Feeling somewhat guilty after hearing Sun Zhaodi's words, Granny Li forgot about the veiled criticisms of her figure. She simply glanced down and saw Sun Zhaodi washing tripe, and sneered:
"Oh, you really know how to follow a good master. On such an important day, you actually dare to use water to fool your master. I'm afraid you'll be kicked out after this meal! Let's see how arrogant you'll be then!"
After saying that, Granny Li glared fiercely at Jiang Yuwei, who was busy cooking.
After hearing what Granny Li said, Sun Zhaodi looked at the tripe in her hand and suddenly felt uneasy. On such an important day, if her master blamed her, she would definitely be implicated as well.
So he got up and whispered to Jiang Yuwei:
"Um, Jiang Yuwei, right? Are we really going to make this tripe?"
Jiang Yuwei was busy making pounded pepper and preserved egg when she saw Sun Zhaodi's slow pace and said unhappily:
"Your job today is to follow my instructions. As long as you cooperate well, there will be no problem today. But if you are slow and cause delays, I will definitely report you to Steward Zhang!"
Seeing that Jiang Yuwei was not someone to be trifled with, Sun Zhaodi dared not ask any more questions and could only speed up her work.
Soon, Manager Zhang ordered someone to serve the dishes.
Seeing this, Sun Zhaodi hurriedly said:
"The banquet has started. You still have a few dishes to prepare, so hurry up!"
Jiang Yuwei nodded and asked Sun Zhaodi to plate the spicy crayfish and pounded pepper preserved egg. She then asked her to hand the fried eggplant fritters to the maid who came to serve the dishes. Jiang Yuwei herself put the stir-fried base of boiled pork slices into a pot, added vegetables to blanch them, and then put them at the bottom of the pot. She then stir-fried the pork slices and cooked them for a while. She then poured them into a large bowl with the side dishes and had it served.
Using the same pot I used to cook boiled pork slices, I added the ingredients for spicy blood curd to the pot and cooked them, adding a bit more spiciness before serving the dish.
Sun Zhaodi was asked to wash the pot and chop the scallions, ginger and garlic for later use. Meanwhile, she made a dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. After eating too much meat and fish, she needed a refreshing dish. She then served a plate of pickled fruit that she had prepared earlier.
Jiang Yuwei had her own reasons for insisting on including crayfish and pickled fruit on the menu. Today's banquet was attended by dignitaries from Ping'an Town. If they enjoyed the food, they could buy it from her stall, which would also make her food a hit in Ping'an Town.
Seeing that the previously sliced pork tenderloin was marinated, Jiang Yuwei poured cornstarch and oil over it and started frying it. After frying the pork slices, she coated the previously sliced eggplant pieces in batter and fried them as well.
After frying everything, Jiang Yuwei prepared a sauce for sweet and sour pork and a sauce for flavored eggplant, and stir-fried them separately before serving.
Sun Zhaodi watched Jiang Yuwei's actions with a shocked expression. At first, she said that Jiang Yuwei was there to replace Li Hu, just to spite Granny Li. But now she felt that Jiang Yuwei was indeed much more capable than Li Hu. She had never seen these dishes before, yet Jiang Yuwei made them with ease, and each dish was perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Sun Zhaodi couldn't help but swallow her saliva as she watched.
Seeing that Jiang Yuwei had finished serving all ten dishes, Li Hu's face turned red with anxiety. He had only prepared five dishes so far, and he was simply not as fast as Jiang Yuwei. Seeing Li Hu swinging the spatula so quickly, Granny Li knew that her son was in a hurry.
So she smiled and leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"Son, don't rush, take your time. Jiang Yuwei won't outdo you. I've already told the maid who serves the food, so don't worry."
Upon hearing what Granny Li said, Li Hu's eyes lit up, and he finally felt relieved. He then stared at Jiang Yuwei with a malicious smile.
Jiang Yuwei, exhausted and sweating profusely from all the work, was about to wash her face with a basin of water when the maid who had been delivering dishes rushed into the kitchen, calling out anxiously:
"Which one is Jiang Yuwei? Hurry up and come to the front with me, the master wants to ask her questions!"
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei had no choice but to lower her sleeves and walk up to the maid with a puzzled look, asking:
"I am Jiang Yuwei. May I ask what business the owner of this house has with me?"
The maid didn't say anything else when she saw Jiang Yuwei. She grabbed Jiang Yuwei's wrist as if afraid that she would run away, and dragged her to the front yard.
Seeing this, Li Hu, who was still cooking, smiled and said:
"You think you can steal my work? You're dreaming! Let's see if you dare set foot in the Xu residence again!"
Hearing Li Hu's words, Sun Zhaodi suddenly realized something, her face darkened, and she pointed at Li Hu and Granny Li, cursing:
"You two are really bold! On such an important day, you still dare to tamper with things. If you make our master lose face in front of the guests, I don't think you and your son will be able to stay in the Xu residence!"
Upon hearing Sun Zhaodi's words, Granny Li angrily retorted:
"You shameless hussy, stop your nonsense and slander! Have you even seen what we did?"
Seeing this, Li Hu frowned and said:
"Sun Zhaodi, don't think that just because you have some looks you can't do anything to me! If you don't marry me, you'll just be destined to be a concubine for your master. Who told you to be born lowly and like being a maid or concubine? Humph, I'm marrying you as my wife and you still don't like it. I'm really giving you face!"
Sun Zhaodi was so angry at Li Hu's shameless words that her face turned red. She pointed at Li Hu, stomped her foot, and cursed:
"Pah! With your face that's as ugly as a wrongful conviction, you dare to dream of marrying me? You're like a toad trying to eat a peony—you're dreaming!"
After scolding Li Hu, Sun Zhaodi was afraid that something might happen to Jiang Yuwei and implicate her, so she quickly turned around and ran to the front yard.
Granny Li, who was standing nearby, also wanted to go to the front yard to see what was going on, so she said to Li Hu:
"Son, hurry up and cook. I'll go check on Jiang Yuwei up ahead."
Sun Zhaodi and Granny Li ran to the front hall one after the other and peered inside through the doorway. They saw Jiang Yuwei standing with her head bowed in front of Master Xu and Madam Xu. Granny Li covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Fine, fine, I'll teach you to be arrogant, I'll teach you to overestimate yourself, and to even try to steal my son's job!"
Sun Zhaodi, who was anxiously observing the situation inside, wanted to hear what the master and mistress were saying. Seeing Li Pozi smirking beside her, she pinched her hard and said:
"Shut up! If Madam finds out we're not working and are eavesdropping here, we'll both be in deep trouble!"
Granny Li was in pain from being pinched but dared not cry out. She wanted to retaliate against Sun Zhaodi, but suddenly heard Master Xu speak in the hall:
"Did you make these spicy crayfish?!"
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