She always knew this maid was arrogant, but she never expected her to be bold enough to curse at others—yet her mistress, Cheng Jiao-niang, didn’t stop her at all.
A servant cursing someone is no different from the master doing it.
To act in such a manner and still be so brazen!
Lady Zhou could no longer hold back the resentment she had suppressed for so long.
“The Cheng family raised such a maid—disrespectful and shameless!” she shouted.
“That’s right! If the Cheng family’s maid is shameless, then so is the Zhou family’s mistress! No wonder they’re in-laws!” the maid retorted, hands on her hips.
Lady Zhou was so furious that she stomped her foot. Not only did the other party not care about her scolding, but the maid even had the audacity to curse back!
“You… you—” She was at a loss for words, her face flushing red as tears welled up in her eyes.
As a sheltered young lady, when had she ever encountered such a brazen and unruly girl?
She had grown up without ever hearing a harsh word—even her own parents had never spoken to her coldly. And now, a mere maid was pointing at her nose and insulting her! Overcome with humiliation and anger, Lady Zhou stomped her foot, burst into tears, and turned to run inside.
Her maids had been too stunned to react, only now coming to their senses and scrambling to follow in a panic.
“Prepare the carriage!” the maid shouted, raising her eyebrows.
The attendants at the second gate trembled in fear and, acting on instinct, hurriedly brought the carriage forward.
The maid helped Cheng Jiao-niang onto the carriage without hesitation.
“A mere daughter of a military brute dares to hurl insults like a common street shrew? Clearly, she hasn’t read enough books!” she scoffed.
If one were to ask who in the world was the best at quarreling and cursing, it wouldn’t be the unruly ruffians of the marketplace or ignorant village women, but rather the “black crows” of the Censorate—those scholars steeped in the classics and overflowing with knowledge of doctrine.
They might refrain from arguments and avoid disputes most of the time, but once forced into conflict, they were unmatched. People spoke of generals as fierce and valiant, but when it came to verbal combat, it was the civil officials whose words cut to the bone, who could decide fate with a single phrase, slay without drawing blood. In matters of vicious feuds and ruthless clashes, who would back down?
Take the great Confucian scholar Zhang Chun, for instance. Refined and righteous, yet when faced with philosophical debates, he once engaged in a war of words against a hall full of scholars—so fierce that one elderly scholar, overcome with rage, coughed up blood and fainted on the spot.
“Hey,” the maid called as she lifted the carriage curtain.
The coachman up front shuddered three times in fright.
“Would you kindly stop by a pharmacy for a moment?” the maid said with a gentle smile. Her tone was soft, her expression kind—there was no trace of the fierceness she had shown earlier.
The coachman trembled again but quickly steered the carriage toward the street lined with pharmacies. He stopped at the largest one, watching as the maid went inside. Not long after, she emerged with several packets of unknown medicine in hand.
When they arrived at Yudai Bridge, Jin Ge’er was already waiting, having rented a carriage in advance. The maid and Cheng Jiao-niang got in and rode off without hesitation.
Where was this young lady going every time?
And why did she always refuse to use the Zhou family’s carriage, opting instead for an ordinary rented one?
Was she afraid the Zhou family would find out, or was she trying to avoid being noticed by others?
The coachman pondered in a daze.
“This way. Come inside and have a bowl of water in the gatehouse,” Ban Qin called out warmly.
The coachman snapped out of his thoughts, quickly steering the carriage through the gate while expressing his thanks.
He vaguely remembered this girl—she had come from the Zhou family, hadn’t she? Wasn’t she the same one who had caused such a huge commotion a few days ago? What was her name again?
“Ban Qin, should I take in the dried bedding from your side?” Jin Ge’er called from the courtyard.
Ban Qin!
Wait… but wasn’t that maid also called Ban Qin?
The coachman instinctively turned his head to glance outside the gate, his eyes widening in shock.
Why were they both called Ban Qin? Could it be… that she was some kind of spirit with multiple incarnations?
This lady was a disciple of True Master Li, someone who could even claim connections with the King of Hell—summoning a spirit to serve her would be nothing at all!
Such seamless transformations… surely, only a supernatural being could pull that off.
The coachman shivered again.
Amitabha… No, no, wrong deity—Boundless Supreme Lord Taiyi, please protect me! I meant no offense!
By the time Cheng Jiao-niang’s carriage arrived outside Tai Ping Residence, it was already noon.
Inside the main hall, it wasn’t completely empty—two travelers were seated, engaged in conversation.
“What do you have here?” one of them asked while glancing around. “The place looks clean enough, but how’s the food and drink?”
“We have cold appetizers, pastries, meat dishes, and vegetarian stews,” replied the makeshift menu master, who was the fourth brother of the Maoyuan Mountain brothers. Though still a bit unfamiliar with the task, he at least spoke clearly. “For drinks, we offer Spring Brew, Yujing, and Bixi, all famous wines from the capital. We also have official-brewed liquor and shui zao.”
“Not bad for a small shop,” the two travelers chuckled.
“Alright then, we’ll take four cold dishes, two meat dishes, one soup, and a pot of the official-brewed liquor to start,” one of them decided after some thought.
The fourth brother responded promptly, turned to pass the order to the kitchen, and stopped by the counter. There, the old manager caught his sleeve.
“If they’re dressed in silk and brocade, speaking politely and making way for each other, only mention the three famous wines,” he whispered.
These types of traveling merchants, especially when someone is treating the group with regional trade currency, shouldn’t be given too many choices. Just present the best options directly.
The fourth brother chuckled, thanked the manager, and agreed. Who would’ve thought that even taking an order had so much subtle knowledge behind it?
Cheng Jiao-niang and her maid stepped forward, the maid flashing a smile at the old manager.
The old manager returned the smile and respectfully gestured for them to enter.
In the backyard, Xu Maoxiu and the others were standing in front of a particular room. Xu Bangchui was about to step inside when Sun Cai stopped him.
“This is the elixir room—not just anyone can enter. It’s like the commander’s tent in the military; you think you can just waltz in and take a look?” Sun Cai said, shaking his big head.
Xu Bangchui spat at him.
“You phony Taoist! Elixir room, my foot! Who are you trying to fool?” he shouted, glaring.
“I’m not a phony! I have an official Taoist registry!” Sun Cai shouted back, glaring just as fiercely.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Maoxiu was the first to turn around. When he saw Cheng Jiao-niang, a smile appeared on his face.
“You’re here,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang also smiled at him. Now that her complexion had improved, her smile was much more recognizable.
“You’ve worked hard,” she said.
“It’s what I should do,” Xu Maoxiu replied with a smile, not bothering with formalities.
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled again at his words, then turned to Sun Cai.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Sun Cai nodded quickly and reached out to push open the door.
“Miss, please take a look—everything is prepared,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang stepped inside.
“Hey, didn’t you just say people can’t go in so easily?” Xu Bangchui asked, eyes wide.
“Miss is not just anyone,” Sun Cai replied, slipping inside before Xu Bangchui could huff in frustration.
The room was small and cluttered with stone mills, earthenware jars, wooden frames, cloth, heavy stones, and other various items, along with a newly constructed stove.
Cheng Jiao-niang scanned the room carefully.
“Show me how it’s done,” she said.
Sun Cai was momentarily stunned, surprised by her request.
“Miss, this isn’t something that can be done quickly,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.
“I know,” she replied, “but go ahead and do it.”
Sun Cai’s eyes shifted as he thought for a moment.
“Miss, it’s not that I’m boasting, but when it comes to tofu-making, I’m the only one in the capital who can do it,” he stammered. “Back in our temple, our tofu kept many of us fed. Even the bald monk from next door once got greedy and tried to steal my master’s technique. But my master, being devoted to Dao, would never bow to the bald monk’s intimidation…”
Outside, Xu Bangchui’s eyes widened in disbelief as he listened.
“Hey, this guy’s trying to hike the price on us! Trying to play this game with my little sister…” he shouted, rolling up his sleeves.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned around and smiled at him.
“Brother, don’t get angry. Just let him talk,” she said. “It’s a fair trade, no cheating.”
Xu Bangchui snorted and, seeing she had no intention of stopping him, finally backed off.
Sun Cai chuckled awkwardly.
“Miss, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your request, but… this skill is truly a secret that my master never passed down… I…” His eyes flickered as he stammered.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded and interrupted him.
“I understand. You do it, and I won’t just watch for nothing,” she said.
Having achieved his goal, Sun Cai no longer pressed the issue and nodded happily.
“Alright, I trust you,” he said, while reaching to adjust his long sleeves. “I know you want to see. I soaked the beans yesterday, so now I’ll show you how I make tofu.”
The four cold appetizers and a pot of hot tea were brought out.
“Please warm yourselves up, guests,” the fourth brother said with a smile.
The two guests looked at the small plates before them, filled with four types of pastries they had never seen before.
“What about the drinks?” one of them asked.
“They’ll be here soon,” the fourth brother replied with a smile. “Our pastries go best with pan-fried tea. If you use the wine to steep them, it’ll bring out the flavor even more. Please try these first, and once the hot dishes arrive, I’ll bring the drinks along.”
The two guests laughed upon hearing this.
“You’re quite the creative one for a little street-side shop,” they said, waving their hands. “Hurry up with the hot dishes. We’re not here for idle chit-chat and tea; we’re on a journey!”
The fourth brother chuckled and nodded, then stepped back with a smile.
“Here, try this,” one guest said, pouring tea for the other. He then picked up a sugar-coated round ball with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. It melted immediately, and he couldn’t help but hum in approval, nodding. “Not bad, not bad.”
The other guest also picked one up, tasting it briefly before, as though struck by a thought, taking a sip of tea. After a moment of surprise, he nodded in appreciation.
“The freshness and sweetness complement each other perfectly,” he said. “It really does go well with the tea.”
Before long, the four cold appetizers were almost finished. There wasn’t much to begin with, and the four types of pastries were just enough for each guest to have one.
“Now that we’ve eaten, I feel even hungrier,” one of them said with a laugh, looking towards the kitchen.
They seemed to be eagerly awaiting the hot dishes to arrive.
