Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 518: Letter from Mr. Lu

Normally, she would only go into the kitchen to try out a new dish when she wanted to. Once she succeeded and taught the chefs, she would stop immediately.

It was the fifth day of the eleventh month, and the weather was cold. A thick cotton curtain had already been hung on the door of Fengnian Restaurant.

Shen Yu was tending a small stove in the backyard kitchen, making autumn pear and kumquat syrup.

Yucheng caught a cold and had a cough these past two days, so Doctor Sun gave him this dietary therapy prescription.

Just as I was thinking about bringing the stew to him when I delivered the meal to the academy at noon, I saw the waiter coming over and saying, "Miss, the county magistrate is here. He is talking to the lady in the front hall. Please come over quickly."

Shen Yu agreed and quickly stood up and went to the front yard.

He felt puzzled. Normally, Lu Langruo came here only after finishing the affairs of the county government, and would quietly come here with Qixi for dinner. But why did he come here at noon today?

When he arrived at the front yard and entered the house, Shen Yu saw Lu Lang and Li sitting there. Both of them had serious looks on their faces, as if they were discussing something important.

Seeing her come in, Li hurriedly handed over an opened letter in her hand and said, "Yuzhi, come here quickly. Master Lu sent a letter."

Shen Yu took it. The letter was very short. Although it was not written in plain language, it was easy to understand.

Since the inn added more staff and she was no longer needed to cook, Shen Yu took out an hour every day to read books and practice calligraphy.

Now, when I look at these traditional Chinese characters, even if they are written a little curly, it is no problem at all. Except that the handwriting is still not very beautiful, I have long gotten rid of the label of illiteracy.

Mr. Lu's handwriting is rigorous, neat and powerful, and looks more relaxed. The content is also very clear. He wants to invite Shen Yu to come to Beijing in advance and enter the palace to cook a few dishes for the sick Empress Dowager.

After reading it, Shen Yu looked at Lu Lang in confusion.

Lu Lang explained: "My grandfather sent someone to deliver the letter with his warrant."

"Because they were in a hurry to get there, the messenger changed horses at the post station all the way and did not stop. It took him only two and a half days to deliver the letter. Now he is resting in the county government office because he is too tired."

"I found out what happened and rushed over."

After listening to Lu Lang's retelling, Shen Yu finally understood why Mr. Lu was so anxious to send the letter.

The Empress Dowager was so happy on her birthday that she greedily ate two pieces of osmanthus glutinous rice cakes.

Maybe I caught a cold when watching the fireworks at night, and I felt uncomfortable and couldn’t eat the next day.

Although the man was fine after taking the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, he has had a poor appetite since then.

The chefs in the imperial kitchen cooked different dishes and sent them in, but they were always returned unopened.

The emperor was a filial son. Seeing the empress dowager had no appetite for the food on the table, he also became anxious and angry.

All the famous chefs in the capital were summoned to the palace.

But they were used to making exquisite dishes, and although they had flavors from both the north and the south, the results were no better than those made by the imperial chefs.

Although the Empress Dowager still took medicine on time to regulate her body these days, she was still only willing to eat some white porridge every day, with a few chopsticks of pickles. She would reluctantly eat a few bites of the food before putting down her chopsticks.

Seeing that the man was getting thinner day by day, the emperor was so anxious that he had no intention of attending the morning court.

When Old Master Lu came back from court and talked about this matter, the lady recalled the dishes she had eaten at Shen Yu's place.

Each dish is refreshing and appetizing, and is also suitable for the appetite of the elderly. So I suggested that Shen Yu could come to the capital and try making a few refreshing side dishes for the Empress Dowager.

Mr. Lu has also eaten those dishes.

Especially the chilled spicy cold noodles, the sour, spicy and fragrant taste is really good.

I also heard from the lady that the soft, glutinous and tasty braised pork with preserved vegetables that Qixi served during the Chinese New Year was also the ingredient sent by Miss Shen, who wrote down the recipe and taught Qixi how to make it.

Besides, the menus he saw at Fengnian Restaurant were indeed unique and had never been seen on the menus of restaurants in the capital.

I think the lady's suggestion is good and it is indeed a good idea. Maybe changing the dishes to fresh ones will whet the empress dowager's appetite.

So he wrote such a letter, inviting Shen Yu to come to Beijing in advance to cook for the Empress Dowager.

For a moment, Shen Yu didn't know whether to agree or not.

There are so many delicious chefs in the capital, but the dishes they make are not up to the Empress Dowager’s standards. Will my home-cooked dishes be any good?

Li's idea was similar to Shen Yu's.

She said worriedly, "Master Lu, although my Yuzhi is a good cook, but from what you said, even the dishes made by the chefs in the palace and the chefs in the big restaurants in the capital are not favored by the Empress Dowager."

"What if Yuzhi doesn't like the dishes she cooks? I won't even get the reward, but I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will be unhappy and the Emperor will be angry too. Will I lose my head?"

Everything the country woman knew about the capital came from the guests' exaggerations and the exaggerated performances of the opera in Wazili.

She felt that if the emperor was unhappy, he would take someone's head, so Li was more worried about her daughter's life.

Lu Lang hurriedly assured her, "Madam, you are worrying too much. The Empress Dowager has a gentle personality. When I was a child, I met her twice with my grandmother."

"Every time, she would happily ask the palace maids to bring me lots of snacks and fruits. Before leaving, they would pack two large food boxes for me. I feel no different from my grandmother."

"Besides, our current emperor is not that foolish and incompetent monarch."

"What you heard, madam, is all from operas, it can't be taken seriously."

"Look, the people sent by Grandfather also said that although the Emperor was upset because the Empress Dowager couldn't eat, he didn't punish the chefs. He just replaced them with other chefs to taste the food."

"Grandfather also thinks that Miss Shen's dishes are delicious and unique. He was the emperor's teacher in the past. Now as a minister, seeing that the emperor is worried, he naturally wants to find a solution."

After hearing this, Li was slightly relieved, but she still asked Lu Lang again and again: "Mr. Lu, our Yuzhi is your wife who has not yet married, please don't lie to me."

"Is it true that I won't lose my head if I cook for the Queen Mother?"

Lu Lang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. It really won't happen. At most, there will be no reward."

"My grandfather recommended her. Besides, Miss Shen is our granddaughter-in-law who has not yet married into the family. The emperor will treat her differently and will not treat her as an ordinary cook."

“If the dishes I cook can improve the Queen Mother’s appetite, the Emperor will surely be very pleased, and Miss Shen will have done a great deed.

Li waved her hand and said, "We now have a restaurant and two inns. We have no worries about food and clothing. My children are all well by my side. I am already very content."

"I don't want any more rewards or great achievements. As long as my daughter is safe and sound, that's enough."