Chapter 546: Nanny Shi Resembles That Country Bumpkin

Chapter 546: Nanny Shi Resembles That Country Bumpkin

The servants in this mansion were ranked, from high to low. The attendants and confidants by the masters' sides had meals almost as good as the masters themselves, while the lower-ranking servants considered it a bonus if they could get an extra piece of meat on a regular day.

Nanny Shi opened the lunch box and saw several fatty pieces of preserved meat laid on top of the millet. She couldn’t help but take a deep breath of the aroma, then grabbed the bowl with the most preserved meat and also took two more pieces from other people's bowls.

One of the maids who arrived late had an empty bowl with only millet left, and even the soybeans were pitifully few. Seeing Nanny Shi’s bowl full of preserved meat, she dared not voice her anger and could only sit in the corner, eating her millet while envying the aroma of Nanny Shi’s preserved meat.

As she smelled it, the aroma of the preserved meat suddenly turned into a sweet fragrance that was refreshing to the heart. Nanny Shi was stunned and doubted her own nose. She took another deep breath. This time, the sweet fragrance turned into the scent of fermented beans, followed by the rich aroma of meat, and then the light sweet smell of rice flour. So many different fragrances wafted over, yet they didn’t clash but were distinct and layered, making one momentarily crave the sweetness, and the next moment, the fragrance of fermented beans.

"What is that amazing smell?" A maid with low resolve couldn’t help but exclaim. At that moment, the preserved meat in her hand lost all flavor as her soul almost flew toward the enticing aroma, only to drift back with the fading scent.

Everyone stopped eating and stretched their necks, looking around to find the source of the aroma. Eventually, their gazes all landed in the direction of the kitchen in the Wutong Courtyard.

"So fragrant! We have to check this out!" Tie Zhu spoke while smacking his lips.

Nanny Shi also stood up.

With that enticing smell, the preserved meat in her mouth lost its appeal. How could she sit still?

But how could a remote place like Wutong Courtyard produce such an enticing aroma?

A thought flashed through Nanny Shi’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

No, how could that be possible? They’re just country girls. What could they possibly cook that’s worth noting? At most, it’s some wild delicacies. It’s only because the Fifth Young Master Shen Yuanzhen hadn’t tried those country dishes that he’s interested.

"Why go? It’s just dishes from Jiuyuan Pass. How could it compare to the dishes from our Holy City?" Nanny Shi snorted coldly with arrogance.

However, the other maids didn’t agree. One by one, they ran off, and soon the front yard was left with only Nanny Shi alone, feeling angry. She angrily bit into the preserved meat in her mouth.

When the maids arrived outside the kitchen in the Wutong Courtyard, the strong fragrance hit them, almost making them faint from the smell.

In no time, they were all chattering outside, trying to peek inside to see what delicious food was being made, but the large wooden door of the kitchen was tightly closed, like the door of a prison.

At that moment, however, they felt like prisoners anxious to get out, while the delicious aroma taunted them.

Even the Fifth Young Master Shen Yuanzhen was standing outside, peeking in.

Seeing that even the Fifth Young Master was standing outside, the maids felt a little comforted.

The maid who hadn’t gotten any preserved meat ate her meal while inhaling the fragrance. This aroma was much more appetizing than the preserved meat!

Even after finishing a bowl of millet, when they still felt hungry, their eyes gleamed with hunger, like starving wolves. They all stared at the kitchen door like predators.

Finally, the door swung open, releasing a flood of light and fragrant steam.

At that moment, the servants who had just finished a bowl of food felt their stomachs growl as if they had been starving for three days. They rushed forward, wanting to enter the kitchen, but Shen Yuanzhen noticed and stomped his foot in anger. "Scram, all of you!"

This was made by his sister for him. How dare these servants try to steal it! No way!

Xiao Linzi was also very upset.

He knew these servants were assigned by the Second Miss to the Young Miss, but how could they be so lacking in proper etiquette? How did the Second Miss assign such people?

Unconsciously, Xiao Linzi began to feel some dissatisfaction towards the Second Miss, who had once seemed nearly perfect to him.

Driven by their most primal instincts, the servants and maids barely paid any attention to Shen Yuanzhen and still tried to squeeze into the kitchen.

It wasn't until Su Youyue walked out, her eyes cold and glowing against the light like cold stars in the sky, sweeping over each of them, that they involuntarily fell silent. A chill crept up their backs.

"Such a racket! Is this the kind of manners the household has taught you?"

"If you can't behave properly, you can go back where you came from tonight."

Upon hearing this authoritative voice, the servants and maids immediately calmed down, feeling a coolness behind them.

How could they forget? Young Miss hits people when she's unhappy.

Compared to a missed meal, they certainly weren't going to risk getting beaten, so they quickly backed away to make room.

As Qingluo and Jin'er brought out dish after dish, the servants' eyes were practically glued to the dishes.

They didn't recognize the dishes, but just one look was enough to tell that they were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, utterly mouth-watering!

Not until the last dish was taken away and they saw that not even a piece of vegetable remained in the kitchen, did they return disappointed.

In the front courtyard, Nanny Shi, who had been enjoying her meal, gradually found her food tasteless under the influence of those aromas.

Only when the fragrance seemed to suddenly appear behind her did she realize that Qingluo and Jin'er had started serving the dishes in the front hall.

Her mouth quickly turned downward, but her eyes uncontrollably glanced over. She couldn’t make out what was on the plate and hazarded a guess about which country dish could be so fragrant.

It wasn’t until all the dishes were served and the front hall was filled with an intoxicating aroma that Nanny Shi’s feet betrayed her will and moved her forward involuntarily.

She was just going to take a look, it was nothing...

The moment Nanny Shi entered the front hall, she was stunned by the dishes on the table.

There was also preserved meat on the table, but it was seven parts lean and three parts fat, the lean meat a dark red and the fat a snowy white, with distinct muscle fibers like the intricate water networks on land. It was clearly top-tier preserved meat, nothing like the poorly made one she had just eaten.

The rice was crystal-clear and translucent, each grain distinct. The porridge seemed to be made with creamy broth, thick and milky white, containing tender yams, plump red wolfberries, and a slice of clear, translucent snow pear.

There were also seven or eight other dishes that Nanny Shi couldn't name for a moment. She stood there dumbfounded, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets, longing to get closer to the table to see what those dishes actually were.

The maids Tie Zhu and Gang Zhu, standing beside her, saw her unknowing expression and, for some reason, suddenly felt that compared to Young Miss and her two maids, at that moment, Nanny Shi looked like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world...