Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 82 Beating the drum

Ye Jiayao was already familiar with the doubt and denial from the princess, but it was a pity that God didn't give her a body like a gasoline barrel and a weathered face. Therefore, if she wanted to get a chance, she would be questioned more than others.

But she would rather be questioned than look ugly.

Princess Yi De and Xia You sat down. Princess Yi De did not show Ye Jiayao a seat, so Helian Jing stood with Ye Jiayao.

"Which restaurants have you worked in before?" Princess Yi De asked in a gentle voice.

Originally, Ye Jiayao could have made up a story about her life just like she did to Deng Haichuan and the others, but Chunyu's mother was there too, and Chunyu knew her details best, so she couldn't tell the lie. However, her resume was too pale, so she had to tell the truth: "The biggest restaurant I have stayed in so far is Tianshangju. Before that, I traveled all over the country, traveled thousands of miles, tasted delicious food, learned the essence of northern and southern cuisines, and integrated the differences between eastern and western cuisines. In this world, many people only look at how brilliant a person's resume is to see how capable he is and whether he is successful or not. I believe that in a few years, no one in Jinling City will ask me the same question again."

Princess Yi De secretly took a breath of cold air. This boy is so arrogant. Is he just young and frivolous or does he really have some ability?

Helian Jing looked at Ye Jiayao with admiration, thinking: Big Yaoyao is awesome, so cool! This is really like his elder brother. Are confident people more likely to succeed?

Xia Youshi was looking at the young cook with great interest. Princess Yide originally wanted to show him a warning, but she was kicked by his horse's hoof first.

"You are quite confident!" Princess Yide's eyes turned slightly cold, and the smile on her lips deepened.

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "Excessive self-confidence is pride, and excessive humility is inferiority. I think my self-confidence is just right."

Ye Jiayao always believed that the best way to fight back against the arrogance and prejudice of those high-ranking people was to be prouder than them, not to mention that she had the capital to do so.

Princess Yi De originally had some hesitation in her heart, but when she saw her age, she subtracted one point. After hearing her reply, she completely lost all the points.

Helian Jing knew his mother's temper. The prettier she smiled, the worse the situation was. He quickly presented the menu: "Mother, this is the menu Li Yao prepared. What do you think?"

Princess Yi De glanced at the menu indifferently. She had no interest in looking at it at all. However, Xiao Jing's eager and even pleading eyes made her unable to harden her heart.

She took it reluctantly and looked at it. At first, she just glanced at it casually, but later her expression became serious.

She had hosted many banquets, including family banquets, seasonal banquets, banquets for guests, full-moon banquets, imperial examination banquets, birthday banquets and even imperial banquets, but she had never seen such a detailed menu.

Yes, it was very detailed, from the selection of dishes, the tea for entertaining guests, the dried fruit candied fruit cakes before the banquet, the number of pickles, the number of appetizers, the number of hot dishes, the staple food longevity noodles, the tea and fruit after the meal, etc. Every dish had an auspicious meaning, and was marked with the ingredients used in the dish, the cooking method used, the characteristics and effects, and some of the dishes she had never heard of.

This is just a cursory glance. If you think about it more carefully, you will find the extraordinaryness of this menu. The combination of meat and vegetables, the nutritional combination, and the selection of delicacies from land and sea are all very particular. This is definitely a feast, very decent, and in no way inferior to a royal banquet.

Princess Yi De read the menu carefully and handed it to Xia Youshi. She asked Ye Jiayao, "Can you cook all the dishes listed here?"

Ye Jiayao said seriously: "I can do it. If the princess is worried, I can cook a few dishes for her to taste."

"Mom, please order a few dishes and let Li Yao make them for you to try tomorrow." Helian Jing agreed. According to his previous temperament, he would definitely praise Dayaoyao, but he has become smarter now. His mother has a prejudice against Dayaoyao, and the more he praises her, the more she will not believe it. So he simply let her try it herself.

Ye Jiayao smiled bitterly: "There are a few dishes that I may not be able to make tomorrow. Ingredients like century-old round fish and fresh white fish are not easy to find. It will take some time."

Princess Yi De said, "Let's put this aside for now. Let me ask you, there is a seasonal dessert called Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan on top of your plate. What is this? And there is a question mark at the end. What does it mean?"

Ye Jiayao smiled slightly: "Replying to the Princess, the old ancestor's birthday is on July 28th, and it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival in August soon. Everyone should taste the mooncakes in advance, which means family reunion every year. As for why there is a question mark, it is because this mooncake is newly developed by me and I planned to launch it in August, so no one has tried it yet, and it is very expensive. I am not sure whether the Princess will want it, so I put a question mark first." "What kind of mooncake is it?" Xia Youshi asked curiously, because this mooncake has been bothering her for many years. She never thought that those sweet and greasy mooncakes were delicious, no matter whether they were Su style, Cantonese style or Beijing style, but in order to celebrate the festival, she had to eat it no matter how bad it tasted. When she heard that it was a new style, she couldn't help but ask.

I don’t know why, but when Ye Jiayao knew that this person was Chunyu’s mother, she felt a little nervous. Damn, she almost had to call her mother-in-law.

"To be exact, there are two types of mooncakes. Before they were officially launched on the market, these were all trade secrets. Since the Marquis' wife asked, I will reveal a little bit. One of them is called Crystal Mooncake. The crust is as transparent as crystal, flexible and elastic, and the fillings are of various fruit flavors. It is sweet but not greasy, and has a pleasant fruity aroma. There is also another one called Ice Cream Mooncake. This kind of ice cream is what my master learned when he traveled across the ocean to a country in the far west. It is so delicious that it will make people scream. It is definitely an unprecedented experience." Ye Jiayao herself began to miss the taste of ice cream. In the midsummer, sitting in a bourgeois dessert shop, enjoying the air conditioning, and slowly enjoying a cup of blueberry-flavored ice cream, all the heat and boredom would be swept away.

Mrs. Xia You and Princess Yi De looked at each other, both of them were puzzled. Is it really so mysterious?

It was the first time that Helian Jing heard about it, but he had full faith in Dayaoyao's ability. As long as Dayaoyao wanted to do it, it seemed that there was nothing he couldn't do.

"Mom, aunt, have you heard of the ice drinks that are very popular in Jinling City recently, such as Pink Lady and Double Smooth Milk?" Helian Jing asked.

Yide frowned and thought for a moment: "It seems that Liuli left the palace just to drink iced drinks. Is this thing really that delicious?"

Helian Jing smiled and said, "Is it delicious? My son will buy it back for you to try tomorrow. This ice drink was developed by Li Yaoxin and is now very popular in Jinling."

"You are joking, young prince. There is no need for you to buy it in person. If you want to eat it, just tell me and I will deliver it to you at any time." Ye Jiayao said politely.

Helian Jing took it seriously and asked in surprise, "Really?" Then he could use this excuse to invite Dayaoyao to his home often in the future.

Ye Jiayao smiled at him, with a familiar threat in her eyes. Damn, didn't you hear that I was trying to please your mother so that I could win this big project and make some money and fame? If I really came to you at your beck and call, would I still have to work?
Helian Jing quickly realized that he was overthinking and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Ye Jiayao got back to the point: "The production costs of these two mooncakes are very high, and the process is complicated, so the price will naturally not be cheap. When they are on the market, the price of a small ice cream mooncake will be at least five taels of silver, and the price of a crystal mooncake will not be less than three taels. If each guest's portion is counted, the amount of expenditure alone is a bit scary, so I'll put a question mark first."

Princess Yide adjusted the pearl hairpin on her head with great grace, a hint of arrogant smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said slowly: "As long as the things are really good, this little money is nothing."

According to the budget, there were 36 tables, 10 people at each table, a total of 360 people, 5 taels per person, and no more than 2,000 taels of silver. What kind of scary number was this? It really underestimated the Helian Palace.

Xia Youshi smiled and said, "The menu you listed here costs several hundred taels of silver for one table. The bulk of the money has already been spent, and why would the princess want to add a little extra? Good food is the most practical thing."

Yi De asked her to find fault, but she didn't listen to her. Xia Youshi felt that she was really foresighted. A new chef, a young man, would have a brain full of new ideas. That ice cream mooncake is so delicious that it makes people scream? How delicious is it? It's unimaginable, but she has begun to look forward to it.

In addition, to be fair, she thought the menu was well prepared. Tianshangju was also well-known in Jinling City. If he could become the head chef of Tianshangju, how bad could his cooking skills be? This matter was handed over to this young chef, and it was a sure thing.

Ye Jiayao listened to Chunyu Lao Niang's words. At first, she thought she was agreeing with the eldest princess, but after thinking about it again, it seemed more like she was forcing the eldest princess into a dilemma. It was a bit like if you don't do it, it's too expensive.

Princess Yide hesitated, not because of the money, any amount was fine, and she was not dissatisfied with the menu, but the Queen Mother said yesterday that if she couldn't find a suitable one, she would let the imperial chef prepare the birthday banquet. She thought it would be better and more respectable to let the imperial chef prepare it.

"Mom, let's just settle it. If we delay any further, it will delay things. My brother and I both believe that Li Yao can do it." Helian Jing urged, and also brought his eldest brother out.

Xia Youshi glanced at Princess Yi De who was still hesitating and struggling, and said with a faint smile: "Next year, my master will be fifty, and we will have to set up a few tables by then. Li Yao, right? I'll tell you first, I'll treat you when the time comes, and you are not allowed to raise the price."

Ye Jiayao was so touched. How could Chunyu's mother be so nice? It turned out that old ladies who could play double buckle were all lovely people.

(End of this chapter)