilantro. This is especially for you." Mo Lan smiled at her. She had a strange habit of not liking cilantro, neither in her past life nor in her current life. She didn't like the taste.

"Miss, you don't eat cilantro? If you don't eat it, why did you put it in?" Xia Yu asked, puzzled.

"Look at the color of this vegetable, it's deep red, but the cilantro is bright green. Adding some cilantro will make it look much better. Besides, there aren't many people like me who don't eat cilantro, so don't worry about me, just eat quickly. Also, don't throw these vegetables away, it would be such a waste. Send a plate to Chunhua at noon, and we'll eat the rest," Mo Lan instructed the two of them.

"Yes, sir. This servant obeys. This servant thanks Miss on behalf of Chunhua. The dishes Miss made are delicious, and Chunhua will definitely like them." Xia Yu thanked Mo Lan on behalf of Chunhua. Speaking of them, if they were favored and trusted in the mansion, they ate quite well. If they were not favored, they didn't eat very well. Pure pork ribs like this were not something they could eat often.

Mo Lan smiled and told Xia Yu to get up. She started experimenting again, working on it all day. The two dishes, pork ribs and pork belly, were delicious and didn't need further experimentation. But the sweet and sour pork ribs were giving her a headache. Without tomatoes, no matter how she made them, she couldn't get them to her liking. The best she could manage was to add tomatoes and achieve about 80% of the desired flavor.

That evening, Mo Lan told Wang Shi the results. Wang Shi hugged Mo Lan and gently advised, "Girl, this can't be rushed. Let's take it slowly. There will always be a way."

Mo Lan enjoyed the warmth and tranquility, and nodded gently, saying, "Yes, Grandma, I know."

"Have you made arrangements with the Xue family's young master? When will they come to pick you up?" Madam Wang asked again about the arrangements for tomorrow.

"No, they didn't send a message to the inner courtyard, probably because they're afraid of gossip. But I reckon there won't be any problem; they'll probably send a letter after breakfast. Grandma, are you really sure you can manage? I'm really worried." At the end, Mo Lan sat up straight and asked Wang Shi earnestly.

"Silly girl, Grandma has been through this, don't worry about me. Just have fun tomorrow. Go out and see more, don't come all this way to the capital and see nothing." Madam Wang pulled her granddaughter closer and stroked Mo Lan's hair. Her granddaughter's hair was so smooth, black and shiny, thick and beautiful to look at.

"Grandma, you must be careful. I'm leaving Bai Mama and Xia Yu with you. If anything happens, just have them go to the front yard to find the Marquis. Don't worry about losing face. As long as you're alright, nothing else matters," Mo Lan instructed her grandmother.

"I understand, but girl, are they trustworthy?" Wang asked in a low voice, referring to Granny Bai and Xia Yu.

Mo Lan recounted the situation to Wang Shi, including what Granny Bai had said. Upon hearing this, Wang Shi couldn't hold back her tears again. She truly missed her mother, but sadly, she hadn't been able to see her one last time. She could never repay her mother's kindness.

Mo Lan looked at her grandmother, whose eyes were filled with tears, and offered a few words of comfort. Then, instead of returning to her own room, she and Wang Shi went to rest.

The next morning, Wang took Molan to pay their respects to the Lady of the Marquis, who invited them to stay for breakfast. Just after breakfast, the servant sent by the Marquis arrived and invited Molan to the study.

Lady Hou glanced at Mo Lan, her eyes flickering. She lowered her gaze, wondering if the girl was going out again. What did the Marquis mean by this? Today was their household's banquet, attended by close family friends and ladies of high rank, including Lady Xue. Did the Marquis not intend to let this girl meet them? What exactly was the Marquis planning?

Upon hearing this, the second madam began to lecture her, implying that Mo Lan did not have the demeanor of a proper young lady, was frivolous, and did not take the Marquis's mansion seriously.

Putting aside the fact that the Second Madam was making sarcastic remarks, although the Lady of the Marquis had her own thoughts, she couldn't stop her, much less speak ill of Mo Lan like the Second Madam did. After giving a few instructions, she smiled and let Mo Lan go.

Mo Lan left in a sedan chair. She didn't take the Second Madam's words to heart. What harm would a few words do to her? As long as she didn't go too far, she could say whatever she wanted.

Upon arriving at the study, Mo Lan alighted from the sedan chair. After being announced by a servant, Mo Lan entered the study and greeted the Marquis. Surprisingly, the Second Master was also there. Mo Lan exchanged greetings with each of them.

"Girl, there's a banquet at the manor today, and I didn't want you to go out. But Ling Feng is right, you don't like these things. Fine, you can go with him. But girl, you owe your great-uncle a favor, how do you plan to repay it?" The old Marquis looked at Mo Lan and teased her with a smile. He couldn't help it; the moment he saw Mo Lan, he saw her as a younger version of his sister, and his heart was filled with tenderness. Therefore, he loved Mo Lan because of her, and had always been very kind to her.

Mo Lan knew the old Marquis was teasing her, and smiled, saying, "How about treating my great-uncle to a good meal?"

"Alright, your great-uncle has been waiting for you to say that. Your great-uncle has been thinking about your cooking all along. When will you be serving me some? We need to set a date, or I'm afraid you'll renege on your promise." As soon as the old Marquis heard that Mo Lan was going to cook, he immediately set a date. The dishes Mo Lan made at the Mo family's last time were very much to his liking.

"Oh? Lan'er can actually cook? Are you going to invite me? I haven't tried it yet." The second master glanced at Mo Lan after hearing this and teased her.

"Of course we'll invite them, but there are still a few dishes that Lanlan is still trying to make, and they're not quite right yet. Once Lanlan has them ready, she'll definitely invite your two great-uncles to Lan Courtyard to taste them." Mo Lan didn't stand on ceremony with the two of them and spoke frankly.