Chapter 103: Goodwill

Qiu Rongrong was thoroughly amused by her childish and ridiculous words.

Wen Yao carried on making a fuss for a while longer before asking Qiu Rongrong to have someone take her to the kitchen. What she needed to make was somewhat complicated, so it would be best to start early.

Before leaving, Wen Yao made one more request to Qiu Rongrong. She said, “Madam, could you trouble yourself to send someone to the Hall of Healing to tell my father and the others? I’m afraid they may worry if they wait too long.”

Qiu Rongrong nodded. “Of course.”

Only then did Wen Yao depart in peace. Qiu Rongrong watched her go until she was out of sight, then slowly withdrew her gaze and murmured, “Even an outsider can tell I am troubled, and still she tries so hard to cheer me up...”

With a bitter smile, Qiu Rongrong shook her head. And yet the man beside her bed was the one who urged her to be generous, to honor filial duty, to value harmony within the clan.

Though Qiu Rongrong could not go to the kitchen herself to watch Wen Yao cook, she had sent people to keep an eye on her all along. When she learned that such a young girl truly possessed such remarkable culinary skill, she was astonished. After all, Wen Yao was only ten.

After noon, someone came from Lady Xie’s side.

It was the old nursemaid by Lady Xie’s side, and, curiously enough, Wen Yao had met her before.

After entering the room, the woman first bowed to Qiu Rongrong, then said, “Madam, the old lady has eaten. Of the four dishes served today, she finished more than half, and her appetite was excellent. The old lady has sent this servant to ask where the cook was found. If possible, she should remain in the household from now on.”

Wen Yao was waiting here with Qiu Rongrong for the result. Hearing the first few words, she felt much more at ease. Whether Lady Xie had truly lacked appetite or had merely wanted to make things difficult for Madam Xie, Wen Yao knew exactly what she had cooked.

There was a dish of cabbage stuffed with minced meat, both vegetables and meat together, fresh, tender, and juicy. She had specially treated the meat so that its texture was soft and delicate, edible even for an old person with no teeth.

There was also a dish of Four-Joy Meatballs. Again, it was all meat, paired with her secret sauce. Not only now, but even in her former life, there had not been a single old professor at the academy who did not praise her Four-Joy Meatballs as delicious, easy to eat, and ideal for the elderly.

She had also made a pastry, something very simple: a steamed cake she often made for the Luo family and the others at home. But the Xie household was wealthy, with plenty of ingredients to spare, so she had simply made an all-perfect steamed cake.

Lastly, there was a bowl of cardamom sparerib soup. The cleaned ribs were blanched to remove the blood, ginger and rice wine added to eliminate the smell, an appropriate amount of coix seed was toasted, dried tangerine peel was soaked until soft and the impurities scraped from its pith, and fresh sand cardamom was minced. Then everything was simmered together with the ribs for an hour.

Before the dishes were served, Wen Yao had specially instructed the maid bringing them to make sure Lady Xie drank the soup first, before eating anything else.

One should know that this soup had the effect of stimulating the appetite, so it was not strange at all that she could eat the dishes afterward.

It was only that final sentence that made Wen Yao feel somehow uneasy.

She said nothing, merely sat quietly. The old woman also saw her; at first she was momentarily startled, then looked away, assuming that Qiu Rongrong had privately invited a cook in thanks for saving her life.

Qiu Rongrong’s expression remained faint and unreadable. The old woman seemed to grow impatient waiting, and only then lifted her head and called, “Madam?”

Qiu Rongrong casually brushed at her clothes and said, “That is not for me to decide. You’ll have to ask the cook herself.”

Then Qiu Rongrong turned directly to Wen Yao and asked, “Miss Wen, would you be willing to stay in the residence?”

Wen Yao raised a brow. She was not stupid.

“Sorry, Madam Xie, I’m afraid that won’t do. My family can’t do without me.” Wen Yao refused at once.

Qiu Rongrong glanced at the old woman and said, “If the girl is willing to stay, I will not treat her unfairly. I will pay her twenty taels a month.”

Twenty taels? Did she need twenty taels that badly?

Well, she did need the money, but to sell herself to the Xie family for twenty taels was hardly worthwhile. There were many ways to earn money, but if it meant exchanging her freedom for it, Wen Yao still found herself reluctant.

“Sorry.” Wen Yao only said those two words, and Qiu Rongrong understood.

Wen Yao’s refusal was actually beyond Qiu Rongrong’s expectations. After all, the monthly pay she offered was already very high, but on second thought, it was also understandable.

After interacting with her, she had found that although Wen Yao was young, she had a very strong mind of her own. The two of them got along well enough, and more importantly, her brother was a disciple of Doctor Jin. Others might not know Doctor Jin’s background, but Qiu Rongrong knew it very well.

“In that case, then never mind.” Qiu Rongrong looked regretfully at the old woman and said, “You heard her. Miss Wen is unwilling, and I can do nothing about that.”

The old woman was clearly somewhat displeased. She glanced at Wen Yao, her brows drawing together, but then spoke to Qiu Rongrong. “Madam, pardon this servant’s impertinence, but the old lady has rarely had such an appetite. I ask Madam to consider the old lady more carefully. Once the old lady’s health improves, the master can rest assured in teaching the young master.”

Her tone sounded calm, yet Wen Yao caught a note of threat within it.

Sure enough, Wen Yao saw Qiu Rongrong’s lovely face tighten again in a frown. She, too, looked at Wen Yao, apology and embarrassment in her eyes.

Wen Yao sighed. She roughly guessed Qiu Rongrong’s situation. Though she was the mistress of the Xie household and appeared glorious on the surface, the bitterness beneath it likely only she herself knew.

Thinking back to the novel’s plot, Xie Anyi had a gift for business. With the wealth and connections of the Qiu family behind him, he eventually became richer than anyone in the realm. Yet the ones who benefited in the end were the Xie family, while the Qiu family was scarcely mentioned at all in the original story.

Clearly, they had been used as a stepping stone.

At the thought of how far Qiu Rongrong had gone for Xie Anyi, Wen Yao could not help but grumble inwardly. That grown-up Xie Anyi was really no good at all, using his mother’s family as a stepping-stone to strengthen his father’s line in the end.

Tsk, tsk. Truly only fit to be a third or fourth male lead. Their eldest son had risen to power in the end and still knew to repay the Luo family and the Wen family, even searching until death for his sold-off elder brother and sister. No wonder their eldest son had been able to become the second male lead.

Wen Yao’s thoughts returned, and she could not bear to let Qiu Rongrong be cornered any further, so she said, “Still, I can come every few days and help improve Lady Xie’s meals.”

The old woman clearly felt that was not enough. Her brows knitted as she kept staring at Qiu Rongrong, but Qiu Rongrong had already sent Wen Yao a grateful look. When she turned back to the old woman, her cool, lofty expression had returned. “You heard her. Tell the old lady that and be done with it.”

“Madam.” The old woman tried again, but Qiu Rongrong gave her no chance, cutting her off directly. “Be gone. I am tired.”

The old woman did not dare force the issue with Qiu Rongrong. She could only bow respectfully and withdraw.

As soon as she left, Qiu Rongrong’s whole body loosened. She let out a long sigh and even took the initiative to clasp Wen Yao’s hand. “Thank you.”

She could see that Wen Yao had been helping her out of a tight spot.

A woman born to a merchant family understood worldly affairs best of all. Wen Yao’s goodwill, she could feel.

Wen Yao did not want the subject to become so heavy, so she lifted the silver in her hand and smiled. “But didn’t Madam already pay me?”

Qiu Rongrong burst out laughing.

Wen Yao laughed along for a moment, then asked as though casually, “Where is the young master? Why have I not seen him?”