The problems caused by Cheng Jiao-niang’s return had been temporarily resolved.
Second Master Cheng dedicated several days to resolving the issues brought by those imprudent old acquaintances. Second Madam Cheng didn’t need to worry about managing this troublesome ‘daughter.’
Cheng Liu-niang and Cheng Qi-niang no longer needed to worry about their names being replaced. The simpleton had been confined, removing any fear of disturbance.
First Mrs. Cheng could rest assured there will be no marital discord between the second household’s couple. Family harmony had returned, with peace restored and no more disruptions from their daughter.
Life seemed to have settled back into its former calm and tranquility.
Ban Qin and Cheng Jiao-niang were doing well. They lived comfortably, free from upheaval and fear, enjoying plentiful meals. They now had their own small kitchen, no longer concerned about Jiao-niang’s pickiness with food.
“Miss, Miss, is this okay?” Ban Qin’s voice came from outside.
Cheng Jiao-niang rested against the table, eyes closed, unsure if she was asleep or awake.
Ban Qin continued calling until she reached the door, holding up a ball of dough, glistening with oil.
Cheng Jiao-niang opened her eyes to see.
“Add another spoonful of honey,” she instructed, “then you can start kneading the dough.”
Ban Qin eagerly agreed.
“Ah…” She began to run off but turned back, “Miss, do you stretch it with chopsticks and then…”
Cheng Jiao-niang sat straight from the armchair, demonstrating with her fingers in the air.
Her movements were slow, and Ban Qin watched attentively.
“I got it now,” she said, then hurried into the small kitchen.
Cheng Jiao-niang pursed her lips, a faint smile forming as she leaned back against the armchair.
“Miss, what is this? It looks so beautiful! I can’t believe I made something like this,” exclaimed Ban Qin, filled with joy and astonishment.
The golden fried snacks were arranged in a fan shape on the low table, a feast for the eyes.
Cheng Jiao-niang picked up one, savored it slowly in her mouth—delicately sweet, crisply refreshing, melting away instantly.
“I… don’t know,” she replied slowly.
“Miss, your creativity in coming up with this is truly impressive,” Ban Qin remarked, nibbling on a small piece as well.
Cheng Jiao-niang remained silent for a moment.
She didn’t come up with this. It was something that existed in her memory.
“It’s just a trick,” she said.
After eating only a few bites, she stopped, and Ban Qin filled a cup of water for her.
“But, Miss, do you really not want to drink tea?” Ban Qin inquired.
“Not that type of tea,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, lifting the cup of water and sipping slowly.
“Then, what kind of tea would you like?” she asked, with a hint of resignation.
Cheng Jiao-niang slowly finished her water and set the cup down.
Her memories hadn’t recovered much. Apart from the automatic reactions prompted by her own memories, she found herself unable to delve deeper.
For example, sometimes when she saw dishes made from flour, her mind instinctively recalled how to prepare them. But other times, she felt no response at all, such as when confronted with teas she couldn’t acquire a taste for. She simply resisted them mentally, without any clarity on her preferences.
She appeared to be herself but lacked self-control, which was profoundly frustrating.
“Don’t know,” she replied.
This was her response to Ban Qin’s question, who by then had already moved the low table, accustomed to her delayed responses.
“Miss, it’s time for your afternoon nap,” Ban Qin said.
Cheng Jiao-niang murmured in acknowledgment, took Ban Qin’s hand to rise, and walked past the bamboo curtain towards the bed.
Soon, the room fell into a tranquil silence.
A maid cautiously peered inside. Through the bamboo curtains, she saw the girl and her maid deeply asleep on the bed. In the main room, a table displayed a plate of golden, fragrant delicacies intricately crafted in a manner that intrigued her.
Her eyes brightened with excitement. Carefully tiptoeing inside, she reached out, pinched off a small piece, and savored it in her mouth, her expression filled with even greater admiration.
Inside the room, the soft snoring mingled with the summer breeze.
“Indeed a fool, only eats and sleeps,” she murmured quietly, rolling her eyes. “Such a shame to waste such delicious food.”
After a brief contemplation and a glance inside, she picked up the plate with its food still on it and turned to leave.
Two people were assigned to this courtyard: herself and a young maid.
The young maid often disappeared to play, and currently, she was nowhere to be found.
Carrying the food, the maid glanced around before leaving through the door.
The sun was high, causing the lotus flowers in the pond to wilt, and the cicadas in the woods chirped weakly. It was the perfect time for an afternoon nap, and the garden lay silent and tranquil.
With quick steps, the maid hurried outside, crossing through the garden and exiting through a side gate. Passing down an alleyway, she would arrive at her own home.
“Hey.”
A girl’s voice suddenly echoed from above.
The maid paused, feeling startled, and glanced around anxiously.
“Here,” the voice called again.
Looking up, the maid spotted three girls standing inside a small pavilion on the artificial rockery.
“Sixth Lady, Seventh Lady, Fifth Lady,” the maid quickly bowed.
Wu-niang was the eldest among them but ranked last, not due to any confusion on the maid’s part, but because of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.
“What are you sneaking around for, you old sneak?” Cheng Qi-niang said.
Cheng Liu-niang, with keen eyes, spotted the plate the maid was carrying and promptly pulled at Cheng Qi-niang’s sleeve, pointing at it.
“What are you holding? Stealing from the master’s leftovers to line your own pockets again?” Cheng Liu-niang accused.
Now twelve years old, reaching an age where she could participate in household affairs and learn from her mother, she was well aware of the maids’ penchant for stealthy actions.
Being accused of such behavior could lead to punishments ranging from a mere scolding to serious legal consequences, prompting the maid to drop to her knees in fear.
“Sixth Lady, I would never dare! These are leftovers from Jiao-niang that were going to be thrown away. I couldn’t bear to see good food wasted, so I wanted to take them home for my grandson to eat. I didn’t steal them,” she pleaded, bowing her head.
Cheng Qi-niang nodded in acknowledgment, realizing the maid belonged to Cheng Jiao-niang. Because of her disdain for that simpleton, she found herself equally impatient with this maid.
“She’s from that simpleton’s place, let it be,” she whispered to Cheng Liu-niang, pulling at her sleeve.
Beside them, Wu-niang suppressed a smile and shook her head.
These maids were indeed cunning, shifting blame onto the simpleton. No matter what was said, they could justify themselves.
Upon hearing that the maid served the simpleton, Cheng Liu-niang also felt inclined to dismiss her with contempt. However, her eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the plate of glistening food.
Suddenly, she recalled the fragrance she had caught when eavesdropping at the simpleton’s window that day.
“Hey, bring that over here,” she said, pointing at the plate.
The maid didn’t dare delay. At this point, she didn’t expect to take the food home; her main hope was that these three young ladies wouldn’t pursue the matter any further. She respectfully brought the plate over.
“What’s this for?” Cheng Qi-niang covered her nose with some disdain. “Don’t catch the fool’s disease.”
Cheng Wu-niang took the plate from the maid and carried it with a smile to Cheng Liu-niang.
“What do you need this for?” she asked.
“We’re going to feed the fish,” Cheng Liu-niang replied, her eyes glancing around.
“The fish will become foolish if they eat it!” Cheng Qi-niang exclaimed.
“Even better, then they’ll be easier to catch,” Cheng Liu-niang laughed, lifting her skirt and heading toward the lotus pond.
Cheng Qi-niang pouted.
“Then I won’t play with you,” she threatened.
Cheng Liu-niang wasn’t afraid of her, urging Cheng Wu-niang to hurry.
Cheng Wu-niang smiled and pulled Cheng Qi-niang along.
“Eating food from a fool won’t make us foolish. Besides, this isn’t hers, it belongs to our family,” she said cheerfully.
Cheng Qi-niang finally understood and reluctantly followed along.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the maid quickly slipped away.
Gently crumbled, the crispy pastries scattered onto the water’s surface, quickly attracting the large fish beneath the lotus leaves.
“What’s this? How come we’ve never seen it before?” Cheng Liu-niang said, feeding the fish and occasionally glancing at the fragrant food in her hands.
“I have no idea. It’s new to me too,” Cheng Wu-niang replied.
“This is what the fool eats, different from what we have,” Cheng Qi-niang remarked, covering her nose and stepping back.
Curious, Cheng Liu-niang picked one up and popped it into her mouth, startling Cheng Qi-niang, who exclaimed, “Ah!”
Cheng Liu-niang immediately echoed, “Ah!”
Cheng Wu-niang understood now. She had heard that the simpleton had their own kitchen, but without a proper cook; only two maids were assigned there. With such servants, what kind of food could they possibly prepare? Yet, for the simpleton, food was merely about filling their stomachs.
This unfamiliar food, which they had never seen before, must be something made exclusively in that simpleton’s kitchen. It would be surprising if it actually tasted good.
However, to Cheng Wu-niang’s surprise, Cheng Liu-niang didn’t react as expected, criticizing or spitting it out. Instead, she reached out again, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Mm, delicious!” she mumbled.
Cheng Qi-niang and Cheng Wu-niang exchanged wide-eyed glances, watching Cheng Liu-niang behave in a way that didn’t quite fit the demeanor of a refined young lady.
“Liu-niang is acting foolish!” Cheng Qi-niang exclaimed, clutching her skirt and darting away.
First Madam Cheng found herself once again disturbed by her daughter’s incessant clamor after just three days of peace.
She had hoped to keep this eldest daughter around for a few more years, but it seemed it might be better to marry her off sooner.
“Mother, mother, I want to eat this too, I want some too,” pleaded Cheng Liu-niang, kneeling on a cushion and shaking her mother’s arm.
On the low table in front of them lay a plate of food, somewhat scattered.
“Liu-niang, you’re already twelve years old. You can’t indulge your appetite like this,” First Madam Cheng frowned.
“Mother, I won’t hear of it. You’re favoring her, making delicious food for that simpleton and not giving any to me,” Cheng Liu-niang complained, pouting. “Do you still want her to be the sixth daughter while I’m relegated to being the seventh?”
First Madam Cheng had a headache.
“How is it good?” She reached out, pinched a piece, tasted it, her eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded. “Mm, not bad.”
Seeing her mother’s approval, Cheng Liu-niang grew more assured, and First Madam Cheng couldn’t tolerate the noise any longer.
“Go find out who cooked this,” she reluctantly instructed.
Soon after, the maid from Cheng Jiaoniang’s courtyard was trembling on her knees just outside the hall.
Servants of her caliber had no right to enter the main hall.
She feared the worst had happened; she could deceive the young ladies with her words, but the madam was not so easily fooled.
Now she was in trouble; she might be dismissed because of that simpleton’s reckless messing around with food.
The maid knelt on the ground, filled with a mix of hatred and fear.
“Did you make this?” First Madam Cheng inquired.
The maid had to listen carefully to catch the question.
“No, no, Ban Qin, that girl, made it,” she quickly replied, waving her hands and speaking loudly.
Ban Qin?
First Madam Cheng pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Indeed, since Old Madam Zhou assigned that girl to attend to the simpleton, it shows she was carefully chosen. All the simpleton needs is basic care and sustenance; it’s normal for the maid to possess good culinary skills.”
“Mother, I want that maid,” Cheng Liu-niang declared, sitting upright.
