"Ani has been reading a lot lately," Zhu Yanyi said, her voice clear and steady. "Chili peppers have many names: horn pepper, long pepper, vegetable pepper, lantern pepper. The book Gangmu Shiyi says chili is hot and spreading. It can drive away dampness. Once, a child ate cold water in summer and slept in the shade. She got malaria in autumn. Many medicines failed. In winter, she ate chili sauce. It tasted good. She ate it with porridge. Soon, the malaria went away. It was because cold phlegm built up in her chest. The spicy heat melted it like snow in hot water."
She paused, taking a breath, then continued. "Yao Kecheng’s Food Materia Medica says chili helps digest old food. It opens the appetite and kills bad smells. Baicao Jing says it can wash frostbite and cold sores. Yaoxing Kao says it warms the middle, drives out cold, and stops diarrhea. Shiwu Yiji says it stops vomiting and treats dysentery. Yaojian says it moves blood and stops itching. So, adding a little chili will never spoil the food."
Xie Xinlian listened to Zhu Yanyi’s long speech. She was slightly stunned, then laughed warmly. "You really learned well from your grandfather. Mama doesn’t understand all these big words. But since you say chili is good, Mama will add a little."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Chili also removes fishy smells. Add a little when cooking fish or stir-frying meat. We can’t eat very spicy food, so just a small amount. It will definitely not ruin the taste."
Xie Xinlian nodded and added some chili to her sauce. After mixing it, she tasted it. Her eyes lit up. "Ani is right. This tastes really good."
The sauce Xie Xinlian made was slightly sweet. Originally, the mix of salty and sweet tasted strange. But with the added diced ingredients, the flavor became very suitable. It didn’t feel weird anymore; instead, it had an indescribable freshness. Adding the chili lifted this freshness even more. The taste improved several times over.
"What is so good?" Zhu Shunyao asked, walking in after killing a fish.
Xie Xinlian smiled. "Your little daughter is smart for her age. She told me a lot of things. I forgot most of it, but I got the main idea. She said to add chopped chili to the dishes. I tried it, and the sauce is much better than before."
Zhu Shunyao dipped his finger into the sauce and tasted it. His eyes also lit up. "It really is delicious. We usually only eat vegetable peppers here because they aren’t spicy. We use them for stir-frying meat. We sell the spicy chilies to merchants. I never thought chili could be such a good seasoning. Xinlian, add some to the fish too. I think adding a little to all meat dishes will make them taste better."
"Okay," Xie Xinlian agreed without hesitation.
Hearing her father’s words, Zhu Yanyi admired his quick thinking. Zhu Shunyao could indeed apply one idea to many situations. She had only suggested adding chili to the sauce, but he immediately thought of adding it to all meat dishes. His mind was very flexible. No wonder he got along well at the factory. Since he was so capable, maybe she should give him a small hint.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t have great skills. In her past life, she had just been a homebody. She couldn’t make big money in stocks. She knew her limits. But there were some things she could suggest, like growing vegetables in greenhouses.