Chapter 7: Washing Hands and Making Soup
The kitchen in the Xiao Mansion is divided into the outer kitchen and the inner kitchen. The inner kitchen is responsible for the three meals of the masters, while the outer kitchen is mainly responsible for the three meals of the servants. The kitchen is managed by the old woman of Zhang Rui, the accountant. Each courtyard also has a small kitchen, but basically no one is allowed to cook by themselves. Those favored concubines occasionally want to have some special meals, and they will ask for permission from their master before they will arrange for the cook to cook in the small kitchen of their own courtyard.
It happened that the kitchen manager was not there today. Only an old woman named Sun was cleaning and preparing lunch with a little maid. When they saw Hong Xing walking in with a pretty daughter-in-law, they all stopped what they were doing and watched.
"The new Second Madam is here to cook porridge for the Second Master. Why don't you come over to pay your respects?" Hong Xing saw that everyone was standing upright and looking at them, and hurriedly shouted.
Grandma Sun quickly led the maids to kneel on the ground and said, "Hello, Second Madam. If you have anything to say, just send a maid to tell her. Why did you come here by yourself? You are so noble. I am sorry to bother this old slave."
"Everyone, get up. The Second Master has just recovered and is still weak. I'll come over to make some porridge for him. Madam Sun, please prepare a stove for me," Mengxi ordered calmly.
Mrs. Sun thought that this was the bride who came for good luck yesterday. Not to mention the rules of the mansion did not allow it, it was impossible for a young lady from a wealthy family to cook by herself. She looked down on her and did not try to stop her. She quickly ordered the little maid to prepare a stove and all the utensils, and stood aside to watch the fun.
Mengxi thought about it and ordered the kitchen maid to take some frost mulberry leaves, chrysanthemums, Fritillaria cirrhosa, and crabapple leaves, wash them, put them into a sterilized gauze bag, put them into a pottery jar, add fresh well water, boil them for half an hour, remove the dregs, add polished rice and cook them again, add some rock sugar, and order someone to serve it, add four side dishes, and have the maid carry it, support Hongxing, and return to the upper room.
This bowl of mulberry and chrysanthemum porridge only has one more ingredient, crabapple. The reason why Mengxi chose to make mulberry and chrysanthemum porridge is, firstly, because mulberry and chrysanthemum can nourish liver yin, nourish blood and improve eyesight, which is just suitable for Xiao Jun's current body, and secondly, to add crabapple leaves. Crabapple leaves have a light taste, while frost mulberry leaves and Sichuan Fritillaria have a strong taste, which just covers up the taste. Adding the fragrance of chrysanthemum, Xiao Jun will definitely not be able to taste the crabapple. She is not afraid that Xiao Jun will taste the crabapple once or twice, but that she has to eat it for a month in a row. If Xiao Jun finds out, he will definitely be suspicious. Mengxi has just married into this deep courtyard, so she must be careful everywhere and be on guard at all times, for fear that if she makes a wrong step, she will be swallowed up by this deep courtyard. In her previous life, she has seen too many fights between women in this courtyard on TV, and she didn't expect that one day it would be her turn to have a live show.
Back in the upper room, Hongzhu and Hongyu had finished their meal and were serving in the room. When the Second Master saw Mengxi coming in, he glanced at her and asked coldly, "Where have you been this morning?"
"My lord, I thought that you were still weak, so I went to the kitchen to make some mulberry and chrysanthemum porridge for you," Mengxi stepped forward and bowed.
Xiao Jun glanced at the food tray brought in by the little girl behind Hong Xing, and his face instantly darkened:
"Li Mengxi, now that you have married into our Xiao family, you must always remember your identity and abide by the rules of the Xiao family. How can the future mistress of a noble family hang out with servants? Don't be shameless and embarrass me, the Second Master, for nothing."
"Second Master, please calm down. This is all my fault. Second Madam doesn't understand the rules of the Xiao Mansion. I failed to dissuade her from going to the kitchen. I beg you to punish me."
When Hong Xing saw Xiao Jun getting angry, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
"I didn't serve Second Madam well, please punish me, Master."
Hongzhu and Hongyu also knelt down and looked at Mengxi with resentment. This second wife, can't she be quiet? She angered the second master on the first day she came home. If this continues, how will she live in the future ? The little maids behind her also knelt on the ground.
Mengxi realized that she was being rude. It turned out that this was the rule of the aristocratic family. If the mistress of the house wanted to please her husband and cook the soup herself, she could only cook for her husband in the small kitchen in her own backyard. She was not allowed to go to the kitchen because the servants in the kitchen were of too low a status and mixed with human beings, which was an insult to the status of the mistress of the house.
"Second Master, I didn't know there was such a rule. Hong Xing followed my arrangement. Please don't punish Hong Xing. It's my fault. I beg you to punish me."
Mengxi lowered her head and stepped forward to reply.
Xiao Jun glanced at Meng Xi:
"Come here, Hong Xing is serving grandma, but she doesn't know how to persuade grandma what to do and what not to do. Take her away and slap her face ten times."
"Please don't punish Hong Xing, I forced her to do it." Meng Xi's face turned pale immediately, and she begged Master Xiao with forced calmness.
"Take him away and give him fifteen slaps."
"I beg you to stop talking, Second Madam. Thank you for the punishment, Second Master. I will accept the punishment now."
Hong Xing watched Xiao Jun's face grow increasingly darker. She looked at the Second Mistress with resentment and kowtowed repeatedly. A maid came up and pulled Hong Xing away.
