Xingxing knew she had overestimated her skills.
She had followed every step as the chef taught.
But the result was still like this.
Xingxing reflected on it—
She needed a maid as skilled in stoking the fire as she was.
She asked the Zhou Family’s steward to light the fire for her, deciding to try again.
The steward of Zhou Family twitched the corner of his eyes.
With cooking skills like this, no matter how many tis she tried, it probably wouldn’t improve much, the starting point was too low.
Rice and vegetables weren’t expensive, but they were on a boat with no place to replenish supplies, so it wasn’t appropriate to spoil them like that.
The steward of Zhou Family said, "What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you."
Xingxing widened her eyes, "You can cook?"
"A little," replied the Zhou Family steward.
Even the servant was surprised.
Because he had never seen the Zhou Family steward cook before.
The steward was so-so at chopping, but surprisingly good at cooking.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, all the servants on the boat surrounded it, blocking the entrance completely.
The dishes were chosen by Xingxing, and they were for Su Jin.
But as soon as they were served, only empty plates were left, the last bit of sauce was used by the servants to mix with rice.
Xingxing: "..."
Zhou Family steward: "..."
The servants didn’t know Su Jin’s identity; to them, she was just a second-class manager at the Beauty Pavilion.
They had never tasted the steward’s cooking.
Not even the Old Master Zhou had tasted it.
How could a second-class manager get to taste it first?
The crowd was hard to contend with.
With all the servants snatching food, what could the steward do but continue cooking?
"Anyone who steals again will have a month’s salary deducted!" declared the steward.
The servant grinned, "Uncle Zhou, you’re underutilized as a steward; if you learned culinary arts, you could be the Imperial Chef in the palace."
"Off, off, don’t hold up my cooking!" the steward retorted in frustration.
With his culinary skills, cooking for the Emperor would have him beheaded ten tis over.
These folks had never tasted good food; just a taste and they could elevate him to the skies, although he knew his own limitations well.
Nonetheless, a little show, and having the dishes snatched up was quite satisfying internally.
The steward cooked two small dishes, stewed an egg, and Xingxing delivered them to Su Jin on a tray.
Seeing the dishes on the table, Su Jin exclaid, "The cooking is quite good."
Xingxing: "..."
The steward, rembering Xingxing’s plate of coals, almost suffered internal injury from containing his laughter.
Xingxing blushed red.
She had intended to cook for Su Jin, which Su Jin was aware of.
Before leaving, Su Jin had even said, "Then I’ll wait for you to bring the dishes."
Xingxing had been eager yet was crushed by the disaster of a dish.
Reminiscing about mocking a girl’s dish being worse than arsenic, Xingxing feared ridicule from Su Jin.
However, she dared not deceive Su Jin, and quietly confessed, "These dishes were cooked by the steward."
"So what happened to yours?" Su Jin inquired.
"...Threw it away."
"Threw it away?" Su Jin arched an eyebrow.
Xingxing hung her head so low that she almost saw the back of her head.
Seeing her deanor and the steward unable to hide his grin, Su Jin had an idea of what happened.
This maid had spoken with such confidence, but now she was feeling defeated, right?
Su Jin picked up a piece with her chopsticks and nodded, "The steward’s cooking is not bad."
The steward felt a bit bashful, "The food on the boat is simple; please excuse us."
After seeing that Su Jin had taken a couple of bites, the steward went off to attend to his matters.
Xingxing dragged a small chair opposite Su Jin, began eating, and filled her mouth, "The steward’s cooking is genuinely good, let him cook dinner for Miss as well."
Su Jin knocked Xingxing’s head lightly, "He’s busy, where would he find the ti to cook for ?"
"Then what if Miss doesn’t have enough to eat?" Xingxing asked.
No one should be wronged, especially the little master.
Nonetheless, Su Jin hadn’t felt truly full in quite a while.
The steward’s cooking was good, but Su Jin couldn’t eat more than half a bowl of rice.
Xingxing didn’t ask the steward to cook again, but her actions spoke volus about praising the steward’s delicious dishes.
The plates were wiped clean with buns, and even the soup didn’t remain.
When the dishes were sent back, the servant looked at the plates and asked, "Washed?"
"Not washed," Xingxing blushed and replied.
"..."
Xingxing put down the plates and left.
Su Jin leaned back satisfied and opened the window to enjoy the riverside scenery.
After sitting for a while, she went to stand at the bow of the boat, but it was winter, if only it were sumr, the view would be much better.
As al ti approached, the steward instinctively went into the kitchen, instructing servants to chop the vegetables while he manned the stove.
The midday session was rushed; he made only three dishes, but cooked five for dinner, and extra portions were served, half for Su Jin, half for the servants.
Thanks to Su Jin, the servants enjoyed good als for two days.
Along the journey, the steward introduced the regions to Su Jin, "This area is the border of Xuzhou and Su State."
"Ahead, we’ll reach Su State."
Su State?
Isn’t that where Young Master Lin’s family resides?
The servant watching the sails said, "The roast duck from Su State is extraordinary; when we dock, we should try it."
Xingxing eyed the servant, "We’re still stopping in Su State?"
Just as the steward was about to speak, the servant cut in, "Yes, in two days, it’s the grand celebration of Doctor Wei’s apprentice marrying the Su Prefect’s daughter, and Steward Zhou is going to deliver a gift. We will stay in Su State for a day or two."
The steward looked towards Su Jin, "If Steward Shen isn’t in a hurry to head to the border, we could rest in Su State for a couple of days?"
Although Su Jin held a noble status, the steward had orders to deliver the gift, and he couldn’t disregard Old Master Zhou’s instructions just to escort the Princess Consort Zhenbei.
Recalling the incident involving the Heir of Prince Zhenbei, the steward assud Su Jin wouldn’t linger.
If she was rushing to the border, he’d have another handle the gift delivery.
The safety of the Heir’s wife was far more important than delivering a gift.
Su Jin smiled and said, "Young Master Lin, the forr Su Prefect’s son, left a folded fan with . Since we’re docking at Su State, I’ll return it."
With that, Steward Zhou was assured.
A day later, the boat docked.
It took another half-day in the carriage to reach Suizhou Prefecture.
Su Jin was with child, slowing the carriage’s pace. To accommodate her, the carriage took a half-day trip.
The servants had so opinions about this, but with the steward pressing them, none dared to voice their dissatisfaction.
They weren’t staying long in Su State; more ti spent in the carriage ant less ti to enjoy themselves.
So hoped to browse in the Prefecture for trinkets to charm the maids back ho.
Doctor Wei’s apprentice was marrying the Su Prefect’s daughter tomorrow, so there was no harm in delivering the gift a day early. Nevertheless, the steward feared Su Jin was on a tight schedule, so they didn’t plan on attending the wedding banquet.
Years ago, Old Master Zhou was injured, and it was thanks to Doctor Wei that he was saved. Given that Doctor Wei was now Su Jin’s benefactor, gifting on this occasion was a must.
The carriage headed straight to the Wei Mansion.
Xingxing pulled back the curtain to see utter chaos at the mansion’s entrance.
The red festive fabrics were strewn on the ground, dirty and trampled by many.
The steward rode at the front, upon seeing the scene, asked, "What on earth happened here?"
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