A-Qiao’s eyes flashed with anger as she placed a food box in front of Jiang Si. “Miss, look at this. Red Thread just brought these dishes back from the main kitchen.”
Meals in the Earl’s mansion followed a set rule. The young ladies’ main meals always consisted of four dishes and one soup, plus a dessert.
A-Qiao laid out the contents of the food box one by one: a dish of braised chicken with mushrooms, kung pao rabbit meat, stir-fried bok choy, cold wood ear salad, a three-delicacies soup, and a dessert of ruyi rolls.
“What is this? Why are there only two chicken heads in the braised chicken with mushrooms?” A-Man became angry at first glance, pointing at the dish with a dark expression.
Jiang Si washed her hands, picked up her chopsticks, paused for a moment, then picked up a ruyi roll and slowly began to eat it. She didn’t touch the four dishes and soup at all.
“Miss, although the braised chicken with mushrooms is inedible, the other three dishes look fine. Please eat a little,” A-Qiao urged.
“The three-delicacies soup is too salty, the kung pao rabbit meat is too sweet, the bok choy is undercooked, and as for the cold wood ear salad…” Jiang Si used her chopsticks to pick at the evenly cut wood ear strips, saying calmly, “Too much mustard was added. One bite would probably bring tears to your eyes.”
“Miss, how do you know…” A-Qiao stared at the visually appealing dishes and asked.
A-Man, being impatient, immediately picked up her chopsticks to try each dish. When she tasted the cold wood ear salad, she quickly spat it out, her eyes welling up with tears. “It’s exactly as Miss said. Did they change cooks in the kitchen today?”
Jiang Si put down her chopsticks and smiled, “It’s not that they changed cooks, but that our Begonia Residence has received special attention from the cook.”
“You mean they did this on purpose, Miss?”
Jiang Si smiled slightly.
She had just offended Jiang Qian, and now the food had become “creative”. These tactics were truly boring.
“How outrageous! I’m going to confront the cook!” A-Man stormed out angrily.
A-Qiao quickly grabbed her. “Don’t be rash. The cook probably doesn’t dare to do this.”
She glanced worriedly at Jiang Si. “Miss, could it be that the Second Young Miss returned, and the Second Madam heard some gossip—”
Jiang Si nodded approvingly. “Our A-Qiao is so clever.”
A-Qiao’s eyes instantly reddened. “Miss, how can you still joke at a time like this? The Second Madam has been managing the household for so many years, and all the servants in the mansion try to please her. If she intentionally makes things difficult for you, your life will be hard from now on.”
A-Man was already fuming. “I’ll tell the Master! The Master dotes on Miss the most. When he finds out, he’ll surely stand up for Miss! Those black-hearted people, if the First Madam were still here, how could the Second Madam manage the household? Now they’re bullying our Miss because she has no mother—”
A-Qiao suddenly pulled A-Man. “A-Man, say less.”
“Alright, such a small matter doesn’t warrant so much discussion from you two,” Jiang Si said with a smile, her tone devoid of any anger.
“Miss, are we just going to endure this?” A-Man stomped her foot hard. “My father once said, ‘A good horse gets ridden, a good person gets bullied.’ If we endure once, we’ll have to keep enduring. Even if we become doormats, no one will care for us.”
Jiang Si chuckled. “Uncle Jiang’s words are crude but not wrong.”
Seeing Jiang Si’s apparent nonchalance, A-Man looked around and suddenly lowered her voice. “Why don’t I put the cook in a sack and give her a beating? I promise no one will catch us.”
A-Man’s father was Jiang An-cheng’s attendant, skilled in martial arts. A-Man had learned fist-fighting from her father since childhood, and with her current skills, she could handle two or three ordinary men without issue.
“That treats the symptoms, not the root cause,” Jiang Si patted A-Man’s arm and smiled. “A-Qiao put these untouched dishes back in the food box. Don’t throw them away yet. A-Man, there are some things I need you to buy this afternoon. I’ll write a list for you in a moment.”
A-Man was about to speak again but was pulled out by A-Qiao.
Standing under the eaves, A-Man grumbled, “Are we going to let this go just like that?”
A-Qiao glanced at the door and said in a low voice, “What’s the hurry? Miss surely has a plan.”
A-Man was stunned.
She still remembered that day when the Miss, who had been gloomy for days, suddenly had a spark in her eyes and said resolutely, “I want to break off the engagement. A-Man, help me.”
She had nodded eagerly, though feeling uneasy inside. But now, Miss had successfully broken off the engagement and hadn’t let the Duke An’s household off easily.
“You’re right. Miss must have a way,” A-Man finally smiled.
Jiang Si went to her study and wrote down a list.
As long as she bought everything on the list, she could prepare the medicines according to those prescriptions. Those “medicines” would be the foundation for her future livelihood. As for the Second Madam’s petty tricks, they weren’t even worth raising an eyebrow over, let alone taking to heart.
Of course, considering them a waste of time was one thing, but she had no intention of silently enduring if someone tried to bully her.
Jiang Si spent the entire afternoon working with the white-horned grass she had collected. Before she knew it, the light coming through the window lattice had turned into a soft orange-red.
A-Qiao brought dinner from the main kitchen. As usual, it was four dishes, one soup, and a dessert. This time, even without tasting, the presentation was not as good. One of the dishes, lotus root balls, was mostly burnt. Jiang Si’s keen sense of smell detected a strong burnt odor.
“Those wretches! Are they planning to feed Miss Leftovers tomorrow?” A-Man was so angry she wanted to flip the table, pacing back and forth.
“Pack these into the food box, including the ones from noon. Come with me to Ci-xin Hall to pay respects to the Old Madam,” Jiang Si said, not wanting to torture her stomach again the next day and deciding to resolve the issue quickly.
Old Madam Feng enjoyed receiving greetings from her descendants but being advanced in age, she found it somewhat tiring to handle greetings twice a day, so she had exempted the evening greetings.
When the maid reported that the Fourth Miss had come to pay respects, Old Madam Feng initially didn’t want to see her. But then, as if possessed, she remembered that Jiang Si had the same dream as her, so she nodded and allowed her to enter.
“Granddaughter pays respects to Grandmother. Did Grandmother enjoy her dinner?” Jiang Si performed the proper etiquette flawlessly.
“At my age, even the best food doesn’t whet the appetite. It’s not like you young people,” Old Madam Feng sighed, raising her hand to gently rub her left eye.
For some reason, seeing Jiang Si made her think of that dream again, and when she thought of that dream, her left eye seemed to hurt.
“Taking the opportunity of paying respects, granddaughter has something to discuss with Grandmother.”
“What is it that can’t wait until tomorrow morning?”
Jiang Si smiled. “Granddaughter can’t wait until morning.”
“Oh?” Old Madam Feng’s eyes narrowed as she became serious.
“Granddaughter remembers that after Mother passed, half of her dowry was taken by Elder Sister when she married, right?”
Old Madam Feng’s gaze fixed on Jiang Si like a knife.
The eldest son had three children. According to her wishes, Su’s dowry should have been divided, with half going to Jiang Zhan and the other half split between the two granddaughters. But the eldest son disagreed, insisting that a good man shouldn’t take his mother’s dowry, and adamantly divided the dowry equally between his two daughters.
She had been quite upset about this for several days.
What did this Fourth Girl mean by bringing this up now?
“Granddaughter has come of age and wishes to learn how to manage her dowry,” Jiang Si said righteously, ignoring Old Madam Feng’s sharp gaze.