On Qu Liushang's side, the second old master ordered salted soy milk again that day, because Wang Yan had said last time that adding some seaweed would make it taste better.
When Kouqi, who came to pick up the soy milk, heard this, she went back and told Miss Yun about it as a joke.
Unexpectedly, the maidservant by the young lady's side overheard this and went to tell Uncle Zhong that the family had a shipping business, so even the tribute item Ziying could be obtained through a means.
Although they couldn't get too many, they did have a box. They specially sent a messenger ship to circle around Pingtan and retrieve a box.
It was delivered yesterday, which is why the two old masters sent word today that we should have some salty soy milk again.
The two older women in the kitchen were bewildered; they hadn't seen Manager Rong bring Ziying over.
Grandma Sun asked Wang Yan to run errands and ask. After hearing this, Rong Er waved his hand and replied to Wang Yan with a smile.
"Please forgive me, Aunt Sun and Aunt Xia. This Ziying box is a rare and precious item. Yesterday, the children unloading the goods did not recognize it as a valuable item and accidentally dropped it on the ground."
Fortunately, the gatekeeper, Old Liu, picked up a few pieces; the rest were all smashed and could no longer be given to the master to eat.
That cleaning woman was a simpleton; she didn't know it was originally broken into pieces, and she swept it all up and threw it away, leaving only these few pieces.
After saying that, he handed the three pieces of Ziying to Wang Yan, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Wang Yan was stunned by his words, but there was nothing she could do. She could only carefully take the enamel box containing the three pieces of seaweed and run back.
The seaweed here is not like the seaweed of today, which can be bought for just a few dollars a large bag. It was a tribute item and was therefore very rare.
It would be believable if they said it arrived broken, but Ziying used a cloisonné enamel flower box to pack it.
Even if the child is stupid, he wouldn't just throw it on the ground and let Aunt Sa sweep away the contents, right?
Grandma Sun took the three pieces of purple chrysanthemum petals, each only the size of an adult's palm, and was furious.
But we can't delay the meals of our masters now, let's cook first.
According to Wang Yan, the purple chrysanthemum slices should be lightly roasted in a pot for a few breaths.
After taking it out, tear it into pieces by hand, spread it at the bottom of the bowl, add dried shrimp, cilantro and other seasonings, and barely manage to make a few bowls of salty soy milk. Serve it with fried dough sticks.
After lunch, Manager Rong Er came over with a grin on his face, carrying a basket of red and green amaranth.
"I just went to the market and there happened to be some fresh and tender amaranth that a country woman had just picked. Even the chef at Fulai Inn couldn't beat me to it."
"What incredible luck! To still have such a basket of fresh vegetables at almost noon! Grannies, quickly take it and prepare a fresh meal for the masters!"
Aunt Xia couldn't argue with him, but Aunt Sun was a proper cook in the main courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, and she always had a lot of face.
Seeing someone who gets the benefit but then acts innocent, I was naturally furious!
She took out the red and green amaranth and saw that it was indeed fresh and delicious. She said, "Later, I will make a soup with eggs and the half-eaten purple chrysanthemum that I had left over this morning, and serve it to the Lady Hou and the Second Madam."
This green amaranth is also quite good. Let's make a "Prefect's Soup" as well; that would be perfect!
Note: (There is a historical allusion here. The dish "Prefect's Soup" is satirical, used to mock lazy, incompetent people who only know how to enjoy delicacies and occupy positions without doing anything. Here, it is used to satirize this lackey.)
Rong Er, that fool, still didn't realize something was wrong and thought the two old women had been fooled.
He took that box of broken purple chrysanthemum fragments and sold it for a high price; these were tribute items! He easily resold them and got three hundred taels of silver back.
Even so, he still followed the "wholesale" route, taking a small amount of money, as it was first-hand money.
He originally planned to come and test the waters; if these two old women were difficult to talk to, he would cut off ten or twenty taels of silver.
Now it seems we don't need it anymore.
That makes sense, though. Ever since Lady Hou arrived, these two kitchen maids have probably received the most rewards at the villa!
Fuling stared blankly at the departing figure of Steward Rong, then turned to look at Wang Yan in disbelief!
What an idiot! Even if he didn't understand what Granny Sun meant by "the soup," he could still tell if someone was speaking politely or not, right?
Grandma Sun was so angry she almost fell over. She actually made a "Prefect's Soup" and a seaweed and egg drop soup, but she only put in two small pieces of seaweed that she had deliberately torn off at the end, and the soup was light and bland.
Uncle Zhong frowned as he looked at the dishes that were being served, and sent someone to call over two kitchen women!
"You two have some nerve, daring to feed our master such food!"
Yesterday, a box of Ziying (a type of medicinal herb) was delivered, but when I served the soup, there were only two slices in it.
They didn't even bother to crack an egg; it was just a bowl of watery soup!
Aunt Sun replied, "Don't be upset about Mr. Zhong! The soup is light because it's meant to complement Ziying."
Don't beat too many eggs; if you beat too many, there will only be two small pieces of purple skin the size of egg yolks, making them even less noticeable.
After saying that, he told Zhongbo the whole story. Zhongbo didn't want Rong'er to be involved anymore!
I vaguely remember Rong Er being the second-in-command of this estate! How could the head steward be unable to control him, or were the two of them in cahoots?
They've really gone too far! A mere manager, so short-sighted, with their masters right here, can't resist sneaking into the kitchen to skim off the top.
Zhongbo sent someone to summon the second steward, but Rong Er was unaware that the two old women had already filed a complaint.
Upon seeing Steward Zhong, he looked puzzled and asked, "Greetings, Steward Zhong. What are your instructions for summoning me here?"
Zhongbo smiled with narrowed eyes, "It's alright. Are you related to Rong Dayou, the head steward of our Marquis's mansion?"
Speaking of this, Rong Er was extremely proud: "That's right, that's my third uncle."
Uncle Zhong chuckled, “In that case, our master is going to write a letter to the Marquis’s residence these days. Do you have any messages you would like to pass on? Write them down and I’ll send them to you as well.”
Rong Er quickly bowed, "Thank you, Steward Zhong!"
After he left the courtyard, Uncle Zhong sighed, thought for a moment, and still felt that he should tell Rong Da the truth.
If we don't warn them about this pest in the house, and it really causes some trouble later, the one who will be most affected and unlucky is Rong Dayou!
Two or three days later, seeing that there was no further action from above, Aunt Sun realized that this topic could no longer be brought up.
But he just couldn't swallow this insult. Every day, he would pick and choose the things Rong Er brought him, never giving him a kind look!
A few days later, a small, slightly poisonous mushroom was found in a basket of mushrooms that Rong Er had delivered.
Well, that's just how it is. The kitchen purchasing duties for Rong Er have been taken over, and Uncle Zhong has replaced him with a head steward to personally take charge.
The newly appointed head steward of the estate, surnamed Zheng, rarely stayed in the manor and spent most of his time running around the fields and estates.
The Marquis's residence also owns some land here, but it is located two villages away from this estate.
Recently, the work in the fields has been busy, and Manager Zheng has been coming back about once every three days.
Suddenly being pulled back to manage kitchen purchasing, the head steward was completely bewildered.
Zhongbo took over the estate's accounts and, after reviewing them, discovered that the head steward had a clean record. He then reassigned him to his own duties.
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