And the cooking skills seemed to be pretty good?

Seeing Ai Cao’s eyes widen, Mother Liu laughed, “I didn’t believe it at first. No, it smells so good. I guess it’s just that the girl didn’t want to show her hands in the past.”

“Our girls are really powerful.” Ai Cao smacked her lips.

She has good looks, can sing, dance, can play the Yue Qin¹, can read and write, and actually has good cooking skills…

To put it bluntly, if she were a man, he would definitely marry such a good girl and take her home.

Why was the Second Master not thinking about it…

The stewed chicken was soft and delicious, the texture was smooth and tender, and the noodles were also chewy and delicious.

When Mother Liu cooked the noodles, she added some tender spinach leaves at the end. The slightly sweet taste further stimulated the aroma of the chicken and the fresh taste of the noodles.

Su Yujin couldn’t help but nod while eating.

This was the right taste.

Because the dinner was delicious, Su Yujin ate a bowl and a half of noodles and a lot of whole pieces of chicken. After finishing the meal, Su Yujin even burped.

Ai Cao and Mama Liu also ate two full bowls before they were willing to put down their bowls and chopsticks.

The weather was getting warmer, and the remaining half of the chicken couldn’t be put away, so she cooked it at noon the next day.

Different from the braised chicken from last night, this time she made a dish called three-cup chicken.

It was the first time Mother Liu had heard of such a recipe, so naturally, she wouldn’t do it. But she felt that as a slave, it was inappropriate for Su Yujin to cook all the time, so she asked Su Yujin to watch and tell her how to do it, and she would do it.

Add onion, ginger, and garlic to the pan, stir-fry the chicken pieces, add soy sauce, rice wine, and rock sugar, bring to a boil over high heat, and simmer over low heat. When taking it out of the pan, sprinkle some green onions.

The chicken pieces were full of aroma, tender, and delicious, with a slightly sweet texture and a pleasant taste. When paired with soft and glutinous white rice…

Su Yujin herself thought it tasted great.

Ai Cao and Mother Liu once again scooped up all the soup without any fuss and used it to eat rice.

The flowers and plants in the flower garden were sold for a few more days, until the flower garden became empty, except for a relatively tall osmanthus tree.

The sweet-scented osmanthus tree represented nobility, so Ai Cao suggested that it was best to keep this tree.

Su Yujin was thinking that she could pick some osmanthus flowers in autumn to make osmanthus honey or osmanthus cake, so she nodded in agreement and only asked Mother Liu and Ai Cao to carefully turn over the flower bed.

Mother Liu went to the street and bought some bean seedlings, cucumber seedlings, etc., and planted them one by one. She also found some leek roots, loofah seeds, garlic, etc., and planted them all.

In the bright March of spring, with the season in full bloom, the vegetables and greens in the small part of the courtyard were thriving, displaying vibrant greenery, a sight that was quite pleasing to the eyes.

Seeing this, Su Yujin couldn’t help but nod with satisfaction.

Some of them had taken shape.

After waiting for more than a month, you can eat fresh and delicious home-grown vegetables and save a lot of money.

Next, she needed to consider how to make money to support herself and her two slaves.

In the afternoon, Su Yujin called Ai Cao and Mother Liu to her.

“You have also seen my current state.”

Su Yujin said, “Second Master has not been here for a long time, and the money he gave has been spent. I have already secretly pawned the valuable jewelry and clothes and sold them again.”

“We have taken out the flowers in the garden. It can be said that almost everything that can be sold has been sold.”

“Even so, we only have two taels of silver at the moment. Even if we are frugal, it will only last us a few months. After that, we won’t be able to make ends meet.”

“So I thought, it’s useless to wait for the Second Master to come. Why don’t we think of a way to do something to make money, so that our lives will be easier in the future.”

“It’s just what I’ve been thinking about. We’re not familiar with other businesses and don’t have much capital. My cooking skills are pretty good. How about we sell some food?”

Ai Cao almost blurted out, “Okay, the girl is so good at cooking, our food business must be good.”

“Nonsense, how can a girl show up casually like us?” Mother Liu stopped her.

She only said that it was not appropriate for her to appear in public, but she did not say that food business was not allowed.

Su Yujin thought for a while, “How about we try to sell some wontons first? I’ll make them, and Mother Liu will roll out the skins and cook the wontons. Ai Cao greets the guests, clears the bowls and spoons, etc.”

After all, she was skilled in cooking, and something like wontons, which had a main dish and a soup, and was meaty, was popular on the streets. Most people passing by would be willing to have a bowl.

There were just three of them, and the division of labor was appropriate.

“Girl, don’t blame me for talking too much. If the Second Master turns around and finds out that you are selling wontons in public, I’m afraid he will be angry.” Mother Liu reminded her.

After all, the Second Master was a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he was from a well-known family in the capital. His woman actually wanted to be exposed to the public and engage in small business… Mother Liu can’t imagine how ugly the Second Master’s face will be if he finds out about this.

“I have thought about this matter, so there is no need to worry about this Mother Liu.”

Su Yujin smiled, “If the Second Master really still cared about me, he wouldn’t leave me here for so long without saying anything. So I guess the Second Master will not come again in a short time.”

“Besides, I have squandered all the money the Second Master gave me. If the Second Master comes later, he will definitely be displeased when he sees me being so careless with money. In that case, it is better to show an attitude and show that I am sincerely repentant.”

In general, setting up a stall to sell wontons could be regarded as a helpless move, and there was a reason for it.

And based on the current situation, if they didn’t do the wonton business, there was no other way to continue to live!

After hearing this, Mother Liu thought for a moment, and even though she felt helpless, she nodded, “What the girl said makes sense, and you must listen to her in everything.”

“In that case, let’s get everything organized,” Su Yujin instructed. “Mother Liu, go buy some pork, green onions, ginger, and other ingredients. Also, try rolling out some wonton wrappers. I’ll work on the dumpling filling. Ai Cao, make arrangements for the stove, long benches, and tables we’ll need for setting up our stall.”

“Yes, girl.”

The decision was made, and all three of them were busy.

Two days later, a new wonton stall appeared on the streets of Qinghe County.

People passing by saw this brand-new “Su Kee” stall, looked at the neat and clean stall, and asked, “How much is a bowl of wontons?”

“Ten wens per bowl, and we guarantee the portion is sufficient and the taste is good.”

Ai Cao was loud and the voice was melodious. “Want a bowl, sir?”

“Give me a bowl of wontons!” The guest sat down.

“Okay.” Ai Cao agreed and put the wontons wrapped by Su Yujin into the pot.

After the water boiled for a while, take it out, put a few river shrimps and minced coriander in it, and then scoop a little oil from the jar next to it and pour it on.

“What is this poured on?” the guest asked.

“Scallion oil. It is very fragrant. You will know after you taste it.” Ai Cao brought the wontons up.

The guest was doubtful, so he smelled it first and found that the aroma was fragrant and the taste was mellow, so he scooped up the wontons and ate them with big mouthfuls.

Thin crust, big stuffing, and rich soup. After one bowl, you still feel like you are still unsatisfied. The guest thought for a while and shouted again, “One more bowl…”

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Footnote

1. yueqin, a lute with oval or octagonal sound box