Chapter 15 The opportunity has come
After taking a sip of tea, Song asked Jiang, "Have you sent out all the invitations? Have you prepared the bamboo curtains for sunshade?"
"Yes, the granddaughter-in-law has been arranged. Don't worry, grandma. I will definitely satisfy the people who come to the flower banquet."
"That's good, that's good."
Then he asked a few more small questions, such as the arrangement of the carriage and the color of the tablecloth. Seeing that Jiang had arranged everything to her liking, he became even happier.
Jiang had said everything she needed to say, and the old lady asked her to go back, saying that she had a lot of things to do and that Langge would be waiting for her to have lunch together at noon. Jiang agreed and was about to leave when she was stopped by Song.
"I just remembered something. Our Liuhe Manor is not far from here. Is it just outside the west city gate?"
Jiang didn't know what Song was thinking of, so she quickly responded, "That's right, just go out of the west city gate and turn towards Yushan and you'll find it."
"The most famous thing in our village is the Bai Lao Spring. Normally, no one can drink it. Wouldn't it be better if we could use this water to make a dish? It would be best if we could pair it with vegetables grown in our yard to show our importance and sincerity."
There is a spring called Bailao Spring on Liuhe Manor. The water used by the master in the East Mansion is delivered from Liuhe Manor early in the morning. Song Shi didn't ask for water to be delivered here when she came to the West Mansion, but she remembered it at this time.
"Grandma, this is a good idea. I'll ask Baoping to go to the main kitchen and ask them to think of a dish." Baoping had just walked to the door with the menu in her hand, but when she heard what Jiang said, she came back and listened respectfully to Jiang's arrangements.
"You don't need to send anyone around you. They just arrived and are not familiar with the people in the kitchen." He turned around and called, "Dongmei."
"Yes, old lady." A tall girl with ordinary looks but very clean and neat came forward with a smile.
"Go to the kitchen and take the menu. Tell the cooks about my idea and ask them to make a special dish so that everyone can taste the water from the Broad Spring."
After saying that, he added, "You don't have to rush back. I think the dishes need to be prepared urgently. You stay there and wait for anything that needs water or negotiation with the outer courtyard. You can be faster there. Wait until everything is ready before you come back. Go ahead."
After Dongmei paid her respects, she took the menu and hurried to the kitchen.
When they arrived at the big kitchen, Su Qing, Cai'er and two servants were picking vegetables under the shed outside.
There was a pile of different green vegetables in front of each person and a large basket at his feet.
Su Qing was sitting facing the courtyard gate. When she saw a neatly dressed girl coming in, she knew she must be a maidservant who was favored by her master. Sure enough, before she opened her mouth, Shuiqin, who was sitting there doing nothing, stood up, stepped over the pile of vegetables and greeted her with a smile.
"Sister Dongmei, why are you here at this time? What instructions does Madam have?"
It turned out to be Dongmei who served the lady. Although Su Qing did not know the people who served her master, she knew their names. This Dongmei was one of the four big maids serving the old lady. She did not dare to neglect her. She patted the chopped vegetable leaves in her hands and stood up with the two old women.
Dongmei waved her hands at them and said, "Don't worry about me, just do your own things. I'm here to talk to Ma Wu's family. I have something to tell them."
"I'll take my sister there. Aunt Ma Wu is frying fruits now." Shuiqin opened the curtain and politely let Dongmei go in first. She followed behind and twisted her body to glance at Su Qing proudly.
Cai Er sat down again and said softly, "She just knows the maidservant next to the Madam. Look how proud she is."
Su Qing didn't respond and sat down to continue picking vegetables. Cai Er, however, couldn't sit still, looked around, picked up a wooden basin and went into the kitchen.
After a while, Cai Er came back and approached Su Qing and said, "What if we use the water from the Bai Lao Spring and the vegetables in the yard to make a dish? The banquet will start the day after tomorrow. Not to mention adding another dish, it's a dish that hasn't been decided on yet. Just looking at the few dishes that have been decided, it's not clear whether they can be served safely on the table."
"Why are you suddenly adding more dishes? Wouldn't that be too much? Also, what is the Broad Spring? What kind of water is that? Or is it wine?"
"It is said that it was Madam's intention that the water should not be included in the dishes on the table, but be served as the last dish. I have heard of this Bai Lao Spring. It is said that it was bestowed by Emperor Taizu to the Huainan Marquisate. Ordinary people cannot drink it easily. It is in Liuhe Manor outside the city. Madam's intention is to let everyone feel the benevolence and kindness of the Huainan Marquisate."
"Then Aunt Ma Wu will be worried."
"Yes, after listening to what Sister Dongmei said, she discussed it with the other cooks. Sister Dongmei didn't leave either, saying that she was here to help with some ideas!"
As Su Qing carefully selected the dishes, she thought to herself: The Marquis' wife had really quietly given the kitchen such a difficult problem in the late autumn. When it was served last, she had to emphasize that it was a special gift from the Marquis, so you can imagine how difficult it was.
It also requires vegetables from one's own home. If it is too ordinary, the lady will definitely be unhappy. If it is too complicated, more raw materials will be used, which goes against the lady's original intention. How could the cooks in the Ma Wu family come up with such a delicate dish overnight?
Judging from what the lady said, Dongmei must be staying here to see the dish finished and will not leave until everyone is satisfied. At this moment, the Ma Wu family must be like ants on the hot pan.
Maybe this is an opportunity for me. Although Su Qing didn't know how to cook in her previous life, browsing the food world when she had nothing to do was her favorite thing to do, and she was also a typical foodie. She couldn't help but recall whether there were any light and distinctive dishes, especially soup dishes.
Su Qing was thinking about this when Shuiqin came out and called everyone to eat lunch first. Su Qing and Cai'er went to the well to wash their hands. When they came back, they saw two women carrying a table under the shed. These days, because there were too many dishes in the kitchen, everyone moved to the yard to eat.
The two of them went to help bring out the dishes. In the past, meals were served in bowls or basins, but today they were all served in plates. There were actually eight dishes, including fish and meat. Su Qing knew in her heart that this was where Dongmei would eat.
Sure enough, after a while, Ma Wujia invited Dongmei out with a smile and sat at the top seat. Dongmei sat down without hesitation. Everyone in the kitchen sat down, but no one picked up their chopsticks.
"Don't be shy. I'm just shamelessly joining in the fun. Just be the same as you normally are." This Dongmei is more approachable than the one named Chunyi who came that day with the reward from the Madam and the Fourth Miss.
"Oh, what are you talking about, Miss Dongmei? You are a distinguished guest that we can't even invite normally. Come on, try this fish, it's fresh and plump."
Dongmei picked up some food with her chopsticks, and everyone started eating.
Su Qing stared at the dish of fish, which was braised in red sauce with lots of oil and sauce. Su Qing never liked such strong-flavored dishes. When she looked at the tentative menu yesterday, all the hot dishes were heavily seasoned with oil and sauce.
Her eyes lit up and she remembered a dish she had eaten in her previous life.