After transmigrating into the body of a widow, I became the richest man in the capital.

Chapter 167 The Imperial Kitchen Accepts Apprentices

Su Xiaoxiao said to him, "Actually, the dishes I made are very simple, but the methods are all based on the same principle. When the Emperor gets tired of them, you can change the flavors a little and make more fresh dishes. Consider this your first lesson. As the saying goes, the master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you. From now on, it's up to you."

The young apprentice nodded and thanked Su Xiaoxiao.

After Su Xiaoxiao finished preparing all the dishes, many eunuchs came to the imperial kitchen to serve the dishes to the emperor.

Eunuch Li instructed Su Xiaoxiao to wait outside the door, anticipating the Emperor's reaction after tasting the dishes.

Su Xiaoxiao and her apprentice waited outside, both feeling a little uneasy.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Su Xiaoxiao heard Eunuch Li's voice. "His Majesty requests your presence."

Su Xiaoxiao and her young apprentice followed behind Eunuch Li with their heads down as they entered the Emperor's banquet hall. Amidst the sounds of singing and dancing, and the sounds of drums and music, Su Xiaoxiao, though her head was down, felt that everyone in the banquet hall seemed to be looking at her.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn't explain why, but she suddenly felt nervous for no reason.

She quickly forced herself to calm down, thinking, "If five words float down from the sky, it's no big deal. Even if it is, it'll only bother you for a while, and then it'll be over."

Su Xiaoxiao silently recited the mantra in her mind and began to relax.

She subconsciously straightened her back, trying to appear more natural.

Because they couldn't look up, they couldn't see the emperor's expression.

Su Xiaoxiao waited for a long time before she finally sensed that the Emperor was about to speak.

When important figures are about to speak, they usually clear their throats first, saying, "Lady Su's cooking is delicious; I am very satisfied today. Reward her!"

These were the Emperor's own words, praising Su Xiaoxiao for her great achievements today. The surrounding palace officials also began to praise her as well.

The thing is, unless the emperor says it's delicious, the important figures here generally won't speak up, so the lower-ranking officials certainly wouldn't dare to make a comment first.

Only after this important person says it's good will everyone else start saying it's delicious.

Even if it doesn't taste good, you have to say it does, so everyone just goes ahead and praises it.

"It's delicious! I've never eaten such delicious food in my life."

"Yes, I'll never eat such delicious food in my next life. Why are you crying?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat such delicious food again in the future."

No matter how exaggerated, just keep praising it.

In any case, Su Xiaoxiao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally be put at ease.

Su Xiaoxiao also introduced her junior apprentice to the Emperor, who then rewarded the apprentice.

In addition to bestowing gold and silver upon Su Xiaoxiao, the Emperor also gifted her a piece of jewelry.

The chief eunuch, Liu, brought over a tray covered with a red cloth.

After Su Xiaoxiao removed the red cloth, a jewelry box was revealed inside.

The box is carved with the heads of hundreds of birds, flowers, and insects, which look so lifelike that they seem ready to fly out of the box at any moment.

Su Xiaoxiao felt that this jewelry box was probably more valuable than the jewelry inside. Just looking at the box made Su Xiaoxiao a little tempted.

"This is..." the Emperor began, "a jewelry box presented as tribute from a foreign land, given to you as a token of my gratitude."

After accepting the gift and kowtowing to the Emperor in gratitude, Su Xiaoxiao finally left the palace.

Seeing that Su Xiaoxiao had gained quite a lot today, Qian Musheng asked her if she was relaxed now and what she wanted to do most.

Su Xiaoxiao arrived at the main street outside the palace and saw an old man standing at the end of the street selling lamb skewers.

Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the stall and said, "I also want Qian Musheng to take me around the capital to eat and explore."

The two walked over, and the old man quickly stood up and asked them, "Would you two like some lamb skewers?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded.

"If you want to eat, give us two skewers to try first."

The old man was quite pleased to see this; he hadn't expected to get business.

As a result, Su Xiaoxiao saw that the old man was roasting a whole piece of mutton directly over the fire.

"Will such a big piece cook through?"

Su Xiaoxiao asked him.

The old man said, "Yes, it will be almost cooked if you wait a little longer."

Su Xiaoxiao frowned as she looked at the large piece of mutton the old man was holding. "You'll hardly sell any if you grill it like this. If you trust me, cut the mutton into small pieces, skewer them, sprinkle them with seasonings, grill them, and then sell them. See how much better you'll do then?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, but after pondering Su Xiaoxiao's words for a while, he realized that they made some sense.

Su Xiaoxiao continued, "Actually, if you sell it like this, the cost price is quite high, and not many people are buying it. Try my method; it might attract more customers."

Upon hearing this, the old man practically worshipped Su Xiaoxiao as a goddess, saying, "What you say is true, young lady. I really am on the verge of losing my stall."

He considered Su Xiaoxiao's suggestion, but felt it was somewhat impractical.

Why do you say this way?
He felt that people here liked to eat meat and drink alcohol in large quantities, but if you skewered the meat like that, he really didn't know if it would be enough for others to fill their teeth.

After Su Xiaoxiao made this suggestion, the old man grilled the meat skewers according to her advice. The aroma of the meat skewers sprinkled with cumin powder was so enticing that it could make anyone's mouth water.

This made Su Xiaoxiao very nostalgic, and she even thought of those memorable times when she would sit by the roadside in the summer breeze, drinking beer and eating lamb skewers.

"Boss, you could grill some other vegetables too. For example, besides lamb skewers, you could grill pork skewers, beef skewers, and all kinds of sausages. Wouldn't that be great? Actually, your current menu is a bit too limited, which is why business isn't good."

Su Xiaoxiao sat in front of the stall and genuinely offered a lot of advice.

Qian Musheng was stunned. Su Xiaoxiao was really amazing, knowing so much. Although he didn't know what the effect would be, these suggestions all sounded like very good improvements.

The old man noted everything down. It was already dark when Su Xiaoxiao and Qian Musheng finished eating the lamb skewers. When they were about to pay and leave, the old man quickly refused Su Xiaoxiao's request.

"Young lady, you've given me so much advice, I won't take your money. Consider it a small token of my appreciation for your hard work."

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled, "You should say it's a consultation fee, right? But seeing how hard you're working selling lamb skewers in this heat, you have to accept this money."

(End of this chapter)