Hua Zhi ordered some steamers and other things. Since this was something she had never used before, it took a long time. Her inspection method was also simple and rough. She had someone kill a fish and steam it in a pot. She calculated the time, took it out, poured some Fudong sauce on it, and put it in her mouth with chopsticks. Hmm, it took a little too long and the meat was not tender enough.
After spitting out the residue and putting down the chopsticks, Hua Zhi said, "You all have a taste."
Fudong was the first to try, and what he said was the same as what his young lady was thinking, "It's too dry."
"Redo it and light incense."
Burning incense can make the time more precise, and once it is set, it will become the standard for steaming fish in the future. It can also prevent chefs who are just starting to take on heavy responsibilities from having to open the pot to check whether the fish is cooked.
Hua Zhi is self-aware when it comes to cooking. She can cook, but she is better at talking and eating than cooking. It is ok to just cook something simple, but it is not easy to cook fish well. It took her three attempts before she could pass the test.
"Sea fish is different from the fish we usually eat. We can't use our previous experience to judge." Hua Zhi looked at Fu Dong, "Maybe the vegetarian side let us go?"
"I have taught all the maids that need to be taught, and it is almost the same. I will leave Liu Juan over there."
Hua Zhi remembered Liu Juan, the little girl who was almost raped in the manor, "Do you think highly of her?"
Fu Dong nodded, not hiding his love for Liu Juan, "She has a natural keen sense of smell and is willing to spend time thinking about it privately, but she is still a little far from being able to stand on her own."
"Then grind it out, and you'll have more helpers."
Fu Dong bit her lip. If Liu Juan could stand on her own, could she return to the young lady
Hua Zhi spent several days teaching them how to handle various seafood, and told them how to cook each dish according to the recipes she wrote herself. With Fu Dong's guidance, everyone learned everything and accepted the tricks quickly. However, it took them a little more time to accept that the older girl could cook.
Gu Yanxi still came to the Hua family for dinner every day, and told her some news from the court without any hesitation. Hua Zhi learned from him that the cover of the granary had been opened, and the situation was much more serious than she said. The emperor was furious and sent an imperial envoy to take charge of the matter. Because of this opportunity, the purchase of grain from Yan State, which had been debated before, was decided, and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was sent to Yan State.
"Xie Jin was impressed by the merits here and finally got a place after much negotiation, but your grandfather crossed it out."
Hua Zhi had a very bad impression of Xie Jin, so she couldn't help but think more about it, "Will he do anything?"
Gu Yanxi smiled, "Master Zhu has been able to stand firm in the court for many years, so how can he be an easy person to deal with? I'm afraid he is hoping that Xie Jin can do something so that he can take advantage of the opportunity to deal with him. By the way, I have found out about the marriage. It was Xie Jin who deliberately leaked the information to Qin Li. Qin Li is the brother of your concubine Qin in the mansion."
"Is there someone behind him?"
"You can't hide anything." Gu Yanxi pinched Ah Zhi's face and continued with a straight face, "It's the Feng family. His first wife was from a branch of the Feng family. If he didn't have any help, how could he be promoted to the fifth rank in just a few years?"
Hua Zhi rubbed her face. Except for the slightly red ears, she seemed to be unaffected. "His ex-wife's family asked him to marry a girl from the Hua family as a concubine?"
"That's about it."
This is really ridiculous, a new trick to kick someone when they are down. They must want to slap the Hua family in the face to humiliate the girls of the Hua family again and again. Hua Zhi suppressed her temper and asked again, "What is the Feng family's intention? Just to humiliate the Hua family?"
Gu Yanxi opened her clenched fist fingers one by one, "Because the Hua family has you to hold them up, they didn't collapse as they wished, and because they saw that the Hua family would not become the next He family, they can only step on you a few more times when you are weak. It doesn't matter how you step on them, as long as they can step as hard as they can. Anyway, the hatred between your two families already exists, so this is not a big deal for them."
Hua Zhi's face was as cold as ice. Because of this little thing, she seduced Hua Yan, that idiot, to pay with her whole life.
"There is no shortage of such people in the capital. The He family was considered to have made many good friends in the past, and this good relationship also saved their female relatives, but what happened later? They were still harmed to the point where they had no place to stand. If the Hua family had you, they would not have fallen to the same point as the He family. Those people are not worth making you angry."
But in the life before she came, they might have pressed the Hua family step by step! Hua Zhi closed her eyes, suppressed her irritable emotions little by little, and when she opened her eyes again, she had regained her usual calmness, "Has Haoyue made any movement?"
"I found reasons to meet with Chen Qing several times, but what she said was insignificant. Maybe she didn't know much."
Hua Zhi rubbed her forehead. There were too many things in her mind, and her head was a little painful.
Gu Yanxi stood up and walked behind her, pressing her against him, pressing her temples with his big hands, and said with a pained look in his eyes, "Take a break. Even if someone wants to destroy Daqing, it won't happen in a few days. We still have time."
Hua Zhi raised the corners of her lips and closed her eyes to enjoy this moment of intimacy.
Two days after the autumn examination, the seafood restaurant opened.
Hua Zhi did what she said and really asked Chen Liang to post several notices in Green Moss Lane and Liyun Lane. On the opening day, they hung up a plaque, removed the red silk, and set off a string of firecrackers.
She never worried that the deal would go badly, and of course, there was no need to worry.
Not long after the sound of firecrackers stopped, another sound of firecrackers rang out. Hua Zhi thought that they had not finished setting off the firecrackers. She turned around and saw Bao Xia running in quickly. "Miss, Master Liu, Master Peng, and Master Qi are here. They are the ones who set off the firecrackers."
Hua Zhi raised her eyebrows, "Those three gentlemen I met at the dock?"
"yes."
He came so early and brought his own firecrackers. I guess he came to support her. Is this probably a good relationship made with meat jerky? Hua Zhi couldn't help laughing. For a foodie, dealing with people through food is the most practical.
Xu Biao invited the three people to the second floor, treated them with good tea, and without waiting for people to order, he served a plate of fried yellow croaker. The fragrance and crispiness of the dish immediately made the three foodies forget about coming to save the day and just ordered food, order food, order food!
Later, Jiang Huanran came with a group of friends, Cai Zhiming also came with his classmates, and several families close to the Hua family, such as the Lu family and the Zhu family, also sent their juniors. These people alone occupied nearly half of the second floor.
Then came the students who got the news. After nine days and seven nights, they knew how much convenience the eldest girl's basket of things had provided them. Although such convenience might not seem like a big deal, they were truly grateful at the time.
Give me a peach, and I will return a plum. Today, the young lady’s new shop is opening, so of course they will come to support her.
After doing the math, it turned out that all these batches of people were related to favors. Hua Zhi felt both amused and heartwarmed when she found out. They were protecting her in this way, and even if she didn't need it, she had to accept this kindness.
"Go and tell Xu Biao that you can only charge half the price today."
"yes."
PS: The trivial plot is finally finished. The good news is that the next chapter will enter the main plot. The bad news is that there will be only one update tomorrow. Happy birthday to Kong Kong!