Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1265 Becoming an Apprentice? Absolutely not!

"Madam Li is here! The Second Young Mistress is looking for you." Hongliu was tending to the flowers and plants in Lu Xing'er's courtyard when she saw Shi Jia appear. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly put down her scissors and went to greet her warmly.

Shi Jia was taken aback. Why had this girl, Hong Liu, become so enthusiastic?

“Miss Hongliu, I’ve come to ask you to read my recipes,” Shi Jia said, explaining his purpose.

“It’s alright, we can talk about reading the recipe later. The second young mistress has just finished lunch and hasn’t rested yet.” Hongliu said, taking Shijia’s hand and leading her inside.

"Second Young Mistress, are you looking for me? Is lunch not alright?"

"No, it's because Madam Li's cooking skills are superb. The second young mistress is extremely satisfied, especially with the soy sauce chicken. She has praised it several times."

As they spoke, they entered the room. Lu Xing'er, who was half-lying on the couch, struggled to get up. Lu Mama was startled when she saw this and quickly reached out to help her. "Slow down."

Lu Xing'er waved her hand and looked at Shi Jia with a smile, "Madam Li, you've arrived."

"Good afternoon, Second Young Madam," Shi Jia greeted with a smile.

"Sit down." Lu Xing'er beckoned, wanting Shi Jia to sit next to her. The old woman next to her quickly had a stool brought over and placed to Lu Xing'er's right.

Shi Jia sat down and asked, "I wonder what brings you here, young mistress? Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Lu Xing'er smiled and asked, "What were the names of the pastries you brought this morning? How were they made? I've never had them before. Are there any more?"

It doesn't seem to be in the recipes she's collected.

"This snack is called mochi. I originally planned to give it to you as an afternoon treat, but Miss Hongliu came to the kitchen right after I made it, so I asked her to bring it to you to try first," Shi Jia said with a smile.

"Mochi?" Lu Xing'er repeated, "Is it a food from your hometown?"

"I guess so," Shi Jia said. "In the countryside, there's a food called Ciba, and mochi is also a kind of Ciba. But the way it's made is different. I learned it from a recipe yesterday. I thought about it for a long time last night, and I tried to make it this morning. I didn't expect it to be a success."

"Really? Could you tell me exactly how it's done?" Lu Xing'er asked excitedly.

Shi Jia's words were unremarkable, but Lu Xing'er's eyes lit up when she heard them, and she looked at Shi Jia with admiration. Seeing this, the old woman next to her couldn't help but tug at her sleeve.

Lu Xing'er, caught up in the excitement, had no idea of ​​her nanny's good intentions. She forcefully pulled back her clothes, "Nanny, stop fooling around!"

Granny Lu: "!"

Shi Jia noticed Granny Lu's actions and gradually stopped talking.

Lu Xing'er grew impatient and urged, "Steam it? And then what?"

Shi Jia glanced at Granny Lu, who gave an awkward smile and gestured for Shi Jia to continue. She then continued, "After steaming for fifteen minutes, let it cool. Finally, divide the steamed mochi into small balls and wrap the filling. The filling will be sticky, so you can coat it with roasted soybean flour and glutinous rice flour."

Lu Xing'er nodded repeatedly, "It sounds simple." Her tone was full of eagerness.

Granny Lu had a bad feeling, and sure enough, the next second Lu Xing'er said, "I want to try, could Madam Li teach me?"

Shi Jia glanced at Granny Lu, but Lu Xing'er, who was usually slow to react, seemed to have hit a radar and immediately said, "Don't look at Granny Lu, it's me who wants to do it, not her."

"Young Madam," said Granny Lu with a helpless expression, "you've forgotten that you're pregnant."

"It's alright, I'm perfectly fine now!" Lu Xing'er waved her hand. "Besides, it's just making some pastries, it doesn't take much effort. Isn't that right, Madam Li?"

Shi Jia felt immense pressure. However, after Lu Xing'er's tantrum, he finally nodded.

"Quickly, Hongliu, go prepare the ingredients!" Lu Xing'er said excitedly.

There was a small kitchen in Lu Xing'er's courtyard, but it was cramped. Lu Mama was worried about leaving Lu Xing'er there, so she had a table, a small stove, and a small pot set up in the courtyard.

Looking at this exquisite set of tools, Shi Jia couldn't help but feel envious. Could she also make a small stove and pot so that she could go on a picnic with the Wang siblings in her spare time?
Despite their envy, the work still had to be done. The main force in doing the work was Hongliu and Lu Xing'er, while Shi Jia was mainly in charge of directing.

Despite her scholarly appearance, Hongliu is a capable worker. Even with Lu Xing'er's unhelpful attempts to make things worse, she still manages to make the mochi in an orderly manner without making Lu Xing'er feel like she's just getting in the way.

"Mmm, so delicious!" Lu Xing'er squinted her eyes as she ate the strangely shaped mochi she had made.

"Hmm, not bad." Shi Jia nodded. Although the mochi was a bit too soft and lacked a chewy texture, it was already very good for the first time.

Therefore, Shi Jia gave Lu Xing'er full affirmation.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xing'er felt her whole body swell with pride. "Granny, please try it. Madam Li said it's delicious."

Granny Lu smiled and ate a piece, glancing at Shi Jia, but said, "It's delicious."

“Right! Right!” Lu Xing’er laughed happily. “I always knew I was very talented. It’s just that I never met a good mentor.”

Hongliu, standing beside her, showed no displeasure at having her credit stolen. Instead, she smiled and echoed, "Young Madam is right."

Shi Jia suddenly had a bad feeling.

The next second, it came true. "Madam Li, I... I have a favor to ask." Lu Xing'er's arrogance vanished, and she looked at Shi Jia shyly.

"Um, may I ask what brings you here, young mistress?"

"Could you please teach me how to cook?" Lu Xing'er asked expectantly. "Don't worry, I'll bring a gift to formally become your apprentice."

Is this a problem with the apprenticeship ceremony?
Isn't this a matter of shortening one's lifespan? Shi Jia thought of the scene just now where Lu Xing'er did more harm than good and it was only Hong Liu who turned the tide. He swallowed and felt that he had been extremely hypocritical just now.

"Young Madam, you absolutely mustn't!" However, someone was even more anxious than Shi Jia. Granny Lu's face changed drastically. "You're pregnant now! You absolutely mustn't overexert yourself. If anything happens to you, not only will I be held responsible, but even Madam Li will be held accountable..."

Lu Xing'er frowned. What Granny Lu said made some sense, but she had finally found a skilled chef and a teacher willing to teach her cooking. She didn't want to give up.

Shi Jia just wanted to say, isn't this a huge misunderstanding?

“Yes, young mistress, learning to cook is hard work. If it weren’t for making a living, for having a skill, who would follow someone else around like a servant?” Shi Jia said.

"Huh? I just want to learn how to cook." Lu Xing'er was a little confused.

Shi Jia knew what she was thinking, of course, but it was better to be a little more serious about some things. "I see. I thought the young mistress wanted to be my apprentice."

Lu Xing'er blinked.

Granny Lu, who was standing nearby, seized the opportunity to explain the hardships of chef apprentices these days. Upon hearing this, Lu Xing'er quickly waved her hand, but looked at Shi Jia with a conflicted expression.

Shi Jia smiled and said, "If the young mistress only wants to learn to cook a few dishes, it's not a big deal. If you happen to like a particular dish someday, you can do it like today. At that time, Miss Hongliu will assist you, so you can relax a bit."

Lu Xing'er nodded happily.

Shi Jia smiled, the problem perfectly solved.