PFC Chapter 120 Chili Pepper
Chapter 120 Chili Pepper
Jia Hu felt it was a waste of such a precious item. It was only used for display, and he didn't even have one himself. He wondered if the Jia family had anything like it, but he hadn't seen it when he was having fun at home.
Jia Hu:
"Does the estate have any stale stock? Bring it over so I can take a look."
The person in charge didn't know why the young master had suddenly become interested in this thing, and quickly said to the person beside him:
"Go to the kitchen and get it quickly!" Jia Hu exclaimed in surprise.
"You've already eaten in the kitchen?"
The person in charge thought that the young master was investigating them for eating chili peppers, so he quickly knelt down and begged for forgiveness.
Everything on the estate belonged to the owner, and they could not take it at will. Although what they picked up was what the owner didn't want, they were still afraid that Jia Hu would investigate.
Jia Hu was startled. What was going on? He quickly stopped him, saying:
"I didn't mean to blame you. I was just wondering if there's anyone in the village who knows how to eat this and how to prepare it?"
The manager breathed a sigh of relief and continued:
"Originally, no one would eat it. It was just left to fall. It was relatives from Guizhou who came to visit. They said that the poor families there thought salt was precious, so they used chili peppers instead of salt, which gave it some flavor."
After he said that, everyone felt it was a waste to waste such a good thing. So the cook in the village tried it, and the result was a rather peculiar taste. Some people liked it, while others did not.
I had mentioned it to the head steward before, but the steward of the manor said that the masters wouldn't like such lowly food, so, so that's why..."
The steward didn't say what came next, but Jia Hu already knew what he hadn't said.
In the eyes of the steward of the mansion, this kind of food, which was brought by poor families to replace salt, was not worthy of the attention of the masters of the Duke's mansion, let alone the table of the Jia family.
Jia Hu suddenly remembered that when Sister Feng was introduced to the Jia family for the first time by Lin Daiyu, Grandmother Jia jokingly called her a rascal and a good-for-nothing, and told Lin Daiyu to call her Sister Feng, or Sister Feng the Spicy One.
The name "Feng Lazi" uses chili peppers as a metaphor to describe Sister Feng's behavior and personality.
But Sister Feng probably hadn't eaten chili peppers before, because she had previously teased Baoyu, Daiyu, and Baochai by saying, "Since nobody eats ginger, why is it spicy?"
The fact that they didn't use chili peppers but instead used ginger to describe it shows that in Sister Feng's eyes, chili peppers are really not something that can be considered respectable.
Jia Hu exclaimed in his heart
What a waste! Such delicious food, and no one recognizes it. Food has no inherent value; what matters is that it tastes good.
Jia Hu quickly said to the steward:
"Bring me as many as you have, I need them."
He still needs to see if there's any difference between the chili peppers now and in the future. Hehe, here comes the hot pot!
Listening to her brother's heartfelt words, Jia Zhen and Jia Zhu also became interested in chili peppers. What else was there that they had never eaten before?
Soon, the servant brought over the chili peppers. Jia Hu's eyes lit up when he saw them, and he went over to pick them up.
The servant quickly stopped him, saying, "Young master, this stuff is very pungent. If it gets on your hands or accidentally touches your body, it will burn you."
Jia Hu laughed and said:
“I know, he picked one up lightly.”
Looking at the dried chili peppers in his hand, Jia Hu was pleasantly surprised. He took a gentle sniff and found that they were indeed flavorful.
Jia Hu handed the dried chili peppers to a servant, thought about the recipe for hot pot broth in his mind, and told the servant to prepare these things.
The servant listened to a series of things, but couldn't remember some of them. What were all these things? He knew some of them, but what about others? Weren't they medicine?
Seeing his expression, Jia Hu slapped his forehead. He had been so happy that he had forgotten how long the list of names could possibly be remembered.
"Bring me paper and pen."
The person in charge ordered someone to bring paper and pen.
Jia Hu sat on the stone bench, excitedly wrote down what he needed, and handed it to the steward to prepare.
"Tonight's dishes don't need to be prepared according to the menu. Just prepare what I need first."
After thinking for a moment, Jia Hu continued:
Where is the kitchen?
He was about to go and see the steward holding the prescription, looking at the contents of the prescription and having a headache, when he heard Jia Hu say he was going to the kitchen.
The young master's ideas are unpredictable; the kitchen is a place with lots of oil and smoke, how could he go there? So I advised him:
"Young Master, just let me know if you need anything. The kitchen area..."
"Lead the way."
Jia Hu interrupted.
The steward couldn't stop him. He could only lead the way. When they arrived at the kitchen, the cooks assumed the steward was their master and had something to tell them. They were surprised to see the young master following behind.
Why did the young master suddenly come over? Is there something he's not satisfied with that they prepared for him?
The kitchen manager quickly wiped his hands on his apron and came over to greet him respectfully.
Jia Hu laughed and said:
"Don't be nervous, I have something for you to do."
The kitchen manager breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Jia Hu then began to tell them what to prepare and what to prepare.
The cook was worldly and knowledgeable; upon hearing this, she cautiously asked:
"Young master, would you like some hot pot?"
Seeing that she knew, Jia Hu smiled and nodded. The cook breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"Young master, since you want to eat it, we'll make sure it's prepared perfectly."
The person in charge has finished looking at the list and is now facing a dilemma regarding the butter on it.
Seeing that he was frowning, Jia Hu asked:
Is there anything difficult about it?
He noticed this when he wrote it; now that everything mentioned above is available, it shouldn't be difficult to obtain.
The manager explained:
"Young master, everything else is fine. Although there are many medicinal herbs, you should be able to find them all in a pharmacy. It's just this butter."
Jia Hu:
Is it difficult to do? Or do you not know how to do it?
Thinking that the young master was too young to know, the steward explained:
"Young master, the imperial court forbids the slaughter of oxen."
Jia Hu then suddenly realized that cattle were very important in ancient times, and he had forgotten that oxen used for plowing could not be slaughtered at will. Only cattle that had died in accidents or from old age could be eaten.
Seeing the young master frowning, the steward gritted his teeth and said:
"It's not difficult, young master. Don't worry, I'll send someone to the market to look for any cattle that have been involved in accidents."
The manager thought that where there are rules, there are countermeasures. He knew that as long as he spent more money, he could find a cow that had been lost in an accident.
Jia Hu was in a bit of a dilemma. Butter was the most important ingredient in hot pot broth; it was the soul of the dish!