Chapter 17 Jiang Zhenniang's Promotion Su Zhihan overheard this and immediately thought...
Su Zhihan overheard this and immediately remembered what her mother had told her when she went to the market last time. Clearly, Cao Daya hadn't been careful; perhaps the vendor had distracted her while she was putting in the tofu, giving him an opportunity to slip in spoiled tofu.
...No, maybe even though it's broken, it can still be used.
Su Zhihan glanced at it and noticed that the tofu was white with a faint gray tinge and emitted a strange smell that was familiar to her.
Later generations often eat hairy tofu, Changsha stinky tofu, and Shaoxing stinky tofu. In fact, there are also stinky tofus with colors that are green, gray, or white. These tofus are not soaked in amaranth stem juice. Some are pickled in rotten pickled vegetable juice, and some are pickled in fermented black beans. They are all different and have their own flavor.
Su Zhihan had her suspicions, but she was careful not to voice them. After all, Cao's mother was currently disciplining her daughter with a fit of anger, and if she intervened, although it might seem like she solved the problem, it would actually make things awkward for both mother and daughter.
I'm afraid that in the end, one of them will blame the daughter, and the other will blame the mother, and I won't get gratitude, but instead I'll be blamed.
Despite her concerns, Su Zhihan couldn't help but glance at the bamboo basket again, feeling a little envious.
At the same time, Cao's mother, who had previously worked as a purchasing agent, immediately understood the implication in her daughter's words and knew that the tofu seller had been behind it. She never expected that her daughter could be so naive and careless, causing such a mess on her very first day.
If this hadn't happened in the main kitchen, she would have dragged her daughter to the marketplace to find that shameless old man, slapped him ten times, and made him hand over all the money he'd swallowed.
But, but—!
Cao's mother glanced at Wu's mother out of the corner of her eye and saw that Wu's mother was sitting in front of the stove, glancing over from time to time. She knew that Wu's mother's suspicions had not been dispelled.
Mrs. Cao was both angry and resentful, but in the end she could only swallow her anger. She put the bamboo basket under the stove and told her daughter to take it away later and throw it in a corner so that no one would see it.
"If you make another mistake, I'll beat you up when we get back!"
"I understand." Cao Daya had only been here for a day when she made a mistake, neither big nor small. She sniffed, nodded seriously for once, and stared at the bamboo basket with a slightly nervous expression.
“…There’s definitely something fishy about that basket.” After glancing at it a few times, Madam Wu made up her mind. Her eyes darted around, and she immediately had an idea. She pretended to be unaware and went behind her back to watch what the two maids were doing.
"Sister Han, the oil is hot."
"Alright." Su Zhihan looked away and rolled the diced tofu into the oil along the edge of the wok.
As the tofu came into contact with the rapeseed oil, an amazing crackling sound erupted in the oil pan, and countless tiny bubbles rose from the pan, gradually submerging the snow-white tofu.
The tofu, however, refused to surrender. Like ships bravely sailing forward in the golden waves, they were unstoppable, always ready to conquer the raging golden waves.
The sound gradually faded, but the number of bubbles increased rather than decreased.
Su Zhihan held the frying spoon and moved it lightly in the oil pan. With each stir, the tofu rolled around, and each side was evenly exposed to the hot oil, gradually getting coated with a light yellow layer.
Soon, as the frying process progressed, the tofu in the pot puffed up and expanded rapidly at a visible speed, crowding together and piling up higher and higher, making it almost impossible to see the hot oil underneath from the outside.
"Wow! It's like magic!" Yinghong's eyes widened as she watched in amazement as the tofu changed color from pale yellow to golden yellow, as she saw for the first time how fried tofu was made.
Su Zhihan patiently turned the fried tofu pieces over, making sure each piece was thoroughly fried before taking them out and piling them on a rack to drain off the excess hot oil.
Once the oil in the fried tofu had been drained and the temperature had dropped, Su Zhihan transferred the tofu back to the cutting board, cut them in half, and piled them into a bowl.
Then, Su Zhihan lifted the pot lid.
The intense fragrance that had been contained within suddenly erupted and spread outwards. Even Zhang's mother, who had been calm just moments before, looked surprised and raised her eyes to look in Su Zhihan's direction.
Not to mention Wu's mother, who had been paying close attention. Smelling the aroma, she was even more certain of her guess: such a fine soup base was not something that Cao's mother, a novice, could make.
Could it be that this Han-jie'er's family used to be cooks?
Just as Wu's mother had a guess, she quickly shook her head. She was a busybody, and she had talked about the Jiang family's gossip countless times with others.
Neither of Jiang Niangzi's parents were cooks, and the husband she found was a country scholar with absolutely no connection to the cooking profession.
That's really amazing!
Nowadays, the recipes of restaurants and even wealthy families are family heirlooms, and they would never be revealed to outsiders. If Han Jie'er had truly become an apprentice, why would her master allow her to sell herself into servitude with Madam Jiang at the Marquis's mansion after learning the craft?
The more Wu's mother thought about it, the more puzzled she became, and her curiosity about Han'er grew stronger. She kept changing her posture, as if countless ants were crawling all over her body, feeling uneasy and restless.
Su Zhihan glanced at the broth as it simmered, poured in the prepared seasoning powder, stirred it well, and brought it to a boil over high heat.
Once the broth boiled again, she turned down the heat and added the fried tofu, chicken blood, duck blood, and cabbage to cook them. Finally, Su Zhihan wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Aunt Cao, I've got everything ready."
Upon hearing the words "ready," Cao's mother immediately perked up. Forgetting about lecturing her daughter any longer, she eagerly stepped forward, only to find herself at a loss as to where to begin with the things laid out on the table.
Su Zhihan thoughtfully brought out a large porcelain bowl, scooped in a handful of duck and chicken offal, then a handful of fried tofu and duck and chicken blood, and finally ladled in a large spoonful of soup.
She pushed the porcelain bowl towards Aunt Cao, handed her a soup spoon, and thoughtfully added, "Aunt Cao, please taste it first and see if there's anything wrong. If there is, I can fix it immediately so as not to disturb everyone's meal."
"Okay, okay, okay." Cao's mother was already so captivated by the soup that she didn't pay any attention to Su Zhihan's words.
Her gaze shifted downwards, her attention fixed on the warm, jade-colored broth. The broth, freshly ladled from the pot, was now steaming, emitting an alluring, subtle aroma.
Cao's mother picked up the porcelain soup spoon and carefully scooped up a spoonful of soup. She blew on it first before taking a sip. The moment the soup entered her mouth, the rich, sweet flavor filled her entire mouth and nose, leaving Cao's mother momentarily stunned.
His Adam's apple trembled slightly as the soup rushed down his throat toward his stomach and intestines, instantly warming him wherever it went, making him feel warm and comfortable from his chest and abdomen to his limbs and bones.
Cao's mother felt completely refreshed, her eyes shining. She put down her spoon, picked up her chopsticks again, and began to taste the braised chicken and duck offal one by one. Everything was delicious and flavorful. Her relish made Yinghong and Cao Daya, who were watching from the side, swallow their saliva.
Before they could speak, Su Zhihan brought them a porcelain bowl: "What are you standing there for? You two should try it too."
"Look." Before Cao's mother could finish praising her, she saw Cao Daya and Yinghong also take the porcelain bowls. She couldn't help but chuckle, affectionately poking Su Zhihan's forehead and laughing, "You little rascal, you're so clever. Just now you asked me to help you decide, and now you've served them both. I see you're quite confident."
"..." Su Zhihan was stunned for a moment, and her face turned red for the first time.
"Wow—it's so delicious!" Cao Daya exclaimed after taking a sip. Although the soup was similar to a mixed vegetable stew, it was far from having any gamey or fishy smell; instead, it was so delicious she wanted to swallow her tongue. Hearing her mother's words, she quickly gave a thumbs-up and chimed in, "Han-jie, you should have confidence! It's super delicious, incredibly delicious, much better than my mother's!!!"
Cao's mother: "...cough cough."
Yinghong, standing next to her, didn't know what to say, so she simply kept quiet, drinking her soup and chewing on chicken and duck giblets.
Wu's mother glanced at it, then said that Cao's mother, Cao Daya, and Yinghong had never eaten anything good before, and that they could get so excited over just a bowl of soup.
She watched as the servants gradually entered to have their evening meal, and seeing that Cao Mama and the others were busy, she gestured for the kitchen maid to come over and whispered, "Qiuyue, you wait a moment..."
...
The servants swept into the kitchen in the cold wind, taking their meals in twos and threes. Soon, someone noticed the difference in the food and asked curiously, "Oh? Mama Cao, why are you being so meticulous today? You even separated the meat and vegetables?"
In addition to a bowl of stewed mixed vegetable soup, there is a dish of stir-fried green cabbage with chicken oil, plus a bowl of brown rice for each person.
"Exactly! It looks so high-class!"
"Recently, Cao Mama's cooking skills have been getting better and better. The chicken and duck offal doesn't have a fishy smell at all, and it tastes so delicious."
"That's right, that's right, I think so too!"
"Now that you mention it, the soup tastes especially delicious today."
The servants chatted merrily, but they had no expectations whatsoever. As for Cao Mama's cooking... as long as it was edible, that was fine.
They scooped the brown rice into the soup, waiting for it to soak up the broth before putting it in their mouths. But after just one bite, they were all stunned, their expressions becoming quite strange.
The broth was so delicious, it almost made my tongue fall off.
Su Zhihan was helping to serve the food when she turned around and saw Jiang Zhenniang enter the main kitchen with her colleagues from the laundry room. A question flashed through her mind, and she subconsciously asked, "Mother, you...have you arrived?"
Just before I left at noon, didn't the mother and daughter agree to have stewed lamb for dinner? Why are they here for dinner?
"This must be Madam Jiang's daughter, right?"
"This child is truly a handsome and talented individual."
"I think she looks exactly like Madam Jiang!"
Faced with the laundromat servants' praise, Su Zhihan smiled and didn't take it to heart. Her mother was indeed very beautiful, with jet-black, glossy hair and delicate, well-proportioned features. Even though her clothes were slightly oversized, her slender figure was still evident. At first glance, few people would guess that she was a woman who had given birth to two children.
Compared to Jiang Zhenniang, Su Zhihan hadn't fully matured yet. Compared to her extremely thin appearance when she first transmigrated, she now had more flesh on her face and could be considered a pretty young girl.
"It's just that Han'er's hair is still a bit yellow." Suddenly, an old woman inside interjected, "I have some hair-darkening pills that I bought from the pharmacy. I'll send them to you, Madam Jiang, later. Han'er will get better after taking them for a while!"
"How could I possibly accept that? Perhaps..."
"Oh, it's alright!" Before Jiang Zhenniang could refuse, the old woman patted her chest and agreed: "My son works in the pharmacy, so it will be convenient for you to get the hair-darkening pills there."
What puzzles Su Zhihan the most right now is the current situation. Although Jiang Zhenniang is familiar with the servants and old women in the laundry room, their relationship is usually just so-so. Why do they seem so close today?
Jiang Zhenniang noticed Su Zhihan's question but didn't answer. She just winked at her and led the group to find Zhang Mama.
A moment later, she returned to Su Zhihan's side.
Su Zhihan asked curiously, "Mother, what's going on?"
Jiang Zhenniang didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out a silk handkerchief from her bosom and grabbed a handful of candy for Su Zhihan, instructing her to share it with the people in the kitchen.
Su Zhihan stared at the handkerchief and candy, her shock finally showing. Not to mention that the handkerchief was made of silk and embroidered with small flowers, costing over a hundred coins, the candy wasn't the usual maltose candy, but fruit candy.
This handful of a dozen or so would cost at least a hundred coins!
Even when she and Yinghong were arguing over the bamboo embroidery last time, none of them even glanced at the candy. So how did Jiang Zhenniang manage to pull out such a large handful?
Seeing Su Zhihan speechless with astonishment, almost overwhelmed by questions, Jiang Zhenniang finally stopped hiding her smile. She cupped Su Zhihan's face in her hands, smacked her lips, and then happily announced the good news: "From now on, your mother won't be working in the laundry room anymore, and—from now on, I'll be getting a third-class allowance!"
Su Zhihan's eyes widened in surprise, like a kitten with its fur standing on end. It wasn't until her eyes felt dry and sore that she belatedly came to her senses, blinking repeatedly before asking with difficulty, "Wait a minute..."
They were only separated for half a day, right? Not half a month, not half a year, right? How come the mother suddenly changed places and got a promotion and a raise?
Su Zhihan's mouth formed an "O" shape; unable to understand, she simply gave up trying. She didn't bother serving the other servants rice, but instead told Cao Mama and stuffed candy into Yinghong and Cao Daya's hands.
Immediately afterwards, Su Zhihan pulled Jiang Zhenniang aside to speak: "Mother, please tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"
“The day before yesterday, I went to the yard to collect the clothes…” Jiang Zhenniang made no attempt to hide anything and readily recounted the whole story.
The laundry servants would go to the yard every day to collect the clothes that needed washing, and then sort the dirty clothes into different baskets.
Every time I went to a courtyard, I had to return to the laundry room to avoid mixing up the clothes of the masters. In total, I had to make more than ten or twenty trips to collect the clothes.
Although it doesn't require soaking your hands in cold water and is easier than tasks like soaking, washing, drying, and ironing, it's still a tough job when it's windy, rainy, or even snowy.
That day, when it was Jiang Zhenniang's turn to collect the clothes, she went to the Third Sister's courtyard. Just as she was pushing the cart back, she encountered a servant woman who had fallen by the roadside: "I saw that she had fallen badly, so I carried her back to the Third Sister's courtyard, and then I went back."
“Mother Xu is feeling better today and has returned to work in Third Sister’s courtyard.” Jiang Zhenniang was overjoyed. “When I carried her on my back, I thought she was just an ordinary servant.”
"It wasn't until today, when Third Sister summoned me, that I learned that although this Xu Mama was a second-class servant, she was Third Sister's personal attendant and had quite a bit of influence in Third Sister's eyes."
"Just as Third Sister was talking to me, the matron from the courtyard came over and said that the old woman in the courtyard was unwell and had asked for leave again." As Jiang Zhenniang said this, her expression became a little strained, and the corners of her mouth kept turning up.
"When Third Sister heard this, she said that since the old woman was in poor health, she would be kind enough to let her go back to live out her old age, and that I would be assigned to work in the courtyard from now on, instead of working in the laundry room."
"No, there's so much more besides those." Jiang Zhenniang winked and said, talking about the silk handkerchiefs and candies, "They were all gifts from Third Sister."
“Third Sister, the old woman who keeps asking for leave…” Su Zhihan felt that this description sounded familiar, and after repeating it, her expression suddenly turned strange: “Wait a minute, isn’t that…”
"Yes, it's Granny Wang."
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