Chapter 12: Secret Recipe (2)
Back in the modern era, you could simply search for recipes like this online, and there would be enough results to make a person’s head spin. It was just a matter of whether you were too lazy to make them or not.
There was something Chu Lian did not know. In the Great Wu Dynasty, eating rare delicacies served on an array of platters while listening to a live musical performance was the height of extravagance. This was naturally a life reserved only for nobility.
Cuisine was judged by quality and not quantity. Secret recipes were essential for large noble families, as they signified the ability to create those sumptuous foods vital to their ostentatious lifestyle.
The families of court officials had to have one or two secret recipes at hand. Noble wives on close terms with one another would exchange secret recipes as a sign of the highest intimacy between them.
From this, it could be seen how important these secret recipes were to the people of the Great Wu Dynasty. It was precisely because of this emphasis that the noble families who received the iconic sweets of House Jing’an were so proud of their gifts. Even though these sweets had been sent to almost every noble family over the years, the House of Count Jing’an was still the sole producer due to keeping the recipe absolutely secret.
The instructions that Chu Lian had so casually relayed had been taken for a secret recipe.
Sixth Miss Chu’s mother had passed away when she was young. The four maidservants had grown up in the Ying Estate, and had thus more or less heard of her, the Third Madam of the House of Duke Ying.
Third Madam was Second Master’s first wife. She had been born into a literary family. Unfortunately, Chu Lian’s maternal grandparents had been implicated in General Chengping’s rebellion, and their family’s status had declined.
Third Madam had been pregnant with Chu Lian at the time. When she had heard of the fall of her family, she had suffered a shock, which had caused the pregnancy to become unstable. After that, she had a difficult labour. When Chu Lian was only a year old, Third Madam let go of her ties to this world.
Although she had passed away, there were rumours that she had left some valuable treasures for Sixth Miss Chu.
Thus, the four maidservants weren’t at all suspicious of how Chu Lian had recited a recipe for candied kumquats so easily. They assumed that it was a secret recipe that the Third Madam had left for Chu Lian.
The well-known sweets maker of the Jing’an Household had made the Jing’an Estate incredibly famous with just a few types of sweets under their belt. Thus, it could be seen why the four maidservants treated the matter of Chu Lian teaching Xiyan a secret recipe so seriously.
Of course, Chu Lian didn’t know any of this. If she ever found out, she would probably burst out into laughter.
She had accidentally transmigrated into this darn book without bringing anything from the modern world. Chu Lian might not have had any physical objects that could help her, but she had tons of these worthless ‘secret recipes’ lying around in her brain!
Chu Lian still couldn’t understand why Xiyan was so grateful over a simple recipe for candied kumquats. She didn’t want to think too much about it either. Since she had just come to this world, it wasn’t too good if she was overly curious about things she should already know.
She waved Xiyan away. “Alright, stop making a fuss over such a small matter. You should hurry and make some candied kumquats for me.”
Xiyan wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and sniffled. She replied happily, “Alright, Third Young Madam, just sit here and wait. This servant will be back soon.”
Fuyan watched Xiyan’s departing back with extreme jealousy. Her eyes flickered and she began to serve Chu Lian with eager attention.
She hinted, “Third Young Madam, you treat Xiyan so well! You taught her a secret recipe just like that!”
Chu Lian raised an eyebrow as she sipped a cup of warm water. She turned to Fuyan and said, “Hmm? Fuyan, do you want to learn how to make sweets too?”
Fuyan’s eyes lit up, but she hurriedly suppressed the greed in her heart and said, “This servant doesn’t dare to overstep her bounds.”
Chu Lian didn’t speak again, and noticed a glint of disappointment flashing through Fuyan’s eyes.
She didn’t want to base her judgement of these few maidservants’ characters off what she had read in the novel. Sometimes, there was no boundary between being a good or bad person. Sometimes, a bad person could become good by simply making the right choice. Thus, as much as she could help it, Chu Lian didn’t want to judge them too quickly. She wanted to guide these few maidservants fairly before making a decision.
Xiyan worked quickly. Before 11am, the candied kumquats were done.
These sweets were quite simple to make.
Xiyan placed a snow-white porcelain bowl full of candied kumquats in front of Chu Lian, blushing a little shyly. She spoke to Chu Lian, full of overflowing emotion. “Third Young Madam, please try it out. This is my first try, so I’m afraid I didn’t make it well.”
The kumquats had originally been a golden colour. After they had been cooked and soaked in honey, the kumquats were now an enticing shade of translucent orange. Due to the four cuts made while extracting the seeds, they had flattened a little after cooking. The cuts also separated the kumquats into four pieces. The candied kumquats stood out against the white porcelain like a flower about to bloom. When it was served on the table, a sweet fragrance with tones of citrus and honey began to drift up.