Shanghai Embroidery Lady

Chapter 61
After getting off the train in Peiping, the young woman thanked Ye Zijin and Mrs. Wilton.The little baby girl in her arms was wrapped up like a pink ball, with bright eyes open in the swaddle, babbling a few times from time to time, holding a little finger of Ye Zijin in her limp little hand, giggling, Showing two small white teeth.Mrs. Wilton was reluctant to part with this little angel who brought laughter to her on the journey, so she took off the cross necklace on her chest and gave it to the baby girl. Ye Zijin heard her say "My dear, may the Lord bless you".

After waving goodbye, the two sides walked in opposite directions, Ye Zijin turned his head and took a look, and saw Qu Xiangtian quickly followed.Ye Zijin noticed that Qu Xiangtian deliberately slowed down when everyone was not paying attention, and then walked towards the young woman alone, and hurriedly stuffed a bag of things for the mother.Ye Zijin's heart warmed up. Not everyone in the upper class has a heart as cold and hard as a stone. As Mrs. Wilton said, motherhood is the most attractive nature of a woman, and kindness is the most noble nature of human beings.

After Qu Xiangtian took Wilton and his wife to the hotel to settle down, Ye Zijin originally wanted to find a place to stay by herself.Unexpectedly, Qu Xiangtian took her luggage directly, handed her a key and said: "Miss Ye, the room has been arranged for you, you can clean it up first, the eldest brother said that you will book a restaurant for dinner later."

Ye Zijin's hands were empty, and she paused quietly, a little embarrassed: "This is too much trouble for you, Mr. Qu, let me find a place to live by myself."

There was a respectful smile on Qu Xiangtian's thin and stiff face, "Miss Ye, you are welcome, your current status is an interpreter, and it is more convenient to live in a hotel. Just tell me where you are going when the time comes Let me know, and I'll send you a car."

Ye Zijin was about to refuse again, when a cold voice came from behind.

"What? Do you think that our Baohui foreign company can't even pay for the translation's accommodation?" Meng Haoxiang changed into a light gray suit with a woolen vest inside, and only the collar and shirt were exposed. A small piece of snow-white sleeve.He raised his wrist and looked at his watch, and said in a tone that didn't have room for discussion: "At a quarter past eleven, I'm going out for dinner, you still have 10 minutes to prepare."

After Meng Haoxiang finished speaking, he passed by her and went down the stairs. Qu Xiangtian smiled awkwardly and said, "Miss Ye, hurry up and clean up. The car will be waiting outside the hotel gate."

Qu Xiangtian helped her carry her luggage to the door, nodded to her politely, and then hurried downstairs.

Ye Zijin felt very unhappy, did Meng Haoxiang really think she was the translator of Baohui International?He also ordered her in a legitimate manner. He was really used to putting on airs, and there was a stinky face everywhere.Ye Zijin complained secretly, carrying the suitcase into the room to change clothes.

Ye Zijin didn't know why she obeyed Meng Haoxiang's 10 minutes. When she thought that it was only 10 minutes, she hurriedly took out her clothes and changed after entering the room. She casually combed her hair in front of the vanity mirror, and then stuffed it into her handbag. After some trivial things, I rushed out.When she got to the stairs, she felt a little ridiculous, maybe she was really afraid of Meng Haoxiang.So she slowed down and went downstairs slowly.

Meng Haoxiang was sitting in the hall on the first floor drinking tea with Wilton and his wife. Seeing Ye Zijin walking down, he couldn't help staring.

Mrs. Wilton turned her head and smiled, "Miss Ye is so beautiful."

She is indeed beautiful. At the wedding banquet, she put on a little makeup and powder like a newly blooming peony, but at this moment, her elegance and tranquility are like a lotus in clear water.She was dressed in a violet cheongsam that fitted her body perfectly, making her eyes clear and white as snow. Her cascading black hair hung casually on her shoulders, with only one side naturally pinned behind her ears, revealing her round and fair earlobes.

Ye Zijin walked to the lobby on the first floor, greeted Wilton and his wife politely, then turned to Meng Haoxiang and said, "Boss Meng, I'm here on time."

Meng Haoxiang's expression was slightly unnatural, and he could hear the thorns in her words, and he regained his composure and said: "Just be on time, I don't like waiting for others, let's go, a restaurant has been booked." After speaking, he accompanied the Wiltons out of the hall , leaving Ye Zijin behind.

Ye Zijin felt a little angry, just now Qu Xiangtian said that she would book the restaurant, now they have already made a reservation, so there is no need for her to suggest.Now she doubts whether she is stupid or in a daze. It is obvious that they asked her to be an interpreter, but she feels like she owes him money, and she has to be patient and accommodating everywhere.She stabilized her mood and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would quit working as an interpreter today!

The car came to a restaurant, and saw the four characters "Yuchu Yupin" written on the glittering golden plaque.

Royal chef?Ye Zijin was stunned for a second, presumably this restaurant serves palace dishes, but I don't know if the taste is authentic.In the past, it was impossible for common people to eat court dishes, and even if they ate imitation meals, they had to be beheaded.Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, restaurants with royal kitchen signs have opened all over the place. People don’t know if they are eating the dishes in the palace. status and dignity.

Lisuo's waiter took them into a box named "Pearl Pavilion".

After the Wiltons were seated, Ye Zijin sat beside Mrs. Wilton.Seeing that the visitor was well-dressed and there were foreigners there, the waiter perked up immediately, walked to the table and spoke the name of the dish with a Beijing accent like a jingle.

"Guest officer, what would you like to order? Here we have beef and mutton Sixi meatballs, roasted deer tendon, cherry meat, pouch tenderloin, a hundred birds and phoenix, five-spice fish, stewed cabbage in boiling water, eight-treasure gourd duck..."

Hearing the report from the waiter, everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, swims in the water, buries in the soil, and grows on the ground is complete.

Ye Zijin listened to these familiar dish names, and thought of the kitchen of the capital city. Those delicacies from mountains and seas have now flowed into the people, and suddenly there is a slight sense of sadness that "in the old days, the swallows in front of Wang Xietang flew into the homes of ordinary people".

Meng Haoxiang asked her to order, and after asking about the tastes of the Wiltons, she ordered a few classic dishes, including soup and vegetables, with a combination of meat and vegetables, sweet and light.

There are storytellers and singers in the restaurant. At the beginning, they played the Yueqin a few times, making people's hearts tremble, and then the dense piano sounds fell like rapid raindrops, and the momentum was like overwhelming the river.Suddenly there was a sound of "thump", and the sound of the piano stopped abruptly, only to hear the player singing slowly: "My husband, Gui Hengkui, is a daughter. She was born in Qi Pavilion and grew up from a famous family. Talent, the power to turn the universe, can be called a heroine among women, a peerless hero, a strange person through the ages, only heard and seen only. When she is lying in the deep boudoir, she does not fly or sing; once the stormy waves rise, the century-old career..."

"Dangdangdangdang..." There was another burst of complicated strings. The voice of the player who played and sang was as clear as a spring, with a lingering lingering sound, and a vivid expression. He was completely immersed in the story of his own playing and singing.

The Wiltons couldn't understand, so they asked Ye Zijin what the frowning man was singing.Ye Zijin could only roughly tell them the story of "Liuhua Meng".Mr. Wilton suddenly realized: "Miss Gui is the Chinese Joan of Arc, a great heroine!"

Ye Zijin felt a little proud when he heard Mr. Wilton praise Gui Hengkui as China's Joan of Arc and heroine.Women in ancient China were not lacking in heroes who led troops to battle.It's just that the old-fashioned foot-binding forcibly broke off the women's wings. The three-inch golden lotus is like an invisible anklet that holds the women's steps. Most women can only stay in a small world, looking forward to their husbands and children all day long.Based on this, she is glad that she was born in Manchu.

Ye Zijin and the Wilton couple had a very happy conversation. While praising Ye Zijin, Mrs. Wilton did not forget to praise Meng Haoxiang, saying that Meng Haoxiang was very gentlemanly, and that they looked like a good couple.

Ye Zijin just smiled and cursed inwardly, he is a gentleman?The whole thing is a lion with the smell of copper.

Seeing Ye Zijin's face turn red, Meng Haoxiang asked, "What are you talking about?"

Of course Ye Zijin would not tell him what Mrs. Wilton said, she smiled to cover up the embarrassment just now, and said, "We are talking about drama."

Meng Haoxiang wasn't very interested in drama either, so he didn't ask any more questions, and drank tea silently with Qu Xiangtian.

After a while, the dishes were served, and only six dishes were served, which almost filled the table.

As soon as Ye Zijin saw the porcelain plate and the arrangement of the dishes, she knew that it was made by a genuine imperial chef.No matter how the taste is, just this exquisite knife work is enough to show the chef's great skill, especially the white hair floating green water, which cuts a piece of snow-white tofu into thin tofu shreds, and puts it in the soup. The shape of the blossoming crab claw chrysanthemum appeared in the ball.

The Wilton couple marveled at the magnificence and delicacy of the palace dishes. Ye Zijin introduced them one by one. Some dishes had complicated names, and Ye Zijin couldn't translate them, so he had to choose the main raw materials and explain them.

When Mrs. Wilton tasted the stewed cabbage in boiling water, she couldn't help letting out a low cry.

Meng Haoxiang thought that this dish did not suit Mrs. Wilton's appetite, so he said to Ye Zijin, "Ask Mrs. Wilton what's wrong, if you need to remove that dish."

Ye Zijin translated Meng Haoxiang's meaning to Mrs. Wilton, and Mrs. Wilton shook her head and said "no, no, no..." Then she said to Mr. Wilton beside her in surprise: "It's amazing!"

Ye Zijin inquired further, only to learn that Mrs. Wilton was full of praise for this stewed cabbage in boiling water and liked it very much.It turned out that Mrs. Wilton thought this dish was very simple and light when she first saw it, and thought it was just boiled cabbage leaves.Unexpectedly, after taking a sip, it felt extremely delicious, and I couldn't imagine that this ordinary cabbage leaf could make such a delicacy.

When Ye Zijin was a child in Dutong Mansion, she especially liked to go to the kitchen to play, and would often secretly lie on the window eaves to watch the cooks in the mansion cook all kinds of delicacies.The head chef in the Dutong Mansion is the imperial chef bestowed by his aunt, the Empress Dowager Longyu. He is a middle-aged man with a good temper and a bloated body. He is good at Huaiyang cuisine and can create new dishes.Every time he saw Ye Zijin peeking outside the kitchen, the fat cook would give her some snacks to make her happy.

Ye Zijin also took a sip of this dish, a familiar taste filled between his teeth and cheeks, with endless aftertaste.

She introduced the recipe to the Wiltons.Although it is a simple cabbage, the "boiled water" is by no means simple boiled water.Instead, ten catties of imperial chickens were used to make ten catties of chicken soup in ten hours, and then this soup was added to ten catties of imperial chickens and stewed for ten hours to get eight catties of "broth". Chop the meat into puree and hang the broth three times to make it look like "boiling water".After the broth is ready, remove the big leaves of the excellent yellow-hearted cabbage, leaving only the tenderest part. Use "boiling water" to kill the greens first, then put it in a cup and add boiling water to simmer for half an hour, so that the cabbage can absorb the umami of the chicken soup and make it fresh and sweet. The cabbage flavor is also combined with the chicken soup. This seemingly simple and tasteless dish is actually cumbersome and delicious.

The Wiltons were dumbfounded after hearing Ye Zijin's generalization. Who would have thought that so many chickens were needed to make this soup, which is worthy of the royal style of court dishes.

Seeing that the Wiltons were eating happily, Meng Haoxiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.This time it is really thanks to Ye Zijin, if I change to other translators, I may not understand the essence of these dishes.

When the last dessert came, Ye Zijin looked at the piece of green silver dandelion grass on the red cherry-like dessert, her heart was shocked.

She heard that this prosperous dish was a dessert that my aunt ate on her wedding day. It was originally made with tomato and pomegranate juice as the main ingredients.But this dessert in Dutong Mansion was improved by that fat chef. Speaking of this improved dessert, there is a little origin.

(End of this chapter)