Chapter 99 Chapter 99 updated.
Ji Xu was here, touching the eggplant-flowered Yue cloth, the Yue cloth produced in his hometown, and was lost in thought for a moment.
Wang Ye was not in the inner courtyard either, so the only thing left was the Alchemy Building that Qing Nu mentioned.
When I first entered the mansion that day, I saw a tall, pointed building in the distance with a balcony on top. To the northwest of the mansion, a thick cloud of smoke rose from the chimney, seemingly as tall as the clouds.
Now that I think about it, it should be the Alchemy Building, which is located in a quiet and secluded place in the mountains and few people pass by.
However, when the servants talked about the slaves serving in the Alchemy Building, they all yearned for it.
Ji Xu had only heard of it occasionally and had never seen the people in the building. It was an unknown place, and it was also where Wang Ye might be.
For a kitchen worker like Ji Xu, it would be too conspicuous if he rashly approached that place, and it would be difficult to explain if someone asked him about it.
She could only live peacefully in the small kitchen for now and keep this job. If she was caught doing something wrong in the first month, the boss would not want her to work anymore, and it would be difficult for her to enter the mansion again, let alone get close to the alchemy building.
But she was not entirely confined to the small kitchen. It was August 14th, the beginning of autumn.
Because of a night of heavy rain, the servants' yard was littered with fallen leaves, and the banyan tree in front of the kitchen door looked like it had been struck by lightning, with a large number of branches hanging upside down.
Ji Xu was afraid of hurting someone, so he borrowed a ladder from the warehouse and used an axe to chop off the remaining parts.
A steward in the outer courtyard sent a boy to call people, "Que, Doufu, all of you come to the garden and help pick up the fallen flowers and leaves."
Ji Xu then went to ask the steward Huang for permission to tidy up the garden, saying:
"I want to pick up some unwanted calamus roots from the ground and make some calamus wine. When it's ready, send a jar to Manager Huang."
Steward Huang twirled his beard as he responded, and warned them, "There are often distinguished people wandering around in the garden. Don't run around rashly or you might bump into someone."
She agreed on behalf of the children in the group, Feng, Zhu, and even the youngest one went with them.
It was their first time in the garden and they were like birds released from a cage. They felt much better after coming out for a stroll.
All I saw were endless green mountains and emerald green leaves inside. Dragonflies were flying low over the water, and I could smell the fragrance of flowers and herbs.
"This garden is really big, and there are flowers everywhere that I can't even name." Ji Feng said as she picked up dead branches.
The sudden rain felled all over the ground with yellow flowers. They looked like the best chrysanthemums. The ones on the branches could not be picked, and no one cared about the ones on the ground. They had to be cleaned up anyway.
Ji Xu was overjoyed and picked out some good and big flowers and put them in the basket.
Seeing a girl pulling a pile of wild grass at her feet, all of which were unwanted, she picked some up too. The leaves of the grass were thick and long, with some hairs, and it was obvious that they were wild grass. She could take them back to the kitchen to steam rice or make soup.
This garden is close to the second master's yard, so they cleaned up nearby. There were bursts of laughter inside, and the maids ran out chasing after them.
Qingnu had cinnabar on her forehead and was being chased by a maid holding a pen dipped in cinnabar water, who wanted to draw a cat on her face.
On August 14th, people put cinnabar water on their foreheads, which is called "Tianjiu", and it means that it can cure diseases.
However, cinnabar can be used as medicine and for painting, so it is only used in the master's courtyard from the warehouse. Their small kitchen does not have any allowance for it, and the servants have no access to cinnabar.
When Qingnu saw them, she snatched the pen and put a little red on the foreheads of these children.
This made Feng, Zhu and the others smile at each other, as if they were decorated with flowers on their foreheads, and Xiaoyao was looking forward to it with her eyes wide open.
"Come on, you have one too."
Qingnu gave Xiaoyao a touch and touched Jixu's forehead, and even wanted to draw on her face. Jixu quickly dodged.
Seeing the dead branches they were holding, he asked, "Are you cleaning the garden because it's raining? This has nothing to do with the small kitchen. Why are you doing this?"
Ji Xu said, "I wanted to do this myself. There were a lot of things scattered around the garden that could be used."
Qingnu took a look into her basket and asked curiously, "Why are you picking these weeds and broken flowers?"
"This is fei grass. Take it home to make soup. The chrysanthemums look good to me. It would be a pity to throw them away. Take them home to make chrysanthemum wine. I'll treat you to some later." Ji Xu said.
I only heard someone inside calling, "Second Master is going out."
Ji Xu and the others were busy and dispersed, and were not stuck here.
Later, when they walked near the Alchemy Building, Ji Xu was busy with his hands and looked around the place inconspicuously. He saw that there was a high wall outside the building, blocking his view.
"There are a lot of weeds here, let's pull them all out."
She called Que and Doufu, and lingered on the ground for a while.
Finally, the courtyard door creaked open and a maidservant dressed in green came out with a sword at her waist. She was obviously a martial artist.
When the gate opened, Ji Xu took a look inside and saw a large open space with bluestone slabs in the courtyard, and high stone steps in front of the pavilion. There were many other things that could not be seen from such a distance.
Later, two servants came. They looked like they were from the kitchen. They were carrying a large rice basket and were just knocking on the door.
A maidservant in purple came in to open the door, and led two maidservants in white to carry the food in, but did not let anyone into the yard.
Ji Xu was a cook who cooked for the servants in the small kitchen. His chances of entering the Alchemy Building were slim, so he could only wait for an opportunity.
That day, Qing Nu came personally to pass on the message: "Second Master, you're having roasted lamb for lunch today. If you want it roasted in Mo, please set up the meal in the Alchemy Building. Don't miss the time."
This is the first time that Ji Xu has been treated like a sheep in the mansion, and whether he is good or bad will be decided in this one move.
"Sister, what is the Mozhi method? I've never heard of it. How do you do it?"
Whether he could stay in the mansion depended on how well Yang performed. Ji Feng was afraid of appearing timid just now, so he waited until Qingnu left before asking.
I have the impression that my sister has used the "frying" method, but she has never made "roasting".
"Mozhi is a Western Region roasting method. They roast the whole sheep over a fire and then cut it with a knife. My sister has seen this method in the palace kitchen."
It's not only in the palace, but also in later generations, that is, roasting whole lamb. However, the details of marinating and roasting vary from place to place. In her previous life, she learned the method from a Turkish chef, which was to massage and marinate the seasonings first, then wrap it with tin foil and put it in a large oven. However, there are no such conditions here, so she can only combine them and roast it with primitive charcoal fire. After all, she is a skilled chef.
"Don't worry, I can do it."
She first went to the sheep pen, picked out a young lamb, and worked with Que to catch it and bring it to the kitchen. She then went to the warehouse to set up iron fibers and brackets, as well as a stove, charcoal, plates, etc.
Chef Hu should have received these in the past, and the warehouse manager readily gave the things to her.
As the time approached, Qingnu brought two maids to pick it up. They smelled an alluring aroma outside the yard. The roasted lamb was the color of golden sand. Ji Xu had brushed a layer of boiled sesame oil on it, which looked like it had a honey-colored luster. When it was flipped over the charcoal fire, the aroma was fragrant.
Qingnu thought that the Second Master would not be able to use up the whole lamb, so he must have given it to the maids as a reward. It was a pity that the dinner was being served in the Alchemy Building today, and an outsider like her could not enter, so she could not enjoy the reward from the Second Master.
Ji Xu said, "Take the rack and the charcoal fire with you, and turn it over every quarter of an hour. It tastes best when it's sliced fresh. After it's sliced, take the plate inside and wipe it dry with silk before serving."
I saw that it was a cloud-patterned lacquer round plate taken from the warehouse, which had been soaked in warm water beforehand.
Qingnu said, "You are much more particular than the old Hu chef."
However, she only brought two maids with her, so there was not enough manpower. Although Ji Xu was free to help, Qing Nu was very petty when it came to the Second Master's affairs, so she said:
"You two carry the sheep and Qing lift the stove. I'm afraid we'll have to call another maid to help you carry the plate over."
This was exactly what Qingnu wanted. Later, when they arrived at the alchemy building, Qingnu knocked on the door outside, but the purple-clothed maid inside did not get involved herself and directed the people in the building to carry it.
Qingnu repeated what Ji Xu had just said to the purple-clothed maidservant.
The other party ignored me.
Qing Nu felt uneasy, but she still put on a smile and said, "Sister, I'm afraid you guys, who are good at sword fighting, are not capable of doing such a thing. Why not let me go in and serve you?"
The purple-robed maidservant said, "The Alchemy Building has its own servants. You are a third-class maid, not even qualified to serve tea or water, how can you be qualified to serve the master at mealtime?"
Qingnu was so embarrassed by these words that her face turned red and she ran away with her sleeves covered.
Later, she came to give the reward money, but she was also depressed.
Ji Xu cooked the sheep well and was rewarded with a string of coins. She picked out a hundred coins and stuffed them into Qingnu's pockets, saying a few nice words to coax her.
Qingnu didn't care about her, she just sighed and said, "A third-class maid like me, I don't know when I can be on equal footing with the maids in the building."
"Is the Alchemy Building really that good? The entrance and exit are strictly guarded, it's not as comfortable as being outside." Ji Xu said.
"How do you know what's on my mind?"
The handsome face of the Second Master appeared in Qingnu's eyes. Ever since she entered the mansion, that man's figure had become the moon in her heart. She only hoped that he could accompany her every day. How could she not miss that place?
When she said this, Ji Xu guessed most of what she had learned. It was said that the second master of this family was obsessed with asking questions, and sometimes he would stay in the alchemy building for months without going out. So he said:
"The servants inside all went in that way. If you just follow their example, maybe you'll be able to do it."
"I don't know anything else. I only know that Madam Lai once selected a group of loyal maids and boys to serve in the palace. However, they were not as high-ranking as the sword-bearing maids, so they couldn't go in or out. I have no way of finding out what's going on inside."
I could only ask Mrs. Lai for help, but the result was not satisfactory.
Ji Xu took these words to heart. Mrs. Lai actually had such importance. It reminded her of the group of strong slaves who were bought into the mansion together with Xiaoyao but were nowhere to be seen. Could it be that they were sent to the Alchemy Building?
It was the autumnal equinox that day and the weather was getting colder. Mrs. Lai had a migraine. The maid said that the maid from the small kitchen came to greet her. She remembered this person, rubbed her forehead, and asked her to send her away.
The little girl said, "The weather is getting cold, so she made some lamb stomach jerky for you, and also heated up a pot of calamus wine she brewed herself."
Mrs. Lai was moved. She had a cold and a headache, and she needed a pot of hot wine with a plate of rotten sheep stomach, so she said:
"Let her in."
He also told the little maid to get her headband and put it on her.
Ji Xu came in, knelt down beside him, picked out some hot food and wine from the food box, and put them on the table.
"It's my fault. I should have come to thank Madam Lai long ago. It's just that I haven't been able to make a sheep. I was afraid of disappointing Madam's kindness. Yesterday I made a sheep and received a reward. So, I came to see you.
I just heard the little girl say you have a headache. How about I rub it for you? In the past, when I was home, my aunt also had a headache, and I rubbed her head and it got better. "
This was referring to her grandmother in her previous life. Seeing Mrs. Lai nod, she tactfully moved to the back, her fingertips applying soft and gentle force, and after a few strokes, Mrs. Lai let out a comfortable sigh.
"The headband has been brought." said the little girl.
"Let me put it on for you."
Ji Xu took it and saw that it was a square crimson purple-blue headband with cloud pattern. He measured it against Madam Lai's head and was about to tie it on.
Looking at the stitches along the edge, I was stunned. This was Tian's needlework.
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