The maid looked at Tai Ping Palace. Although it had only been a little over a month, every tree and blade of grass here seemed to have left a deep imprint in her bones.
She had a hand in its destruction, and she also had a hand in its rebirth and reconstruction.
She had laughed, cried, been scared, been shocked, and been excited here. In just one month, she had experienced more than she had in the past seventeen years.
She had once walked this path with ease, but now, taking even a single step felt so difficult.
If she didn’t go, she would never see her mistress again, and her mistress would be heartbroken. But if she went…
The maid bit her lower lip.
Indeed, life is full of choices, but there is always a time in life when one should act regardless of the consequences.
The girl lifted her foot and began to walk up the mountain, starting with a slow pace, then breaking into a jog, and finally sprinting up the steps.
Miss, Miss, Miss.
The two maids nervously retreated from the kitchen.
This fool had a reputation as a jinx in the household, and anyone who got involved with her was bound to have bad luck. Fortunately, there were nuns here to attend to her, so they only needed to put on an act. They never expected that the usually oblivious foolish young lady would suddenly enter the kitchen and chase them out just as they were about to start cooking.
“Hey, you can’t play with fire like that,” one of them shouted, looking at the lady in the kitchen, a mix of fear and urgency in her voice.
“Tell us what you need, and we’ll get it for you,” the other said.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned around and pointed the fire poker in her hand at them.
“Get out,” she said.
The two maids screamed and ran away in fright.
The fool was known to hit people!
Just as they ran off, the door suddenly banged open, causing the two maids to scream again in terror.
“What happened? Miss, what happened?” The maid was also startled and quickly called out.
The two maids stared blankly at the person who had barged in.
‘Who… who are you?’ they asked.
“I’m Ban Qin.” The maid ignored them and looked inside, trembling as she called out, “Miss, Miss, I’m back. I have returned.”
Cheng Jiao-niang appeared at the kitchen door, still holding the fire poker, looking particularly ridiculous.
“Ban Qin,” she said, looking over with a blank expression, “You’re back.”
The maid’s tears fell rapidly, blurring her vision, but she could clearly see her mistress holding the fire poker.
The fire poker…
No one was taking care of her anymore; was she having to cook for herself?
The maid burst into tears, crawling on her knees to hug Cheng Jiao-niang’s leg.
She didn’t care anymore—offending the Cheng family might make life even harder for her parents, but life had never been easy anyway. She didn’t care anymore; she would stay with her mistress and go nowhere else. Whether she was beaten, scolded, or sold off, it didn’t matter, as long as she could be here in this moment.
The two maids were stunned, and the young attendants who had come over after hearing the commotion were also dumbfounded.
“Stop crying, it’s annoying,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid quickly covered her mouth with her hand and wiped her tears. Right, this wasn’t the time to cry; she had work to do and shouldn’t be crying.
“Miss, what would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you,” she said as she stood up.
Cheng Jiao-niang blocked her with the fire poker.
“Stand there and watch,” she said.
The maid didn’t understand and looked at her through tear-filled eyes.
“Stand there and watch me,” Cheng Jiao-niang repeated, curling her lips into a slight smile.
It was a smile. The mistress rarely smiled, which meant she was happy. The maid bit her lower lip and nodded.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned and went back into the kitchen.
The gourds grown in Xuan-miao Temple were peeled, seeded, and sliced. Meanwhile, the gluten was also steamed. Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of chopping, the slices were quickly arranged on a plate. As one stove heated the oil in the pan, the porridge on the other stove was already bubbling.
The aroma, the oil smoke, and the sizzling sound mingled in the kitchen.
Before long, a plate of vegetables, a bowl of rice, and a piece of steamed rice cake were placed on the tray. Throughout the process, the maid obediently watched from the doorway, her eyes fixed intently, watching carefully.
Cheng Jiao-niang picked up the tray and walked over.
“Alright, it’s time to eat,” she said. “But unfortunately, I only made enough for myself. You’ll still have to just watch.”
The maid broke into a smile through her tears.
“Miss,” she said playfully, “You’re teasing me again.”
The door was pulled shut, cutting off the view of the three outside.
The two maids were shocked, seemingly still not recovered from their surprise.
“The fool can actually cook?” they said in disbelief.
The young attendants were also stunned.
Why would the abbess treat a fool with such respect? Could it be only because of the Cheng family’s offerings? No, it couldn’t be just because of that. The abbess wouldn’t act this way for that reason alone.
This lady—was not a fool! She’s not a fool!
Inside the room, the girl knelt on the mat, watching the lady in front of her eat, her gaze unblinking as if she hadn’t seen her in a long time.
She never mentioned where she had been, and naturally, Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t ask.
The two of them sat facing each other, just like in the past.
True to form, Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t leave any food uneaten. She finished everything and put down her chopsticks.
The maid was about to get up to clean, but Cheng Jiao-niang reached out to stop her.
“Ban Qin, sit down and watch me,” she said.
The maid hesitated for a moment, watching as Cheng Jiao-niang placed the dishes back on the tray, stood up, and opened the door.
Outside the door, the two maids were somewhat anxious. Although they were still unsure why they felt this way, a sense of unease drove them to act as they would with other ladies in the household.
‘Miss, we’ll take it,’ they said, reaching out to take the tray.
Cheng Jiao-niang handed the tray to them, and the two maids let out a sigh of relief. They carried it into the kitchen to clean and wash the dishes on their own.
Cheng Jiao-niang stood by the door and turned to look at the maid.
“Ban Qin, do you understand now?” she asked.
The maid looked at her, her face full of confusion.
“Ban Qin, I can take care of myself now. You, don’t worry and go,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid’s tears immediately flowed down her face.
“Miss, no, Miss, I won’t leave,” she said as she crawled over, crying.
“You should go,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid looked up at her, unable to stop her sobbing.
“Don’t cry. Listen now. What I say, you listen,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid was once again lost in that stormy night.
“Don’t speak. There’s no time. The wind is about to pick up. Now, listen to me. Don’t think, don’t ask questions. Just remember what I’m about to say. Follow my instructions exactly, word by word, step by step, without any mistakes.”
She bit her lower lip and nodded vigorously, looking at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Ban Qin, I’ve told you, cooking is just a minor skill, very simple. As long as you put your heart into it, it becomes sincere dedication. You’ve already learned it now,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, “So, you can go out and start a new life.”
The maid shook her head, tears streaming down her face, but she still remembered the phrase “what I say, you listen” and did not speak.
“This is for your own good, and for mine as well. It’s a matter of mutual benefit, so why should we let it go?” Cheng Jiao-niang continued, looking down at the maid whose eyes were swollen from crying, and giving a slight smile. “You’ve sacrificed your family and your life to see me, so naturally, I must repay you with a better life.”
