She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 341 - 340 Guan He has eaten it all

Chapter 341: Chapter 340 Guan He has eaten it all

Jinrong slightly furrowed his brows. The court had issued a clear decree, strictly prohibiting the slaughter of oxen used for plowing. The current Emperor led by example, not only did he personally handle the plow to start the spring farming every year to show the importance he placed on agriculture and oxen, but also, no beef had been seen in the royal palace for over a dozen years.

Jiang Yifan explained, "The cow that was slaughtered at the cattle farm has a record at the county government office. The record states that this cow had injured one of its hind legs and could no longer work."

Qi Younian added from the side, "I should have mentioned this to Sixth Master earlier. This is a dairy cow, and it used to produce a decent amount of cow’s milk. But after its leg was injured, the milk yield dropped significantly. Several attempts at breeding were unsuccessful, and keeping it was impractical, as selling it would not fetch a good price. It had been raised for over a month, just waiting to be slaughtered for the New Year."

Jinrong’s frown relaxed. Indiscriminate slaughter of plowing oxen could hinder agriculture, and if someone with ulterior motives were to exploit this, his and Jiang Yifan’s cattle farm might end up under the court’s surveillance. However, if there was a justifiable reason with records at the government office, that was another matter altogether.

"Pfft!" Guan He looked at Jinrong with disdain in his eyes, "How does Sixth Master manage his household, employing people without even knowing the tempers and nature of his stewards? Would Qi Ye leave such a handle for others to grab? Sixth Master’s questioning was entirely unnecessary."

Jinrong glanced at Guan He, "It’s just about eating beef a little later, look at your lack of ambition. Not only have you not improved over the years, but you’ve also become even worse than before."

Guan He retorted sarcastically, "I’ve gotten older, it’s natural for an old man to lack ambition. Sixth Master, in prime age, isn’t much better. Rather than staying properly in the capital, you came here to squeeze a young woman to work for you."

"What do you know? I am employing the right person for the right job, Qi Ye is displaying her talent and capabilities, and we both get what we need. You, a carefree wanderer of Jianghu who lacks responsibility, wouldn’t understand these things," Jinrong said.

"How come I’ve never seen Madam Qi get what she needs, but I’ve only seen you..."

"Senior brother," Jiang Yifan hastily interrupted him, "let’s not quarrel. Eating and drinking are more important. Are you not waiting to eat beef? Sixth Master is too busy arguing to bother with his chopsticks."

Guan He immediately turned his criticism to Jiang Yifan, "And you, following Sixth Master Rong, have lost your principles too, right? I’m your elder brother, you know. You should be helping me suppress the arrogance of your Sixth Master, not just trying to keep the peace and be the good guy."

Qi Younian and Wang Qiao were both taken aback, Jinrong laughed with a ’hehe’, wavering his chopsticks as he said, "Come on, let’s eat." He picked up a piece of beef, bit off half, chewed it carefully, and swallowed, then praised, "Tastes good, the cooking’s penetrated well, and the texture’s great, giving something to chew on."

Guan He naturally ignored Jiang Yifan and followed suit, taking a whole piece of beef, savoring the taste while muttering incoherently with praise, "Really didn’t disappoint me, beef just has a great flavor. I smelled the aroma of boiling beef last night and was so tempted. The kitchen was busy, and it just drove me crazy."

Feeling good, Jinrong didn’t hold the earlier squabble with Guan He against him, and chimed in, "Being close to the cattle farm sure has its perks, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to enjoy beef so freely. Even in the capital, beef can’t be purchased that often throughout the year."

Guan He raised his cup, gestured towards Jinrong, and said, "You’re speaking the truth, and your actions aren’t bad either. If it weren’t for your cattle farm, there wouldn’t be cheese, and I probably wouldn’t have found this little village. And had that happened, wouldn’t I have missed out on many interesting events and lots of delicious food? Here’s to Sixth Master."

Qi Younian and Jiang Yifan exchanged glances, both choosing not to speak further, and carried on eating with their chopsticks.

Then, after tasting the sheep’s liver, Jinrong said to Guan He, "This sheep’s liver is also good. Brother Guan, try some. I didn’t expect that after pouring vinegar and minced garlic sauce over sheep’s liver, it would taste like this."

Guan He chimed in, "The dishes served to guests at his home will definitely not be mistaken. You haven’t stayed at his place, so you don’t know Old Master Qi’s granddaughter; she thinks about what to eat all day long. Every time she sees ingredients going into the kitchen, she pesters the cooks, asking for something sweet, sour, sweet and sour, salty with a hint of sweetness, something boiled, fried..., anyway, she takes things and tries fiercely, really gives them a hard time. With such fuss, if she can’t produce a few good dishes, wouldn’t it be a waste of the Nanny’s hard work?"

Jinrong chuckled and asked, "Brother Guan, do you look down on Ye Zi’s fussing?"

Guan He immediately retorted, "Why would I? I’m praising her, can’t you tell?" With that, he picked up another chopstick full of bean sprouts, "These are good too, stir-fried to a refreshing and crispy taste, eating them cuts through the greasiness. Let me tell you, it’s truly satisfying to enjoy delicious dishes made from ordinary ingredients."

Jinrong glanced at him, thinking Yuanfan brought this guy over mostly for eating, right?

While they ate, talked, and bantered, two hot dishes were brought to the table, braised lamb in red sauce and double-cooked pork with garlic shoots. The braised lamb was brightly colored, emitting a rich mutton stew fragrance as soon as it was served. And the bright green garlic shoot segments in the plate of double-cooked pork brightened up the winter table, pleasingly lifting one’s spirits.

Guan He looked at the plate of double-cooked pork with garlic shoots and laughingly asked Zi Ning, who was serving the dish, "Did Nanny Liu cut the garlic shoots planted by Young Lady to make this dish?"

Zi Ning nodded seriously and replied, "Nanny only cut enough for one dish, leaving another dish’s worth for Young Lady." Then she bowed and left.

Jinrong stared after her, dumbfounded: "Did I send Ye Zi such a sincere maid?"

Guan He almost burst out laughing, quickly pointing to the plate of double-cooked pork with garlic shoots and said, "Never mind that, during the harsh winter, having a bit of greenery isn’t easy. Try it, I last had this dish in the autumn. The taste of meat and garlic shoots blend together so well, it’s quite delicious."

Qi Younian watched Zi Ning leave and also felt amused. Zi Ning was always one to follow orders without meddling in extra affairs, not necessarily sincere, but too lazy to deal with many unnecessary matters. However, her straightforward character was quite to Ye Zi’s liking.

Old Master Qi held back his laughter and said, "This braised lamb isn’t bad either, flavorful, with radish and potatoes well-seasoned, very appetizing."

Guan He also strongly recommended, "It’s really good, not just the radish and potatoes are seasoned well, but the key is the lamb is stewed excellently, with fat and lean parts, tender without being dry, simply melts in your mouth."

Jinrong tried a piece, and it was indeed delicious, with no smell of mutton, leaving only a rich meaty flavor that was lusciously fatty without being greasy.

Guan He, watching Jinrong’s expressive reaction, smiled and said, "Good, right? It was only after coming here that I realized stewing mutton is not only about the spices and the method, but also about the sheep. Their mutton is raised by Zhang Baokui from the cheese workshop. Even the grass fed to the sheep is chosen with care, that’s why it’s so delicious."

The following hot dishes were served one after another: steamed chicken wings in rice powder, sweet and sour ribs, grilled fish with cheese, stir-fried yam with black fungus, and a clear stewed oxtail soup.

Besides the stir-fried yam with black fungus, the others were all dishes that Jinrong and Jiang Yifan had not tried.

Jinrong didn’t talk much, merely moved his chopsticks, tasting each one by one, discovering each dish had its own unique flavor. He asked Guan He while nibbling on a rib, "Brother Guan, have you tried all of these dishes?"