Actually, the Marchioness of Dingxi’s guess wasn’t wrong, but her cleaning operation was destined to end in failure. Even if she turned the entire Dingxi Marquis Manor upside down, she wouldn’t find this person, because this person was living peacefully and steadily in Qiutong Courtyard, wholeheartedly striving only to make her own days more comfortable.

Near evening, Qiutong Courtyard began preparing dinner.

“Ha, fresh, all-natural, pollution-free…” Qi Yue looked at the white chicken before her, plucked clean and washed spotless, clicking her tongue as she muttered to herself.

“Young Madam, what did you say?” A’Hao asked.

“Nothing.” Qi Yue smiled, rubbing her hands together, eager to try, “Well then, tonight we’ll eat **.”

A’Hao’s eyes immediately lit up. Ever since that day when she ate the leavened sugar pancakes that Qi Yue made, this poor child who had been sustained by her own cooking for three years could no longer swallow the food she made.

Compared to modern professional women who had developed self-reliance through studying and living in employee dormitories, A’Hao, this ancient maid, was more like a pampered young lady.

“What flavor does A’Hao like?” Qi Yue asked with a smile, “Pan-fried, stir-fried, boiled, deep-fried, or grilled – which one do you choose?”

“Of course whatever Young Madam is best at,” A’Hao said.

That would naturally be barbecue party secret grilled chicken and chicken wings… Qi Yue snapped her fingers – no problem.

“What?” A’Hao didn’t catch it again, looking at Qi Yue’s somewhat strange gesture.

“Nothing, nothing, just slang I learned from those beggars in front of the temple back then,” Qi Yue laughed. For the “amnesiac” self’s suddenly refined culinary skills, she attributed everything to Qi Yueniang’s decades of beggar life.

Beggars, after all, always had to find ways to fill their stomachs, and certainly had cooking methods that these well-fed people from great households couldn’t imagine.

However, there were too few chicken wings, and they didn’t have the tools needed for barbecue here. A’Hao, in order to eat, wasn’t afraid to meet those people in the kitchen anymore. She ran off to get them, since for some reason, those originally harsh women had much better attitudes now. Who knew how long this hot-and-cold mood swing would last – taking advantage of the opportunity, A’Hao was determined to get what she could first and worry about later.

“Why are you rushing around so frantically?” A’Ru called out, watching A’Hao dash out like a streak of smoke. Looking back at the kitchen, Qi Yue had her sleeves rolled up, humming a little tune, gripping a knife with both hands as she chopped the chicken apart.

“Young Madam, let me do this. How can you do such work?” A’Ru hurried over.

“It’s fine, just idle anyway,” Qi Yue said, gritting her teeth as she chopped off the chicken head with one stroke. Turning back to see A’Ru looking at her with a strange expression, “Are you finished with your work?”

A’Ru withdrew her gaze and nodded quickly.

“Then go help make some soup,” Qi Yue smiled.

A’Ru acknowledged and walked to the stove.

“Young Madam…” she called out again.

Qi Yue didn’t turn around but made a sound of acknowledgment.

“When you ask this slave to do things, you don’t need to say ‘help,'” A’Ru said with her head lowered.

Qi Yue’s chicken-chopping motion stopped, and she turned to look at her.

“Oh,” she simply responded.

When Nanny Zhou arrived with her people, the first thing she heard was laughter coming from the courtyard, along with the aroma of roasted meat.

“Young Madam,” Nanny Zhou stopped at the door, calling out respectfully.

The laughter stopped.

“Oh, it’s Nanny Zhou. Please come in quickly,” Qi Yue’s voice came from inside, still carrying laughter.

Nanny Zhou pushed open the door and first looked toward the main room, but didn’t see anyone.

“Nanny Zhou.”

Following the voice, she saw that woman standing by the small kitchen door, smiling as she raised her hand in greeting, holding an iron fork.

“Oh my, my lady, what are you doing?” Nanny Zhou was startled and called out, looking around frantically, “Where’s A’Ru? Has that little hoof started slacking off too?”

A’Ru hurried out of the kitchen to pay her respects, her sleeves rolled up and hands covered in oil, showing she hadn’t been idle.

“I’m just playing around,” Qi Yue smiled, handing the iron fork to A’Hao, “Nanny, come try some of our grilled chicken.”

But Nanny Zhou heard a different meaning.

“When Young Madam was recuperating in the separate courtyard, the kitchen was far away, and in winter the food would get cold during delivery, which was bad for your health, so we opened a kitchen in the courtyard. Now that it’s summer, we should go back to having the main kitchen send meals as before,” she immediately turned to instruct the women behind her.

The women quickly acknowledged.

“No need, no need,” Qi Yue laughed, while urging A’Hao, “Take some over for Nanny Zhou to try, let her see our handiwork.”

A’Hao acknowledged and turned to go into the kitchen, bringing out a plate of chicken wings.

“Nanny, please try some,” she held it before Nanny Zhou, seeing there were four more women behind her, she quickly added, “We’ve only made this one plate so far.”

The women behind, who had originally been craning their necks to look, stood properly, some pursing their lips with a hint of disdain – little girl with shallow vision, what haven’t we eaten before?

Nanny Zhou looked at the seven or eight chicken wings arranged on the plate. The household always ate whole chickens, and this was the first time she’d seen wings prepared separately. Her professional instinct made her think this must be the kitchen staff shortchanging Qiutong Courtyard’s portions again, and Young Madam was deliberately taking this out to slap her face…

Thinking this, she looked at the chicken wings grilled to a golden, glossy finish, and indeed reached out to take one and bite it.

“Mmm,” her eyes lit up.

“Delicious, right?” A’Hao said with some pride, “Please don’t remove our small kitchen, just have them send things over more promptly.”

This was complaining about the kitchen’s skills…

A’Ru glared at A’Hao.

Here, Nanny Zhou, being an elder, though it was delicious, didn’t really start eating.

“Young Madam has excellent skills,” she praised with a smile.

“Just fooling around when I’m bored,” Qi Yue smiled, looking at Nanny Zhou, her gaze falling on the food box held by the woman behind her, “Is there something you need, Nanny?”

“Today is the Marquis’s birthday…” Nanny Zhou said, as the woman behind stepped forward to present a food box, “Young Madam cannot attend, so Madam specially had longevity noodles sent over.”

A’Ru’s expression showed great alarm and some unease upon hearing this. Heavens, with her unsettled state these days, how could she forget the Marquis’s birthday was approaching? No wonder she’d been hearing faint sounds of drums and music. Though the Marquis’s birthday had nothing to do with them anyway – from the first year, Madam had decreed they weren’t allowed to appear at the birthday banquet, nor to kowtow or anything…

“Nanny’s timing is perfect, and having a food box is even better,” Qi Yue smiled. Having already told more than one lie, she spoke falsehoods smoothly without stuttering, “At noon the maids and I kowtowed in the courtyard and wished the Marquis a thousand autumns. Since I can’t go in person, I thought I’d make a dish tonight to add to the Marquis’s longevity. Nanny, please take it over for me.”

Nanny Zhou hadn’t expected this. So Young Madam was cooking personally for this reason…

This time Qi Yue went into the kitchen herself and brought out a bowl.

“I don’t have much skill, it’s just the thought that counts,” she said.

Here A’Ru had already taken the food box and removed a bowl of noodle soup.

Nanny Zhou saw it was a bowl of some kind of stir-fried meat. It smelled quite fragrant but looked ordinary.

“Young Madam is so thoughtful,” she smiled and nodded.

A’Ru put the dish inside, and Nanny Zhou took her leave.

A’Hao watched the departing figures with a melancholy and reluctant expression.

“Stir-fried chicken pieces… I haven’t even tasted it yet…” she murmured. Before she could finish, A’Ru smacked her head, making her stick out her tongue and not dare say more.

“Come on, come on, chicken bone soup with noodles,” Qi Yue called out.

With fresh food still available, A’Hao immediately perked up, picked up the bowl of longevity noodles, and ran into the kitchen.

The Marquis of Dingxi’s evening birthday banquet was held in the main hall where they usually lived. The formal banquet at noon had already been celebrated, and by evening the friends and relatives from outside had all departed, leaving only the close family.

The Marquis of Dingxi had four sons and four daughters. The eldest, Chang Yuncheng, was twenty-four, and the youngest daughter was four. Besides his legitimate wife, Young Madam Xie, he also had five concubines and seven or eight chamber maids, plus the personal maids and women servants of each person, creating a lively crowd filling the entire room.

Additionally, there were the concubines from his father’s generation and legitimate younger brothers living in separate residences. However, those elderly concubines from his father’s generation no longer attended such gatherings – they either lived in quiet retirement or had been taken away by concubine-born sons. Those with good relationships sent their children and grandchildren to the banquet, while those with ordinary relationships just sent someone to kowtow. The Marquis of Dingxi’s legitimate younger brother had died young, and his widow lived next door with her children in what everyone colloquially called the West Residence. This family naturally all had to come.

Although the Marquis of Dingxi’s ancestors were of military origin, by the time it reached Chang Rong, the military aspect had faded. He only held a civilian position in the military department. Fortunately, his eldest son Chang Yuncheng had inherited the family tradition again, so the Marquis of Dingxi felt more at ease to cultivate his refined lifestyle, becoming increasingly fond of elegance and comfortable living. Besides this, he had another refined hobby – he loved beautiful women. So not only were his concubines and favored maids all outstanding in appearance, but even the ordinary maids in places where eyes could see were all of above-average looks. At this moment, the courtyard was filled with pearl ornaments, jade hairpins, and the sounds of orioles and swallows, making it seem like a celestial banquet.

Except for the eldest son Chang Yuncheng who was away on military duty, all the other children were present. The large hall with five interconnected rooms had ten full tables set up. Since they were all family brothers and sisters, there were no strict male-female restrictions, and they sat mixed together in one hall.

When Nanny Zhou arrived, the evening banquet was in full swing.