It was said that the birthday of the old lady of the Shu family was approaching. Shu Chang, the eldest master of the Shu family, was a dutiful son. He posted a notice to recruit top chefs from the whole county, determined to hold a grand and magnificent birthday banquet for his mother.
The young masters and young ladies of the Shu family were used to Qi Jiao's cooking skills and would visit Jiaoniang Restaurant from time to time.
One day, Shu Qingnian, the second young lady of the Shu family, came to the restaurant to have afternoon tea with her little sisters. By chance, they mentioned this matter.
Shu Qingnian gently waved the silk fan in her hand and frowned slightly. "I still don't know what gift to give to my grandmother. It's really worrying me."
Ye Yun, who was serving tea beside them, fluttered his eyelashes and boldly asked, "I accidentally heard the young ladies talking about the old lady's birthday. May I sign up our boss for this?"
Ye Yun was a meticulous and sharp - eyed person. During his time as a waiter in the restaurant, he had heard a lot of discussions about the restaurant and Jiao Niang from the outside world.
Since Jiao Niang was a young woman, there had always been various comments about her in the culinary circle of Lingle County.
These remarks were both positive and negative, but most of them were baseless speculation, slander and suppression...
Jiao Niang didn't really care. She made a living by her skills and had no time to deal with these gossips.
But as one of her own, Ye Yun knew how excellent and solid Jiao Niang's cooking skills were. Naturally, he couldn't stand these dirty thoughts. Once, he almost quarreled with a table of guests who spoke without restraint.
Finally, it was Hua Sanniang who came over to persuade them and managed to resolve the conflict.
After that, Pei Xia secretly investigated and found that those guests were indeed sent by Jinzhuyaozhai, a restaurant across the street, to spy on them.
A group of men were blatantly lying, saying that there was something wrong with the dishes made by Jiao Niang and that she was making immoral money without fearing the loss of good fortune.
When Ye Yun heard Shu Qingnian and her friends talking about the old lady's birthday banquet, an idea came to his mind - this might be the time for Jiao Niang to gain a firm foothold in the culinary circle of Lingle County.
It was also a good opportunity to slap those villains in the face.
When Ye Yun said this, Shu Qingnian put down her fan and smiled. "Yes, you just reminded me. We've all tasted Jiao Niang's cooking skills. For this birthday banquet of my grandmother, we can't miss her."
The young lady of the Du family, who was with Shu Qingnian, also said, "Aren't you worried about the birthday gift for your grandmother? Ask Jiao Niang. Maybe she has a good idea."
Hearing this, Shu Qingnian's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. "Exactly!"
She asked Ye Yun to invite Qi Jiao to the private room.
Qi Jiao finished cooking several main dishes and sent them out. She washed her hands, sprinkled some rose perfume on her temples and wrists to get rid of the smell of cooking oil.
A young girl like Shu Qingnian, who had been raised in luxury since childhood, was very sensitive to scents.
As soon as Qi Jiao came in, she smelled the faint fragrance and asked, "Jiao Niang, what perfume are you wearing?"
The young lady of the Du family laughed and said, "I think it smells like flower fragrance, but it's not as strong as flower fragrance. There's a kind of refreshing smell."
Qi Jiao gave a look to Hua Shuangshuang behind her. Shuangshuang understood and brought up several bottles of perfume they had just made.
Shu Qingnian and the young lady of the Du family were regular customers. They were about the same age as Pei Jin. Qi Jiao treated them like her own sisters and was very familiar with them when talking.
The porcelain bottles were placed on the table one by one. Qi Jiao introduced them one by one. "This bottle is camellia perfume, this one is jasmine perfume, and these... are rose perfume and rose - hip perfume."
They were all distilled from seasonal flowers.
Shu Qingnian's maternal grandfather's family was a well - known ship merchant in Yulin County. She had seen many imported goods since childhood. Last festival, she received two bottles of rose - hip perfume, which was not much different from the one made by Jiao Niang.
Qi Jiao said, "Besides the main flower, I also added some beauty - enhancing ingredients like dahurian angelica root and pearl powder. I tried many formulas to make it, so the smell is not so strong."
Shu Qingnian and the young lady of the Du family understood.
Shu Qingnian knew the value of these things. After trying the perfume, she wanted to take out her purse.
This stuff could not only replace perfume paste, but also be used to wipe the face and smooth the hair. It was much fresher than face cream.
She tended to have oily skin when the weather got hot.
Just now, Hua Shuangshuang brought up two basins of water for them to wash their faces and then try the perfume.
After a while, she touched her face and found that it was not oily at all. It was smooth and comfortable.
Shu Qingnian thought of her grandmother.
Her grandmother was good at maintaining herself. As a sixty - year - old woman, her skin was fair and firm, and her figure was still in good shape.
People who saw her for the first time always praised that she looked like a woman in her forties. Even though the beauty was in her twilight years, her elegance and charm remained undiminished.
Shu Qingnian both loved and was in awe of her grandmother. Her grandfather passed away early, and it was her grandmother who had been in charge of the family. Everyone in the family obeyed her.
Her grandmother was good in every way, but she had a strange temper, was picky about people and things, and even had a bit of mysophobia.
So Shu Qingnian had been racking her brains to choose a gift, and had even lost a few hairs.
It was really like a dream come true!
Shu Qingnian thought that Jiao Niang was her great savior.
She could sense that her grandmother would definitely accept the perfume she gave.
Even though the old lady was getting old, she still loved to dress up and maintain herself.
Shu Qingnian smiled so much that her eyes were almost closed. "Jiao Niang, how much stock do you have? I'll take them all."
Qi Jiao was slightly surprised. "If it's for your own use, I don't recommend taking too much. Once opened, it's best to use it up within ten days, or the texture and fragrance will fade."
There were no preservatives at that time, and these perfumes were all about freshness.
Shu Qingnian waved her hand indifferently. "It's okay. I'm buying them to give as gifts. I'll buy them all at once and let her choose. She can use the one she likes."
Qi Jiao had nothing to say. She asked Huier to find the specially - made gift boxes and pack the perfume according to the fragrance type.
There was also a matte flower note made of dried flowers in each box, which smelled faintly and elegantly.
Besides the flower note, there was also a jar of hand cream of the same flower series and a small bag of flower tea. The contents were delicate and rich.
This made Shu Qingnian even happier. She hugged Qi Jiao's arm and called her sister. "Good sister, I really can't find better words to praise you. You've thought of everything for me."
This gift box would definitely be the best in the family when given to her grandmother.
All those jade Buddhas and gold hairpins were so common.
Shu Qingnian was not the most beloved granddaughter of the old lady. In a big family like this, the open and covert struggles among the children and grandchildren were no less than those among the wives and concubines.
She looked smug. With Jiao Niang's perfume gift box this time, she was sure to stand out and make her grandmother look at her differently.
So when Qi Jiao told her the price of the perfume gift box, Shu Qingnian didn't feel bad at all.
It was worth it! It was really worth it!
The young lady of the Du family was also very tempted. Besides the eight gift boxes that Shu Qingnian took, there were still four left. The young lady of the Du family bought them all and planned to go home and share them with her mother and sisters - there weren't even enough to share.
The young lady of the Du family simply ordered another ten or so gift boxes. Qi Jiao calculated the time and promised to deliver the goods to her home.
The young lady of the Du family was very satisfied with her purchase and paid the balance at once.
Qi Jiao received the money and smiled sincerely. When the two young ladies left, she gave them the newly - launched red bean milk tea.
Shu Qingnian said that she would tell the steward at home when she got back and asked Qi Jiao to get prepared to go to the Shu Mansion for the old lady's birthday banquet.
Qi Jiao thought for a while, thanked Shu Qingnian and agreed to this matter.
Where there were people, there was a jianghu.
If she wanted to gain a firm foothold in Lingle County, she had to show her true skills so that everyone would know:
She, Qi Jiao, was a real top chef.