Chapter 11 V2 : The Past She Cannot Avoid (1/2)
“Alright. I’ll be back soon, so help me keep an eye on the stove!” Sang Wan sighed to herself and hurried to Ning Garden.
Once she had handed the keys back to Shi Fengju, she hurriedly returned to the kitchen. Knowing that she had to prepare the dishes for tonight’s dinner, Shi Fengju remained silent and let her continue with her cooking.
On the route back to the kitchen, Sang Wan gradually slowed her pace.
The flame strength and duration for both dishes on the stove were different. The distance between her stove and Liu Ya’s stove was far, and Zhide had already promised to look after her stove when she was away. Under such circumstances, she could not request Liu Ya keep an eye on her stove. It would definitely embarrass Zhide! Moreover, the winter melon soup had already been gone from her sight for a long time. And since Zhide wasn’t her, who was extremely wary of her surroundings due to her past life’s experiences, if someone wanted to tamper with her soup, that person would have had ample time to do so during her absence.
Regardless of whether that soup had actually been tampered with, she could not afford to take that risk!
By any chance if Wang Shi were to develop red rashes after eating the soup she made, the result was not something she’d like to experience again!
The winter melon soup must not be served.
So what should she do?
Sang Wan lifted her head to look at the vast empty sky as the sun gradually set in the west, emitting a bright orange glow across the horizon. The view was like a beautiful dream and yet, all Sang Wan could feel was the coming of a nightmare.
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Her gaze fell suddenly onto a large flourishing tree. With that, her eyes glistened in triumph. That was a Chinese mahogany tree. She remembered that her mother-in-law not only loved winter melon soup, but also bean curd with Chinese mahogany. Unfortunately, the leaves on that tree were no longer young; the season to eat bean curd with Chinese mahogany was already over!
However, her face gradually brightened and her will firmed up. Her lips hooked to a side and she sneered. Tonight, she would make bean curd with Chinese mahogany!
There were no Chinese mahogany shoots to be used, but the bark of the old Chinese mahogany tree could still be boiled. Once boiled, the water was then filtered before soaking the shoots of the Chinese leafy vegetables for around two minutes. After soaking the shoots, the Chinese leafy vegetables were chopped finely and it would look similar to when Chinese mahogany shoots were used. As for the bean curd, boiling it in the Chinese mahogany flavored water before taking it out and mixing it together with the chopped Chinese leafy vegetables would add further flavor. With the significant Chinese mahogany taste, the dish could be confused as an actual dish of bean curd with Chinese mahogany.
In her past life, Gu Fangzi had also made this dish for Wang Shi when there was no Chinese mahogany to be used. Once Wang Shi had tasted it, she was delighted and praised Gu Fangzi for being skillful in her cooking. Today, Sang Wan would follow her example, which didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Sang Wan’s mind was set. She immediately called for a strong maidservant to peel two big pieces of bark from the old Chinese mahogany tree before taking the two pieces to the kitchen herself and preparing the dish with the method that her memory of Gu Fangzi had explained to Wang Shi. Her actions attracted amazed and curious gazes from Servant Jian and several other kitchen staff.
When it was time for the winter melon soup to be served, Sang Wan slyly stepped and released the long skirt of one of the kitchen staff before quietly fading back from the eyes of the kitchen staff. The servant whose skirt she had stepped on gasped and knocked into the maidservant who was about to serve the winter melon soup to Wang Shi’s table. As she lost her balance, the winter melon soup in her hands fell and splattered onto the floor.
The commotion alarmed the people within the kitchen and they looked in the direction of the commotion. Their faces instantly changed and they worriedly looked at one another.
“This servant should be punished! This servant should be punished!”
“This servant didn’t do it on purpose. This servant——”
The maidservant and the kitchen staff were both scared out of their wits. One pleaded guiltily and the other tried to justify herself; both were completely out of their minds. That dish was not any ordinary dish; it was a dish prepared by a newlywed daughter-in-law, that was to be served to her mother-in-law as a sign of competency. Nothing they could do would let them off easily. Knowing that, the two immediately kneeled on the floor.
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Sang Wan remained silent and her eyebrow was raised slightly. Pursing her lips, she displayed an indifferent expression.
She was this family’s new daughter-in-law. Using her position to reprimand them would certainly look arrogant, but if she were to let them go too easily, she would lose her dignity. As such, remaining silent to express her dissatisfaction and displeasure would be the most appropriate.
In her past life, she had been too gentle and kind, and was thus stepped on by people. Many people were like that; fear had to come before respect.
But once all authority was lost, recovery would never be easy!
Anyway, someone would definitely speak if she remained silent.
Servant Jian secretly winced. She was the head of the kitchen staff; if the servants beneath her were to stir up trouble, she would also have to bear responsibility. Stepping up quickly, she gave the two a scolding before turning to Sang Wan and bowing as she apologized.
With a smile, she spoke. “These two servants will not go unpunished; rest assured Young Mistress, this old maidservant here will punish them most severely until you are satisfied! Still, things have ended up this way and the winter melon soup— Hēhē, if I may, luckily, Young Mistress is farsighted and made bean curd with Chinese mahogany. This old servant suggests serving the steamed mandarin fish together with the bean curd with Chinese mahogany! Young Mistress, at this moment, dinner is of importance. Dinner will commence shortly! These two wretched maidservants will definitely not be let off easily!”
The moment Servant Jian spoke, the rest of the kitchen staff helped plead for leniency and the two who were kneeling on the floor kept apologizing profusely. As the maidservants were still young, they sobbed and almost cried as they apologized.
Sang Wan had seen enough and sighed helplessly. “Servant Jian is right; my mother-in-law’s dinner is of importance. This isn’t the time to talk about such things!” Her sight fell onto the inedible winter melon soup and she sighed as she expressed a sense of helplessness and dismay.