Chapter 24

Chapter 24

As this person was speaking, they noticed Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong approaching and quickly pointed them out to their friend.

"Those are the two young ladies; their skills are excellent."

Lin Taohong laughed excitedly and exchanged a few flattering words with the person, still looking back even as they walked away.

"Big Sister, did you hear that? They were praising us."

"I heard it." Lin Chunyan felt a warm joy inside.

When they passed by Hu's Steamed Bun Shop, Hu's wife spotted them and hurried out from behind the steamer to insist on giving them some freshly made buns.

"Business is booming for you, Hu's wife."

Unable to refuse, Lin Chunyan accepted the buns. Hu's wife beamed with delight, her face like a blooming flower. "Thanks to your help, many people enjoy the vegetarian three-treasure filling, and business has been better than before."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hu's wife let Lin Chunyan leave.

Her husband asked when she came in, "We should have invited those two young ladies to stay for a meal. Our good business is all thanks to them."

"How could I not know that? But they didn't want to come, and even getting them to take the buns required some persuasion."

"She seems to be a kind-hearted person. If we can help her in the future, we should do so."

As Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong turned the corner, they saw Hu's young master's maid looking around. Upon seeing them, she hurried over and hastily performed a curtsey.

Originally, they had planned to buy some small river fish today, but since Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong had finished work early, the maid's trip was in vain.

Upon returning, she reported to the beautiful lady that Hu's young master wasn't feeling well, so she decided to invite Lin Chunyan back to cook for him.

Lin Chunyan remembered their previous offer to make her a maid and wasn't too keen on going, citing household matters as an excuse.

The maid was sweating profusely, knowing that if she failed again, both the beautiful lady and Hu's young master would be angry, possibly leading to punishment.

In a moment of desperation, she mentioned the reward money. Hearing that there would be a good sum just for helping out once, Lin Chunyan paused.

"Really that much?"

The maid nodded quickly. "Even more! If the food pleases Hu's young master, there might be additional rewards!"

Lin Taohong stood beside them, mouth agape, imagining how much two hundred coins would be, almost too many to count.

Good heavens, how would they carry it all back?

"Big Sister, shall we go?"

"Yes."

Lin Chunyan changed direction, with Lin Taohong closely following. They entered Hu's residence through a side gate and headed straight for the kitchen.

Several maids and older women in the kitchen were surprised to see the beautiful lady's maid bringing Lin Chunyan over. When they learned she was there to cook for Hu's young master, their expressions turned strange.

Hu's young master hadn't been feeling well lately and hadn't wanted to eat for days. The kitchen staff's meals didn't suit his taste, which had angered the beautiful lady.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have invited Lin Chunyan back.

Ignoring their gazes, Lin Chunyan requested a separate kitchen.

"A separate kitchen?"

The housekeeper hadn't expected Lin Chunyan to ask for a separate kitchen and found it troublesome but also challenging.

Hearing this, the maid from the beautiful lady's quarters feared the kitchen staff might be difficult and suggested, "Why don't we use the small kitchen near Hu's young master's chambers?"

The head housekeeper had been waiting for this suggestion and immediately agreed, leading Lin Chunyan forward.

Lin Taohong kept looking around, noticing that the maids and older women here were well-dressed, some even wearing silk and embroidered shoes.

She paid particular attention to the flowers they wore in their hair; some maids even used scented oils, which could be smelled from afar.

Lin Chunyan had already taken a few steps, but Lin Taohong was still standing there, staring in awe, causing nearby maids to giggle behind their hands.

Realizing she was being looked down upon, Lin Taohong blushed and hurried to catch up with Lin Chunyan.

"This kitchen is small, but it has everything you need. If you require anything, just let me know."

Lin Chunyan surveyed the area and requested cucumbers, carrots, and bean sprouts.

Seeing her request for ordinary ingredients, the housekeeper glanced at Lin Chunyan a few times, her unease dissipating slightly.

"I thought she'd be someone extraordinary." The housekeeper left after showing her around, and Wang Pozi, who managed Hu's young master's kitchen, quickly pulled her aside and handed her a red envelope.

"What's this for?" The housekeeper asked, but her hand subtly weighed the envelope.

"Sister, don't hide things from me. Who is this person?"

With a substantial red envelope, the housekeeper revealed, "She's from outside, not worth much. She'll leave after cooking this one meal."

"That's good." Wang Pozi breathed a sigh of relief, fearing an outsider might take her position.

The two chatted in the corridor while Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong worked alone in the kitchen, not allowing anyone else to enter, not even the firewood maid.

"What is this young lady planning to cook? Keeping it such a secret, we professional cooks don't usually do that." Wang Pozi peeked into the kitchen but saw nothing, feeling somewhat disgruntled.

"Just a country girl, what does she know? Mei Xiang said she's just a street vendor, seeking novelty."

Hearing this, Wang Pozi finally relaxed. As long as she wasn't there to take her job, it didn't matter what she cooked.

A meal is just a meal; what else can one hope for?

The beautiful woman had guests, and seeing Mei Xiang come in from outside, she knew Lin Chunyan had arrived. She didn't bother with the matter anymore.

Given her status, if it weren't for her young master's fondness for certain dishes and his current discomfort, she would never have allowed Lin Chunyan to cook.

The kitchen was hot, and when Lin Taohong tended the fire, she was drenched in sweat. She first looked around before asking Lin Chunyan, "Elder Sister, what are we making? Why don't we use some better ingredients? The preserved plum and pork dish we had before would surely be loved by the young master."

"That dish is too greasy and troublesome to prepare. I heard the young master isn't feeling well, so eating something like that might not be good for him. I'm going to make zhajiangmian."

To make zhajiangmian, it was because she had rushed over, and some dishes require broth to bring out their flavors properly.

But zhajiangmian was a clever choice. Apart from shredded cucumber, carrot, mung bean sprouts, and scallions, the most important part was the bowl of meat sauce made from a mix of fatty and lean meat.

Lin Chunyan was experienced in making zhajiangmian. The meat sauce she prepared smelled incredibly fragrant and looked shiny and appetizing.

Lin Chunyan then asked Lin Taohong to get a large platter and arranged the various chopped vegetables on it, placing the meat sauce in the center to form a circle.

Outside the kitchen, the head housekeeper and Wang Pozi were no longer talking. Both were craning their necks to see what Lin Chunyan was making.

Before they could see anything, they smelled a rich aroma of meat. The servant boy who attended Hu Xiaolangjun had been waiting eagerly.

He had seen many things following Hu Xiaolangjun, but he had never seen such a sight: red, green, white, and black all mixed together, with finely sliced vegetables and a bowl of meat sauce emitting a strong fragrance.

"How do we eat this?" the servant boy asked Lin Chunyan, perplexed.

Lin Chunyan showed him once, and the servant boy immediately carried it away.

Inside the room, Hu Xiaolangjun was playing chess with a friend, but he seemed distracted, frequently glancing at the door.

Wang Xiaolangjun grew curious but lost interest upon hearing it was just about food.

Although Hu Xiaolangjun's love for food wasn't openly discussed, there were rumors, and he knew about them. He teased Hu Xiaolangjun a bit, and just as the servant boy brought in the food, he took a closer look.

Unexpectedly, it was a dish he had never seen before.

Hu Xiaolangjun saw the colorful platter and smelled the faint aroma of meat. His mouth began to water, and he eagerly asked a maid to bring him chopsticks.

Wang Xiaolangjun also sniffed the air, tempted to taste it but hesitated after mocking Hu Xiaolangjun earlier. He finally asked the servant boy how to eat it.

They couldn't each eat from their own portions, right?

Following Lin Chunyan's method, the servant boy mixed the meat sauce with the noodles, making it look particularly appetizing. Hu Xiaolangjun started eating eagerly.

Lin Chunyan and the others hadn't left yet, as they hadn't received their payment. They sat at the kitchen entrance, and Wang Pozi, who had been dismissive earlier, now approached them warmly, instructing a maid to serve them water.

The water contained coarse tea, which tasted quite good.

"You two are truly capable," Wang Pozi praised them. Lin Chunyan didn't react much, but Lin Taohong became quite proud.

She didn't know what the zhajiangmian tasted like, but she assumed it must be delicious, given that the previously disdainful old woman was now being so friendly.

The head housekeeper also wanted to know how to make zhajiangmian but couldn't bring herself to ask. She thought Wang Pozi would find out and wouldn't keep it secret.

However, Lin Chunyan remained calm and quiet, pretending not to understand.

Wang Pozi felt discouraged, thinking Lin Chunyan was ungrateful.

She was used to working in the kitchen, and while other aspects were manageable, the meat sauce likely had a secret recipe. If it were simply stir-fried, it wouldn't taste as good.

Those who worked in the kitchen and reached managerial positions usually had their specialties. For example, she excelled in preparing sheep tongue.

People loved sheep, and there were various ways to prepare it. Liu Niangzi from Wang Xiaolang's restaurant was famous for her steamed sheep.

Everyone kept their recipes secret, rarely sharing them.

After mixing the noodles, the young master took a bite, and the rich flavor of the meat sauce filled his mouth. The meat sauce was perfectly balanced, neither too oily nor too greasy. The only sound in the room was the slurping of noodles.

Wang Xiaolangjun swallowed hard, unable to resist the enticing aroma, and asked Hu Xiaolangjun to share a bowl.

Hu Xiaolangjun was reluctant and said, "It's just some humble food; let me, the uncultured one, enjoy it."