Chapter 112：Old Ancestress' Reward

Mum Gui said, "It's not really made with chicken soup. I heard Manager Hu say that Head Chef Li Yao used a few types of vegetables for this. I have no idea which vegetables he used as it is his secret recipe."

Everyone was amazed.

"Master Chef Lu also made this type of veggie chicken soup, but the taste was as strong as it," Xia You supplied.

Yong An Madam, who had tasted the ice cream mooncake, smiled and said, "If I had known him earlier, I would've invited Head Chef Li Yao for my Old Ancestor's birthday. These dishes were not only tasty but so thoughtful."

"That's right. From the scented tea to the final dessert, they were all made by him. I initially thought that he was too young and that he could not take on this responsibility, but Little Jing was insistent about him. I'm glad I listened to my son. This chef... he really is amazing," Yu De said happily.

Old Ancestress smiled. "If your family wants to have a party, we have to wait for Elder Sister to turn 80 years old."

"9 more years?" Yong An Madam looked disappointed.

"If you could afford it, you should hire Head Chef Li to become your home chef," Yu De joked.

"Only if Helian Mansion doesn't take him away," Yong An Madam played along.

The minutes passed by and everyone was still talking about this little chef.

Ye Jinrong slowly relaxed. Perhaps Elder Princess Yu De has already forgotten the unhappy moment that happened before.

"Sister, this octopus soup is delicious and special. You should try it," Ye Jinrong said to Zhu who was sat next to her.

Zhu, who was clearly poised to taste the soup, sat back when Jinrong spoke. "I don't like octopus."

During the show, Zhu thought about what the servant said and arrived at a terrifying conclusion. If there's any sliver of possibility that this woman was pretending as the Ye's first lady, she definitely wouldn't like to be associated with her.

Ye Jinrong knew that Zhu was trying to keep her distance from her, but she was having none of it. Zhu's husband was the youngest scholar in the government and his grandfather was the left chancellor. They have connections everywhere. If she could build a good relationship with Zhu, Liujiang might be able to get close to the left chancellor.

"Then you should try this double taste duck roll! The duck was roasted extremely crispy…" Ye Jinrong tried again.

Zhu cut her off coldly, "Madam Wei, I will eat whatever I want to eat. You don't need to trouble yourself, just mind your own food."

A few younger madams on the same table sneered at her.

"Madam Wei, are you really the first lady of Ye?" someone asked aggressively.

Ye Jinrong thought about what her auntie told her and said affirmatively, "Of course, I am. It was that servant who made a mistake."

"But she knew that you have a mole on your nape!" another one protested.

"My two sisters and I all have moles at the back of our neck. I look so much like Second Sister that she'd just mistaken me for her."

"It doesn't matter how similar the two of you looked. She's your servant, she wouldn't make a mistake like this."

"To be honest, I don't even remember that woman. For all I know, she might've just been someone who worked on the farm. Second Sister and Mother frequent the farm and they must've met her there. I really don't remember her. If you don't believe me, you can ask around in Yang Zhou," Ye Jinrong lied with great conviction. She has calmed down enough to get into the pretense without missing a beat.

"Then why did she say that Second Lady Ye went missing the same time that First Lady Ye got married. Are you saying that's just a coincidence?" Zhu questioned doubtfully.

Ye Jinrong schooled her features to look as if she was in despair. "I don't really want to tell others about this but since I have no choice now... my sister didn't go missing. She's sick. Mother wanted her to rest well so she sent her to another home. As soon as she recovers, she'd be back in Yang Zhou."

Everyone eased up on their hostility and settled back on their chairs. Ye Jinrong gave a logical explanation that they couldn't help but believe. Perhaps that servant really recognized the wrong person.

Ye Jinrong relaxed a bit and hid her sigh of relief.

The servant girls came in with copper boxes, the star of tonight's banquet.

"It is not mid-autumn festival yet, but it is Old Ancestress' 70th birthday. There is a special dessert for everyone called ice cream mooncake. Please, try it. I hope for everyone to have a happy and peaceful life," Elder Princess Yu De brought up a toast.

The ice cubes were opened and a dish of crystal-clear, lovely and delicate mooncake was presented in front of everyone.

Yong An Madam's eyes were bright as she exclaimed, "I have been waiting for this mooncake! I tried one the other day and it was beyond excellent!"

She actually sent people to find Li Yao in Heavenly Residence to buy a few more, but the chef didn't want to sell it. She was forced to wait until this birthday celebration to taste it again.

"Is that true? Is it really that delicious?" Xia You asked even though she wasn't at all worried that it would disappoint. Every dish that Li Yao had prepared for the feast was nothing short of heavenly.

"You will see when you try it," Yong An Madam replied.

"Old Ancestress, Head Chef Li said that this was made especially for you."

Ye Jiayao had been mindful of the Old Ancestress' age. Given that she was an elder, Ye Jiayao knew that cold food wouldn't sit well with her and might even give her diarrhea. Instead, Ye Jiayao made a sweet peach filling according to the Old Ancestress' favorite flavor.

"My, this looks very scrumptious," Old Ancestress praised.

Mum Gui helped her cut it into small pieces.

The Old Ancestress had a bite. The skin was cool and soft and not sticky at all. The sweet peach filling was deliciously sweet with just the right amount of richness.

"I heard that the ice cream mooncake is low in sugar and fat and is good for the health. Old Ancestress, how do you like it?" Yu De asked.

Old Ancestress said with a pleased smile, "Is this the only one? This is not enough!"

Mum Gui laughed. "Old Ancestress, there are more. Head Chef Li is making a box for you."

"He is really clever. Yu De, I am very satisfied with this birthday feast. Good troupe and a better chef. Give him a big red pocket as thanks." Old Ancestress paused and said, "No, no. Ask him to come here. I will reward him personally."

Ye Jiayao was so exhausted but she could not bring herself to relax without hearing the guests' final comment about the mooncake.

Manager Liu ran to her hurriedly. "Brother Li, Brother Li! Clean up fast, Old Ancestress wants to see you! She is rewarding you!"

Deng Haichuan and the others cheered loudly. They had already received three red pockets from outside and they've made a lot of money. However, the best reward was the praises they got for their hard work. 

"Brother Yao, hurry! Get rid of your apron!" Deng Haichuan rushed.

Ye Jiayao cleared her head and tidied herself up before following Manager Liu out.

Helian Jing heard about what his grandmother was planning and he immediately bounded to Xia Chunyu and Helian Xuan. "Grandmother wants to reward Yaoyao personally!"

"Really?" Xia Chunyu actually felt a bit excited. Yaoyao exceeded everyone's expectations today. She performed marvelously and he couldn't wait to see how she'd flourish even more after this.

Helian Xuan patted Xia Chunyu's shoulder and said, "You are really lucky."

Helian Jing looked at them in confusion, "Big brother, why is Brother Chunyu really lucky?"

Chunyu squinted at Helian Xuan. You big mouthed fool.

Helian Xuan cleared his throat, feeling a bit stupid. He said to Helian Jing, "Little Jing, you should go to Grandmother, too. Ask her for the best reward because you actually deserve it this time."

Helian Jing laughed. "That's what I intend to do!"

"Go, go. Let me handle everything here," Helian Xuan said.

Helian Jing walked to flower hall happily and ran into Yaoyao and Manager Liu. He called proudly, "Yaoyao, you're amazing! You've conquered everyone's stomach today!"

Helian Jing barely held himself back from giving Yaoyao a huge hug.

Ye Jiayao smiled. "It was all thanks to you, Young Royal Highness Jing, for giving me a chance."

Helian Jing returned the smile, and together, they walked to the flower hall.

"Old Ancestress, Head Chef Li Yao is here," Manager Liu informed.

Everyone looked at the young man next to Helian Jing with obvious surprise. He's such a pretty young boy! How could he be the chef? Weren't chefs normally pot-bellied with sweaty faces?

Ye Jinrong looked surprised than most. The chef looked awfully familiar. She looked like her older sister... Jinxuan? No, that can't be. Jinxuan might be a good cook, but not this good. No, it couldn't be her older sister. Absolutely not.

Also, when Officer Xia came to the mansion, he said that Jinxuan was already dead.

No, it's not Jinxuan.

She must've only been feeling guilty so she's seeing her sister's face.

"Grandmother, I hope you had a wonderful birthday. Your life will be long and your fortune will be boundless," Helian Jing said his wishes as he kneeled in front of his grandmother.

Old Ancestress smiled fondly at him. "Alright, get up now."

Helian Jing has always been Old Ancestress' favorite. If there weren't that many guests, he wouldn't have been so formal.

"Little Jing, your arrangement for this birthday celebration is successful. I am very happy," Old Ancestress commended.

Helian Jing scratched his head abashedly. "Old Ancestress, those were all Li Yao's idea."

Yu De softly said to Old Ancestress, "When Little Jing ran away to Shang Dong, it was Li Yao who brought him back to safety."

Old Ancestress glanced in surprise at Li Yao. This was the first time that she heard about this. He wasn't just a great chef, he's also Little Jing's benefactor. That meant more reward.

"Little Brother Li, come." Old Ancestress said.

Ye Jiayao got up and walked up to where Old Ancestress was seated. She glanced around and almost did a double take when she saw an unexpected face in the crowd.