Chapter 30: First time delivering food to the study
The Xie family's breakfast has always been quite standard, mainly consisting of white flour pancakes, two sweet and savory soups, and the rest of the side dishes are mainly light. When Chen Qi and the others returned to the kitchen, Aunt Li and Aunt Yun had already prepared most of the food.
Lunch in the front and back yards is the most important thing.
There were eight or nine shop assistants in the shop, and a dozen adults and two children in the back house, plus the cook and maids, more than twenty people in total who needed to eat.
After Chen Qi finished breakfast, she went to the kitchen at the back to discuss the lunch dishes with the cooks.
Cut the chicken into small pieces, add crispy celery, add some chili peppers, stir-fry over high heat, and it will be slightly spicy and fragrant.
Beat the eggs and add the yellow chives cut into small pieces. Stir-fry over high heat until solidified into pieces. It is extremely fragrant, tender and smooth.
The pork belly is finely chopped into minced meat and added with sweet edamame, which is tender and refreshing.
Peel the snow-white lotus root, cut it into thin slices, sprinkle it with a thin layer of salt and marinate it for a while, then add more vinegar sauce and marinate it for another hour. It is sour and refreshing and appetizing...
The fresh fish was kept in a water tank, waiting to be stewed into fish soup in the evening. This attracted Yujing and Ruoer to surround the water tank and watch it swim around.
Because the shop has more business at noon, we always eat later than in the backyard.
After having lunch, Chen Qi followed Aunt Zhou, pushing a small cart filled with food boxes, along the alley of the courtyard to the ceremonial gate that led to the first entrance to the yard.
The first courtyard is the outer study connected to the herbal medicine shop on Silver Lion Street. This is Chen Qi's first time to visit this place.
Aunt Zhou parked the car and skillfully knocked on a small gong beside the alley. After a few crisp sounds, a handsome young man ran out.
The child was originally only focused on the food, but when he looked up and suddenly saw Chen Qi, he was stunned for a long time.
Aunt Zhou kept hitting him with the handle of the rice spoon.
"Xiao Wu'er, what are you looking at! This is our Second Young Mistress, why don't you kowtow?"
Xiao Wu'er was the most quick-witted. He actually knelt down and kowtowed, which scared Chen Qi so much that he quickly asked him to get up.
Only after seeing the beautiful Second Young Mistress did he finally understand...
Erye said that it is more interesting to go home and spend time with his wife than to go out and have dinner with others.
Xiao Wuer was not in a hurry to get the food, but turned around and ran back.
Aunt Zhou told Shen Qi that this was the distant nephew of the old lady's mother's family. Because his father passed away early and his mother remarried, he was sent to the Xie family to work as a clerk. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old this year. He usually lived in the shop with the night watchman. His full name was Du Yingzong. Probably because he was the fifth child in the family, everyone called him Xiaowu'er.
After a while, eight or nine of the servants stretched their heads to look at the angel-like Second Young Madam.
Even the old man Xie Yuming who had just returned was attracted by the crowd, thinking that everyone was looking at something new. He squeezed over to take a look and found that it was his second brother and sister-in-law.
Chen Qi looked at the eight or nine heads, all of which were tightly packed together, yet they were still trying hard to look over here.
She stood gracefully at the ceremonial gate, neither hiding nor shy, smiling openly at everyone, nodding slightly, her smile generous and appropriate.
"Hello, big brother. Hello everyone."
Her clear voice sounded particularly pleasant.
Everyone responded: "Hello, Second Grandma!"
Their eyes were all attracted by Chen Qi, and they couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, secretly sighing in their hearts: "It's just as Xiao Wu'er said, a beauty like a fairy has really come!"
Xie Yuming couldn't help but nod to his sister-in-law.
He thought to himself, "Look at her demeanor and manners. How can she be a small-town girl? My daughter Xueyi is the daughter of a wealthy family in the county town, and she's no less beautiful. But how come she doesn't have such grace and bearing?"
Xie Yuduo heard the noise and pushed the door open from the study. Seeing that it was Chen Qi, he waved his hand and sent everyone back to the shop to eat.
Aunt Zhou said she had to go back to work first and would come back to collect the plates and bowls in half an hour.
Chen Qi nodded in agreement, and as soon as everyone left, Xie Yuduo pulled her into the study.
There are also three study rooms, and because there are no partitions in the middle, it looks very spacious.
In the middle is a Luohan couch that can be used for sitting or lying down, as well as a kang table, backrest, teapot, teacups, incense table, etc. On one side are several couches for taking a nap at noon, and on the other side is a desk with pens, ink, paper, inkstone, ink pad, pen holder, ink box and other items. Behind the table and chairs is a wall full of bookcases, which should contain the shop's account books.
Chen Qi looked around the study and then looked outside through the window.
"It's quite spacious and quiet here. Even though there's a warehouse with medicinal herbs across the street, the medicinal smell is quite faint and pleasant."
"We're a herbal medicine shop, and we only buy and sell herbs. We don't grind or process them, so naturally, they don't have a medicinal smell. By the way, how was your day? Did everything go well? I wanted to ask you at breakfast, but there were so many people around, and we were in a hurry, so I've been thinking about you all morning."
Chen Qi smiled and said, "What's there to worry about? It's just a small job, not worth much."
"I saw Second Aunt gave you the old account book yesterday. Is it useful?"
"It's kind of helpful. But I didn't remember it this morning."
"Oh?" Xie Yuduo raised his eyebrows.
Chen Qi counted for him on her fingers.
"In total, I bought twenty-eight eggs for sixty-six wen, a live fish weighing three catties and seven ounces for one qian and eight fen, and two catties and three ounces of pork belly for one qian and five fen... All in all, it came to seven qian and three fen of silver, plus fifty-three copper coins. My daily allotment of one liang of silver was far too much to spend. I didn't record it in my account book; I kept it all in my mind."
Xie Yuduo pulled her over and sat her on his lap.
"My Xiaoyue is really that capable."
In broad daylight, Chen Qi was afraid that he would do something to her, so she quickly pointed to the minced meat and fried edamame in the bowl.
"I made this dish myself, please try it."
Xie Yuduo praised it highly, saying, "It really has a good color, aroma and taste."
He added, "But it's better to do less. First, it's too tiring, and second, I'm afraid the guys will get too picky about food. By the time it's Second Aunt's turn, no one will be able to enjoy the food anymore."
Chen Qi smiled and said, "Heaven does not create useless people, and the earth does not grow nameless grass. Since I can do a good job, I must do it well."
Speaking of Second Aunt, Chen Qi told him that he had been paying close attention today and had calculated carefully. He found that Second Aunt had withheld at least three or four coins of silver every day.
Chen Qi stretched out four fingers.
"If I do this every day, I'll make nearly a hundred taels of silver a year. This job alone makes more money than my yarn shop!"
No wonder the Xie family, despite having a decent income, lives on a tight budget, even having to grow their own vegetables like onions and garlic. This was just the loophole that Shen Qi had just discovered; there were probably many more that she couldn't see.
Xie Yuduo nodded as he listened. He had calculated it in his mind before and it was roughly the same number.
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