During this vacation, she and Chunye took turns resting for one day each, resulting in a two-day break.
Wang Xing and Wang Ying were also allowed to rest for two days. When the Third Young Master asked curiously, he only said that the family was going to a temple outside the city to pray, which would take some time.
There is indeed a temple nearby, and Aunt Wang has been nagging me to go and pray there for a long time.
Fatty Wang led his entire family on another grand journey to that village.
They spent four taels of silver to buy all the chili peppers on the entire mountain.
I paid half the deposit upfront and left it at the farmer's house. They dried it, ground it into chili powder, and delivered it to the city before settling the bill.
The selected families were overjoyed to be able to make so much money just by reselling their goods.
They bowed and scraped, promising to wash, dry, and grind the food thoroughly before sending it over.
But I was also thinking to myself, is he out of his mind or something?
I don't want to eat this fruit. I don't want it fresh, just hanging there for decoration. Do I want it ground into powder?
Wang Yan was excited and thrilled; she wanted to sing a song and dance the seaweed dance.
Aunt Wang was filled with anxiety. What was she going to do if she had spent so much silver and it had gone down the drain?
The reason they agreed to pay this money was because Wang Yan had cooked it at home once, and the chili peppers were edible. This is also recorded in "Miscellaneous Notes on Mountain Food".
It's one thing to be accepted, but it's also true to be worried.
The round trip took a whole day, but they took two days off this time. After they got home, Wang Yan made them a stir-fried pork with chili peppers.
It's spicy and I want to eat it! Absolutely delicious!
The aroma filled the entire courtyard. When Aunt Cui came to ask, Wang Ying gave her a packet. "My little sister bought some seasonings from the Western Regions by chance. They smell really good and fragrant when added to dishes."
"That's right." Aunt Cui happily took it and left.
Xiang'er's mother saw this and wanted to come closer, but Wang Yan slammed the door shut!
"...Damn it!"
Two weeks later, the chili powder arrived, but Wang Yan didn't have time to think about how to make it.
She works tirelessly every day, and now it's almost the old lady's birthday.
A month later, the old lady's birthday arrived, and the banquet lasted for three days.
Invitations were sent to relatives and friends, and the entire household was like bees gathering nectar, busy every day in an orderly manner but without a moment's rest.
Three days before the birthday banquet, the master selected several third-class maids from the courtyard to help in the main kitchen.
Chunyu and Chunyan were transferred to another job, which is a tough one. The weather is getting colder, and they have to squat there washing vegetables all day long. Even though the well water is warm, it's still unbearable.
Chun Cui looked at them and sneered triumphantly. Chun Yu went up to her, ready to fight.
Zhi Mo heard the commotion and came out to snort, and both sides immediately fell silent.
She glared at Chuncui again before going back to her room to do needlework.
Chun Cui stuck out her tongue and went back. After all, she had only been spared this difficult task by begging Sister Zhi Mo. She couldn't afford to cause a scene and embarrass Sister Zhi Mo.
Upon arriving at the main kitchen, the two were assigned to work under Fatty Wang, washing fruits and vegetables.
Being his own daughter, Fatty Wang brought a small charcoal stove from the kitchen and placed it in the yard to keep them from getting too cold.
On the day of the old lady's birthday celebration, the mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and red silk was hung everywhere.
A theatrical troupe was hired, and a high platform was set up early in the Hou Mansion Garden. Several rows of sandalwood tables and chairs were placed in front of it, with the old lady's chair in the very center of the first row.
Fruits, pastries, and hot tea had already been served. Granny Sun and Fuling had started preparing the rice crust with everyone in the household half a month ago.
However, Guoba did not shine this time.
Whether it's the Shuimingjiao (a type of pastry) bestowed upon us by the palace, or the Daokousu (another type of pastry), or the Shenxianfugui (another type of pastry) and Shishuangwan (another type of pastry) from Xiangtiju (another type of pastry shop), these all taste much better than rice crust.
However, many wealthy women have also come to love this crispy texture.
With Madam Gao accompanying them, everything was prepared well in advance without them having to ask.
All that's needed is for the birthday banquet to end so the maids can go and fetch the food. I was initially thinking no one would ask, but surprisingly, a few food lovers did ask.
…………………………
Inside Fufeng Pavilion, a group of young ladies, accompanied by their maids, were admiring the flowers. The steward had brought out rows of chrysanthemums early in the morning and laid them out along several paths, while the hibiscus flowers were also in full bloom.
One mischievous little girl picked a few flowers to adorn her hair, but instead of putting them in her hair, she placed them near her ears, making everyone burst into laughter.
When you're tired from playing, walk along the pebble path. In the pavilion, maids will light charcoal fires, set up green curtains, and arrange chessboards. Hot tea and snacks are all provided.
While passing by the lotus pond, perhaps because the moss hadn't been properly cleared, Yingchun, the personal maid of the third young lady of the Anbo family, slipped and fell in.
A gasp rang out. The Third Young Master, who happened to be outside with his concubine's maid, heard the gasp and immediately jumped down to pull the girl out of the water.
The third young master was dignified and polite, but after seeing people come up, he didn't interact much with these young ladies.
He only greeted his third and fifth sisters, who were keeping him company, before turning and leaving.
The niece from Madam Gao's maternal family frowned. It seemed this young master was involved in the incident where he teased their maid outside the courtyard last time. Why was he pretending this time...?
And he and his maid arrived way too quickly. A thousand doubts swirled in her mind, but she wouldn't voice these thoughts.
But the third young lady of the Anbo family blushed secretly and asked An's daughter, Xiao Wu, "Which brother was that young master just now?"
"What kind of snacks did the maid prepare for the third young master born to Aunt Yang? They smell so good, let's go and have a taste."
Before Xiao Wu could answer, Gao's niece took over the conversation and changed the subject.
Xu Shaoqing had no choice but to shut up and went to Fufeng Pavilion with the others.
Before long, the banquet began. The entire banquet consisted of 30 dishes. The dishes were served in a continuous flow, with new dishes being brought out and old dishes being removed, and the food and wine were paired together.
Eight fruits piled up for embroidery, ten kinds of wine served as a toast, are not considered a proper meal.
Fifteen cups of wine are served with each meal, and two dishes are served at a time, with a different wine served each time a dish is served.
Pigeons from Huakan, fried tripe from Jiangyao paired with Qinhuai wine. Hand-washed crab, three crispy dishes paired with fragrant wine.
Crispy ginger chicken, braised chicken with flower wine, stewed chicken feet, quail soup, and so on, each has its own matching wine.
When the old lady celebrates her birthday, the servants can both make money and satisfy their appetites.
Many of the dishes removed from the banquet had barely been touched, and the servants in each courtyard were able to get some.
Wang Yan ate even better; she was in the main kitchen, and what she ate wasn't leftovers from the banquet, but rather extra, newly prepared dishes.
Sipping the rose syrup her father had specially saved for her, she ate bite after bite of braised pork belly. Seeing that she wasn't full, the cook brought her another dish of braised pork belly and a dish of vinegar-flavored snails.
Wang Yan quickly stood up to thank her.
"No need to thank me, sit down and eat. There's no need to be so polite with your uncle."
These are all dishes prepared for the banquet but not used; it doesn't matter who eats them, right?
He laughed heartily when he saw how much Yan was enjoying her food, which meant he was a good cook.
Wang Yan happily sat down to eat with Chunyu. Chunyu loved Xi'er soup and didn't care about any rules or etiquette, slurping it down with the old women.
Wang Yan also joined in the slurping. After the meal, the kitchen staff received their rewards: each of the head cook received a red envelope containing five taels of silver, and the kitchen helpers each received a red envelope containing two taels.
Each maid transferred from one of the courtyards received 200 coins. Wang Yan, as a third-class maid, received an additional 200 coins upon arriving at the mansion.
When the old lady celebrated her birthday, she received more money as a reward than she would have received herself, so the eldest lady also received an additional 600 coins from her own courtyard.
It only costs one string of cash, more than double the monthly allowance. No wonder everyone wants to work in the inner court; the monthly allowance is nothing compared to the rewards.
Even though Granny Wang could receive a reward in the outer courtyard, it was only six hundred coins, and that was a certainty.
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