Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Update.
Even the General of the Interior sent four eunuchs to deliver a gilded plaque to congratulate her on her reorganization. Seeing those eunuchs, the guest asked:
"Whose gift is this plaque?"
They heard from the visitor that he was the former General of the Central Army, and they all said that the new backer of Ping'an Restaurant was the General of the Central Army of the Imperial Guards.
But perhaps he should not be called Zhonglang Jiang at this time. A while ago, he was promoted to Guanglu Xun and ranked among the Nine Ministers because of his meritorious service in building a shelter during the plague.
"It's said that Yang Liu's lover Miao Niang packed up her belongings and tried to escape, but he detained her in a shelter outside the border. Otherwise, who knows how many places would have been ravaged by the plague!"
"Back when the Ping An Restaurant was reopened, someone saw his carriage parked in Mulberry Alley for half a day. I heard he and Yi Jin were from the same hometown, so it's no wonder he offered his help."
Later, Tian gossiped about all this and boasted about it to others. Since people knew that her family had some connections with the General of the Central Army, they naturally did not dare to embarrass them. This was also Tian's intention in telling others about it.
So these diners have also heard about it.
"Now he is Guanglu Xun, and Li Dan is Da Si Nong. They are both Nine Ministers. However, he is very popular, so Da Si Nong may have to stay away from him."
"With him coming to give gifts like this, no one will dare to mess with this Ping An Restaurant in Kaohsiung City from now on."
The diners were talking excitedly when two eunuchs came in and said they were looking for a golden girl.
They were from the Imperial Palace's forbidden gate, the Yellow Gate Office. When they arrived in Gao City, everyone was surprised. They all looked at them secretly, whispered to each other, and did not dare to talk to them.
"Sir, please come upstairs, please come upstairs!"
When Tian heard Qiugu say that two young eunuchs had come outside, she didn't know what a eunuch was.
Qiu Gu had been in Wuling for a long time. When she was young, she had visited the homes of high-ranking officials and performed operas for them. She had also seen the eunuchs there. She said:
"He's a palace guard, and you're not treating him well."
There was a palace ban system in the palace. The forbidden gate was lacquered yellow, so it was also called the Yellow Gate. This formed an official office. The eunuchs who worked in the Yellow Gate Office, who guarded the forbidden gate and waited for orders, were called the Yellow Gate.
The Huangmen Office also belongs to the Shaofu. Of course, the two Huangmen sent out to deliver the message looked less than fifteen years old. They were the two with the least experience among them. They didn't usually do the work of a close attendant, but were messengers and errand runners.
But outside, ordinary people naturally respect them.
When Tian heard that they were from the palace, she flattered them and invited them to the elegant room upstairs, where she served them fine wine and delicious food. She did not dare to accept their money and went to the kitchen to call her daughter to come and see her.
I listened secretly outside the door and probably got the idea. My worries were gone. I straightened my clothes and went downstairs proudly. The diner said:
"Is Ping'an Restaurant really that famous? Even Huangmen comes here to drink?"
Tian said:
"You are half right. Those two eunuchs came to ask my daughter to be a cook."
"Official kitchen?"
The diners were shocked. The official chef was also the food official, who had a rank and a monthly salary, and could be promoted in the future. Compared with the city chef, this status was extraordinary.
"It's a rare thing for a city chef to become an official chef!"
"In my opinion, Miss Yijin's cooking skills are not inferior to those in the Shaofu."
Even Jin heard about it at Jiaomenshi, and pointed to the corner, saying that Xu Niang, who usually sold braised food there, had become something special and had become a food official!
"He has become an official!"
Those who heard it were filled with envy. Who would have thought that a small street vendor could become a food official?
This is big news, and it could be talked about here for two months. After hearing this, Jin felt a little jealous and said:
"I know about this, too. Listen to me, her official chef is just a small food official with a salary of 200 dan. What do you mean by 200 dan? It's less than 200 dan. My son-in-law's city steward is only at the level of 200 dan."
Having said that, the official chef was, after all, the chef for the imperial household in the Shaofu, and Du Xian, a market clerk in the marketplace, could not compare to him.
It was Du Xian who told her this, but Jin only said the first half, just to calm her anger. She was very angry that Tian Guinu's daughter had become a food official, but her own children did not have such a promising future.
Why did her daughter, who used to sell braised food, and my daughter, who used to sell rice and meat soup, choose her instead of mine to be the official chef? Is it just because she has the nickname "Gold Girl"?
Ji Zhi came back from work and said:
"Mother, the government-run workshop where I make pottery also belongs to the Ministry of Personnel. Does that mean I'm an official too?"
"How can it be the same? They eat government food, and you only work to earn two wages. You are not even a government craftsman."
Jin said this at home. She felt so sad that she couldn't even eat. Ji Zhi was disappointed when he heard this. Du Xian, her brother-in-law, said:
"If you can enter the Shangfang Bureau of the Shaofu, you will become a female official."
The Shangfang Bureau, like the Canshi Bureau, also belongs to the Shaofu, but it does not prepare meals but utensils.
They are all precious objects inlaid with gold, silver and jewels. They are used by the imperial family or are treasures awarded to officials.
"Shangfang Bureau? But is that where the Imperial Sword is made?"
Ji Zhidao said that even the children on the street knew that the Shangfang Palace produced precious treasures, and they often waved a bamboo sword as the Shangfang Sword.
"Exactly."
These words planted a small flame in Ji Zhi's heart.
"Daughter, have you thought it through? Do you really want to be an official?"
Next door, Tian was worried. When she first heard it, she thought it was decent, but when she asked those knowledgeable diners in the restaurant, she found out that this was a minor official with a salary of less than 200 shi.
This is a rank higher than 200 shi, that is, a grade, and the actual monthly salary is only 30 hu.
Nowadays, the distribution is a mixture of money and grain, that is, fifteen hu of grain is given every month; the other fifteen hu is converted into silver and money.
Nowadays, one hu of grain is worth about 40 coins, which means that the monthly salary is only 600 coins. Adding the other 15 hu, the total is only 1,200 coins, which is more than one tael of silver.
Nowadays, an adult man can eat three hu of grain a month, an adult woman can eat two hu, and a child can eat even less, with one and a half hu being sufficient. In other words, a salary of more than 200 dan of grain for an official chef can support a family of six with elderly and children, and still have some money left over.
If she were in her hometown, she would never have dared to think about such a salary. However, her family was better off now, and Tian didn't want her daughter to suffer outside.
"That little monthly salary is ten times what you can earn in a day at Ping An Restaurant these days. Your family doesn't need it, but you're being asked to wait on people there? It's not worth it."
Besides, opening a restaurant has been my daughter's dream since she was a child, and cooking is what she likes. Now that the restaurant has finally been opened, becoming a food official would go against her wishes.
"After experiencing the two difficult times of the Li family, my daughter understands that no matter how much money Ping'an Restaurant makes or how famous the "Golden Girl" is, I am just a city chef, and our family is just a wealthy family with a decent restaurant business. But those who are officials or have the support of powerful people behind them, like Manager Hu, are not as good as me."
I heard from the diners that the owner Hu has recovered from the plague and Manxianglou will be reopened in two days.
"People like them can't stand it and want to make things difficult for us. My mother and I tried our best, but we were just like ants at their mercy."
Ji Xu also wanted to stay in her own restaurant, cook peacefully, ring the bell when the food was ready, and watch the diners enjoy their meal. She would then be satisfied.
It is precisely because she wants this that she cannot let anyone ruin her restaurant, she has to climb up.
"You just came back from the shelter, and I haven't seen enough of you yet, but you're leaving again. This time you're leaving by the palace wall, and I'm really worried."
After going to the government office and not seeing him for several days, Tian was reluctant to leave.
"Daughter, our family is different now. You and the current Guanglu Xun are old friends, and we are from the same hometown. He sent someone to give us a gift today, and everyone says he is our family's new backer. I think even the Li family will not dare to embarrass us if Manager Hu comes along."
"At first I thought Madam Yu treated me well and was the pillar of our family, but in her eyes, I was just a common cook and she looked down upon me. She wanted me to be her concubine.
As for the Li family, their daughter had cured Li Quanye's hidden illness, yet this was the outcome. As for him...
My daughter has never done anything, and she has no confidence. I don’t know how long he can support our family, or whether he will eventually ask her to become his second wife.”
As soon as the word "second wife" was mentioned, Tian came to her senses and thought of her daughter's pending marriage. Her daughter must naturally become someone's main wife, and she couldn't be cheated twice.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. My daughter has made up her mind. She will work as a chef. She will have only five days off and can help out in the restaurant when she comes back."
The Shaofu had days off, the so-called "wash and bathe every five days and return to visit relatives", which means that they had one day off every five days, went home to wash their hair, and didn't forget to visit relatives. This was also in line with the concept of filial piety at that time.
In addition, there are holidays for some festivals such as the Chinese New Year, the Winter Solstice, and the Summer Solstice. If you are sick, you can take sick leave. If an elder passes away, there will be mourning leave. She heard all this from the eunuch.
The office of the Shaofu was not within the palace walls, but on the west side of the Weiyang Palace, east of the central government offices, and near the Zhicheng Gate on the west side of Chang'an.
Ji Xu had lived in Anling for more than a year, and he often went to the east and west markets in the city to buy things. In addition, he had spent three years in the palace before, so he knew the place well. From here to the Shaofu, it was about fifty miles.
Once on duty, you have to eat and sleep in the office. You can't specify when you can get off work and go home. You can only come back on your days off.
Some officials did not live in Wuling, but in the farther Hongnong County. When they went to work, they had to leave their horses near Wuling and ride them back when they had a day off.
So Ji Xu's place was relatively close. After all, the palace complex in Chang'an City occupied most of the area, and only a few officials could live in it.
This is exactly what makes Tian reluctant to let her go, as she can only see her daughter once every five days.
"I can only see my sister for the next five days?"
Ji Fengdao and Ji Zhu slept in the east wing for two nights, wanting to talk to his sister for a while.
Tian was packing her daughter's bag, clothes, and bedding. She felt that what she brought was not enough, so she went to the stove in the middle of the night to fry some meat slices and meat sauce, and wrapped them up for her to eat at the office. As the weather was getting colder, the fried food could be kept for three to five days without any problem. After she finished eating, she would make new ones when she got home.
As for Sidou, Ji Xu also went to the back to explain things to them.
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