“I know,” Ping’an swallowed hard. “My dad used to take me to buy them. A vegetable bun was one copper coin, and a meat bun was three.”
“Then how many copper coins can one tael of silver exchange for?”
“One tael of silver can exchange for one thousand copper coins.”
“Oh,” Ji Kongqing roughly calculated and realized that the purchasing power of the silver in her hands seemed pretty good.
She could totally use this money to improve her living environment.
“Can the two of you freely enter and exit the Princess’s Manor?”
Ruyi nodded. “Yes. Every maid in the manor has a corresponding exit identification tag. You just need to register at the gatehouse when going out and return to the manor before the Hour of You.”
Seeing Ji Kongqing ask these questions, Ping’an guessed her intention and proactively asked, “Master, do you have any instructions?”
Ji Kongqing looked at her courtyard and said, “I want you two to go to the market to help me buy a hoe and vegetable seeds. The seeds should be common vegetables in Jiaming.”
“Master, are you planning to farm?” Ruyi looked a bit surprised.
“Mm-hmm,” Ji Kongqing looked at the empty courtyard. “Since this ground is so empty, we definitely need to put it to good use. Off you go.”
Ji Kongqing pulled a tael of silver from her pocket and handed it to Ruyi. “Go with Ping’an, and see if there are any novel seeds on the market that aren’t usually seen. If there are, buy some of those too.”
“Alright.” Ruyi took the silver handed over by Ji Kongqing and took Ping’an out of the manor.
After the two left, Ji Kongqing looked at the sky and felt that it was probably almost lunchtime, so she left the courtyard and walked according to the route she remembered from this morning.
Passing by the accounting room, Ji Kongqing saw the Princess’s personal maid whom she had only met last night, Cui Zhu. She immediately stopped her.
Cui Zhu looked a little surprised to see Ji Kongqing. “Consort, why are you here?”
“Cui Zhu, do you know how to get to the kitchen?” Ji Kongqing looked at Cui Zhu. “I want to go to the kitchen to pick up lunch.”
Cui Zhu was slightly stunned and frowned. “The place you are looking for is the dining hall, isn’t it? Why are you going personally? Didn’t the senior maids already arrange for two maids to go to your courtyard this morning?”
“Yes, but I just had them go out of the manor to buy things for me, so I’ll go get it myself. Walking around more is good for physical and mental health.”
“Ah,” Cui Zhu wore a surprised expression, thought for a moment, and replied, “Since that is the case, this servant will take you there.”
“Then I really am troubling you. Thank you.” Ji Kongqing smiled and trotted happily behind Cui Zhu.
She felt quite pleased in her heart, thinking her luck was surprisingly good to bump into Cui Zhu right as she stepped out. With Cui Zhu’s status, the people in the kitchen wouldn’t dare shortchange her meals.
Following Cui Zhu through several turns, they arrived at the dining hall.
Ji Kongqing discovered that the location of this dining hall happened to sit right next to Fenghua Courtyard, looking like it was specifically provided for Jiang Sui’s meals.
Everyone in the kitchen was bustling away. Some were fetching water, some were washing vegetables, some were chopping vegetables, and some were tending the fire. The person directing them stood right in the center of the dining hall, a plump man with fair skin.
He matched the stereotypical image of a chef in Ji Kongqing’s memory.
Seeing Cui Zhu approach, the plump man shoved the large ladle in his hand to a nearby kitchen assistant and wiped his hands on his apron.
He hurried over and revealed a flattering smile. “Cui Zhu, does Her Highness have any instructions?”
Cui Zhu shook her head and glanced at Ji Kongqing standing to the side. “Her Highness has no matters. It is the Consort who does. Uncle Fu, this is the Consort. She wanted to come to the dining hall to pick up lunch, but didn’t know the way. I ran into her and brought her along.”
After explaining, Cui Zhu said to Ji Kongqing, “Consort, this is the kitchen manager, Wei Jiafu. You can call him Uncle Fu.”
“He was originally an imperial chef in the Imperial Kitchen, but was transferred to the Princess’s Manor because of Her Highness’s marriage. Her Highness’s diet has always been taken care of by him. If you have any needs, you can come to him.”
Wei Jiafu was slightly stunned. He looked at Ji Kongqing, and his heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that the cold treatment this morning made the Consort dissatisfied, and she went to complain to Her Highness? Otherwise, why would Cui Zhu personally bring her over?
It seemed this Consort wasn’t so easy to bully after all, and Her Highness was indeed protecting her.
Wei Jiafu’s eyes rolled around rapidly as he calculated the situation.
Ji Kongqing didn’t expect Wei Jiafu to overthink things so much. She quickly glanced around the kitchen and asked Wei Jiafu, “Uncle Fu, I want to get some seasonings and firewood. If there is meat and fresh vegetables, that’s fine too. Do you have any?”
“Yes,” Wei Jiafu nodded immediately. “You can just have the maids come over to fetch them. You didn’t need to make the trip yourself.”
“They went out for something,” Ji Kongqing looked around. “Can I pick some myself?”
Ancient and modern times had different names for vegetables, and Ji Kongqing didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so she wanted to pick them herself.
“Certainly.” Wei Jiafu immediately signaled someone else. That person walked over, holding a basket and led Ji Kongqing to the storage room to pick items.
Ji Kongqing looked around and picked a few eggplants, a head of Chinese cabbage, 10 eggs, two cucumbers, half a winter melon, four tomatoes, a bag of sugar, two pork ribs, and two catties of lean meat.
Seeing the vegetables in Ji Kongqing’s basket, Wei Jiafu wore a complex expression.
At a glance, this Consort clearly didn’t know how to manage a household.
Nowadays, every household had little oil and fat, so when picking meat, everyone chose the fatty parts. No one specifically picked lean meat like Ji Kongqing did.
The ribs were the same; she even specifically trimmed the meat off the ribs. With so many bones on ribs, he really didn’t know what she planned to eat.
Looking around, the only precious thing among these vegetables in the basket was the tomato.
This was a vegetable tribute from the Persian country some time ago. Only the palace had it, and the Agricultural Reclamation Department hadn’t figured out how to cultivate it yet. It was truly a waste on this Consort who came from a barren land.
Although Wei Jiafu looked down on Ji Kongqing in his heart, on the surface he still respected her: “Consort, shall I have someone help you move these to your courtyard?”
“No need, I can manage myself. You guys go ahead and get busy.” Ji Kongqing shook her head in refusal and walked away cheerfully with her basket.
Cui Zhu also left, but she didn’t follow Ji Kongqing; instead, she turned and went to the Princess’s courtyard.
Jiang Sui was currently reading in the study.
Wisps of light blue smoke curled up from the incense burner in the study.
Jiang Sui was dressed in a simple water-white gauze dress, sitting sideways in front of the desk. Her left hand lightly propped her cheek, and her right hand rested on her folded knees, holding a stacked ancient book as she read with concentration.
Her black hair hung down her side with her bowing movement, her fair and pure profile half-visible under the wisps of smoke.
“Your Highness,” Cui Zhu knocked on the door.
Jiang Sui lifted her eyes and straightened her posture slightly. “What is it?”
Cui Zhu told Jiang Sui everything that had just happened from beginning to end.
Jiang Sui frowned. “She really is restless. It is just a small matter, let her be. Do you know what she took those vegetables back to do?”
Cui Zhu: “The Consort said she wanted to cook for herself.”
Jiang Sui lowered her gaze and continued reading the book in her hand. “Let her be. In any case, she didn’t cause any trouble. Give her the vegetables if she wants them; the Princess’s Manor isn’t so poor that it can’t afford to feed her.”
“This servant understands.” Cui Zhu nodded and turned to leave the study.
Not long after Cui Zhu left, Jiang Sui put down her book, pondered for a moment, and called out to the empty room, “Dark Five.”
A woman dressed in a black long robe and wearing a black raven mask suddenly appeared out of nowhere, flashed forward, and knelt down. “Your Highness.”
“Go monitor the Consort. See what she usually does, and report back to this palace every three days.”
“Yes, your subordinate obeys.” Dark Five flashed away.
The study grew quiet again, as if no one had appeared just now.
Mingyue Pavilion
When Ping’an and Ruyi finished buying things and returned, Ji Kongqing had already started preparing dishes in the kitchen.
She looked at the seasonings they brought back and found that the ones provided by the dining hall were very comprehensive. Aside from oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, there were also Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, cloves, ginger, and garlic.
“Master, are you going to cook yourself?” Ruyi asked with some surprise.
Ji Kongqing nodded. “Mm, I went to the main kitchen and got some vegetables.”
“Oh, right. I didn’t take the rice and flour. You two go get some over. I also want a little cornstarch. Just tell Uncle Fu, the kitchen manager.”
“This servant understands.” Ruyi pulled Ping’an and hurried off to the main kitchen, returning a quarter of an hour later with twenty catties of polished rice, twenty catties of white flour, and a small bag of cornstarch.
Ji Kongqing was very satisfied and asked Ruyi and Ping’an, “Do you know how to cook?”
“Yes,” Ping’an nodded. “We learned to cook from our families when we were three years old. We both know how.”
“That’s good,” Ji Kongqing nodded. “You two go start the fire and cook the rice first. Cook enough for three people, and we’ll eat together at noon.”
“Eat together?” Ruyi looked a bit terrified. “Master, with such fine food, we shouldn’t eat it.”
Ping’an also nodded. “That’s right, Master. We servants aren’t worthy of eating such good food. The Princess’s Manor provides meals for us servants. Ping’an and I will just go to the kitchen to pick some up later.”
Ji Kongqing frowned. “I said eat, so eat. Cooking for one portion is cooking, and cooking for three portions is the same. Besides, I like having people keep me company while I eat.”
“This.” Looking at the fine rice in her hands, Ruyi couldn’t help reddening her eyes. The master was so good to them, even better than their own parents.
Ping’an was also secretly wiping away tears on the side.
Ji Kongqing saw their emotion. She didn’t want to get sentimental, so she cleared her throat and urged, “Alright, stop crying. What’s there to cry about over a meal? Hurry up and come help. Ping’an, help me chop the vegetables.”
“Okay.” Ping’an immediately took the knife from Ji Kongqing’s hand. Picking up a tomato, she frowned with some confusion. “Master, what kind of vegetable is this?”
“You haven’t seen it?” Ji Kongqing raised an eyebrow.
Ping’an shook her head.
Ruyi also glanced over. “Never seen it. Nobody grows it in our village, and nobody sells it in the vegetable market either.”
“Huh? Is that so?” Ji Kongqing rubbed her chin, recalling the residual memories left by the original body. In the original body’s memories, the Kingdom of Thousand Birds didn’t seem to have tomatoes either; it seemed to be a rare novelty.
Could it be that only the Princess’s Manor had them?
If so, would that count as a business opportunity? If she grew them well, could she take them out to sell for money?
Then she might as well grow them herself. Right now, the season was also suitable.
Ji Kongqing acted immediately. She took a spoon, cut open the tomato, and saved the seeds.
Turning to Ping’an, she said, “Ping’an, take a bowl and put them away. The sun is quite nice today, put them outside to dry.”
Ping’an didn’t understand Ji Kongqing’s intention, but she didn’t ask further. She nodded, took the items outside, and spread them out on an oilcloth to dry.
When Ruyi finished cooking the rice, Ji Kongqing stir-fried a tomato and scrambled eggs, cucumber with pork, and minced pork with eggplant, and also stewed a winter melon and pork rib soup.
To study medicine, Ji Kongqing had once gone abroad for further studies and was a returnee who had spent three years living in the UK.
Those three years honed her culinary skills to perfection. After returning to China to work, she had continued living alone, and when she had free time, she would cook for herself, so her skills hadn’t rusted.
Once the three dishes and one soup were served on the table, they smelled so good that Ping’an and Ruyi were drooling.
After dishing out the rice, Ji Kongqing clapped her hands. “This counts as the first day of our official life together, and this meal is to celebrate our first meeting. Eat your fill, there’s plenty.”
“Follow me from now on, and wherever I have a bite to eat, you’ll have a bite too. You’ll never have to worry about going hungry again.”
Ping’an had never heard anyone say such words to her. She wiped away tears, feeling touched once more. “Master, you are so good to us. Even our own parents were never this good to us.”
Ruyi’s eyes also turned red, and she nodded heavily. “Master, from now on, if you tell us to go east, we will never go west. Whatever you say goes.”
Ji Kongqing smiled and waved her hand. “Hurry up and eat, stop crying.”
Ji Kongqing picked food for both of them and began lowering her head to eat.
“Master, your cooking is really good,” Ruyi said with surprise after taking a bite of the dish. “It’s even better than what the restaurants in our town make.”
“Really?” Ji Kongqing scratched her head. “Then eat more. Next time I have time, I’ll teach you how to make it.”
“Really?” Ruyi looked surprised.
“Mm, hurry up and eat. I’m too lazy to cook every day anyway,” Ji Kongqing urged with a smile.
Because they hadn’t eaten so lavishly in a long time, the three of them practically wiped out the three dishes and one soup completely.
Ping’an was stuffed full and couldn’t help burping. Afterward, she covered her mouth in absolute terror, afraid that Ji Kongqing would blame her.
Ji Kongqing only smiled and told the two of them to rest for a bit before washing the dishes.
As for her, she picked up the seeds the two had bought and flipped through them.
She used to raise flowers and vegetables in her own courtyard back in modern times, and she recognized quite a few seeds. Almost all the seeds currently in her hands looked familiar.
Seeing the seeds, Ruyi seemed to remember something. She lowered her head, felt around in her pocket, pulled out a money pouch, and handed it to Ji Kongqing. “Master, the seeds cost a total of 368 copper coins. This is the remaining money.”
“Mm.” Ji Kongqing took it casually, casually fished out two pieces of cracked silver from the money pouch, and handed them to the two girls. “This is your running-around fee.”
“We can’t accept this, we really can’t, Master. This is all what we should do.” Ruyi shook her head and pushed Ji Kongqing’s hand away. “Master is already good enough to us; we can’t take your money.”
Ping’an also nodded. “That’s right. The maids in the manor get monthly allowances, and our food and lodging are taken care of in the manor, so we don’t have anywhere to spend money. We don’t need Master’s money.”
“Alright then.” Seeing that the two of them stubbornly refused, Ji Kongqing had no choice but to take the money back.
For the rest of the day, Ji Kongqing and the two maids cleared and tilled the soil in the courtyard.
That afternoon, right as they finished tilling the ground and were getting ready to sow seeds, Jiang Sui’s personal maids Cui Zhu and Cuilan arrived.
They brought a set of red Kirin robes, and the sizing matched Ji Kongqing’s measurements precisely.
They had no other purpose in coming except to notify Ji Kongqing to wear these clothes tomorrow and return to the palace with Jiang Sui to attend the return-home banquet.
A return-home banquet, as the name implied, was the day a daughter returned to her maiden home. The timing was typically the third day after the conclusion of the wedding, and it required the son-in-law to attend alongside her.