Chapter 48 The apprentice's implication is obvious
It's really disgraceful.
The following words were not said by Ji Shubai, but were added by Song Jin himself in his mind.
"I don't!"
Song Jin became angry for no reason, his voice got louder, and the tears that he had held back with great difficulty welled up again.
"Don't cry, I'm just asking..."
"Why are you asking this when there are other questions to ask? Did I seduce him?"
Ji Shubai was speechless when asked, especially when he saw Song Jin's tearful face.
This is the first time I have seen a man who cries so easily.
"Alright, alright, I won't ask any more questions. I am the one who offended you, okay?"
Song Jin couldn't stop crying and let Ji Shubai frown and apologize.
Ji Shubai also had a headache. If a grown man cried like this in front of him and people saw it, they would definitely say that he was a corrupt official and bullied others.
Song Jin was crying, he was sighing, leaving would seem heartless, staying would seem awkward. Just when he was at a loss as to what to do, Song Jin stopped crying.
"Thank you very much today, sir. This meal is treated by the inn."
"Ah... that's not necessary."
"Eight cents of silver."
Song Jin had originally planned to treat this dinner, so the meal was not extravagant. Ji Shubai said it was not necessary, and she was angry so she didn't say anything more. She asked for the price, but this time she didn't extort money.
Ji Shubai smiled bitterly and shook his head. He took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and handed it to Song Jin, saying, "Weigh it and return the extra money to me."
“Puff…”
Song Jin burst into laughter, finally easing Ji Shubai's embarrassment.
Originally Song Jin thought that Wen Xin would come to make trouble from time to time, but surprisingly, Wen Xin did not appear in the store again. Instead, the legendary new prefect appeared in the government office.
That morning, Song Jin went to the Chai family as promised to teach several selected maids how to make tea. Before she left, the Chai family manager stopped her and said that a new prefect had arrived and that a small family banquet would be held at home in a few days. He asked Song Jin to follow the example of the censor and help cook a few dishes and perform tea art. Song Jin happily agreed.
Unexpectedly, just when happy things were happening one after another, unhappy things happened.
That day, Song Jin returned to Shidinglou. As soon as he entered the room, he saw several people standing inside, surrounding a man.
Since it was not meal time, this group of people was particularly eye-catching.
Wen Xin came with his people.
Song Jin had already torn his face off with him, so he simply stopped being polite. He stood in front of Wen Xin and asked coldly, "What's the matter?"
Seeing this, Wen Xin laughed wickedly: "It's different now that I have a backer."
Song Jin glanced sideways and ignored his teasing.
Wen Xin stood up and walked two steps towards her with his hands behind his back: "I discussed it with my aunt and felt that there are only two women here to learn cooking from you, which is still too few."
"Look, now the censor and the deputy governor love the dishes you cook, and they are also teaching the Chai family tea art, so they are definitely too busy to handle it. So I brought two kitchen servants here today, and you should teach them well. Once you learn them, you won't have to cook by yourself in the future, it's too hard."
If she doesn't have to cook for herself, it would be like getting rid of her.
She was taken in by the Wen family and was taught how to cook new dishes whenever they were needed. Wen's new kitchen servant took over the Shidinglou, and she was never seen in public again.
"Okay, who are they?"
Song Jin didn't refuse. Teaching her could delay time, but if she didn't teach her, she might not have time.
"It's such a pleasure to talk to you." Wen Xin was very happy. He turned around and looked at the people he brought with him. Two of them stood up, bowed and said, "Manager Wen."
"These two are the kitchen servants I carefully selected. They will follow you and learn from you. You can do whatever you want. Of course, I will teach you the cooking skills, as my aunt wants."
Wen Xin emphasized the word "aunt", and the implication was obvious.
Song Jin just smiled and said, "Okay, I will teach you carefully."
Song Jin accepted the two people who came to learn cooking without any hesitation, so Wen Xin's original trick of showing off and threatening was of no use, and he just let the two people go.
The downstairs was empty again. Song Jin looked at the two men, walked silently to the seat where Wen Xin had just sat, and then sat down, and then he started asking questions.
"What are your two names?"
"Little Quanrui." said a short, round-faced man.
"My dear Hong Yun, we all used to work as kitchen servants in Master Wen's house." said another man with a narrow face and a slender body.
The two men couldn't help but look at each other as they answered. Logically speaking, Song Jin was a family servant just like them, so why was this guy acting so arrogant?
Song Jin noticed their confusion, but was too lazy to pay attention to it and just continued talking.
"Since Master Wen asked you to come and learn cooking from me, I will naturally do my best to teach you and ensure that you learn well."
The two were happy to hear this. They felt relieved that the possible difficulties that Ben Xin had warned them against did not happen.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Wen."
Song Jin just smiled without saying anything and led the two of them to the back kitchen.
"Since you were sent here by Master Wen, I will naturally teach you well. But let me be frank. I have my own ideas about teaching cooking, so just follow my instructions. If you don't agree, I can also ask Master Wen to send you two back."
The two men who were listening behind the scenes turned pale and looked at each other, not understanding why this skinny and weak servant had so many rules.
But Wen Xin asked them to study hard because they would have to replace the people around them in the future, so they had no choice but to endure it.
Song Jin led the two to the back kitchen and said to the maids, "These are Hong Yun and Quan Rui, the new cooks brought by Master Wen."
After that, he said to the two of them, "Mother Chen and Granny Lin are helping me in the kitchen. They have been learning from me for quite some time. From today on, you will learn to cook from them first, and I will teach you after you have learned it."
When the two heard this, it turned out that Song Jin had no intention of teaching personally and simply pushed it to the two old women.
The two old women were also puzzled. Why did two more people come to learn cooking out of the blue? Did they want them to go back home?
The old women couldn't tell the difference and it was not convenient to say anything at the moment, so they had to accept the job and talk about it in the evening when no one was around.
"If you two don't go back tonight, you will sleep in the same room with the store's accountant, Arong. Today you will learn..."
Song Jin looked at the two maids and said, "Glutinous rice and pork ribs, please."
"ah?"
Glutinous rice spareribs are not sold in the store. Firstly, they cannot be sold at a high price, and secondly, they are time-consuming to prepare. Therefore, Song Jin does not make this dish in the store, but only makes it for the Chai family.
She asked these two people to learn this dish not with the intention of teaching them but simply to waste time.
The two old women were surprised for a moment, but they reacted instantly and directed the two men to go to the vegetable market to buy spare ribs and immediately sent the people away.
After the people left, everyone gathered in front of Song Jin to talk.
"What does this mean? We have managed this small shop, but now Master Wen is really going to be in charge?"
For the people in the building, it didn't matter who was in charge. What mattered was that Song Jin was much more lenient in managing people. As long as they didn't drink, cause trouble, gamble, or eat more meat, she didn't care at all. She would even treat everyone to wine and meat when she got a reward outside. It had become a habit.
For this reason, everyone turned a blind eye to the fact that she was hiding her private belongings. After all, everyone benefited from it, so who would do such a thankless task?
But now that two of Master Wen’s men have come to the store, things are different.
"Don't worry, Grandmothers. Master Wen said that they are only here to learn our dishes, so you two elders can teach them slowly. You are the master chef, so you have the final say. There is no rush."
The old master taught slowly, and the two women understood immediately.
As an apprentice, it is impossible to learn the real skills right away, so just take your time.
The two old women felt relieved now, and even rolled up their sleeves to start pestering people in a pretentious manner.
When it comes to torturing people in this feudal society, Song Jin is no match for the old women. Mancao also suffered a lot in the kitchen, so she knows how serious it is.
Song Jin just threw the two "new apprentices" to the two old women. Naturally, the old women were not polite and ordered them to buy groceries, sweep the floor and make fire. There was no real work, only a lot of trivial matters. This made the two of them very resentful, but they didn't know what to say.
This morning, Song Jin was going to the Chai family for a family dinner, which was hosted by the prefect and his wife. Song Jin had prepared early and was going to take a maid and a servant with him. When the two saw each other, they hurried over to talk.
"Shopkeeper, please wait."
The short, round-faced Quan Rui came over and asked, "Boss, where are you going today?"
"Mr. Chai is hosting a banquet at home and asked me to go over and cook a few dishes." Song Jin smiled gently and asked the maid to do everything.
"Boss, since we are cooking for a family banquet, shouldn't you bring me along? After all, I have worked as a cook for many years."
Song Jin still had that fake smile on his face and asked, "If that's the case, why didn't the Chai family invite you two to the banquet, but invited me instead?"
"This..." The two men were speechless.
"Remember, I am the one that the Chai family wants to hire as a cook. I decide what kind of helpers to bring. With your current abilities, I think you should stay in the kitchen for a while."
After Song Jin finished speaking, he did not stop and prepared to leave with the two of them. Unexpectedly, Hong Yun, a man with a narrow face and a thin body, stopped him.
"Shopkeeper, that's not what I meant. It was Master Wen who wanted us to come here to learn the craft. If you have any dissatisfaction, you can go and ask Master Wen for justice. There's no need to ask that woman to treat us as apprentices. Who are you humiliating?"
Song Jin snorted coldly: "You were called by Master Wen to learn cooking skills. I'm here to make money for Grandma. What's the matter? Do you think Master Wen is more important than Grandma, and you two can ride on my head too?"
The two men were very angry. Even though they were slaves, being suppressed by Wen Xin and being suppressed by the skinny little servant in front of them were two different things.
"Whether it's Master Wen or the Chai family's eldest lady, they all want to make this Shidinglou a success, so stop trying to sow discord between them."
"Since we want to run Shi Ding Lou well, I'm not here today, and neither is Granny Lin. The two of you and Granny Chen will be in charge of the kitchen. This is a chance for you to show your loyalty, isn't it?"
Quan Rui's face turned red with anger: "But serving Master Chai is just as important."
"Since you know how important it is, why do you think you can go out with me when you two haven't even finished your apprenticeship yet? Do you want to practice with the dishes from the Chai family's family banquet?"
Hong Yunquanrui was speechless. Song Jin left a sentence "If you are not satisfied, ask Master Wen to come to the Chai family to find her" and left with his men.
Learning to cook is a lie. If I can show up at the Chai family’s family banquet with Song Jin, my business will be much better in the future.
How could Song Jin not understand this logic? Therefore, he didn't bring anyone into the Chai family at all and directly stopped them from having this idea.
Song Jin thought to herself that if she wanted to get rid of her citizenship, she would probably need the help of the Chai family. She would never allow anyone to be more famous than herself before that.
However, today's family dinner was a little special. The prefect, Chai Heng and Ji Shubai were dining in the small building where they had dined on the Chinese Valentine's Day, while the prefect's wife and Mrs. Chai were dining in a small building in the back garden, so she had to prepare double portions of her specialties.
However, what was even more surprising was that the tea art performance was not for the prefect, but for the prefect's wife. Therefore, after preparing the dishes, she went to the back garden under the guidance of the girl in the yellow bodice.
It is late autumn now, and the small garden is no longer as full of flowers as before. Mrs. Chai has asked people to place a lot of chrysanthemums, and the garden looks lively at the moment.
Song Jin lowered his head and followed the girl closely, occasionally glancing at the potted chrysanthemums beside the gravel road, and soon arrived at the small building.
Song Jin stepped forward and bowed before secretly looking up at the person. Having been a slave for so long in this feudal society, Song Jin felt that he couldn't even straighten his back.
But even though she was not straight, she could still see the woman sitting at the top clearly.
She looked to be in her early forties, wearing a golden crown on her head, with a plum blossom-shaped emerald cloud hairpin inlaid with pearls, a gold butterfly inlaid with rubies and sapphires in the middle, and a pair of gold and ruby hairpins on each side.
She was wearing a double-breasted jacket with auspicious cloud patterns on a water green satin background. Under the white satin vertical collar were a pair of gold buttons with auspicious cloud patterns. Song Jin remembered seeing something similar in a museum.
A rich man.
"Manager Wen?"
Song Jin was pushed gently by someone before he reacted: "Second... Second Madam, what do you want?"
The woman at the head asked with a smile: "What are you daydreaming about?"
Song Jin shrank back and said, "It was my first time seeing Madam, and I was distracted for a moment. I thought it was Guanyin descending to the earth. I was stunned for a moment, and I didn't want to offend Madam."
A burst of laughter came: "You are sweet-talking, but I am over fifty years old, and Guanyin will not be as old as me."
"Madam, that's not true," Madam Chai continued, "You said you were under 40 and people would believe you."
Even more exaggerated than Song Jin, the lady was quite happy and asked Song Jin: "I heard that you are good at tea art?"
Song Jin answered obediently: "I just know how to make Wuyi tea."
"Okay, although this tea is not to Lord Lin's taste, it is just what I like. You can make some today and let me take a look."
Soon, a small table was placed in front of Song Jin, with tea sets laid out one by one. After getting permission, Song Jin sat over and began to perform Kung Fu tea from a distance away from the two of them.
The tea set today was the same as that day, with white glazed teacups and tea bowls, and black tea from Wuyi Mountain, nothing special. But when the lid on the bowl turned around, the two ladies were obviously surprised. Song Jin poured water, covered it tightly, turned it over, and did an upside-down rotation, and there was a burst of laughter from the upper seat.
"It's really different. I've never seen such a bold tea art before. Today is really an eye-opener."
Madam Chai said, "That's right. When I heard my husband say that, I didn't believe it. I asked my family to practice with them, but they all said that boiling water was too hot to hold, so they couldn't hold it at all. Only he could do it."
Song Jin listened with his ears perked up, his hands still working. After a short while, two cups of black tea were brought out and brought over by the maids. Song Jin stood up again.
It was only at this point that she had time to look at the things on the prefect's wife other than the gold, silver, silk and satin.
He had thin and long eyebrows, Bodhisattva eyes, and a smooth oval face without a single sharp edge. He looked the gentlest person she had ever seen.
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