Chapter 15 It's Up to You to Do It. The Cao family mother and daughter were arguing in hushed tones...
The Cao mother and daughter were making a racket in hushed tones. Cao Daya, who had come tempted by the delicious food, looked unhappy and pouted, muttering, "So tired, and all we get is stewed vegetables..."
"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Cao Mama couldn't help but reach out and pinch Cao Daya's ear hard again. Her face was full of anger as she scolded, "We servants are supposed to do our work, how can we complain about being tired?"
Just that one sentence, once it reached the steward's ears, meant Cao Daya was in for a lot of trouble. Looking at her carefree daughter who only cared about food, Cao's mother actually felt a pang of regret.
She originally wanted to teach her daughter to learn a skill in the kitchen so that she would have something to look forward to in the future. Now she is worried that there are too many people and eyes in the big kitchen. Who knows, one day her daughter might speak carelessly and be overheard by others, and she might ruin herself before she even learns a skill.
Cao's mother was so worried that she developed sores at the corners of her mouth, while Cao Daya looked completely innocent: "But Mother said last time that we can't lie, I really am L—waaaah!"
Seeing that Cao's mother's eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide open like copper bells, Su Zhihan quickly reached out and covered Cao Daya's mouth to prevent Cao's mother's blood pressure from continuing to rise.
She smiled and interjected, "Aunt Cao, actually, we're tired of the stewed and stir-fried mixed vegetables... How about we change things up today?"
Cao Daya, with her mouth covered, nodded repeatedly.
Mrs. Cao glared at the two of them and said irritably, "Do you think I don't want to? But I have no choice. This is all the budget I have left."
She was in charge of the servants' meals and had heard their complaints countless times, but what could she do when the servants were at the very bottom of the Marquis's household?
Although the manor provides extra money for the servants' food, with so many servants, maids, and old women in the manor, there are bound to be some who are well-fed and some who are poorly fed.
The money should first be used to feed the first and second class, then the third class, and finally the last little bit was used to feed the servants.
When Cao Mama first took over the job as head cook, she tried to find a way to get more budget money from the steward. But after she asked twice, the steward sent her away, implying that if the servants didn't like the food provided by the manor, they should buy their own food.
She had no choice but to use the remaining money to make food. For vegetables, she chose cheap ones such as cabbage, radish, celery, bracken, and tofu. For meat, she used leftover scraps of meat and offal from cooking in the mansion. In addition, she had very few seasonings and spices available.
At this point, Cao's mother couldn't help but shake her head, reminiscing about the past: "Back when the old lady was in charge of the household, the servants' meals consisted of one vegetarian dish, one meat dish, as well as steamed buns with vegetables and meat, flatbreads, and millet rice. It's nothing like it is now..."
Halfway through her sentence, Cao's mother suddenly stopped talking. She glanced around nervously and quickly changed the subject: "With so little stuff, I can't even make a flower."
Stir-fried and stewed mixed vegetables may not taste particularly good, but they are plentiful and filling, and the cooking methods are simple and easy to follow, making them the best choice for Cao Mama, a cook who came to the kitchen relatively late.
"Sister Han will definitely have a way!" Upon hearing this, Cao Daya immediately chimed in, looking at Su Zhihan with expectant eyes.
In Cao Daya's opinion, it was normal that her mother couldn't cook anything fancy. Her mother was not good at cooking at all. According to Cao Daya's father, when Cao's mother was assigned to the main kitchen as a head cook, it was because she was forced into it and had no other choice.
In the past, there was not much that could be done, but now there is a way. Cao Daya is a very outgoing person. Even though it was the first day she spoke to Su Zhihan, she had already put her arm around her: "Sister Han, I think the fried sauce you made the other day was quite good. Also, just blanch a bowl of pancakes, and everyone can have a serving. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a spoonful?"
In the end, Cao Daya still misses the fried sauce.
Cao's mother felt conflicted, both annoyed and amused. She reached out to pinch Cao Daya's ear: "You brat, you're already working in the kitchen and you're still causing trouble."
"All the ingredients for today's meal have been prepared. How can we just change them like that? If you dare to cause any more trouble, I'll beat you up when we get home!"
"That's not necessarily true." Cao Daya hadn't stopped thinking about it even now. She kept circling around Su Zhihan, dodging her mother's hand. Anyway, she didn't want to eat any of that stewed or stir-fried mixed vegetables!
Su Zhihan was dizzy and disoriented, while Yinghong beside her stared in disbelief. Seeing the commotion escalating and everyone in the kitchen turning to look, Cao Mama finally relented: "Han'er, why don't you give it a try?"
Su Zhihan was stunned for a moment: "This—"
Cao Daya stopped in her tracks, and fearing that Su Zhihan would refuse, she quickly stepped forward: "Sister Han, why don't you give it a try! Anyway, the worst that can happen is that you can stew or stir-fry mixed vegetables. Everyone will like whatever you make."
Su Zhihan was at a loss for words. She looked up at Cao Mama, who sighed helplessly, "If you want to try, then give it a shot."
Whether it's the tea cake, the fried sauce, or the skill with which she can learn to make flatbread in no time, Cao Daya can't match her. Cao's mother thinks Su Zhihan is talented and might have a bright future.
Madam Cao had no other thoughts. She just thought that her eldest daughter was lazy and greedy, and probably had no future. If she could establish a good relationship with Han Jie'er, who had not yet gained any influence, she didn't expect Han Jie'er to help her daughter in the future, but she hoped that Han Jie'er would remember the kindness of her family and give her daughter a hand.
Cao Daya was unaware of her mother's good intentions and only stared longingly at Su Zhihan. Su Zhihan, however, saw through Cao's mother's loving heart in paving the way for her daughter and couldn't help but think of Jiang Zhenniang.
Su Zhihan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give it a try?"
Mrs. Cao smiled and said, "Go ahead and give it a try."
With Cao's mother's permission, Su Zhihan rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She stood there, carefully examining all the usable ingredients for the day. After thinking for a moment, she took out the duck carcass with the meat removed, added two leftover pork bones, and put them into the pot with scallions, ginger, and garlic to make the soup base.
Hmm... do you have any fried tofu in the kitchen?
"No," Mrs. Cao shook her head. "Is it too late to buy it in the market now?"
"That's fine... then let's buy five pieces of old tofu." Su Zhihan remembered that she didn't have enough money for the servants' meals, and then she saw the rapeseed oil under the stove and changed her mind.
A block of firm tofu costs only two or three coins, but fried tofu sells for fifteen or sixteen coins a bag. Since rapeseed oil is centrally purchased and not included in the expenses, it's better to buy the ingredients first and then make the tofu.
"Then I'll go." Yinghong, who happened to have nothing to do, stepped forward and said to Su Zhihan.
"good……"
"I'll go, I'll go!" Cao Daya had been staring blankly the whole time, unable to help at all. Upon hearing Su Zhihan's request, she immediately raised her hand and snatched a dozen or so copper coins from Cao's mother: "I can run really fast!"
"How about I go with you?" Yinghong felt embarrassed about her previous misunderstanding of Cao Daya, so she thought she could go with Cao Daya and have a chat.
"No need, no need. Sister Yinghong, you know more than I do. It would be good for you to help Han-jie here." Cao Daya didn't think there would be any problem with such a small matter as buying tofu, and patted her chest to agree: "Besides, you can ask my mother. I often buy things for the family."
Upon hearing this, Cao's mother twitched her lips. Her daughter's so-called help buying things meant taking copper coins to buy soy sauce and, incidentally, buying herself a meat pie and a sugar figurine.
However, in front of Su Zhihan and Yinghong, Cao Mama still gave her daughter face. She nodded and beckoned the somewhat reserved Yinghong to come to her side: "Let Daya handle this small matter. We'll help Han-jie with some chores."
Upon hearing this, Yinghong finally felt relieved. She and Cao's mother helped Su Zhihan prepare the ingredients. First, they blanched all the chicken and duck offal, and then cut them into chunks, slices, or strips, and put them into the pot to braise for different durations.
Although Cao's mother intended to keep a low profile, the kitchen was so small that whenever they were busy, curious glances immediately fell upon them.
Wu Mama, who was preparing food for the third-class servants, glanced at them several times, and then said to Zhang Mama, who was preparing food for the second-class servants, "Madam Cao, how can you spoil a little girl like this? Look at her! She's even helping out the little girl."
"Tsk! He doesn't even look like someone in charge."
"If it were me, I would definitely discipline these little brats severely to prevent them from having any improper thoughts." Madam Wu was displeased with them from every angle. If it weren't for the fact that Chef Xu had to leave early, she would have complained. How could a girl that young be in charge of cooking?
Mama Wu glanced at Mama Cao with disdain and told her that Madam Cao was really senile. No wonder she was an old servant in the mansion but couldn't even hold onto her position as a purchasing agent and was easily taken away.
And that Cao Daya, she's such a fool. She doesn't even know how to slack off. She's always running errands for others. She's nothing like my eldest daughter, who knows to bring things back from the yard to show her respect.
Mrs. Wu clicked her tongue and turned back to continue preparing the food. Just as she placed the steamed meatloaf and egg on the steamer rack, she suddenly smelled an enticing aroma.
Mrs. Wu sniffed and subconsciously looked towards where Chef Xu usually cooked, but she didn't see her. She was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Chef Xu wasn't in the main kitchen, and her eyes widened immediately.
Then...where did this smell come from? Mrs. Wu was stunned for a moment, but a guess came to her mind.
She stiffened and slowly turned to look at Cao Mama. In just one glance, she noticed something unusual. Cao Mama and Yinghong were sitting side by side on a bench, holding pork cracklings in their hands, but they weren't biting them at all. Their eyes were staring blankly at the pot.
Cao's mother was completely oblivious to Wu's mother's gaze. She stared at the iron pot, her mind blank. In the past, when she made stewed mixed vegetables, she would blanch the vegetables, then throw them into the pot to stew together, and finally sprinkle some salt, sauce, and spices to season them.
She said she used more ingredients than Han Jie'er, but the aroma was on a completely different level. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as turning something rotten into something magical.
The ingredients used to make the broth are just duck carcasses and pork bones, yet they are stewed together to create a fragrant, milky soup.
Not to mention the chicken and duck offal that always had a faint fishy smell when I cooked them, but now they are covered in spices, making people's mouths water just by smelling them.
Sitting by the stove, Cao Mama paid no attention to the stares from the other women and servants. She clutched her rumbling stomach, her eyes gleaming as she stared intently at the bubbling pot, greedily inhaling the rich aroma as she swallowed hard.
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