Opportunities always come to those who are prepared.
Shen Ruoyan only went to the side courtyard once, but he already knew everyone's thoughts clearly.
Thanks to Lu Jing, Shen Ruoyan had put a lot of thought into the preparations for the Spring Festival Banquet. The officials in this mansion were all elderly and could not be easily moved. Especially at this juncture, it was even more difficult to make changes.
But through this banquet, Shen Ruoyan roughly figured it out.
"Madam, Aunt Liu said that this dish is too complicated and she can't make it." Chun Xi just handed over the menu prepared by the madam, but Aunt Liu in the kitchen kept making excuses. Sometimes she said there were not enough dishes, and sometimes she said she had never heard of it and couldn't make it.
Since this spring banquet was going to be held, Shen Ruoyan naturally put a lot of thought into it.
She did not prepare the delicacies from the palace, but instead referred to the previous rules of the Marquis' Mansion and added a few innovative and pleasing dishes.
Although it is a bit time-consuming, it is not impossible to do it.
Shen Ruoyan lowered her eyes slightly and gently brushed the petals blooming in front of her. These were picked for her by Qiu Ye from outside early in the morning, so that she could see the spring scenery all over the room as soon as she opened her eyes.
It is very easy to distinguish between intentional and unintentional.
"Tell her that if she can't cook it, she can just rest at home tomorrow. Chef Yang from Fu Liu Ji is an excellent cook. If she really doesn't want to cook, she can ask Chef Yang to come over and take over."
The kitchen at the Marquis's mansion was quite well-fed. Especially Aunt Liu, who cooked every day and could take the leftovers home. The whole family depended on the Marquis's mansion for their livelihood. She had some connections with Aunt Xue, and she was just trying to bully them!
Shen Ruoyan can't tolerate this kind of thing. There are people who don't want to do it, but there are people who want to do it!
A cook wants to take advantage of her?
Chunxi had just left when Qiuye came in. She was much more composed than before. However, when she came in, she couldn't hold back her expression. Her brows were so tight that they could have pinched a fly to death!
"Madam, Steward Wang is here. He said there's a problem with the refreshments."
Tomorrow is the Spring Festival Banquet, and everything should be prepared now. Steward Wang lowered his head and said with a smile, "Madam, please forgive me, I really asked for it too hastily. This tea and snacks have more varieties than usual, and I'm afraid we won't be able to prepare them all tomorrow."
The tea and snacks were ordered early in the morning. Because there were many varieties, Shen Ruoyan left enough time from the beginning. Steward Wang was an old steward in the mansion. It was really inappropriate for him to say that it was not ready at the last minute.
However, he was promoted by the old lady and had a close relationship with her. Therefore, Shen Ruoyan remained calm and just asked, "What have you prepared now?"
Steward Wang named a few cakes, which happened to be the ones usually available in the Marquis' Mansion. None of the cakes that Shen Ruoyan had ordered were available.
She smiled slowly. "It's okay. The Marquis' Mansion has a lot of affairs to deal with. I know Steward Wang is busy and may not be able to take care of it all. So I asked Deputy Steward Li to keep an eye on it. He just happened to find the missing items."
Steward Wang's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and said, "That's very good. Otherwise, I would be too embarrassed to see the mistress in the future."
"What are you talking about?" Shen Ruoyan smiled and didn't take it to heart. "Steward Wang has been in the Marquis' Mansion for so long. Although he is very good at handling all matters, people always make mistakes sometimes. It's normal."
She spoke slowly, comforting him, "Don't worry about it. We still have Deputy Manager Li here. He has a good memory and can provide more assistance."
Steward Wang didn't dare say anything else, and nodded repeatedly. After leaving, his expression was slightly gloomy.
I heard that in the evening, Manager Wang personally went to check the snacks for tomorrow's meal and only left after making sure there were no problems.
After this warning, the servants were much more obedient when the Spring Banquet began.
Chun Xi stared at the maids setting up the dishes, but she didn't forget to tease them, laughing softly, "That Aunt Liu got up early this morning and said she suddenly had an idea and knew how to make those things, so there's no need to ask the chef from Fu Liuji to come and make things more complicated."
Qiu Ye also laughed when she heard this, "She's not afraid of people causing trouble, she's actually worried about being replaced by someone else!"
The two girls burst into laughter, but when they saw Shen Ruoyan, their expressions immediately returned to normal. After following Shen Ruoyan for so long, their skills in changing faces had become perfect.
In the peach forest, a small bridge flows by the water. Everyone sits together, with exquisite tea and fine wine in front of them, and surrounded by stringed instruments. As soon as you walk in, you will feel extremely relaxed.
Lu Jing came with Shen Ruoyan, and seeing the atmosphere, he couldn't suppress the joy in his eyes.
Shen Ruoyan led him to sit down and said with a smile: "Are you satisfied, Lord?"
Lu Jing nodded, "Not bad, not bad."
Several concubines were seated down. Zhuhong and Liulu looked at Lu Jing from time to time with affection in their eyes. Fang Rou was naturally not to be outdone, but her eyes were filled with more resentment, which always made Lu Jing look away.
"We are all family, there is no need to be restrained."
Shen Ruoyan and Lu Jing raised their glasses together, but she drank tea instead of wine, while in front of Lu Jing was the famous wine she had specially collected.
After a drink, Lu Jing was even more cheerful. "I heard you guys prepared something for me?" He glanced at them with great interest. "Who's going first?"
Fang Rou held the cup tightly. She was so focused on stopping the party from starting that she had no time to prepare anything else.
Besides, she came from a poor family and had never learned any of the four arts, so she had nothing to show.
"My Lord, I feel a little unwell every time the season changes. I'm afraid I can't do what you want. However, my two sisters have been preparing for a long time, and I think they will satisfy you."
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