Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Wang Dian’s plan.
It is said that when the Chen family got this dish of stir-fried water chestnuts with meat, they only picked out a small piece to give to the children to enjoy.
Most of the rest was placed on a ceramic plate and neatly packed in a food basket, which Chen Che'er took to give as a filial gift to Wang Dianji.
Lu Ai gritted her teeth, took out twenty coins, and tucked them tightly into Chen Che'er's clothes.
"Be careful not to lose it. When you get to the Liang wine shop, tell them you want that small bottle of sorghum wine and give him the money."
"Oh! I remember it!" Chen Che'er ran out with the food basket.
"Mom, do you think it can work?" Zhuang Hui Niang was a little worried.
"Even if it doesn't work out, at least we can make good friends. There's no harm in that. Try a few more times, and maybe it will work." said Aunt Lu.
Wang Dianji was old and lacking in energy, so he wanted to take in a disciple.
"We can't let Che'er do hard labor for the rest of his life. If Wang Dianji is willing to teach him how to count, he won't have to carry heavy loads on his shoulders anymore, and he'll be able to find an easier job in the future."
Chen Che'er first went to the Liangjiu family in Shengchangli and bought a small bottle of sorghum wine before going to the kiln.
As the sky darkened, piles of pottery tiles and blue bricks were piled up in the open space in front of the kiln.
A noise was heard from a nearby shed, and a loud shout came out: "You bastard! How dare you come to steal tiles!"
A man with big ears, a jagged chin, a sturdy build and a broad back came out and stood at the door. He was a servant of the Gan family, and was left here to guard the kiln at night.
"Brother Jiantu, it's me, Che'er." Chen Che'er walked over with a shy smile.
Seeing that he was a hired worker in the kiln who was responsible for carrying bricks and tiles, Gan Jiantu asked him, "What are you doing here at this dark time?"
"During the day, Wang Dianji gave me two baskets of water melons. I made some water melon dishes at home and brought them to him to give him a taste. I couldn't take his water melons for free.
I also bought some wine, would you like to have some too, my dear brother?"
Chen Che'er grinned and acted in a flattering manner.
It is not advisable to hit a smiling person, but Gan Jiantu is not allowed to drink alcohol while on duty at night. If he gets drunk and makes mistakes, the Gan family rules will require him to be whipped.
"I can't drink this wine."
When Chen Che'er heard this, he patted his head and said, "Look at me, I actually forgot. Since I can't drink wine, I'll just pick some vegetables to eat.
It’s thanks to the hard work of our humble brother that those thieves dare not approach our kiln.”
While flattering.
Chen Che'er knew that if he didn't sell this piece of land well, he, as a servant of another family, would not be able to enter the kiln after work.
He entered the low shed, which was narrow inside, with a wooden bed and a dining table. The bowls and chopsticks that Gan Jiantu usually used for his meals were placed there. Chen Che'er gave him half a bowl.
As a low-ranking servant guarding the kiln, Gan Jiantu had to wait until the master of the Gan family and the servants of the other family had finished their meals before it was his turn to have dinner. He hadn't eaten yet.
When he smelled the scent, he found it extremely fragrant and felt very comforted. So he stopped making things difficult for Chen Che'er and let him in.
Inside the kiln, there are arch holes one after another. The bricks and tiles were fired in the holes, and they are now all black.
Chen Che'er walked through the corridor outside the cave and went around to the row of low houses at the back. Most of the people working in the kiln were slaves of the Gan family, and they were crowded in this row of low houses.
Many young and thin men were taking showers in front of the house with their bare chests. The yellow water came out, and when they saw Chen Che'er coming, they all turned their faces away.
"Where is Wang Dianji?"
No one paid any attention to Chen Che'er, the outsider hired man. They were all slaves of the family and were banding together to fight against the enemy.
"They're settling accounts in the house." There was a younger one with a kind heart.
Wang Dianji had a separate room. Chen Che'er knocked on the door and went in. He saw that the room was spacious. A ceramic screen separated the inner and outer rooms. The shelves in the outer room were piled with bamboo slips and wooden tablets. Because it was autumnal recently, the couch was covered with a sheepskin mattress. The elm wood table, although a little scratched, was a valuable item that ordinary people could not touch.
Wang Dianji knelt on the couch, facing the desk, and wrote today's account.
He was wearing an old gray robe and occasionally scratched his sparse hair, which flicked off some white gray.
"Okay, okay, just put it down and go." Wang Dianji interrupted Chen Che'er's earnest words without even raising his head.
He knew that he was old, so he announced that he wanted to recruit disciples. Recently, many young men wanted to learn his accounting skills.
Many servants from other families came to curry favor with him, but he had to choose a fellow servant of the Gan family as his apprentice so that he could be filial to him for the rest of his life. How could he let his skills fall into the hands of outsiders?
Chen Che'er is usually a smart person, but she couldn't figure it out, so she didn't have a good face towards Chen Che'er.
Chen Che'er had no choice but to put down the wine and food and leave in embarrassment.
The Chen family thought they had no hope. After all, being a Dianji was a popular job. Even if one was a slave, one would have more face in front of the master. Wang Dianji's skills were passed down to him by a master from the Gan family, and they might not be passed down to outsiders.
Lu Mu was still unwilling to give up. She said, "You can't expect to get it perfect in one go. This is my specialty. How can I teach it to outsiders so easily?"
Unfortunately, the Chen family was so poor that they had nothing good to offer to Wang Dianji, whose life was a hundred times better than theirs.
That day, Aunt Lu gritted her teeth and went to the market early in the morning to buy a small piece of lean meat and the last remaining fresh water chestnuts in the house. She took them to Ji Xu's house and shamelessly asked her to make some more water chestnut dishes. After all, only after one or two times would Wang Dianji see her sincerity.
Although Ji Xu had explained in detail to her how to make stir-fried water chestnuts with pork last time, she didn't dare to start rashly. If she messed it up, she wouldn't want to waste this good piece of meat.
"Since Che'er wants to be an apprentice, why are you being so polite to me, Auntie? I'm free right now, so I'll do it right away."
Yu Jixu did it easily, and he did it in a few seconds, which made Lu Ai dazzled.
"My dear aunt, cooking a dish is so complicated."
That morning, Chen Che'er took the vegetable to the kiln when he went to work. He found a break and went to the side of Wang Dianji who was counting bricks and tiles.
"The boy brought some more dishes, and they are all made by my sister. Don't be disgusted, Chief, and have some for breakfast."
Wang Dianji didn't show it on his face, but asked, "Is it still the same water chestnut vegetable from last time?"
"That's right!" Chen Che'er said hurriedly.
Speaking of Wang Dianji, he had eaten this dish some time ago. The fresh, slightly spicy, delicious and smooth taste, paired with sorghum wine, was so refreshing that he kept savoring the taste.
But he couldn't bring himself to ask Chen Che'er for it. Otherwise, he would feel that he was being accepted as a disciple just for one dish, which would make him underestimate his own abilities.
At this moment, he was still indifferent, "Put it in my room."
"Hey!" Chen Che'er stood on tiptoe and went.
Not knowing when Wang Dianji would be free to come and serve, Chen Che'er put the dishes into the lacquered wooden food box on the table, covered it tightly to keep out rats and insects, and then went to carry bricks from the kiln.
Soon, someone called from outside the small house.
"Wang Dianji?"
Seeing no one answered, the servant pushed the door open, looked around, picked up the food box, left the kiln and went to the Gan family's house.
This servant was originally a handyman in the east kitchen. Because Wang Dianji had some dignity, he did not eat servant meals with the people in the kiln. He could eat three meals a day like his master, and the handyman in the east kitchen would bring him food boxes.
The Gan family mansion was tall, with double-eaved lattice windows. The gate was decorated with red, ochre, and white paintings of birds, beasts, and clouds - designs that warded off evil and disasters. The house was surrounded by corridors, and there was a tall watchtower in the courtyard. A guard was stationed in the tower, and a vicious dog was tied downstairs. Slaves moved around the courtyard in an orderly manner.
The east kitchen faces east in the courtyard. There is a well outside the kitchen. People inside are busy cooking, making fire, washing vegetables, and preparing soups in front of the big ceramic stove...
The servant went into the east kitchen and placed the food box on the wooden table.
"Take the food from Wang Dianji."
"Why are you in such a hurry? The masters' food is not ready yet." said the cook, and sent the servant to fetch water.
Not long after, a maidservant dressed in fine clothes and with a slender figure, dressed like a girl from a wealthy family, came in and asked hurriedly, "Where is our young master's breakfast?"
The cook said hurriedly, "It's already prepared. It's on the table. Please take it, young lady.
If the young master enjoys the newly made mutton soup today, please say a few good words for me, young lady."
The maid took it and left. When the servant came back with a bucket of water, he looked around and couldn't help muttering:
"Where is Wang Dianji's food box?"
"It's bad, it's bad!" the cook cried out in panic.
"Send Wang Dian's plan."
Soon, an order came from the main house.
The cook from the east kitchen replied tremblingly, and told his servant to call Wang Dianji. The servant realized that he had caused trouble and was so shaken that he fell several times on the road.
Wang Dianji, who worked at the kiln, was looking for his food box when he suddenly received a letter from a servant crying out in grief. He didn't dare stay any longer and left with the servant.
All the way, he kept scolding the servant and the chef, "If you want to cause trouble yourself, don't drag me into it..."
While trotting to the main house, you should know that the youngest daughter of the Gan family is now seven years old. She was born with a disabled leg and has a bad temper. She loves to throw things around. But the mistress of the house loves her very much and has always doted on her. Therefore, all the servants in the house serve her wholeheartedly, for fear of causing trouble.
Wang Dianji bowed his head and walked lightly into the main room, glancing secretly at the ground to see if there were any broken porcelain pieces.
The interior was filled with lacquerware, and the dining table was painted with gold. There was only a rough pottery plate placed on the table, which looked very abrupt.
But the plate was not broken into pieces. As for the water chestnuts and vegetables that should have been on it, only some foam was left?
Beside the table, the seven-year-old daughter of Prince Gan, was wearing a short red satin jacket, green silk pleated trousers, and a large gold locket around her neck. Her eyebrows, which had always been sullen, were now relaxed, and her little mouth was red from eating.
Her mother, Mrs. Bai, was lying sideways, wiping her mouth with a towel, her voice gentle:
"My princess uses this wild rice vegetable very well. Was it made by Wang Dianji?"
"Reply Madam,"
Wang Dianji immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "This was made by my disciple. If the young master likes it, I will ask my disciple to make some more."
"Well, tell him to make lunch for my princess." Madam Bai ordered.
Wang Dianji responded with a humming voice, and when he came out, he stuffed the reward he had just received into his sleeve, which was a small silver cake.
The cook and the servant who were waiting outside to listen to his words saw that he was radiant and knew that he had received a reward. The servant wiped the sweat from his head with his sleeves and kept praying for the blessing of the immortal.
The cook was very jealous, but because of Wang Dianji's seniority, he was reluctant to share the reward with him.
Wang Dianji naturally refused to give it to him and walked away with his hands behind his back.
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