Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Because of the roast duck incident last time, Wei Lan received a scolding from her wife. After that, she behaved herself. For the past few days, she stayed obediently in the courtyard, drawing blueprints. She mainly drew designs for a copper pot, as she had promised Lu Zijin to create a delicious signature dish for their restaurant.

She revised the blueprints several times and finally felt satisfied. Then, she handed the blueprints to the craftsmen for production and polishing.

In the meantime, Wei Lan visited several times to personally oversee some detailed aspects. At last, she managed to create a decent-looking copper pot.

Wei Lan asked Xi Ye to carry the copper pot back to her courtyard. She planned to wait until Madam returned in the afternoon to eat hotpot together.

It was already autumn now. The weather was no longer as scorching as it had been a month ago. At night, it even felt a bit cold, perfect for eating hotpot.

Wei Lan had someone prepare a thick wooden board to support the pot and arranged for charcoal in advance.

She went to the kitchen and guided two cooks to slice the vegetables. Notably, this world already had tofu. For someone like Wei Lan, who loved tofu, she had to include it.

Next, Wei Lan personally handled the step of preparing the hotpot base. However, in ancient times, cattle were precious animals, as farmers needed them for plowing. Thus, few people ate beef, and some places even had laws prohibiting the slaughter of cattle.

Fortunately, Panyang City had no such restrictions, and the Lu Mansion wasn’t short of money. A few days ago, the Lu Mansion slaughtered a cow for food. The uneaten portions were sent to the restaurant to be made into dishes and sold.

The beef tallow was stored in several large jars by Lu Zijin’s cooks, and it came in handy this time.

Wei Lan poured the beef tallow into the pot and melted it. She added various spices and chili peppers, stirring them. Worried that Lu Zijin and Wei Qing couldn’t handle too much spice, she didn’t add too many chili peppers. Even so, the aroma from the pot wafted far. With this broth, even boiling a shoe sole would taste delicious.

Wei Lan finished preparing the spices and let them solidify. She divided them into large chunks, storing the unused portions and keeping one large chunk for their meal later.

The mansion had tools for grinding tofu. Two days ago, Wei Lan had a servant purchase a set of tools specifically for grinding sesame paste. Naturally, they also produced sesame oil.

Panyang City sold sesame oil, but no one cared for sesame paste. Wei Lan smirked, confident she would start a new trend in Panyang City. She believed no one could resist the temptation of hotpot.

After preparing everything, she instructed the cooks to slice the lamb and beef into thin pieces. They placed the sliced meat in an ice bucket to keep it fresh. With these tasks done, Wei Lan waited for Lu Zijin to arrive.

They had agreed yesterday that Lu Zijin would join her for dinner after finishing her work today.

Wei Lan lay on the table, eagerly waiting for her wife, practically turning into a “wife-watching stone.” She had been especially well-behaved these past few days, fearing her wife wouldn’t let her get close at night.

Because Lu Zijin had promised her little Qianyuan she would return early today, she finished her tasks ahead of time and headed straight to Fuqu Pavilion.

As soon as she arrived, Wei Lan, hearing the noise, rushed out of the bedroom. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Zijin and said, “Madam, you’re back! Are you tired? Let me give you a massage.”

Lu Zijin chuckled and looked at Wei Lan. Wei Lan ran to her, took her hand, and hurriedly led her back to the room.

As soon as they entered the room, Wei Lan hugged Lu Zijin tightly and said, “Madam, I missed you.”

Looking at the little Qianyuan clinging to her, Lu Zijin shook her head with a smile. She kissed Wei Lan’s lips and asked with a grin, “You wanted me back early to feed me what? Hmm?”

“Hotpot. I’ve had everything prepared,” Wei Lan said. Having not seen Lu Zijin all day, she hugged her and didn’t want to let go.

In the end, Lu Zijin leaned in for a kiss. They kissed for a while before pulling apart slightly.

Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow and looked at Wei Lan. She asked, “Do you want me to eat hotpot or eat you?”

Wei Lan huffed at Lu Zijin and said, “I’m the Qianyuan. If anyone’s eating, it’s me eating you.”

Looking at the soft little puppy in her arms, Lu Zijin burst into laughter. Her little puppy, even after learning about such matters, wasn’t particularly bold.

Sure enough, seeing Lu Zijin laugh, Wei Lan hugged her again, swaying and acting coy. She said, “Madam, you’re laughing at me.”

“Alright, I won’t laugh. My little Qianyuan is the best. That’s good enough, right?” Lu Zijin coaxed Wei Lan.

Wei Lan huffed again and hugged Lu Zijin tightly. She said, “Hmm.”

Wei Lan clung to her wife, acting coy for a while, before saying, “Madam, the delicious food I mentioned last time is ready. Let’s have dinner with Wei Qing tonight, okay?”

“Alright, as you wish,” Lu Zijin said with a smile.

Wei Lan got up from Lu Zijin’s arms and sent someone to bring the prepared ingredients from the kitchen. She went next door to call Wei Qing for dinner.

Though Wei Qing had lived in the Lu Mansion for some time, she still felt a bit afraid of Lu Zijin. She said to Wei Lan, “Sister, I won’t go. You should eat with Sister Lu.”

“It’s fine. Madam is very kind, no need to be afraid. Besides, this is a new dish I invented. You’ve never tried it before, and it’s especially delicious,” Wei Lan emphasized.

Seeing her sister’s insistence, Wei Qing nodded and agreed.

Wei Lan pulled her to her bedroom. The maids had already brought plates of vegetables and meat, with a large copper pot with a chimney placed in the center.

Lu Zijin asked curiously, “Why is everything raw?”

“Madam, the pot has broth inside, and we’ll add charcoal below. Once the pot boils, you can cook whatever you want in the copper pot until it’s done. Then dip it in this sesame paste to eat. It’s especially delicious,” Wei Lan explained.

Lu Zijin looked skeptical, as she had never seen such a way of eating in her life. She asked, “Are you sure?”

“Sure, trust me,” Wei Lan said, winking at Lu Zijin.

With a wave of her hand, she had the servants fill the bottom with glowing charcoal. Soon, the broth in the copper pot began to boil.

“You can add the meat and vegetables now,” Wei Lan said. She put tofu in first as a base, then added a circle of beef and lamb.

Soon, the meat was cooked. She said, “Quick, pick it up, it’s ready.”

Wei Lan took Lu Zijin’s bowl and picked some pieces for her.

Seeing her sister start eating, Wei Qing picked up some pieces with her chopsticks.

Lu Zijin took her bowl from Wei Lan and ate a piece skeptically. The fresh lamb, boiled in the spicy broth and dipped in sesame paste, was tender and fragrant, absolutely delicious.

Lu Zijin nodded repeatedly and said, “Hmm, it’s delicious, and not too spicy.”

She had thought the red broth would be greasy, but it wasn’t at all.

Hearing Lu Zijin say it was good, Wei Qing followed her example and ate a piece. Her eyes lit up.

Wei Lan picked up several pieces of meat. After three bites, she nearly teared up with emotion. In her previous life, she loved beef and lamb, and hotpot was a must-have meal twice a month.

“The vegetables are delicious too,” Wei Lan said, adding cabbage and bean sprouts. The bean sprouts were crisp and slightly spicy after a quick boil.

Lu Zijin picked up two pieces of tofu, blew on them gently, and found that cooked tofu was also delicious. However, Kunze had limited appetites. After trying a few vegetables, Lu Zijin put down her bowl.

Wei Lan was eating happily but noticed her wife stopped. She asked quickly, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s very delicious. I’ve already eaten a lot and can’t eat more. You two eat,” Lu Zijin said, smiling at her.

Wei Qing also couldn’t eat more, put down her chopsticks, and sipped tea to refresh her palate.

Seeing both stopped, Wei Lan added more meat and vegetables to the pot. She had only just begun eating. Thus, Lu Zijin and Wei Qing watched as Wei Lan devoured the food on the table like a whirlwind. When Wei Lan finished eating, only a little cabbage and bean sprouts remained.

She felt a bit overfull, stood up, and walked around. Then she looked at Lu Zijin coyly and said, “Madam, I ate too much. Will you walk with me?”

Lu Zijin smiled at her and nodded. She said, “Alright.”

After all, it was her little Qianyuan, so she had to pamper her.

Wei Qing, watching their interaction, couldn’t help but shiver. Wasn’t her sister getting spoiled by Sister Lu?

Wei Lan told Wei Qing to do as she pleased, then pulled Lu Zijin to go for a walk to digest.

Maids followed them from a distance, holding lanterns.

Wei Lan held Lu Zijin’s hand, swaying it lightly, occasionally stepping on Lu Zijin’s shadow on purpose. Lu Zijin pinched her cheek and said, “The naughty little puppy is misbehaving again. Do you want to be scolded later?”

“No way, I’m very good. I love Madam the most,” Wei Lan said hurriedly, spouting sweet words.

Lu Zijin chuckled, shook her head, and led her little puppy around the garden.

Wei Lan felt her food had digested a bit and walked back with Lu Zijin.

“Madam, this hotpot can be a new dish for our restaurant, but remember to stock up on more beef tallow. It’s needed to make the hotpot base,” Wei Lan reminded her.

“Alright, I’ll have the restaurant’s top chefs come to the mansion tomorrow morning. You can teach them yourself, okay?” Lu Zijin said with a smile.

“Hmm, we can also write a slogan at the restaurant’s entrance: ‘Recommended by the author of ‘Rebirth of the Abandoned Consort of the Marquis’s Mansion’, Wei Lan, Lu’s Restaurant proudly launches a new dish—Hotpot!’” Wei Lan said after a moment’s thought.

Since many people liked that novel, it might boost their restaurant’s business.

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan. Her little Qianyuan had so many ideas. Writing a slogan was indeed a good method. She said, “It’s feasible, and a great idea.”

Hearing her wife’s approval, Wei Lan’s tail would have wagged if she had one. Marketing and boasting were her forte. In her previous life, where marketing was everywhere, she had plenty of experience.

Seeing her little puppy’s smug look, Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s cheek and said, “Bad puppy, what are you so happy about now?”

Wei Lan winked at Lu Zijin and teased her palm with her hand. She said, “Madam, I came up with such a delicious dish for our restaurant. What’s my reward?”

Lu Zijin smirked at Wei Lan and said, “You’re making up for your mistake. Who was it that paid so much attention to Xiao Nanyan’s restaurant? I heard Xiao Nansen’s restaurant has been doing especially well lately, especially their roast duck set, which sells out every day.”

Wei Lan pouted, feeling wronged. Why did her wife always bring up old grudges?