Stepping over the high threshold, one finds a path paved with bluestone, pavilions and towers, willows and flowers in the courtyard, all exuding an air of ancient grandeur and wealth throughout the Jiang Mansion.
Jiang Shuyou didn't see the slightest surprise in Shen Danru's eyes, which surprised him, and he couldn't help but take a closer look at her.
He would like her to be as curious and fascinated by the Jiang family as the other women, so that he would have more opportunities.
Because he was worried about Old Madam Jiang, he instructed Fu Liu to lead the way, and went to the main courtyard first.
Shen Danru followed Fu Liu all the way to the kitchen.
Ever since Fu Liu was forced to kneel for three days and three nights as punishment, he knew how much his master valued this Miss Shen, and he never dared to have any thoughts of looking down on her again.
"Master, this is the sixth time I've brought food to the old lady today, and she's sent it back every time. She hasn't eaten a single bite. What should we do?"
Duan Dong, dressed in the distinctive attire of the Jiang family's kitchen, reported to Liu Yishou.
Liu Yishou lowered his eyes, his brows furrowed.
Halfway there, Fu Liu was stopped by a steward from the Jiang family, who seemed to have something to discuss.
"Miss Chen, I'm so sorry, the kitchen is just ahead. Why don't you go ahead first? I have something to attend to here, I'll be right back."
"It's okay, you can go ahead if you have something to do, I can go by myself."
Shen Danru would certainly not make things difficult for a servant.
Now that Fu Liu has left, she can buy vegetables and fruits from the system.
She went to a secluded spot, redeemed millet, baby pumpkin, tomatoes, and some seasonings from the system, and put them in a basket.
She planned to make a pumpkin and millet porridge for Grandma Jiang to soothe her stomach, and a simple tomato and egg stir-fry as a side dish.
But as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, someone called out:
"Who are you? Get out of here! This is not a place for you."
The kitchen is a sensitive area; how can we allow just anyone to enter?
If Chef Liu sees this, they'll be the ones getting scolded.
"I'm here to cook for Madam Jiang. May I use the kitchen?"
"Nonsense, the kitchen already has Chef Liu. What could a young lady like you do?"
His brows furrowed in deep sorrow.
Jiang Shuyou was somewhat displeased with the young cook's rudeness. He could invite her to cook, but she would never rush to do so: "I was invited by Jiang Shuyou to cook for the old lady. It seems he didn't explain things clearly to your kitchen. You should discuss it and then decide whether or not to have me cook."
Upon hearing that it was Master Jiang, a guest invited by the master of the Jiang family, the young waiter dared not look down on him anymore. If she complained to the master, he would be in deep trouble. He quickly said respectfully, "It was my fault for being blind. Please, use whatever you like in the kitchen."
Liu Yishou was in a bad mood. He had prepared ingredients to cook for the old lady early in the morning, but it was already past 9 a.m. and the old lady still hadn't eaten.
He, who had always been very confident in his cooking skills, felt frustrated at this moment.
"Dongzi, do you think Master's skills have declined?"
Duan Dong shook his head: "No, the people in the Jiang family all gave you a thumbs up after eating the food you cooked."
"Master, I know now. Is the old lady sick? Otherwise, why won't she eat any of the dishes she used to like?"
Liu Yishou seemed to be deep in thought.
At this moment, the kitchen assistant brought Shen Danru in.
"Master Chef, this is the cook that the young master hired to cook for the old lady."
Cook?
Shen Danru almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
That's right, if he says she's a cook, then she's a cook.
Liu Yishou sized up Shen Danru with a sharp look in his eyes.
He looked to be just past the age of marriage, with delicate skin and tender flesh. He was dressed in coarse linen clothes, clearly a child from a poor family. He had never eaten a decent meal before, yet he had the audacity to come to the Jiang residence to cook.
For Young Master Jiang to hire such a young girl to cook is a slap in the face to Liu Yishou.
He was, after all, a renowned chef in Shengjing, and naturally had a certain arrogance, so he looked down on the small town of Ningzhou.
He dared to say that if he, Liu Yishou, was second to none in Ningzhou's culinary scene, no one would dare to claim the top spot.
Liu Yishou's face turned ugly. He took off his robe and threw it on the ground: "Fine, if you're so capable, you do it. If your cooking can satisfy Old Madam Jiang, I'll give you my title of Liu Yishou."
He remained silent, lost in thought.
She took the ingredients out of the basket, washed them all, and then deftly chopped and cooked them in a series of quick and efficient movements.
When the millet porridge is almost cooked, add the steamed pumpkin puree into the porridge.
The tomatoes I bought through the system were very fresh; when I cut one open, it was full of juice.
Seeing some fresh eggs on the side, Shen Danru took a few and cracked them into a bowl.
She learned that Madam Jiang preferred sweeter flavors, so she didn't add salt when making scrambled eggs with tomatoes, only some simple seasonings.
Without Chef Liu's permission, no one in the entire kitchen dared to step forward to help; they didn't want to offend the head chef because of someone of unknown origin.
"Look, what are those red things? They look like fruit. Can this fruit be used in cooking?"
"What kind of cooking is this? Stir-frying it with eggs? Is this even edible?"
"Ignore her, she'll just have to wait and see what our boss does."
High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.
Soon, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were ready.
From the moment she entered the kitchen until she left, Shen Danru did not utter a single word.
She wasn't magnanimous enough to respond to others' rudeness.
"The dishes I made had no aroma at all; they were far inferior to my master's."
"That's right. Judging from her appearance, she can't cook anything. She must be pretty to have seduced the old man."
"Hmph, her? She's not even as good-looking as me. There's no way I'd ever be interested in her."
"Ha, Liu Cuihua, come on, I think that girl is quite pretty."
Liu Cuihua rolled her eyes at him, clearly unconvinced.
I don't care anyway.
I'm the most beautiful.
Liu Yishou's expression softened when he saw that Shen Danru couldn't cook anything.
He was also secretly wondering what the relationship was between this woman and the master, that she could actually coax the young master into cooking for Madam Jiang.
The main courtyard of the Jiang family.
"Grandmother, the Miss Shen I mentioned cooked for you herself. I finally managed to invite her into the manor. You must help me. My happiness depends on you."
"To make it look more convincing, I even left the girl to cook in the kitchen by herself. If you don't help me, Grandmother, your grandson will probably be lonely for the rest of his life."
At this moment, Madam Jiang's eyes softened, and her smile was tinged with a hint of helplessness.
Her eldest grandson, the eldest son of the Jiang family, was such an outstanding young man that he was admired by countless young ladies from prominent families.
If you take a fancy to a girl, just tell her, and she can arrange for a matchmaker to come and propose marriage.
She was confident that no girl would refuse a marriage proposal.
What is You'er up to?
Did they make her pretend to be sick for several days just to lure other girls to their door?
She'll have to take a good look later to see what an outstanding girl she is, worthy of her grandson.
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