Chapter 45. The aroma of the braised pig's head was already irresistible before I could even taste it. ...

The clay pot, specially ordered before the business opened, had been sitting idle for a long time, but it finally came in handy today.

Shen Miao started making the braising liquid last night, putting the meat in to braise before going to bed. She hasn't had a chance to check on it today, so she doesn't know how it's going.

As dawn breaks, Shenmiao gets up early to open the door and welcome guests.

Several familiar customers were waiting in front of the door. When she moved the door open, they greeted her cheerfully and went inside to choose a table and sit down. The instant noodle craze had finally passed. Although it was still the best-selling item in the shop, it no longer had the sensation it once did. She wasn't disappointed, though. It was just the right time to slowly do her business as before.

As he removed the door panels one by one and leaned them against the wall, Shen Miao looked around and saw that the entire street was bustling with activity.

She pushed her stall to the door and set up a small steamer. Inside the stall was a red clay stove, with charcoal fire burning brightly. Soon, the aroma of steamed buns filled the air, and wisps of steam escaped from the lid, drifting into the street on the breeze.

No longer needing to stay up late frying instant noodles, Chen Miao has started selling her signature breakfast, "xiaolongbao" (steamed buns), again. Xiang Jie'er has also returned to her "early shift" after a long hiatus. She seems to enjoy "going to work." With the weather getting warmer, she doesn't need to be woken up anymore; she gets up by herself, gets dressed, washes, and then diligently brushes her teeth with a small toothbrush dipped in tooth powder. Chen Miao specially found her a children's toothbrush, bought from a camel merchant, made with softer horsehair. Although much more expensive than ordinary toothbrushes, Xiang Jie'er finds it much more comfortable, no longer having to worry about the overly coarse toothbrush chafing her gums.

After getting ready, she took out the giant egg pancake that Shen Miao had specially made for her, and eagerly climbed onto the high stool to start hawking her wares.

After eating his egg pancakes, Shen Ji came over to help his sister with the accounts and wrapping oil paper packages. Now that he had more than enough to do, he was at peace and didn't have to rush around doing odd jobs. Especially since the results of the Biyong Academy's exams had been released, he simply took a day off last night, didn't read a single page, and went to bed early. He woke up today feeling refreshed, and even Xiang Jie said, "Brother's mouth is practically stretched to his ears with a grin."

Although Shen Ji was talking nonsense, the joy in his heart was surging and swaying like ripples on water.

There was no way around it; I was suddenly struck by the good news yesterday, and my expression was a mix of excitement and complex emotions. I had to restrain myself from being smug in front of others. Now that a day has passed, all those worries have faded away, leaving only the purest happiness.

Shen Miao returned to the shop and noticed that Bai Laosan and Dr. Yao were among the people who had come to eat noodles early in the morning. She smiled and said, "The usual?"

Bai Laosan nodded: "Two more servings of fried sauce soup with flatbread."

Dr. Yao thought for a moment and then changed his mind, saying, "I'd like mutton soup with flatbread today."

He had tried all the soup noodles on the menu, and his favorite was the steamed soup noodles. He ate them for several days in a row, but since he received his salary yesterday, Dr. Yao decided to try something new today. All the soup noodles at Madam Shen's shop were excellent, so the mutton noodles would surely be delicious too. However, her shop had too few options; even if he ordered everything on the menu one by one, he would have tried them all in just a few days.

"As usual, I'll make another serving later, to take with you," Dr. Yao said, handing over his own bowl. These days, when he goes out to eat soup noodles, he always makes sure to bring an extra bowl so he can give Ruyi a serving before he leaves.

Shen Miao accepted the order with a smile. Some of the others wanted mutton soup with steamed buns, while others wanted dumpling soup. Shen Miao asked Ji Ge'er to bring in two baskets of steamed buns, and then hurried to the kitchen: "Okay, coming right away. Please have a seat, everyone."

The mutton soup and dumpling soup were ready-made, and Shen Miao served them out first, then started making the minced meat noodles and mutton noodles.

Since the soup base and fried sauce were readily available, they were prepared quickly and served in no time.

After that, more and more people came to drink the soup. The matchmaker, Ning Niangzi, would also come every few days for the mutton soup. She praised Shen Miao's mutton soup endlessly, offering fresh compliments every day. The matchmaker's tongue was indeed eloquent; she almost made Shen Miao feel like she was floating on air. Especially when Niu Dachui's Hengshan mutton shop was out of stock, and Shen Miao substituted Yanchi Tan mutton for the soup, she could immediately taste the difference—clearly a connoisseur of mutton.

Steam filled the kitchen, billowing like clouds.

After breakfast, Aunt Nian brought Youyu to work on time. The two of them set off from home before dawn, traveling from the outer city to the inner city, a commute of nearly an hour and a half. Shen Miao had wanted to give Youyu a few extra coins each day so that Aunt Nian could take her on the earliest long-distance bus, saving her from such a tiring journey, but Aunt Nian shook her head and said, "It's on my own initiative to make her go."

Aunt Nian sighed, "The carriage stops along the way to pick up people, going around in circles. If she's not careful and misses the carriage, she won't remember the way and could easily get lost. If she encounters a beggar, that would be terrible. Madam Chen, I know you're kind and compassionate, but... this is our fate." She lowered her head and took out her handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "I'm old and don't know how many more times I can take her on this journey. While I'm still here, I'll lead her along this route again and again. One day she'll remember this road, and even if I get sick or die, she won't get lost walking alone."

Shen Miao felt a pang of sadness at what she heard and quickly said, "Don't say that. You can't live without your mother. You must take good care of yourself."

Aunt Nian wiped away her tears and smiled simply again: "Yes, I was just planning ahead. I still want to save up a small house for Youyu, even if it's just a small room in a large courtyard in the south of the city. I'll be at ease if she can live on her own and take care of herself without relying on her brother and sister-in-law. As long as I can see this day, I'm willing to close my eyes immediately."

"Pah, pah, pah, why do you keep saying such unlucky things? Spit it out."

Aunt Nian smiled and let Youyu in. Youyu then took her leave to go back to work. Seeing that she was about to leave, Shenmiao quickly packed two packets of egg pancakes for her and a jar of jujube soup: "I made too much today. It's just sitting there doing nothing. Take this and eat it."

Aunt Nian was stunned for a moment, and tried to push it away twice, but she didn't have the strength to push it away. She was stuffed directly into Shen Miao's arms and had no choice but to take it with profuse thanks.

Seeing that she had stuffed the egg pancake into her bosom without eating it and hurriedly left, Shen Miao also sighed.

One time, Aunt Nian didn't come to pick up Youyu all night, so Shenmiao let Youyu share a night with Xiangjie. Later, from Youyu's stuttering and unclear description, she learned that Aunt Nian had also found a job. She was sewing costumes and washing clothes for the actors or women in brothels on the back street of Zhulian Lane.

She didn't come that day because she had fainted from hunger. She collapsed in the back alley of the brothel, where all sorts of people came and went. No one paid her any attention, and a thief even stole all the money she had earned that day. She lay on the ground like that all night. The next day, the madam saw her and thought someone had died. She cursed the bad luck and called two soldiers to throw her onto a cart. They were cursing and ready to push her to the mass grave outside the city to be buried anywhere.

When she was thrown onto the vehicle, her head hit the wooden board hard, which woke her up.

After waking up, she didn't treat her injuries. Instead, she staggered over to Chen Ji and saw that You Yu had a rosy complexion and was pouring water into the vat. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Taking this opportunity, Shen Miao asked her in detail. Aunt Nian then said somewhat embarrassedly that she mended clothes for others and earned about seventy or eighty coins a day. For these seventy or eighty coins, she couldn't even afford to eat lunch. She would get up early and eat half a dry biscuit that could choke someone, and then go home in the evening to drink a bowl of thin rice porridge. When she was hungry the rest of the time, she would just drink cold water to fill her stomach. That's how she made do day after day. Half of the money she earned each day went to help her family, and the other half she secretly saved for Youyu. Those were all "house-buying funds" for Youyu.

“Madam Shen, please don’t tell anyone. My husband, son and daughter-in-law don’t know anything about this.” Aunt Nian was very nervous about this and said anxiously, “They don’t know that I’m saving money for Youyu. I lied to them and said that my expenses in the inner city are high and I can only earn thirty or forty coins a day.”

After listening, Shen Miao said nothing except to promise that she would never tell anyone.

From then on, whenever she made breakfast for her family, she would not only make enough for everyone but also extra for Aunt Nian, preparing enough for two meals. This way, Aunt Nian could eat half in the morning and have a small lunch. Foods like egg pancakes, while not as tasty when cold, wouldn't harden, and were nutritious, oily, and filling. The sweet date soup would raise blood sugar, replenish energy, and prevent further dizziness and weakness.

Yu, carrying a patched-up cloth bag, came in with a silly grin. As soon as she entered, she awkwardly rolled up her sleeves, ready to start working. She was already familiar with the Shen family's layout and had figured out her own work routine: first, wash the dishes, because guests could suddenly appear out of nowhere, and the dishes were the most important thing; after washing the dishes, she would chop firewood and stack it neatly; then she would shoulder a carrying pole and fetch water from the water room, making four or five trips back and forth, and the morning would be almost over. At midday, when there were fewer people, she could cuddle with Leiting and take a nap on the front porch in the backyard.

In the afternoon, I would accompany Xiang-jie to bother the neighbors, acting like the king of the alley, playing until my back was soaked. She would fetch water twice more in the afternoon, and then wait for the night market to open. When things got really busy, she would be like a rock, sticking to the stove, tending the fire for Chen Miao, tending the fire, tending the fire, tending the fire diligently, or washing the dishes in between tending the fire.

Light the fire, wash the dishes, light the fire, wash the dishes.

When it gets dark and everyone leaves the shop, her mother will come to pick her up.

Throughout the day, Yu's happiest time was mealtime. Every meal was delicious, and she felt very full after each one. Now, besides her mother, her favorite people were Chen Niangzi, Xiang Jie'er, and Lei Ting. Ji Ge'er didn't like to talk and sometimes he would pull Xiang Jie'er's ear; he was very fierce and scary. And that little yellow dog always liked to follow behind the chickens and lick chicken droppings; it was stinky.

Shen Miao was unaware that You Yu's simple mind had already encompassed every single thing in the Shen family. When she saw You Yu arrive, she casually took a clean handkerchief from the kitchen and wiped away the fine layer of yellow dust that had accumulated on You Yu's face from the long journey.

Then he invited her to eat an egg pancake: "Eat first, then go wash the dishes. No rush."

Without a word, she ushered her to sit down on the veranda to eat. The cool breeze of the early summer morning was refreshing and invigorating. Yu ate so much that her legs swayed unsteadily. Suddenly, she caught an irresistible aroma of braised food wafting from the kitchen, a rich and lingering fragrance that filled her nostrils. In fact, she had already smelled it earlier, but she had been wiping her face and being pushed out the door repeatedly. Before she could even process what was happening, she was already sitting on the veranda.

Curious, she stood up and ran to look again.

In the corner, there was a large earthenware pot filled with braised pig's head, large chunks of pork belly, pig's trotters... It was slowly braised overnight over a very low flame. The brownish-red broth was coated with these braising ingredients and various spices, and the aroma had already traveled from the kitchen to the shop in front without even lifting the lid.

The morning market had just closed, an awkward time between dawn and dusk when the shops should have been quiet. But the aroma of the freshly cooked braising sauce wafted through the streets, causing many passersby to stumble and fall, drawn by the scent to come in and ask:

"Madam shopkeeper, this braised pork smells amazing! What's in it? How much is it? It smells so good I can't resist! I'd like to cut a piece while it's hot and try it!"

As soon as Shen Miao set up a table against the wall next to the counter and placed the casserole on it, someone came to buy it.

The "爊" in "爊肉" (roasted meat) refers to meat cooked for a long time, which is what we now call a braised meat shop. Braised meat was not uncommon in the Song Dynasty, and many shops in Bianjing (Kaifeng) that advertised "爊肉" were doing very well. When Shen Miao bought pig's head meat, she inquired about the market price and also bought some of what others had made to try. After getting a general idea, she began to try selling it herself.

This traditional method, dating back a thousand years, involves braising eggs in their shells with large chunks of braised mutton, venison, pork, chicken, duck, or even badger meat. The taste is somewhat similar to spicy and numbing flavors. They would crush Sichuan peppercorns, peppercorns, pickled ginger, and dogwood and mix them into the braising liquid, giving it a strong spicy aroma that is quite pungent.

Some shops even added mustard, making it so spicy that it brought tears to the eyes and was almost unbearable. This type of food was known as "extremely spicy" in the Song Dynasty. Those who could handle spice cherished it, while those who couldn't would cover their noses and run away if they passed by a braised meat shop.

Shen Miao's method of making braised meat is quite different from what we're doing now. She learned her braised dishes from a Chaozhou goose master in her past life—a master she formally kowtowed to. Chaozhou braised dishes are characterized by their rich and mellow aroma. The braising sauce is made with a secret blend of over a dozen spices, including cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom, and fennel, and the exact proportions are never revealed.

Before cooking, you need to caramelize the sugar, then fry the spices first and then stir-fry them. You must pay attention to the heat when stir-frying the spices, otherwise it will taste bitter.

Boil water, scallions, ginger, garlic and secret spices together to make a braising broth. When the broth boils, blanch the various meats according to their cooking time and then add them in one order. This method produces braised dishes that are fragrant, rich, salty and fresh, with a hint of sweetness and almost no Sichuan pepper flavor.

Chicken is more expensive than pork these days, so she tried pork, which has the lowest cost, first. Today is the first batch of braised pork.

She is particular about using pork to test the braising broth. The older the braising broth, the better. When making the braising broth for Chaozhou braised goose, a few pieces of pork belly are added first to make the broth richer.

If this unique non-spicy flavor becomes popular among diners, her shop will not only be able to sell affordable braised pig's head, but also Chaozhou-style braised goose.

After braising a whole animal, hang it up in the kitchen to dry. When you want to eat it, cut it into thick slices, drizzle a spoonful of braising liquid over it, and then serve it with garlic sauce or plum sauce as a dipping sauce. The skin is chewy and tender, the meat is juicy and flavorful, and the aroma of braising permeates every fiber. Enjoying a plate of this slowly is simply heavenly.

Surprisingly, the braised pig's head meat was quite well received today. It had barely been served when people came out of curiosity to buy some.

Chenmiao's braised pig's head is priced at 35 wen per jin, braised eggs at 3 wen each, and braised pig's trotters at 45 wen per jin. These prices are similar to those of braised meat outside, slightly more expensive, but not outrageous. So, diners drawn in by the aroma buy half a jin or a whole jin, and in no time, the braised meat in the casserole is completely sold out, leaving only a few small pieces of pork belly with skin. The fat has been braised until it's as soft as tofu. Chenmiao simply takes it out and decides to slice it for lunch and add some meat to his noodles.

After that, she was indeed free, so Shen Miao simply counted out half a string of cash and sent Ji Ge'er to take You Yu to Butcher Zheng's place to buy more pork and bring it back. She was rubbing her hands together, ready to braise another pot to cope with the evening's dining peak, but unexpectedly, someone else came to the shop.

"The customer traffic is pretty good today." Shen Miao came out after washing her hands and asked with a smile, "What would you two ladies like to eat?"

Entering the room were two women, both around forty years old. They were dressed in simple, fine cloth long jackets, their hair simply styled in a bun with only a silver hairpin, and adorned with no other decorations. However, judging from their delicate, fair complexions and demeanor, Shen Miao felt that they must come from wealthy families, but perhaps they were deliberately dressed inconspicuously to enjoy the market.

"I'd like a bowl of vegetarian soup noodles," one of them said, glancing at the menu on the wall and smiling slightly.

The other person was taller and had a straight back. She had already turned around to admire the two paintings on the wall. She looked at them quietly for a while, then noticed the instant noodle tutorial on the other side. She walked over and looked at it for a long time, and finally burst out laughing for some reason.

After agreeing, Shen Miao went back to the kitchen to make noodles, and didn't hear the tall woman's laughter.

I didn't hear the tall woman beckoning another person forward: "Ah Xi, come and see..."

Madam Xi had just looked around the shop. It was rare to find such a clean and tidy little shop in the city. Stepping onto the spotless floor tiles, she hurried forward and took the tall woman's hand: "Madam?"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Madam Xi whispered to her maid, who had been with her for over twenty years, "If Master Fan Li knew that his most promising disciple had used all his talent for calligraphy and painting on this, he might just rise from his coffin in anger."

Madam Xi laughed and said, "You can't blame Ninth Brother. Although he is good at painting, he doesn't like painting much. If it weren't for the fact that Master Fan happened to see him draw out the masterpieces that others had practiced for many years with just a few strokes, and insisted on taking him as his disciple, Ninth Brother would not have wanted to learn. I still remember that when Ninth Brother was young, he often whine to you, and two out of three sentences he would say, 'Mother, I don't want to go to the Fan family to learn painting anymore. Learning painting is really boring.'"

Xi remembered it too, and chuckled as she pointed to the last picture in the "Instant Soup Noodles Inflation Diagram". It showed a playful woman holding a bowl of noodles and eating them. She was holding the bowl, her face was upturned with a smile, her eyebrows were curved, and she revealed two small tiger teeth. It was drawn very lifelike.

She sighed softly, "It seems that our disguise was completely unnecessary."

With a clear understanding, Mama Xi looked tenderly at Ninth Brother's painting and said with a smile, "Since Mr. Fan passed away, Ninth Brother hasn't picked up a paintbrush for a long time. And those two calligraphy pieces, while not exactly obvious, clearly reflect his heart's desire and his inclination... However, this is the mind of a young man, ardent and pure, never hiding his love or hate. It's like a flute playing a complex tune, expressed in words and actions. It's only natural for Ninth Brother at this age."

Xi glanced at her and said, "You're just taking his side!"

“I see that Madam isn’t angry,” Madam Xi turned her head and covered her mouth with a smile. “It’s Madam who’s on Ninth Brother’s side. What does it have to do with me? Otherwise, why would Madam specifically ask me to find some old clothes so that she could take a quick look without drawing attention?”

“They’re not a good match, and he’s a woman who’s been married before. I should be furious at his audacious idea. But… Third Brother is gone, and my heart has changed too.” Xi Shi looked towards the distant sky. The sun, which had been hiding for several days, finally came out, its rays filtering through the treetops and scattering golden light across the ground, shimmering like fleeting shadows. She murmured, “What use is social standing? Aristocratic families arrange marriages, proudly refusing to lower themselves even if it means death. But if fate forces you to bow your head, you have to do it even if you break your neck.”

The decline and even annihilation of the aristocratic families is inevitable. Who knows what will become of the Xie family in the future... Why is she still clinging to this? Besides, even the Xi family was once looked down upon as "poor families" because of their military background, before Xi's father was promoted to military governor.

These words from Madam Shen were so moving that Third Brother crawled out of the mire of wine, and they also touched upon Xi Shi's heart.

We only have one life.

Even if one spends their entire life striving for fame, fortune, and power, it all depends on whether the government is willing to grant them such immense wealth and status. Even centuries-old aristocratic families have become fish on a chopping block; what need is there for social standing? Everything is done according to one's own will. Now it seems that the greater good of the nation, high office, and the glory of one's family are all utter nonsense! These self-proclaimed noble "five surnames and seven esteemed families" are nothing more than fat sheep left to the current government by the late emperor.

If you're unhappy today, you can slaughter one; if you're happy tomorrow, you can slaughter one too.

Besides, marrying a woman from the common people might have its advantages. Seeing the Xie family's decline, the officials might not be so ruthless as to exterminate them.

As soon as the curtain rustled, Madam Chen came out carrying a square wooden tray and a steaming bowl. Xi Shi snapped out of her thoughts and, pretending to be casual, glanced at her closely.

This woman had an oval face, a pair of gentle peach blossom eyes, and skin that seemed to be naturally whiter than others. The steam from the stove made her skin appear even whiter and pinker, and her lips were naturally red without any makeup.

She came out with a smile on her face, and just like in the painting of Ninth Brother, she had two lively and cute little tiger teeth.

Because she had to work every day, she dressed very plainly, in a short, light blue jacket with matching trousers and a floral apron around her waist, but that still couldn't hide her beautiful and slender figure.

"Enjoy your meal. Since this is your first time here, I took the liberty of adding a few slices of braised pork for you free of charge. Please try it." The bowl was gently placed in front of you.

The open-mouthed, rough earthenware bowl, fired over wood, holds a clear broth in which thinly stretched soup dumplings float in circles. Several thinly sliced ​​braised pork pieces are neatly arranged on top, and a few vibrant green water spinach leaves are added as a garnish. The aroma of the soup dumplings, carried by the rising steam, quickly fills the nostrils.

Before I could even taste it, the aroma was already irresistible.

The aroma is subtle and not overpowering at first, but it lingers. When you take a bite, the soup dumplings are chewy and the soup is incredibly fresh and smooth, soothing your throat.

This vegetarian soup dumpling looks simple, but it's really not easy to make it this well.

Even Xi Shi, who was used to delicacies, was moved by this bowl of vegetarian noodles and slowly and quietly finished the whole bowl. After finishing the soup noodles, she felt not only that the taste was good, but also that her stomach felt warm and comfortable. The braised pork was an even greater surprise to her; it was reddish-brown and glossy, but not greasy at all. The layer of fat sandwiched between the lean meat was braised like amber, and when she put it in her mouth, it was so soft that it seemed to melt in her mouth.

Xi's eyes lit up!

This braised pork is truly special; I've never tasted braised pork like this before. It's not pungent at all, and the saltiness is just right, with a subtle sweetness and aroma. It's indeed a rare delicacy.

I only knew that Madam Shen made excellent cakes, pancakes, and steamed buns, but I didn't expect that her soup noodles and braised meat were even better.

That's really rare.

Xi had to admit that this Lady Shen's cooking skills were truly superb, and she was proficient in steaming, boiling, roasting, braising, and stir-frying, and she kept innovating in every way.

Not to mention, even the shop itself is meticulously designed. A counter with a half-window, neatly laid floor tiles, a long table under the window, a pine tree by the door, and menus and illustrations on the wall…

Compared to her, Chef Fang felt he was only fit to be her assistant.

So when Shen Miao came out to collect the dishes, Madam Xi remembered that Madam Feng had come to borrow a cook the other day. Her heart stirred, and she called out to her, "Madam Shen, please wait. I have two things I would like to discuss with you."

Xi glanced at the sky; it was almost noon, and there were few diners and pedestrians around. She then turned back and asked, "I wonder if this will disturb Madam Shen's business? If it's inconvenient, we can arrange another time."

Shen Miao looked at the tall woman with a puzzled expression: "Who is this lady?"

At this moment, the short woman who had been standing beside her spoke up at the opportune moment, saying with a warm smile, "Madam Shen is very fortunate to be with our mistress. However, I have only admired Madam Shen's character and tasted her cooking before. Today is the first time we have met. I wonder if Madam Shen still remembers those four hundred and fifty sweet bean pastry baked buns?"

"So it's Madam Xie! My apologies! I didn't recognize you just now."

Shen Miao was immediately filled with awe: So it was the real God of Wealth who had arrived!

"I wonder what brings you here today, Madam?" Shen Miao restrained herself, trying to suppress the gleam in her eyes. After all, every time this Madam made a move, she could earn a fortune, more effective than praying to any god of wealth or bodhisattva. She wondered what it was for this time.

Madam Xi found it quite amusing that Madam Shen was trying so hard to suppress her excitement. She coughed lightly and got down to business, saying, "Yesterday I invited Ninth Brother to Madam Shen's place to discuss the workshop, but unfortunately, my son has no business sense at all. He completely forgot what Madam Shen had told him, and could only vaguely remember the words 'firewall.' He couldn't explain it clearly, so I've come today for this matter. However, this matter will take Madam Shen some time, and it can't be explained in just a few words. We'll discuss it in detail later. There's also another matter..."

She paused, pointed to the empty bowl of noodles in front of her, and smiled, "I originally came here just for the soup noodle workshop, but after tasting Madam Shen's cooking, I have another request."

“Please speak,” Shen Miao replied without hesitation.

"Dr. Feng from Biyong Academy has always been on good terms with our family. His mother will be turning seventy in a few days. Because Madam Feng is not in good health, she does not want to hold a big celebration. They are thinking of having a small banquet with only close relatives to celebrate. Who knew that their cook would fall seriously ill and still be bedridden. The other day, they came to the Xie family to borrow a cook temporarily."

Madam Xi carefully explained the whole story to her: "Madam Shen has dealt with Chef Fang before, and you must know that he is a conservative person who only knows how to cook the dishes that the Xie family usually makes. I'm afraid that if he goes to the Feng family, they will ask him to cook some new dishes, and he will lose face. So... I wonder if Madam Shen is free from the 18th to the 20th of this month? I would like to ask you to go to the Feng family to help with the banquet. The Feng family has said that they will reward you with 20 taels of gold, including the time spent on preparation. If it is convenient for Madam Shen, 40% of this 20 taels of gold will be given to thank you for your help."

Shen Miao was stunned: "Forty percent?... Gold?"

Gold? Gold? Real gold?

Are meals prepared so expensively by wealthy families like yours? Are you even using gold as currency?

Shen Miao felt dizzy. She frantically calculated in her mind how many strings of copper coins one tael of gold was equal to, and her fingertips trembled slightly as she did so.

Xi glanced at her expression and saw that she stood there expressionless and silent. She hesitated and said, "Is it too little? Yes, it's my fault for having such a sudden idea and not thinking it through. With Madam Shen's skills, a 40% fee is really a bit unfair to her. After all, it will delay Madam Shen's business for two days. How about... ten gold pieces?"

Shen Miao's eyes immediately hardened, and she nodded vigorously at Xi Shi:

"Madam Xie, there's no need to say anything more. I'll accept this injustice."