The middle-aged man with a refined appearance smiled and said, “I am not a purchasing agent from the government.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Caimai was taken aback and looked at the man with even more curiosity: “If you are not a purchasing agent from the government, why are you buying vegetables at the estate? When did the senior manager at the estate become so easy to talk to? Would he let you in?” As he spoke, he looked around and began to look for the senior manager.

The man didn’t seem to care about Ji Caimai’s questioning. He just smiled and said, “I’m the cook at the Marquis of Jingyun’s residence. The Duke’s birthday is coming up in a few days, and the steward of the household specially went to the Imperial Household Department to request an order.” He paused here and continued to explain, noticing the look Ji Caimai was giving him, “Recently, there was a case at the market where someone bought sick poultry and livestock, and their whole family got sick after eating them. It would be terrible if something like this happened at the Duke’s birthday banquet! So, to ensure the safety of the ingredients for this banquet, the steward sent me to the estate to purchase them.”

His explanation was very detailed, his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and the whole story was clearly explained.

Ji Caimai nodded and said, “I see!” Then, turning to Wen Mingtang, she said, “The goods at the market are a mixed bag. While you might find some good ones, there are far more bad ones! Not long ago, there was even a case of people selling poultry and livestock infected with the epidemic, resulting in illness among those who ate them.”

Although Wen Mingtang usually cooked in the public kitchen, she didn’t buy ingredients herself, so she naturally wouldn’t know about such things. However, Ji Caimai, who was in charge of purchasing ingredients, did know.

“Compared to the market, where you might occasionally find good things, the things from the estate are more reliable!” Ji Caimai said. “After all, it’s food that you put in your mouth, so you have to be careful!”

Wen Mingtang nodded, deeply agreeing: “Indeed!” As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced a few more times at the refined-looking cook opposite her. After he mentioned the name “Jingyun Marquis’s Residence”, she couldn’t help but scrutinize him.

Wen Mingtang hadn’t completely forgotten the authentic hot and sour noodles he’d eaten not long ago. The person in front of him must be the chef that the Lady of the Marquis had found, skilled in Sichuan cuisine!

But… his Mandarin was so authentic that you couldn’t hear a trace of any other accent, and Wen Mingtang was a little surprised. She had originally thought that even if the chef spoke Mandarin well, he would probably have some Sichuan accent, but he hadn’t expected to hear it at all.

Noticing Wen Mingtang’s gaze, the cook smiled at her and turned to Ji Caimai, saying, “I have a cold dish made with chicken hearts, livers, and other offal. Chicken legs can also be used in other dishes. However, chicken breast isn’t my speciality. I originally thought it would either be thrown away or just cooked casually and swallowed. I didn’t expect you all to be so skilled at making chicken breast dishes, which would prevent waste.” Before Ji Caimai could speak, he added, “These are unwanted items, so the price is negotiable.”

Having bought what he wanted at a very low price and avoided waste, Ji Caimai was quite satisfied. After agreeing on the price, while waiting for the farmhands to slaughter the chickens and ducks, Ji Caimai chatted with the cook.

“I thought you were a newly appointed purchasing agent from some government office. You used to be a cook at the Jingyun Marquis’s residence. Speaking of which, we have quite a history!” Ji Caimai said.

The other party was clearly surprised to hear this: “May I ask which government office you work for, sir?”

Ji Caimai glanced at the cook and said, “The chef of the Dali Temple.”

Upon hearing this, the other party paused for a moment, his expression blank, before turning to joy: “Our second young master works at the Dali Temple, and Madam often says that the chefs at the Dali Temple’s public kitchen are very much to her liking!”

“Yes! Your Young Master Lin is very fond of our chef Wen’s cooking!” Ji Caimai said, pointing to Wen Mingtang, who was wearing a bamboo hat and listening quietly to their conversation behind him, “The one who cooks is our Chef Wen.”

Upon hearing this, the other person raised an eyebrow in surprise, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wen Mingtang, saying, “My apologies, I’ve heard that Master Wen’s Sichuan cuisine is quite good!”

Wen Mingtang returned the salute and frankly admitted, “To be honest, that bowl of hot and sour noodles was delicious, and I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time!”

It was a mutual appreciation between chefs who made their living through their skills! The other person glanced at Wen Mingtang a few more times, originally intending to chat with her about the customs and culture of Sichuan. However, upon learning that Wen Mingtang had never been to Sichuan and had only learned the craft by chance while staying in the palace, he was slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, he still verbally “made an appointment” with Wen Mingtang and Ji Caimai for “next time” and bid them farewell after leaving the estate.

On the day of the Duke of Jing’s birthday banquet, the guests were naturally extraordinary. Hearing that the scene was exceptionally lively, the sight of the rarely seen dignitaries dazzled the commoners who had been squatting outside the Duke’s mansion that day!

The case of the “Beauty Lantern” was handed over to Zhao Mengzhuo to finish, and they no longer needed to worry about it. Lin Fei, the second grandson of the Duke of Jingguo, had no cases to attend to, so he naturally took leave to accompany the Marquis of Jingyun in entertaining the distinguished guests.

With the case over, Liu Yuan and the others, now free, were “slacking off” in the Dali Temple. Imagining their usually solemn superior now standing beside the Marquis of Jingyun, smiling and welcoming the guests, they subconsciously shuddered. It was truly hard to imagine Lin Fei smiling and warmly welcoming guests!

Although they couldn’t witness the grand occasion of the Duke of Jingguo’s birthday banquet, the people in the Dali Temple felt no regret whatsoever. They happily ate the three meals prepared by the Dali Temple’s kitchen, catching up on the novels they hadn’t finished reading before. At the end of a bamboo skewer in their hands was the Dali Temple’s newest dish of the day—boneless chicken strips! In the afternoon, a long queue formed outside the Dali Temple’s kitchen.

The aroma of oil, meat, and unique spices filled the air, drawing people in instantly and irresistibly.

“It smells so good!” Several passing clerks exclaimed, inhaling deeply and stopping in their tracks. They couldn’t help but glance towards the kitchen, eager to buy the snacks being prepared, but the long, crowded line of students ahead made them hesitate.

“What time is it?” one clerk asked, swallowing hard. He glanced at the sundial and raised his voice, “It’s time for class! Buying snacks here instead of attending class, aren’t you afraid the teacher will scold you?”

The clerk’s intentions were too obvious! These teenagers weren’t easily fooled.

The student who had turned his head upon hearing this cast a sidelong glance at the clerk, wearing an expression that said, “I can see right through your intentions,” then let out a cold snort and said, “Today’s lecturer, Yu Bóshì, is also quite fond of the snacks made by Master Wen and asked us to bring him a portion as well!”

Before he finished speaking, another student chimed in, “Yu Bóshì’s class starts with a half-hour quiz on memorizing texts. Today, the students from the next class were chosen to recite, and they’re doing it right now! They also asked us to bring them snacks.”

The teachers at the Imperial Academy varied in their strictness, but Yu Bóshì clearly belonged to the latter.

The students refused to give up their places. The two clerks looked at the long queue, but fortunately, it wasn’t moving slowly. After thinking for a moment, they resigned themselves to joining the end of the line and waiting for the snack called “Boneless Chicken Strips”.

(End of Chapter)

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