She wanted a whole jug of milk, but what she got back was only a third at most...
I heard that money was in short supply during the New Year and the palace was also in financial crisis. Hua Pangpang, Jingbi, and Sister Mei were so busy that they didn't even touch the ground in order to plug the gap.
But Sun Miaoqing passed it after hearing it. After all, Concubine Hua in the play managed the New Year's Eve palace banquet in a decent way.
The most important thing is that the lack of money has not affected her quality of life, and she still chooses the best and sends it to her.
She's so stupid, really...
Sun Miaoqing frowned, "Why is it just such a small amount? How many candies can this make?"
"The palace is so poor that it can't even make a lot of milk?"
Qiangwei said, "The people in the imperial kitchen said that a lot of snacks were used for the palace banquet. Concubine Hua also ordered some from her, and the rest are here."
"Let the queen use these first. When the new ones are brought to the palace tomorrow, I will send you a jar."
Sun Miaoqing wanted to be unhappy. It was rare for her to be so interested in doing something serious, but she was held back.
When I used to watch dramas and novels, if the emperor, queen, or favorite concubine wanted something, no matter if it was available or not, it would be there in the end.
Sure enough, all literary works are deceiving her...
"If you don't have it, then don't have it. Let's try these first and see how many we can make."
Linglan and Liuli brought everything up. There was a small stove on the big round table in the hall, and a casserole the size of a melon was placed on the side.
On the plate next to it were five or six spoons of different sizes, and a piece of wood one foot square.
There are rows of round holes the size of thumb caps on the wooden block, and each round hole has been smeared with a layer of soybean oil.
Liuli said, "Mother, everything is ready."
"Following your instructions, I cut the hawthorn into small dices and prepared some candied fruits with the core removed. Can you see if these are enough?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "That's enough. Put the casserole on the stove and put some milk in it. It doesn't need to be too much, just about one-third of the pot."
"After boiling, put the maltose in, it will be almost the same as milk. After boiling, don't make the heat too high, just use low heat to slowly reduce the juice."
"My slave understands."
Liuli followed Sun Miaoqing's instructions and stayed by the stove, not daring to leave.
Qiangwei and Lily of the Valley also watched the changes in the pot curiously, and soon the whole room was filled with the sweet fragrance of milk.
After about two cups of tea, the maltose in the casserole turned white with yellow in color and became sticky.
"Mother, do you think this is enough?"
"Let me take a look."
Sun Miaoqing came over, and Liuli kept stirring the maltose in the pot to avoid burning it.
He picked up a chopstick, wrapped it in some maltose, and after it cooled down, he put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times.
Sun Miaoqing said, "The taste of milk is not strong enough. Add more milk."
After hearing this, Suzuran put another third in. After a while, when the syrup in the casserole became thick again, the color of the maltose became whiter, but still a little yellowish.
After adding milk twice more, Sun Miaoqing took the chopsticks and tasted it again. The rich milky aroma made her feel like she was back when she was a child, clamoring for White Rabbit toffee.
"That's what it tastes like! Put it on a wooden plate."
Sun Miaoqingqing and Liuli each held a spoon, put the syrup into a wooden plate and waited for it to solidify.
Suzuran took the casserole and asked, "Mother, there is still a little half left in the pot, what should I do?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Put the hawthorn in, add some milk and continue cooking. Make it into candy as before."
"The rest of the maltose and milk are like this after adding candied fruit."
Suzuran nodded with a smile. She had tasted it just now, and it was very different from what she usually eats.
Manchus didn't like to drink milk. They thought it had a fishy smell and could only be used to make cakes.
"I didn't expect that sugar made from milk would be so delicious. My concubine's craftsmanship surpasses even the royal chefs in the palace."
Sun Miaoqing was proud, even though there was no butter or marshmallows. After the maltose is boiled and cooled, chewing it will be more difficult on the teeth.
But it's all natural, no additives, and if you eat them all into pills, she, Sun Miaoqing, will be the most beautiful woman in the harem!
After finishing all this work, it was late at night in the blink of an eye. All the milk was used up and half of the maltose was left.
Several people stared at the seven or eight bowls filled with toffee the size of the Pearl of the South China Sea, and suddenly felt that the efforts of the past few hours had not been in vain.
Sun Miaoqing said, "The palace banquet should be over by now. I will send some to each palace tomorrow morning as a New Year greeting."
Liuli said, "But Madam, we made all this in one night. Although it looks like a lot, it's not enough to share with so many people."
Sun Miaoqing said nonchalantly, "Didn't the imperial kitchen say that the milk will be delivered tomorrow morning? When they come, let them deliver more."
"These are ready and will be sent to the Emperor and Queen Mother first. The others will wait a moment, no matter how long it takes."
Liuli said with a smile, "How about tomorrow, I will go to Yangxin Palace to invite the emperor. It will be sweet for the empress to eat such a good thing with the emperor."
Hearing this, Qiangwei and Linglan smiled ambiguously.
Sun Miaoqing was a little greedy, and she also had needs. Although the fat and orange figure does not suit her aesthetics, men are the same even if they blow out the candles...
However, Big Fat Orange is not useful, and An Lingrong’s gel fragrance has not been developed yet. If it is neither good nor bad, it is better not to come.
Sun Miaoqing said with waning spirits, "Tomorrow is a big day. I still have two days to get there. Let's talk about it after the New Year."
"I'm tired, you should rest early."
Qiangwei said, "I forgot, I have to keep up the New Year's Eve tonight. Fireworks and firecrackers will be set off at midnight to drive away the Nian beast. You are asleep now, but I am afraid you will be woken up later."
"How about the slaves playing with you for a while longer?"
Liuli's eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "How about we play mahjong cards?"
(Mahjong can be traced back three to four thousand years ago, probably from the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, and the mahjong we play now formed.)
Sparrow card?
It seems to be an ancient version of Mahjong!
Upon hearing this, Sun Miaoqing felt that she was not sleepy at all!
Sun Miaoqing asked, "Do you have a sparrow card?"
Liuli smiled awkwardly, "This is my hobby. Although it is not convenient for me to play in the palace, I still saved some silver and bought a pair of mahjong cards to hide secretly."
"When your hands feel itchy, just take it out and touch it. Don't worry, I will never take it out to play with."
The palace did not allow eunuchs and maids to gather together to gamble, but there was a lot of fun behind the scenes.
Liuli once placed a bet on whose card the emperor would turn over.
But since Sun Miaoqing gained favor, Liuli worried that she would not act cautiously. It has been a long time since someone would catch someone and cause trouble for Sun Miaoqing.
She made this suggestion just now, firstly because her hands were really itchy, and secondly because she discovered that Sun Miaoqing was also very interested in these things.
It doesn't matter whether you have money or not. What's important is that as a slave, you have to find ways to make your master happy~✧٩(ˊωˋ*)و
