Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

It's a new day again~

Shen Qing made two different flavors of spicy strips, just like yesterday.

Just as they were loaded onto the car, Madam Yan arrived.

"Are you ready? Let's go." Madam Yan was overjoyed.

The thought of becoming family with Shen Qing soon made her smile involuntarily.

"Wait a minute, I'll make something else."

Shen Qing took out the glutinous rice that had been soaked overnight and rinsed it for a while.

Then steam the glutinous rice until cooked.

After it was cooked, she took a rolling pin and mashed the glutinous rice while it was still hot.

Next, wet your hands and roll the mashed glutinous rice into a flat, round shape.

Madam Yan watched from the side, then glanced at the bowl of brown sugar beside her. After a while, she finally figured it out: "Madam Shen, are you making brown sugar glutinous rice cakes?"

"That's right, you can't visit an elder empty-handed."

Shen Qing continued what she was doing; these ingredients were all found in the Yan family's kitchen.

Brown sugar glutinous rice cakes are soft, chewy, and sweet, making them a great choice for the elderly.

Madam Yan couldn't help but laugh.

I'm somewhat happy.

It wasn't for any other reason than that her father simply didn't eat sweets.

Without a doubt, all these brown sugar glutinous rice cakes will end up being hers!

Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Shen Qing was making the brown sugar glutinous rice cake with great care.

Brush a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan, then put the glutinous rice strips you just rolled into the pan and fry over low heat until golden brown on both sides.

Next comes the preparation of the syrup.

Besides the outer coating, the syrup also has a very important impact on the taste.

The usual method is to simply boil brown sugar in water, which is sweet enough, but Shen Qing felt that the resulting syrup was too thin.

Therefore, she added two things when she was making the syrup.

A small piece of dried tangerine peel, a few drops of lemon juice.

Before long, the syrup in the pot gradually thickened.

Seeing that it was almost done, Shen Qing took a spoonful of syrup and gently poured it over the fried glutinous rice strips.

The amber-colored syrup paired with golden glutinous rice strips looks incredibly tempting.

Finally, Shen Qing mixed a little sesame powder into the soybean powder and sprinkled it evenly on the surface of the glutinous rice cake, neither too thin nor too thick.

The brown sugar glutinous rice cake is now ready.

"It smells so good!"

Madam Yan couldn't help but say.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of roasted soybeans and sesame seeds, which made people feel at ease and warm. Mixed with the caramelized aroma of brown sugar and the refreshing fragrance of dried tangerine peel, it made people's mouths water.

Shen Qing arranged the plates and placed them in the food box.

There was one left, and she gave it to Madam Yan: "Try it."

Madam Yan had been craving it for a long time, and without caring that it was hot, she stuffed it into her mouth.

click-

The outer skin of the glutinous rice cake is very crispy, but underneath it is soft, chewy, and creamy.

It tastes so delicious and sweet that it makes you feel happy.

"Delicious, so delicious!"

"Madam Shen, your brown sugar glutinous rice cakes are different from the ones you buy outside!"

"My dad will definitely like it!"

Madam Yan praised him profusely.

It doesn't matter whether her father likes it or not, she does!

After they finished packing, the two pushed the cart together to the General's Mansion.

Unlike the Yan family mansion, the General's mansion was imposing, with two guards standing ramrod straight, making people afraid to approach.

"Don't be afraid, they may look scary, but they're actually very nice people." Madam Yan said with a smile, pulling Shen Qing inside.

Where is my father?

"Miss, the old general is at the training ground."

Madam Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Come on, today I'll show you our General's Mansion's training ground!"

Without a word, Shen Qing was dragged to the training ground.

This is a flat, rammed earth surface, barren of any vegetation, compacted as solid as iron by countless tramplings.

The venue was square, about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) from east to west.

Many weapons were stuck on the wooden shelf against the wall: swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—all kinds were present.

In the northwest corner is a row of straw-woven archery targets.

At this moment, there was a person in the room, dressed in a short gray cloth robe with the cuffs tightly tied, looking capable and efficient.

His hair was white, held in place only by a wooden hairpin. He held a long spear in his hand, thrusting, parrying, sweeping, and smashing in the air. Every movement carried the force of a thousand troops, making people feel a little scared.

Needless to say, this is Madam Yan's biological father, General Weiwu.

After waiting for a while, the old general on the stage stopped what he was doing, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked towards Madam Yan and Shen Qing.

"Father!!" Madam Yan shouted happily.

At that moment, she was just like a little girl.

"Wanrong, why are you here so early today? It's like the sun rose in the west!"

The old general smiled broadly, his gaze towards Madam Yan filled with deep affection.

"I got up early today because I have important business to attend to!"

As she spoke, Madam Yan pulled Shen Qing to the front.

"Father, this is Madam Shen, your future goddaughter!!"

"Ah Qing, this is my father!"

Shen Qing bowed to the old general with neither arrogance nor servility; she could sense the scrutinizing look in his eyes.

I'm afraid they've mistaken her for some bad person.

"Greetings, General."

The old general simply nodded, his attitude neither warm nor cold.

Although he had promised Wanrong, adopting a goddaughter was no casual matter, especially one from his general's mansion.

"Please go and sit in the main hall while I tidy up."

I'm covered in sweat from practicing martial arts, so I'm really not fit to meet guests.

Wanrong was spoiled by him; how could he bring someone directly to the training ground?

Madam Yan was unaware of what the old general was thinking; she was currently immersed in a profound sense of joy and anticipation.

The two went to the main hall.

Not long after, the old general arrived.

He sat down in the main seat and said to Shen Qing, "My Wanrong is straightforward and simple-minded. I've spoiled her."

"The matter of adopting a goddaughter..." The old general carefully considered his words, trying to gloss over the matter.

But the next moment, Shen Qing's voice rang out:

"It was just a joke. I'm not here today to claim kinship, but simply to pay a visit to the old general. These are brown sugar glutinous rice cakes that I made myself. The old general can try some."

He's a sensible person, though.

The old general was somewhat surprised, then laughed heartily: "I've heard Wanrong say that you're an excellent cook, so those brown sugar glutinous rice cakes must be incredibly delicious..."

"No? You've gone off-topic!!" Madam Yan protested. "Today's main topic is the adoption of a goddaughter. What are you two talking about?"

The old general said helplessly, "We're not familiar with each other. Shouldn't we get to know each other first before adopting a goddaughter?"

"No need to rush things, take it slow."

Shen Qing also said, "That's right, Sister Wanrong. I only met the old general once. Although I have developed a lot of respect for him, I would feel a little awkward if I were to call him godfather."

"Wanrong, stop fooling around. If I pulled a stranger off the street and asked you to call him godfather, would you agree?" The old general also tried to persuade her from the side.

The two of them took turns saying things to coax Madam Yan.

Madam Yan felt that all her efforts had been in vain.

I thought we would become a family today.

To her surprise, both of them were just giving her the runaround!