When Wang Yan returned the next day, she first went to Wang Pangzi's place for dinner.
Tell Fatty Wang the result of his discussion with Aunt Wang. Aunt Wang definitely thinks it's better to do it sooner rather than later.
It was only after living away from home for a while that she realized how happy it is to be a free person.
Putting everything else aside, when I was a servant in the Marquis's mansion, I had to endure any disagreements with others. Even arguments were never pleasant. Otherwise, the head maid would surely come and scold me, or worse, punish me with a beating.
But in the outside world, they act as if they are free and unrestrained, saying whatever they want, gossiping with their neighbors, and even daring to curse the imperial relatives.
Having lived to this age, I've finally experienced the exhilarating feeling of laughing when I want to laugh, arguing when I want to argue, and cursing when I want to curse!
It's nothing like being in the Marquis's mansion. So her opinion is that the sooner she leaves, the better.
This birthday banquet for the matriarch of the household is a full birthday celebration. According to custom, in order to pray for blessings and to show the generosity of the host family, some people will be allowed to enter each courtyard.
Wang Yan was just a third-class maid, not particularly noticeable, and besides, Aunt Sun Qingqian had already indicated that she would help mediate.
This is outside the manor, so the other third- and second-class maids won't bother with her. Therefore, Wang Yan's situation will definitely go smoothly.
"Father, Mother, brothers and sisters, have we discussed whether we should go out before the birthday banquet?"
Fatty Wang, holding his rice bowl, sighed softly, "Alright, then you can leave early."
As the person in charge of the water administration, he would definitely have to wait until after the old lady's birthday banquet to bring up this matter.
Moreover, the person in charge of the case is very likely not to release him this time, as the two have been working together for almost 20 years.
Moreover, Lu Qi (the head of the Red Case Office) genuinely felt that working in the manor paid well, better than working outside. For his own good, they didn't want him to go out.
Wang Yan helped her father think of a way to get Uncle Lu to agree.
What can entice a chef? A recipe! A recipe!
"Dad, the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet is coming soon. Go and teach Uncle Lu how to cook a dish."
"Um?"
"Let him see what you've got. That way he'll be reassured and know you can survive even after you've gone out. Even if you're clumsy and don't know how to control the heat or seasonings!"
"This little brat!" Fatty Wang pouted and clicked his tongue. How could she talk like that? How could her daughter speak so disparagingly of her own father?
"The recipes your Uncle Lu has were all taught by your grandfather. How could he not know how many recipes our family has?"
"There's no other way, so just tell him directly that I got it from a new online store later. Otherwise, you won't be able to convince him!"
You have to lure him with food to get his permission to leave the manor.
Fatty Wang frowned, thought about it, and realized that it was indeed a solution.
So I took Wang Yan's "Mountain Food Diary" and waved it in front of Uncle Lu.
"My child found this; the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner is coming up soon, so let's try this boxed tofu."
"Okay, come over and try the dishes, I'll help you out."
Fatty Wang glared at him. "Are you kidding me? I asked you to try out the dish! I don't know how to add the seasonings."
Lu Qi hesitated. This was a recipe that someone had found online. Was it okay for him to take it and use it himself?
"This...this isn't a recipe my master taught me. Would it be right for me to go and learn it again?"
"Stop talking nonsense and quickly memorize this recipe. I'm only letting you see this page. If the dishes you make don't taste good, then my child said you can't see the rest."
After a slight refusal, Lu Qi was so excited that he couldn't help but hold the page in his hand and read it.
And he was very well-behaved; when Fatty Wang told him to look at a particular page, he only looked at that page and didn't even glance at the ones next to him.
Cut the tofu into rectangular pieces about three fingers thick, deep-fry them until golden brown on all sides and set.
Then cut the tofu into open-top shapes and scoop out the tofu's interior.
Take the best lean meat, mince it, add salt, pepper, Sichuan peppercorn powder, cumin powder, egg white, and chicken broth, and beat it.
Then fill the tofu box with the minced meat, cover it, and secure it with scallion leaves. Steam for 15 minutes.
Sauté ginger slices, scallion slices, Sichuan peppercorns and other spices in a pot, add half a spoonful of light soy sauce, a little Shaoxing wine, a little white sugar, and half a spoonful of pepper powder.
Finally, pour in a bowl of cornstarch slurry and cook until it bubbles. Filter out the solids and pour the sauce over the tofu boxes.
The aroma of beans and meat combines to create a rich and layered flavor. A perfect balance of meat and vegetables, the texture is delicate, and the box is filled with delicacies. Open it to discover treasures and receive good fortune.
At the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, Lu Qi stole the show, and this dish was even selected for the old lady's birthday banquet menu, where it was added to the banquet.
Lu Qi was rewarded with a bag of gold ingots, and he happily gave half of them to Fatty Wang.
"Did our niece eat the tofu box I sent over?"
The Mountain Food Miscellany actually only records about ten kinds of snacks and only three kinds of main dishes.
Tofu boxes, eggplant casserole, and gourd-shaped eight-treasure duck. The rest of the dishes were snacks such as crispy rice crust and spicy strips.
Wang Yan didn't mention the rest of the delicious food she could think of; she just wanted to have a copy to fool people.
Even though there were only two hot dishes left, Uncle Lu was still eager to try them.
"That's nothing. I'll have Wang Yan bring it to you in a couple of days. But, let me tell you, I still want to leave the manor."
Lu Qi's face fell. "Don't even think about it. You're such a fool. What are you going to do outside?"
Ah! What can you do? Will you be a head chef in a restaurant, or open a roadside stall? If you're a restaurant chef, how many main dishes can you cook?
"If you set up a small stall at the market, can you make fragrant drinks, or can you make steamed buns and pancakes?"
Fatty Wang was unhappy. Why had he been getting bullied these past few days? One after another, people were mocking his cooking skills.
"We have money saved up. Even if we just go out and sell some pickles, we can still make a living!"
Lu Qi laughed, "How much money can you make in a month selling pickles?"
You're in charge of washing fruits and vegetables in the mansion. You don't get paid for a month. How much can you get as a reward?
The other day, the old lady rewarded you with two taels of silver for the watermelon you cut into a nice shape.
How many jars of pickles would you need to sell to earn back those two taels of silver?
Also, didn't you send Xing'er to the academy? He'll be taking the exam next year, which will require even more money. If the child does well on the exam, he'll have to climb the ranks step by step. Can you really support his education with the meager earnings from selling pickles?
Selling pickles can be profitable, but only if you can make them well. What about you?
Fatty Wang was not convinced, but he stopped going against him. He and Wang Yan agreed to take it slowly, bringing it up whenever they had the chance, and subtly influencing him.
If we keep talking about this today, it will turn into an argument, which is not good, and it would be a loss.
Anyway, don't give Lu Qi the last dish yet. Wait until he's about 70-80% convinced, then use the last dish to give him a final push. That way, it'll definitely work out.
Ugh! So annoying! How can anyone say he can't even pickle vegetables properly? I refuse to believe it!
As he spoke, he walked toward the jar of pickled bamboo shoots he had made two months ago to see how they were doing.
"Hey, senior brother, what's wrong with these bamboo shoots? Have they stopped flowering?"
Lu Qi tossed the cloth in his hand aside, glanced at him sideways, and slowly walked over to inspect it.
To be honest, out of ten large vats of pickled vegetables, only two were good and didn't develop mold!
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