When Chun Lan murmured under her breath, the previously dazed Seventeenth Young Master suddenly heard her words clearly.
“What did you say? There really is such a person?” he asked in surprise. “Is she one of the sisters here?”
Chun Lan snapped back to her senses and quickly stepped back a few paces, lowering her head without replying.
“I must have been mistaken,” she mumbled vaguely.
The Seventeenth Young Master spat in annoyance and smacked Chun Lan on the head with his fan.
“You think I’m a fool? Speak up! Tell me who it is! If you don’t, I’ll have my aunt sell you off!” he threatened fiercely.
Chun Lan immediately felt a rush of panic, grievance, and fear.
First Madam Cheng had always doted on this nephew of hers. And this nephew was notoriously arrogant and unreasonable — if he really made a fuss, even if she managed to avoid being sold, given his petty and vindictive nature, she could forget about ever staying by Fourth Young Master’s side.
The little maid’s eyes were brimming with tears.
“I really can’t remember clearly,” she choked out. “It just seemed… seemed like the eldest daughter from Second Master’s household.”
“You’re lying. I’ve seen all the girls from Second Master’s side — there’s no such beauty among them,” the Seventeenth Young Master said. He menaced forward again, grabbed his own collar, rolled his eyes, and looked at the little maid with a sinister smile. “If you still won’t tell me,” he threatened, “I’ll tell my aunt that you tried to seduce me!”
Chun Lan was so terrified that her soul practically flew out of her body. Seeing the Seventeenth Young Master actually tugging at his own collar as if about to bare his shoulder, she let out a sharp scream and dropped to her knees with a thud.
It was common enough for maids to be threatened with punishment for slight missteps, but being falsely accused of seduction — this was a first.
Even though the situation was different, the consequences for a maid would be just as devastating — if not worse.
“It’s the eldest daughter of Second Master’s family,” she cried. “She was simple-minded, so she was raised away from the main house since she was little. She only returned last year, and now her maternal relatives have taken her away again. That’s why you have never seen her before.”
The Seventeenth Young Master let out a sound of surprise.
He had heard the gossip at home — about how Second Branch had given birth to a simpleton.
“That fool?” he muttered in disbelief, turning again to look at the painting.
In the painting, the beautiful lady gazed quietly back at him — ethereal and dreamlike, like a goddess from another world.
As they were speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Cheng Si-lang stepped in. At a glance, he saw Chun Lan kneeling on the floor, and then noticed the Seventeenth Young Master standing before the desk. His brows immediately knit together.
“Shi’qi, you’re here. Come, have a seat,” he said, masking his displeasure.
The Seventeenth Young Master caught the flicker in his eyes, but reached out to accept the invitation with a smile.
“Fourth Brother, this painting of the ‘fool’ from Second Uncle’s family doesn’t look like her at all,” he said with a grin.
“It does — she really looks like this,” Cheng Si-lang replied without thinking.
The words had barely left his mouth when he saw the Seventeenth Young Master’s face shift into sudden understanding. He cursed inwardly — Damn it, he tricked me into spilling the truth.
“No, that’s not it! I didn’t paint her,” he hurried to say.
But it was too late. The Seventeenth Young Master no longer paid him any mind, turning back to the painting with an astonished look, studying the beauty portrayed.
“So even a fool can grow up to look this beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes shining.
Outside Old Master Chen’s kitchen, a crowd of maids stood pressed together, craning their necks to peer inside. They jostled and shoved — you pushed me, I stepped on you, she blocked her, and she pushed back — their low voices murmuring in a constant, messy buzz.
Through the lattice window, they could see a lady seated inside. Her hair was wrapped in cloth, her wide sleeves tied back, as she concentrated on grinding something carefully.
In front of her, two maids were bringing over trays one by one, each holding three platters of cold dishes and rice.
Cheng Jiao-niang ground loose tea leaves and roasted them to the side, while Ban Qin sprinkled the roasted tea onto one of the dishes.
“It’s done,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, standing up as she watched the tea powder settle.
Immediately, two more maids hurried in, saluted respectfully, and carried off the trays. Only after Cheng Jiao-niang and her attendants exited did they follow behind.
Outside the kitchen, the crowd of maids squeezed forward eagerly to watch.
“… So finely done…”
“What kind of fish is this…”
“…The fried fruit looks amazing…”
“…Doesn’t smell like much — wonder how it tastes…”
They whispered and laughed amongst themselves, watching as the maids carried the food into Old Master Chen’s main hall.
By now, Chen Shao and his wife had already finished their meal and were seated again, continuing their earlier conversation.
“She’s about the same age as Shi’ba-niang,” Madam Chen said. “But I find her to be much more sensible than Shi’ba-niang.”
“How could they be the same?” Chen Shao shook his head. “Look at how Shi’ba-niang grew up, and how she grew up — completely different.”
Madam Chen nodded in agreement.
“That she could still grow up like this makes it all the more remarkable,” she said, smiling. “Truly, the gods must have blessed her.”
Chen Shao’s mind drifted a little.
This young lady appeared gentle and quiet on the surface, yet beneath that calm exterior, she held an unmistakable strength. Everything, it seemed, was subtly steered by her hand, even though she spoke little and acted modestly.
Take, for example, the Zhou family forcibly bringing her into their household through the antics of a wayward youth — but what was the outcome? Other than making fools of themselves, in the end, she still moved into the residence, and everything unfolded according to her own plan, merely delayed by a short while.
Was this fierce independence forged from growing up abandoned — with a dead mother and a father who had cast her aside?
Many in this world might wish to be independent, but few could truly achieve it.
There are people who are born clever, yes — but someone who was once born simple-minded and then turned clever?
That’s no gift of fate. That’s human effort.
Chen Shao sat up a little more eagerly.
“Let’s hope the news comes quickly,” he said.
Madam Chen was puzzled.
“What news?” she asked.
“The people we sent to Bing-zhou,” he replied.
Madam Chen was aware that the family had dispatched someone to investigate Lady Cheng’s background, and she agreed it was the right thing to do.
After their conversation, the couple made their way to Old Master Chen’s quarters. As they entered, they heard Chen Dan-niang speaking.
“Is there any more? I want another bowl,” she said.
When the maid replied that there was none left, the little girl’s temper flared — she put down her bowl and chopsticks with a bit too much force.
“No manners,” Chen Shao immediately scolded.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Chen Dan-niang lowered her head and dared not say another word.
When they learned that Lady Cheng had already left, Chen Shao and his wife were somewhat surprised.
“Lady Cheng said she came to invite us for a meal, and once the meal was over, she left,” Chen Dan-niang said.
Chen Shao smiled.
“What, no curiosity about the guests’ opinions?” he asked.
“We’ve seen her intentions. Besides,” Old Master Chen interjected, looking at his two granddaughters beside him, “There’s no need to even ask — you can tell without hearing a word.”
Chen Dan-niang was just a child, and she couldn’t help but stare longingly at the empty plates. Although Cheng Shi’ba-niang was a few years older, she too hesitated, reluctant to swallow the last piece of tender fish on her plate.
“Really?” Chen Shao asked.
Old Master Chen nodded, with a hint of admiration.
“My mistress taught me.”
In his mind, the joyful expression and words of the maid when he first met her resurfaced.
Yes, yes.
Those words that once seemed like empty flattery or attempts at pleasing — if they came from people close to Lady Cheng, they had to be taken seriously, because they were the truth.
The carriage that Cheng Jiao-niang rode in was still the one rented from the bridgehead. When she and her maids were sent out by a group of maids, the coachman, who had been nervously holding a bowl of tea in the Chen family’s gatehouse for a long while, quickly jumped up. It wasn’t until they were out on the street, driving the carriage, that he finally caught his breath, like a fish released back into water.
These humble, inconspicuous outsiders, the few servants living in that residence, always rented carriages and horses for their young mistress whenever they went out. Yet, she was actually a guest of honor at Minister Chen’s household.
“I know renting a carriage in the capital costs a bit more, but my carriages are always kept very clean. After I get back, I wash them every day,” the coachman couldn’t help but say.
The maid sitting at the front of the carriage smiled.
“I know, that’s why I always rent from you,” she replied, chuckling.
The coachman, reassured, finally relaxed.
“Would you like to buy a carriage and horses?” he boldly suggested.
Surely, if they were able to come and go from Minister Chen’s household, they could afford their own carriage.
“That would mean we’d have to buy a coachman too,” the maid replied. “We’re not sure how long we’ll be staying here. Besides, we don’t go out often, so it’s not necessary.”
It seemed that Miss didn’t like her movements being noticed, nor did she care for a carriage with any distinguishing marks.
After receiving the money at the door, the coachman left, overjoyed.
As the carriage rolled to a stop, Jin Ge’er opened the door and happily went to take the carriage. But before he had taken more than a few steps, someone came charging out of the side and shoved him aside.
“It’s you again!” the maid shouted, glaring at the young man in front of her. Furious, she narrowed her eyes. “Young Master Zhou, what exactly do you want? Haven’t you had enough lessons? Don’t you have any other friends?”
You don’t hit someone in the face or reveal their secrets when scolding them — and this can naturally be said the other way around.
Indeed, like master, like servant.
One remained silent, the other had a sharp tongue, and both were equally annoying.
Zhou Liu-lang’s face turned ashen, and he abruptly shoved a small box into the maid’s hands.
“What’s this?” the maid exclaimed, unable to stop him from pushing it into her hands. She looked down at the box.
Jin Ge’er and Ban Qin, who had been quietly standing guard beside Cheng Jiao-niang, both turned their attention to it as well.
It was a box of pastries, engraved with a seal.
It looked like the tea snacks sold at Tai Ping Residence, but the inscription on top…
“Xuan-miao Temple,” the maid read aloud, sneering. “What’s so great about this…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Jin Ge’er suddenly cried out.
“Xuan-miao Temple! Xuan-miao Temple!” he shouted, as if he had spotted a rare treasure, nearly dancing with excitement. “Miss, Xuan-miao Temple!”
When Ban Qin left Jiang-zhou, there were still two Xuan-miao Temples there. When the maid arrived, Xuan-miao Temple was just starting to gain fame, but she hadn’t noticed it before leaving Jiang-zhou.
Speaking of which, the person most familiar with Xuan-miao Temple was Jin Ge’er.
When Jin Ge’er shouted, the maid snapped out of her daze and remembered.
“Is it from Jiang-zhou?” she asked hesitantly, looking at the young man in front of her.
So, he specifically brought something from Jiang-zhou to ease the mistress’s homesickness?
Her expression was a little odd.
I will marry you…
The words rumbled in her ears, and the maid couldn’t help but shiver.
Zhou Liu-lang turned and walked away, mounting his horse and disappearing into the street without looking back.
The maid turned around, holding the box, and looked at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Miss, this…” she said.
“I wonder how it tastes now?” Cheng Jiao-niang remarked, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Miss had lived at Xuan-miao Temple, so it seemed she must have eaten this often back then, which is why she was so happy to see it again.
As for Zhou Liu-lang, after all this time, at least he had managed to do something that seemed human.
The maid smiled and carefully held the box, leading the way inside.
“Let’s try it. I’ve only heard of it when we were at home, but I’ve never tasted it,” she said.
The group entered the house, Jin Ge’er closed the door, and Ban Qin hurried to prepare water. Just as Cheng Jiao-niang was about to step up the stairs, a sudden loud thud sounded from the left side of the courtyard wall, startling everyone in the yard, and they all stopped to look.
A long hand slowly reached out from the top of the tall wall.
It was a slender hand, shining brightly under the sunlight, almost dazzling. For a moment, all anyone could see was that hand.
“A ghost!”
Jin Ge’er was the first to scream, crouching down while holding his head.
His scream made Ban Qin and the maid, who had originally been staring blankly, instinctively scream along with him.
The hand seemed to have been startled by their high-pitched screams as well. It shook and clung tightly to the wall, and then another hand appeared, followed by a head peeking over the top of the wall.
Dark eyebrows, eyes bright like stars, a high nose, and thin lips — a face as delicate as jade looked down at the people in the courtyard.
“You scared me to death! I almost fell!” he said, raising an eyebrow as he stared at Cheng Jiao-niang. A smile appeared on his lips, though with a hint of complaint. “Because of you, I got scared again!”