Wealth and glory seek stability

As summer approached, ice and wind wheels were used in the palace, but Xia still found the heat unbearable.

Qiangwei brought Xia's half-eaten meal to the kitchen to ask for censure: "Madam, you haven't had a good meal for several days, but you are lazy and just doing your job?"

Mrs. Wang, who was in charge of the kitchen, was very anxious. "What are you talking about, young lady? Even if we have the guts, we would not dare to cheat the lady of her food."

Qiangwei pointed at the food on the plate and said sternly, "Are those eyes on your chest venting anger? Can't you see that you haven't even eaten a few bites of the food? I don't care what you do. If you can't cook a few decent meals, I will report to the grandmother and drive you all out of the house and find some other cooks who are more dedicated to their work."

Qiangwei walked out of the kitchen angrily.

Liu, who was in charge of purchasing for the kitchen, took the plate in her hand and sniffed it. She couldn't help but feel wronged. "It's hot, and the Madam doesn't want to eat. How can it be our fault? The food is obviously the same as usual. That Qiangwei is too harsh."

Mother Wang pushed Liu away, glared at her, and took the opportunity to scold her, "Some things should be said, and some things should not be said. Liu, don't be so careless with your words. Do you think you can slander Miss Qiang behind her back? Be careful or I'll tell Miss Qiang that she said a few words in front of the Madam and cut off Qian Youcai's purchasing job."

Liu reacted with a start and apologized quickly.

"Sister Wang, I was blinded by my own greed. Please don't tell anyone. I will never do that again."

"That's good to know. Let's think about how to make some food for the Madam. Otherwise, when the master of the mansion comes to pay his respects in a few days and finds out that the Madam can't eat, our small kitchen will be in trouble."

Wang racked her brains but couldn't figure it out.

The food was the same old soup, with abalone, shark's fin, bird's nest, bird's nest, porridge and side dishes all tried, but Xia couldn't eat any of it.

After a few days, he lost a lot of weight.

Soon, Qin and Qian heard the news and offered fresh dishes from their small kitchens.

In order to give face to her daughter-in-law, Xia reluctantly ate a few bites.

Jian Xi felt hot and uncomfortable, so she went to the kitchen and wanted to eat something cold.

It would be nice if there was ice cream.

There was no one in the small kitchen. Jian Xi became familiar with everyone in the small kitchen because of a bowl of pear soup every day.

"Huh? Why is there no one?"

Jian Xi was wondering when she saw a piece of ice on the stove.

If you don't take care of it, it will melt if left at this temperature for a while.

Ice cubes are a rare commodity, but the small kitchen would occasionally cook for them. Jian Xi was sweet-talking, so she would mix a bowl of ice for him from time to time.

"Such a big piece of ice will be wasted if left alone. Mrs. Wang is really something." Jian Xi said as she rolled up her sleeves and planned to make a fruit smoothie.

Picking up the kitchen knife, Jian Xi moved a stool and stood next to the stove. She held the handle of the knife, which was almost as thick as her arm, and started chopping.

Until the ice was cut into small pieces, she didn't cut it too finely, because in this weather, ice that was too fine would be difficult to preserve.

He picked up the watermelon that Mother Wang had helped to cool with well water.

Speaking of watermelons, Jian Xi was very surprised. She didn't expect that there were watermelons in this dynasty. The price was not very expensive, ten cents each. She would ask Liu, who worked in the kitchen, to bring her a watermelon every two days.

Jian Xi picked up a piece of clean gauze, wrapped the watermelon flesh, and squeezed it hard. The red juice flowed down the gauze and dyed the white crushed ice red.

She cut a few small cubes from the center of the watermelon and placed them on the crushed ice.

A large block of ice was used to make ten bowls. Jian Xi picked up a bowl and took a bite, her eyes narrowed into slits.

Icy and sweet!

good to eat!

The rest was placed on the stove.

Mother Wang was giving a lecture to the mother in charge of the kitchen and the kitchen helper because Xia had been refusing to eat recently.

"Everyone, please think of a solution. Madam Tai is the most considerate of us servants. We have lost a lot of weight these past few days because we haven't eaten anything. If you have any good recipes, please don't keep them to yourself. Bring them out. I promise that I will never take the credit for you."

The maids under them have been trying their best recently and can't help but complain.

"Mother Wang, it's not that we didn't try our best. We've tried everything, but the lady just can't eat it."

"Yes, my mother died last year and the lady gave me 20 taels of silver to bury her. I dare not be unkind to such a great favor. I even took out my family's ancestral cake recipe."

"We have tried every possible method, including flying in the sky, swimming in the water, and running on the ground. We have tried everything we can."

"A few days ago, the princess and the second wife asked someone to find some fresh bear paws and wild game from the mountains outside the Great Wall, but the lady couldn't eat them."

Mother Wang knew that what everyone said was true, but there was nothing she could do about it. The master couldn't eat, and the first problem was the kitchen.

She had been called in for questioning by the masters of the mansion, both big and small, for several days in a row. Even the maids in Xia's room ran to the kitchen to make trouble every day.

Just after lunch, Mother Wang called all the maids and servants in the kitchen to discuss countermeasures.

Qiangwei came to the kitchen to get some pastries, but didn't see anyone. She remembered that the meals prepared by the kitchen in the past few days were not to Xia's taste at all, and was about to get angry.

"Huh? Is this the new food made by the kitchen? They are pretty dedicated." Qiangwei saw several bowls of smoothies presented in beautiful colors. She picked one up and tasted it first, thinking that if it tasted good, she would give it to Xia.

It has an icy taste when you take a bite, and has the unique fragrance and sweetness of watermelon.

The fruit pieces on top are from the middle part of the watermelon, piled on the smoothie and they are icy and sweet.

Qiangwei finished the whole bowl in one go.

So enjoyable!

It’s not that the small kitchen has used ice to make sweet soup before, but they were all ice cubes added to the sweet soup. Apart from the icy taste, there was nothing else, so naturally it didn’t arouse Xia’s appetite.

While the smoothie was still not melting, Qiangwei found a tray and carried it into the main courtyard.

"Madam, this is a freshly made dessert from the kitchen. It's icy and sweet and delicious."

Mrs. Xia was too lazy to move. She suffered a lot in the summer and it was very difficult for her every year.

"I have no appetite, take it away." Xia refused without even looking at it.

She didn't want to eat anything. These days, she didn't even want to listen to her favorite part of the obedient notebook, and she didn't want to eat anything she saw.

Qiangwei patiently persuaded, "It's different this time. Try it. If you don't want to eat it, I'll take it away." The cool taste was completely different from the desserts made in the small kitchen before.

It’s not that they were not dedicated, but they were cooking for the most distinguished people in the palace, and no one would have thought of using a watermelon that cost ten cents each to feed Xia.

Even an ordinary pastry has to go through dozens of processes to avoid ruining its reputation.

Xia propped herself up and took a bite from Qiangwei's hand.

I didn't feel anything at the first bite. As soon as I tasted the flavor, the smoothie melted in my mouth, and the summer heat seemed to dissipate a lot in an instant.

Seeing that Xia wanted to take a second bite, Qiangwei was overjoyed.

He patiently fed Xia a whole bowl of smoothie, mouthful by mouthful.

After eating it, Xia felt like eating more. "Are there any more?"

Qiangwei helped Xia lean on the couch, turned around and put the bowl away, and replied: "There are more in the kitchen, but today, Madam, you can't eat any more. You haven't eaten for a few days. No matter how delicious this dessert is, it is made of ice. If you eat too much, your body can't stand it."

Xia nodded. She knew her body well and knew that she couldn't use too much ice. "Then go to the kitchen and make me a bowl of porridge with some dried pickled meat. I'm a little hungry right now. Ask the kitchen to let the porridge cool down. I don't want to eat it so hot."

Upon hearing this, Qiangwei immediately ran to the kitchen to pass on the message.

The maid in the room finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chunyan stepped forward and said, "Madam, you need to eat. If you don't eat, the prince, princess, and the second wife will skin us alive."

Xia ate something and felt more energetic. Her appetite was now open. "You, a bitch, also have your fears. This smoothie is really good. Which cook made it? Let Qiangwei ask. I will reward you handsomely."

"Yes!"