For Wang Yan, the first thing they should do after arriving home is to light the stove, boil water, and thoroughly clean the house. They'd been away for over a month, and the house was quite dusty.
But Aunt Wang didn't have time to worry about that. She was sitting on the bare kang (a heated brick bed) covered only by a straw mat, and there wasn't even time to start a fire.
"Quickly! Where's the box that Young Master Shen gave you? Bring it here right now."
After the goods were delivered, they stayed at the restaurant. Not only did Aunt Wang not allow anyone to see them, she also went out and bought two more locks, locking them three times before she felt at ease.
I carried it with me everywhere we went. I wouldn't open the box until we got home.
In the midst of the chaos, no one had time to examine the contents closely, but we knew that the box they were given must contain valuable items.
At the bottom was a thick stack of silver notes, above which were several boxes: a small box containing pearls, a long box containing three blue glass hairpins, and a slightly wider box containing three gold bracelets inlaid with pearls.
There were ten banknotes at the bottom of that stack, each with a face value of five hundred taels.
The three small-denomination silver notes totaled three hundred taels. Shen Jiamu hadn't thought things through; he had originally planned for them to use the silver notes above as travel expenses to get home.
It was only after Granny Qian reminded them that Chaolu and several servants with martial arts skills were also sent to escort them.
However, these few silver notes wouldn't be taken back, which is why a few small silver notes remained.
Wang Yan hugged the box, her heart pounding with excitement. "My God, this is a leap in social class!"
The contents of this box probably add up to around eight thousand taels?
It should be more than that; I'll have Aunt Wang take it out and get it estimated another day. But at the very least, it should be eight thousand taels.
Wang Yan was getting a little excited, almost carried away. She knew that she had earned over a thousand taels of silver in the Marquis's mansion over three years working with Granny Sun.
However, their money mainly consisted of the following: firstly, rewards from the various masters of the house, but this was actually the least amount of money they received.
Aside from the initial presentation, when the master finds it unusual and might reward the guest with five or ten taels of silver, or at least one or two taels, after that, any further orders of this snack would simply be a box of copper coins.
However, this method allows for a steady stream of income, and the accumulated earnings can be substantial.
Secondly, the Lady of the Marquis would share their recipes, such as those for crispy rice crust, with the ladies of other households. This was the largest amount they would give, typically several tens of taels of silver at a time.
Thirdly, when it comes to saving face, for example, when a marquis or his son sends food to his colleagues, even if it's homemade, the reward money must be generous, emphasizing that the price is not cheap.
Or when guests come to visit, like when Young Master Chen (Xu Shaoqing's stepson) came to our house before, we could just make an egg roll and the old lady would reward us with a lot of money each time.
But because of this method of rewarding them, they kept receiving money, and it took Wang Yan more than three years to save up 1,000 taels.
This is already extraordinary, truly extraordinary. Wang Yan dared to say that in the Marquis's mansion, apart from Steward Rong, even Steward Sun of the inner courtyard might not receive as many rewards as she and Madam Sun.
Her monthly income was nearly 10,000 taels, and it's no exaggeration to say that she has achieved a leap in social class.
Aunt Wang was overjoyed, smiling happily with her lips pursed.
She usually laughs heartily, but today she seemed to have overreacted and became much more restrained.
Even Wang Ying looked at the money with wide eyes, "This time, only the second half was scary, right? If it hadn't been so thrilling later, it would have been worth it. Haha."
Having money in hand makes you stand taller and gives you more confidence.
I originally planned to come back home and rest for a few days, buy some good food, calm my nerves, and just relax.
What are you doing resting at home? Go out and spend some money!
The house is covered in layers of dust; cleaning it is such a chore. I'm not going to sweep anymore!
Get out! Let's go to a restaurant for the New Year! The best, the most expensive! Isn't there three hundred taels of silver on this?
I treated this money like it was free, like I found it on the street. I spent it all!
Two quarters of an hour later, the group arrived at Baifan Tower by carriage. They were really showing off; it had only taken them a quarter and a half to walk there.
Wang Yan shook her head and said, "So arrogant, so arrogant!"
"Madam, thank you for your patronage, sixty coins!"
Aunt Wang was also overjoyed and gave the person 60 coins without any hesitation.
This price is a bit expensive, but doesn't it include the "starting price"?
Moreover, Aunt Wang felt it was worth it even if it weren't for the starting price. She had felt a little regretful when she got off that luxurious carriage.
I wonder when I'll be able to ride in one again! But when I brought them here today, the carriage shop was empty, and it's only a 15-minute ride, so they gave them their best carriage.
When Wang Yan and the others came back, the seats they sat in were no different; there were also soft benches inside.
The carriage couldn't travel in the bustling city streets and had to take a detour, which is why it took a quarter of an hour.
But when you get to Baifanlou, there are waiters waiting on the road that people take around to get their carriages.
The waiter tossed the white cloth draped over his shoulder and said, "Madam, ladies, this way please!"
Once inside, upon seeing that they were female guests, two female staff members immediately came to greet them.
"Madam, shall we stop by for a meal or stay at an inn?"
"Checking in at a hotel."
"Alright, please treat us to a meal, our three distinguished guests."
I booked room number three, which cost thirteen taels of silver a day. It was a three-room suite with four doors and eight windows, similar to the room specifications of a modern presidential suite.
After visiting the nice house, the three turned around to look at the top of the 72 official stores. "Three stories high, five floors facing each other, flying bridges and railings, dazzling lights, and deafening music."
Even just standing on the street outside the restaurant, one could hear bursts of singing, dancing, and music.
Moreover, they were in a restaurant that could accommodate over a thousand people a day, with non-stop singing and dancing, and Wang Yan and her companions were paying their bills here. The cheers from the center of the hall never stopped.
After paying and receiving the room key, another waiter led us up to the second floor, through the middle staircase, to the banquet hall in another building.
They paid their bills at the Washi, stayed at the Yanbinlou, and were going to eat at the Jiusi after resting.
The official store is qualified to brew and sell its own wine. It is said that Baifanlou wholesales as much as 25,000 kilograms of yeast every year.
With her family owning two famous wines, Meishou Wine and Zhi Wine, Aunt Wang was thinking about getting two jugs of these wines to try later.
Once we arrived at our rooms, each of us had our own. After putting our things down, washing up, and changing clothes, it was almost time for dinner.
We found a regular private room, where the dining utensils were silver: "one set of bowls, two sets of plates and cups, five fruit and vegetable dishes, and three to five bowls for vegetables."
Honey-soaked tofu, sliced pufferfish, five-flavor almond cheese goose, fried quail with three kinds of bamboo shoots, lychee pork kidney, lotus seed and tofu soup, Zhenjun porridge, and pork fried in lard over rice.
After ordering, the three of them sat there, eagerly waiting. Wang Yan had been wanting to try pufferfish for a long time.
The dishes at Baifanlou are eaten in order, because Aunt Wang ordered two jugs of wine.
Before the main meal began, three bowls of Qinglu drink, sliced oranges, and persimmons were served.
The chef who made the sliced fish that Wang Yan ordered came to the private room to demonstrate the knife skills. She sat to the side, mesmerized by the chef's knife work.
Their current situation is just as Su Dajia described: "With a flick of the elbow, the wind rises as she slices the fish, and with each stroke of the knife, snowflakes fall in a startling display."
The sliced pufferfish is as thin as a cicada's wing, crisp, tender, and chewy. It is served with a dipping sauce of salt, ginger, vinegar, orange juice, and chives.
Wang Yan picked up a slice of pufferfish sashimi and dipped it in orange juice sauce.
The first taste is icy cold. After chewing a couple of times, a subtle sweetness bursts in your mouth. It's chewy, smooth, and has a hint of orange fragrance. The combination of fruity and oily aromas is wonderful.
Wang Yan really liked the taste of this dish; she ate half a plate of fish slices by herself.
She ate this dish before eating the others, afraid that eating the others first would overshadow the deliciousness of the fish slices.
After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, it was time for dessert, which was soft cheese.
Pour raw milk into a pot and, while stirring, pour in the juice of lemon seeds. Once the milk in the pot forms a flocculent curd, filter the whey through fine cheesecloth.
Take an appropriate amount of cornstarch, stir-fry it in a pot until cooked, then add white sugar, salt, and whey filtered from the boiled milk.
Stir-fry in a pan for 15 minutes until it forms a ball; this will become the outer skin of the cheese.
Put the cheese that you just squeezed out of the water back into the pot and stir-fry it. Add cooked starch, sugar, and milk and stir-fry again.
Then divide the soft cheese crust into small portions, roll them into round discs, and wrap the cheese filling inside.
Soft and fragrant, sweet but not cloying, and aromatic but not overpowering. After eating this dessert, rinse your mouth with tea first.
Then you can have another cup of tea, and after you finish drinking it, each of you will be given a fragrant chewing pill (an ancient version of chewing gum) by a maid.
The three of them ate to their hearts' content, tidied up, and went back to their guest room to rest. Having spent so much money, they were determined to enjoy themselves.
When they got to the room, Aunt Wang, who was already a little drunk from drinking, couldn't fall asleep and was pulled by Wang Yan to put on a duvet cover.
The quilts they laid out in the room were nice, they were cotton quilts, but in ancient times there were no quilt covers, so logically they would probably wash them after each guest, right?
I'm not sure, I'm not sure! But when Wang Yan and the others came over, the maid who accompanied them had a newly changed quilt.
不过王妍看着还是觉得有些不舒适，于是三人就用在船上的住宿时的办法——把自家带的被罩缝上去。
做的棉布床单也铺上，枕头王妍用的是自己秋天做的菊花枕头。
忙活完后，三个人各回各屋，倒头就睡。
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