Chapter 1 A Joyous Event at the Marquis of Zhongyong's Residence The Frost's Descent had just passed, and the weather was getting colder…
The Frost's Descent has just passed, and the weather is getting colder.
After a light drizzle this morning, the temperature remained terribly cold even after the sun came out in the afternoon.
The birds fluffed up their feathers, and like little balls, they landed on the treetops laden with persimmons, on the plaque of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, or on the red lanterns, hopping and chirping.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the sound of gongs and drums rang out, and the music began, startling the birds into scattering in panic. After a while, they finally landed on the roof and peered down at the ground.
The vermilion gates of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence swung open with a bang, and a procession, accompanied by music, marched into the house. A servant guarding the gate shouted, "The young master has sent someone to deliver the betrothal gifts!"
Immediately, the mansion became noisy.
The servants of the mansion stepped forward in an orderly manner. The steward sent by the groom's family was all smiles and loudly recited the items that had been sent. The steward of the bride's family was not to be outdone and continued to talk about the items and dowry list that his family would send back later. The two sides took turns reciting, one after the other, for a while before they stopped talking.
Immediately afterwards, servants carrying bamboo baskets scattered in all directions, scattering lucky money and distributing fruit inside and outside the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.
Hearing the commotion, passersby and servants from the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion rushed over to join in the fun. They were overjoyed and stepped forward one after another, offering various words of congratulations while stuffing their pockets and bags full before they were satisfied.
The commotion from the front yard reached the kitchen, where the head maid and the servants could hear it. The older maids were able to work steadily, but the younger, more impatient ones kept looking out, eager to finish their tasks so they could go to the front yard and see what was going on.
"Judging from the sound, they're probably scattering wedding money outside."
"Oh...we definitely don't have time to go. I wonder if the mothers will send someone over with some fruit for us to try."
Just as the maids gathered in the courtyard were discussing, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside. Their eyes lit up, thinking that it was the matriarch from the front yard bringing fruit. The maids looked up and saw not the matriarch, but a long-faced old woman with a fierce expression.
The long-faced old woman, hands on her hips, glaring at everyone, had just entered the courtyard when she shouted in a shrill voice, "Su Zhihan! Su Zhihan!"
The maids were stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked into the kitchen, their eyes falling on the deepest corner of the kitchen.
"You brat, how dare you come to the kitchen to slack off at a time like this!" The long-faced old woman followed the maid's gaze and quickly found her target. She stormed in, cursing under her breath.
If someone who didn't know the situation heard the old woman say this, they would think that Su Zhihan was a lazy girl who dared to slack off at a time like this.
"You brat! Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me calling you?" The long-faced old woman walked inside and reached out to pinch Su Zhihan's ear: "At a time like this, you still dare to slack off? I told you to sweep the garden paths again and clean up all the dead branches and fallen leaves, why don't you do it! What if our distinguished guests see this? Where will we put our family's face then?"
“What Zhao Mama says is true.” Su Zhihan skillfully avoided Zhao Pozi’s movements, holding the wooden basin steadily without wobbling. She placed the basin on the stove and wiped her hands on her apron: “But I am now a kitchen worker and have other things to do. Zhao Mama, you should go find the person on duty.”
"When did this happen? How come I didn't know?" Granny Zhao glared, spat at Su Zhihan's feet, and cursed, "You and your mother are destined to be servants. You're lucky to be even a cleaning maid. You still dream of climbing the social ladder. Don't you even know if you have the fate to do so—"
"Old Lady Zhao." When Cook Xu saw that Old Lady Zhao was talking more and more outrageously, making everyone inside and outside the kitchen distracted, she immediately put down her work in displeasure.
With her long face and thin lips, she coldly stared at Granny Zhao: "These next few days are the eldest daughter's big day. If you don't want to stay in the mansion anymore and want to go to the countryside to manage the land, I can talk to the steward for you."
“Madam Xu, I didn’t mean that.” Granny Zhao was startled and shook her head repeatedly. As a servant in the Marquis’s mansion, she lived a very comfortable life. Not to mention that her two daughters-in-law were humble and obedient to her and wanted to please her to work in the mansion, even the merchants and neighbors outside who knew her background looked at her with more respect.
Granny Zhao was reluctant to leave, and even more afraid to offend the head cook. She bent her back, smiled, and spoke in an exceptionally gentle voice: "I'm just worried that the place won't dry completely, and the people from the Prince's Mansion will laugh at us when they see it."
"What does that have to do with Han-jie?"
"She was a maid who swept and cleaned the garden..."
The cook, Xu, impatiently interrupted Granny Zhao, saying coldly, "Didn't Second Madam send someone to say that from now on, Han'er will work in the kitchen and won't have to do the sweeping and cleaning work anymore?"
"But—the manor hasn't arranged for anyone else."
"That means you have to do it," Cook Xu interrupted Granny Zhao, clicking her tongue in disdain.
She disliked Su Zhihan, who had been forced into the situation, but she was even more annoyed by Granny Zhao, who had come to her territory and started nagging. She waved her hand as if shooing away a fly, telling Granny Zhao to leave quickly: "If you disturb the girls' enjoyment, can you take responsibility? Hurry up and leave, lest the place isn't dry enough and the people from the Prince's Mansion see it and make a fool of themselves."
Cook Xu immediately countered with the same words Zhao Pozi had used to shut her up.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao's face darkened, and she reluctantly agreed, but as she walked to the kitchen door, her glare still pierced Su Zhihan.
Su Zhihan turned her back to the door and secretly sighed.
She was originally an ordinary girl living under the red flag in modern society. While running her family restaurant, she had a conflict with her competitors and then unexpectedly traveled through time.
When she opened her eyes again, she had become the daughter of a poor family in the suburbs of Beijing, and then she and her mother, Jiang Zhenniang, were sold into servitude and entered the mansion in front of her.
Jiang Zhenniang got a job washing clothes and even spent a string of cash to bribe the manager to get Su Zhihan a job sweeping and cleaning.
Don't underestimate this seemingly simple cleaning job. You see, the servants in the household have connections and networks, and they are also more trusted by the master. They occupy almost all the good places and spots. Cleaning is one of the relatively easy and respectable jobs left.
However, her good fortune didn't last long. Within two days, Su Zhihan was targeted by Granny Zhao, who used the excuse that she felt a connection with her to first say that she wanted to take her in as her daughter. But when Su Zhihan mentioned that her mother was also in the mansion, she changed her mind and said that she wanted to take her in as her apprentice.
This was a common occurrence in the mansion.
Not to mention that the head housekeepers, in order to expand their influence, consolidate their power, and gain the trust of the master, would at least adopt one or two goddaughters or apprentices, and sometimes four, five, six, seven, or eight. Even lowly old women without children would adopt a goddaughter in the mansion in order to ensure their old age and funeral, or they would save up money to buy a maid as their daughter.
However, Granny Zhao, who has children of her own and doesn't even know the situation of Su Zhihan's family, and yet she eagerly came forward, is not one of the two situations mentioned above.
She was only after Su Zhihan's monthly allowance, and wanted to take advantage of her being new to the manor and helpless.
Many of the newly arrived maids and servants in the manor had suffered like this. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a heartless servant, not only would their money be emptied, but they would also become the servant's punching bag and free servants, and being beaten and scolded was a common occurrence.
At this point, even if you want to find someone to uphold justice, there's usually nowhere to go. Even if you ask the head of the household for help, she won't care about these things, and might even tell you, "Your mother is strict with you because it's for your own good."
Newly arrived maids and servants without powerful backers could only swallow their anger and bear the bitter consequences with tears in their eyes.
Su Zhihan knew about these things when she entered the mansion, and immediately declined Zhao Pozi's offer. However, she did not expect that Zhao Pozi was so petty that she held a grudge against her. On the grounds that the new maid was clumsy and might damage the items in the room, she made her stay outside to sweep and clean every day.
You should know that the Marquis's mansion has strict rules. No debris can be left on the road outside the courtyard. The maids who are responsible for sweeping the main road outside the courtyard basically work non-stop from morning to night.
The situation finally changed when, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a maid from the Second Miss's courtyard came to collect the cakes needed for the day, and by a twist of fate, she also took away the osmanthus cake made by Su Zhihan.
Similar to flower cakes but slightly different, and with a subtle tea fragrance, this pastry not only won the favor of the second young lady but also received gifts from the other visiting ladies.
When the lady in front learned of this, she instructed the steward to teach Su Zhihan how to make osmanthus cakes in the main kitchen. Su Zhihan finally escaped Granny Zhao's control and found a place in the main kitchen... or so it seemed.
Su Zhihan escaped Granny Zhao's torment, but she incurred the displeasure of Chef Xu.
Cook Xu was aware of Granny Zhao's and the others' actions, but she didn't think much of it. In her view, it was only natural for young, unskilled maids to give money to the old women, servants, and even the stewards. She herself had worked her way up step by step in her youth, eventually winning over the cooks and being promoted to a kitchen maid, and then standing out from the crowd to become the head of the main kitchen.
However, Su Zhihan took a different approach and managed to get the Second Miss's approval, transferring her from a cleaning maid to work in the kitchen. Although her monthly salary remained the same, and she was still a lowly maid, the cook, Xu, felt that Su Zhihan was not well-behaved and had too many thoughts.
Thinking this through, Chef Xu glanced at Su Zhihan, preparing to observe her further. If Su Zhihan had no other skills besides making those pastries, then once the second young lady's interest waned, she would kick her out of the main kitchen.
...
Su Zhihan was focused on her work, holding a rice sieve in both hands and gently shaking it. With Su Zhihan's movements, the fine rice flour, as delicate as snow, fell down and quickly filled the wooden basin.
Only after sifting three times can the next step be carried out.
Next, Su Zhihan divided the rice noodles into three portions, and added the prepared green and red juices to each portion to color them evenly before sifting them.
This process was repeated several times until both porcelain bowls were filled with light green and pale red rice noodles.
A layer of white rice flour, a layer of rice flour, and then a layer of green rice flour are added. A filling made of tea soup and mung beans is also added inside. Before placing it in the steamer, a layer of osmanthus sugar is sprinkled on top. Finally, it is steamed for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.
Throughout the entire production process, Su Zhihan kept her eyes glued to the screen, never looking away for a moment.
Su Zhihan only breathed a sigh of relief after the people from the Second Miss's courtyard took the pastries away. However, she did not stop working. First, she washed and tidied up all the basins and kitchen utensils she had just used. Then she went to help gather firewood and burn charcoal, wash vegetables and cut meat, and sift rice and flour. Her movements were efficient and quick, without any hesitation.
Chef Xu kept an eye on her movements out of the corner of her eye. She had to admit that this girl was quite capable. At least in terms of being thorough and meticulous in her work, even the maids who had worked in the main kitchen for several years were not as good as her.
Although Chef Xu's opinion of Su Zhihan had changed somewhat, she still didn't give Su Zhihan a friendly look.
As soon as Su Zhihan finished what she was doing, she immediately spoke up, instructing Su Zhihan to first deal with the offal left over from slaughtering the chickens and ducks, and then to prepare the flatbread for the servants that evening.
"...After everyone has finished eating, you can go home only after you've cleaned up the kitchen." After giving her instructions, Cook Xu turned around and went back to her own work.
The rest of the people in the kitchen glanced at Chef Xu, then at Su Zhihan, but none of them dared to speak up for her. They all kept their heads down and continued with their work.
Everyone in the courtyard heard it. The maid sitting on a small stool washing vegetables muttered quietly, "Han-jie'er is really pitiful..."
Before she could finish speaking, someone pinched her waist. The maid next to her glared at her, tightened her grip, deliberately making a splashing sound with the water, and whispered, "Yinghong—don't be so kind. If you go to help, Madam Xu will really be angry."
Yinghong said awkwardly, "No, no, that's not true, Sister Yangliu, I, I'm not stupid."
"That's good." Yang Liu glanced back. "Madam Xu isn't an unreasonable person. As long as Han'er doesn't make any mistakes, she can stay in the kitchen."
Seeing that Yinghong was still asking questions, Yangliu told a lie, saying that Chef Xu was watching her from inside. This immediately frightened Yinghong so much that she shrank her neck, lowered her head and started washing vegetables, not even daring to look up.
Yang Liu breathed a sigh of relief and glanced into the kitchen again. She saw Su Zhihan roll up her sleeves, carry out a basin of waste water, and begin to rinse and treat it with well water.
Yang Liu and Ying Hong sat nearby washing vegetables, both smelling an unpleasant odor. Yang Liu managed to maintain a composed expression, but Ying Hong couldn't help but scrunch up her face, secretly glancing at Su Zhihan with wide, staring eyes.
Although chicken, duck, and fish offal doesn't have the same strong odor as pork or mutton offal, it still has its own fishy and foul smell. The maids and servants who are usually responsible for cleaning it usually push it to others if they can, and even if they do it themselves, they just frown and look miserable, and rinse it with water two or three times and that's it.
Su Zhihan remained calm, picked up the chicken intestines with one hand, carefully peeled off the excess grease with the other, and then tore open the intestines and rinsed them thoroughly.
"You're so amazing!"
"..." Yang Liu remained silent. Before she knew it, Ying Hong had struck up a conversation with Han Jie'er.
“…Thank you?” Su Zhihan hadn’t expected anyone to talk to her, and subconsciously responded.
Then, she glanced at the vegetables and fruits that Yinghong had washed and smiled, "You're very capable too."
As soon as Yinghong spoke, she remembered Yang Liu's instructions and immediately felt a pang of regret, secretly warning herself not to speak to Han Jie'er again.
But when she heard Han Jie'er praising her, she forgot Yang Liu's advice and blushed as she replied, "You're exaggerating... I was just washing some vegetables and fruits..."
"What do you think is so great about me?" Yinghong asked, her voice barely audible. She lowered her head first, then couldn't help but look up at Su Zhihan.
It's no wonder Yinghong was puzzled, mainly because her father, mother, and older sister all said she was both simple-minded and foolish. As a servant born into a family, she initially went to a sewing shop to learn the craft, preparing to become a sewing lady in the future, a respectable profession that would earn her the respect of young women.
But after only two months in the sewing room, her mother took her back. The other maids who went with her were already making knots and embroidering shoe uppers, while she couldn't even make a decent shoe sole.
Her mother was furious and sent her to the kitchen. But in the three months she worked in the kitchen, she never even got a chance to chop vegetables; all she did every day was wash and break vegetables, tend the fire, and wash dishes.
That day, she heard her father say that he wanted to find her a new place to learn a skill such as combing hair or making incense, but her mother said that she should stay in the kitchen. "With her personality, I'm worried that if she goes to my wife's side, she will offend her and bring trouble to the whole family!"
Thinking of this, Yinghong's eyes revealed doubt and regret. She realized that Han'er had just mentioned it casually, and she had been presumptuous...
Before her thoughts could settle, Su Zhihan's voice rang in her ears: "Hmm? Every time I see you washing cabbage, you break off the slightly loose outer leaves, and you also check if there are any insects or worms on them. Most importantly, you break off every single leaf and wash it..."
As Su Zhihan spoke, Yinghong's eyes gradually widened. She stammered, "Isn't this... a very normal thing?"
Su Zhihan nodded: "Yes."
Yinghong instantly looked disappointed and pursed her lips.
Su Zhihan glanced at her and smiled, "But in the two months I've been in the manor, I've seen you doing this every time I come to the kitchen."
She paused, then added, "It's just you."
Even the simplest things, how many people can persist in doing them day after day, year after year?
Su Zhihan said earnestly, "You're really amazing."
Su Zhihan's praise was sincere, and Yinghong was overjoyed to hear it. Even Yang Liu looked surprised and subconsciously glanced at the vegetables and fruits that Yinghong had washed in the basin. Then she looked at her own washed vegetables and fruits and found that there was indeed a big difference between the two.
She had never noticed any of these things.
Yang Liu didn't speak, but glanced at Su Zhihan. When she lowered her head to work, she became even more serious, carefully handling the pile of vegetables and fruits.
Su Zhihan had a lot of work to do, so after exchanging a few words with Yinghong, she stopped talking, washed a pile of offal, and took it to the kitchen, handing it over to the cook who was in charge of preparing meals for the servants.
"Aunt Cao, the things are heavy, please be careful when carrying them."
"Okay, all done." Cao's mother quickly chopped up the chicken, duck, and pork offal and poured them all into the pot.
Next, she added the leftover scraps from making meat and vegetables that day, along with cabbage, mallow, shepherd's purse, and water. She seasoned it with salt and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-fried it until cooked through, and then served it.
This is the stir-fried mixed vegetables that the servants eat, along with the pickles that are usually provided in the main kitchen, and the pancakes that Su Zhihan will make later. This is the servants' dinner for today.
Yinghong carried in the washed vegetables and fruits. She placed them on the wooden shelf, then leaned close to Su Zhihan and peered expectantly into the pot.
When she saw the extremely familiar dish, she instantly became listless: "Why is it stir-fried mixed vegetables again? Can't you change it to something else?"
Stir-fried mixed vegetables, stewed mixed vegetables, and pan-fried mixed vegetables.
The term "mixed vegetables" does not refer to any specific ingredient, but rather to whatever vegetables are left over in the household that day. The cooking methods are very simple, whether stewed, stir-fried, or pan-fried, they are always enough to fill one's stomach.
Ever since Su Zhihan entered the manor as a servant, these three dishes have been regulars on the menial menu, appearing almost every other day or every two days.
On better days, they might have pickled fish and braised meat, served with braised eggplant, cold cucumber salad, and other seasonal vegetables. Occasionally, on occasions like the Mid-Autumn Festival, the servants would have more meat and fresh fish on their stoves.
Regardless of the taste, the lives of the servants in the mansion, though far inferior to those of third-class or even higher-ranking maids and servants, were still much better than those of ordinary people outside.
It's just that Cao's mother's cooking skills are really not that great. Every time Su Zhihan eats her food, she gets plenty of motivation to climb the social ladder.
You should know that the maids and servants of the three ranks above not only received an extra monthly allowance for food, but also had much better meals than the lowly servants. Their meals were no longer communal cooking, but rather delicate stir-fries.
Not to mention the first and second-class maids and servants, who not only received more monthly allowances but also often received rewards from their masters and the flattery and obsequiousness of the servants below. They were guaranteed not only three meals a day but also snacks and fruits.
Now that she had sold herself into slavery, Su Zhihan had to work hard to climb the social ladder just to improve her food rations. As her thoughts settled, she looked up and noticed the displeasure that flashed in Cao Mama's eyes. She naturally continued, "Actually, it's not so bad. Compared to the stewed vegetable soup I used to eat at home, this stir-fried mixed vegetable dish has both meat and vegetables, and it tastes much better."
"Really?" Yinghong asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true. The soup only contained wild vegetables, with a pinch of coarse salt added. It tasted bitter and astringent. My mother and I could only eat it with coarse flour buns and cornbread. After we arrived at the mansion, my mother praised the food several times."
After speaking, Su Zhihan recalled the days when she first transmigrated, which were truly unbearable. She and her mother could only eat one cornbread, one coarse flour bun, and one bowl of salty and bitter vegetable soup made from chopped wild vegetables for each meal.
Those cornbread buns weren't the fine flour buns and cornbread buns of later generations; they were so coarse that they scratched your throat, and you could only grit your teeth and swallow them down with bitter vegetable soup.
As for meat? That's simply impossible.
Let alone meat, the Su family was so poor that they couldn't even bear to eat eggs. They had to save them up and carry them to town to sell along with wild vegetables and bamboo shoots they found.
Having just transmigrated, Su Zhihan, who ran a restaurant in her previous life, was truly on the verge of tears. She dreamt of roast chicken, roast duck, and stewed goose every night.
Madam Cao was a little unhappy at first, but her anger subsided considerably after hearing this. Why bother arguing with these young girls? It would only lower her own standards. If word got out, people would think that Madam Cao was just like that old woman Zhao, unreasonable and bullying the weak.
When Cao's mother looked at Han'er again, she saw that the girl was already thirteen years old, but her hair was dry and yellow like straw, and she was short and thin. She looked even smaller than her own ten-year-old daughter.
A feeling of pity welled up in her heart, and she remembered how Chef Xu had taught Han Jie'er how to make pancakes.
In truth, making pancakes is also one's own job.
Thinking about it, Cao Mama felt that she had gotten the better deal today, so she spoke to Su Zhihan in a softer voice: "Han'er, there's an empty space over there. The coarse flour and lard are in the cupboard. Go there and knead the dough."
A note from the author:
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