Border Cook

Chapter 514 Homesickness
Second, because she was hungry.

Whether at home or in the palace, there were limited things to do every day and the amount of activities was even more limited. There were also many snacks prepared between the three meals a day. I never felt hungry, so naturally nothing I ate was sweet enough.

Here, we have fixed meals and a lot of work to do, so when we are hungry, the food will naturally taste twice as delicious.

Fan Jinglan feels that of these two reasons, the first one is particularly important.

Madam He sent more shrimps than fish. After eating the fish and shrimps together for two consecutive days, the fresh fish was eaten up, but there were still many live shrimps left.

But these live shrimps are basically dying and have lost their initial vitality. They all need to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Xia Mingyue thought about it and decided to make all the shrimps into roasted dried shrimps.

After boiling the shrimps with salt, sugar, onion, ginger, and rice wine, take them out and drain the water. Place them on the grill one by one and slowly bake them in the oven until the skin and flesh of the shrimps are completely separated. Take them out and let them cool naturally.

The dried shrimps that are blanched and then fully baked will have no moisture left after cooling down, and both the shrimp shells and the shrimp meat will be crispy and delicious.

The shrimp meat has a certain chewiness and a salty and fragrant taste. The more you chew it, the more fragrant and delicious it tastes.

It can be said that this grilled dried shrimp is best used as a snack when you have nothing to do. The more you eat it, the more fragrant and delicious it becomes!

There was a lot of live shrimp left. Apart from those sent to Dexin Garden for Old Madam He to taste, there were still a lot of roasted dried shrimps left. Xia Mingyue kept some for Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji to taste when they came back, and distributed the rest to everyone.

Shen Shujun, who happened to come to Xia Mingyue's house, also got some roasted dried shrimps.

Shen Shujun has lived by the sea since she was a child. When she ate the delicious roasted shrimps, she nodded repeatedly. "Mrs. Xia's cooking skills are really good. When I was young, I often ate the roasted shrimps made by my grandmother. I thought they were very delicious. The roasted shrimps made by Mrs. Xia are very similar to those made by my grandmother."

"As long as Madam Shen likes the food, that's fine." Xia Mingyue paused, her voice becoming much softer. "But from what Madam Shen said, maybe you're homesick?"

In the past, Xia Mingyue guessed that Shen Shujun might have experienced an unhappy marriage, but now she didn't know what the situation of her marriage was like and whether she could go home.

After all, even though the customs of the new dynasty were more open and divorced or widowed women could remarry, many people still had conservative and outdated ideas, believing that a married daughter was like spilled water, and that even if a daughter wanted to return home, she was not allowed to.

Many people, even if they want to go home, do not dare to do so, for fear that they will face the contempt and disgust of others when they return home.

Shen Shujun has lived alone for so long, and I don’t know...

Xia Mingyue felt melancholy.

Instead, Shen Shujun smiled gently and said, "I really miss home, so I plan to go back and take a look."

In the past, she would not dare to return home.

A marriage that was not favored by her grandfather in the first place ended up in failure and chaos. She left in anger and returned in disgrace.

She didn't dare to imagine what kind of mentality and face she would have when she set foot on her hometown, and she couldn't imagine how she would face her grandfather's aging face.

She was filled with shame and regret for her past angry decisions, as well as the unbearable life she was living at the moment, making her increasingly timid, so much so that she didn't even dare to raise her head.

But now, the situation is a little different.

The several storybooks she wrote in succession were all very popular, and she made a lot of money.

Not only did his daily life take a big step forward, but he also had hundreds of taels of silver in his hands, after purchasing a house to live in and dozens of acres of land.

Moreover, she still had money flowing into her purse every month. If she lived alone, it would be enough for the rest of her life. Of course, this little bit of money was nothing compared to the Shen family's wealth, and even compared to her previous dowry, it was nothing.

If she goes back like this, she will actually be a loser.

But now she finally has the ability to make a living and can support herself. At least in her grandfather's eyes, she is not so useless, right?

Besides, Grandfather is getting older every year. If she doesn't go back...

Shen Shujun was a little worried that if she continued to waste time like this, she might never see her grandfather again.

So, she found many excuses for herself and used all kinds of words to convince herself to set off as soon as possible.

Xia Mingyue had previously heard Shen Shujun mention that her hometown was thousands of miles away and it would be extremely difficult to go back.

Now Shen Shujun suddenly decided to go home...

Does that mean that this is a two-way journey between her hometown and her?

Xia Mingyue's eyebrows and eyes were filled with joy. "Then let's go home and take a look. When do you plan to set off?"

"I plan to leave in two days, so I came to tell Madam Xia today." Shen Shujun said with a smile, "Besides, it will take many days to go back to my hometown this time, so I wanted to give Madam Xia something as a token of my remembrance."

As she spoke, Shen Shujun handed the things she brought to Xia Mingyue one by one.

"This pen was given to me by my grandfather. It was made in Yangzhou. I have kept it and never used it. Madam Xia needs to write accounts every day, so I will give this pen to her."

"Although these fabrics are ordinary cotton, they are made of printed and dyed fabrics with exquisite patterns and elegant colors. They are also what I have always treasured. I will also give them to Madam Xia as a token of my appreciation."

"Thank you, Madam Shen." Xia Mingyue did not refuse and thanked her repeatedly.

"I should be the one thanking Madam Xia." Shen Shujun's face was filled with gratitude. "If it weren't for Madam Xia, I wouldn't be where I am today."

If it weren't for Xia Mingyue's advice, she would probably still be immersed in denouncing her ex-husband's crimes, trying to attract the attention and sympathy of others.

It is definitely not like it is now, when I can stand up straight, upright, and live freely and happily.

She was really grateful to Xia Mingyue.

Shen Shujun even stood up and bowed to Xia Mingyue in a very proper manner.

Xia Mingyue was caught off guard and quickly reached out to hold Shen Shujun's hand, "Then we should say that this is our fate."

"Yes, it's fate." Shen Shujun smiled with her eyes curved.

The two talked for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, Shen Shujun stood up and said goodbye.

Xia Mingyue was packing the two things that Shen Shujun had sent her.

Xia Mingyue had heard of these two things. She knew that the brushes produced in Yangzhou were made of exquisite materials and had high-quality texture, and were indeed top-quality products.

I also know that this printed and dyed fabric is a very rare thing.