Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

He spoke softly, as if reciting a gentle poem, while using a bamboo spoon to delicately peel off the delicate outer shell of the chestnut cake, as if treating a precious work of art.

He gently placed the pastry on a piece of paper as pure as snow, and then handed the carefully crafted dessert to Lin Zhiruo.

The uncle's demeanor revealed an air of luxury, like a nobleman of distinguished family.

(He is a truly generous and refined man.)

Sweet potatoes are a rarity in this season and hard to find, but he not only cleverly made pastries out of sweet potatoes, but also used high-quality paper instead of ordinary plates to serve the dessert, demonstrating his extraordinary taste.

Lin Zhiruo gently picked up the pastry and swallowed it in one gulp. Her eyes then fell on the piece of paper with round oil stains. The surface of the paper was as smooth as a mirror, and the texture was excellent, which was amazing.

"The paper used by the imperial physician is of truly extraordinary quality." Lin Zhiruo exclaimed casually.

"Oh? You can actually see the secret?" The cook's eyes flashed with surprise when she heard this.

"This paper is a specialty of my hometown. It was fortunate enough to be selected as a palace item, so its quality is naturally superior." Lin Zhiruo praised sincerely.

She recalled her father's food shop, and how the paper used to wrap the ingredients was always the more decent ones selected from those crudely made inferior products.

In order to prevent moisture and spillage, Lin Zhiruo was fascinated by this kind of paper, but considering the customer base and cost of the food shop, she could only cut expenses in areas other than food, otherwise the business would be difficult to maintain.

(How great would it be if we could get a slightly lower price from someone we know?)

While savoring the warm and sweet taste of the fruit juice, Lin Zhiruo secretly pondered this slightly cunning idea.

However, the sweetness didn't seem to go well with the cakes, so she lit the fire and made some hot tea.

The imperial kitchen had a fire lit all year round due to regulations, which was quite convenient in this respect.

"The villagers in my hometown once worked together to make paper. We also went through a difficult period and were almost forced to close down. Fortunately, we managed to pull through in the end. I'm extremely lucky."

Before Lin Zhiruo could ask any questions, the cook started talking non-stop.

In the past, papermaking was profitable, so they continued to cut down trees, turn them into sawdust, and devote themselves to the papermaking business.

Since exporting paper abroad was more profitable than selling it domestically, they used paper as a trading commodity and exported it abroad in large quantities.

The cook recalled her childhood, when her family was well-off and she could have as many desserts as she wanted.

However, perhaps because the tree is too big and attracts the wind, they angered the queen and were no longer able to cut down the raw material trees.

In desperation, they had to switch to using other materials to make paper, but the quality was greatly reduced, which even made the traders furious and eventually stopped cooperating with them.

It is said that those days were a world of difference compared to the smooth life before.

The cook's grandfather was the village chief at the time. He was blamed by villagers all day long and asked to find a way to solve the problem.

The village chief knows very well that it is impossible to restore the previous papermaking industry, but the villagers find it difficult to accept this reality and have been venting their anger on the village chief and his family.

Lin Zhiruo listened to her story while pouring tea into the cup.

"What made me feel the most lonely was my sister entering the harem."

They originally built a village in a place suitable for papermaking, but since papermaking was no longer possible, there was no point in staying there.

So they decided to relocate, but funding became a problem.

At this time, the harem was recruiting palace maids, so my sister left home and entered the palace.

"She smiled and said to me, 'I am going to become the mother of the nation,' but I never got to see her again."

After moving to a new place, we faced a new problem - how to raise equipment.

This required more funds, so, following her elder sister, the younger sister also decided to enter the palace as a maid.

"There's no other way. I'll have to take the responsibility."

As the size of the harem expanded, the number of eunuchs also increased.

Eunuchs were more scarce than palace maids, so he was able to sell her for a good price.

(I never thought he would go through so much hardship.)

Lin Zhiruo thought so as she drank the tea in one gulp.

The more you clean, the more dirt and clutter you discover.

The food cabinet was cleaned in just two days, but then Lin Zhiruo's attention was attracted by the next room.

The cook seems to be diligent in cleaning, but she ignores the details.

Lin Zhiruo cleared the cobwebs from the ceiling and carefully wiped the walls. She was busy for three days and then began to repair various appliances.

The number of instruments was beyond her imagination.

What she couldn't believe was that the cook had piled all the rarely used utensils in one room.

(What a waste!)

Lin Zhiruo originally thought that the next room was empty, but she never expected that it was a treasure trove for her.

The room was filled with recipes. Lin Zhiruo was happily sorting them out, while the cook looked unhappy.

In this way, Lin Zhiruo and the pouting cook started cleaning together, and seven days have passed.

During this period, Lin Zhiruo also tasted food for Concubine Yuyao, but fortunately no accidents occurred.

At this moment, the cook with slightly curved eyebrows was concentrating on grinding ingredients. Suddenly, a eunuch walked in.

Lin Zhiruo thought it was some important matter, but it turned out to be just a letter.

"Oh? This is..."

The cook was secretly delighted, thinking that she could take this opportunity to be lazy, so she happily opened the letter.

"Who sent this letter?" Lin Zhiruo asked casually even though she knew it was just a polite question.

"It was sent by my sister."

The cook handed the dry piece of paper to Lin Zhiruo to read.

Lin Zhiruo thought that the surface of this paper was as rough as seaweed, no different from the crude products seen on the market.

(Didn’t she say her family was making paper?)

Is it because it is sent to family members that you think using coarse products is enough?

Lin Zhiruo was thinking this - suddenly, the cook's face changed drastically and she stared at the paper intently.