Xiao Yao accompanied Song Wan Yue to the kitchen.
When she saw the two of them, she collected her emotions and waved her hand to indicate the steward to go quickly.
“Why have you come over.”
“Sister Yue’er said to come over and tell them how to make those dishes.”
Xiao Yao said.
The Lady of Ding Guo was surprised, although Song Wan Yue was a child from the countryside, she looked like she had been spoiled by her family and did not look like she could cook.
Seeing her surprised expression, Song Wan Yue smiled and said, “These few dishes are all things I have worked out in my spare time, I have no other hobbies since I was young, I just like to work out food.”
“Then I’ll trouble Miss Song.”
As these words fell from the Lady of Ding Guo’s lips, everyone in the kitchen, including the steward, breathed a sigh of relief. It was a dereliction of their duty that they would not be able to cook the dishes that the guests liked to eat, and it was possible that they would be chastised or expelled from the State Duchess’s residence.
The steward also stopped going to the restaurant and when Song Wangyue said what ingredients needed to be prepared, he quickly prepared them together with the kitchen staff.
The crowd originally thought that Song Wangyue was teaching the cooks how to do it, but to their surprise, she directly picked up the apron hanging on one side and tied it around her waist, and began to flake the fish.
Looking at her skilful technique, Duke Ding’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other. Their first reaction to hearing about Xiao’er and Song Wan Yue’s engagement was that they did not approve of it, not because they had a sense of family, but because Song Wan Yue’s family would not help Xiao’er in his future endeavours, but might even become a burden to him. However, it was Xiao’er’s own decision and it was useless for them to oppose it, not to mention the fact that Xiao’er was still young and everything was subject to change and there was no telling what would happen in a few years’ time.
But now, as they watched Song Wangyue’s movements as she lowered her head and sliced the fish, they suddenly understood why Xiao’er had fallen for Song Wangyue.
Xiao Yao was already curious and came over, she also had a small kitchen in her courtyard and occasionally, on a whim, she would learn to cook a dish or two, but she didn’t even want to taste the dishes, let alone eat them, let alone the other people.
Song Wangyue was very quick, and in no time she had the whole fish filleted, marinated in spices, and set aside the lean meat, and ordered someone to light the fire.
“Old lady, auntie, sister Yao’er, I’m going to stir-fry the chillies later, it will be very chilly in the kitchen, you should go back first, I’ll go over when I’m done.”
Where could the three of them go back, especially Xiao Yao, she simply worshipped Song Wan Yue and wanted to watch how she cooked, “Grandmother, mother, you guys go back, I’ll stay.”
The two of them did not go back either, the two of them retreated to the courtyard, but a moment later they could smell the spicy aroma wafting from the cook.
“Xiao’er is quite discerning.”
“Who says otherwise.”
Both Lady Xiao Zheng and Lady Ding Guo come from large families and know nothing about cooking.
“If he hadn’t fallen for this little girl, Yao’er wouldn’t have gotten such a good son-in-law as Song Si.”
Madam Xiao Zheng must have been “a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, and the more she looked at him, the more she felt that there was no better son-in-law than Song Si in the whole capital.
“You are ……”
The Duke of Ding’s wife smiled and shook her head.
“Sister Yue’er, can I taste it?”
From inside came Xiao Yao’s voice leaping for joy, a little less of her usual dignity and a little more lively.
“No, the injury on your arm hasn’t healed yet, you can’t eat spicy food.”
“I’ll just have a bite.”
“Not even one bite.”
The Duchess of Ding and Qin had rarely heard such a tone of voice from Xiao Yao, and both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lost their laughter at the same time.
Song Wan Yue quickly finished a few dishes and came out of the kitchen, Xiao Yao holding her own paddle to wipe her sweat with a look of adoration.
“Sister Yue’er, you’re really capable.”
“Miss Song has worked hard, Yao’er quickly take Miss Song to your courtyard to rest.” The Duchess of Ding Guo was busy saying.
Xiao Yao answered and took Song Wan Yue back to her own courtyard, “Sister Yue’er, you are so capable.”
“What’s the point, I can also make pastries and snacks, when my family comes over in a few days and we move to the South City, I will make some for sister Yao’er to eat.”
“South City?”
Song Wan Yue nodded, “I bought a house there, I’ll move there when my family comes over.”
After saying that, she lowered her voice and said in a protesting manner, “It’s for Sister Yao’er and Big Brother to live in when they get married in the future, I still hope Sister Yao’er won’t mind the shabbiness.”
Xiao Yao instantly blushed.
Seeing that she was shy, Song Wan Yue took the opportunity to say, “Why don’t you come with me to take a look at it after lunch, and also help me to shield myself from big brother’s anger.”
Xiao Yao was unsure.
“I bought it behind Big Brother’s back, he doesn’t know it yet, Sister Yao’er followed me there, even if Big Brother gets angry, he will be too embarrassed to say anything about me in front of you.”
Xiao Yao looked at her incredulously.
In her perception, people in the countryside were poor and their families did not earn much silver throughout the year, although the houses in the southern city were not as expensive as those in the eastern city, they still cost 20,000 to 30,000 taels a piece, two would cost 50,000 to 60,000 taels, where did they get all this silver from?
“Sister Yue’er, does your family have some kind of business?”
“Yes there are two, one is hot pot base and the other is herbal tea.”
Xiao Yao stopped in her tracks in surprise.
Hot pot base and herbal tea could be described as hot in the capital. Even his grandfather, who didn’t care about the appetite for food, couldn’t help but ask people to buy some every now and then, and sighed that the person who had worked out these two items had made a fortune.
“What’s wrong?”
Song Wangyue also stopped along with him.
“I got a little scared.”
Xiao Yao didn’t hide it.
Originally, she thought the Song family was just an ordinary country family, but she didn’t expect such a hot business to be theirs.
Song Wan Yue laughed out loud and took her arm, “Does sister Yao’er think our family is poor?”
Xiao Yao blushed again, but still nodded her head without hiding, “I thought you were just ordinary country people.”
“But you still liked my big brother without any hesitation, just for that, you deserve such a good one from my big brother and from my family.”
……
It didn’t take Sun Jin an hour to pick up all the things, have the boy carry them, and go to the Xu family with the matchmaker.
The matchmaker learned from Master Sun that Sun Jin was talking about the Xu family’s granddaughter and treated him with a little more respect, sitting on the front board of the carriage and directing the driver towards the Xu family mansion.
Sun Jin heard her words and lifted the carriage curtain, “It’s not to the Xu family mansion, it’s to the other mansion.”
The matchmaker was puzzled, she was the best official matchmaker, usually official or wealthy families asked her to say match, and there had been people who had asked to marry Xu Ling’er, and she had gone to the Xu family mansion.
“Sir Sun, are you not mistaken, Miss Xu Ling’er is not at the Xu family mansion?”
“They’ve moved out.”
Moved out?
The matchmaker was even more puzzled. Xu Ling’er had grown up in the Xu family since she was young and was liked by Old Mr. Xu and Mr. Xu, so it made no sense for her to move out when she was old enough to be married.
When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the house, the matchmaker got off the carriage and looked at the dilapidated house in front of him, he was a bit incredulous and was about to turn around and ask Sun Jin if he had gone to the wrong place ……
A carriage came to a halt from driving by, Li An got down from the carriage and saw a bunch of people surrounding the entrance of the mansion and frowned slightly, “What are you doing?”