Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Zhi Xi lowered her voice even further and said, "You know the second wife; she values ​​rules and etiquette above all else and cannot tolerate any dishonesty. If she finds out that Miss Jiang dared to be so shameless as to secretly send something to Prince Chu... what do you think the second wife will do?"

Zhi Xi didn't say everything, but her meaning was already clear.

A young lady from a distant family living in the mansion dared to covet the noble heir and even engaged in such disgraceful behavior as secretly exchanging gifts. When this reached the ears of the second wife, Madam Wang, the consequences were predictable.

Madam Wang would never tolerate someone who could tarnish the family's reputation and potentially harm her daughter's honor remaining in the household!

It could even directly cost Jiang Sese her life.

Xie Yihua listened quietly, her face expressionless.

Having her second aunt take care of Jiang Sese is indeed the best solution.

Xie Yihua did not immediately agree, but remained silent for a while.

I struggled with this internally for a moment.

After a long while, Xie Yihua finally let out a soft breath, as if she had unloaded a heavy burden, and lay back down, her voice returning to its usual calm: "...It's late, go to sleep."

"Yes, Miss." Zhixi understood and respectfully replied, gently blowing out the glass lamp and bowing as she left the inner room.

The curtains fell, once again separating the inside from the outside.

……

How to get close to Xie Jue is a big problem, after all, she has a history of trying to climb the social ladder, and Xie Jue is not someone you can just get close to.

Jiang Sese still remembers how the original owner of the book died.

However, getting close to Xie Jue is not easy, but getting close to Xie Jue's maid is not so difficult.

The book mentions that Xie Jue liked to eat sweets.

Jiang Sese then decided to make a traditional version of mango coconut milk jelly.

When Jiang Sese lived alone in modern times, she cooked for herself to save money. She also made almost all the desserts and bread she wanted to eat herself.

Although there were no gelatin sheets in this era, she knew of a substitute: agar made from seaweed.

There has been a tradition of using agar-agar to make glue for consumption since ancient times.

While this isn't common in aristocratic circles, the materials are definitely available.

Do it when you think of it.

In the afternoon, taking advantage of the fact that there were few people in the kitchen, Jiang Sese went over with only Lü'e.

The kitchen of the Xie family mansion was specially expanded by the old master Xie when he was alive. It occupies a corner of the northwest of the mansion and includes a greenhouse, ice cellar, and dry goods warehouse. It has more than ten rooms in total, which is more complete than the mansion of an ordinary middle-class family.

The kitchen is further divided into an external kitchen and an internal kitchen, a dim sum department and a tea and snack room.

Everyone must perform their duties, and no mistakes are allowed.

Let's just talk about the dim sum.

There are five cooks who specialize in making dim sum. They have to be on duty at the dim sum station every day at dawn to prepare the ingredients needed for the day.

From 9 am to 1 pm, the pastry shop is filled with a constant aroma. Sweet, savory, crispy, and soft pastries are categorized and served on gilded lacquer plates, and delivered by special servants to the master's rooms in each courtyard. There are more than twenty kinds of pastries to choose from every day.

Jiang Sese didn't bother squeezing into the crowd at the snack bar; instead, she went to the tea and food room.

The tea and snack room is divided into two sections: the front courtyard is the preparation room, and the back courtyard is the storage room and drying shed.

There were twelve people to serve them.

In addition to the three head chefs, there were four kitchen helpers, two maids responsible for purchasing fresh ingredients, and two maids in charge of charcoal and utensils.

There was also an old nanny who was in charge of tasting and seasoning. She was specially invited by Princess Anning from Jiangnan. It is said that she worked in the tea and food room of the Weaving Bureau when she was young and had a very discerning palate.

Jiang Sese quickly stuffed a small piece of silver into Liu Mama's hand and said with a smile, "Liu Mama, I offended the Second Madam yesterday, but fortunately, Qing Shuang, who serves my eldest cousin, spoke up for me. So, I would like to borrow your place to make some pastries to thank Qing Shuang. Could you please do me a favor and help me find something else?"

Although Jiang Sese was a distant cousin, the Xie family treated her the same as the young ladies of the household. Not only did she have two maids to serve her, but she also received two taels of silver as a monthly allowance.

However, the original owner has only been in the manor for a little over a month.

Jiang Sese didn't have much money either.

But she needed Granny Liu's help, so she couldn't refuse to pay.

After all, she wasn't the proper mistress of the Xie family.

Granny Liu weighed the heavy silver in her hand, then looked at the dazzlingly beautiful young lady in front of her, and was slightly surprised.

The eldest son?

Qing Shuang, my maiden?

Actually, Miss Qing Shuang spoke up for this cousin?

If Jiang Sese hadn't brought up Qing Shuang, it would have been fine, but anyone associated with the young master was someone she, a mere cook, couldn't afford to offend.

Not to mention that Jiang Sese gave away a tael of silver right away, which was really generous.

The girls only received two taels of silver a month.

Granny Liu rolled her eyes, then immediately greeted her with a smile, asking, "What would you like, young lady?"

Jiang Sese said, "Please trouble you, Granny, to give me some fresh coconut meat, the best milk, and white sugar. Also, agar-agar, the more the better."

Agar-agar? Granny Liu was taken aback. This stuff does exist nowadays, but it's usually used to make jelly or gelatin. Making desserts? She'd never heard of it.

But considering the money, Granny Liu didn't ask any more questions and quickly and efficiently prepared everything for Jiang Sese.

Jiang Sese rolled up her sleeves, washed the agar thoroughly, added enough water, and simmered it over low heat.

The kitchen was steaming hot.

An hour later, the agar-agar turned into a viscous, transparent liquid. Jiang Sese carefully filtered out the residue with fine gauze and obtained a bowl of crystal clear agar stock solution.

Next, Jiang Sese mixed coconut milk and milk, added an appropriate amount of white sugar, and heated it over low heat in a small pot.

The air was filled with the rich, sweet aroma of coconut milk.

Jiang Sese slowly poured the warm coconut milk into the agar solution and quickly stirred it. The delicate milk and the transparent gel blended perfectly, presenting an enticing milky white color.

Then, several small, exquisite white porcelain bowls were brought out, and a layer of evenly sized fresh mango chunks was placed on the bottom of the bowls.

Then carefully pour the mixed coconut milk and agar solution into the bowl, covering the mango chunks.

After finishing, Jiang Sese carefully carried the bowls of milk pudding to a cool, well-ventilated corner and waited for them to solidify.

Jiang Sese breathed a slight sigh of relief, then turned to Liu Mama with a matter-of-fact air and instructed her, "Liu Mama, please keep a close eye on it and make sure no one touches it. I'll come back to pick it up later."

After receiving the money, Granny Liu readily nodded in agreement, but inwardly she wondered, "What is this young lady up to? Can that stuff really be eaten?"

Several hours later, dusk fell.

Jiang Sese went to the kitchen again.

Jiang Sese held her breath and gently lifted the clean gauze covering the bowl.

Become!

The liquid in the bowl had completely solidified, exhibiting a translucent texture. With a gentle shake, one could see the bouncy, frozen substance trembling slightly.

Golden mango chunks are embedded within, like amber adorning cream, while the delicate aroma of coconut milk blends with the sweet fragrance of mango, creating an irresistible scent.

Jiang Sese gently scooped out a small piece with a small silver spoon and put it in her mouth.

It's so cold!

Tender and smooth!

The aroma of coconut instantly fills the tongue, with just the right amount of sweetness. The bouncy jelly melts in your mouth, followed by the burst of rich fruity aroma and sweetness from the mango chunks... The texture is distinct, refreshing and not greasy, perfectly replicating the taste from your memory!

Because it uses all-natural ingredients, the flavor is even purer.

That's it!

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Sese's eyes.

Jiang Sese selected four of the best-looking bowls, packed them in a food box, and went to Tingsong Courtyard.

……

In the outer courtyard of Tingsong Courtyard, Qin'an was idly guarding when he suddenly saw a person gracefully walking towards him from the end of the path, carrying an exquisite food box.

The figure was slender, with light steps. The dim light blurred her face, adding to her hazy beauty.

As the figure drew closer, the lamplight illuminated her stunning face, making it clear.

Qin'an immediately recognized her; she was the cousin who was staying at the mansion.

Qin An's amazement froze instantly, then his brow twitched and his heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, how did this guy end up at Tingsong Courtyard?

Could it be that after failing to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Chu, they've set their sights on their eldest son?