Yun Qingyi treated no one unfairly—not even the servants.
Before dawn had even broken, she was already up and busy, working alongside Aunt Shui and several kitchen maids. After packing lunch boxes for her father and brothers, she called the servants together for breakfast.
The food they ate was exactly the same as what had been packed for the masters.
“Third Miss treats us so well. Following her, our lives will only get better.”
“Third Miss is blessed. She’ll surely bring prosperity to the Yun family.”
Listening to the excited chatter around her, Yun Qingyi suddenly had an idea.
Since fate had granted her a second life in this fictional world, she intended to continue doing what she was best at and live the way she wanted.
What she envisioned was far more than a few dishes on the family dining table.
As the old saying went:
“One must temper oneself through action and practice. Only then can true progress be made.”
Amid the chorus of praise, Yun Qingyi cleared her throat.
“I won’t boast about other things, but when it comes to cooking, I know far more than what you’ve seen so far. I can’t possibly handle everything by myself. If I teach you, would you be willing to learn?”
The servants were stunned.
Not only did Third Miss share delicious food with them, she was willing to teach them how to make it as well.
Where else could they find such a generous master?
Naturally, everyone agreed enthusiastically.
“Uncle Shui, from now on, leave the household’s daily meals and all kitchen matters to me. I guarantee no one in the family will have a single complaint.”
Steward Shui was more than willing.
Third Miss was the family’s treasured darling. Whatever she wanted to do, no one had ever refused her.
To make her intentions perfectly clear, Yun Qingyi added,
“And not just the cooking. Purchasing ingredients, renovating the kitchen, building anything related to it—I want all of it under my management.”
Steward Shui carefully explained the household’s existing purchasing arrangements, rules, and traditions. Yun Qingyi noted everything down one by one.
The handover was complete.
The masters of the Yun family were all kind and easygoing people, but they cared deeply about food—especially anything prepared for Third Miss. There was no room for mistakes.
Managing the kitchen wasn’t exactly an easy job.
Since the beloved Third Miss wanted to take over, Steward Shui couldn’t have been happier.
As far as Yun Qingyi was concerned, she had everything she needed: time, funding, ability, and freedom in her schedule. Having recently solved her physical health issues as well, she no longer had any weak links in her personal “capability chain.”
The next step was selecting the right people.
Willingness was one thing.
Ability was another.
She tested everyone on knife skills, physical strength, and their proficiency with frying, stir-frying, and general cooking techniques.
Afterward, she divided the kitchen staff into three groups.
Xiao Yu would handle washing vegetables and ingredient preparation.
Shuang Cheng would take care of basic processing and prep work.
Aunt Shui would be responsible for the wok and final cooking.
As for Yun Zhong, besides his usual purchasing duties, any heavy labor requiring strength would also fall to him.
Yun Qingyi herself would oversee and coordinate everything.
Just like she had done at the Fish Flavor Restaurant she had inherited in her previous life.
Next came a trial run.
She had the newly organized kitchen team recreate all the dishes they had prepared over the past few days, following the workflow she assigned to each person.
To prepare for future mass production, she deliberately increased the quantities several times over.
“Tonight’s dinner—and how much you get to eat—depends entirely on your performance.”
Xiao Yu washed vegetables, cleaned fish, cut meat, and prepared seasonings.
Ready.
Shuang Cheng blanched ingredients, marinated meat, and organized side dishes and condiments.
Ready.
Yun Zhong sliced fish, pounded fish paste, and ground soy milk.
Ready.
Aunt Shui took charge of the wok while Yun Qingyi guided her step by step, word by word, all the way until each dish was plated.
The portions were several times larger than before.
Yun Qingyi tasted every dish.
The flavors were largely consistent.
“Today I guided you through the process, and everyone did very well. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be developing new dishes. As for these dishes you’ve already learned, I’ll leave them in your hands.”
Cheers immediately erupted throughout the courtyard.
Not only did Third Miss let them eat the same meals as the masters—
Now they could make those dishes themselves.
Watching everyone’s excitement filled Yun Qingyi with satisfaction.
Then she turned and headed back into the kitchen to retrieve the soy milk.
She first skimmed the soybean skin that had formed on the surface and asked Xiao Yu to take it outside to dry.
Then she began preparing a batch of coagulant.
As she mixed it, she couldn’t help feeling a little smug.
Who says biotechnology, chemistry, materials science, and environmental engineering are useless majors?
Not everyone knows how to prepare brine for making tofu, after all.
“Miss, your smile is beautiful.”
Shui Ling had no idea what her mistress was thinking about, but she loved seeing that clean, bright face—especially when it smiled.
“Your smile is beautiful too. Later, help me make a new dish.”
Earlier, while everyone else had been celebrating, Yun Qingyi had noticed the envy in Shui Ling’s eyes.
Shui Ling had always been the most meticulous maid among those close in age to the original owner.
If she wanted to learn, Yun Qingyi wouldn’t mind gaining another capable helper.
She was happy to help someone improve themselves.
Yun Qingyi poured the prepared brine into the soy milk, stirring continuously as she added it.
Gradually, the soy milk began to coagulate.
Soft, silky tofu pudding formed before their eyes.
She instructed Shui Ling to transfer the tofu pudding into a cloth-lined tofu mold.
The cloth was wrapped around it, a lid placed on top, and a heavy weight set above it.
Half an hour later, Yun Qingyi asked Shui Ling to retrieve it.
“Tofu?” Shui Ling asked, puzzled.
“It’s what you just made.”
Yun Qingyi smiled.
She cut off a small piece of tofu, diced it, and handed it to Shui Ling.
The tofu practically melted in her mouth.
Cool and refreshing.
In the sweltering afternoon heat, it felt as soothing as eating ice.
Her reaction was exactly what Yun Qingyi had expected.
Next, Yun Qingyi prepared a sauce.
Into a small bowl she added salt, soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar, sesame oil, garlic oil, scallion oil, cilantro, vinegar, and chili oil.
After mixing everything thoroughly, she poured it over the tofu.
“Try it again.”
Shui Ling took another bite.
The silky tofu was incredibly tender.
The first thing she tasted was the fresh fragrance of cilantro.
Then came the slight tang of vinegar and the stimulating heat of chili oil, instantly refreshing the senses.
The delicate tofu blended perfectly with the seasonings.
The savory saltiness, the richness of soy sauce, the freshness of the broth, the sweetness of sugar, and the layered aromas of sesame oil, garlic oil, and scallion oil all combined into something extraordinary.
Each layer built upon the last, creating remarkable depth and complexity.
Every bite was irresistible.
Shui Ling found herself reaching for one piece after another.
“Miss, this is too delicious!”
She fanned her tongue with her hand, trying to cool the spicy numbness, then immediately took another bite.
She simply couldn’t stop.
“Today I’m going to use this tofu to make a brand-new dish.”
Yun Qingyi winked mischievously.
That only made Shui Ling even more excited.
Since Yun Qingyi intended to establish her own version of Fish Flavor Restaurant in this world, naturally she would continue focusing on fish dishes.
Now that she had tofu, she decided to make Fish with Tofu Pudding.
She selected a black fish from the kitchen and asked Xiao Yu to clean it thoroughly.
“Can you fillet fish?” she asked.
Xiao Yu remained silent.
Seeing her embarrassment, Aunt Shui quickly stepped in.
“Miss, let me handle that.”
Relieved, Xiao Yu hurried off to prepare the other ingredients.
She cut the soft tofu into cubes.
Carrots, green peppers, and onions were sliced.
Celery was cut into sections.
Garlic was sliced.
Scallions were chopped.
The tofu was briefly blanched in water.
Meanwhile, Aunt Shui expertly deboned and filleted the fish with practiced speed.
After receiving the fillets, Yun Qingyi drained away the excess moisture and mixed them with salt, cooking wine, egg white, and cornstarch until the coating became sticky.
A small amount of oil was heated in the wok.
Star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic slices, and scallion segments were stir-fried until fragrant.
All the vegetables were added and tossed together.
Next came hot water.
Once it reached a boil, she added soy sauce and a spicy hotpot base.
After all the flavors had thoroughly blended together, she removed and discarded every solid ingredient from the broth.
Then she carefully placed the marinated fish slices into the soup one by one.
As soon as the fish turned white, she turned off the heat.
The soft tofu was transferred into a clay pot, and the broth and fish were poured over it.
Once the mixture came to a gentle boil, the heat was turned off.
Finally, she sprinkled chopped scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, minced garlic, dried chili rings, and cumin powder over the surface before finishing everything with a ladle of sizzling hot oil.
Another magnificent feast was complete.
Shui Ling stared at the dish, inhaling its intoxicating aroma.
She didn’t even dare hope she might get a bowl for herself.
Instead, she grabbed Yun Qingyi’s sleeve.
“Miss, you absolutely must teach me this dish!”
Yun Qingyi laughed.
“It’s not difficult. You’ll learn.”
Still, she couldn’t help feeling a little regretful.
If only she had Pixian broad-bean chili paste, the dish would taste even better.
She had originally planned to make some herself.
Unfortunately, after searching through the kitchen stores, she hadn’t found a single broad bean.
For now, she could only set that plan aside.