Chapter 30 Let's talk about Su Zhihan again, after she saw off Gong He…
As for Su Zhihan, after she saw off the congratulatory maids and servants, she felt that something was strange about the matter.
After thinking about it for a moment, she realized that the person who had first suggested eating various dishes was a complete stranger. It was not someone who had asked Cao Mama for food in the past, but rather a third-class maid who had never spoken to her before.
This person was talking among the others, so inconspicuous that I didn't even notice them at the time, assuming they were all acquaintances.
Su Zhihan suppressed her smile, glanced at Wu Mama who was working with her head down, and suspected that she had sent someone to cause trouble.
After secretly asking Cao Mama and learning that the dishes listed on the paper were all ones that Wu Mama was good at making, Su Zhihan became even more certain of her guess.
Ever since that day when Wu Mama made a scene, failing to learn how to make stinky tofu herself and then blaming Su Zhihan, Cao Mama has disliked Wu Mama even more.
Upon hearing this, she spat out, "Shameless! Always coming up with these kinds of tricks."
Then, Cao's mother looked at Su Zhihan worriedly: "What will you do next? I'm afraid that if you teach her to cook, she won't pay any attention to you..."
Unfortunately, her own cooking skills were truly mediocre, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to help. After thinking for a moment, Cao Mama whispered, "I have some connection with the cook in Second Madam's courtyard; why don't I introduce you to her?"
Cao Mama's idea was to teach Su Zhihan how to deliver gifts and learn a few dishes from the cook so that she could handle the situation.
Su Zhihan politely declined. Firstly, she was still a member of the main kitchen, and going to find the cook in the second wife's courtyard would be an insult to Madam Xu. Secondly, Jiang Zhenniang was currently working in the third wife's courtyard, so it would be inappropriate for her to go looking for someone from the second wife's courtyard.
Cao's mother patted her mouth, thinking to herself how foolish she had been.
Su Zhihan thought for a moment and smiled, "Don't worry, Mom, I have an idea."
That day, she cooked two dishes: stir-fried cabbage and three-delicacy tofu soup.
The green cabbage refers to leafy greens. Right now, the greens are covered in frost, making them very tender. After being stir-fried, they have a glossy color and a sweet taste.
Another dish, Three Delicacies Tofu Soup, uses shrimp oil made from fried shrimp heads as a base, topped with finely minced pork, sliced mushrooms, and soft tofu, and finally garnished with headless and peeled shrimp. The soup is milky white and so delicious it's sure to make your tongue tingle.
"Sister Han, your cooking skills are quite good."
"What kind of soup is this? It smells delicious."
Every servant girl who entered would come over for a look and say a few words. Perhaps because they had tasted Su Zhihan's cooking the day before, every third-class servant girl who ate there praised it without exception.
The more this was the case, the more certain Su Lan was that Su Zhihan only knew how to cook simple country dishes. The servants in the mansion were used to all kinds of big fish and meat, and the spices and ingredients they used were all top-notch. How could they only use shrimp heads to make shrimp oil, and be so stingy with the pork in the soup, using only minced meat instead of sliced meat?
The servants and maids, accustomed to rich and heavy meals, found this kind of food quite delicious on an occasional treat. Jiao Sulan said that if they ate like this for a few days, and Su Zhihan ran out of other dishes and started making these same few things over and over again, the servants and maids in the house would definitely start making a ruckus.
Su Lan watched coldly, becoming increasingly certain of her guess. Her expression remained unchanged as she diligently and obediently carried out her work. After finishing her shift, she went home, intending to ask her family for money to give Wu's mother some gifts.
Su Lan's mother was reluctant to spend money. When she sent Su Lan to the kitchen to learn a skill, they paid for both money and materials. But several years have passed and Su Lan is still a kitchen maid. She hasn't even learned to cook many dishes, and most of her monthly salary is taken by Wu Mama.
“It’s been years, and I haven’t taught you anything much. What’s the point of giving gifts…” Su Lan’s mother held back half a sentence. She didn’t go to Wu Mama to mock her, all because Su Lan wanted to continue working in the kitchen.
"Adding flowers to brocade is good, but what can compare to providing charcoal in the snow that people remember?" Su Lan also knew that Wu Mama was not a good person, but compared to Su Zhihan, Wu Mama at least had real skills. Wasn't she staying in the main kitchen to learn skills?
“But what if she takes the benefits and doesn’t teach you?” Su Lan’s mother still had doubts. She felt that giving the money to Wu Mama would be a waste of money and it would be better to use it elsewhere.
Su Lan tried her best to persuade her, but in the end she only managed to get twenty copper coins from her mother. What use were twenty copper coins? They could only buy cheap liquor and braised meat.
Feeling wronged, Su Lan turned around, took out her own savings, and went to the market to buy a piece of braised pork and a pound of good wine.
That wasn't enough. Knowing that Wu Mama was petty and might hold a grudge, Su Lan thought for a moment and decided to ask Wu Mama's daughter, Xiu He, to put in a good word for her.
She turned around and went to the cosmetics shop, first buying a box of jasmine powder, and then to the fabric shop, where she bought two silk flowers before stopping, spending all of her hidden savings.
After returning home, she went to Aunt Wu's house.
Mother Wu wasn't home. Xiuhe opened the door. She recognized Sulan and leaned against the doorframe, glancing at her sideways: "Why aren't you hugging that Han-jie'er's leg? What are you doing at my house?"
Today, while Xiuhe was on duty, she inquired about the matter and learned that the person who had taken her mother's place was none other than the eloquent little girl who had spoken up for Yinghong that day. After that, both old and new grudges were finally put together!
Xiuhe was furious, but she quickly came up with a plan. She found a few maids who were on good terms with her and taught them to order dishes from the kitchen, choosing dishes that her mother was good at making.
She waited for Han Jie'er to complain and obediently hand over the position of head cook back to her own mother.
As for Qiuyue and Sulan, although they were both born into wealthy families, Xiuhe looked down on neither of them. Neither of them had any connections or powerful backers, and even their appearances were ordinary, so they seemed to have no future.
Su Lan knew that Xiu He was from Chang Ge'er's courtyard, which was why she was unwilling to leave Wu Mama.
Wu Mama's daughter entered Chang Ge'er's courtyard and seemed to have established herself. Although Wu Mama probably didn't want to take her in as a goddaughter, it would be good to be her apprentice. If Xiuhe became successful in the future, she would have someone to rely on.
Once Wu's mother returns to her position as head cook, I will not only be able to learn her skills, but also build connections.
Thinking about the future, Su Lan bowed and said with a forced smile, "Sister Xiu He, that Han'er only learned some rustic, unrefined cooking skills and used some tricks to deceive Madam Wu. After what happened yesterday, I felt sorry for Madam Wu, so—"
She picked up the gifts that were placed beside her, and deliberately put the silk flowers and perfume on top, and presented them to Xiuhe: "I went out to buy things after I finished my shift today, and I wanted to show my respect to Mother Wu and my sister."
Xiuhe initially dismissed it, but perked up when she heard that there would be a gift for her as well.
She followed Su Lan's gaze and noticed the silk flowers and jasmine powder on top. The silk flowers were fine, but the powder was expensive, costing two or three hundred coins per box.
Xiuhe wanted to buy this item when she went out last time, but Pearl and the others emptied her pockets of all the money.
Upon seeing this item, Xiuhe's smile became much more genuine, and she said with a smile, "You really want to give me something so valuable?"
"Sister, you flatter me. I've always wanted to get closer to Mother and you." Su Lan breathed a sigh of relief, but spoke with even more caution, afraid of displeasing Xiu He. She glanced at Xiu He's expression out of the corner of her eye and said slowly, "It's a pity I haven't seen you before. Now that I have, I understand why you were able to enter Chang Ge'er's courtyard. You truly have a face like a fairy."
After Su Lan finished speaking, she couldn't hide her envy. Xiu He had chosen to grow up in a good spot, just like Wu Mama and her father. She had fair and delicate skin, almond eyes and peach cheeks, a well-proportioned figure, and a head of jet-black and shiny hair.
Not to mention in Chang Ge'er's courtyard, she was one of the best among the maids in the mansion.
Xiuhe chuckled upon hearing this. Although she knew the person in front of her was praising and flattering her, she was still in a good mood. She rubbed her delicate skin with her fingers and said with a smile, "You're giving me a gift, are you hoping I'll put in a good word for you with Mother?"
“Sister is right. I... I did mean that.” Su Lan lowered her head in shame and handed the things in her hands to Xiu He. “There are other people watching in the main kitchen. I don’t want to talk to Mama Wu. I’m afraid she will misunderstand me. I know that Mama Wu loves you the most, so I wanted to ask you to put in a good word for me.”
"You're smart enough to accept the gift." Xiuhe accepted the gift and said gently, "I'll talk to my mother, so don't worry. That Han girl won't be able to cause trouble for long."
With Xiuhe's words, Sulan's last worries vanished, and she happily returned home.
At the same time, Su Zhihan hung her crossbody bag on her body, stuffed it with a money pouch and a handkerchief, and then carried the brine used to make stinky tofu out.
As she reached the door, she ran into Granny Xu, who was gossiping with someone. Upon seeing Su Zhihan, Granny Xu greeted her warmly, "Miss Su, congratulations... Oh my!"
Granny Xu paused, her gaze sweeping over the earthenware pot in Su Zhihan's hand: "What's this smell? Is your stuff... spoiled?"
"Thank you, Madam Xu." Su Zhihan smiled at Granny Xu, raised her hand, and moved the earthenware pot containing the braising liquid closer to the group: "This is the braising liquid we used to make pickled tofu yesterday."
"No way! This is the smell you guys were talking about the other day... It's just that the smell is really strong. I'm even throwing away the pot. I'm going to go out and find somewhere to dump it so the whole house won't smell like this!"
Granny Xu had already heard about what was happening in the main kitchen from the gossipy maid. She had originally been quite interested in the fried tofu, but when she smelled the aroma, she immediately took a few steps back.
No matter how delicious it is, it can't withstand the strong flavor. No wonder Sister Han threw away the pot.
Granny Xu watched Su Zhihan leave, her heart filled with both curiosity and doubt. She and several other maids who had never tried fried stinky tofu looked at those who had, and asked, "Is that stuff really delicious?"
"It's really delicious!"
"What about the brine...?"
"I don't know either. The tofu smelled and looked a bit strange."
The maid who had eaten the tofu carefully considered the situation and told everyone the whole story: "When Han-jie first took it out, we really thought it was bad tofu. Later, Han-jie explained that it was tofu fermented with brine. The brine smelled bad, and Han-jie said that she used a lot of good ingredients."
"That taste...it must have been made with good ingredients?"
"That's what Sister Han told Madam Xu. We didn't get diarrhea after eating it, so it must be true."
No one had ever even considered such a thing. Smelling that strange smell just now, they truly couldn't imagine what it tasted like.
However, since Madam Xu has already accepted Han Jie'er, it must be a rather unique dish.
Just as Granny Sun and the others were discussing, Su Zhihan arrived at Xiao Hong's house. The grandmother and granddaughter who came to greet her had dark circles under their eyes, and looked like they hadn't slept well the night before.
This is understandable, mainly because Su Zhihan said she had a way to make the old man's family fall down and be unable to do that deceitful thing again. When they heard this, Grandma Chen and Xiao Hong were extremely excited, but when they thought about it again, they felt it was outrageous.
The old man and his family had been cheating people with rotten tofu for a long time, but they had never been caught. It was not easy to get them to be greedy.
I was thinking about it last night, this morning, and this afternoon.
Until Su Zhihan came in, the grandmother and granddaughter were still pondering the matter. Unlike Xiao Hong, who was bold despite her young age and was simply curious about what Su Zhihan had come up with, Grandma Chen thought it over and over and felt that the risk was too great. She was about to talk to Su Zhihan and say that if they were fooled, they were fooled, so why not just stop here?
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