However, the more she said that, the more uneasy Zhang Ting became.
Zhang Ting couldn't bear the torment any longer and spoke up again: "Manager Xu, just say what you want to say."
“Since you’ve asked, I won’t hide it from you. In a few days, I’d like to bring you with me to the palace.” Xu Yuehuai finished speaking and then explained, “The Emperor has decreed that I should take care of the Crown Prince. I need an assistant, so I’d like you to come to the palace with me.”
Zhang Ting's eyes darted around, feeling quite pleased with herself, but she still declined on the surface.
"Oh dear, Manager Xu, I can't go to the palace," she continued to decline. "Since you need help, you can ask Zhou Wan and Third Sister to accompany you. I'm new here, and I might say or do something wrong that could affect you, which wouldn't be good."
Xu Yuehuai caught the fleeting smugness in her eyes and knew that the fish had taken the bait. He deliberately sighed and said, "No, Tianxiang Tower can't do without the two of them now, otherwise I wouldn't be in such a hurry."
“Miss Zhang Ting, I’ve already taken you in at Tianxiang Restaurant for a while now. You don’t want to put me in a difficult position, do you?” She deliberately feigned a troubled expression.
Zhang Ting was overjoyed. What a great opportunity! It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her. So she pretended to reluctantly agree to Xu Yuehuai's request.
After all, she was personally delivered to Crown Prince Aqi by Maimaiti, so she was naturally certain that Aqi was on her side. Once they entered the Eastern Palace, they would join forces and be able to completely eliminate Xu Yuehuai.
After listening to the opera, Xu Yuehuai and Zhang Ting returned to Tianxiang Tower.
The two carried their purchases back to Tianxiang Restaurant. As soon as they entered, they saw Zhou Wan, who was also beaming with joy.
"Zhou Wan, what's wrong? Why are you so happy today?" Xu Yuehuai asked when he saw her happy.
Zhou Wan spoke excitedly, but didn't forget to give her a wink: "A-Yue, you don't know, Aunt Meng went out and found her family today."
Xu Yuehuai immediately understood that Zhou Wan still harbored suspicions about her, but now was not the time to say so openly.
"Really? That's wonderful!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Xu Yuehuai thought that Aunt Meng had helped Zhou Wan and the others a lot when they went to Luoping Village. Now that they had finally found their family, she naturally wanted to show her appreciation: "Zhou Wan, have Aunt Meng and the others come to Tianxiang Restaurant tonight. I'll cook them a meal to celebrate."
She went into the kitchen after she finished speaking.
"I understand." Zhou Wan naturally understood Xu Yuehuai best; she knew what she meant.
Zhang Ting, who was standing nearby, sensed something was wrong. Aunt Meng was clearly a young woman in disguise. What family did she have?
No, she had to go find Aunt Meng right away to get to the bottom of things. Just then, Xu Yuehuai went into the kitchen, and Zhou Wan went to find Aunt Meng's family. She took the opportunity to slip into Aunt Meng's room.
She immediately asked, "They said you found your family, what's that all about?"
Aunt Meng's eyes flashed, and she recounted the events of the day in detail.
“Zhou Wan has been keeping an eye on me, so I had no choice but to acknowledge them. However, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay at Tianxiang Tower for the foreseeable future,” she said quickly.
Zhang Ting thought for a moment and then said, "That's fine, we can use this to our advantage and dispel their suspicions about you."
"It just so happens that Xu Yuehuai isn't at Tianxiang Tower these days, so you can find a way to come back again. As for Marquis Ningyuan, I'll talk to him." She couldn't be without help.
Aunt Meng nodded and agreed, "Yes, I think it's a good idea."
However, what they didn't know was that this scene had been completely witnessed by Xu Yuehuai.
Upon hearing the news, she didn't show much emotion and turned to go into the kitchen.
After visiting Aunt Meng's family this week, Wan went back to help Xu Yuehuai cook.
"Ah Yue, what are you planning to do?" Zhou Wan returned to find that Xu Yuehuai had prepared a lot of ingredients, but she really couldn't figure out what she was going to do.
"Hehe, a hot pot with two broths." Xu Yuehuai didn't keep anyone in suspense and said happily, "The weather outside is still very cold, so hot pot is the perfect choice."
“Okay, okay.” Zhou Wan thought it was a good idea, so she washed her hands and then helped. “Then I’ll help you prepare the ingredients.”
“Okay.” Xu Yuehuai didn’t refuse and handed the ingredients to Zhou Wan, who then went to make the hot pot base.
"Let's make one mushroom soup and one spicy soup," Xu Yuehuai thought happily. After all, there's nothing more enjoyable than eating hot pot in the dead of winter, and if there is, it's a yin-yang pot (a pot with two separate broths).
Xu Yuehuai chopped a lot of scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. Then she heated oil in a wok, added butter, and cooked it until it was hot. Next, she added scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove any fishy smell, then added seasonings and stirred well. Finally, she added chili peppers and simmered it slowly.
In a separate pot, add water, then add various mushrooms and Chinese medicinal herbs. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to a simmer and add a small amount of salt to taste.
With the two pot bases ready, the next step is to cut and arrange the ingredients.
"How is it, Zhou Wan? Is it ready?" Xu Yuehuai came over to check on her after finishing preparing the pot.
"Almost done, there's still some meat left," Zhou Wan said, her hands still busy.
Potatoes and carrots are sliced uniformly, and all vegetables are cut into sections and arranged, resulting in exquisitely presented dishes.
"Then I'll do it." Xu Yuehuai said and took over the pork tenderloin, as well as the beef and lamb tenderloin. She sliced the tenderest parts of the meat into thin slices, and also processed some pork and beef tripe, cutting them into shreds and arranging them on a plate.
Zhou Wan then arranged the peeled prawns and the sliced fish prepared by Xu Yuehuai onto the plate.
"Alright, all done." Xu Yuehuai stretched and said happily.
Zhou Wan was also very happy; she couldn't wait.
"Go and call them to eat now, I'll keep the pot warm." Xu Yuehuai assigned the task again.
"Okay!" Zhou Wan happily ran out of the kitchen.
Xu Yuehuai poured the prepared broth into the divided pot, added some water, and then lit the fire to heat it up.
After arranging the dishes, she also prepared some lukewarm drinks for later consumption.
Before long, the backyard of Tianxiang Tower was filled with people, including Aunt Meng's family, Third Sister Zhou Wan, the two children Jiang Shichen and Jiang Qianqian, and Zhang Ting.
Xu Yuehuai set up the hot pot, and everyone took their seats. The atmosphere was a little strange; some were happy, while others were indifferent.
Zhou Wan and San Niang sat next to Jiang Shichen and Jiang Qianqian, happily eating hotpot and chatting.
The Meng family sat together naturally. Meng Lang seemed very happy, but his wife and Aunt Meng looked a little strange.
"Zhang Ting, come with me." Xu Yuehuai patted the seat next to her and pulled Zhang Ting over. Throughout the meal, she kept putting food on Zhang Ting's plate, which made Aunt Meng, who was sitting opposite her, wonder what the two of them had talked or done that day.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com