Xie Nanjia was lost in thought when a short and fat woman came in from outside. Seeing her blocking the door, she was hesitant to leave or stay. She raised her hand and slapped her, cursing, "Little hoof, why are you blocking the door for no reason? You're in the way. Even if you stand there looking out the door all day, there's no man in this yard for you to pick up."
Xie Nanjia was completely unprepared, and the slap hit her face hard, causing half of her face to burn with pain.
This woman was the cook who was responsible for cooking for the servants. Her surname was Hu. She was usually rude and unreasonable. It was common for little maids in the kitchen to be beaten. No one took it seriously. Instead, everyone laughed at her ridicule of Xie Nanjia. They dropped the topic about the cousin and started to mock Xie Nanjia instead.
"Who said there are no men in this courtyard? Aren't all those servants doing odd jobs and chopping wood men?"
"Look at what you said. Xiu'er is a beautiful lady, how could she be interested in a servant? She only likes handsome and elegant noblemen."
"Yes, yes, yes. I think Xiu'er is the most likely person to be the young mistress or the nurse here. You must try to curry favor with her. You may even have to work under her in the future!"
Xie Nanjia stood there silently, looking at all these people indifferently, and finally his eyes stopped on Mrs. Hu's face.
It was clearly just a light glance, but somehow Mrs. Hu felt a little chill in this hot day. She couldn't help but shudder and glared at Xie Nanjia, "What's the matter, you little bitch? Do you still want to hit me?"
"Okay, okay, stop talking. Aunt Cai will come over and scold you for being lazy." Qin'er came over to smooth things over and took Xie Nanjia away.
The two walked to the yard, and Qin'er advised: "Xiu'er, don't be sad, those people are just bored and just want to have fun, don't take it to heart."
Xie Nanjia smiled nonchalantly: "I'm fine. That woman looks very arrogant. Who is she?"
"Oh, she doesn't have any background. If she did, how could she be serving here?" Qin'er pouted. "It's just that her husband is a distant relative of the housekeeper's family. Some time ago, the mansion sent a group of servants, and her husband went to ask the housekeeper to let her come here to be a cook. She thinks she is so great, and she is showing off all day long. To put it bluntly, she is just a bully. She only dares to bully little girls. Ask her to beat up others and see if she can do that."
"I see." Xie Nanjia nodded. "Now I know what's going on. You go back and do your work. I'll be alone for a while."
Qin'er saw that she was always indifferent. She couldn't tell whether she was angry or aggrieved. She didn't know what she was thinking, so she asked worriedly, "You're not going to let it go, are you?"
Xie Nanjia smiled again: "How could that be? It's just a slap in the face. I'm not that desperate. You don't have to worry about me. Go back and get busy!"
Qin'er still had work to do, so she had to return to the kitchen half-believing and half-doubting.
Xie Nanjia stood in the yard and thought for a moment, then went straight to the manager's office to find Aunt Cai.
When she met Aunt Cai, she stated her purpose directly, saying that she didn't want to be a fire-making maid anymore and asked Aunt Cai to give her a new job.
Aunt Cai asked her what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to be a cook.
Aunt Cai was very surprised. Although the cook cooked for the servants, the servants were divided into different levels. The meals for the little maids and servants were easy to fool, but the managers, wives and big maids were not easy to serve. They followed their masters around, were knowledgeable and experienced, and were very picky about food. Without three to five years of cooking skills, it would be impossible to serve them.
Xiu'er has only been in the kitchen for less than a month. Apart from making a fire, she has never even touched a big spoon. Suddenly she wants to be a cook. Isn't this a joke
She wanted to train her, but she had to do it step by step!
You don’t become fat in one bite, and of course you don’t learn to be a cook in one day.
Aunt Cai was quite patient with the person she liked. She didn't want to discourage her enthusiasm, so she said tactfully: "Cooking is not like making fire. Making fire only requires diligence and cleverness. There are many tricks to cooking, and it's not something you can master in a day or two. It's good that you are motivated, but everything should be done step by step. Since you don't want to make fire anymore, why don't you work on the counter for a while!"
Xie Nanjia said, "I don't like using a knife. I'm only interested in cooking. When I was lighting the fire, I was watching you and the other ladies cooking. I've been watching for nearly a month and I've basically learned how to cook. Although I haven't actually tried it, I think it won't be too bad. If you don't believe me, you can let me try. Maybe I'm just gifted!"
This is somewhat arrogant.
Aunt Cai has been cooking for twenty years. She started out as a stove-burning maid and worked her way up step by step. However, it took her three years to go from making the stove to touching the spoon.
Xiu'er has only been in business for less than a month, yet he dares to say that he is gifted. Isn't that arrogance
Aunt Cai admired her ambition, but she felt it necessary to discourage her from being too ambitious.
"Okay, I'll let you try. If you can do it, I'll do as you wish. If not, then you just have to stay and burn the fire for another six months. What do you think?"
"I'll do as you say, Auntie." Xie Nanjia said.
So, that night, Aunt Cai asked her to try her cooking skills.
The servants have a later meal time than their masters because they need to serve their masters before they can take over and eat.
When Xie Nanjia went to the kitchen, the masters' meals had already been sent away and most of the people in the kitchen were idle. When they heard that Xiu'er was going to cook, everyone gathered around to watch.
It's more like waiting to see Xiu'er make a fool of herself than to say she was curious. She was a girl who had just come from the country and had only been cooking for a few days, but she was so ignorant of the world that she wanted to be a cook. Wasn't this wishful thinking
Aunt Cai has always been steady and never made mistakes. She hates people who are overconfident and incompetent the most. But today she actually wanted Xiu'er to cook. If she was not crazy, then she was deliberately trying to make trouble for Xiu'er.
There are quite a few picky maids in the mansion. They are always choosy about the food and wish to eat the same thing as their masters. It is conceivable that if Xiu'er messes up the dish, she will be scolded to death by them.
Scolding is a small matter. You may be beaten and have your monthly salary deducted. If you anger a prominent maid, she may tell her master about it and even drive you out of the house.
Did Aunt Cai also think Xiu'er was too troublesome, so she wanted to find an excuse to drive her away
Everyone was waiting to see the fun. Mrs. Hu, who had slapped Xie Nanjia in the face in the afternoon, pouted and said, "If she can cook a decent dish, I will write my name backwards."
Someone laughed and joked with her: "Can you write?"
"What's the point of writing your name backwards?" Xie Nanjia glanced at her. "Since you look down on me so much, why don't we make a bet? If someone eats the food I cooked today and says it's not good, from now on I will kneel to you once I see you. On the other hand, you kneel to me once you see me. Do you dare to bet?"
“…” There was an uproar in the kitchen.
Aunt Cai had no idea what was going on between the two of them, and was puzzled as to why Xiu'er, who had always been low-key, suddenly became so aggressive.
Qin'er whispered in her ear what happened in the afternoon.
Only then did Aunt Cai understand that Xiu'er had taken the initiative to change her job because of this. In other words, she was angry with Mrs. Hu
But this was too much of a gamble. If she couldn't hold it in, even she, as the manager, wouldn't be able to help her out.
Alas! Aunt Cai sighed. This girl looks quite reliable, but unfortunately she is still too young.
Mrs. Hu said arrogantly, "Let's gamble. There's nothing I dare not do."
As the saying goes, it is difficult to satisfy everyone. Even an experienced cook would not dare to say that the dishes she cooks will be liked by everyone. But she is just a young girl, and she really dares to say that.
Xie Nanjia bowed to Aunt Cai and said, "Auntie, I will start now. My bet with Mrs. Hu is serious. Please be a witness for us."
Aunt Cai couldn't favor her in front of so many people, so she could only nod silently.
The people at the table had already prepared the ingredients. Jiuer volunteered to light the fire for Xie Nanjia, and everyone else stared at Xie Nanjia's every move with wide eyes.
At the beginning, some people even worried whether she knew to add the oil first. Gradually, as Xie Nanjia added oil, sautéed ingredients, and stir-fried in an orderly manner, the aroma from the pot wafted out, and everyone quieted down.
Xiu'er not only knows how to cook, but she does it very skillfully and calmly. Although I don't know if it tastes good or not, it smells really good.
"Hey, what dish is that? Why does it smell so good?" Just as everyone was amazed, a pretty girl walked in from outside. It was Haitang, the eldest lady's personal maid.
She had just finished serving the eldest lady her meal and came to the kitchen to find something to eat as she was hungry.
She is the most valued maid by the eldest lady, so it’s okay for her to not follow the rules a little.
When Aunt Cai saw her coming, she greeted her with a smile and said, "People say greedy cats have sharp noses. You came here because of the smell!"
"Yes, I can smell the fragrance from far away." Haitang said with a smile, "Let me see which aunt is cooking today."
Aunt Cai also laughed: "Today she is not an aunt, but a sister."
"What girl?" Haitang walked over curiously. Everyone made way for her. When she saw a little girl standing on the stove, she smiled knowingly and said, "I understand. Which aunt is testing her little apprentice?"
"You guessed it right." Aunt Cai didn't explain much and asked someone to bring her a pair of chopsticks. "Since you said it smells good, try it first!"
Haitang was not polite either. She picked up a piece of each dish that Xie Nanjia had prepared with her chopsticks to taste. After finishing the dishes, she was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Delicious, delicious. I'll buy all these dishes."
Aunt Cai felt relieved and laughed heartily: "You're welcome."
Everyone laughed as well, but their laughter was very hollow. They all thought to themselves, was it really that I was wrong? Could it be that this girl Xiu'er is really gifted
Mrs. Hu's momentum also weakened amid Haitang's continuous praise.
But she thought it might be because Haitang was too hungry. When people are hungry, even steamed corn bread can taste like braised pork.
Soon, she no longer thought so. As more and more girls came to dine, everyone was attracted and tasted the dishes made by Xie Nanjia with great interest. Their final reactions and comments were exactly the same as Haitang's.
Aunt Cai was completely relieved, but she was afraid that Mrs. Hu would not be convinced, so she asked her to taste it herself.
After tasting it, Mrs. Hu no longer had any complaints.
But, does she really have to kneel down to Xiu'er every time she sees him in the future? If so, she might as well let her die. She can't afford to lose face like that.
Xie Nanjia came down from the stove, her clothes all wet.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead and asked Aunt Cai if she was qualified to be a cook.
Only then did Aunt Cai believe that she was not arrogant, but was, as she said, gifted.
Talent is probably the only explanation for Xiu'er's cooking skills.
"Okay, since you have done it, I will naturally keep my word. Starting tomorrow, Mrs. Hu's position will be yours." Aunt Cai said.
Mrs. Hu's heart skipped a beat and she quickly knelt down to Mrs. Cai.
Aunt Cai stopped her, "You don't have to kneel to me. I've seen everything you do, but I didn't find a suitable replacement for you. Now that there is one, you should take a break. If you are still willing to work in the kitchen, I will arrange for you to wash the dishes. If you don't want to, you can resign. Maybe you will think I am ruthless, but if you are really willing to kneel to Xiu'er every day when you see her, I will keep the position of cook for you."
“…” Mrs. Hu was speechless. Even though she was dissatisfied in her heart, she did not dare to contradict Mrs. Cai in person. She could only grit her teeth and endure it. When she saw her husband in the evening, she would ask him to go and plead with the steward.
Xie Nanjia won a great victory and finally let out the anger in his heart.
Mrs. Hu slapped her, and she caused Mrs. Hu to lose her job. Such a counterattack was cruel enough for a servant, and there was no need for Mrs. Hu to really kneel down to her.
Furthermore, the slap from Mrs. Hu was only a trigger for her sudden decision to become a cook. The real reason was that her son was about to turn a hundred days old.
Because of the death of her biological mother, there has been no banquet since her son was born. I guess Qin will prepare a small banquet when his son is a hundred days old.
She had been patient for a long time and she didn't want to wait any longer. She wanted to move the painting building out of Qingqu Garden and send Qin Wanru back to the Prime Minister's Mansion. She wanted to complete it all at once during the Hundred Days Banquet.
All of this will be more convenient with the identity of a cook.
The facts turned out to be just as Xie Nanjia had expected. The next day, Qin sent someone to tell Aunt Cai about the young master's hundred-day banquet.
Qin said that the Marquis meant that the young master was still in mourning, so it was not easy to hold a grand ceremony. Instead, the people in his own house should gather together to have some fun, and then when the young master turns one year old next year, they will hold a proper ceremony to celebrate his first birthday.
This was exactly what Xie Nanjia wanted. It would be easier to act with fewer people and the chances of success would be greater. This time, they could only succeed and not fail.
If she succeeded, she would no longer fight alone. If she failed, no, she had already failed once and would never allow it to happen again.
(End of this chapter)