Chapter 176: Husband Taming Technique

 

Translated by Gumihou

Please read this at kitchennovel dot com

 

The pastry in her hand was not small, and it swelled quite thickly in the middle. Concubine Jing bit off half, and to her surprise, the thick middle part was actually quite soft and fluffy. A thick, sweet liquid flowed out and she quickly licked it up. After carefully tasting the liquid, she brightened and said, “Is this the Filled Fluffy Cakes[1] you’ve been talking about? It certainly is soft and fluffy. The ones you’ve made before is already quite delicious, but this one is in a league of its own. No wonder you called those a failure. And this cream, just how did you get it inside? And how is it still so creamy and runny?”

“Stupid melon, that’s not cream. It’s condensed milk. Also, I can’t claim credit to it. Second master sent it over, told me it was made by some restaurants trying to imitate our cream. However, they all failed because they couldn’t quite reach the velocity needed to properly whip up cream and ended up with all kinds of weird results. Luckily for us, this one was not bad in terms of taste and texture. When baked into cakes the flavour is incredibly good. Aside from condensed milk flavour, I’ve also prepared other fillings using fruit sauces. There’s strawberry, apple, pineapple, orange and other fruit flavours. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Consider this your lucky day. Quick, taste these for me. I still need to make other preparations. After this, I have an audience with the empress and will need to send some over to the royal family too.”

Concubine Jing smiled, “No wonder sister is still so happy even when you’re so tired. But, why did the lord leave? With so many nice things here, surely he’d want to eat his fill openly? Why did he leave? This kind of opportunity won’t come so easily in the future.”

Su Nuan Nuan rolled her eyes and snickered sinisterly, “Do you really think he’d lost his mind running off at a crucial time like this? That scum had already stuffed himself round with Lotus Flower Pastries and Pork Chop Stuffed Rice Cakes[2]. His stomach is now too full to put anything more. He’d just ran off to practice martial arts to help him digest everything before coming back for more.”

“He… he had stuffed himself round? Out to… practice martial arts for digestions? He’s coming back for… more?” Concubine Jing’s practised calm was shaken by Su Nuan Nuan’s answer. So much so that she could only mutter to herself for a long while. Suddenly, Zhu Xiu cried out confusedly, “Ah! This is… this is… madam concubine, this is incredibly delicious, ah. You must try it.”

Even as she spoke, Zhu Xiu already shoved a piece into her mistress’ mouth. Concubine Jing chewed twice and cried, “Meat! It has meat in it. Why is there meat? And so tender too. Is this the Pork Chop Stuffed Rice Cake? No wonder the lord stuffed himself round and still want to eat more. How could he resist such a wondrous thing?”

As she was speaking, Zhu Xiu quickly picked up another piece. She carefully turned the snack over in her hand before prying it open. Underneath the sticky rice cake was a piece of pork chop. When she ripped off a piece, it came apart easily in her hands. Though it was fried in oil, the meat was neither dry nor greasy. In fact, it was still juicy and incredibly delicious.

“I’ve never been too fond of meat, but I do eat pork chops occasionally. However, madam’s cooking method has completely blown my mind.” Concubine Jing said excitedly between bites of the treat. She somehow ate three pieces before managing to stop herself and finally getting down to the important business of trying other snacks. There were Crispy Fried Dough Twist, Crystal Osmanthus Cake[3], and more. Each and every one of them were incredibly aromatic, classy looking, and outstandingly delicious.

Concubine Jing has a small appetite. After trying one of each snack, she was soon full. While stroking her full stomach, she grinned and said she might have to go and exercise in order to aid digestion too. She had just finished speaking when the sounds of children’s chatter floated over. Almost immediately, Duan Maoming and Duan Maochuan rushed in, followed by several other children. Even two-year-old Duan Caiqin[4] came trotting in after her brothers. At the sight of Su Nuan Nuan, the little girl held up her arms and giggled, “Firsh mama, hugsies. Firsh mama, hugsies,” she still has a slight lisp in her speech.

“Aiyo, my little precious baby. First mama can’t give you hugsies now. Wait for your father to come home and get him to give you hugsies, dearie.” Su Nuan Nuan quickly waved her hands and said to Duan Maofan, “Fan’er, bring your brothers and sister to the warm room. I’ll get my maids to send you some snacks. Make sure not to eat too much, these are all oily food. If any of you get a stomachache, I won’t let all of you have any snacks for a month.”

“First mother, we want to be here because the snacks are freshest here.” Duan Maofan hugged Su Nuan Nuan’s thigh, looking up at her with his liquid dark eyes. He was immediately picked up and set outside with stern “Pei! Enough of your nonsense. You think my snacks won’t be fresh after travelling a few steps out of this kitchen? You little brats just want to play here. I’ll tell you this now, the kitchen is a dangerous place with fire, hot oil and sharp blades everywhere. Just a little misstep could cause a big disaster. Hong Lian, you escort this lot to the warm room. Yang’shi and Mi’shi, make sure those rascals don’t cause trouble.”

Yang’shi and Mi’shi are Duan Maochuan and Duan Maoming’s nursemaids. Both were just outside the kitchen and were perfectly reliable people. At Su Nuan Nuan’s orders, they both lead the children away. The other nursemaids wordlessly followed their charges too. Not long after that, the sound of firecrackers began to crackle noisily in the yard.

“What on earth is happening, ah?”

Su Nuan Nuan suddenly straightened up and looked towards the door. Xing’er stuck her head out and then said, “It’s nothing much. The little masters are just playing with some fireworks. Madam need not worry.”

“What do you mean don’t worry? Just how old are they to play with these things? What if there’s an accident?” Su Nuan Nuan was getting quite anxious now. “Those little rascals… Xing’er, quickly gather these snacks up so that their nursemaid could herd the lot into the warm room to eat. I have no time to bother with them on this day.”

Xing’er smiled, “Madam, please be at ease. They’re only playing with some harmless crackers. They will be safe with their nursemaids, also, the master has returned and is now playing with them. Surely madam can be at ease with the master watching them?”

“Amitabha.” Su Nuan Nuan pressed her hands together in prayer. She smiled at Concubine Jing, “Now that the Big Rat Lord is surrounded by his little rats, surely he won’t have time to rob us…”

She hadn’t managed to finish speaking when Hurricane Tingxuan rushed in, grabbed a huge plate filled with snacks and ran out. The sounds of firecrackers stopped. Presumably the children had been led to the warm room to eat the stolen snacks. Su Nuan Nuan calmly filled another plate with freshly fried Pork Chop Stuffed Rice Cakes when the whirlwind came through again. This time, two plates of snacks were snatched. This happened several times in quick succession. This time, not only Su Nuan Nuan, but even the servants stopped their movements to gape. Concubine Jing muttered, “Madam, it… it seems like… the lord’s enthusiasm for stealing food has increased.”

She was still speaking when Duan Tingxuan rushed in again. This time, Su Nuan Nuan could not stand it anymore. She stormed forward aggressively, hands on her hips, looking like a teapot that’s about to boil over as she sneered, “Still haven’t stolen enough? Half a day’s work had already been stolen by you, you stinking rat. You’ve come here to steal for your winter hoard, haven’t you?”

“Ahem, ahem, please don’t say that. Aren’t I just taking a few snacks for those little ones? It’ll keep them properly occupied and they won’t bother you.” even Duan Tingxuan looked half ashamed as he tried to use his sons to excuse his behaviour. He was not at all shy about using his sons as shields: After all, sons were supposed to support their parents, this is a heaven’s mandate after all.

“Still dare to use this shitty excuse to trick me? You think my brain has fallen out? Even if the children stuff themselves to death, how much can they eat? You’ve already moved six or seven large plates, haven’t you? Even if all of you turned into pigs, you can’t eat that much. Humph, are you trying to hide those snacks in your study and secretly eat them later? Use that stupid brain of yours to think of others for a change, can’t you? It’s the 30th tomorrow, and I’ve been so busy that I hated that I can’t grow extra arms on command, but you! You’re of no help at all. Only know how to steal food. Staeling! Is that all the An Ping heir could do?”

“I… I’m going, I’m going right now.” the little marquis’ face fell as he lowered a snatched plate. In a flash, he was gone. The kitchen hands all looked up at Su Nuan Nuan with awe in their eyes. They looked like they were about to fall onto their knees and worship this fierce Goddess of Food Protection. Moreover, she dared to call the lord a hoarding rat… wu, everything aside, this moniker really fitted him, ah.

Thus, they continue to busy themselves for the rest of the day. Soon, there were piles of snacks everywhere in the kitchen. Su Nuan Nuan was in no mood for lunch. When dinner time arrived, the main kitchen sent a bowl of fragrant rice porridge and some assorted pickles as appetizer, as well as a little pot of incredibly delicious Chicken Soup with Pickled Bamboo Shoot[5]. This was Ms. Xue’s way of showing first madam her filial respect and Su Nuan Nuan was not at all shy about eating the offering. She happily drank down two bowls full and flopped face down on her bed, unwilling to move anymore.

After awhile, she felt something jumped onto her back. The thing kneaded his paws and settled down. Su Nuan Nuan reached back, and dragged Zhao Cai off, hauling him up to be used as a pillow. She fiercely stroked the sleek, healthy fur before mumbling, “You beast, no sleeping on me. Do you know how tired, I, your mistress is? I’m so tired that even my bones hurt. Tomorrow is new year’s eve, I have to rest and recover to face that day.”

“To be tired to this extent… you do realize that you can just teach those ladies how to make the snacks and let them do the work. Must you tire yourself out like this? It’s already a tiring work, but you even worked from morning till dusk. You’re not the kitchen hand, if you don’t want to be this tired surely no one can force you? Why do you make yourself this tired?”

Duan Tingxuan came in and sat down next to his wife, his face filled with distress. Only to hear Su Nuan Nuan snort coldly, “How nice if you have this thought in your head when you’re eating my hard work? This is clearly handing out advice after the war is lost, and they all ran away.”

“I’m serious.” Duan Tingxuan shook his head. “To be honest, I wanted to say this before, but you looked so happy so I never said anything. But when I heard you say how tired you are, I just can’t help it.”

“Heheh, then I shall thank the lord for his kind thoughts.” Su Nuan Nuan stretched out on the bed. After all, she was all wrapped up in cotton-padded clothes, so there was no way Duan Tingxuan would suddenly stir himself into any sexual interest in a bloated looking creature like her. After all, this was the greedy immoral beast who could ignore divine beauties like Xue Zhi Lan and Concubine Jing.

Whatever, let’s ignore him.

 

[Gumihou: Hey there lovely readers, sorry for the two day hiatus. I was feeling a little demoralized because someone did a dine and dash at my Patreon. I know it’s just a $5 thing, but I really gave my all to translate extra 2-3 chapters for the 25 Patron target.

It doesn’t sound like a lot, but a standard 3 page chapter takes 3 hours to translate, plus editing. The resent chapters are 5 or 5.5 chapters long, so that’s close to 4 or 5 hours of translating per chapter.

2 or 3 extra chapters means an extra 3 hours of translating a day. On top of a standard 4-5 hours because most of the recent chapters are long. Translating this novel basically takes up standard working hours per day to do, which is fine since this is my job now having lost my other job.

Which means I’m a little bit more sensitive about money issue now.

I mean, if you really can’t afford $5 a month, it’s all fine. I often read other lightnovels without paying. If you want to contribute $5 once only, that’s fine too. Or if you joined by accident and then quit the next day, that’s all okay. But please don’t join for over a week and then conveniently disappeared before paying.

It makes Gumihou sad.

Sadness is not good for translation

Sorry for the long rant.

Please enjoy the next chapter.]

 

[1] 夹馅酥松糕饼 – Filled Fluffy Cakes – it’s similar to a filled cupcake, but with a pre-baked cake filling.

 

[2] Pork Chop Stuffed Rice Cake – the word for 排骨or pai gu could be interpreted as pork chop or spare ribs, or pork rib. I figured that Nuan Nuan must be using pork rib since she was frying the pork in rice cakes, but then pork chop seems to make more sense from the extra descriptions here. I’m studying this seriously to try and make it, lol!

 

[3] Crystal Osmanthus Cake – It’s basically jelly made with Osmanthus tea and flowers. It could be made in all kinds of way. Secret ingredients often involved wolfberries, rock sugar, honey, chrysanthemum tea as well as other ingredients to enhance this delicate dessert. It’s one of those easy to make, but difficult to master dessert. The key is to get the Osmanthus flowers to suspend in the middle of the jelly. The amount of agar or whatever jellfying ingredient must be enough for the dessert to hold its shape, but still melt in your mouth instead of being bouncy.

 

[4] Duan Caiqin – Xu Ran Yun’s daughter. We finally have the girl’s middle names, lol. I’ve just updated the character list. ^_^

 

[5] 酸笋鸡汤 – Chicken Soup with Pickled Bamboo Shoot

https://www.xiachufang.com/recipe/100321211/

 

 

 

  ^_^

Translated by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.

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