A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

After having breakfast, Chen Wanxing sat in the courtyard, holding the tea that Yunzhu had served him, and took a leisurely sip.

"Grandma, we've finally settled down in White Stone Lane, but we haven't gotten to know all the neighbors yet. Shouldn't we find some time to have a meal with them?"

A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Most of the houses in this alley are single-courtyard farmhouses, and they are inhabited by ordinary people.

Granny Li was clearing away the dishes and chopsticks. "According to the old custom, after new residents settle down, they will indeed prepare a few simple dishes and drinks to invite the neighbors to sit down and get acquainted, so as to avoid misunderstandings if they don't recognize each other in the future."

"Do you think we should also make some arrangements?"

Chen Wanxing looked out the window and could faintly hear the greetings of neighbors coming from the alley, full of the lively atmosphere of the city.

……

It's not as simple as just saying "to entertain your neighbors".

Chen Wanxing discussed it with Granny Li and decided to hold a simple celebration, both as a matter of etiquette and as a way to mark the occasion.

Granny Li was from Pingyang in a neighboring province. In their custom, they would make flower-shaped steamed buns during the New Year and other festivals, which was quite rare in Pingyang Prefecture.

Finally, Granny Li spent two or three hours steaming a large basket of flower-shaped steamed buns, which she then had Yunzhu carry to each door in the alley and deliver to the people.

"Brother, these are flower-shaped steamed buns from Pingyang. Please try them and give me your feedback on the taste."

"Auntie, my daughter's getting married in a couple of days. Want to come over for a casual meal?"

"Yes, that's right. We've moved here now. Our daughter's surname is Chen."

Yunzhu gave away a basket of about sixty or seventy flower-shaped steamed buns to her neighbors, giving two to each household. There were probably thirty or forty households in the alley.

Nowadays, many families have large households, some even having three or four generations living together. Therefore, the more food prepared, the better. After thinking it over, Chen Wanxing decided to prepare ten tables.

Chen Wanxing thought that entertaining so many people at home would be too much trouble, and even Li Mama alone couldn't handle it, so it would be better to just order from the restaurant and have it packed up.

"Why waste that money? There might be someone here who can cook. Once they find out we're having a housewarming party, they'll definitely come knocking on our door to sell their business. Don't rush, young lady, let's wait and see."

If all else fails, just find a chef at a restaurant. They definitely have a whole team with them; you can just hire them per table.

Sure enough, someone knocked on their door early the next morning.

Someone left behind a small piece of cured meat.

Someone brought a small basket of eggs.

Some people even brought a jar of pickled vegetables from home.

When Chen Wanxing got up to eat, the food had already filled two baskets. Before she could even clean them, Granny Li told her about everything.

"Girl, I've inquired. There are people in this alley who can cook. It's the one at the alley entrance. Old Qin and his eldest son both work at Zuixianju."

In this area, whenever there's a wedding or funeral, it's always these two who handle the arrangements. And since they're located near Zuixianju Restaurant, they can also take care of all the groceries.

Around noon, Granny Li and Yunzhu finished preparing the ingredients. Everyone in the alley had brought some things over, and the pile of items was quite messy, but most of them would be useful for the meal.

In the end, it was Li Mama who took care of the cooking. Chen Wanxing didn't interfere anymore. She only made the final decision on how many tables to prepare and what standards to follow.

They need to ensure their neighbors eat well and also make use of the ingredients they bring over. However, they often take on this kind of job, and as long as the money is right, nothing is difficult to handle.

In this era, when someone held a happy occasion, they would often borrow stools, tables, pots, and bowls from their neighbors to make up the number of tables, and then return them after the event.

However, since they were new to the job and not yet familiar with it, the old men from Qin handled everything directly. So even though Chen Wanxing was busy arranging this matter these past two days, he wasn't particularly busy.

On the day of the banquet, the guests were all seated in the courtyard. Most families sent one person, with only a few couples coming together.

Chen Wanxing had prepared ten tables, but there were two extra tables. Even with all the guests present, only eight tables were occupied.

But it doesn't matter. Old Man Qin and the others he arranged to help out can't go without food today. There are two tables left. One table is for them, and the other table is for the three of them, mistress and servants, to eat tonight.

The dishes were prepared, and everyone was present, so it was time to serve the food.

The first dish was the main course to impress everyone: braised pork and chestnut stewed chicken, which were prepared in advance and placed in a steamer with a small fire burning in an iron pot underneath, ensuring that the steamer basket was still hot when it was lifted.

As soon as the meal was announced, two steamed dishes that had been prepared in advance were served together.

In a rough porcelain bowl, square pieces of pork belly, a deep reddish-brown color, trembled precariously. The skin was oily and chewy, and the fatty parts had been cooked until almost transparent, soaking in a thick broth.

The chestnut stewed chicken was served in a large earthenware pot. When you opened the lid, you could see chicken pieces mixed with sweet and glutinous chestnuts in the golden chicken soup, about half and half.

The braised pork liver and scrambled eggs with scallions that followed were also served on large plates.

After the meat dishes were served, the vegetable dishes were brought out in time to balance the flavors. Apart from a plate of pan-fried tofu that was golden brown, the rest were mostly green vegetables from the small gardens of the neighbors.

Even simple green vegetables, stir-fried with pork cracklings, are incredibly fragrant.

After all, everyone is short of money. People living in this prefectural city are naturally a little richer than farmers in the countryside, but that's about it.

Many city families, though they have a livelihood, are large and their lives are complicated, so most of them can only make ends meet with coarse grain pancakes and vegetable soup.

Finally, another bowl of mutton stew noodles was served on the table. The people at the banquet ate without even looking up, and didn't bother to discuss the dishes with the people next to them.

The meal was enjoyed by all the guests, and Chen Wanxing was also very happy. The materials and labor cost were not much, but the effect was excellent.

Everyone was having such a good time that after the simple housewarming party, the neighbors in Baishi Lane got to know the new girl, Ms. Chen, and greeted her with more familiarity when they met.

However, once the neighbors became close, some people with ulterior motives began to have designs on them.

Wang, the matchmaker who also lived in the same alley, saw Granny Li going out to get water that day and immediately approached her with a smile, speaking familiarly:

"Granny Li, busy at work? I see your young lady has quite an air about her, it's truly rare to see such a person. I wonder..."

Before she could finish speaking, Granny Li looked up, still smiling politely, and cut her off.

"Sister-in-law Wang is joking. We're just newcomers here, simply living an ordinary life."

"Wow, the fabric of your clothes looks really nice. Which fabric shop did you buy it from? I was just thinking of going to take a look."

She brushed the topic off with a single sentence, her attitude as natural as if it were just casual conversation.

Wang the matchmaker had a lot to say, but she was shut down. Faced with this obvious change of topic, she couldn't press the issue any further, so she could only follow the conversation and start talking about trivial matters.

Granny Li maintained a smile on her face, but she knew perfectly well that she would never casually discuss her mistress's affairs with an outsider.

She turned back with the empty basin in her hand, but another thought was on her mind.

It's quite late for a girl to be getting married at her current age, but it's still possible. If she waits a few more years, she'll really be wasting her youth.

Seeing that the young lady seemed carefree and had no such thoughts, Li Mama guessed that the young lady was inexperienced. She was a little conflicted, wondering if she should find an opportunity to mention it to the young lady.