111 Old Ancestresss Reward (1/2)

Mum Gui said, ”It's not really made with chicken soup. I heard Manager Hu say that Head Chef Li Yao used a few types of vegetables for this. I have no idea which vegetables he used as it is his secret recipe.”

Everyone was amazed.

”Master Chef Lu also made this type of veggie chicken soup, but the taste was as strong as it,” Xia You supplied.

Yong An Madam, who had tasted the ice cream mooncake, smiled and said, ”If I had known him earlier, I would've invited Head Chef Li Yao for my Old Ancestor's birthday. These dishes were not only tasty but so thoughtful.”

”That's right. From the scented tea to the final dessert, they were all made by him. I initially thought that he was too young and that he could not take on this responsibility, but Little Jing was insistent about him. I'm glad I listened to my son. This chef... he really is amazing,” Yu De said happily.

Old Ancestress smiled. ”If your family wants to have a party, we have to wait for Elder Sister to turn 80 years old.”

”9 more years?” Yong An Madam looked disappointed.

”If you could afford it, you should hire Head Chef Li to become your home chef,” Yu De joked.

”Only if Helian Mansion doesn't take him away,” Yong An Madam played along.

The minutes passed by and everyone was still talking about this little chef.

Ye Jinrong slowly relaxed. Perhaps Elder Princess Yu De has already forgotten the unhappy moment that happened before.

”Sister, this octopus soup is delicious and special. You should try it,” Ye Jinrong said to Zhu who was sat next to her.

Zhu, who was clearly poised to taste the soup, sat back when Jinrong spoke. ”I don't like octopus.”

During the show, Zhu thought about what the servant said and arrived at a terrifying conclusion. If there's any sliver of possibility that this woman was pretending as the Ye's first lady, she definitely wouldn't like to be associated with her.

Ye Jinrong knew that Zhu was trying to keep her distance from her, but she was having none of it. Zhu's husband was the youngest scholar in the government and his grandfather was the left chancellor. They have connections everywhere. If she could build a good relationship with Zhu, Liujiang might be able to get close to the left chancellor.

”Then you should try this double taste duck roll! The duck was roasted extremely crispy…” Ye Jinrong tried again.

Zhu cut her off coldly, ”Madam Wei, I will eat whatever I want to eat. You don't need to trouble yourself, just mind your own food.”

A few younger madams on the same table sneered at her.

”Madam Wei, are you really the first lady of Ye?” someone asked aggressively.

Ye Jinrong thought about what her auntie told her and said affirmatively, ”Of course, I am. It was that servant who made a mistake.”

”But she knew that you have a mole on your nape!” another one protested.

”My two sisters and I all have moles at the back of our neck. I look so much like Second Sister that she'd just mistaken me for her.”

”It doesn't matter how similar the two of you looked. She's your servant, she wouldn't make a mistake like this.”

”To be honest, I don't even remember that woman. For all I know, she might've just been someone who worked on the farm. Second Sister and Mother frequent the farm and they must've met her there. I really don't remember her. If you don't believe me, you can ask around in Yang Zhou,” Ye Jinrong lied with great conviction. She has calmed down enough to get into the pretense without missing a beat.

”Then why did she say that Second Lady Ye went missing the same time that First Lady Ye got married. Are you saying that's just a coincidence?” Zhu questioned doubtfully.

Ye Jinrong schooled her features to look as if she was in despair. ”I don't really want to tell others about this but since I have no choice now... my sister didn't go missing. She's sick. Mother wanted her to rest well so she sent her to another home. As soon as she recovers, she'd be back in Yang Zhou.”

Everyone eased up on their hostility and settled back on their chairs. Ye Jinrong gave a logical explanation that they couldn't help but believe. Perhaps that servant really recognized the wrong person.

Ye Jinrong relaxed a bit and hid her sigh of relief.

The servant girls came in with copper boxes, the star of tonight's banquet.

”It is not mid-autumn festival yet, but it is Old Ancestress' 70th birthday. There is a special dessert for everyone called ice cream mooncake. Please, try it. I hope for everyone to have a happy and peaceful life,” Elder Princess Yu De brought up a toast.

The ice cubes were opened and a dish of crystal-clear, lovely and delicate mooncake was presented in front of everyone.

Yong An Madam's eyes were bright as she exclaimed, ”I have been waiting for this mooncake! I tried one the other day and it was beyond excellent!”

She actually sent people to find Li Yao in Heavenly Residence to buy a few more, but the chef didn't want to sell it. She was forced to wait until this birthday celebration to taste it again.

”Is that true? Is it really that delicious?” Xia You asked even though she wasn't at all worried that it would disappoint. Every dish that Li Yao had prepared for the feast was nothing short of heavenly.

”You will see when you try it,” Yong An Madam replied.

”Old Ancestress, Head Chef Li said that this was made especially for you.”

Ye Jiayao had been mindful of the Old Ancestress' age. Given that she was an elder, Ye Jiayao knew that cold food wouldn't sit well with her and might even give her diarrhea. Instead, Ye Jiayao made a sweet peach filling according to the Old Ancestress' favorite flavor.

”My, this looks very scrumptious,” Old Ancestress praised.