Speaking of delicious food, Qi Zhenzhen thought of it by chance. She sent Lian Bei to find Lian Shan. Lian Shan, who usually had opportunities to go out with Qi Yi, went to the mountains outside the city. Unexpectedly, she actually found the ingredients.
It was a plant called Mu Lian. The fruit it produced was rich in pectin when ripe and could be made into jelly. The process was also extremely simple, and this was exactly the season when the fruit ripened.
Lian Shan brought back a basket. Qi Zhenzhen dried the ingredients. When she checked them in the morning, they were basically dry, and she could start making the jelly.
About fifteen minutes later, Qi Zhenzhen returned in a hurry, carrying a food box.
The Old Madam was eagerly awaiting her return. Seeing her come back, she quickly beckoned her to sit down. Her eager expression made Qi Zhenzhen want to laugh.
The Old Madam had loved to eat since she was young, and this hobby had not changed even in her old age. After living most of her life, what good things had she not seen or tasted? Yet, the food that Qi Zhenzhen made, she had truly never tasted before. Therefore, she always looked forward to it.
In the porcelain white bowl were jelly cubes cut into small squares, crystal clear, and very good-looking.
Qi Zhenzhen took out a small bowl of honey and a small plate of preserved fruits from the food box. She first poured the preserved fruits into the jelly, then drizzled a spoonful of honey over it.
"Grandmother, please try it and tell me how it is?" Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
The Old Madam happily stirred it with a spoon and took a mouthful.
It was smooth and springy, coated with honey, and quite delicious.
There wasn't much in the bowl, and the Old Madam finished it in no time.
"What is this?" the Old Madam asked. Da Feng Novel Network.
"It's a fruit from the mountains. It's just the season for it to ripen. I sent someone to find some to try something fresh," Qi Zhenzhen replied.
"The texture is good. I think it would be even tastier with some fruit jam and chilled with ice," the Old Madam said, still wanting more. "Why don't you make some more, following my method?"
A foodie is indeed a foodie, hitting the nail on the head.
This jelly fruit was originally a great summer refreshment. Chilled, it was even more flavorful. Eating a bowl would dispel all the summer heat, leaving one feeling refreshed and comfortable.
"That won't do. I can pour some sweet and sour fruit jam on it for you, and chilling it is fine. You can't be greedy like a child. Eating too many cold things can easily cause stomach upset, and you'll be the one suffering," Qi Zhenzhen firmly refused. People of the Old Madam's age were very cautious about diarrhea. "Only I know how to make this. Don't think about asking anyone else to make it. If you don't listen to me, I won't make any more novel pastries for you! You can't have the cakes I made before. I haven't taught the cooks how to make them yet."
"You girl!" The Old Madam was helpless, but she knew Qi Zhenzhen was thinking of her health, so she compromised, "Then you'll make this for me again tomorrow, and after it's made, just hang it in the well to chill, alright?"
"Just for a little while."
The Old Madam nodded in satisfaction, "As you say."
The next day, the Old Madam assigned each of the three sisters a task: one was to inventory the storeroom, another was to purchase fabric for the servants' clothes, and the third was to distribute monthly wages to the servants.
For fairness, the three drew lots to decide who got which task.
Qi Zhenzhen was assigned to inventory the storeroom, Li Nuan to purchase fabric, and Qi Mingzhu to distribute wages.
These were all monthly duties, and upon receiving their assignments, the three went to carry them out.
Qi Zhenzhen led Feixu directly to the storeroom. The gatekeeper old woman was dozing against the wall.
Dozing so early in the morning, had she not slept last night?
"Who is in charge?" Feixu asked loudly, standing in front of the dozing old woman.
The old woman, startled, jumped up, "Who is it? Who is it?"
"It's the Second Miss, sent by the Old Madam to inventory the storeroom!" Feixu said with a cold face. "Are you in charge, or is there someone else?"
"Greetings to the Second Miss. My grandson was restless last night, so I didn't rest well and started dozing early. Please forgive me, Second Miss. You jest, young lady. How could I possibly be in charge of the storeroom? I'm just a gatekeeper. The one in charge of the storeroom is..." the old woman said, a smile plastered on her face, speaking hurriedly.
"It's Steward Sun," Qi Zhenzhen interjected.
"Yes, yes, it's Steward Sun. Second Miss, please wait a moment. I'll go call him to open the door now." The old woman dropped her words and scurried away.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long before Steward Sun arrived.
As soon as he approached, he bowed to Qi Zhenzhen. "This old servant didn't know the Second Miss was coming. If I had known, I would have been waiting here."
"Steward Sun, there's no need for such ceremony. I was assigned by Grandmother this morning to help inventory the storeroom," Qi Zhenzhen said kindly. "The storeroom is inventoried every month, and all the mothers are familiar with the process, so it shouldn't be troublesome. I'll just observe from the side."
"The Second Miss is right. It is inventoried every month. We have records of everything that enters and leaves the storeroom," Steward Sun said. "You just watch. Our storeroom is very clear about its operations."
Steward Sun only learned today that the Old Madam was teaching the young ladies of the household about managing affairs. He hadn't expected them to be assigned tasks so soon. What ability could they have? Weren't they just tiring out the servants? But they were the masters, so they had to accompany them no matter how they were tossed around.
Several women busily set up tables and brought over a stack of account books.
The writing was neat and seemed organized. However, there was no categorization for fabric, medicinal herbs, or decorative items.
This made the workload of inventorying too great.
"How does Steward Sun conduct the inventory?"
"We inventory shelf by shelf."
"Does each shelf correspond to an account book?" Qi Zhenzhen asked again.
Steward Sun shook his head. "These items come and go every day. How can one shelf correspond to one account book? The Second Miss is thinking too simply."
"In that case, wouldn't it be very difficult to inventory?" Qi Zhenzhen frowned slightly. "How can it be finished in one day like this?"
"Normally, it takes four or five days. Do you think it can be done in one day? That's simply impossible."
Qi Zhenzhen didn't speak to Steward Sun anymore and went straight into the storeroom. The items on the shelves were arranged neatly, but they were somewhat disorganized. Medicinal herbs were mixed with fabrics, and even items like calligraphy and paintings were placed with medicinal herbs.
After a round of inspection, Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help but cover her forehead. If she hadn't seen the storeroom like this, it would have been fine. But now that she had, she wished she could immediately categorize and group similar items together.
"Second Miss, this old servant has brewed tea for you and sent someone to get snacks from the main kitchen. You can just sit here and look," Steward Sun said solicitously. "The Old Madam is aware of the situation and won't blame you if the inventory isn't completed today."