Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 355 Bring some food back from the restaurant for midnight snack

Qi Xi made a bitter face and shook his head. "There is only one cook in the kitchen, Chef Jiang. He comes here at dawn every day to prepare three meals a day for the runners. It's very hard work. In the evening, he goes back after dinner."

"Although Chef Xu lives in the county government office and is responsible for the meals for us in the back office, he only cooks vegetarian dishes."

"I wanted to eat some more food because I was hungry, but I always felt full after eating vegetarian food. After eating it twice, I didn't want to eat anymore."

"Besides, Chef Xu is old and goes to bed early at night. The young master doesn't want him to get up from bed in the middle of the night to cook."

Shen Yu thought about it and it was indeed true. During the day, Lu Lang and the others could still eat in the big kitchen in the front yamen, but at night they only had the option of eating vegetarian food.

She thought for a moment and said, "Come back to the restaurant with me later. We start steaming amber meat every afternoon. I'm afraid it's almost done by now."

"Take some home and continue steaming it on the stove. When you want to eat it in the evening, just heat it up and you can eat it."

"Also, when I get back I'll see if there's any ready-made food, and you can take some with you."

Qi Xi hesitated a little: "If the young master knows that I always take food and drinks from the young lady's restaurant for free, he will scold me."

Shen Yu shook his head nonchalantly and said jokingly, "It's okay. Master Lu and the lawyer are busy with official business at the county government."

"At worst, I can just keep the accounts for you and let your money master pay the bills."

After hearing this, Qi Xi's mind suddenly opened up and he nodded with a smile.

Shen Yu paused and said, "Didn't you say a few days ago that you would pack food from the restaurant every day? Why didn't you come to pack it?"

Qi Xi thought about how she had been running around with Lu Lang these past few days and how she hadn't had enough food and drink. She couldn't help but complain, "Alas, it's because the young master was busy with the birthday celebration."

"It's just a coincidence today. The young master just came back to discuss things with the masters, so the young lady ran into us."

"These days, the young master is always out with his lawyers, watching various acrobatics prepared by various families. He has hardly eaten in the county government office. He just eats wherever he can."

As they were talking, the mule cart soon arrived at the restaurant entrance.

After getting off the car, Qi Xi paid the fare and asked the driver to wait here for a while, as he needed to take the car back the same way.

The door of the restaurant was half closed, leaving a crack, and a ray of warm candlelight shone through.

When Shen Yu and Qi Xi walked in, they saw Yu Cheng and Dun Dun copying scriptures seriously under the lamp.

Li and the others were not here, but there were sounds of spatulas colliding and people talking in the kitchen in the backyard.

When Yu Cheng saw Shen Yu coming back, he said happily: "Big sister, you are back. Mother was just saying that if you don't come back, she will light lanterns with us and go to Guang'an Temple to take a look."

Shen Yuze said, "Qi Xi and I came back together. You guys should pack up your pens and ink and stop copying. Have you been waiting for me here?"

When Qi Xi and Yu Cheng saw each other, the three little boys couldn't help but start playing around again.

Shen Yu went through the small door of the shop and went to the backyard.

Li heard some noise in the store and was just thinking of coming over to see if Shen Yu had returned, when she saw Shen Yu walking towards her.

When Li saw Shen Yu coming back, her expression immediately relaxed and she wanted to ask Shen Yu how things went today.

Shen Yu said first: "Mom, let's talk about the scriptures later. Qixi sent me back, and I want to bring him some food."

Li and the others were already used to Qixi bringing food back to the county government office, so they asked hurriedly, "Do you want to make some now and take it over? There is no ready-made food here."

Shen Yu entered the kitchen and saw that the dinner for her family today was sesame oil pastry. She smiled and said, "Mom, Qixi hired a mule cart to take me back. The cart is still waiting at the door of the store."

"I want to pack some amber meat and these pastries for Qixi to take away. Can we make some other food for dinner?"

Li knew that Shen Yu must have a reason for doing this, and hurriedly said, "Why not? I'll go get you some amber meat right now. Is a large casserole enough for two servings?"

Shen Yu nodded, took the dried lotus leaves, and wrapped all the prepared pastries.

Li and Jiang took the casserole together and put the meat in it.

Zheng Sanniang went to get a large food box.

Several people packed the food boxes swiftly. Qixi, Yucheng, Dundun and the other two came to the backyard. Qixi had just greeted everyone when a heavy food box was stuffed into his hand.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "I know you guys have been busy lately. Here are some pastries and two portions of amber meat, enough for Mr. Lu and the others as a midnight snack."

"The mule cart is still waiting at the door. Go back quickly. Remember to bring back the food box and casserole when you come tomorrow."

Qi Xi didn't hesitate to agree, said thank you, then quickly took the food box and left.

After seeing Qixi off, Shen Yu and Li closed the shop door together, checked the candles, and returned to the big kitchen in the backyard.

Jiang and Zheng Sanniang have already made the new pastry dough, and Yutao is turning the pastry on the flat pan. In a moment, they will be able to eat the crispy outside and soft inside pastry.

While waiting for the pastry to be made, Shen Yu told Lu Lang about how he met him in the county government office today and how he asked Lu Lang to take the scriptures and would pass them on to the county magistrate.

After hearing this, Li heaved a sigh of relief, stood up quickly, clasped her hands together and bowed to the air, saying, "Thank God, I have finally delivered this precious book. I am relieved now."

She sat down and said to Shen Yu with emotion: "Since I found out the price of this hand-copied scripture, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep well at night."

"When you went out with the scriptures today, I was worried. If you were not going to Guang'an Temple, I would definitely accompany you today."

Yutao came over with a tray of freshly baked pastries and said with a smile, "Sister, you don't know how many times mother has mentioned you today."

"If Aunt Jiang and Sister Zheng hadn't stopped us, saying that you were teaching how to make cakes at Guang'an Temple and it was not convenient to go there, I would have taken Yucheng and Dundun to look for you long ago."

Shen Yu was touched and said to Li: "Mother, you can sleep peacefully now. I am back now, and I don't have to go to Guang'an Temple tomorrow."

Li was surprised and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to teach the monks in the temple how to make cakes? How did you learn it so quickly?"

Shen Yu shook his head and explained that the temple was busy and several teachers had no time to practice. He also mentioned that he planned to have everyone in Whole Foods help make cakes.

Shen Yu said with some guilt: "Mom, the blessing ceremony will last for three days, and we need to make more than 2,000 pastries in total."

"Tomorrow I will teach you how to wrap stuffing and carve patterns. You will have to work hard for a few days."