Chapter 20 Millet and Pumpkin Porridge, Purely Natural and Pollution-Free
Young Master Ding's full name is Ding Tianci.
Master Ding had countless wives and concubines throughout his life, but in middle age he only had one son.
Unfortunately, his only son, Fu Bo, fell off a cliff shortly after marrying his wife, and his body was never recovered.
After giving birth to his posthumous child, his daughter-in-law was bedridden and passed away less than two years later, leaving Ding Tianci and his father to depend on each other for survival.
The Ding family was large and powerful, but its members were few and far between, and its offspring were few. In the eyes of others, it was a piece of easy prey.
With Ding Tianci seriously ill and the Ding family having no heir, countless wolves and tigers secretly plotted to devour the entire Ding family.
Ding Tianci is both the continuation of the Ding family line and the spiritual anchor of Master Ding.
That's why Master Ding was willing to pay any price, even risk his life, to keep his grandson alive.
At this time, Sheng An was unaware of Ding Tianci's importance to the Ding family. He was led by Master Ding to the courtyard where Ding Tianci lived.
Sheng An was stunned the moment she saw Ding Tianci.
In her previous life, the internet was highly developed, and all kinds of people could be found online. She had seen patients with anorexia, including a 1.6-meter-tall girl who had lost so much weight that she weighed only 50 pounds, a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Ding Tianci was even more terrifying than the girl. He was so thin that he was as thin as a sheet of paper, his bones sunken into the blanket, and it was almost impossible to tell that there was a person under the blanket.
His hair had all fallen out, and his rugged facial features made it impossible to discern his original appearance. Only his unusually large eyes remained, giving him a particularly eerie look.
If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Sheng An would have almost thought that the person was gone.
Ding Tianci hadn't expected a stranger to appear before him. He could only turn his head slightly towards Old Master Ding, and utter a weak sound as he opened his mouth: "Get out...make her get out..."
The once spirited young man didn't want anyone to see him in this inhuman, ghostly state.
Grandpa Ding's eyes reddened, and he quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and tightly grasped his grandson's cold hand:
"Tianci, she was invited by Grandpa. The wontons you ate yesterday were made by her. She has a way to make you eat. Please trust Grandpa one more time, okay? I'm begging you!"
Ding Tianci's breath hitched, and he stared blankly at Sheng An, a faint glimmer of light flickering in his exaggeratedly large eyes.
If given the chance to live like a normal person, who would willingly wait for death?
Sheng An needed to get the information she wanted from him, so she stepped forward and spoke softly:
“Young Master Ding, I’m not entirely sure I can get you to eat, but I hope you can cooperate with me, considering your grandfather’s deep love for his grandson.”
The room was quiet. Ding Tianci looked at his grandfather, whose eyes were red, then at Sheng An, whose expression was calm and showed no sympathy, mockery, or disgust, and finally nodded: "...Okay."
Master Ding wept with joy.
In the kitchen, a group of old women and maids were chatting and laughing together.
The Ding family only has two proper masters, but there are a whole bunch of servants. Everyone just needs to do their job well and they can get a generous monthly salary.
The kitchen is a great place to make money. The masters not only eat all the precious ingredients they can't finish, but they also dare to secretly take them out of the mansion to exchange for money.
At the end of the year, the amount of money he received was several times more than his monthly salary.
They would gladly do such a good job for the rest of their lives.
A group of people were chatting enthusiastically when a young girl rushed in, covered in sweat: "Something terrible has happened! Manager Yang has found a new head chef and said that from now on we all have to listen to him!"
Upon hearing this, the old women and maids were greatly surprised and stood up, looking at the young maid with suspicion and uncertainty.
The old woman in charge of the kitchen grabbed the young maid and asked fiercely, "Where did you get this information? Did you hear it with your own ears?"
The maid was terrified, her face turning pale: "It was...it was Changfu, who serves the master, who told me. Changfu's words are never wrong."
Changfu was Master Ding's trusted attendant, representing Master Ding in issuing orders to outsiders.
The head maid loosened her grip, her expression shifting unpredictably.
Could it be that she was caught stealing and selling expensive ingredients from the kitchen?
Thinking of this possibility, the head maid was so anxious that she paced back and forth in circles.
Seeing this, the others also became frightened, clearly having the same thought as the stewardess.
The master was kind to his servants, but he was not a soft-hearted man.
Previously, someone had stolen goods from the warehouse and sold them. The master caught them and beat them half to death.
That wasn't enough. They sent people to ransack the man's house and eventually sold him to a mine in the Northwest to do hard labor, so he would never be able to come back alive.
The group of people grew increasingly frightened, trembling with fear and unsure of what to do.
Just then, Steward Yang's voice came from outside: "Madam Sheng, this is the kitchen. If you need anything, just tell the people in the kitchen to buy it."
Upon hearing this, the stewardess turned pale, all her last shred of hope vanished.
Sheng An followed Steward Yang to the kitchen and saw a group of people standing in the room, staring at him as if they had seen a ghost. He was completely bewildered.
Manager Yang noticed the unusual behavior of the crowd and immediately scolded them, "What are you all standing here for? Hurry up and come over to greet Madam Sheng!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
What does Manager Yang mean by this? Does he mean to beat them, confiscate their property, and sell them to the mines to do hard labor?
The head maid was the first to react, immediately stepping forward with a fawning smile to Sheng An: "Madam Sheng, I'm in charge of the kitchen. From now on, we'll work together. Just let me know if you need anything!"
The others secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with smiles to greet Sheng An.
Sheng An glanced at them and said with a smile, "It's not really an order. I was just invited by Master Ding to cook for Young Master Ding. I have to go home after I'm done."
It turns out that the master had hired them to cook for the young master, not to take away his job.
The stewardess's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled back into her stomach, and her smile became more genuine: "Since you were invited by the master, we will certainly do our best to cooperate."
Manager Yang gave a few instructions, greeted Sheng An, and then hurried off to attend to other matters.
Sheng An walked into the kitchen, looked around, and then said to the stewardess following behind him, "I need millet and old pumpkin. I wonder if the manor has any."
The stewardess was taken aback at first, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I'll find it for you right away."
After saying that, she instructed the maid to go to the room where the ingredients were stored to fetch millet and an old pumpkin.
For the large and wealthy Ding family, these two ingredients are too common and they are rarely used to cook. However, they keep some in the kitchen and occasionally use them to make porridge and snacks.
Soon, the maidservant brought over millet and an old pumpkin.
Sheng An grabbed a handful of millet, smelled it to make sure it was stored well and not moldy, then scooped a small spoonful into a large bowl and had the maid wash it clean.
Then, he picked up a kitchen knife and cut off the top of the pumpkin.
Seeing the dark yellow cut surface and the unique sweet aroma of pumpkin, Sheng An nodded in satisfaction and cut off a palm-sized piece.
Seeing this, the head maid knew what Sheng An was about to do, and hesitated to speak.
In the past, the famous chefs invited to the mansion were all meticulous in selecting ingredients, and they were eager to use all their skills to create a dish that would amaze the world.
Unlike this Madam Sheng, who only chose millet and pumpkin, two ordinary ingredients, this is completely unbecoming of the young master's status.
Besides, millet and pumpkin porridge is so simple, she can make it herself!
Is this woman really not here to swindle and cheat the Ding family?
Sheng An ignored the strange look in the head maid's eyes and focused on peeling and removing the seeds from the pumpkin.
Millet and pumpkin porridge is all-natural, pollution-free, delicious, and nutritious.
Ding Tianci's digestive system was almost completely shut down, and his stomach and intestines were already extremely fragile, unable to handle high-fat and high-protein foods.
Millet and pumpkin porridge is oil-free and salt-free, easy to digest and absorb, and has no risk of allergies, making it the most suitable food for Ding Tianci at present.
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