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

In the past, even when Zhao Rulan was still in charge of the food the Lu family ate, she never asked much about the ingredients.

On the contrary, when Zhao Rulan was in charge, Chef Gao made more money.

When the first wife, Mrs. Sun, was the housekeeper, because she did not have much money, all the meals of the Lu family, except for the second wife, Mrs. Zhao Rulan, and her servants in the orchid garden, were prepared in the big kitchen.

Sun naturally checked this account book strictly.

When Chef Gao learned that the second wife was in charge of the Lu family, he was happy about it and said that life would be better from now on.

But he didn't expect that Zhao Rulan also started checking the food purchase list.

The food procurement for the big kitchen, as well as the food and drink for the concubines, illegitimate children, and servants, is done by having the food delivery man deliver some common dishes at the lowest price. If the food delivery man does not have the food or does not come to deliver it, he will ask people to go outside to purchase it.

There are many people in a big kitchen and the management is lax.

Naturally, the rules are not as strict as in a small kitchen with fewer people.

Zhao Rulan came here specially today to support Cheng Yu.

"Well done, I approve of your cooking skills."

Cheng Yu said respectfully: "Thank you, madam."

After Zhao Rulan finished speaking, she left with the help of her maid. Cheng Yu then heard Xiangling, who had left the door a little later, tell her that the eldest lady had gone to the old lady's place and was talking about the New Year's Eve dinner.

Upon learning that Cheng Yu was in the big kitchen, he turned around and came to take a look.

Cheng Yu knew that the eldest lady was supporting her.

She was even more grateful in her heart.

Think about it, when you are working in other departments and your colleagues in other departments are making things difficult for you, and your boss personally comes to support you, will you be touched?

After Zhao Rulan left, Chef Gao immediately handed the list of ingredients to the lady.

Look at the sea cucumber, cordyceps, ganoderma lucidum, and lobster above, all have been crossed out.

"This abalone and Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are the main dishes I prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner every year. If I don't have these ingredients, I won't be able to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner well."

Chef Gao didn't target anyone directly when he said this, he just said it to vent his dissatisfaction.

Cheng Yu was too lazy to pay attention.

Look carefully at the ingredients in the big kitchen.

After all, we have to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner. Even if the purchased ingredients are not much, the ingredients sent from the farm are quite a lot.

Chickens, ducks, geese, and fish in two large wooden basins.

There were also many river clams, river shrimps, and slaughtered mutton sent from the farm. The game included wild boar, musk deer, and venison sent by the old lady's daughter, Lu Zhaowen's sister who had married into Jiangbei City. The venison was delivered wrapped in ice.

It only took two days to get from Jiangcheng to Beicheng by riding at full speed.

"Miss Yu'er, this venison is precious, and there are also deer tendons. What do you think we should do with it?"

Lotus asked in front of her.

"I will think of a few dish names based on the ingredients in the kitchen, write them down first, and give them to the lady for review."

"Chef Gao and I will each be responsible for a portion, and the rest of the cold dishes and pastries will be left to Mama Li."

Cheng Yu said, looking at Mother Li, "Mother Li, do you have any objection to my arrangement?"

Mother Li was just about to say, how can I handle so many chores?

Cheng Yu said, "I have learned to read and write down the pickled fish that Madam Li wants to learn. If Madam Li likes it, I will give her the recipe after I am done with the New Year."

Cooking recipes?

This is something that no one is willing to give away. Even if they learn it, they only teach it to their own disciples.

"That's great, Miss Yu'er. What you said is feasible. I have no objection."

"Then let's prepare like this first."

Based on the available ingredients, Cheng Yu prepared a charcoal-grilled venison dish using venison. This dish had to be grilled fresh.

The venison was slaughtered in winter and was served with ice cubes, so it was still fresh.

The barbecue is prepared in one original flavor and one with some chili.

In addition, the deer tendons can be stewed in a casserole.

Deer tendons are difficult to stew, but they are delicious once they are stewed well.

So now we have to simmer it on the stove in advance.

Cheng Yu doesn't care what kind of food Chef Gao cooks. She is a modern cook who has never received formal cooking training, while Chef Gao is a chef who has received formal apprenticeship and apprenticeship in ancient times.

To be a great chef, one must have some skills.

Just a little too greedy.

Regarding the fact that Chef Gao was secretly deducting money from the Lu family, the food delivery man Zhang Yuanjie had hinted about it several times during the time he had been in contact with her.

Cheng Yu didn't understand at first, but later he understood.

Zhang Yuanjie said that none of the cooks in the big kitchen were as straightforward and direct as she was.

He also said he never raised the prices of the dishes he delivered to the small kitchen.

In the small kitchen of Lanyuan, only Mother Wang liked to take advantage of others, but she didn't have the courage to join forces with outsiders to defraud the eldest lady of her money.

If you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to guess that the person in charge of the big kitchen that Zhang Yuanjie was referring to is naturally Chef Gao.

Could anyone be found with more power in the kitchen?

That's not the case.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Mother Li in the big kitchen always complains about Chef Gao’s shortcomings.

But as soon as Chef Gao came out, Mother Li immediately became a coward.

Chef Gao got angry here, but when he saw Cheng Yu preparing the ingredients calmly and orderly, he thought, he is the old chef of Lu family, how could he be outdone by a young girl.

Chef Gao began to prepare his specialty.

He is good at Kyoto cuisine, but he can also cook some Huaiyang cuisine, and his best dish is squirrel fish.

In addition, Chef Gao also prepared dishes such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Braised Lion's Head.

Everyone is familiar with the main dishes, and the high-end dishes are basically monopolized by Chef Gao. The only thing Cheng Yu can make is dishes related to venison.

For this New Year’s Eve dinner, Chef Gao cooked fish.

She is the one who prepares chicken and duck elbows.

In addition, even if the lady eats meat, it should not be too greasy. Although it is a New Year's Eve dinner, the Lu family has never lacked meat, so it does not need to be too greasy.

The vegetarian dishes and pastry staples were given to Mother Li.

There is no need to ask Cheng Yu any more questions.

Considering the lady's taste, she made two kinds of buns with different fillings.

One is minced meat with wild vegetables, and the other is red dates and bean paste.

Cheng Yu has never been idle since he started cooking.

They were busy until dark and the New Year's Eve dinner was ready. Zhao Rulan was the mistress of the house and should have taken care of it herself, but she was pregnant, so she handed it over to her maids Dingxiang and Ziwei, as well as Yan Mama, who was under the wet nurse Zhang Mama.

Qiu Wen, who was sitting in front of the old lady, did not dare to cause trouble today. She carefully and calmly prepared the tables, chairs, bowls, chopsticks, plates, and decorations for the New Year's Eve dinner.

The New Year’s Eve dinner was served in the old lady’s Nian’an Hall.

The courtyard of Nian'an Hall was decorated with big red lanterns, making it as bright as day. The dishes were packed in food boxes and served to the table to keep warm.

Cheng Yu and Chef Gao were busy while cooking.

The stewed deer tendons were not quite cooked yet, so I waited until the very end.

Cheng Yu raised her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead. It was freezing cold outside, but the big kitchen was bustling with activity. She had been working non-stop in the kitchen, running so hard that her body was so hot that sweat broke out on her forehead.

The lotus is used as a side dish and has already done its job.

Seeing Cheng Yu busy, he said, "Miss Yu'er, if you need anything, just ask someone to do it. Look at you doing everything by yourself and you are sweating profusely."

It's in front of the stove.

Chef Gao continued to curse.

"A bunch of idiots, why don't you wipe my sweat off my face?"

"Go get some water. I need to wash my hands."

"Clean the pot for me. Are all the ingredients for the soup I'm going to prepare ready?"

Cheng Yu didn't even raise his head and continued to work, "I've finished cleaning up. Cooking is different from side dishes. I just brought the wok for cooking."

"The last dish is braised deer tendons in casserole. Serve it up."

Lotus responded, "Okay."

"Miss Yu'er, please take a rest."

Cheng Yu shook his head slightly, "There is still a sweet soup, and the steamed buns haven't been steamed yet."

These should be served after the meal has started, when most of the food has been eaten, otherwise they will get cold quickly.

The house in Nian'antang has floor heating, so it's not too cold, and the dishes on the table won't get too cold.

But it costs a lot of money to heat the floor for a whole winter, so only the old lady's room uses it, while the eldest lady's room still uses a stove.

As for Zhao Rulan, since she is rich, she naturally wants to use floor heating.

Zhao Rulan, wearing the finest fox fur, entered Nian'antang, and the maid at the door lifted the door curtain.

"The lady is here..."

Mrs. Sun, the wife of the eldest wife, who was sitting in the room, was very unhappy, and her maid Qiuyue walked outside.

"What do you mean by madam or not? Isn't our madam sitting inside?"

Before Qiuyue finished speaking, Zhao Rulan glared at her.

"Am I not the Second Master's eldest wife? How come, in the eyes of a little maid like you, I am not the young wife?"

Qiuyue was in front of Sun all day long, listening to Sun's words of contempt and disdain for Zhao Rulan. She didn't show any respect for Zhao Rulan.

He curled his lips and snorted.

Ziwei rolled up her sleeves, reached out and slapped him in the face.

"How dare you hum? What do you mean? My lady is the legitimate mistress of the Lu family. How can a servant like you hum here?"

Ziwei felt sorry for the Madam because of the incense incident. When she heard a servant sneering at the Madam today, she slapped the servant.

Qiuyue got slapped in the face and looked at Ziwei in disbelief.

"You, you dare to hit me, I am the first-class maid in front of the eldest lady."

Zhao Rulan looked at Sun, who seemed to be angry but not quite.

"Sister-in-law, you see that my maidservant is only concerned with protecting me, and has offended you. But Qiuyue did not act calmly today. She is the maidservant in front of you, but she seems to be acting rashly. If you don't have a good maidservant, I will buy you two, okay?"

Sun smiled awkwardly.

"Sister-in-law, Qiuyue didn't mean it. After all, the lady that Nian'an Hall calls me has always been me."

Zhao Rulan turned around and raised her voice and said, "From now on, outside of the Orchid Garden, you all must call me Madam. This way it will be easier to tell them apart."

After hearing what Zhao Rulan said, Sun was so angry that she clutched her handkerchief.

I’m afraid that Mrs. Sun won’t enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner tonight.

Zhao Rulan was very happy. She used to be humble and always thought of ways to please people.

Now that she thinks about it carefully, with her identity and status in the Lu family, why does she need to please others?