Although she had already guessed from the mistress’s reminder that the old man was not an ordinary person, she didn’t expect him to be this remarkable. The old man’s house didn’t even look that impressive.
The maid stood there in a daze, while outside, her parents were already stunned.
My goodness, in a family like this, even the lowest-ranking servant wouldn’t dare be messed with by anyone in the entire Jiang-zhou.
The Cheng family was different from the Zhang family, and being a maid was different from being a cook.
A maid can’t serve for a lifetime, but a cook can.
In wealthy households, a good cook held a high status, and they might even be loaned out. Hiring a skilled cook to prepare a fine banquet was something that brings immense prestige.
Not to mention the rewards they receive.
The maid’s parents outside could no longer sit still.
If their daughter joined a family like that, even if they didn’t have the luck to go with her, just being associated with her would ensure they had an endless supply of blessings in the Cheng family.
“Of course, she is willing,” the old woman couldn’t help but exclaim with joy as she kowtowed, “Thank you, sir and madam, for your favor. Thank you.”
As she spoke, she knelt and crawled forward, reaching out to push the still dazed maid.
“Hurry and thank the master and madam. Once you’re there, you must do your best and not bring shame to the master and madam. And don’t forget what your family name is,” she whispered sternly.
The maid was pushed forward and stumbled, her hands supporting her on the ground as she felt a bit flustered.
“Master, Madam, I…” she began to speak, her voice trembling.
“Enough, there’s no need to say those things. Once you go there, just stick to your duties. From now on, you’ll be part of the Zhang household, so don’t keep thinking about the Cheng family,” Second Master Cheng said.
“No, Master,” the girl hurriedly responded, bowing her head. “I… cannot go.”
The room fell silent for a moment, and Second Master Cheng and his wife were somewhat surprised.
What?
“You foolish girl, what nonsense are you talking about? This is not the time to act up. Just listen to what the master and madam say,” the old woman hurriedly scolded, pushing the maid harshly once more.
“Mother, you don’t understand, so don’t speak carelessly,” the maid anxiously turned back to say, then looked at Second Master Cheng and his wife. “Master, Madam, I don’t have any real skills. Everything I know was taught by the mistress. I dare not embarrass myself in front of the old master.”
That same phrase again…
Second Madam Cheng felt a bit disoriented.
This… this isn’t my doing; it was my mistress who taught me…
The girl kneeling in front of her seemed to transform into that other girl from the past, with the same fearful expression, the same… incoherent words.
“Do you think you’re also surnamed Zhou?” Second Madam Cheng asked with a cold laugh.
The maid looked up, confused.
“I called you here to tell you that tomorrow, you will go to Old Master Zhang’s residence. I wasn’t asking whether you want to go or not,” Second Madam Cheng said, looking down at her with an air of superiority.
In the evening, Abbess Sun hurriedly arrived at the Tai Ping Palace with a young attendant.
“What? Ban Qin hasn’t returned yet?” she asked.
The gatekeeper nun nervously nodded.
“It’s almost dark, how is she still not back?” she said.
“Didn’t she go to the city to deliver mooncakes to that old man? By now, she should have returned,” Abbess Sun said, anxiously rubbing her hands together. “Gather some people and go into the city to meet her.”
The nun responded affirmatively and quickly walked away, while Abbess Sun entered Cheng Jiao-niang’s courtyard with the young attendant.
As soon as she entered, she saw Cheng Jiao-niang standing under the veranda, looking up at the sky.
“Miss,” Abbess Sun hurriedly greeted her, “Ban Qin might have gone far to buy vegetables.”
Cheng Jiao-niang withdrew her gaze and looked at her.
“No,” she said, “She won’t be coming back tonight.”
Abbess Sun was momentarily stunned, then sighed in relief.
“So, you know where she went. You really scared me,” she said, while calling for the young attendant to bring back the nuns.
Cheng Jiao-niang remained silent, simply raising her head to continue gazing at the sky.
On the few occasions when Abbess Sun had visited, she had seen her like this and couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Miss, what are you looking at?” she asked, unable to resist glancing up as well.
The sun was setting in the west, and the autumn evening was thick with dusk.
“The sky,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
“What’s so interesting about the sky?” Abbess Sun asked.
“Nothing much,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, lowering her gaze. “It’s just that, I think I used to really like looking at it.”
Used to?
Abbess Sun felt a bit confused. Looking again, she saw that Cheng Jiao-niang had already turned to go inside. Although this lady wasn’t foolish, she always seemed somewhat strange, different from ordinary people. Abbess Sun quickly followed her.
“Miss, with Ban Qin not here, what would you like to eat? I can have the others prepare it,” she said.
“Alright,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, sitting down on a mat with the support of an armrest. “I’d like steamed meat with lotus root, mushrooms, and lily bulbs, Seven-Treasure vegetarian porridge, and sesame flatbread.”
What, what, what? Abbess Sun felt completely baffled. Was that food?
These names, which made one’s heart tremble, sounded as bewildering and mesmerizing as celestial music.
Goodness gracious, what on earth does this lady eat on a regular basis?
“Miss, Miss,” Abbess Sun called out in a bit of a fluster, looking at the lady who had already sat down. “I… I don’t know how to make those dishes.”
“You don’t know how,” Cheng Jiao-niang looked up at her, “but you can learn. Eating, clothing, shelter, and travel—eating comes first. It’s the simplest and easiest thing.”
Abbess Sun only half understood.
At dawn, two nuns hurriedly exited the Xuan-miao Temple.
“I said I should stay there, but the abbess wasn’t at ease and insisted on keeping watch herself.”
“So where did Ban Qin actually go? She didn’t even give us a heads-up.”
“Exactly. Even though we don’t manage her comings and goings, that lady is a bit of a scatterbrain. She just left without any explanation.”
“Last night’s meal was such a hassle. My arm is still sore from pounding the meat and vegetables.”
“That’s nothing; steaming is simple compared to the trouble I had with the sesame flatbreads.”
“But really, it was very delicious. Wealthy families sure know how to eat. How do they come up with these ideas…”
“Let’s hurry up. Who knows what strange food we’ll be eating for breakfast.”
As the two nuns walked and talked, just as they were about to start climbing the mountain, they saw a group of people ahead.
“How unlucky, just a few days and they’re changing people again?”
“Ah, it’s not unlucky this time. That Qing Mei must have struck it rich.”
“Yes, it’s not her misfortune; it’s ours. We have to come and serve this fool.”
“Well, if you think about it, Qing Mei got this opportunity because she was with this silly lady. Coming here doesn’t seem so unlucky after all.”
Two of the maids whispered and laughed.
Hearing the footsteps, the group turned their heads to look.
The two nuns greeted them.
The group ignored them and turned back to continue on their way.
The two nuns exchanged a glance and said nothing more, trailing behind slowly.
Soon, the group arrived at the front of the Tai Ping Palace. A young attendant standing there, looking around, was a bit stunned when she saw the group. When she noticed the two nuns behind them, she quickly approached with a happy expression.
“Has Ban Qin come back?” he asked eagerly.
“She hasn’t come back?” the two nuns responded with a question.
Hearing this exchange, the group walked over.
“Ban Qin?” One of the men who appeared to be in charge glanced at the three of them and said, “She won’t be coming back.”
In the courtyard, two maids, looking somewhat displeased, surveyed the surroundings and occasionally huddled together to whisper.
“These are the two new maids,” the steward said, looking at Abbess Sun.
Abbess Sun and her disciples looked on with surprise.
“And Ban Qin?” Abbess Sun asked.
“Her? The master sent her to Old Master Zhang’s residence,” the steward replied, with a hint of satisfaction.
In a household, servants can be replaced or exchanged at any time, and it’s quite normal for them to be sold or gifted.
Abbess Sun fell silent, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
“You all know Old Master Zhang, don’t you? Ban Qin said she met him here. He loves her cooking, and she really struck it lucky. She’s managed to attach herself to such a high branch here…” the steward continued.
After a moment of surprise, Abbess Sun and the others realized.
“Oh, that old man who suffered from starvation!”
“That’s great! It must be that old man who asked for Ban Qin.”
“I said it before, Ban Qin has finally escaped the sea of suffering this time.”
“Ban Qin must be very surprised.”
The nuns’ long-hidden hopes were realized, and they couldn’t help but discuss excitedly and curiously inquire about Old Master Zhang’s identity.
The servants of the Cheng family were envious of such good fortune for the maid, and they eagerly gathered information and chatted about it.
The two maids exaggeratedly described Old Master Zhang’s status, making the nuns even more delighted and thankful to the heavens.
Meanwhile, Abbess Sun was in a daze.
“So, she just left like that?” she murmured. “What about the mistress?”
“Didn’t we get two new maids assigned?” the steward, sounding impatient, said as he shook his clothes and looked at the sky. “Alright, I need to leave now. Please take good care of things here.”
Abbess Sun quickly stopped him.
“For something like this, it’s better if you personally speak with the mistress,” she said. “After all, I’m an outsider.”
It was clear that the relationship between the mistress and maid was very good. She couldn’t take on a job that might offend someone, especially not someone like the mistress.
The steward chuckled, thinking, could someone like her really understand this?
“She understands, she understands. Please, come with me,” Abbess Sun urged, leading the way into the inner courtyard.
The steward, feeling helpless, had no choice but to follow with the two maids. Upon entering the courtyard, they saw a young lady in plain robes sitting under a tree, her long hair reaching her waist. She was drawing on the ground with a stick.
“Miss,” Abbess Sun called respectfully.
So this was the fool? The steward and the two maids looked on with curiosity. Hearing the call, the lady lifted her head.
“Miss, these are people from home with something to report,” Abbess Sun said, pointing to the people behind her.
After a long pause without any response, she turned back, only to find the steward and the two maids staring blankly.
It’s a pity; with such good looks, yet she was a fool.
The steward felt a pang of sympathy and, regaining his composure, spoke again.
“Miss, these are the two new maids sent by the master and madam,” he said, with a touch of pity in his voice, while pointing at the two maids behind him.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him without speaking.
The fool’s former maid was named Ban Qin. Perhaps in her limited understanding, this name was the most familiar, so after the original maid left, the new maids were also called Ban Qin. The steward, quick on the uptake, decided to use this.
“Ban Qin, they are all Ban Qin,” he said loudly.
Cheng Jiao-niang’s lips curved into a smile.
“Alright,” she said, “Ban Qin.”
In the city, outside the Zhang residence, the steward gave the maid beside him a stern look.
“Don’t cry,” he said quietly, with a hint of admonishment. “Don’t turn a good situation into a bad one. Think about your parents.”
The maid bit her lower lip, trying hard to hold back her tears, and lowered her head.
The door opened, and the doorman peered out with some caution.
“I’m from the Cheng residence. The master sent me…” the steward said, forcing a respectful smile.
Before he could finish, the doorman started to close the door.
“Hey, hey, we’re here to deliver someone. Don’t rush to close the door,” the steward urgently pushed against the door, shouting at the maid, “Hurry up and come over.”
The maid timidly stepped forward. Seeing her, the doorman suddenly released the door, causing the steward to stumble and fall inside. The doorman, who had looked so menacing moments ago, now smiled broadly like a blooming chrysanthemum.
“Ban Qin, it’s you! What brings you here? We were just thinking about you.”
Old Master Zhang put down his teacup and looked at the steward and the maid standing before him.
“Knowing that Old Master Zhang is here alone and that this maid has some culinary skills, our master sent her to serve you,” the steward said respectfully.
He glanced at the maid.
“I don’t know if I have… offended Old Master,” the maid said, bowing and speaking in a trembling voice.
Old Master Zhang smiled and nodded.
“One who doesn’t know is not guilty. Besides, you haven’t offended me, and you’re actually my savior,” he said with a smile. “Would you like to stay here and work as a cook?”
“Actually, it’s not that I…” The maid began to speak in a trembling voice, but the steward cleared his throat, causing her to lower her head and fall silent.
The maid had been complaining at home about not being able to cook and that it was all taught by the mistress. Now, if she continued to protest here, it would show that she came unwillingly.
Old Master Zhang didn’t notice this. He smiled and took another sip of his tea.
“If you turn this connection into a feud, don’t blame me for being heartless.”
“You ungrateful girl, I’ve raised you for nothing. This will ruin the entire family’s lives; we won’t be able to live anymore…”
The maid’s ears echoed with the angry shouts of Second Master Cheng and the cries of her parents. She bit her lower lip and swallowed her tears.
“I… am willing,” she answered quietly, lowering her head.
As night fell, no figures were seen approaching from the foot of the mountain, suggesting she was not coming after all.
Abbess Sun turned away from the door and let out a soft sigh.
“What a pity, what a pity,” she said.
“Abbess, what are you looking at? You’ve been staring for a long time,” the young attendant asked in confusion.
“Nothing,” Abbess Sun replied, stepping inside. “It’s getting late. I’ll go check on the mistress.”
They hadn’t stop visiting for the entire day. Either the abbess was personally keeping watch, or the two nuns were on duty. Why was it necessary to go again now? Didn’t she have two new maids?
The young attendant was confused but still followed.
In the courtyard, the two new maids were sitting in a small pavilion, chattering and laughing. The ground was littered with sunflower seed shells. In the kitchen, the two nuns were holding a tray.
“I’ll handle it,” Abbess Sun said quickly, reaching out to take the tray.
“Abbess, let us do it,” the nuns offered politely.
The maids on the other side chuckled.
“How about we go?” one of them said, but didn’t make any move to get up.
“Let them go. They’re handling our offerings anyway; it’s what they’re here for,” the other said with a laugh.
Abbess Sun pretended not to hear, and opened the door.
“Miss, the porridge is ready,” she said.
Cheng Jiao-niang put down the book she was holding and sat up straight.
“Thank you,” she said.
“No problem. It’s my duty,” Abbess Sun replied with a smile, kneeling and setting the bowls and chopsticks on the table. “Miss, please.”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at her, her lips curving into a smile.
“Do you have a name?” she suddenly asked.
