Chapter 32 Frangipani

With swift, deft movements, Yuan Hongqu removed the shrimp veins and peeled the shells.

Just as the tofu over there in the peach-shaped area was blanched, the shrimp over here had already turned into a pile of white, jade-like shrimp meat.

Yuan Hongqu then took some slightly larger tomatoes, scooped out the tomato cores, and used a carving knife to shape the tomatoes into bowl shapes.

Her movements were skillful; the carving knife flew up and down in her hands, almost like a magic trick.

Wang Xifeng watched with wide eyes. She had always known that her sister Yuan was a good cook, but she never expected that she would have such a skill. It seemed that the videos her sister Yuan filmed in modern times were too conservative.

Yuan Hongqu worked quickly, carving flowers on the tomatoes and placing each one individually on a medium-sized disk.

"Sister Liu, set the table." She instructed a woman standing nearby. The woman washed her hands and brought over a large plate with some flowers and leaves on it.

Granny Liu placed two flowers and a few leaves on the side of each plate. The flowers had white petals and yellow stamens, and the leaves were large.

The plating, with the red tomato in the center, is quite beautiful.

It took Wang Xifeng a while to realize that the leaf looked like it was carved from a cucumber, and that the veins of the leaf were even carved on it.

But she couldn't figure out how the flowers were made; they looked as if they had just been picked from the tree.

Yuan Hongqu, busy with her work, inadvertently glanced at Wang Xifeng's expression and said:

"Sister Liu, could you introduce the plating ingredients to Second Grandma? She'll need to explain them to the old lady later."

Granny Liu agreed and said,

"Grandma Lian, this flower is called frangipani. Doesn't it look like a fried egg? The yellow part inside is the egg yolk, and the white petals on the outside are the egg white."

"I've never seen a flowering tree like this before. It looks like it was just picked. I don't remember having frangipani in our mansion." Wang Xifeng was even more puzzled after hearing what Granny Liu said.

"Second Madam, this isn't from a flowering tree. It's carved from a white radish. Take a closer look." Granny Liu took one of the extra flowers from the large plate and handed it to Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng took it; it was slightly cool to the touch. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a radish, but not quite.

What is the yellow in the middle?

Could it be that there are yellow-fleshed radishes?

"Is the middle part dyed?" Wang Xifeng suddenly realized and blurted out.

"Second Grandma has a good eye; the center is dyed gardenia yellow with gardenia juice. These radish flowers were pickled with white vinegar and rock sugar; they're crisp and sweet, and edible too," Granny Liu explained. "And these green leaves..."

“It was carved from a cucumber, I can tell,” Wang Xifeng said. “Your craftsmanship is far more exquisite than our eggplant dish. You people from Jiangnan really know how to eat with refinement.”

At this moment, Yuan Hongqu tossed the wok a few times, causing the flames to flare. Wang Xifeng's gaze was instantly drawn to the wok again. Before she could even utter a "good," the shrimp coated in tomato sauce were already cooked. Yuan Hongqu skillfully ladled them into a tomato bowl.

Despite the small size of the tomato cups, Yuan Hongqu managed to avoid spilling a single drop of soup. Every time she filled a cup, Granny Liu, who was standing next to her, would quickly place the tomato top, carved into the shape of a lid, on top of it without any misalignment.

"Second Madam, Miss Yuanyang came to ask if everything is ready for the meal at the Old Madam's place, and if Granny Yuan has made all the necessary preparations."

Ping'er came over and asked.

"Let's go, let's go together." Wang Xifeng called to Yuan Hongqu to go together.

"I'm not going. I'll smell like cooking oil all over me, and it won't feel right," Yuan Hongqu declined.

The problem of kitchen fumes in ancient times was probably something Yuan Hongqu could never solve in her lifetime.

This is one of the reasons why Yuan Hongqu preferred to pass on all her skills to the maids and servants instead of keeping them all herself.

Wang Xifeng did not force Yuan Hongqu. The old lady's matter could not be delayed any longer, so she hurriedly led the maids and servants to carry the dishes to Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Not to mention the dishes, which were all highly praised, Daiyu even ate a few extra bites of rice at the old lady's house, which was unprecedented for her.

Baoyu, on the other hand, ate an extra bowl of rice with his tomato and beef brisket...

The old lady was so pleased that she immediately sent Yuanyang to Rongyue Courtyard to give her a reward!

Everyone in Rongyue Courtyard received a reward, especially the kitchen staff, who received the most.

The old lady even gave Yuan Hongqu an extra bolt of cloth for use.

Yuan Hongqu took the fabric, but she didn't understand what was so good about it; she wasn't very knowledgeable in this area.

However, this fabric looks very expensive.

The dishes delivered today were all helped by the staff of Rongyue Courtyard. She only made the last dish, but she received the most generous tip. Yuan Hongqu felt a little bad about it.

She went to find Zhang Saozi, who was in charge of needlework and clothing at Rongyue Courtyard, and learned that this piece of fabric was plain silk gauze. Although it was for the use of the imperial family, it was only used by concubines and noble ladies of ordinary rank.

The price of Su Yunluo wasn't outrageous. A bolt of the original Hongqu cloth would cost about twenty taels of silver, which could be used directly as money outside.

Granny Zhang knew very well about the origin and price of the fabric.

Yuan Hongqu habitually did the conversion: twenty taels is roughly equivalent to 20,000 yuan in modern terms. For a piece of cloth that is purely handmade, 20,000 yuan is really not expensive.

However, she felt that the twenty taels of silver were a bit too hot to handle.

After all, I wasn't the one who did the most work today.

“Aunt Zhang, look at this piece of fabric. What can we make so that everyone in Rongyue Courtyard can have a piece?” Yuan Hongqu asked, holding up the fabric.

She wouldn't refuse the reward from the Jia family, but she didn't want to keep it by her side, nor was she willing to give it away for her own use.

This was the first time they had received a reward from the Rongguo Mansion since they came here, which meant that they had finally gained recognition.

Therefore, this piece of cloth must have a more meaningful use!

After listening to Yuan Hongqu's words, Granny Zhang began to calculate.

A bolt of cloth is ten zhang long, about thirty meters long. It's probably not enough to make dresses... But if it's to make vests, it should be more than enough for everyone in the courtyard.

"Granny Yuan, make a vest. Make it the same color as the fabric and the style is almost identical, so that when people see this vest, they can tell that it belongs to someone from Rongyue Courtyard."

“Aunt Zhang, that’s a good idea. I’ll have to trouble you to put in extra effort these next few days and get the vest made as soon as possible. If you need any other materials, just let me know.” Yuan Hongqu thought of modern work clothes and also thought the idea was excellent.

"You're too kind, Granny Yuan. This is my duty, it's only right. We brought plenty of materials from Yangzhou, enough for us."

"Granny Yuan, we'll go take everyone's measurements this afternoon, and try to get everyone in our courtyard wearing plain silk vests when the weather gets warmer!" Another old woman in the sewing room said excitedly.

Since arriving at the Rongguo Mansion, the Rongguo Mansion has made four sets of spring clothes for the young lady alone. In addition, they have brought a lot of new and old clothes from home. The young lady can wear a different set of clothes for a whole month without repeating the same one.

Therefore, for a time, Zhang Pozi and her group had very little to do, yet they received the same reward money and the same monthly allowance as everyone else.

They felt a little uneasy.

Now that they've been given this job, and since these clothes are provided to every maid and servant in the entire Rongyue Courtyard, they're putting in their utmost effort to do a good job!

The original nanny provided the fabric, and they provided the handicrafts; they certainly couldn't waste such good material.

Yuan Hongqu gently stroked the fabric, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind.

"Aunt Zhang, if you have any scraps of fabric, you can decorate them with gold, silver, and pearls to make hair ornaments. I'll draw a few designs for you when I have time, and you can make them yourself."

Yuan Hongqu knew that although their group wasn't in charge of making jewelry, they still used a lot of needle and thread when making jewelry from scraps of cloth. Granny Zhang was quite knowledgeable about these things, and when Yuan Hongqu suggested it, she readily agreed.

After arranging the destination of the cloth and having eaten to digest her food, Lin Daiyu returned from Grandmother Jia's place.

As she walked, she gazed at the willow branches by the stream outside Rongyue Courtyard. The willows had already sprouted, and after several days of scorching sun, the leaves had turned from tender green to emerald green. If it weren't for the willow branches swaying in the wind, making them look like a delicate young girl, one would only think that the willow tree was very well-nourished just by looking at the emerald green leaves!

Daiyu thought to herself: Aren't I just like this willow tree?

At first glance, she seems quite delicate, but in reality, she is definitely not like that at all!

"Young lady, did you have a good lunch?"