The meat was too lean, full of tendons, impossible to chew. It only got tougher the longer it was stewed.
No wonder swans haven't gone extinct - they're just too unpalatable o(╥_╥)o.
Eating it left Jiang Mianmian's little teeth gaps stuffed. She spent ages picking at them with a toothpick.
A dental floss would be necessary. Toothpicks just weren't cutting it.
Jiang Yu was equally perplexed. How could something so beautiful taste so bad?
The food world truly can't be judged by appearances. Generally, the uglier something looks, the more likely it is to be delicious.
Like bullfrogs, for instance.
Today, their parents were away.
Jiang Yu was in charge.
They'd cooked one swan, and released the other back into the lake.
What a waste, Jiang Mianmian thought, watching the swan in the lake. Who would have guessed something so beautiful could taste so awful?
Aunt Yin, seeing the two girls who regretted eating swan looking ready to cause mischief, prepared to teach them something practical.
She wouldn't teach them to count prayer beads - that was far too sinful. Only the deeply troubled would count those things when there was so much else to do.
She was about to pull out the account books to teach the girls how to review them, to analyze whether the recent birthday banquet for their master had turned a profit or loss, where they'd lost or gained, and how to improve for next time, what mistakes to avoid.
There was also the matter of social exchanges - how much others had gifted, so they could reciprocate appropriately when those families had events.
These were internal household affairs. One didn't need to be an expert, and could delegate to servants, but it was important to understand the basics to avoid being taken advantage of.
Just then, unexpectedly, visitors arrived at the house.
Jiang Yu, in her role as the young Mrs. Meng, excitedly went to greet them.
She wasn't embarrassed or afraid at all, showing great confidence.
This could be considered a significant strength.
Jiang Mianmian curiously followed her sister to receive the guests.
She wondered who would visit when their parents weren't home.
Surprisingly, the visitors were two Buddhist nuns.
Here it was, Jiang Mianmian remembered what her great-aunt had mentioned.
After settling in the Provincial Capital, besides socializing with various powerful families, they'd also encounter monks and nuns visiting.
These religious visitors couldn't be turned away, but had to be politely dealt with.
It was essentially a form of "protection money" for the Buddhist community.
Even if she lived to a hundred, she wouldn't agree to such a life.
Living to a hundred would just mean becoming a centenarian nun!!
Jiang Yu had never heard of someone claiming a family member had an affinity with Buddhism and needed to be taken away.
How was this different from robbery? It was like going to a fish shop and saying the fish had an affinity with you and needed to be taken home. Without paying money, you'd likely end up beaten half to death by the fishmonger.
"You're mistaken. No one in our family has such an affinity," Jiang Yu said, lifting her teacup.
"This young benefactor was meant to be one of our Buddhist community. She shouldn't remain in the secular world, or it will be bad for the whole family. Everything should return to its proper course. Young benefactor, please come with us."
The nun calling herself Qing Ci stood up, chanted a Buddhist verse to Jiang Mianmian, and suddenly appeared right in front of Mianmian.
The one called Qing Ming also moved to stand before them.
Some kind of illusion technique, no doubt.
It was quite startling.
Jiang Mianmian thought to herself, I'm not even in the city anymore, where else can I go? To the mountains? I just came from the mountains.
She never imagined she'd experience child abduction attempts in her lifetime.
In a flash, the two nuns had reached out to grab Mianmian.
The two old nuns were clearly skilled fighters.
They were confident they could take a little girl from this seemingly ordinary household.
But they couldn't budge her.
They tried again.
Still couldn't move her.
By this time, Jiang Yu and Aunt Yin had reacted.
Jiang Yu lashed out with a powerful slap that sent Qing Ci flying.
Aunt Yin raised her decades-old smelly foot and kicked out.
Her foot connected solidly with Qing Ming's body.
The kick hurt her foot.
Then she scooped up Mianmian in her arms.
Pangya, terrified and trembling, still managed to stand in front of her young mistress.
Closing her eyes, she went over to give Qing Ming an extra kick.
"How frightening!" Pangya panted coquettishly while kicking forcefully, folding her arms to squeeze her chest, and holding her round chin with clenched fists...