"How could you let him go back and even excuse him from paying respects? Don't spoil him into not knowing his place. What if our plans fail and he ends up stepping all over me?"
Madam Chen had been listening carefully to the conversation outside her room this morning and was seething with discontent. Being older, she slept less and woke up quite early. Having Qiao Hezhi come stand as a form of discipline was her only amusement to pass the time. Now that her son had sent him away, she was naturally extremely displeased.
"Mother, have some porridge." Fang Yu knew Madam Chen was making trouble. He pretended not to hear and served her a bowl of porridge. "It's cold today, the Winter Solstice. You should wear more clothes, don't end up with a headache again."
Madam Chen took the bowl, clearly unwilling to let it go. "Did you hear what Mother said?"
"I heard. Your son has his own plans, don't you trust me?"
"Mother naturally trusts you. But other families' daughters-in-law all come early to pay respects to their mothers-in-law. By sending ours back, aren't you slapping Mother in the face?"
Seeing that Madam Chen was stubbornly fixated on this issue and unwilling to listen to reason, Fang Yu's pleasant expression vanished. "Mother just promised me yesterday not to make things difficult for him anymore. Yet today you had him come so early to stand discipline? Isn't that slapping your son in the face, making me lose all authority in this household?"
Madam Chen was visibly taken aback. "Oh, Mother didn't mean it that way at all. A daughter-in-law paying respects to her mother-in-law is a long-standing rule. Doesn't my son also come early to have breakfast with Mother?"
"Paying respects should be done properly, at the time Mother wakes up. Why make him wait outside for so long? Even if he comes early, he should be invited inside. It's freezing outside." Fang Yu said, "Fortunately, Qiao Hezhi has a gentle and mild temperament. If we had married someone more shrewish, and they went back to their parents to complain, and that side made a fuss, wouldn't that throw the whole household into chaos?"
"He wouldn't dare!" Madam Chen slapped her chopsticks down. "If he really dares to make a fuss, we'll divorce him! A divorced man, even if the Qiao family has some money, they can forget about finding a good family to marry him off to again."
"Why can't we just get along peacefully? Why must we have all this drama? If Mother wants to divorce him and go back to live in Fangju Village, I won't stop you."
Madam Chen's voice lowered. "This house was given to our family from the start. Even if we part ways later, it should be our family's property."
Seeing Fang Yu's face grow increasingly dark, Madam Chen stopped. "Alright, alright, alright. Until he's fully recovered, Mother won't make him stand discipline anymore, how about that?"
"Mother better keep your word."
Neither mother nor son enjoyed the meal much. Fang Yu put down his chopsticks early and returned to his study.
After the mother and son finished their meal, Siyu had already hurried back early with the mutton. Qiao Hezhi couldn't wait to change his clothes and go to the small kitchen to busy himself.
The household had two kitchens, one large and one small. Originally, only the large kitchen stove was lit. But because Qiao Hezhi was often sick and took medicine, Madam Chen disliked it, fearing that sharing meals and living quarters would spread the illness. So she had the small kitchen stove lit to prepare medicine and meals for Qiao Hezhi.
Although Qiao Hezhi grew up in comfortable circumstances, he was neither spoiled nor arrogant. He had diligently applied himself to learning embroidery and culinary arts, and had become particularly skilled at cooking.
"This mutton is very fresh," Qiao Hezhi remarked as he inspected the bone-in lamb ribs in the basket. The meat was firm, had no unpleasant odor, and wasn't sticky to the touch. Eagerly, he took up a knife and began cutting the mutton into slices about the thickness of a little finger, separating them from the rib bones. His pale, delicate hands rubbed the spices into the lamb ribs, and a faint smile warmed his eyes. "It's been so long since I last cooked. I just hope he likes it."
The master and servant were busy in the small kitchen. Although there weren't many servants assigned to the small kitchen, the rare news of Qiao Hezhi cooking himself quickly spread among the servants.
Maids and elderly maids gathered outside the small kitchen to peek.
"The Qiao family young master actually knows how to cook? How unusual."
"Why is he cooking himself for no reason? It's not like there's no one to serve him."
"Are you stupid? Cooking personally is obviously to win the master's favor. He's been married for a full month now and still hasn't shared a room with his husband—likely the only one in this household in such a state. Naturally, he needs to put in some effort."
"He really has some ideas. He's even managed to cause discord between the master and the Old Madam. The Old Madam is still angry."
"Really? Then I need to be careful when I'm on duty at the Old Madam's place this afternoon."
"What are you all doing gathered outside the door? Instead of working, you're slacking off here!"
Siyu came out with a basin of vegetable washing water. Seeing the group of servants whispering, she knew these people bought by Madam Chen were up to no good. She splashed the water outside. "Go on, get lost. Go do what you're supposed to do."
"Sister Siyu, you have quite the attitude. Besides, we've already finished our tasks, and we report to the Old Madam. What business is it of yours?"
Siyu shot back sharply, "If it's none of my business, then stop loitering around the small kitchen. Go do your work wherever you're supposed to be."
"Siyu." Qiao Hezhi spoke up, and the elderly maids and servants immediately fell silent.
Qiao Hezhi knew they were talking about him. Servants mocking him openly and covertly wasn't a new occurrence. Gaining the upper hand in an argument today wouldn't stop the gossip tomorrow. Without control over the household management, he couldn't really do much to them. "Disperse and go about your work. There's nothing for you to do here."
"Those two maids, Xiao Qing and Xiao Li, are the most gossipy. They're always the ones stirring up trouble. They don't respect the young master as the rightful fulang at all. Why didn't you let me give them a good scolding?"
"They are the Mother-in-law's people. Without Mother-in-law backing them, would they dare to casually discuss their masters' affairs? Arguing with them is exactly what they want. My mother-in-law doesn't let me manage the household now. If I argue with her servants, it will only be harder to ask for management authority in the future."
Siyu had nothing to say. "This servant was reckless."
"Alright, just be more careful in the future. Light the fire now."
After working for over a shichen, close to noon, Qiao Hezhi carefully packed the grilled lamb ribs, fragrant with pepper and sizzling with juices, into a food box. The entire small kitchen was filled with the aroma.
"Siyu, do you think the dishes I made today are as good as before?"
"Young Master's cooking is always excellent. Let me carry the food box."
Qiao Hezhi didn't give it to her. The two headed towards Fang Yu's courtyard. The closer they got to the Bicang Small Pavilion, the more uncertain Qiao Hezhi felt. "It's been so long since I cooked, my skills are rusty. I tasted it just now and thought it might be a bit too salty. I shouldn't have marinated it for so long. I don't know if his taste leans towards salty or bland."
Siyu felt helpless. "Young Master's cooking today is excellent. The master will surely like it."
"If only that were true."
When the two arrived at the Bicang Small Pavilion, Fang Yu's personal servant Xuezhu came out to greet them. "Zhengfu, what brings you here?"
Qiao Hezhi lifted the food box and smiled, shaking it slightly. "I made some food for the master to try. I thought he might be hungry after reading all morning."
"Is it grilled mutton? I can smell the aroma even through the box." Xuezhu smiled and praised Qiao Hezhi, but then couldn't help adding with regret, "But it's unfortunate timing. The master left half a shichen ago. Scholars Yang and Liang invited him to the Qionghua Tower to compose poetry and drink."
"He went to the Qionghua Tower?" Qiao Hezhi's hand holding the basket tightened. The smile faded from his face.
No comments:
Post a Comment