Chapter 28: Seeking a Master

Over at the Tranquil Study, Granny Zhou did not select any additional maids, nor did she set up a separate tea room. She simply placed a tea stove under the corridor of the side wing, where Jade Ink and Granny Zhou themselves boiled water and brewed tea. Since the Young Master was often out during the day and only occasionally returned to rest at night, it wasn’t much trouble.

With this arrangement, there was no chance for Pear Moon to tend the tea room at the study, so she had to make long-term plans in the small kitchen instead.

These past few days, Autumn Abundance had been slacking off. Having received Summer Cloth as a reward from above to make new clothes, she, being the most skilled in needlework, made two sets for herself, even adding trims and embroidering intricate patterns. She left the kitchen tasks to Huan Huan, who couldn’t handle them. Fearing Aunt Cao would scold them, Pear Moon had no choice but to shoulder the burden herself.

Autumn Abundance felt guilty and offered to make Pear Moon a new set of clothes. Pear Moon quickly cut the rewarded Summer Cloth and asked Autumn Abundance to make a blouse and skirt according to Aunt Cao’s measurements.

“Since the Tranquil Study doesn’t need anyone, we’re just muddling along here. Why are you giving gifts to Aunt Cao? If you make even a small mistake in your work, she’ll grab a broomstick and beat you. That sour-faced, hard-hearted old thing—even if you give her gifts, she’ll still hit you!”

Autumn Abundance, who feared Aunt Cao the most, couldn’t understand why Pear Moon was trying to curry favor with her. Pear Moon ignored her nonsense and only told her to make the clothes carefully, with floral trims on the sleeves.

After instructing Autumn Abundance about the clothes, Pear Moon took out a tael of silver. During the midday break, she hurried to the cooked food shop on the back street and bought roast goose, smoked pork, and grilled lamb. Then she went to a nearby winery and bought a bottle of fine southern wine. She also made a plate of rose-flavored steamed pastries and a plate of yellow-frosted milk cakes, packing all these items into two food boxes.

Once Autumn Abundance finished the clothes, Pear Moon folded them neatly into a bundle, carried it along with the two food boxes, and took advantage of the evening to deliver the gifts to Aunt Cao’s room.

Having witnessed Aunt Cao’s skills, Pear Moon had long wanted to learn culinary arts from her. However, as Pear Moon hailed from Ningguo Mansion while Aunt Cao was a dowry servant of the Shen family, she had never found an opportunity.

In the cook’s profession, stealing techniques was the greatest taboo. Aunt Cao’s skills were a family heirloom, and when preparing her signature dishes, she always worked in secret, never allowing others to see her seasoning or ingredient selection.

Although Pear Moon had a photographic memory, she could only secretly learn minor dishes like Chicken Wingtip Soup. In culinary arts, seeing something didn’t necessarily mean one could master it. Many crucial aspects hinged on one or two key secrets. If the master refused to impart them, no matter how many years one practiced, the flavor would never be quite right.

In the small kitchen of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, many wanted to learn cooking from Aunt Cao, mostly older women and wives. They hoped to learn one or two signature dishes with just a few sweet words, so they could show off outside.

Aunt Cao never taught such people. Having grown up in the streets, she saw through these petty schemes clearly. Her culinary skills were a family treasure, not some performance trick.

She wanted to find an apprentice who suited her—preferably young, diligent, and clever—to pass on the Cao family’s culinary legacy, open a restaurant on Imperial Street, and support her in her old age.

In the cook’s profession, teaching an apprentice could mean starving the master, so Aunt Cao would never teach just anyone.

Among the Shen family maids in Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, all were pampered and delicate, each striving to climb higher. The best aimed to become chamber maids or quasi-mistresses, while the least ambitious sought leisurely tasks. No one was willing to take up the culinary craft.

After observing coldly for years, Aunt Cao found that among those around her, only Pear Moon was both willing to learn and diligent.

Yet she also knew that if she took Pear Moon as an apprentice, the Shen family’s dowry servants would gossip, and the young lady would never approve.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to take you on, but you, Xiao Yue, are not free. You’re a lifetime-contract maid of Ningguo Mansion, bound to the estate for life. Passing my skills to you would be useless; learning snacks and pastries from your godmother is enough.”

Pear Moon’s godmother, Madam Liu, worked with pastries in the Main Kitchen, as Aunt Cao knew.

She made excuses with her words, but her eyes glanced at the gifts piled on the table: a set of summer clothes, a bottle of fine southern wine, four kinds of cooked meats, two boxes of pastries, plus a solid-stemmed gold hairpin with a longevity character, which Pear Moon had spent five taels of silver to have made.

These gifts were neither too many nor too few. Though Aunt Cao looked down on them, she was somewhat moved in her heart.

For a lowly maid to offer this much could be considered giving all she had.

Pear Moon understood her thoughts and quickly kowtowed several times, pursing her lips into a smile. “I dare not ask Auntie to take me as an apprentice. I only wish to help Auntie with fetching water, tending the fire, and assisting. Since I’m in the kitchen anyway, Auntie can just order me around.”

With things put this way, Aunt Cao said nothing more and silently accepted the gifts.

They agreed she wouldn’t take Pear Moon as a disciple, only letting her do odd jobs by her stove.

For Pear Moon, this was already very good. She had secretly watched Aunt Cao cook—just the knife skills and bone-cleaning alone would take her a while to learn, let alone the various dishes served daily.

From that day on, Pear Moon worked odd jobs at Aunt Cao’s stove.

Fetching water, tending the fire, chopping vegetables—she took care of all the tasks herself.

Pear Moon was diligent by nature, and when others saw how Aunt Cao ordered her about, they thought someone had ill intentions.

Only Autumn Abundance and Huan Huan, behind her back, called her a lowly wretch, saying she was asking for hardship.

That afternoon, with nothing much to do, Pear Moon was washing vegetables in the kitchen courtyard when she suddenly saw a third-rank maid sent from the Main Chamber, standing on the threshold and calling out.

“Third Mistress Shen will be coming soon to visit our mistress. You all must prepare soups and pastries carefully. She is an esteemed guest from our mistress’s maternal family. If you neglect her, our mistress will not let it go!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Pear Moon couldn’t help shaking her head inwardly.

Shen Shi’s temper was truly perverse.

When her Shen family relatives came to visit, she insisted that soups and pastries must not be neglected. Yet a few days ago, when Miss Ning came to see her, not even a cup of hot tea was served.

For a daughter-in-law to show such favoritism—what good would it do her if word got out?

No wonder Phoenix Ripple Courtyard had been so quiet these past few days. After Miss Ning’s visit, no one else had come to see her.

With no visitors, Shen Shi didn’t go out either, staying cooped up in her room day after day.

Pear Moon wondered: every day, looking through the gauze window at the courtyard full of vibrant spring colors, did she feel lonely and desolate?

Just as she was lost in these thoughts, she saw the gate of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard open. Several maids and matrons clustered around as a young wife in splendid attire walked in—this was Third Mistress Shen, Shen Shi’s third sister-in-law.

Shen Shi had three elder brothers. The eldest and second brothers were her full siblings, both having passed the imperial examinations. The third brother was a half-brother from a concubine, who failed the exams and obtained his position through donation.

The Shen family followed old customs in marriages: the legitimate sons married daughters of official families of equal status, while only the third, illegitimate son married the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan.

Yet, during her time in her maternal home, Shen Shi had gotten along best with her third sister-in-law.

Because Third Mistress Shen, humble about her merchant background, always flattered her young sister-in-law in everything, unlike her two elder sisters-in-law who put on airs. Moreover, as a merchant’s daughter marrying into a prestigious family, Third Mistress Shen had an extremely lavish dowry and had given Shen Shi many bridal gifts.

Pear Moon had long heard from the small kitchen staff that among the three young mistresses of the Shen family, the third young mistress stood out the most. Not only was she as beautiful as a fairy, but her clever tongue surpassed even ten eloquent men combined.

Upon seeing her today, she indeed had elegant brows and bright eyes—a stunning beauty.

While Pear Moon craned her neck to admire the beauty, the back of her head was suddenly struck.

“That troublemaker, inviting her here for no reason—you know she’s up to no good!”

Aunt Cao muttered a curse under her breath and ordered Pear Moon to hurry up and stoke the fire to stew the fine fruit spring tea.