Chapter 71
Su Guoer answered truthfully, "I'm not from Bianjing. My ancestors were from Suzhou, but my family is very small. My father was a doctor, and after my mother died, he took me on a tour. We visited many places and tried all kinds of food from all over the place."
"Unfortunately, my father was killed by bandits. Fortunately, the old lady of the Duke's Mansion took me in, and I was able to grow up. Following my father's wishes, I opened a local cuisine restaurant in Bianjing. Every dish here was taught to me by my father."
She told the story in a leisurely manner, and her experience was quite legendary. When I heard this young lady say that she came from the Duke's Mansion, I knew where her neither humble nor arrogant attitude came from.
Only those who have seen the world do not have the air of ordinary people. Not so lively, but dignified and polite.
How could such a person want to open a restaurant?
She doesn't fit in with this environment, but her craftsmanship is really good.
So he said, "Running a restaurant is very tiring. You have such good skills, why not hire someone to be a cook in a family, and then take in a few apprentices. In a year, you can earn as much as running a restaurant."
He was right. A chef in a respectable family, like the chef in the Duke's Mansion, would earn a thousand taels of silver a year, not to mention the rewards given during festivals and holidays. Each piece of the finest cloth and silk was worth several taels of silver.
Whenever the master entertained guests, the reward was quite a bit. For example, Su Guoer occasionally cooked for the old lady, and she would accumulate hundreds of taels of silver over and over again.
He then took in a few apprentices to help him, and later opened a shop with them, making a lot of money.
This is also a way.
Su Guoer: "But a slave is still a slave after all, it's never as good as being free."
Being married to a mansion requires signing a contract to sell yourself.
Although the reward is high, there will be punishment if you don't do well. How can it be so simple?
After hearing this, Lord Liao suddenly raised his eyes, as if he didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Su Guoer replied again: "Even if I'm hired, I'll still be a slave. In my opinion, it's not as happy as being free. Although I have less protection, I have more time to myself. I can live a good life with my family."
This kind of life is a pleasure for her.
Lord Liao: "You are quite clever, young lady."
Su Guoer: "Your Excellency is too kind."
He was now a little curious about who Su Guoer's biological father was. Why was he able to raise her so well? It was rare for a young lady to be so insightful, even among the ladies of aristocratic families.
Either he is gifted or he has someone behind him.
Lord Liao: "You must have been someone close to the old lady in the past, right?" The person asking this question was naturally the old lady of the Duke's Mansion.
Su Guoer replied: "Yes"
Lord Liao stroked his beard and said, "That's right. The old lady of the Duke's Mansion was also a remarkable person when she was young. If she could catch the old lady's eye and give her a few pointers, it's no wonder that she would be so insightful."
After he finished speaking, everyone who wanted to know knew what he wanted to know. Lord Liao got on the carriage with the help of Wu Qingli, and the carriage sped away.
But Su Guoer just stood there and thought for a while.
Su Guoer had seen many deceitful things in the Duke's Mansion, and often heard other maids talk about the twists and turns of wealthy families. This made her develop a habit of being cautious.
She always felt that there was something strange about this adult's coming, but she didn't find anything wrong.
Well, she didn't take it to heart and turned back to prepare the dishes for dinner. She also had to pickle the dried radish. The weather had been good these past few days, and the dried radish was almost done by the sun.
——
Duke's Mansion, Yuezhu Pavilion.
Pei Yan took a break from his busy schedule to drink some tea while reading the files. Suddenly, he saw a man in rags falling from the east wall of the courtyard. He landed in the yard and brushed off the dust on his clothes.
He quickly hid the plate of braised meat behind the pastries.
But Changqi noticed this action with his sharp eyes, walked around the plate of pastries, stepped forward, pinched a piece of braised meat and put it in his mouth.
Pei Yan looked disgusted: "Did you wash your hands?"
Chang Qi: "I live in the open air every day, where can I find water to wash my hands? Why don't you give me a different job? I can't even get enough to eat as a beggar every day."
Then his eyes lit up, he started eating the meat, and praised it: "Mmm! This meat is really delicious!"
Pei Yan ignored him and said, "I only asked you to pretend to be a beggar, not to actually be one. Who are you trying to show off your pitiful appearance to? Could it be that my monthly salary of two hundred taels is just going to waste?"
His words were tricky, but they were true. The salary the court gave him was only 300 taels a month, which he used to support his confidants.
Changqi's monthly salary of 200 taels was just enough for him to eat and drink as he pleased in the city of Bianjing.
Chang Qi felt wronged: "What's the use of having money? I'm a beggar now. Which beggar has money in his pocket? I don't even dare to go into a good restaurant when I pass by, for fear that they will kick me out."
He was also afraid of exposing his identity, after all, being a beggar was a very convenient way to get information. So you can imagine how hard his life was, and he could only occasionally come to his boss for a snack.
Pei Yan: "Don't complain to me about this. Go talk to your little lover in Chunyue Tower."
Seeing that he was exposed, Changqi did not get angry. He smiled and talked about business: "Guess who I saw today?"
Pei Yan: "Xianglan?"
Chang Qi: "Hey! It's Mr. Liao, Prime Minister Liao. I saw Mr. Liao at the restaurant owned by your lover! And that guy surnamed Wu went with him!"
Pei Yan didn't make a fuss, but looked up and thought for a moment before saying, "Her food is delicious, so it's not surprising that Lord Liao is willing to go there to eat."
Chang Qi's face was full of gossip: "Aren't you afraid that he will follow the clues and find out your relationship with that young lady?"
Pei Yan held the fruit in his hand, tilted his head and distanced himself from him, saying seriously, "I have nothing to do with her. Don't spread rumors in the future. Spreading rumors is illegal. You are in this line of work, so you naturally know the pros and cons of it."
Chang Qi: "Okay, okay, it's okay~, I see you've been thinking about it all day, even writing a memorial to give someone a yard. You've done it so obviously, do you think I can't see it? Or is it you who can't see it?"
"Don't blame me for not warning you. You've already revealed your feelings for that young lady. Lord Liao doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Now that he's in contact with this young lady, it's inevitable that he'll have other thoughts. If he intends to train her to be his own to use against you, don't come crying to me!"
He swore that he sincerely wanted to remind himself of his lordship.
Although I really don't want to expose his little thoughts, I also don't want to see him cry in the future and suffer in this relationship.
Good relationships can drive people crazy, and so can bad ones. Look at how my master silently gives without caring about anything...
If I really get hurt in the future.
Tsk tsk tsk, he didn't want to see his master crying with red eyes and begging others not to leave.
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