Old Madam Jiang stared intently, her eyes slightly red upon closer inspection, but upon further inspection, her expression turned serious.
"It's been almost half an hour now, and there's still no movement from either of the two academies?" she said in a deep voice.
Tan Yue said nervously, "Second Master is busy with official duties. The eldest and second young masters are still studying at the Imperial Academy. Second Madam took Fourth Miss out for a spring outing. Third Miss burned her hand, and Madam just called the family physician..."
So, even after the eldest daughter of the Jiang family had been back at the mansion for nearly an hour, she hadn't seen a second member of the Jiang family.
Okay, okay, okay.
Madam Jiang laughed angrily, "If you don't want to see them, then don't. Anyway, we're not going back to the manor for their sake."
After saying that, he ordered the head kitchen to remove all the fancy dishes and keep only the hearty meat dishes.
Turning around, she was once again a kind and gentle old lady, smiling as she watched her granddaughter play on the swing.
But the swing stopped not long after.
Madam Jiang was a little surprised. "Why did you stop playing? It's not mealtime yet. Play a little longer."
"No, no," Jiang Sheng waved her hand. "I'll have a lot of fun after playing for a while."
One should be content. Others can only dream of such a beautiful swing, and she's already very happy to have been able to play on it for so long.
"Besides, we can't leave Grandma standing there in the cold." The little girl opened her beautiful round eyes. "You're old, you need to find a place to rest, you can't just stand there all the time."
Of all the people in the household, only Tan Yue would have said such a thing before.
Now there's another one, Jiang Sheng.
Grandma Jiang couldn't quite describe the bittersweet feelings she was experiencing, but all she wanted to do now was smile. She took the chubby little hand again and said, "Okay, let's go eat."
The chefs in the main kitchen were very efficient, and there were no fancy platings; the dishes served were simply a continuous stream of meat and vegetables.
Pork, beef, lamb, and chicken—whether eaten cold, hot, stir-fried, or braised—forty-nine dishes are neatly arranged, perfectly covering the entire tabletop, leaving only gaps around the outer edge for placing plates.
Jiang Sheng was stunned again.
The meals in the second courtyard were usually quite plentiful, taking into account Xu Mo's favorite vegetables, Zheng Ruqian's favorite fish, Fang Heng's favorite stir-fries, Wen Zhiyun's favorite sweets, Chang Yan's favorite salty soup, and Jiang Sheng's favorite braised pork knuckle, but it would never exceed eight dishes.
Aunt Zhang is frugal and doesn't want to give leftovers to the children, so she tries to leave as little as possible and gives it to the stray cats and dogs at the door. Occasionally, she takes the better-looking ones to help the poor.
Now, in the Jiang family, there are only two masters eating, but a total of forty-nine dishes are served.
"Madam, young lady, there are still a few stews that aren't quite done cooking yet. We'll serve them to you later," Tan Yue said with a smile.
There were actually more than forty-nine.
Jiang Sheng felt like her heart was being torn apart. One moment she was tempted by the aroma of meat wafting up, and the next she felt so guilty and that it was such a waste.
There's also a sense of guilt about secretly eating behind my brothers' backs.
"Come and try the braised mutton with skin." Madam Jiang gestured for Tan Yue to put some on Jiang Sheng's plate. "I heard from Si Qing that you like to eat mutton. I've always wanted to send you some, but I was afraid of disturbing your peace and quiet."
The mutton, with its skin on, had been simmering in a clay pot for half an hour, braised until the skin and meat were tender yet still intact. Various seasonings removed the mutton's inherent gamey smell. Now, lying on a clean white plate, it looked just like a courtesan who stayed up all night, reaching out her hand with extreme allure, "Come on, eat me."
Jiang Sheng wailed inwardly, "I'm sorry, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother."
She quickly but steadily picked up her chopsticks, held them firmly in front of everyone, and shoved them into her mouth, chewing them happily.
The mutton, with its gamey smell removed, is tender and flaky, while the outer skin has a slight chewiness. After a few more bites, it crumbles completely into pieces.
Skin wrapped around meat, meat mixed with tendons, carrying a fresh, fragrant, spicy and numbing flavor, with a "glug" sound, it was submerged in the esophagus and finally sacrificed in the stomach.
Jiang Sheng pursed her lips, still wanting more.
Tan Yue quickly grabbed another chopstick, which was eaten, then she grabbed another chopstick and ate it again.
This little girl has an unfathomable appetite.
Madam Jiang, standing beside her, laughed so hard her eyes disappeared. "Don't just eat this dish, try something else."
"This is stir-fried tender lamb, rolled in a thin pancake and sprinkled with crispy fried dough sticks, resulting in a rich and layered flavor."
"These are sweet and sour fried pork slices, wrapped with some shredded green onions. The green onions are sweet and not spicy, so you can eat them without worry."
Tan Yue noticed that the girl had a really good appetite, eating whatever was given to her, so she felt relieved and started to busy herself, walking around the table.
By the time Jiang Sheng put down her chopsticks, this usually pampered maid was already sweating profusely.
"Are you full?" Old Madam Jiang asked with a smile.
Jiang Sheng nodded, patting her slightly protruding belly, "Grandma, you should eat too. There's so much food; it would be a waste if you didn't eat it."
Including the three dishes that followed, there were a total of fifty-two dishes. Even if she ate as much as she wanted, she still hadn't eaten a tenth of them.
The thought of having to throw it away in the end made her feel a little reluctant and sad.
“It won’t be wasted.” Old Madam Jiang could roughly guess her thoughts. “Tan Yue will also eat, and the maids and servants will all get a few bites.”
This was an unwritten rule in wealthy families: the leftovers from the master's meal were to be shared by the maids and servants.
Jiang Sheng's expression immediately froze.
"Is it because you're reluctant to part with the food, Miss?" Tan Yue chuckled. "No one in our aristocratic families of Fengjing has ever eaten leftovers. If you still want some, just have the main kitchen prepare it."
“It’s not this.” Jiang Sheng sighed. “I knew that the maids in wealthy families had good food, but I never thought they could even eat mutton and beef. If I had a household registration back then, I would definitely have sold myself into servitude as a maid.”
Being a maid is great! You get a fixed job, a fixed monthly salary, eat meat every day, and receive gold and silver jewelry as rewards.
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