Chapter 147 Let's have a competition and see who has the better skills
Watching her retreating figure, Ye Wanning sighed softly and whispered to Pei Zhi, "Was I too disrespectful to her? She is the princess's niece."
Pei Zhi squeezed her hand, his eyes full of tenderness: "There's no need to give face to people who put on airs and deliberately show off. You just told the truth and didn't do anything wrong." He pointed to the writing implement stall, "Come on, let's buy some writing implements first, and then I'll help you find some fresh mint leaves."
It was rare for the general's mansion kitchen to be so lively. Liu Yue stood in front of the stove, holding dough in her hand, and smiled ingratiatingly at General Pei: "Uncle, I looked up the recipe for Eight Treasure Cake. I'll make it for you to try today. What do you think of my skills?"
Liu Yue is Liu's niece. After Liu was sent to the family temple, she often came to the mansion under the pretense of visiting General Pei, but secretly and openly made things difficult for Ye Wanning.
Today, she deliberately mentioned Ye Wanning's medical skills in front of General Pei, glancing at Ye Wanning beside her from time to time, her words laced with sarcasm: "I've heard that Madam Pei is a skilled doctor and has saved many people. I wonder how her cooking is? As a concubine's daughter, she probably didn't learn any delicate skills when she was young, unlike me, who learned to make pastries from my mother since I was little..."
The maids and servants watching all lowered their heads and dared not respond—everyone knew that Liu Yue was deliberately picking a fight, but after all, she was General Pei's niece, and no one dared to offend her.
Ye Wanning wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and stepped forward, looking at the dough in Liu Yue's hand, and said, "Cousin Liu's Eight Treasure Cake looks very exquisite. I've also learned a new recipe for Lotus Seed Soup, and I was just about to ask Father about his taste. Why don't we make it together and let Father judge which one suits his taste better?"
General Pei, who already disliked Liu Yue's words, quickly nodded upon hearing this: "Alright, I was just thinking of trying the lotus seed soup that Wan Ning made."
Liu Yue was taken aback by Ye Wanning's willingness to accept the challenge. After a moment of hesitation, she could only bite the bullet and say, "Alright, let's have a competition and see who has better skills."
The two got busy, with Liu Yue kneading the dough while glancing at Ye Wanning every now and then, wondering if she knew how to do it. But Ye Wanning wasn't flustered at all. She first soaked the lotus seeds in warm water, then took out the lilies and rock sugar and washed them carefully.
"Madam Pei, how long do you want to soak these lotus seeds?" Liu Yue asked deliberately, wanting to embarrass her.
"Soak it for two hours, that way it will be soft and tender when stewed." Ye Wanning didn't even look up. "You have to control the heat well when making Cousin Liu's Eight Treasures Cake. If the heat is too high, it will burn; if the heat is too low, it will be undercooked."
Liu Yue choked for a moment, and could only quickly and seriously do it, but after all, she had only learned it on the spot, and soon the smell of burning wafted from the kitchen - the Eight Treasure Cake was burnt!
"How could it be burnt?!" Liu Yue panicked and quickly took out the Eight Treasures Cake. She saw that the outer skin was completely black and the inside was still a bit raw, making it inedible.
Ye Wanning's lotus seed soup was just ready. She lifted the lid of the clay pot, and fragrant steam rose up, releasing a rich, sweet aroma. The lotus seeds were soft and tender, the lilies were translucent, the soup was thick and creamy, and it was sprinkled with osmanthus flowers, making it look incredibly appetizing.
Ye Wanning scooped a bowl and handed it to General Pei: "Father, please try it and see if it suits your taste?"
General Pei took a spoonful and put it in his mouth. The softness of the lotus seeds, the sweetness of the lily, and the fragrance of the osmanthus blossoms spread in his mouth. It wasn't greasy at all. He quickly nodded and said, "Delicious! Even better than the imperial kitchen! Wan Ning, your cooking is really good!"
Liu Yue, unconvinced, suddenly spoke up: "Uncle, she definitely cheated! This lotus seed soup might have been pre-cooked, not made fresh by her!"
“Cousin Liu, you’re wrong about that.” Pei Zhi’s voice rang out from the doorway as he held the kitchen notebook. “The kitchen records show that Wan Ning bought fresh lotus seeds yesterday, started soaking them this morning, and began stewing them at 9:00 AM. They stewed for a full three hours. How could they have been prepared in advance?”
He walked up to Liu Yue, his eyes turning cold: "You can't make it yourself, you burned the Eight Treasures Cake, yet you falsely accuse Wan Ning of cheating. Isn't that going too far?"
Liu Yue was so frightened by Pei Zhi's gaze that she took a step back. Seeing the strange looks from the maids and servants around her, she couldn't stay any longer and slunk out of the kitchen with her head down.
General Pei watched her retreating figure, sighed helplessly, and said to Ye Wanning, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, my good child. It's my fault for not taking good care of my niece."
"Father, please don't say that." Ye Wanning smiled and ladled out another bowl of lotus seed soup for Pei Zhi. "Try it too, it's freshly made and still warm."
Pei Zhi took the drink, drank a sip, and smiled, "Delicious! My wife's cooking is excellent."
Jingxin Temple on the outskirts of the city was very popular, especially on the days when the Empress Dowager invited the ladies to pray for blessings; the temple was always packed with people. Ye Wanning followed the others to pray to the Bodhisattva and was just about to find a place to rest when the Princess came over, her smile looking very fake.
"Madam Pei, I've heard that you are a highly skilled physician and also very knowledgeable about herbs?"
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat—the Princess rarely sought her out, so this sudden question couldn't be good. She simply nodded, "I know a little bit; I learned it all from my mother."
"That's wonderful!" The princess clapped her hands, and a maid came over with an empty bamboo basket. "The Bodhisattva's sincerity is key. I've heard there's a kind of calming herb in the back mountain, which would be perfect for offering to the Bodhisattva. Madam Pei is a skilled physician, so she must know about it. Please go to the back mountain and gather some, so as not to disappoint the Bodhisattva."
The ladies around turned their heads, their eyes filled with pity. Everyone knew that the path behind Jingxin Temple was treacherous and full of thorns, and ordinary people would not dare to approach it. The princess was deliberately making things difficult for Ye Wanning.
Standing beside the Princess, Li Yanran added fuel to the fire: "Yes, Madam Pei, this is for offering to the Bodhisattva, you can't refuse. If you can't even do this properly, it's disrespectful to the Bodhisattva!"
Ye Wanning looked at their faces and sneered inwardly—did they really think they could scare her like this? How naive. She took the bamboo basket from the maid and smiled, "This is nothing to make offerings to the Bodhisattva. I'll go right away."
Pei Zhi, who was not far away, saw everything. Just as he was about to go and stop her, Ye Wanning gave him a wink, telling him not to worry. Pei Zhi had no choice but to watch her walk towards the back mountain. Unable to put his mind at ease, he secretly followed her.
The path on the back mountain was indeed difficult to traverse. Ye Wanning had only taken a few steps when her skirt was torn open by thorns, and her hand was also cut, drawing a few drops of blood. But she ignored it and continued forward, carefully searching for calming herbs in the grass—she not only wanted to pick them, but also to gather some medicinal herbs to show the Princess and Li Yanran that she was not someone to be trifled with.
"Wanning!" Pei Zhi's voice came from behind. Ye Wanning turned around and saw him running towards her quickly, holding a clean handkerchief in his hand. He took her hand, looked at the wound, and frowned deeply: "Look at you, you're injured! We don't need to pay attention to that kind of person, let's go back."
"It's nothing, this little injury is nothing." Ye Wanning smiled and withdrew her hand. "I just wanted to pick some herbs. Look, here's some mint for headaches and some notoginseng for stopping bleeding. Once I pick some calming herbs, I'll take these herbs back with me, so it won't be a wasted trip."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com