Qi Jiao had informed the woman who announced the dishes in advance that each dish should have an auspicious name.
The woman was sharp - eyed, had an excellent memory, and a loud and cheerful voice. She sang out one by one, "Spring Breeze on a Raft, Embellishment on Brocade, Fortune, Rank, Longevity and Happiness, A Myriad of Colors, Golden Duckweed and Jade Grains, Phoenix Enters the Womb..."
"Golden Duckweed and Jade Grains" was autumn pears roasted with osmanthus flower wine.
The autumn pears were simmered until they were crystal - clear. Their cores were hollowed out, dotted with osmanthus stamens like gold, and filled with rice wine as white as spring snow.
"Phoenix Enters the Womb" was the pork belly and chicken soup.
It was said that during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Concubine Yi was physically weak after giving birth. She had no appetite for anything and was getting thinner day by day. The imperial physicians tried every means but to no avail. Finally, the imperial kitchen adopted the method of "food tonic is better than medicine tonic". They improved the chicken soup that was commonly eaten by women during confinement in the folk. They put a chicken into a pork belly and added precious medicinal materials to make the soup.
After Concubine Yi ate it, her appetite improved greatly. After a period of dietary conditioning, Concubine Yi recovered. Moreover, her skin became rosy and shiny, and she was extremely beautiful.
This dish not only cured diseases and strengthened the body but also had health - preserving effects. From then on, Emperor Kangxi named this dish "Phoenix Enters the Womb".
As the dishes were served one by one, the guests gasped in admiration and praised them non - stop. For a moment, no one was willing to pick up their chopsticks. They just watched and admired.
The eldest son of the Zhu family had obtained the title of Xiucai. Many prominent figures had been invited today.
There were the county officials, County Lieutenant Zhou and Instructor Sui, as well as the gray - bearded Scholar Fan, who was also the teacher of the eldest son of the Zhu family.
All of them nodded repeatedly and praised the dishes.
Mrs. Zhu was overjoyed to see this. She looked extremely proud on her face and kept urging everyone to pick up their chopsticks and drink wine, hoping that everyone would enjoy themselves to the fullest.
The atmosphere at the banquet instantly became lively and noisy.
After three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, both Old Man Zhu and the eldest son of the Zhu family were beaming with joy. The smiles on their faces never faded.
After accompanying the county officials and Scholar Fan, the eldest son of the Zhu family left the table to relieve himself. A cool breeze blew and sobered him up. Then he remembered that his wife was in the room breastfeeding the baby and might not have eaten yet.
He felt remorseful. He hit his right palm with his left fist and strode towards the women's table to talk to his mother.
The mother and son met.
The eldest son of the Zhu family said, "Wenmei hasn't eaten yet. Has anyone sent food to her?"
Mrs. Zhu was stunned. Amid the chaos, she had forgotten about this. "There should still be some food in the kitchen. I'll send someone to take it to her right away."
The eldest son of the Zhu family said, "You should stay here and accompany the guests first. There are all our old customers from the grain store here. We can't neglect them." Then he said, "I'll go."
Mrs. Zhu nodded and waved him away.
When the eldest son of the Zhu family reached the door of the bedroom, he suddenly smelled a delicious aroma.
His wife, Xiang Wen, was leaning on a large back pillow, drinking soup. There were also five or six small bowls of delicacies on the table. They looked delicate and delicious.
The eldest son of the Zhu family felt a little relieved. He smiled and entered the room. "I was afraid you were hungry and was about to send someone to bring you food. I didn't expect you were already eating."
Then he walked into the room to look at his son. The baby, wrapped in a red blanket, was full and sleeping soundly with his little fists clenched.
The eldest son of the Zhu family couldn't help touching the baby's chubby cheeks. A feeling of parental love welled up in his heart.
Xiang Wen was wearing a headband. She scooped up the soup with a spoon one by one. When she saw the eldest son of the Zhu family, she just sneered. "It's really hard for you, the Xiucai, to remember me. If it weren't for the considerate cook who made confinement food for me, I would have caused a scene and made your family look bad."
It was she who had endured the pain of giving birth, but the Zhu family only cared about appearances outside or the baby. Who cared about her well - being?
In the end, her husband was not as considerate as a cook she had never met!
She had been very angry during this confinement period.
She felt wronged, and as she spoke, her eyes turned red.
The eldest son of the Zhu family both loved and feared his wife, who was also his cousin. Seeing her angry, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and said carefully, "It's my fault. There were so many guests today, and I've been greeting them in the front. I'm afraid I've been delayed for too long."
"You know that Dad doesn't care about anything. He's too lazy to even pick up a toppled oil bottle. This time, Mom has been busy running things. She's so busy that she can't take care of anything. She was just about to come back to arrange food for you, but I stopped her. I would never forget you, my dear wife. Please forgive me..."
He coaxed her gently and then picked up a bowl and spoon to feed her.
Only then did Xiang Wen calm down. She asked about the situation of the banquet in the front.
When it came to this, the eldest son of the Zhu family immediately grinned from ear to ear. As he described the lively scene in the front, Xiang Wen couldn't help opening her eyes wide in amazement.
"That cook named Qi Jiao is really amazing! The soup and snacks she made left a lingering fragrance in my mouth. I felt warm and comfortable in my stomach. She also said that women are weak in qi and blood after giving birth, and these dishes are medicinal diets to nourish my body. But I couldn't smell any medicinal taste at all. It's really strange."
At this moment, the eldest son of the Zhu family was extremely grateful to Qi Jiao.
She had helped his family save face and also comforted his wife.
He thought that his mother had really found the right person this time! He must thank her well after the event!
When the eldest son of the Zhu family returned to the table, the kitchen served the last big dish - "Lucky Draw", which was an improved version of the rattan pepper chicken in a bowl.
It had a good meaning and looked fresh.
Thin bamboo skewers like green bamboo branches were neatly inserted in a large bowl.
Each skewer was threaded with either meat or vegetarian ingredients, such as quail eggs, chicken gizzards, beef, vegetable hearts, chicken... All kinds of them were soaked in the clear and spicy rattan pepper base, making people drool.
Everyone had never seen such a dish before. County Lieutenant Zhou on the main seat picked up one and tasted it. He couldn't help narrowing his eyes and sparing no praise. "The taste is crispy, tender and smooth. The flavor is spicy, fragrant and hot. The aftertaste is endless, truly endless!" After eating one, he didn't stop using his chopsticks.
Scholar Fan had the most discerning palate. He didn't show much reaction when eating the previous dishes. But when he ate this "Lucky Draw", he was suddenly inspired to write a poem titled "Ode to the Chicken in a Bowl", which was cheered by everyone and pushed the atmosphere of the whole event to a climax.
Everyone rushed to taste it and buried their heads in eating.
After a while, the table was as if it had been swept by locusts. Those who were too slow and ate less even wanted to scoop up the base soup and drink it.
Mrs. Zhu was extremely satisfied. After seeing off one guest after another, she happily returned to the kitchen. She found Qi Jiao and said a whole bunch of words of thanks.
In addition to the one - tael silver wage they had agreed on before, she also gave Qi Jiao a red envelope with 800 copper coins. Pei Xia, who had assisted Qi Jiao, also got 300 copper coins as wage.
Those women who had helped in the kitchen naturally got 100 copper coins each. Mrs. Zhu was in a good mood, so she waved her hand and doubled their wages.
Everyone thanked Mrs. Zhu and was also grateful to Qi Jiao. They all knew that if it weren't for the wonderful banquet Qi Jiao had prepared, Mrs. Zhu wouldn't have been so generous.
For a moment, like stars surrounding the moon, they asked Qi Jiao to sit down and rest. They said they would take care of the rest of the work.
Qi Jiao had been busy from morning till now and was really tired. She smiled slightly, thanked them, and then sat down on a stool beside the table to rest.
Cooking was a physical job. Her arms ached, and she didn't even want to talk.