"How is sister? Our family has moved to a new place. Do you want to write a letter to tell her?"
Mrs. Zheng sighed and shook her head: "I don't know where she is now. Her body has been tortured. Maybe she has gone to some secluded place with beautiful scenery to hide herself from the world.
When I was sent home, my sister almost died. After she finally got better, she sneaked away at night for fear of causing harm to her family. She didn't leave a word and just placed a wooden sign next to my bed. "
With that said, Mrs. Zheng got up and took out a small wooden box from the cabinet, opened the lid, and inside lay a wooden plaque of fine quality and carved with special patterns.
Xiangyun became energetic and saw the sui hanging under the wooden sign, so he stretched out his hand to grab it.
Mrs. Zheng deliberately teased her, weighing the tassels and dangling them in front of her, but not letting her touch them. It wasn't until she saw her daughter's little face was wrinkled and she looked like she was about to cry that she let her catch them in her hands and start playing with them.
"Just touch a couple of them, but don't break them. These cards are of great significance to my mother."
Xiangyun nodded and looked at the wooden signs from left to right, looking attentively.
The wooden sign was made of fine agarwood and exuded a rich aroma. The carved patterns on it were exquisite, with the four characters "Jade Clothes and Jade Food" flying in the air, and a combination of bowl and chopsticks. At first glance, she was taken aback. I think of brand logos that existed only in my previous life.
Before she could take a closer look, Zheng had already reached for the wooden sign and put it back into the box.
For dinner, we had side dishes packed back from the Cao family’s banquet, which the Cao family’s sister-in-law specially left for the two families who were helping in the kitchen.
After Zhang heated it on the stove, he served it on the table, and the boys who had been greedy all day ate it happily.
There was no woman at home to cook during the day, so they cooked some rice porridge for a meal. Now they were so hungry that they wished they could eat a cow.
"My third sister-in-law is good at cooking. It would be great if our family could open a restaurant in the future. Then we would have meat to eat every day." Lin Silang's mouth was full and he did not forget to give Zheng a thumbs up.
Mrs. Lin picked up a piece of tender fish. The sweet and sour taste hit her taste buds as soon as she entered her mouth. She squinted her eyes because of the delicious food.
"It's not impossible to save more money. Mr. Zhu is good at his craftsmanship. It's a pity that he would be wronged in our kitchen."
Lin Tianci took a bite of the chicken drumstick, his mouth was full of oil after eating, and he raised his little hand: "I can dig herbs to exchange money for my family, as long as the third aunt gives me a drumstick to eat every day."
"I can do it too, I can do it too."
"And me, and me..."
The boys were chattering, so excited that they wished they could open the restaurant now.
Zheng's cheeks were a little red. She knew how difficult it was to open a restaurant, so she didn't take Mrs. Lin's words to heart. However, because of her family's recognition and support, she felt as happy as honey.
Mr. Lin laughed and said: "I heard that the wages for dock workers in the town are high in winter. I have inquired about it in the past few days. Several young and middle-aged people in the village are working there. They can earn forty or fifty cash a day, and they also receive a salary. For lunch, I plan to try it tomorrow.
The family can't just make money by collecting herbs. The weather is getting colder and colder. It looks like it will snow and the plants in the mountains will be frozen to death. "
Zhang: "What about the crops our family grows on the mountains? If the animals in the mountains have nothing to eat, will they take advantage of the food in the fields?"
Lin Laoer shook his head: "It doesn't matter. I found some thick haystacks to spread on. The land is facing the sun. Even if it snows, I won't be afraid of it. Then I will put two straw men upright. When the wind blows, they will be far away. It looks like a person standing there, and animals don’t dare to get close.”
The Lin family was relieved.
After dinner, it was time for Mrs. Lin to practice walking while holding on to the wall in the yard. Over the past few months, Xiangyun would instruct Mrs. Lin to perform acupuncture and massage on her legs every night.
In just three months, the loose muscles gradually came back to life. From feeling pain, to standing up, to getting rid of crutches and walking slowly.
The improvement of Mrs. Lin's legs was widely spread in the village. Not only was the Lin family shocked, but the villagers became more and more convinced of her medical skills.
At this time, there was a noise at the entrance of the courtyard, and Hu Er's voice was extremely prominent inside.
"Everyone is here to testify. The new village chief said that the Lin family's daughter-in-law is better at cooking than any chef. She wants me to pay one, two or five cents in compensation. This time I have invited people from the Yuelai Restaurant. People have heard that her Name, I came here specifically to invite her to apply for a job as a cook."
"I fought for this opportunity. It belongs to the Lin family. If you are really capable, accept it and go to Yuelai Restaurant to see if people appreciate your craftsmanship!"
The corners of Hu Er's eyes and brows were filled with joy as he watched a good show, waiting to see Mrs. Zheng's panicked face.
Some of the villagers who were called behind him had good relations with the Lin family and couldn't help but help.
"The Zheng family girl is just an ordinary woman. She has been in our village for several months and rarely leaves the house. Isn't it embarrassing for you to let her show up as a cook?"
"That's right, there is no restaurant or inn in town where the chef is not a man, so there is no place for us women to talk. A few days ago, I wanted to find a job washing dishes and chopping vegetables, but they only wanted men, and they thought we were light-hearted. , have no energy, and some of them speak harshly, they think we are troublesome, and they think it will be unlucky for us to come!"
The woman who spoke was already elderly. She was in her fifties or sixties and didn't care about her face. She dared to say anything in front of everyone, which made the two young wives inside blush.
The moment the Lin family heard the sound, the whole family gathered at the door
Lin Laosan took one look and knew that Hu Er was here to cause trouble on purpose, so he protected his wife behind him: "Hu Er, what are you planning? Don't drag my wife into this!"
Seeing this, Xiao Jia, the waiter in the shop, looked at Mrs. Zheng. Except that she was in better spirits and was not like other country people who had a sallow complexion and skinny muscles, she was no different from the villagers in other aspects.
"Are you the female cook Hu Er said is better than Liu Yishao? You don't look like anything special. What kind of dishes do you know?"
His tone was not polite, but he had a sense of superiority and pride, "Our Yuelai gate is not that easy to get in. Without real ability, it is useless to just rely on pretentiousness and words!"
Zhang is tall, standing in front of Xiao Jia with her arms akimbo, half a head taller than Xiao Jia: "Who are you?"
"What's your attitude?"
Xiao Jia wanted to have a fit, but thought of the shopkeeper's explanation, he still endured it: "I am representing the shopkeeper Jin of Yuelai Restaurant, and I am here to invite Mrs. Zheng to apply for a job in the store."
"Don't go!"
Several members of the Lin family said almost in unison.
Pies will not fall from the sky, and even if they do, they will still be poisonous pies.
Xiao Jia panicked, why didn't these people know what was good and what was bad?
"We shopkeepers don't care about finding a female chef. Why is your family so noble? Do you know how much chef Yueyin costs?"
Mrs. Lin walked slowly to the door, leaned against the door frame to help her, and said in a rather unkind tone: "No matter how much money we have, we won't go to our house. Let's not say whether the news about Yuelai Restaurant recruiting a chef is true or false. It's just you and me." From the tone of my daughter-in-law's words, I can guess how much you'll make her feel cowardly."
Her eyes swept over Xiao Jia: "You are a waiter, right? I have never heard of such a big restaurant hiring a chef and letting the waiter pass the message. Come on, come on! Get out! Boss, close the door and go to bed!" "
"Hey? What's the matter, are you scared?" Hu Er stopped in front of the door, sneered and said to everyone.
"I'm just saying, it's a joke for a woman to be a cook. She stays in the stove for too long and treats herself like a dish. She still wants to join forces with the Cao family to defraud me of my money. Go ahead and dream!"
The previous woman couldn't stand it and retorted: "Why can't women be cooks? Don't forget, there was a female chef in the palace. Her craftsmanship was world-famous. She was no worse than the male chef. Official I don’t know how much I like it!”
As soon as these words came out, a timid person quickly stepped forward and covered her mouth: "Auntie, shut up. You can't talk nonsense about that person. You might lose your head."
The woman slapped his hand away: "Is there anything I can't say? The teahouse in the town has already made up a story. The sky is high and the emperor is far away. Who knows about the chatter between us ordinary people?"
Hu Er held the grass root in his mouth and spoke more and more vigorously.
"She is indeed the first female imperial chef, and also the first imperial chef who was exiled three thousand miles and died without even a straw mat. I have already said that women should stay at home to care for their husbands and raise children. How can a girl from a good family run away? It's okay to compete with men for jobs. You'll die in a foreign country, and your ancestors will be embarrassed if they know you!"
Mrs. Zheng, who had originally planned to leave, stopped when she heard this and stopped Mrs. Zhang from closing the door.
For the first time, Ms. Zhang saw extreme anger in her sister-in-law's eyes. She picked up the broom in the corner and rushed forward, slapping Hu Er's body again and again.
"You bastard, you spend all your time teasing cats and dogs instead of doing business. Your ancestors are underground, so you are so angry that you crawled out of the coffin."
The broom was made of bamboo strips, and hitting him was like a whip. Hu Er shouted and hid, but he couldn't escape Zheng's slaps.
Finally, he used his strength to grab the broom. He raised his hand to retaliate, and then he raised it up. His waist was caught, and his whole body was rotated ninety degrees in the air before being lifted up.
The gangsters who were traveling with him saw that Lin Laosan was as strong as an ox and could easily carry a man weighing more than a hundred kilograms. They didn't even take a breath and were so frightened that they took a few steps back, fearing that they would be the next person to be lifted up.
Hu Er was suddenly suspended in the air with his head covered. When he regained consciousness, he was frightened to death and cried for help.
Old Mrs. Lin waved her hand: "Okay, third brother, don't make any trouble."
Lin Laosan snorted, raised his hand and threw Hu Er to his companions. Several young men who were as weak as chickens couldn't bear the impact and fell to the ground, where they were chewed up in the mud.
The people around them couldn't help laughing, whispering and laughing at their stupidity.
Even Xiao Jia felt embarrassed, stamped his foot and left.
When the news reached Jin Manniang's ears, her appearance had completely changed.
"Shopkeeper, the Lin family's wife is ignorant and unwilling to come. Not only that, she also injured Hu Er who was delivering messages in the middle. She obviously doesn't take you seriously. She is not the only cook in Liuhe Town. There are many people with good skills. If you want No…we poach people from other stores.”
Xiao Jia made more jealous words and reduced Zheng to nothing. "We have never seen Zheng's ability. Yesterday we saw her. She was no different from an ordinary village woman. Maybe she was just a talker with an embroidered pillow inside." one."
Jin Manniang lit three incense sticks and bowed before the God of Wealth with pious eyes and respectful attitude.
After putting in the incense, he turned around and slapped Xiao Jia on the forehead: "I didn't invite people back, why are you coming back? Why did I raise such a bunch of trash."
Xiao Jia scratched his head aggrievedly and blamed everything on the Lin family: "I am a proud person and think I am a waiter and not qualified enough. I want you to go and invite me in person."
He knew the temper of the shopkeeper, and with Liu Yishao as his example, what he couldn't stand the most was a villain who relied on his talents and was arrogant.
Sure enough, Jin Manniang's face quickly darkened.
"I still don't believe it. Liuhe Town is so big and I can't find a cook with better skills than Liu Yishao!"
…
