Finally, about half an hour later, Granny Lin came back with a reply. Li Chenjiao was feeding the little girl small sips of water when she heard the voice and gestured to Qiu Hu to let Granny Lin in.
Lin Mama did not rush to speak, but waited for Li Chenjiao to finish feeding the Second Princess water before bowing again and waiting for Li Chenjiao to speak.
Li Chenjiao smiled and covered the little girl's ears, then moved closer to the Second Princess, their foreheads touching.
This gesture is a small way for mothers and daughters to show affection.
The little girl giggled, showing no struggle or resistance as her mother covered her ears.
Li Chenjiao then spoke up: "What does Granny think?"
Lin Mama pondered for two seconds: "The people that Master chose are indeed very suitable. All four midwives are highly experienced. They have even delivered babies for the empresses in the palace."
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao's eyelids twitched: "I wouldn't dare to employ such a capable person here..."
Lin Mama smiled and said, "There is another nanny who is a bit more attentive and asks a lot of questions. The other two answer whatever is asked. One of them even delivered the baby when the mistress gave birth to the second princess."
Li Chenjiao blinked, and for a moment she really couldn't remember which midwives had delivered her last time.
She nodded slowly: "In that case, please bring the other two midwives in later so I can meet them. And what about the cooks?"
Lin Mama pondered for a while longer: "The four cooks from the Imperial Household Department are all quite good. You can't really tell a servant's culinary skills just by looking at them. As for the other two cooks from outside, I heard from Green Bamboo that one of them is quite good at making some folk snacks and desserts. She is also quite polite in her speech. She doesn't talk much, but she does a lot more when it comes to food."
Li Chenjiao nodded slightly, acknowledging that choosing a cook was indeed a matter that required much more attention.
She pondered for a while and said, "In that case, let's keep that cook. Bring in all four cooks from the Imperial Household Department so I can meet them."
Granny Lin responded and left.
Two cooks and two midwives were needed. Fortunately, many rooms in the back were opened up when the courtyard was merged last time, and there are still quite a few empty rooms. Even if all the rooms that Su Peisheng sent today were occupied, there would still be room for them.
After meeting the four cooks, Li Chenjiao finally chose a cook from the Imperial Household Department named Pingniang. Pingniang was in her thirties, with her hair styled in a woman's bun. She was quite dark-skinned, as if she had been tanned, but her smile was simple and honest. She wore no jewelry except for two plain silver hairpins in her hair.
She looked more like a cook found outside than someone from the Imperial Household Department.
The two midwives, one surnamed Yang and the other surnamed Zhang, asked a few questions and were quite reliable.
I also met another cook that Granny Lin mentioned was Li Chenjiao, whose name was Qiaoniang. She looked to be about the same age as Pingniang, with fair skin, but a much more robust build. She wasn't fat, just had broad shoulders and a taller stature.
Li Chenjiao noticed that Qiaoniang's hands were also much larger than those of an ordinary person.
Qiao Niang remained relatively calm when she met Li Chenjiao, and answered her questions fairly fluently, though with a slight northern accent.
However, it sounded exceptionally pleasant and pleasing to Li Chenjiao's ears.
Li Chenjiao then escorted the remaining people back to the front yard via a small path.
The midwife has been settled for now. As for the two cooks, Li Chenjiao told them to pack their bags and each prepare a dish they are good at for dinner tonight.
Li Chenjiao seemed to know what dishes each of the two could cook.
During this time, when Li Chenjiao had Lin Mama bring the person in, she had Chen Shi take the Second Princess away.
With so many strangers around, the little girl felt a bit shy, despite her curiosity.
Li Chenjiao watched them leave and then collapsed onto the soft couch: "Once I find out what dishes they can cook, I will make a portion and send it to Fourth Master as a way of thanking him for his kindness."
Qiu Hu smiled and agreed.
However, sometimes plans don't keep up with changes.
When it was time for dinner, Li Chenjiao heard from Xiao Luzi that the Fourth Master had gone straight to the front courtyard after returning to the mansion, so she felt relieved and let the maid prepare dinner.
Pingniang, who came from the Imperial Household Department, made a braised goose with chestnuts. The goose meat was cut into uniform pieces, stir-fried with star anise, scallions, and ginger slices, and the chestnuts were braised until tender. It was probably sweetened with sugar.
Li Chenjiao ate a few pieces of goose meat and some chestnut meat, and after a while she looked up and said, "This skill is no worse than Master Guo's."
This is considered extremely high praise.
In the kitchen, Chef Guo's cooking skills have always been the most to Li Chenjiao's liking.
The other skillful woman made a dish that wasn't a grand meal, but a Suzhou dish, which could also be considered a snack.
Honey dates with yam.
Wash and cook the yam until soft, peel it, flatten it, arrange the candied dates and yam on top, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and finally pour on osmanthus sugar. Steam it in a steamer for a little over 15 minutes, then invert it to unmold, and spread the osmanthus sugar evenly over the candied dates and yam.
The yam was white and tender, drizzled with a layer of osmanthus sugar, and topped with finely chopped candied dates, its rosy color making it even more appetizing.
I don't know how Qiao Niang made it, but the osmanthus sugar coating on the yam wasn't cloying at all. The sweetness was just right, and it suited Li Chenjiao's taste perfectly.
Li Chenjiao was praising Qiaoniang, and a smile appeared on her face.
For Li Chenjiao, being able to eat different kinds of delicious food every day is a kind of enjoyment in life.
Whether it was Pingniang or Qiaoniang, at least Li Chenjiao was satisfied with their first meal in the East Courtyard.
Li Chenjiao was saying that she would try some other dishes when she heard Xiao Luzi outside say, "Master."
Li Chenjiao always left only two maids with her when she ate. Hearing Xiao Luzi's voice, she blinked and said, "What's wrong? Come in and talk to me."
Xiao Luzi called out from outside and quickly came in: "The master in front was furious. I don't know what happened. He first punished the front kitchen staff, and now the back kitchen staff has also been scolded, and their meals have been sent back as well."
Li Chenjiao bit her chopsticks, finding Xiao Luzi's words quite strange.
Fourth Master is not someone who gets angry easily, or rather, he is someone who doesn't want others to know he's angry.
Such a public spectacle is indeed rare for the Fourth Prince.
Li Chenjiao swallowed hard: "Do you know what happened?"
Xiao Luzi shook his head: "This servant does not know. I only learned a little about it when I saw the commotion of the food being delivered from the front yard while I was in the kitchen."
That's hard to guess. After all, at noon, Fourth Master had Su Peisheng send people to her. How come he became unhappy after only half a day?
Fortunately, Fourth Master was in the front yard at the moment. If he were in the east yard, Li Chenjiao would have had to rack her brains to figure out how to coax him.
Li Chenjiao picked up another piece of yam and squinted her eyes contentedly.
At the same time, she prayed in her heart that Fourth Master would not suddenly decide to come to her place.
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