But whether you are convinced or not is not something you can express with just words.
Zhou Shaojin felt that the only way he could prove himself was by doing better.
She left Jiashu Hall with a normal expression on her face, but her heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Old Madam Guan stood in front of the window, watching Zhou Shaojin's back slowly disappear behind the flower wall. She then called Nanny Wang in and whispered, "Find a way to get someone to talk to Aunt Liang and find out how the old ancestor of the second house is doing."
Nanny Wang was shocked.
Old Madam Guan told Nanny Wang everything Zhou Shaojin had said to her just now, and finally said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid we have to take sides, we can't not make preparations early!"
Nanny Wang is an elder in the family, and she knows more about the Cheng family than Cheng Mian. After the change of dynasties, the Cheng family lost the aura and convenience of an official family, and had the reputation of being the remnants of the previous dynasty. Officials of all sizes dared to come forward to ask for money, and life was so difficult that she had not recovered until she followed Mrs. Guan as a dowry. If it were not for the second ancestor's talent and intelligence, and he passed the imperial examination, the Cheng family would have collapsed long ago. It can be said that the reason why Jiuru Lane is what it is today is all due to Cheng Xu. How Cheng Xu made the Cheng family prosper little by little, they not only saw it with their own eyes, but also experienced it personally. In the hearts of these old people, Cheng Xu is no less than the "king of the revival" of a dynasty. Asking them to challenge Cheng Xu's majesty... they don't dare!
So upon hearing this, Nanny Wang couldn't help but tremble and said, "You, are you sure? Don't anger the old ancestor... Madam Guo is powerful, but she is a woman after all, and it's not right... Fourth Master Chi is even less useful. Those shipping companies and ticket companies are just flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water. I'm afraid that a letter from the old ancestor can bring down those shipping companies and ticket companies..."
"You're not saying that it's that simple!" Old Lady Guan said disapprovingly, "Today is different from the past. All of my colleagues of the same age have passed away one after another, and my subordinates have their own thoughts. If it weren't for the support of the eldest master of the first house, some people might not give face to my ancestors. Otherwise, my ancestors wouldn't have won over the old master for Youyi. I don't want to follow the first house to defeat the second house and benefit from it... Do you still remember when Fourth Master Chi wanted us to join the banknote business? I didn't sleep for three days and three nights. If we don't buy shares, the family's income will not be enough to support Gao Ge'er and Yi Ge'er's future studies; if we buy shares, we will be tied to the same boat with the eldest house. What scares me even more is that Fourth Master Chi was only sixteen years old at the time! If he grows up safely, who knows what evil things he will do! Do you know the purpose of Fourth Master Chi's creation of the banknote business now? It would be fine if the Second House resists and turns against the First House. If they do, you will see that the Fifth House will definitely jump out and take the lead!"
What the fifth room lacks is money.
Money is your life and property.
If the second wife wants the fifth wife's life and property, the fifth wife will risk her life to fight the second wife to the death.
Nanny Wang was silent.
Old Lady Guan whispered: "Now it all depends on how the old ancestor's health is..."
Nanny Wang understood, nodded "yes", and retreated.
※
Zhou Shaojin spent a day painting the image of Guanyin at home, and the depression in her heart gradually dissipated. Counting the days, it was time for her to go to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures. She thought of Cheng Chi living in Hanbi Mountain House, and considering that the Spring Festival had just passed, she cooked crispy cakes and brought them to Mrs. Guo, Biyu and others to taste.
Mrs. Guo nodded continuously and said, "This snack is well made." Then she wondered, "It looks like five-spice powder is put in it, but it doesn't taste like it."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I added a little Sichuan pepper."
"Oh!" Madam Guo took another bite and said, "It seems there is something else."
"You really have an emperor's tongue." Zhou Shaojin said with a smile, "I ground the Sichuan pepper into powder, then fried it with salt, and added five-spice powder to make it crispy. The taste of the Sichuan pepper is slightly different from usual."
"I was saying that these crispy biscuits taste different from usual ones." Madam Guo smiled with relief and told Biyu, "Send a few to Silang to try as well."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I also made a box for Uncle Chi."
Madam Guo couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Since I'm doing it for you, I can't leave out Uncle Chi's."
Old Madam Guo laughed and said, "It seems that Silang has won my favor. Fine, then I won't care about it anymore. Just give these to Madam Lu." The last sentence was said to Biyu.
Biyu smiled and said "Okay".
Zhou Shaojin said goodbye and went to the Buddhist temple.
She hadn't copied scriptures for a few days, and the faint scent of ink made her feel very friendly and comfortable.
She took a deep breath and began to grind the ink.
Cheng Chi received the crispy biscuits sent by Biyu, looked at them for a long time, and then handed the box to Huaishan, saying, "You are from the north, you should like to eat this, take it back and eat it!"
Huaishan took the box.
Cheng Chi continued to talk to him: "… Since Xiao Zhenhai can find Jinling, others can find him too. It is not convenient for me to show up in Jinling City. The Cheng family will say that I am sick! This can also explain why I don’t serve as an official. When I die of illness in two years, the Cheng family will be safe."
Huaishan said "hmm", and then he saw Jiying walked into the yard and talked for a long time with a strange little maid with her head down. The little maid took out a box, the same one that Cheng Chi had handed to him just now, and handed it to Jiying. Jiying took the box, rewarded the little maid with a few copper coins, and walked back happily.
"Fourth Master!" he couldn't help but say, "It seems that the second young lady of the Zhou family also sent food to Jiying."
"Oh!" Cheng Chi said calmly, "Maybe she did a lot, so everyone gave her some gifts. The more gifts, the less blame! She was copying scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House. It would be much easier for her to do things if she made friends with these maids."
Huaishan agreed and went back with the box.
Ji Ying ran to Zhou Shaojin and said with a smile: "Second Miss, the crispy cookies you made are so delicious! Thank you so much! You are still thinking of me."
Zhou Shaojin laughed and said, "I did a lot, and everyone has a share. Uncle Chi also has a share."
"Really?" Ji Ying looked very sorry and said, "Your uncle Chi doesn't like this kind of thing."
Zhou Shaojin felt very uncomfortable and asked, "What does he like?"
Ji Ying thought for a long time and said, "I don't know either. But I know he doesn't like sweet food, but that's not right, he seems to eat orchid cakes... He doesn't eat things made of glutinous rice, that's for sure, because he doesn't eat glutinous rice balls and rice dumplings, that's not right, he eats pork rice dumplings... Oh, anyway, he is a strange person, I don't know what he likes to eat. Who knows what will suddenly suit his appetite!" At the end, she became a little impatient and said, "Anyway, he is very particular about food."
Is it because the food she cooked was not tasty
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and made jade dumplings for the second time.
The siu mai is made of pork, glutinous rice, green vegetables and dried shrimps. To make it look pretty, she even found a plate with a pastel-colored flower pattern to serve it.
It is said that after seeing it, Cheng Chi just thought the plate was pretty good.
The third time she made was a non-sweet sesame cake. In order to make it look good, she cut it into triangles, with a layer of white corn flour and a layer of black sesame seeds. The black and white were clearly distinguished, and it looked very novel.
Cheng Chi gave it to Qingfeng and Langyue as rewards, but Nanny Lu liked it very much. After eating it, she shyly asked her for the recipe.
Zhou Shaojin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and gave in. He decided to make cakes only for those who liked to eat them.
Not only did she write down the recipe of sesame cake for Aunt Lu, she also made glutinous rice and osmanthus cake for Aunt Lu.
Aunt Lu was very happy and gave some to Old Madam Guo.
Mrs. Guo smiled and said, "This glutinous rice cake is well made."
I ate several pieces.
Zhou Shaojin was shocked.
Eating too much glutinous rice can easily cause indigestion.
Madam Lu said aggrievedly, "Can we persuade the old lady?"
Zhou Shaojin said, "We have to persuade him even if we have to! Otherwise, if he gets hurt, what shall we do?" After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then I'll make some radish cakes tomorrow. They are just as soft and easy to eat, but they are made with radish and pork, which is better than glutinous rice cakes."
Nanny Lu nodded repeatedly.
The next day, Zhou Shaojin made radish cake and sent it over.
Mrs. Guo ate four pieces in a row before putting down her chopsticks.
When Zhou Shaojin went to say goodbye to her, she asked, "Are you good at cooking?"
"Not really." Zhou Shaojin said modestly, "I'm good at cooking what I like to eat, but I can't cook what I don't like to eat. For example, I don't like salted fish, so I can't cook it."
Madam Guo laughed and said, "So what do you like to eat?"
"Squirrel fish! Sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice cake, Longjing shrimp, lotus root and pork rib soup..." Zhou Shaojin counted on his fingers and said, "Anyway, I like to eat anything delicious."
Mrs. Guo laughed and rewarded Zhou Shaojin with a set of nanmu pastry molds.
There are peach, chrysanthemum, lotus, auspicious cloud and even five bats holding longevity flowers, a total of 21 kinds, which can be used not only to make snacks, but also to make moon cakes, which is very rare. Ordinary people have such a set of molds, usually for heirlooms.
Zhou Shaojin didn't dare to accept it.
Madam Guo smiled and said, "I don't have a daughter, and your cousins Zheng don't like to cook. Others give swords to knights, but I give a model to a famous chef, so it can be considered a perfect match!"
Zhou Shaojin really liked it, so he did not refuse and accepted it happily. He decided to make some snacks for Mrs. Guo to try later.
What she didn't expect was that when she returned to Jiashutang with the mold, Mrs. Wu was actually talking to Old Lady Guan.
Zhou Shaojin asked Si'er quietly, "Did Madam Wu come alone?"
Si'er nodded and whispered to her, "She was crying when she came here, and she just stopped crying with great difficulty. From the looks of it, it seems that she came here to complain to Old An."
In her previous life, Mrs. Wu often went to Old Lady Guan to cry and complain. But ever since Wu Baozhang had won the favor of Grandmother Zheng, Mrs. Wu would cry and complain to Grandmother Zheng about anything, and she almost never came to the Fourth Room.
Zhou Shaojin sneered and went in to pay his respects to Old Madam Guan.
Mrs. Wu, whose eyes were still a little swollen, was more enthusiastic than ever when she saw her. She smiled and was about to hold her hand: "Second Miss, have you returned from Hanbi Mountain House? The wind is a bit strong today, is it blowing? But I haven't seen you for a few months. Second Miss has grown taller and is much prettier than before..."
※
Additional update for Yanguo QQ.
O(∩_∩)O~
Sisters, please give me pink votes!
※(To be continued)