Li Ying smiled and said, "Young master was so on guard against me just now. Well, now you want me to take you in?"
"This is a resort, after all. There are plenty of rooms. If young master wants to stay, I'll show you to the guest room. But I wonder if young master can afford the silver?"
When she saved the girl just now, she had a clear look. The purse on the girl's body, though with noble patterns, was empty. Presumably, she had either spent all her silver or lost it accidentally during the shipwreck.
The girl blushed but gritted her teeth and said, "Don't look down on me! Do you know who I am? It's just a farmhouse. I can surely afford the food and accommodation!"
The morning breeze blew, making her shiver involuntarily. She rummaged through her whole body in a hurry but couldn't find a single copper coin.
Li Ying watched her actions with great interest. Her gaze fell on the girl's ear tips, and she couldn't help being secretly shocked.
This girl was really not good at disguising herself as a man.
On her small and round earlobes, there were still a pair of bright pearl earrings that she hadn't removed.
However, these earrings looked really rare.
They were entirely smoky blue with a faint pink - purple pearly sheen. They had been covered by her long hair before, so they hadn't been noticed for a while.
These black pearls...
Li Ying's mind raced, and she remembered a letter that Ruyi had sent from the capital a few days ago.
The letter said that the operation of Li's Restaurant was normal without any abnormalities, except for one rare thing.
For five consecutive days, a young master in magnificent clothes had specifically ordered some of Li Ying's special and novel dishes. But after tasting them, he had looked unimpressed and said that the taste of this top - notch restaurant in the capital was just so - so.
Ruyi originally thought she had met a picky and difficult customer. Just as she was about to go and take care of it herself, an inquisitive diner at the side spoke first.
That customer was an old patron of the restaurant and had also tasted Li Ying's cooking. He immediately said that although the capital branch of Li's Restaurant was delicious, when it came to ingenuity, it was still the main store in the fishing village that was better.
The young master had smiled but said nothing, with a flickering look in his eyes. Ruyi had secretly thought something was wrong and had written a letter to inform Li Ying early.
She couldn't find out the background of this young master and was afraid that it was another difficult opponent who came to cause trouble on purpose, so she wanted Li Ying to be prepared.
Li Ying had received the letter and waited for a few days, but no unexpected guests had appeared, so she had forgotten about it. Now, thinking carefully, the young master in Ruyi's letter must be the girl in front of her.
She smiled and casually said to the girl, "Young master lives a life of luxury. If you've encountered some trouble and are short of money for the moment, why not use those pearl earrings as collateral for now?
"Our small place is not a magnificent and noble place, but it's novel and interesting, with all kinds of entertainment and delicious food. It will surely make young master feel at home.
"If young master is not satisfied, I guarantee that I won't take a single cent and will return your belongings. How about it?"
Li Ying was so confident that the girl became a bit interested.
Her face blushed slightly. Obviously, she knew that her female identity had been exposed, so she simply stopped hiding. She took off the earrings generously and casually threw them to Li Ying.
"Humph, you've got good taste. You're a bit more interesting than those useless people in the capital who have no discernment."
She wrapped Li Ying's cloak around her and resumed her haughty look, snorting softly.
"Put away the things quickly and take me to take a bath and change clothes. Then prepare some novel good wine and delicious dishes!"
Li Ying put on a modest smile and bowed, saying, "Of course."
She led the girl to the largest "sea - view room". There was boiling water prepared in the room. The girl pulled up the screen and comfortably immersed herself in the bathtub.
Li Ying walked to the kitchen unhurriedly. A Man yawned and accompanied her, pouting and saying, "Sister, she's just a picky customer. Is it really worth it for you to cook in person?"
Li Ying just casually tapped her on the nose.
She had examined those pearl earrings carefully. Their quality was extremely good, and they were priceless treasures.
Such rare things, but the girl casually threw them to her as collateral. If it wasn't because she was too reckless, then there was only one possibility left.
These black pearls were just the most ordinary ones among the jewels this girl owned.
Although her pearl farm could cultivate pink - purple pearls, she had absolutely no way to produce black pearls.
There was only one reason.
Only the black - lipped pearl oyster that could secrete black nacre and specific water quality could breed black pearls that refracted a rainbow - like brilliance.
If her guess was correct...
The envoy who would enter the capital after the New Year was from a southern overseas state. It was said that this small country was too weak to protect itself, so it was willing to offer tributes to seek the protection of the current emperor.
Rumors in the streets said that this southern overseas country would offer all its national treasures, only hoping to always be by the emperor's side and share his worries.
It seemed that the "treasures" in the rumors might refer to the girl who was taking a bath in the sea - view room now.
"Sister, are you saying that the girl we saved today is a princess who came for a political marriage?"
A Man stared in disbelief, her eyes wide open.
Li Ying casually nodded. The girl's speech, behavior, every frown and smile all exuded a natural air of nobility. She had come from the capital in secret from a long - distance. Her speculation was reasonable.
"Then how should we serve her?"
A Man gasped secretly, but Li Ying was calm and well - prepared.
She minced the beef brisket into fine minced meat and fried it with butter. After frying until the moisture was dry, she added diced radish, scallions and garlic, and cooked it with white wine to remove the fishy smell.
She pureed the tomatoes and added them to the pot with the stock. Then she put in a small handful of bay leaves and black pepper. After bringing it to a boil, she turned to low heat and simmered it for an hour.
While the red meat sauce was cooking, she made the dough.
When making the dough, she only used egg liquid. After proofing, the rolled dough would be more chewy and smooth than ordinary noodles.
The last thing was the creamy white sauce.
In the melted butter, she added flour in batches. After stirring evenly, she poured in fresh milk.
She seasoned it with pepper, salt and nutmeg. When it was smooth and thick, she let it cool for later use.
Everything was ready. She took a square and deep plate, first spread a layer of meat sauce, covered it with a noodle sheet. Then, according to the order of a layer of red sauce, a layer of white sauce, a layer of grated cheese, and a layer of noodle sheet, she assembled a total of seven layers.
On the top, she spread the thick white sauce and sprinkled all the remaining cheese on it. Then she put it into the oven and baked it until the surface was golden.
She took it out while it was still hot and cut it into large pieces. The cheese in each layer was soft and stringy. The strong aroma of meat and milk intertwined on the lips and teeth, making people unable to stop.