Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Update.
When Ji Zhu went to the toilet alone, she was stopped by Li Fuye and his group, who asked her jokingly.
Ji Zhu already knew that they had released the spider and earthworm as a prank. Now, after hearing their unfriendly questions, she clenched her fists and said, "What are you doing?"
"She's my sister. What does this have to do with you? You're not good people if you just write doggerel for fun."
Instead, they laughed wildly and said, "Why don't you become a chef? Why are you still studying here?"
"You bastard, what the hell do you have to do with our family's affairs? You call me a butcher, but your ancestors never ate other people's pigs. Does that mean they are not clean?"
Ji Feng jumped out and pointed at them and cursed.
"Who allowed you to be so arrogant? No wonder you are a cook at home and a slave raised under the stove." The young men of Wuling were unable to scold him and said angrily.
"Who started gossiping first? You are so frivolous. Maybe one day, you will eat the food cooked by my sister, and Miss Yijin will be the guest of honor in each of your families!" Ji Feng said.
"You're dreaming!"
Lai Phu Yip Road,
"My Li family will never allow a foreigner like Yijinnvniang to enter our family!"
"My Wang family does the same!"
“My family too!”
The young men from Wuling all echoed as if they were writing a petition.
"Just wait and see, my sister's ability will bring her this day!"
Ji Feng believed it, and Ji Zhu also followed suit, putting her hands on her hips and saying:
"We'll see!"
She was pulled away by Ji Feng because she had sharp eyes and saw Master Fan coming here, so she slipped away early.
"What are you still gathering here for? Why don't you go back to school?"
Those young men from Wuling then dispersed.
In a certain street in Maoling County,
Peng was worried about the family banquet, so she went to the door to welcome Ji Xu to dismount.
"A golden lady is here, come in quickly."
Mrs. Peng had also visited Mrs. Song when she was in confinement that day and had met Ji Xu.
Her family was also a wealthy family with a fortune of three million, whose ancestors moved to Maoling Town, but their family grew small and gradually declined.
Now her husband is just a small clerk under the governor of Jizhou. Peng is in the inner house, willing to mediate and welcome her husband.
After many twists and turns, we finally invited Mr. Yu to stay at our house.
This Yu was the wife of the Li family and the mother of the arrogant Li Fuye.
The Li family invested money to build schools and spread the kindness of teachers. Their disciples are spread all over the country and they are very well-informed. They are large hoarders with mountains of goods. The head of the family, the Yu family, is a descendant of the nobles of Qi and Chu. They currently live in Changling Town, where many nobles and meritorious officials gather. The brother of Yu's mother's family is now the governor of Jizhou, a high-ranking official.
This is why Mrs. Peng went to great lengths to host a banquet for Mrs. Yu in order to help her husband, the young chief clerk, get promoted.
For this banquet, Ji Xu was invited to cook. After asking Yu about her dietary preferences, Ji Xu took off his sheepskin coat, rolled up his sleeves, and started cooking in the kitchen.
I saw that she had a box she carried with her, which was made by a carpenter. When it was opened, there were all kinds of forged iron knives inside, some for chopping bones and cutting meat, in different sizes. There was even a small dagger for cutting meat. They were extremely sharp and were also specially made by the blacksmith. They were very handy to use.
The bottles and jars contain seasonings that she has ground herself. These are all seasonings that she may use on a daily basis, but the boss may not have them available. For the common ones, she uses what the boss has.
In order to entertain the distinguished guests, the chief clerk's family specially prepared the best beef, river turtle, venison, etc.
Ji Xu saw that the river turtle was fresh and still kept in water, so she planned to make a river turtle soup.
According to her observation, river turtle soup is a dish only found on the tables of wealthy and noble people, and is especially indispensable when entertaining guests.
When he was working in the county magistrate's office, the county magistrate would often ask the kitchen to prepare a dish like this when he entertained guests who came to ask for elixirs or immortality. Ji Xu thought that it would be a good idea to make a big soup with river turtles.
The beef is braised and the venison is roasted and eaten immediately with a few exquisite side dishes.
I discussed the dishes I was planning with Mrs. Peng in advance, and only after getting her permission did I prepare them in an orderly manner.
Peng welcomed the distinguished guest at the gate. There were red banners and a canopy, and luxurious carriages and fine horses. Yu was described as very noble. Peng welcomed her out of the carriage and said warmly:
"I've been waiting for you to come. Have you had a good journey?"
However, Yu ignored the hand she held out, and took the maid's hand and passed her by. Peng smiled awkwardly, followed her and chatted with her about family matters.
Yu only replied lazily, and then came over to the main hall and replied to Peng:
"The feast can begin."
Mrs. Peng invited the person out of kindness, and Mrs. Yu accepted her invitation only because of the face of an intermediary. There were so many twists and turns in the process, so Mrs. Peng flattered her all the way and worshipped her like an ancestor.
When they arrived at the banquet, they ordered twenty strong men to beat drums and dance for the entertainment, while maids poured wine and served them food.
Yu was not in the mood. He just drank a sip of wine and was too lazy to even pick up his chopsticks. He seemed ready to leave after sitting for a while.
Peng wanted to keep her company to talk, so she politely said, "Madam Yu, please try this dish. There's a popular way of cooking beef stewed in braising sauces lately. This beef is stewed with shank. It was made by a woman named Jin."
Yu had never heard of it and looked down on these common ways of eating. He only tried the turtle soup that he often ate, and found it to be quite good.
To Mrs. Peng, this river turtle stew was more than delicious; it was like the fragrance of plum and orchid, fragrant, sweet, and extremely fresh! However, river turtle and abalone were probably nothing new to Mrs. Yu, so her expression remained calm.
Peng then said:
"Speaking of that girl named Jin, there's a strange story I'd like to tell you, Madam. Mrs. Song from Shuangying Lane had a miscarriage in the heavy snow and is in serious danger of dying. She can't eat or drink, and everyone says she's going to die.
After a while of Jin Nv Niang's care, I'm finally well! I even had a drink with her during the first month of the year. She calls it... diet therapy. Yes, diet therapy. Thanks to this diet therapy, I was able to get through the confinement period, and now I'm no longer a vegetarian..."
"Diet therapy?"
It seemed that Yu had listened to him.
Mrs. Peng was very happy and started to pull her.
Yu also ate a piece of the braised beef and nodded, no longer ignoring her as before.
Ji Xu was unaware of what was happening in the front hall. She just focused on cooking and was about to go back as it was getting late.
The groom of the family brought her chestnut horse, and she received the gold given by the maid.
After weighing the amount in front of him, he found it was exactly one or two taels, no more, no less. He carefully put it in his purse, tied a sheepskin coat with white wool inside, and was about to ride home.
"Tell Madam Peng I'm leaving now. If you need me, just come find me in Sangshu Lane, Anling."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute."
Peng came out smiling. She had just seen Yu off at the main gate. The food was delicious, so she came to the corner gate to express her gratitude.
"This is a new mink fur coat that the mansion has acquired. Take it, young lady. You can give it to someone else or sell it for money. It's also a small token of my appreciation."
**
"What a fine material."
"Look at this shiny fur. It won't be cold at all wearing it in the snow, right?"
Ji Xu gave this sable fur coat to Tian Shi as a filial gift.
Tian originally wanted to leave it to her to wear, or sell it for money, but Ji Xu coaxed her:
"I'm too young to wear a sable fur like this. If I sell it, my family won't need the money, so I'll keep it for my mother to wear. It's so respectable, and it's my daughter's filial piety."
After coaxing her into trying it, Tian became more and more fond of it. She would take it out and touch the material before going to bed.
The next day, Aunt Liu and Aunt Qiu came to talk at home. After seeing the mink fur coat, they also praised it highly.
"My family has a sheepskin coat that his great-grandfather wore when he was alive. It was left to Chunniang, who then gave it to the children. It can be worn by two or three generations. As for this mink coat, I've only seen it worn by the ladies and masters of wealthy families. It's so smooth and will definitely become a family heirloom."
Qiu Gu also smacked her lips and touched it again and again, "I'll ask my husband to buy me a set someday."
"Your husband makes a lot of money selling goods?" asked Aunt Liu.
Speaking of this, Qiu Gu wanted to tell them:
"My husband sent a message saying that he's making some money selling goods in Bashu and will be able to buy two houses when he comes back."
Tian was also happy, "That's great, I was just about to tell you about this, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. With more golden beans at home, and guests coming during the New Year holidays, our three rooms won't be enough to accommodate us.
Your family wants to buy a house, so I can clean up that warehouse and give it to Jindou to live in."
Jindou had been living in the west room, which was piled with grain and other sundries. In the first month of the lunar year, Song and Xiaoyao came to visit and stayed for two days. Jindou slept in Feng and Zhu's room for two days and vacated the west room for them.
Tian thought that the warehouse in the backyard should no longer be rented out, but should be taken back and the wall separating the courtyards should be demolished. That room could be left for Jindou to live in, and the outer room could be used to store food and other sundries. The west room could be used as a guest room, which would be more appropriate.
"But there's no rush. Now that you have a place to go, you can move slowly."
Tian said that they were all neighbors and had some feelings for each other.
Aunt Qiu said, "It won't delay your business. My father-in-law has returned and bought a small courtyard in Mulberry Alley. We can still be neighbors."
After talking and admiring the mink fur coat enough, Qiu Gu asked the children to sing for her.
Wang Er was hesitant, and Qiu Gu instigated him:
"You're already a grown-up. You sang it to me at home the other day. It's the 'Great Wind Song.' Sing it for everyone to hear."
Tian also knew about the "Dafengge". It was taught to children by Mr. Fan, the elementary school teacher. Every year after the Waking of Insects, the imperial court would hold a spring sacrifice. The ceremony was grand, with all officials gathering and even the emperor making an appearance.
For this ceremony, one hundred boys and girls were selected from primary schools across the Sanfu region to sing Emperor Gaozu's "Dafeng Song" during the sacrifice.
Master Fan had already taught them to sing it, and said that in the end they would select five students who were good at learning and singing, and on the day of the sacrifice, they would sing the song together with other students from other places in front of all the officials and people in the city.
Tian said, "Erfeng and Xiaozhu can sing it too. Let's sing it together with Wang'er and let's listen."
Wang Er blushed, and Ji Zhu was twisting and turning in Tian's arms, refusing to give in. Ji Feng, however, was not shy and began to sing unrestrainedly:
"The wind rises and the clouds fly, the power increases... I return to my hometown across the sea, how can I find brave warriors to guard the four directions!"
But she didn't remember the poems very well, so she didn't sing fluently, which made the whole room laugh.
Ji Xu was roasting dried chestnuts in front of the stove. As he was laughing, a chestnut rolled onto the couch.
Jindou also curled up beside him, feeling warm and listening with interest. He picked up some shelled fruits, peeled off the golden flesh, and gave them to Ji Xu to eat.
"You eat too."
Ji Xu ate one pill before speaking when he faintly heard someone knocking on the door.
"Here I come."
Jindou went there as instructed, and brought back a visiting card, which turned out to be from Mrs. Yu of the Li family.
"The Li family? The Li family from Maoling?"
When Aunt Liu heard this, she was surprised.
"The maid was talking about the Li family." Jindou said.
"Is it the Li family who paid for the establishment of the elementary school? Impossible, they just have the same surname."
Qiu Gu was very unconvinced and asked.
Tian, who was equally illiterate, came over and saw that the name card was a wooden tablet about a foot long and a little over half a foot wide, with elegant handwriting written on both sides. She asked her daughter:
"What's written on it?"
"It's an invitation from the Li family, asking me to be their kitchen assistant." Ji Xu said.
"My aunt, it's really the wealthy Li family!"
Tian was both surprised and happy.
Ji Fengze said, "Great! Let's see what else Li Fuye can say. My sister is really capable."
The three nuns here studied the famous calligraphy scroll carefully for a while, and when they saw that it was almost time for dinner, they dispersed and went home.
Aunt Liu discussed the matter with her daughter and son-in-law, and the couple couldn't believe it.
"So, our Xiaohua shouldn't learn how to comb hair anymore. She should become a cook instead. That's where she'll have a bright future!"
Her son-in-law Wu Doudao was refuted by Liu Chunniang.
"Be at ease. This is not an easy task. No one in my family knows how to comb hair, and no one is good at cooking."
Qiu Gu pulled Wang'er aside and said, "You must study hard. When you become an official, you will be able to enter and leave high-ranking families, wear a Jinxian crown and official uniform. After all, you are different from a cook. A cook or waitress like that cannot sit at the table when they enter someone's house. They can only work by the stove."
He also said that he was too shy to sing.
"I just asked you to sing, why aren't you singing? Xiaozhu is timid; Erfeng isn't good at studying and has a poor memory. You sing better than them all, and even Master Fan often praises your progress. In my opinion, my son will definitely be among the five chosen. This is your chance to shine!"
Wang Er sang two lines in front of her and then said:
"Master Fan praised my singing!"
Qiu Gu was more and more satisfied. She did not ask him to light a lamp and study hard that day. Wang Er coaxed her and happily played with icicles under the eaves.
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