The water in the bowl in front of him was clear and snowy white, which looked very calming and serene.
“Thank you,” Fourth Master Chen said as he picked it up and took a few sips.
“Good! Good! Good!”
Every wrinkle on his face seemed to express praise.
The maid smiled slightly and got up to move away.
Steward Cao was a bit stunned. Why was there only a bowl of this scorpion dung? What about him?
“Master Chen is a guest, Steward Cao, and since you’re one of us, it’s only natural to be a bit less attentive. Otherwise, it would be hard to calm the mistress,” the maid said with an apologetic tone.
Wasn’t it said that they didn’t know each other? Now, all of a sudden, he’s considered ‘one of us’?
Steward Cao felt a bitter dryness in his mouth. He looked towards the screen, and through it, he saw the young girl looking back at him.
The view was shadowy and indistinct, making it hard to make out her features.
Fourth Master Chen finished the bowl of water in one gulp, feeling a sense of relief and relaxation spread throughout his body. It seemed that the anxiety and fatigue he had felt since his father’s illness had vanished completely.
“What is this? It tastes so good,” he couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s ‘Snow Soaked Shrink Skin’,” the maid replied, then turned back to look at the screen, “Is that what it’s called, Miss?”
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
What a strange name. Fourth Master Chen glanced at the bowl and really wanted another serving, but seeing Steward Cao’s expression beside him, he held back his desire.
It’s better to be content with what one has.
“What do you need from me?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked from behind the screen.
Fourth Master Chen felt a bit pleased; it was great that she spoke up first when he was just thinking about how to begin. Although her manner was somewhat oddly direct, it saved him the trouble.
“My father wishes to ask you to treat his illness and save his life,” he said respectfully, bowing in deference.
There was silence behind the screen.
“I want some pastries,” Cheng Jiao-niang suddenly said.
Outside, Fourth Master Chen’s expression froze slightly.
“Certainly,” the maid immediately responded, taking a box from a nearby shelf and bringing it in. “Which one would you like, Miss?”
She muttered about which pastries were sent by the nun yesterday, which were from the day before, and which were red salt, white dried, or honey-fried. “Which one would you like?”
What was this? Why was the conversation turning to this? They were here to talk about important matters.
Fourth Master Chen looked at Steward Cao with an impatient expression.
Steward Cao sighed. Since they had come this far, he had to say something; otherwise, all their efforts for the Chen family would have been in vain.
“Miss, Old Master Chen’s illness is urgent. We have traveled a long way to ask for your help. Please, we beg you to save his life as soon as possible,” he said respectfully.
The young lady’s conversation inside was interrupted.
“Who is Old Master Chen?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Good that she’s answering normally. Fourth Master Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
“My father wrote a letter to you. I wonder if you’ve had a chance to read it?” he quickly asked, looking towards the maid behind the screen.
“Oh, I forgot,” the maid replied with sudden realization. “Miss was asleep, so I put it away. I’ll go get it.”
She quickly walked out and searched for a moment on a side table, pulling out a letter from a book.
“Is this it?” she said happily.
Fourth Master Chen nodded vigorously in confirmation.
“Read it to me,” Cheng Jiao-niang said from inside.
The maid responded by opening the letter, her expression slightly surprised. The letter contained only a few large, scrawled, trembling characters, as if written in haste.
“‘Rain on the way, dilapidated temple, offering red bean cakes and wine. I who doubted the illness and now regret it deeply, beg for your help.’”
The maid read it aloud.
What did this mean? She was puzzled and looked towards Cheng Jiao-niang.
Cheng Jiao-niang tilted her head as if pondering for a moment.
“I don’t know,” she said, sitting upright.
The three people were taken aback.
Oh, right, it seemed that this lady was not foolish, but her health was poor and her memory was weak; she only remembered things from the past few days.
Steward Cao recalled the instructions he had received.
“And there’s that notebook, the one I gave you. Ban Qin said if you don’t understand…” he hurriedly said. “Just look at this, to see if…”
Before he could finish his sentence, both ladies in the room exclaimed simultaneously.
“Me?”
“Ban Qin?”
Steward Cao was startled by their reaction.
“How did you know my name is Ban Qin?” the maid asked happily, her eyes shining.
“Ban Qin, Ban Qin,” Cheng Jiao-niang also called out from inside, seemingly delighted by what she had heard.
Though it was just the voices of the two ladies, Steward Cao felt a buzzing in his ears and his mind was a bit disoriented.
“No, no, is your name also happen to be Ban Qin?” he hurriedly said. “We have a maid—no, not ours, originally it was yours, Miss. Do you remember?”
What’s going on? Fourth Master Chen frowned.
“What are you talking about?” the maid asked, “I don’t understand.”
Actually, I don’t understand either…
Steward Cao swallowed, his throat already sore from speaking so much.
“You came to serve Miss recently, right? Originally, Miss…” he began.
“Yes, yes, I came ten days ago. My master sent me here. Miss’s original maid followed my master, so my master sent me to attend to her,” the maid said enthusiastically. “Do you know my master? My master’s surname is Zhang…”
Who cares if your master’s surname is Zhang or He!
Where is this going?
Steward Cao couldn’t help but clear his throat, feeling increasingly confused.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. How coincidental. Speaking of Ban Qin, Miss’s original maid was named Ban Qin,” he quickly took over the conversation.
“Yes, yes, the maid who left with our master was named Ban Qin. You know that too!” The maid was even more surprised and happily said, sitting down with a somewhat intimate and conversational tone. “Even from such a distance, you know so much about Miss. That Ban Qin is very capable. My master…”
“No, no, not that one.” Steward Cao sat up straight, urgently interrupting her. “Not the one who left with your master, but the one who left with our Sixth Young Master.”
The maid looked puzzled.
“Huh? Ban Qin also left with your Sixth Young Master?” she asked. “I didn’t hear her mention that.”
Steward Cao felt as if his throat was on fire.
“It’s not the same Ban Qin, right?” he asked, now also somewhat confused.
How many Ban Qins were there? Why was everyone named Ban Qin?
Before they came here, Young Master Qin reminded them that after the original Ban Qin left, a new maid also named Ban Qin was assigned to the mistress? So was this Ban Qin not the same one? Did another Ban Qin appear?
What was going on?
“Which Ban Qin is that then? Isn’t she the original Ban Qin you mentioned?” The maid asked in surprise, glaring. “Why can’t you explain clearly?”
Steward Cao felt like crying and couldn’t help but cover his throat with his hand.
“Could you please get me a cup of water?” he finally couldn’t hold back and said hoarsely.
The maid responded with a slight gasp.
“You want water? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” she said with a smile, a hint of reproach in her tone. “You’re from Miss’s side of the family, one of us. Being here is like being at home. Don’t be so formal. Just ask for whatever you need directly. No need to be polite.”
Yes, yes, I’m not being formal, I’m not being polite. Please just get me a glass of water quickly; I feel like I’m going to die.
Steward Cao nodded in agony, his hand still covering his throat.
Fourth Master Chen, watching from the side, felt his own throat ache in sympathy.
It’s truly miserable. Fortunately, he’s just a guest, and fortunately, this mistress’s naive maid knew some manners. Otherwise…
