I was a queen in ancient times, no, a maid!

The reason why Zhao Rulan could eat so much was thanks to Cheng Yu, who worked in the small kitchen and cooked different kinds of food.

Eat multiple meals a day and make each meal different.

This morning, Cheng Yu cooked a bowl of rice noodles with sour soup, thinking that the Second Madam was full, so he asked Ding Xiang to tell the kitchen that rice noodles should be served as the main course for lunch.

When Dingxiang sent someone to the small kitchen to pass on the message, Cheng Yu was sitting on the kitchen threshold, picking vegetables with Taozi, the kitchen maid.

During these few days with Cheng Yu, Taozi has eaten a lot of dishes cooked by Cheng Yu and can be considered a loyal fan of Cheng Yu.

Hearing the noise coming from outside the courtyard gate, Taozi immediately stood up and took a look.

Before Taozi could ask any questions, Dingxiang walked in quickly.

"Where's Yu'er? Yu'er..."

Cheng Yu grabbed a handful of vegetables and stood up and walked outside. "Sister Ding Xiang, I'm here. What's going on?"

"My wife said that you should make more of the sour soup rice noodles that you made for lunch today, because the Second Master is coming back for lunch. We also need to prepare a few other dishes. But don't worry, just make the sour soup rice noodles, and let Mama Li and Mama Wang make the other dishes."

Mother Li has recovered from her illness and has now returned to the small kitchen to work. Mother Li is an unmarried woman with her hair tied up. She learned cooking when she was young and later worked as a cook in a big restaurant. She knows how to cook quite a few dishes.

Later, when she was supposed to get married, her brother committed a crime, so her parents sold her to the palace. She became a slave, and the man she was engaged to married another woman.

She worked as a cook in the palace for twenty years, from the age of eighteen to now when she is almost forty. Because of her aloof personality, people in the small kitchen privately called her the Iron-faced Lady.

At first, when Cheng Yu came to the small kitchen to work, Madam Li looked down on her, thinking that a little girl like her could not produce anything.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yu was quite capable. Every time he developed any food, he would prepare a portion for Madam Li and the second chef, Mother Wang.

Seeing that she is really doing her job and not taking credit for herself, and the food she cooks is delicious, the mistress is in a good mood and naturally will not blame the people in their small kitchen, which is a good thing for her.

Therefore, Madam Li really let Cheng Yu work in the small kitchen.

Madam Li would only cook for her personally if the mistress specifically requested a dish made by her.

This is also fun and relaxing.

Dingxiang came over to pass on a message, saying that his wife wanted to eat rice noodles in sour soup, and asked Madam Li and Mother Wang to prepare three dishes each, including both hot and cold dishes, and both meat and vegetables.

After Ding Xiang finished talking to Cheng Yu, she spoke to Madam Li and Mother Wang.

Madam Li looked a little aloof, but she never looked down upon the food of her master, after listening to what Dingxiang said.

"Don't worry, Miss Dingxiang. Everything we make in our small kitchen is based on Madam's taste."

"I feel much more relieved now that Madam Li is back to take care of the small kitchen. When you were not here before, the small kitchen was a mess. Fortunately, Yu'er cooked in a novel way, and the mistress ate a lot."

Madam Li said, "We all work for Madam, so as long as Madam likes the food, it's fine."

Cheng Yu turned around and started to make rice noodles in sour soup. The rice noodles were carefully made by hand and had to be made fresh.

There was already sauerkraut in the small kitchen, and it looked like there wasn't much left.

Cheng Yu thought that she would get some Sichuan pickles later, maybe the mistress would like them.

To cook rice noodles in sour soup, in addition to the sour soup as the base, you also need to prepare this topping.

The toppings made by Cheng Yu are more particular. He uses the best pork belly, cuts it into minced meat, and then cuts shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, chicken leg mushrooms, and ten other kinds of mushrooms to make the topping.

After the rice noodles in sour soup are cooked, scoop two spoonfuls of the topping on it and stir it before eating, and the flavor will come out.

Very fresh and fragrant, with a strong mushroom flavor.

The so-called mountain and sea delicacies, these are the ones that are considered as such.

Cheng Yu concentrated on preparing the rice noodles in sour soup. After it was cooked, he put in two bowls of rice noodles first.

She made some extra rice noodles and cooked them as she went along.

After the rice noodles were cooked, Madam Li and Mother Wang each prepared three dishes.

Mrs. Li made steamed pig's trotters, fresh shrimps with pepper and vinegar, and steamed chicken with five spices, while Mrs. Wang prepared sweet and sour lotus root tips, steamed vegetarian noodles, stir-fried pork with shredded lettuce, two cold dishes and one hot vegetarian dish.

After everything was ready, the maidservant carried it to the side room.

If the husband does not come, the mistress can eat by herself at the small round table in her room.

But today, when my husband came, he went to the side room.

When the food was served, the first thing Zhao Rulan saw was the rice noodles in sour soup on the table.

"It's delicious and tasty. I'm really greedy today and want to eat this bowl of rice noodles in sour soup. Second Master, try it too."

Lu Zhaowen helped Zhao Rulan sit down.

"If Madam wants to eat, just ask the kitchen to cook it often. You and the baby in your belly are more important now. You have to take good care of your health." Lu Zhaowen held Zhao Rulan's hand considerately, with deep affection and love between husband and wife.

Zhao Rulan, who has always been dignified, also had a little girl's shyness in her eyes.

"Thank you for your concern, my dear."

After Zhao Rulan and Lu Zhaowen sat down, Dingxiang hurriedly brought them tea.

Lu Zhaowen was given a cup of Xinyang Maojian tea, while Zhao Rulan was given a scented tea made with red dates and dried jasmine. As pregnant women are not allowed to eat it, the maids were extremely cautious.

Before I had even finished my cup of tea, lunch was served.

The cold dishes were served first and arranged one by one. In addition to the food made in the small kitchen, some fruits sent by Zhuangzi were also washed and arranged on the plates.

Zhao Rulan has a farm in the suburbs, where many rare things are grown. For example, one can eat lush green vegetables in winter, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. These are all for Zhao Rulan alone, or in other words, they are the delicacies in Prince Jing's Mansion, and they are provided for Zhao Rulan herself.

Zhao Rulan could not eat a whole basket of fresh vegetables by herself. The vegetables she could not finish or the leftovers that were wilted were given to the maids working in the orchid garden.

Zhao Rulan would also send some to her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, but only a little. Fruits and vegetables were scarce in winter, and she didn't even have enough for herself, so how could she give more to others?

It is the early winter season now, but the fruits and vegetables eaten in the orchid garden are all delivered from farms in the suburbs early in the morning. They are all juicy and fresh.

On the table were red tomatoes, juicy cucumbers, bright red apples, and yellow persimmons, four kinds of fruits placed in a fruit plate.

Zhao Rulan would eat something occasionally, but she was very hungry today, so she just wanted to eat the bowl of rice noodles in sour soup made by Cheng Yu.

When it was served, the sour rice noodles with a rice aroma made Zhao Rulan's mouth water.

It's this taste.

"It looks good, with good color, aroma and taste." Lu Zhaowen praised.