King Xiao Jingheng's carriage, along with his team of fierce guards, was parked in front of the slightly mottled gate of Marquis Yongchang's residence.
Neighbors and neighbors probed their heads and talked, all speculating what kind of luck the downtrodden marquis had, to be able to work with King Jing's carriage.
Lin Xiao Xiao followed behind the carriage, all the way to the heart of the fearful, mind running rapidly all kinds of response options - play dead? Play dead? Or directly hugging the king's thighs and crying for money?
It seems that any of these options is not far from "beheading".
Entering the Marquis' residence, Xiao Jingheng didn't even enter the main hall, but stood in the front yard which was so empty that he could hear the echo. He swept his eyes over the weeds growing in the corners and the paint peeling off the porch pillars, and finally landed on Lin Xiao Xiao's face, which looked at death as if it were a homecoming.
"This is your 'mansion' worth a hundred taels of silver?" His tone could not be heard as happy or angry, but the mockery was drawn out.
Lin Xiao Xiao dryly laughed twice: "Oh, Your Highness, the family has four walls, let you see the joke. The main ... main style is to go back to the basics."
Chasing the wind and a few guards tried to strain their faces, but their shoulders shrugged slightly.
Xiao Jingheng didn't pick up on her nonsense and walked straight towards the only stone bench that looked fairly intact, and Chasing Wind immediately brushed the non-existent dust with his sleeve.
"Tell me," he sat down, his posture elegant but with an invisible sense of oppression, "Your 'installment payment', exactly how do you intend to operate? This king has limited patience."
Lin Xiao Xiao took a deep breath, knowing that the critical moment had come. She straightened her back and tried to make herself look reliable.
"Your Majesty, look, this hundred taels is a huge amount of money to me, but to you it's just a drop in the bucket. If you force it, selling me wouldn't be worth a few dollars, right?"
Xiao Jingheng raised his eyebrows, signaling her to continue.
"So, the optimal solution is - **sustainable**!" Lin Xiao Xiao threw out the new term in a loud voice, and sure enough, she saw a hint of doubt flash through Xiao Jingheng's eyes.
She laughed in her heart and continued to fool around, "It means keeping me alive and able to continuously create value for you! I can work part-time to cover my debts!"
"Work for a living?"
"It means working for you! Use my labor to pay off this debt!" Lin Xiao Xiao counted on her fingers, "You see, I can do laundry, cook, clean, do the math and housekeeping ... and even chat with you to relieve boredom! There are many skills to choose from!"
Xiao Jingheng looked at her glittering eyes, which were filled with a vitality and vigor that was diametrically opposed to the predicament in front of him. The famous noblewomen he had seen were either reserved and timid, or they were scheming, and he had never seen such a ... vibrant, and even a bit hokey woman.
"You can cook?" He captured the most prominent item in her words. People who marched and fought in wars had the simplest regard for "food".
"Of course!" Mentioning her old profession, Lin Xiao Xiao instantly burst with confidence and patted her chest (almost knocking herself out of breath), "It's not that I'm blowing smoke up your ass, Your Highness, there's not a single person who's ever eaten with my skills who didn't say it's good! Full-Han feast, eight major dishes, pastry baking ... uh, is a variety of pastries, everything!"
This cowhide bragged a little big, but losing is not losing!
Xiao Jingheng looked at her cheeks that were slightly red from excitement and was silent for a moment. The mansion's cook's handiwork was good, but it was hard to avoid getting bored after eating for a long time. This woman, perhaps ...
"This king can give you a chance." He finally opened his mouth, his voice still cold, "Today's lunch, you do it. If you can make this king satisfied, you are allowed to enter the government as a cook, monthly money ... two taels, until the debt is paid."
Two taels! Lin Xiao Xiao's heart flew to calculate, a hundred taels have to dry more than four years! This king's heart is really black!
But right now it was a seller's market, she had no capital to bargain.
"No problem!" She answered in one mouthful and smiled brightly, "Guarantee that you, Your Highness, will be satisfied and happy with your meal! But ..." she rubbed her fingers and revealed a embarrassed smile, "Your Highness, a skillful woman can't cook without rice, look at the ingredients ..."
Xiao Jingheng glanced at Chasing Wind.
Chasing Wind immediately understood and expressionlessly said to Lin Xiao Xiao, "What does Miss Lin need, make a list, and my subordinate will immediately go and pick it up."
"Great!" Lin Xiao Xiao let out a cheer, then remembered something and carefully asked Xiao Jingheng, "That ... Prince, do you have any contraindications or special preferred flavors?"
Xiao Jingheng looked at her lightly, "Non-toxic, that's all."
Lin Xiao Xiao: "..." Well, the requirements are really low.
She didn't dare to delay and immediately dug into the kitchen that was cleaner than her face. When Fu Bo heard that the young lady was going to rely on cooking to pay off her debts, or to cook for King Jing, he was so scared that his legs went limp, and he busily followed her in to help with the fire.
Chasing the wind moved quickly, the basic rice, flour, grain and oil, seasonal vegetables and fresh meat were quickly delivered. The stuff wasn't top notch, but it was fresh enough.
Lin Xiao Xiao looked at the limited ingredients and her mind spun rapidly. Time was tight, the task was heavy, we had to make a dish that could instantly capture the taste buds, reflect our skills and look ordinary.
There it is!
She rolled up her sleeves and started handling the ingredients with nimble movements.
** Let's make the most plain and simple, but also the most skillful - egg fried rice! **
She chose overnight rice with clear grains, and beat in the golden egg yolk liquid to evenly coat each grain of rice. Start the fire, heat the pan, slide the oil, pour in the egg white and scramble, then add chopped green onions to burst incense.
All of a sudden, the kitchen is filled with aroma.
Next, pour in the rice coated with the egg mixture and stir fry quickly to make the rice grains dance in the pan. Add salt and a little bit of fresh sauce, and finally sprinkle in a handful of green onions.
The whole process is so smooth and fluid that Fu Bo is dazzled.
When a plate of egg fried rice with a golden color, distinct rice grains, and a fragrant aroma was brought to Xiao Jingheng with a bowl of light spinach and tofu soup, a trace of undetectable surprise flashed under his eyes.
The appearance of the food was quite good.
He picked up the silver chopsticks, and under Chasing Wind's wary gaze, he picked up a small bite and sent it into his mouth.
The dry aroma of the rice, the tenderness of the egg, the pungent fragrance of the scallions, and that just-right savory flavor instantly exploded in his mouth. The grains of rice are clear and elastic, and the egg is evenly wrapped, creating a perfect "gold wrapped in silver" effect. Simple, but extremely delicious.
Than any mountain delicacies he has ever eaten, more iron stomach.
He paused for a moment, and then, in front of the crowd's astonished gazes, took another bite. Then, it was the third mouth, the fourth mouth ... speed was not fast, but extremely stable.
Only when the plate of egg fried rice had reached the bottom and the bowl of soup was mostly drunk did he put down his chopsticks.
He wiped the corners of his mouth with a paddle, raised his eyes to look at Lin Xiao Xiao who was so nervous that her palms were sweating, still with that iceberg face, his thin lips gently opened, spitting out two words that made Lin Xiao Xiao almost jump:
"Still okay."
**Lin Xiao Xiao: ???? **
Still okay? Your old man almost licked the plate clean, but in exchange for a sentence "not bad"?
But without waiting for her to spit, Xiao Jingheng had already gotten up and instructed Wind Chaser, "Take her back to the mansion and arrange for her to be placed in the kitchen."
He walked to the door, his footsteps slightly paused, but he did not turn around, only leaving behind a sentence with a hint of unquestionable doubt in its icy coldness:
"Remember, you owe this king ninety-eight taels."
Lin Xiao Xiao looked at his upright and cold hard back, and then looked at the empty plate, mixed feelings of sadness and joy.
The happy part was that the meal ticket had arrived for the time being!
The sad thing is, she, Lin Xiao Xiao, former gourmet top stream, now ancient laborer, more than four years of cook to pay off debt career, so ... began?
**The problem ... seems to be under control for the time being? But the future is still long ah! **