Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 286 Tomorrow my mother and I will come to the store for dinner

Aunt Qiu just nodded casually and asked, "Is Miss Shen here?"

Zheng Sanniang became even more nervous, worried that it was the Song family who came to cause trouble for the young lady, but she couldn't say that Shen Yu was not at home, so she could only say, "My young lady is here, what does Madam want to see her for?"

Aunt Qiu pointed at the hanging curtain and said, "Put down the hanging curtain. My second wife and fourth young lady are here and want to talk to Miss Shen."

Zheng Sanniang quickly responded and waved to Zhou Dalang, who was standing aside and looking over here, asking him to lower the rolled-up curtain. She then went to the backyard to look for Shen Yu.

As there were not many customers in the store, Shen Yu was frying cumin on the stove in the backyard, preparing to grind it into powder and add some to the grilled fish.

Zheng Sanniang walked to the kitchen and repeated what Aunt Qiu had said to Shen Yuxue.

Shen Yu looked at the cumin granules being fried in the pot and had no choice but to let Zheng Sanniang continue frying.

I told her to fry it until the aroma became stronger and the color darkened, then take it off the stove, let it cool down, and then grind it into powder.

Shen Yu washed his hands, straightened his clothes, and hurried to the store.

When I entered the shop, I saw that the curtain beside the square table had been lowered, and I could see dim shadows and there was someone sitting inside.

Zhou Dalang pointed towards the hanging curtain, Shen Yu nodded, then lifted the curtain and went in.

I saw that the Second Madam and Song Yuzhi had taken off their veils, and there were two pieces of cloth on the square table.

The two were looking curiously into the restaurant through the hanging curtain.

Shen Yu hurriedly bowed and greeted the two of them. Gao smiled gently, pointed to a seat, and motioned Shen Yu to sit down and talk.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Second Madam and Fourth Miss, please wait a moment. My mother and her friends are going to the market today, and the shop is short of staff. I will go and pour you two a cup of tea."

Gao said hurriedly, "Miss Shen, don't worry about this. I came here today because of the old lady's request. Please sit down and I will talk to you."

When Shen Yu heard that it was Old Madam Song's intention, he couldn't help but mutter in his heart: "Could it be that this old lady wants to change her taste again?"

Gao was not tall, with long eyebrows and thin eyes. Her eyes were kind and she spoke softly. She was a typical Jiangnan beauty, completely different from the tall, thick-browed, big-eyed lady with a high-pitched voice.

Gao saw that although Shen Yu was smiling, she couldn't hide a trace of uneasiness, so she smiled and comforted her, "Don't be nervous, Miss Shen. I didn't come here to ask you to cook for me. I came to give you some money."

"Send money?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but ask.

Before the Second Madam could speak, Song Yuzhi beside her could no longer hold back and said, "Yes, Grandmother said that the menu is the cost of the cook's livelihood and cannot be taught to others easily. How can we let Miss Shen teach it for nothing?"

"When Miss Shen left that day, my grandmother was doing her homework in the Buddhist temple. When she came out, she found out that you were gone."

"Grandmother gave me fifty taels of silver and two rolls of cloth as a reward for Miss Shen's teaching of cooking."

"Originally, my grandmother wanted to ask Mother Feng to bring it over, but my mother happened to be nearby and said she wanted to see where Miss Shen's shop was, so she asked for this job."

"There were some things going on at home these past two days, so my mother didn't have time to go out until today."

"As for me, I said I wanted to try the food in Miss Shen's shop, so I followed along."

"Miss Shen, are you happy that I came to your shop?"

Song Yuzhi finished speaking rapidly, looking at Shen Yu childishly, waiting for her to say the word "happy".

Gao patted her hands lovingly and said with a smile: "Girl, how can you ask people like this? Can others say, I am not happy that you came here."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Second Madam, Miss Song is very straightforward. I am very happy that you can come here."

"However, the reward money given by the old lady is too much."

"That day when I went to cook, the old lady already gave me two taels of silver, so there was no need to give me more."

The Second Madam smiled and shook her head, took out a small purse from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Shen Yu: "Cooking for guests is not the same as teaching them how to cook with a menu."

"This is from the old lady. Miss Shen, just keep it. Inside are five ten-liang silver notes with smaller denominations, which will be more convenient for you to use."

Song Yuzhi winked at Shen Yu playfully and said, "My grandmother has plenty of money. Miss Shen, there is no need to refuse. Just take it."

"I remember one time my grandmother wanted to eat a soup, and after it was cooked, she gave the cook fifty taels of silver. And that cook only came to the house to cook, not like the chef in the church."

Gao was afraid that Shen Yu would misunderstand that the old lady gave too little, so she hurriedly explained to Shen Yu: "The chef is old and doesn't make this soup easily, so we asked him to make it once, and the price is very expensive."

"Compared to this matter, Miss Shen, fifty taels of silver is really not a lot, just keep it with peace of mind."

After hearing what the two said, Shen Yu took the purse and said with a smile, "Then I will accept it shamelessly. Please ask the Second Madam to thank the Old Madam on my behalf when she returns."

Gao smiled and agreed, then looked at the menu on the wall with interest and asked Shen Yu, "Miss Shen, can you cook all the dishes listed here? How do I order? Will it be ready right away, or do I have to wait?"

Shen Yu nodded and answered honestly: "The menu is full of home-cooked dishes that I can make. You can order them."

"But these dishes are more delicious when they are cooked and eaten right away. If you want to eat them, you have to order them in advance and wait for a while."

Song Yuzhi watched and whispered a few words into Gao's ear.

Gao shook her head gently at first, but couldn't stand Song Yuzhi's shaking her arms and pouting her lips, so she could only smile and nod helplessly.

Song Yuzhi's eyes lit up, and she said to Shen Yu with a smile: "Miss Shen, my mother and I will come to your house for lunch tomorrow. I will order the dishes now, and we will come to eat at noon tomorrow, when there will be fewer customers in the store."

Song Yuzhi thought for a moment and said, "Mother, bring the third sister here tomorrow. She will be bored at home."

Gao whispered, "Little Ancestor, it's not good enough for me to bring you here to eat, and now I have to bring Yurong with me. If your aunt finds out, she will definitely scold you loudly again."

Song Yuzhi pouted and said, "My aunt and my second sister are the most boring. Our Song family is obviously a merchant family, but they insist on pretending to be a scholar family. Is this even possible?"

"My third sister told me quietly that my second sister wanted to marry into an official family. But how could an official look down upon a merchant like us? It's just wishful thinking."

At this point, Song Yuzhi giggled mischievously: "If my second brother can really pass the exam in the future, we can still think about this matter."

Although the two spoke very quietly, it was difficult for Shen Yu, who was sitting next to them, not to hear them. He could only watch with his eyes and with his nose, pretending to study the pattern of the fabric on the table seriously.

Gao looked at Shen Yu who was sitting opposite her and glared at Song Yuzhi warningly.