Looking at the two people walking away, Jin Manniang whispered a few words in the maid's ear, went straight out of the Temple of Wealth, and left in a carriage.
Merlin was also crowded, and the boys lost interest after wandering around for a while, clamoring to go back.
When leaving the temple, a little girl in pink clothes suddenly came out, carrying a food box and handed it to Mrs. Zheng.
"My shopkeeper asked me to bring some snacks to my wife. Thank you for your protective gesture at the stall just now."
Mrs. Zheng was stunned and wanted to ask, but the little girl had already run away.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, opened the food box, and the sweet smell poured into their nostrils, and the boys all poked their heads over.
"It's cloud cake, candied dates and halva."
Lin Silang didn't follow him out today. Among the group of people, Lin Laosan recognized the most characters, but he only recognized the word "来" on the food box: "What... come."
"It's Yuelai."
Lin Laosan nodded wildly: "Yes, yes, it's Yuelai. I saw it when I passed by the entrance of Yuelai Restaurant before. Wife, why did shopkeeper Jin bring us cakes?"
He thought that the matter with Hu Er last time was not settled.
Zheng explained everything at the stall clearly in a few words, and Lin Laosan felt relieved.
On the way back, the Lin family stopped by Zhou's house to visit Zhou Man, whom they hadn't seen for a long time.
As a result, the door was held open for a long time before a boy opened the door.
Tell them that the Zhou family left Liuhe Town half a month ago. They said that Zhou Yuanwai was seriously ill. They heard that the miracle doctor He Mei had appeared in Mianzhou, so the whole family went to see the doctor.
Xiangyun was a little disappointed and a little worried.
If I had known that Zhou Yuanwai was so seriously ill, I should have found a way to go in and take a look at the door of Zhou's mansion that day. Maybe I could help.
By the time Lin Laosan and the others rushed back to Lianhua Village, the sky had darkened, and smoke was rising from many houses.
The boys were absent-minded, finishing their dinner in a hurry, and lined up in front of Mrs. Zheng to share the cakes, all with bright eyes.
Mrs. Zheng originally planned to hand it over to Mrs. Lin for distribution. Mrs. Lin hugged her granddaughter and put a piece of soft cloud cake to her mouth, intending to let Mrs. Zheng take care of it herself.
All the pastries were divided according to heads, and the boys ate happily.
After tasting the taste, the novelty quickly disappeared, for no other reason than Zheng's pastry making skills. The boys had tasted a lot of them since they were young, and they had developed a naughty mouth.
From the sweet golden cake, sweet potato balls, to the fluffy and soft osmanthus cake, pumpkin cake, to the newly tried jujube yam cake from Lotus Village...
Everything tastes better than these.
When Huzi and Shunxi came to play with Tianci and the others, they generously shared the remaining cakes.
As a result, that night, the Cao family's sister-in-law grabbed Huzi's ears and came to apologize to the Lin family.
She saw that the pastries were exquisite and not like those that farmers could afford, so she thought the children had stolen the snacks brought as gifts from home.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a gift from the town shopkeeper Jin.
Hurry and tell the Lin family the rumors you heard in the past two days.
Yuelai and Xiangmanlou in the town are currently competing for the right to host the lantern riddle show on the Lantern Festival.
Shopkeeper Jin was poached, and when she was about to go to war, she found out that the general had defected to the enemy. She was so angry that she searched for chefs in various towns at high prices. There were a lot of applicants, but from the year before to the year after, none of them caught her eye.
"Sister, I think you can give it a try. Don't listen to the slanderous words spread by those in the town. I think they just don't like women being shopkeepers and they are oppressed."
Sister-in-law of the Cao family had a good impression of Shopkeeper Jin. Yuelai Restaurant would set up a tent to serve porridge every year. No matter how busy the restaurant was, there would always be five bowls of Yangchun noodles prepared every day for free for the people who had no money to eat.
Some people say she is doing it for show, while others say it is a way for her to attract customers.
The Cao family's sister-in-law doesn't think so. Who can pretend to be good for several years is just a rumor deliberately spread by those who are jealous of Yuelai's good business.
Zheng hesitated. There were more than a dozen people at home waiting for her to cook. She would definitely not be able to take care of three meals a day when she went to town. Besides, the behavior of the boy and Hu Er last time was still fresh in her memory.
I really don't want to work with this kind of person.
Thinking that Shopkeeper Jin’s gift of pastries was a kind gesture and she had nothing to repay, Mrs. Zheng decided to make two desserts, one with jujube yam cake and one with sweet potato balls, and put them in the food box, waiting for her husband to report to the government office in town. Take me to Yuelai Restaurant on the way.
Unexpectedly, shopkeeper Jin appeared at the Lin family the day after the food boxes were delivered.
She tasted Zheng's cooking skills and decided to try it herself.
Before opening a restaurant, she traveled to many cities and states and ate countless delicious pastries. Although she had no accomplishments in cooking, her tongue was extremely tricky.
With just one bite, you can tell that Zheng's cooking skills are not simple. They are much better than those chefs who applied for the job. Even Liu Yishao, who claims to be a descendant of the imperial chef, may not be able to compare with him.
Jin Manniang was like a desperate traveler in the desert who suddenly found an oasis. Her joy almost overflowed. She asked several people non-stop before arriving at Lianhua Village.
Only then did she realize that Mrs. Zheng was actually the female chef mentioned by the waiter in the restaurant that day.
She explained her purpose and wanted to ask Zheng to help in the store, and she offered five taels of silver a month for the labor.
Five taels a month is sixty taels of silver a year.
For the Lin family, it was a huge sum of money.
Ms. Zheng wanted to refuse at first, but when she heard about the salary, her eyes widened and she swallowed. She could only stumble and say something, asking her family for their opinion and giving a reply within three days.
Jin Manniang understood that women cannot help themselves after getting married, so she agreed and left.
As soon as she left, Mrs. Zheng could no longer suppress her excitement and walked back and forth in the small courtyard.
Growing up, let alone five taels of silver, even five pennies had to be calculated carefully.
For the first time, someone told her that her skills could be exchanged for money.
How could she not be excited.
After the excitement subsided, he calmed down and went to find Mrs. Lin. It was her mother-in-law who had to make the decision on major family matters.
"Mom, do you think I should go?"
Mrs. Lin had long seen her daughter-in-law's beaming look. The couple had their thoughts on other things.
If a son can pursue what he wants to do, there is no reason why his daughter-in-law cannot.
But once the couple leaves, what will happen to the good granddaughter? She has not yet learned to walk, and is at the age when she is most dependent on her parents.
Lin Laosan obviously thought of this too.
"The restaurant's business is busiest at night. If you go there, you will definitely not be able to get out before the city gate is locked. What will A Bao do?"
"Although the salary offered by Shopkeeper Jin is high, I think the boy who came back is not easy to get along with. What will I do if he bullies you? How about forget it? There are a lot of old people and children at home, all waiting for you to cook. Woolen cloth!"
As soon as these words came out, several men in the room nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, forget it."
"Third brother is right. The family needs money, and we brothers will look for work. How can you, a woman, be exposed to the public? If you tell anyone, you will be laughed at."
Xiangyun had a small face on her arm and saw that the men and women in the family were harmonious on weekdays. For a moment, she forgot that the men in the Lin family were also products of this era.
Although the Lin family does not adhere to the belief that men are superior to women like other families, this kind of thinking also affects them intentionally or unintentionally at certain times.
Zheng said unhappily.
"What's there to be afraid of about a waiter? Zhu Jun is here and she's the chef. She's the biggest in the kitchen. Who is the waiter? She can make him drink the northwest wind immediately with just one word!"
"Also, am I not a human? Can't you eat the food I cook? Before Mr. Zhu got married, I cooked all the food at home, and I didn't see any of you starving to death!"
When Boss Lin saw his wife speaking, he was standing on the same line with his third brother just now, but now he immediately switched teams.
The others also kept their mouths shut and did not dare to offend the elder sister-in-law.
Mrs. Lin thought so too.
"The eldest daughter-in-law is right. The family is short of money and food. It is not easy to find a good job that can add to the family. There is no reason to extrapolate.
My legs are almost healed. Let me take care of Bao. You two should be more diligent and make more trips to the town and village on weekdays. If you are lazy and unwilling to walk more steps, Bao will not be close to you in the future. Don't look for me. cry! "
Mrs. Zheng was overjoyed and quickly agreed: "Oh, thank you, mother. I'll go tell Shopkeeper Jin tomorrow."
Mrs. Zhang saw that her sister-in-law was capable, and while she was happy for her, she was also a little sad.
Apart from being stronger, she didn't have any good skills, and she also had a bad temper. She was not allowed to go to other people's homes until she was 20 years old. If she hadn't met Boss Lin, I don't know how long she would have stayed at home.
Sometimes I feel like I have failed as a woman.
At night, in the east wing room, Boss Lin brought foot washing water and soaked his wife's feet as usual.
"Daughter-in-law, there are ginger slices and mugwort leaves in the water today. Try it quickly. It must be very comfortable."
Mrs. Zhang's eyebrows jumped when she saw the medicinal materials floating on the water: "Isn't this what my mother used to soak her feet?"
"Yes, Mom said it has the effect of relieving fatigue and eliminating fatigue. I saw that you have been working hard at home these past two days, so I asked Mom for some."
As soon as these words came out, Zhang's face fell even more.
"Doesn't that mother know that you poured water for my feet again? How do you make her think of me?"
Boss Lin didn't take it seriously: "As long as you know it, you know it. I am willing to wash your feet with water and pinch your shoulders and legs for the rest of my life. It is useless for anyone to object."
Mrs. Zhang's heart warmed up, and she couldn't express her temper no matter how much she did. She slapped her husband angrily.
Sometimes, she felt that as a woman, she was lucky to find a man like Boss Lin.
The day Zheng went to Yuelai Restaurant, several people from the Lin family followed her.
As soon as Jin Manniang looked at the four men of the Lin family, she knew that they were standing up for the Zheng family.
Xiangyun also came with him, lying on his father's shoulder, his eyes rolling around the restaurant.
It was indeed the most popular restaurant in Liuhe Town in the past. It was large, well-decorated, and clean and tidy inside. Unfortunately, due to the influence of Xiangmanlou, the business in the store was bleak.
Only a few old customers with good friendships were willing to patronize, and what they ordered were not the store's signature dishes, but some very ordinary home-cooked dishes.
Since there is no chef in the back kitchen, the workers who are cooking the dishes now are the workers who were originally responsible for washing and chopping the vegetables, but were ordered to push them to the stove in case of danger.
The first meal that Mrs. Zheng served in Yuelai was to show off her skills to Jin Manniang and to establish her prestige in the store.
Three meat and three vegetables, two cold cuts, a bowl of soup, and a plate of snacks.
It is the most common set meal in the store.
Jin Manniang gave her the right to exert herself independently, and the result not only did not disappoint her, but was a huge surprise.
Before the food was served, the aroma was already wafting from the stove.
Several times at the door, someone poked his head in and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any new dishes?"
Jin Manniang explained one by one: "The new chef in the store is very good at his craftsmanship. He will officially start work tomorrow. Everyone is free to come and support!"
The diners smelled the smell, walked into the store, and saw Mrs. Zheng coming out of the back room carrying dishes.
"Why is she a female cook?"
"Shopkeeper, you didn't just seek medical treatment in a hurry and hired a random woman to make up for it, right?"
"My mother-in-law can also cook, can she also come to the store as a cook? Hahaha..."
