By the time all the sauce cubes were made, it was almost dusk.

Tao Hongying cleaned up the stove and pots early, preparing to cook.

Grandma Li urged them to stay, saying, "Why don't you all have dinner at my house tonight? I'll have Hongying cook something delicious for you!"

The women had long heard their husbands say that the Li family's banquet was delicious, and now that Old Mrs. Li was genuinely trying to persuade them to stay, they reluctantly agreed.

There were still some bones left from the earlier deer, so Tao Hongying made soup with radishes.

I took a dozen or so dried small fish, fried them in oil, added soy sauce and broth, stewed two pieces of tofu, and finally chopped cabbage and stir-fried wood ear mushrooms.

Zhao Yuru stuck some coarse flour pancakes into the braised fish pot, and dinner was ready in no time.

The women finally got to taste Tao Hongying's cooking and couldn't help but say it was delicious.

"Hongying is amazing! She makes cabbage and tofu so delicious! I can't seem to make it taste the same as hers."

Zhang Ersao was very familiar with the Li family, so she responded immediately.

"You don't know yet, do you? Hongying's family has a lineage of imperial chefs; her skills are a family tradition!"

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes lit up instantly, and she looked at Tao Hongying with obvious enthusiasm.

Holding her rice bowl, she insisted on switching seats with the woman next to Tao Hongying and asked with a smile.

"Hongying, what dishes can you cook?"

Tao Hongying assumed the woman wanted to learn, so she didn't pay much attention and casually mentioned a few dishes she knew how to cook.

"I can basically cook all kinds of home-style dishes, such as braised pork knuckle, sweet and sour fish, and four-happiness meatballs."

Upon hearing this, the woman's expression brightened even more, and she quickly pressed for more details.

"You can cook the dishes for banquets, right? Can you take on banquet jobs?"

Tao Hongying blinked, her mind racing, and then smiled.

"I can cook ordinary banquets, but they certainly won't be as exquisite as those cooked by chefs in restaurants."

"Oh, that's good!" The woman clapped her hands happily, as if she had found a treasure.

Tao Hongying was puzzled, and the other women, who had also overheard their conversation, asked curiously.

"Aunt Wu, why are you asking this?"

Aunt Wu was the happy woman, and she quickly took Tao Hongying's hand to explain.

"Here's the thing, my cousin's son is getting married in three days. The chef who was supposed to cook the banquet broke his arm when he went out last night and can't take the job anymore."

She secretly pursed her lips and said again.

"My cousin's husband is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, and he is very particular about appearances. He doesn't want the women in the village to help with the cooking, so he's been asking around to see if anyone can replace the cook and prepare the banquet for his family!"

As she spoke, she smiled and patted Tao Hongying on the shoulder.

“Your ancestors were imperial chefs, you cook delicious food, and you’re efficient at your work. I think you’d be a perfect fit.”

"But..." Tao Hongying thought about all the work at home, and how Zhao Yuru couldn't possibly manage it all by herself. Jiayin was not even 100 days old yet, so she hesitated.

"Hongying, go and give it a try." At this moment, Old Lady Li spoke up.

"Yuru and I are at home, so you don't need to worry."

Tao Hongying thought for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, Auntie, I'll go with you tomorrow and try out your skills first?"

"Oh, that would be perfect!" Aunt Wu quickly agreed.

Soon, everyone finished eating and dispersed. After tidying up the kitchen, Tao Hongying went back to her room and told Li Laosi about it.

"I remember Aunt Wu's family was from the next village..."

Li Laosi was a little worried about his wife going out alone, so he said...

"I'm free tomorrow, I'll go with you!"

Tao Hongying was naturally pleased, and smiled as she glanced at him, "Okay."

Jiayin was secretly nursing, her big eyes glancing at her parents' public display of affection, while she was also secretly plotting something.

I've been hanging around the Li family's place a lot lately, and I'm getting really bored. Should I be a little reluctant and come along for a stroll with my mom tomorrow?

The next morning, before Jiayin could even use her charm, Grandma Li changed her granddaughter into clean clothes, wrapped her up tightly, and handed her to Tao Hongying.

Jiayin was so happy that she danced around and almost kicked the blanket off.

Aunt Wu's cousin's family lived in the next village, a large village with more than a hundred households. It was closer to the county town and was significantly more prosperous than Qingshui Village.

The group arrived in about 15 minutes. Wu Sanshen's cousin married into a family surnamed Sun, who were considered small landlords.

The three-section brick and tile courtyard looks very neat and impressive.

Madam Kong had a fairly good relationship with Aunt Wu, and she heard about Aunt Wu's purpose in coming.

Seeing that Tao Hongying was dressed in clean clothes and that the child in her arms was being taken care of very well, I felt a little more willing.

"Hongying, it's not that I don't trust your cooking skills, but we have some distinguished guests at the banquet the day after tomorrow, and we really can't neglect them. How about this, you prepare two dishes first, and I'll taste them and see how they are?"

Tao Hongying readily agreed. As a result, Aunt Wu stayed to keep Madam Kong company, and one of Madam Kong's personal maids led the Li family of three to the kitchen.

Li Laosi carried his daughter on his back and helped with the fire, while Tao Hongying prepared the vegetables and put them in the pot.

The Li family had bought several carp from somewhere, and they were jumping around in the bucket, splashing water everywhere.

Tao Hongying asked a question, then killed one, and simply soaked some wood ear mushrooms and sliced ​​some cabbage.

In less than half an hour, the two dishes were ready.

One dish is "Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate," which is essentially carp with sauce. The other dish is crisp and refreshing stir-fried cabbage with wood ear mushrooms.

One meat dish and one vegetable dish, both are visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious.

Madam Kong glanced at the golden-fried carp, as if it were about to leap over the Dragon Gate at any moment.

She beamed with joy, thinking it was a good omen and a lucky sign.

Take another bite, and you'll find the outer skin crispy, the fish tender, and the broth perfectly sweet and sour—truly a rare and excellent skill.

Just then, Master Kong smelled the aroma and came over from his study. The couple ate quite a lot in one go and were extremely satisfied.

Madam Kong immediately appointed Tao Hongying as the head chef and paid her two taels of silver.

Tao Hongying suppressed her joy and said.

"Let's finalize the menu first, so we can prepare the ingredients at home. I'll come over tomorrow afternoon to prepare the dishes, and we'll need three or four people from our family to help out."

Madam Kong quickly took out the original menu, which also included braised fish. She immediately removed it and added the dish "Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate" instead.

Putting everything else aside, our distinguished guests are all scholars, and a dish with such a beautiful name is sure to please everyone.

Everything was settled, and it was almost noon. Everyone said goodbye and happily went home.

Aunt Wu helped my cousin out of her immediate predicament, and she got her a piece of fine cloth, enough to make a padded jacket and skirt.

She was so happy that she walked with a spring in her step, saying that she would use the remaining scraps of cloth to make a pair of shoe uppers for Tao Hongying as a way of thanking her.

At the Li family's lunch table, everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear that they would receive two taels of silver as payment.

Grandma Li held Jiayin with a beaming smile, kissing her again and again.

“Oh my, our lucky girl is so blessed, she always brings good things to the family! Your mother is now a big earner.”

Everyone laughed. Jia Huan, shy by nature, held her bowl, wanting to speak but unable to utter a word, her face turning red with anxiety.