Chapter 59 One must know that after the mother and daughter left the mansion, they did not intend to…
It should be noted that after leaving the mansion, the mother and daughter did not intend to travel far away, but rather to continue living in the capital.
Although we are far from the manor, it's hard to guarantee that there won't be any gossip circulating. Once we've established ourselves, it will be fine, but the time before we've established ourselves is truly unbearable.
Just like the minor officials the mother and daughter had encountered before, their attitudes were completely different depending on whether you were an ordinary citizen or a guest treated kindly by a noble lady.
Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan never expected that Pearl was involved in the whole affair.
After hearing Pearl's words, Jiang Zhenniang was deeply moved and took Pearl's hand, saying many heartfelt words to her.
Su Zhihan then took out a booklet and handed it to Yinghong, instructing her, "This contains recipes for several dishes, along with the techniques I taught you before. I think it shouldn't be difficult for you to take over my job later."
Yinghong and Cao Daya are both of average talent in cooking. Su Zhihan would say they are not as good as Xiaohong, but they each have their own strengths.
For example, Yinghong is meticulous, good at observing her surroundings, and extremely patient. As long as she is given a standard recipe and practices repeatedly, she can make a dish that is almost perfect.
Cao Daya has a free-spirited personality and doesn't like to cook in a conventional way. She always likes to have a flash of inspiration and add a bit of 'creativity'.
If she were in an outside shop, she could study repeatedly until she could turn her 'creativity' into reality. Unfortunately, she was still working in the Marquis's mansion, so her 'creativity' was more likely to be questioned. Su Zhihan advised her to think about it with Yinghong in private and then use it after she had gained some insights.
Yinghong knew the importance of the recipe and declined repeatedly. Su Zhihan smiled and said, "It's not any fancy dish, just some country dishes that I usually make in the kitchen, and you often see them too."
Yinghong's face flushed slightly. She and Daya, relying on their close relationship with Su Zhihan, often lingered around Su Zhihan, pestering her for food and drink, and often watched Su Zhihan cook.
Only Han Jie'er didn't mind. Every time they came to ask questions, she would teach them patiently and never showed any impatience.
Yinghong knew that some of it was out of gratitude for their help, but there was so much more. Even her own parents, seeing her improved cooking skills, told her and her sister to treat Han'er well.
Her eyes were slightly red, and she reached out to tug at Su Zhihan's sleeve, sullenly saying, "Sister Han... after you left, I have no one to talk to anymore."
Upon hearing this, Pearl glared at her younger sister: "Han'er is leaving to live a better life, why are you crying like this? Hurry up and stop crying."
Yinghong sniffed and responded in a muffled voice, but her head was down, her heart and eyes filled with reluctance.
This amused Su Zhihan: "Da Ya and Qiu Yue are still in the main kitchen. Besides, I'm not going anywhere else. If you miss me, just come to my house to play with me sometime."
Yinghong opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She thought the same as Cao Mama and the others: from now on, she would be a servant girl and Han Jie'er would be a young lady. It would be a joke if they played together.
Pearl smiled and continued the conversation. Unlike her sister, she already knew that she would be Chang Ge'er's concubine, and Chang Ge'er was the future Marquis Zhongyong. It was not unusual for a marquis's concubines to have dealings with officials' wives; many of his family members were officials outside the home.
Su Zhihan glanced at Pearl, wanting to advise her but not daring to say it, so she changed the subject to something else.
There have indeed been a few things happening in the manor recently, the biggest of which is that Chang-ge'er failed the imperial examination.
In the past, everyone praised the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong for being both a scholar and a warrior, and for his exceptional talent. However, recently, other rumors have been circulating.
"The old lady was so anxious that sores appeared at the corners of her mouth."
"No wonder the lady looked a little haggard that day."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenniang sighed and said, "Why is Madam so upset about this? Pearl, you should also persuade Madam. Our Chang-ge is young, and it's normal for him to be unaccustomed to participating in the spring examination for the first time. He can come again in the autumn examination."
"That makes sense, but I can't really say for sure."
"I'll talk to Madam Zhao about it later." Jiang Zhenniang has been going to Madam Zhao's room often lately to sit and chat with her. She has long since lost her initial fear.
Pearl nodded, but her expression was somber, with little smile.
Pearl was Chang-ge'er's maid. Although she was paid the rank of a second-class maid, she had always served him personally. The two were very close, and ever since Chang-ge'er became aware of the situation, he had tried to get her involved in a relationship with him several times.
Pearl often heard her parents talk about how difficult it was for Third Young Master to participate in the imperial examinations. She worried that Chang-ge'er would fall into a harem and forget his studies. In addition, she was also instructed by the eldest daughter-in-law, so she was unwilling to do so.
But Pearl was unwilling, while there were plenty of others in the room who were. Over the past six months, Pearl had noticed that Chang Ge'er was becoming increasingly indifferent to her, while four or five maids who were close to him had appeared in the room. He often chased her out and fooled around with them in the room.
Some people advised Pearl to go too, but Pearl couldn't bring herself to do it. She was very upset when she thought about those things, and she wanted to complain to Jiang Zhenniang, but she was still a virgin, and before she could even open her mouth to say anything, her face turned bright red with embarrassment.
In the end, Pearl silently kept those things to herself and cheered up to talk about other things: "I heard that the young master is going back to the capital to report on his duties, and the eldest young lady also wrote a letter saying that she wants to visit the old lady, the eldest daughter and the eldest sister and will stay at the mansion for a while."
"And another thing... Second Miss has arranged many marriages for Second Miss, but Second Miss doesn't like any of them, and there's still no conclusion yet."
"I heard that... the second young lady wants to compete with the eldest young lady." Pearl, being someone from Chang Ge'er's courtyard, said many things that others didn't know. Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan were so engrossed in hearing the gossip that they insisted on hearing it all.
"The eldest daughter has already married into the Prince's mansion... How can you compare them? Besides, the eldest daughter is the Marquis's eldest daughter, while the second daughter is the second son's daughter..."
If she were placed in the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion, she would be the second daughter, but when she was to be married, her name would only be listed as the daughter of Lu Erlang, a fifth-rank official.
The best matchmakers are those of the same rank, or even officials of the third or fourth rank, but it is absolutely impossible for them to work in the Prince's mansion.
"God knows."
"That day, she had a big argument with the second mistress in the room." Pearl paused, then lowered her voice and whispered, "She said she was willing to become a concubine."
Jiang Zhenniang gasped, and Su Zhihan's eyes widened. She couldn't help but feel grateful that she hadn't been lucky enough to work in the Second Miss's courtyard.
Being a concubine in a prince's mansion is no easy task. With the emperor's sons causing such a commotion, the eldest daughter is in the Rong Prince's mansion, and the second daughter is going to another prince's mansion to become a concubine. Isn't this putting the Marquis's mansion in a very difficult position?
Su Zhihan thought of the second young lady she had met once before and felt that she was very confused.
After chatting with the Pearl and Yinghong sisters, it was already sunset. The two said goodbye and left. Afterwards, Jiang Zhenniang went to talk to Madam Zhao.
And so, another five days passed.
After the outer residence was furnished, Jiang Zhenniang led Su Zhihan to say goodbye to the eldest daughter-in-law.
"Why rush off?" Madam Zhao said, still feeling a little reluctant to leave.
Since Third Sister left, Zhao felt that life was not as comfortable as before. She complained that Second Sister was not good at speaking, and it was not appropriate to invite the wives of marquises, noblemen, or other officials to come over as guests every day. With Jiang Zhenniang keeping her company and playing cards, she had been quite comfortable these past few days.
Last time I said I was reluctant to part with it, but that was just polite talk. This time, I truly mean it.
Zhao wanted to stay, so Jiang Zhenniang stayed for three more days before taking her leave again.
After repeated farewells and attempts to persuade her to stay, Jiang Zhenniang finally agreed when she saw that the house had been renovated and had stayed in the mansion for some time. She then mentioned that there were no auspicious days for the next month, which finally convinced Zhao Shi to relent and urge Jiang Zhenniang to come back and visit her.
Jiang Zhenniang readily agreed to everything and then busied herself with moving into her new home. She first had three servants carry the rice and water jars into the new house, and then moved the chests and boxes inside, pasting the character "福" (fortune) and couplets on the door.
Finally, the mother and daughter had to step over a fire basin at the door and then perform a ritual to appease the spirits and give thanks to the earth before they could officially move into their new home.
Immediately afterwards, the mother and daughter began preparing a banquet to entertain relatives, friends, and neighbors. They didn't have many relatives and friends, so they invited Wei Yaren, Xiao Hong's family, and Uncle Li's family to eat, as well as people from the nearby alley.
The mother and daughter's courtyard occupied the outermost part of the alley, which allowed them to convert it into a shop. The courtyards further into the alley lacked storefronts, but they were still quieter than the mother and daughter's.
The residents here were either minor officials or clerks in the government office, or students who rented houses to prepare for exams, as well as a few merchants who did small business in the capital.
Most people were curious about the houses in the outermost courtyard and readily agreed to come and join in the fun.
When they arrived, they learned that the men of the Chiang family were fighting in the frontier, leaving only the mother and daughter in the house. They had moved here to open a shop and start a business.
One of the students immediately gave a thumbs up and praised, "Madam Jiang, your eldest son has joined the frontier to protect our country; he is truly a hero!"
“Brother Wang is right.”
"If you ever need anything in the future, just come to us for help." The neighbors smiled and chimed in, prompting Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan to thank them repeatedly. They then invited everyone in to sit down and talk.
Wei Yaren, Xiao Hong's family, and Uncle Li's family arrived later. When Grandma Chen saw Jiang Zhenniang, she couldn't help but complain, "Jiang Niangzi is really too formal. Why didn't you tell us you and Han'er were moving? My husband and I could have come and helped."
Jiang Zhenniang only said that she was busy with business and that Grandpa Hu was not in good health, so she felt really bad asking them to come and help.
"Madam Jiang, you are too kind."
"Come, come, let's not talk about this, sit down quickly."
Over there, Su Zhihan glanced at Grandma Chen and noticed that Grandma Chen had changed her way of addressing her.
Today is a joyous occasion for moving into a new home. Su Zhihan doesn't like to talk about such things. She simply had three servants bring out all the prepared food and had a musician play the zither, and then the feast began.
Since it was a simple housewarming party, the neighbors present didn't pay much attention and simply sat down to eat and drink.
But after only two bites, someone exclaimed in surprise, "How can this meat taste so good?"
The person who exclaimed in surprise was none other than Mr. Sun, an old acquaintance of Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan. He also lived in the alley and hadn't recognized Jiang Zhenniang and her daughter when he first saw them, but remembered them when he saw Xiao Hong's family.
Mr. Sun's expression remained unchanged, but he was amazed and pondered deeply. He then picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and put it in his mouth.
In an instant, the sweet and sour taste burst forth on his tongue, instantly erasing all the thoughts in Sun Guanren's mind. He stared wide-eyed as he carefully examined the dishes in front of him.
The table was laden with ten dishes of various sizes, symbolizing perfection. Sun Guanren paid no attention to anything else, focusing intently on the piece of pork rib he was holding with his chopsticks.
The ribs were stewed to perfection, tender and falling off the bone while still retaining a firm texture, and the meat was incredibly juicy and flavorful. With just one bite, the aroma of the meat and the sweet and sour sauce burst on the tongue at the same time, and even the bones were crispy and crunchy, making for an unforgettable and satisfying experience.
The sweet and sour sauce was sticky and gooey, and the wonderfully unique flavor was something Master Sun was experiencing for the first time. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he only regretted that the rice in front of him hadn't been served yet. Otherwise, with such delicious sauce and meat, he would definitely have devoured a large bowl... no! Two large bowls!
Before Mr. Sun could even exclaim in surprise, the neighbors chimed in, "What a delicious taste!"
"How can this fish soup be so delicious?"
"The last time I had such delicious mutton was at a restaurant in the East Market!"
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