Chapter 10 The Power of Zongzi
“You’re Erya?”
Su Huanli also looked shocked. He did not seem to dare to a.s.sociate the beautiful girl in front of him with the ugly, black and thin little doll who was as thin as bean sprouts.
After three months of careful recuperation, Su Li finally took off her ugly appearance. The warm red velvet clothes set off her oval rosy face. Her nose was tall and small, and her pink lips glowed like honey. Long black hair spread behind her as if it was dyed by ink. Her eyes were like the stars, rippling with the purest colors in the world.
“I didn’t expect that after the recuperated, Second Miss was seemed as if she had been reborn. You are really a beautiful girl! In a few years, she might be the most beautiful girl in Dasu Town!”
The old housekeeper could not help exclaiming. Su Huanli woke up and vaguely regretted it. If he had known that Erya looked like this, he would never have let Erya take the blame for Zipei. But it was too late to say it.
When Su Huanli thought about this, he became angrier. He wanted to lock Su Zipei for another half a year.
“Please don’t say that, Mr. Housekeeper. How can I deserve such a t.i.tle?”
Su Li was panicked and some flattered, and then she seemed to think of something and her eyes turned into the crescent moon. She pushed the snacks on the tea table gently. “Father, it’s still warm. Nanny Mammy said it was delicious. So, I want you to have a try.”
Su Huanli did not change his face when he heard what she said. But he felt warm in heart. He had almost forgotten the existence of the girl over the years, but she was still thinking about him and sharing the delicious food with him.
At the thought of this, Su Huanli felt a little guilty. With a kind look on his face, he smiled and said, “All right, I’ll try it.”
The old housekeeper watched in amazement. His master had never smiled at his children, and this was the first time he had shown such kindness.
At this moment, the position of Second Miss in the mind of the housekeeper was immediately raised.
“Hmm? What kind of snack is this? It smells special.”
The fragrance of the leaves of the chequer-shaped indocalamus went into his nose, and Su Huanli picked up the snack on the tea table. An awl-shaped snack was wrapped in a brown leaf. This was the first time he saw it.
“Father, I made it by myself. I call it Zongzi.”
Su Li skillfully unwrapped the zongzi, and the fragrance, which was several times stronger than before, immediately pervaded the whole room.
“You made it by yourself?”
Su Huanli frowned, and he thought at first that Su Li was lying.
However, now he was made drooling by the fragrance, and did not get to the bottom of the truth. Instead, he took the zongzi unwrapped from Su Li’s hands and bit it off. The delicious taste exploded in his mouth in an instant!
Sticky glutinous rice was mixed with fat meat, but not greasy, with both the smell of meat and egg. The taste was tender and soft when you bit it. Su Huanli lived almost half time of his life, but it was the first time to eat such a delicious snack. Then he ate the Zongzi totally.
The old housekeeper swallowed his saliva as he watched. His master didn’t have a good appet.i.te, and he had a small bowl of rice at most at noon. He did not expect that such a big rice dumpling would be eaten up by his master in less than a quarter of an hour.
“Good. It’s delicious. You are a good girl.”
Su Huanli smiled and touched Su Li’s head. Everyone loved what was beautiful. His daughter was so filial, beautiful and lovely. The more he saw her, the more he liked her, and he ignored the unhappiness about his daughter’s lies before.
“Housekeeper, call the Mammy who takes care of Erya. I have a great reward for her!”
Su Li was stunned when she heard the words, and immediately showed a meaningful smile, but in Su Huanli’s view, it was very innocent.
Mammy Li was asked here by the old housekeeper, mistakenly thinking that Su Li had made a mistake. As soon as she came over, she knelt down in fear and begged for mercy, “Master, the Second Miss is still young. And for the sake of the consanguinity, please forgive her.”
The old housekeeper laughed at once and explained, “Mammy Li, you misunderstood. The snacks from the Second Miss are delicious, and the master is pleased.”
After hearing this, Mammy Li immediately turned from sadness to joy and quickly apologized on her knees, “I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding, master.”
“That’s OK. You’re good for Erya. I want to ask you some questions. Where did you get the Zongzi?”
Su Huanli asked with a smile. The delicious food like this was hard to see even in the county restaurants. Erya was still a child. How could she make such a delicious snack?
Mammy Li froze when she heard it and said honestly, “Master, I dare not lie. The Zongzi was indeed made by the Second Miss herself. And she ordered me to buy the materials she needed. Some are still left over in the yard. You can go to check it.”
Mammy Li’s answer immediately surprised Su Huanli. He went to the yard with the old housekeeper hurriedly. When he saw the raw rice, the chequer-shaped indocalamus leaves, ropes and so on in the baskets in the kitchen in front of him, he had to believe that “Zongzi was made by Erya herself.”
“Does Erya have a gift for cooking?”
Su Huanli was surprised and uncertain, and then a sense of excitement arose spontaneously. He looked up and down with burning eyes at Su Li, as if he had found the great treasure.