“Princess Consort, please rest assured. I will be more careful in the future, and everyone here knows their boundaries. Even if this matter rots in our stomachs, we would never dare to let it slip outside!” The old woman holding the tray was the first to speak. She was Emily Foster’s wet nurse and now managed the inner residence, specifically responsible for the daily life and meals of both Henry Clark and Emily Foster.

These maids and old women were all long-time servants who had come as part of Emily Foster’s dowry from the Cao household, so Emily Foster trusted them very much. She nodded and said nothing more, turning to go back and rest. But just then, she suddenly noticed that Little Daisy, who had been standing by her side, was nowhere to be seen. This made Emily Foster a bit puzzled. She turned her head and happened to see Little Daisy sneaking up to the wet nurse, dipping her finger into the dish cooked by Henry Clark, and putting it in her mouth, then showing an expression of pure enjoyment.

“Little Daisy, what are you doing?” Seeing her personal maid act like this, Emily Foster scolded loudly in anger.

“Fourth Miss, you have to try this! The dish made by the Prince is so delicious!” Little Daisy was always timid in front of others, but she was never afraid of Emily Foster. As for calling Emily Foster “Fourth Miss,” it wasn’t because Little Daisy was her sister, but rather because, in large Song dynasty families, servants addressed noble children by their birth order plus “ge’er” (for boys) or “jie’er” (for girls). For example, since Emily Foster was the fourth child at home, the servants usually called her Fourth Miss. As for the title “Miss,” unfortunately, just like in later times, it was a euphemism for prostitutes.

“Little Daisy, how many times have I told you? Now that Fourth Miss is the Princess Consort, you should address her as Princess Consort, not like you did at home!” As soon as Little Daisy finished speaking, the wet nurse beside her scolded her. Little Daisy was the youngest and a bit scatterbrained, often forgetting things, so she was frequently reprimanded by the wet nurse.

Little Daisy had a tragic background. She entered the Cao household as a child and grew up with Emily Foster, who always treated her like a real sister, even spoiling her a bit. Moreover, Emily Foster was never willing to accept the title of Princess Consort, so Little Daisy’s “Fourth Miss” instantly made Emily Foster feel a sense of intimacy, and her earlier urge to scold Little Daisy vanished without a trace.

Emily Foster walked over to inspect the dish made by Henry Clark. The dish looked bright red and quite appealing, but it gave off a sweet aroma, which made her frown and say, “You actually put sugar in the meat? Only someone cooking for the first time would confuse salt and sugar. Little Daisy, since you think it’s so tasty, your punishment is to eat it all!”

The north has never been a sugar-producing region, so in ancient times, sugar was always a precious condiment in the north. Even families who could afford sugar would only add a little to bland porridge for flavor, and it was almost never used in cooking. Moreover, famous dishes like Dongpo Pork and Sweet and Sour Fish had not yet become popular in Kaifeng, so Emily Foster had never tasted sweet and sour dishes.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in the minds of Kaifeng people of this era, sugar and salt were considered opposite seasonings. So when adding salt to a dish, they would never add sugar, believing the two flavors would cancel each other out. (Note: The author’s hometown is just across the Yellow River from Kaifeng, and the tradition of adding salt but not sugar to dishes, especially meat dishes, persisted even in the author’s childhood. It wasn’t until information became more widespread that this misconception gradually faded. The author remembers the first time eating sweet and sour pork, he found it so unpalatable he wanted to spit it out, but by the second time, he absolutely loved it.)

Little Daisy was a gluttonous little maid, and her palate was much more accepting than most people’s. She had already loved the smell of the sweet and sour pork earlier, so when she heard Fourth Miss punish her by making her eat the whole dish, she cheered, snatched the plate from the wet nurse, and ran off to the side to wolf it down, making contented whimpering sounds as she ate, just like a little cat stealing fish.

Hearing Little Daisy’s contented whimpers, Emily Foster was surprised. Having grown up with Little Daisy, she knew her habits better than anyone. Only when eating something truly delicious would Little Daisy make those cat-like sounds. Could it be that Henry Clark’s cooking was really that good?

Chapter 7: The Simple Little Daisy

On an early summer morning, Henry Clark was once again awakened by the sound of fine rain outside the window. He had now been transmigrated to the Northern Song for a month and was gradually getting used to life without TV, cell phones, or the internet. But for some reason, ever since the day he arrived, it had been raining nonstop in Kaifeng. Although the rain wasn’t heavy, the drizzle had continued for more than half a month. Even on the rare days when it didn’t rain, the sky was still gloomy, making the whole environment damp and clammy. Henry Clark felt like he was about to grow mold.

Henry Clark sat up in bed and glanced at the pillow he had made himself. The original porcelain pillow had made his head ache, so he had used a few thick pieces of clothing to make a temporary pillow. But now, a patch of it was wet. Although he had dreamed about sweet and sour pork all night, Henry Clark would rather believe these were tears of longing for his family and friends from his previous life, than admit it was drool from his dreams.