Chapter 63: Lin Sanniang’s Working Rules
Jian Xingxia led Lin Sanniang back to the old house.
She took the meat and vegetables out of the refrigerator and handed them over to her. “I have important friends to entertain today. Feel free to use these ingredients to cook, and don’t try to save them for my sake.”
“Don’t worry about the rice, I’ll cook that myself.”
Rice cooked in an electric rice cooker wasn’t as fragrant as that from a wood fire stove, but to Jian Xingxia, it was already very delicious and convenient. This allowed Lin Sanniang to focus entirely on cooking the dishes.
Hearing this, Lin Sanniang immediately agreed and inquired about the guests’ tastes.
Jian Xingxia said, “Any style is fine, as long as it tastes good. You can make a few more dishes; we can save them to eat slowly.”
Lin Sanniang instinctively looked up at the fierce sun in the sky.
The weather was scorching hot. She didn’t know what month it was here at the mountain estate, but judging by the sun and the state of the wild grass, it ought to be the height of summer. Cooked dishes wouldn’t keep for long.
Yet the young mistress said they would save them to eat slowly—implying it wasn’t just a matter of one or two days. Presumably, they weren’t relying on cellars, well water, or creek water for preservation; there must be another miraculous method.
Lin Sanniang speculated silently. When she took the basin of ingredients handed over by Jian Xingxia, she was even more shocked, cementing the thought in her mind that the young mistress was indeed a fairy. In such blistering hot weather, the vegetables the young mistress brought out were actually ice-cold! There was even pork that was frozen solid.
Lin Sanniang recalled Brother Shu’s words—she feared that even the imperial palace lacked such wonderful things.
She accepted the stainless steel basin, feeling that every single item at the mountain estate was miraculous.
Jian Xingxia noticed Lin Sanniang’s astonishment, but she was highly satisfied with Lin Sanniang’s quiet compliance. As expected, an experienced worker was easier to manage; they just focused on the work without prying too much.
She relayed the precautions she had thought of to Lin Sanniang. “Starting from today, if anyone else is around, just call me Xiaxia, or Miss Xia.”
Lin Sanniang felt a bit self-conscious, feeling it was improper to address the employer directly by name, so she said, “Then I shall call you Miss Xia.”
Jian Xingxia nodded, deeming it acceptable. The title ‘Miss Xia’ could be used in both ancient and modern times without raising suspicion, and it didn’t require extra psychological conditioning to change the temporary worker’s attitude toward addressing their employer.
“Your only job today is to cook. You know how to use the water and the stove in the kitchen. Once the dishes are ready, just cover them with the mesh food covers and wait for my instructions.”
“When there are no instructions, you can rest. If you are willing, you can also go outside to pick some wild vegetables and fruits to sun-dry. When they wither in a couple of days, you and Taoya can carry them away when you leave.”
Lin Sanniang nodded happily. “Ah, alright. I will cook the meal first, and if I have free time, I will go pick the wild greens.”
The young mistress had said that the wilted wild vegetables couldn’t be sold for money, so they were always given to them as an extra perk, not counted toward their wages.
Jian Xingxia gave instructions all the way, placing particular emphasis at the very end: “Try your absolute best not to speak with anyone else. If someone asks you questions, just push it onto me. Under no circumstances should you reveal where you came from.”
Otherwise, if things blew up, Jian Xingxia would have no way to explain it. She was terrified that if it stirred up controversy, she might not even be able to keep the mountain estate.
Lin Sanniang followed Jian Xingxia’s arrangement. “Understood, Miss. I won’t talk out of turn, and will focus exclusively on cooking today.”
With that, Lin Sanniang took the ingredients and entered the kitchen.
There was “running water” in the kitchen. Lin Sanniang understood this; every time she turned the small handle that looked like silver but wasn’t silver, the water would come “by itself.” It was much more convenient than carrying water, drawing water, or going down to the river. She could wash vegetables and fill pots right inside the kitchen.
The vegetables were placed by the kitchen door—ventilated and shady, similar to her home in the Daliang Dynasty.
Lin Sanniang first sorted out the green vegetables, then took a few potatoes, a handful of green beans, chili peppers, two eggplants, two cucumbers… Without even stepping out the door, she washed everything clean in the kitchen and left them to drain.
Occasionally, she couldn’t help but wonder. She knew the employer’s side was currently in the height of summer, which wasn’t the same season as the scarce harvest period back in the Daliang Dynasty. But she remained curious in her heart—some of these fruits and vegetables didn’t naturally ripen in midsummer, yet the young mistress always had them here. Furthermore, during this month, the young mistress was still planting vegetables in the fields, growing crops of all seasons, seemingly without any worry about whether they could mature.
It appeared the mountain estate was truly a blessed land, entirely different from their ordinary fields.
Jian Xingxia, oblivious to what Lin Sanniang was thinking, was currently focusing on tending to her all-season vegetables.
With Liang Chengcheng’s arrival over the past two days, Jian Xingxia’s mind had also grown more active. Observing Liang Chengcheng’s ways, having money was one thing, but she was genuinely willing to spend money on things from the mountains.
When Liang Chengcheng learned she had a chest freezer full of chestnuts to sell, she had reminded her that while a small-scale business had quick turnover, earning money was slow. What was truly valuable in the mountains wasn’t these physical goods, but the scenery, the air, and the experience.
The two of them had spent the past two days discussing this whenever they were free. They had also contacted their seniors and teachers, selecting quite a few all-season fruits, vegetables, and landscape plants. Jian Xingxia temporarily lacked the money to buy the expensive or new varieties, but she could easily search online for the mature, mass-produced varieties recommended by her seniors.
Action speaks louder than hesitation; planting them a day earlier meant they would mature a day earlier. Jian Xingxia took some time to place orders online, spending over six hundred yuan on various all-season fruits and vegetables over the past two days.
Although her balance decreased by another six hundred-plus yuan—dropping straight from 1,567, breaking her limit down to 923—Jian Xingxia felt a surge of hope. Liang Chengcheng was right; people nowadays had money. As long as the product was excellent, whether it was food, drink, or entertainment, there was no need to worry about it not selling.
Over the past two days, alumni had constantly been asking her and Liang Chengcheng about matters in the mountains, and Jian Xingxia was genuinely tempted. If she arranged the two rooms in the west wing on the first floor and the six partitioned rooms on the second floor—eight rooms in total—she could earn a substantial amount of money just by running a homestay.
Therefore, she had to seize the time to build the unique draws of the mountain estate, clearing out at least one plot of land, even if it was just for people to camp, take photos, or pick fruits and vegetables. Only with scenery and activities could she drive the homestay and the development of the estate forward.
Lin Sanniang was currently battling the “ice-cold” frozen meat.
To be honest, it was exceedingly rare for poor folk to have this kind of experience. For most seasons of the year, meat wouldn’t be ice-cold. And in winter, the poor could hardly afford large chunks of meat to freeze.
Even when Lin Sanniang used to help out in kitchens, the meat she handled was freshly slaughtered; at most, it was a bit chilly in winter, but never frozen solid. After all, who would bear to leave a large chunk of raw meat out in the freezing snow? Even if they wanted to preserve it, they would cook it first before using well water or winter ice and snow to keep it.
Perhaps only the barbarians raising cattle and sheep at the frontier would slaughter a sheep and freeze it in the snow. Living in the city, they couldn’t even afford meat, so this was truly her first time encountering such a situation.
The vegetables were all prepared, and the ribs were pre-chopped, left in a dish to thaw. Only the large slab of pork belly and the lean meat for the stir-fry remained a solid block, requiring slow thawing so she could slice them bit by bit.
While Lin Sanniang was laboriously slicing the frozen meat, Liang Chengcheng returned from the creek.
Jian Xingxia immediately grabbed her and began spinning a yarn. “Orange, I hired an auntie from a nearby village to cook for us. However, Auntie isn’t very talkative; she’ll leave right after she finishes cooking.”
Liang Chengcheng didn’t think much of it. Her family had hired many aunties and nannies, encompassing all sorts of personalities. Not being talkative was even better; it beat the nagging types who would inexplicably harbor resentment toward the wealthy and boss her around.
She was delighted. “Really? Then we don’t have to cook our own meals anymore?!” With that, Liang Chengcheng reached for her phone to pull out cash. “How much does Auntie cost a day? Let me pay for it.”
Uh?
Jian Xingxia hadn’t fully prepared this part of the lie yet. In her panic, she just blurted out the number Auntie Lu had mentioned: “One hundred yuan a day.”
Only after saying it did she realize, hurriedly declining, “Orange, you don’t need to give me money. You’ve already bought so many things, so hiring someone is on me.”
How could Liang Chengcheng possibly agree? Her only concern was that Jian Xingxia wouldn’t let her subsidize her; how could she let Jian Xingxia spend money? She was all too clear on how poor Jian Xingxia was. Over the past two days, she had even bought six or seven chickens, and she didn’t plan on eating them all herself. She had to leave a few for Xiaxia.
As Liang Chengcheng spoke, she produced her phone to make a transfer.
Jian Xingxia reached out to stop her. “There’s no need for you to pay…”
However, Liang Chengcheng’s eyes caught sight of the wooden string resting on Jian Xingxia’s wrist.
“Oh my god! What is this? A red sandalwood bracelet?!”
