Yan Qiushu returned to her room feeling somewhat discouraged.

But after a short time, she started to count her finances again.

Because she was rescued by Xiao Huaiting, all the property that was robbed by the bandits was returned. The original owner was a concubine's daughter and did not have much money, but in such an ancient world, the money she had could not be said to be rich, but it was enough for an ordinary person to have enough food and drink.

If Xiao Huaiting rejected her, she would stay in Wucheng.

Anyway, there are beautiful mountains and rivers here, and there are river shrimps. I heard that it is not far from the seaside, so I can eat some seafood occasionally. I can also buy a nice yard, grow vegetables, raise chickens and ducks, and be self-sufficient!

As she was thinking, there was a knock on the door.

As soon as the door opened, Yan Qiushu's eyes widened in surprise: "General Xiao!"

Xiao Huaiting nodded: "I can take you back to the Xiao Mansion, but your identity cannot be revealed. You will enter the mansion as my adopted sister. Is that okay?"

This is obviously for her own good.

If she just went there directly, not only would her reputation be damaged, but her status in the Xiao family would also be embarrassing.

Xiao Huaiting’s sister is different.

But in ancient times, if you really wanted to recognize a sister, you had to hold a special recognition banquet, so she was not really a sister. But even so, based on his words, Yan Qiushu entered the Xiao family and was no longer an ordinary servant.

Although Yan Qiushu didn't really want to serve others, she just thought there were gains and losses. However, she didn't expect Xiao Huaiting to be so easy to talk to. Instead, she couldn't accept it with peace of mind: "Then what can I do for the general? I won't accept rewards without merit, not to mention that the general saved my life."

Xiao Huaiting didn't evade the question and said directly: "I need your cooking skills."

Yan Qiushu felt relieved and nodded decisively: "Okay!"

Xiao Huaiting was satisfied and handed her an agreement, asking her to sign and put her fingerprints on it. In case she turned against him in the future and the Yan family made trouble, this thing would serve as evidence.

Yan Qiushu signed and collected one copy for each of them. Then Xiao Huaiting said:

"We'll set off tomorrow. We've been delayed for a few days by bandits along the way, so we'll have to ride as fast as we can. Be prepared."

Yan Qiushu immediately took the money and went out to purchase.

This is the last time I’m going to eat and drink to my heart’s content. Besides that, I also have to buy some daily necessities, such as facial cleansers.

Xiao Huaiting was delayed these days because of the bandit suppression. Not only did he have to deal with the bandits, but he also had to deal with the things they had done properly. In addition to Yan Qiushu and the other four women, there were also women who had been bullied by the bandits in the past.

Each situation was different, but he didn't have time to deal with it, so he stayed one more day to make arrangements at the local government office.

That night, Yan Qiushu prepared another sumptuous seafood feast and invited Yan Xiang and some of his friends to eat together as a celebration.

Xiao Huaiting's was a separate copy.

After all, he is your boss now, so you have to treat him well!

Apart from the spicy crab, the group of people were still not full. Finally, Yan Qiushu used the remaining soup to cook noodles. The spiciness made the group of men blush in the face. They kept muttering that they couldn’t drink alcohol. It was so uncomfortable!

After Yan Qiushu finished doing all this, she went back to her room early to rest.

In the past few days, the army had set out very early on their journey.

Sure enough, just after 5 a.m. the next day, he asked everyone to set off. Considering that the woman would need a long time, he even called her a quarter of an hour in advance.

By the time Yan Qiushu left, everyone had already packed up and set off.

We were on the road for the next few days. Except for stopping occasionally to eat, we were mostly on the road.

And so, seven days later, we arrived near the capital.

As usual, a large number of troops remained in the military camps near the capital, and Xiao Huaiting led a small group of troops into the city.

Although this battle was not large in scale, it lasted for half a year and forced the enemy to ask for peace. Therefore, when he returned to the court with a great victory, the people lined the streets to welcome him.

Yan Qiushu sat in the carriage, following far behind the army, and used her own eyes to see this place that was familiar to the original owner.

She lifted the curtain very slightly because she was afraid others would see her. Although the original owner was not a celebrity, everyone in the Yan family knew her.

Once she saw it, she couldn't bear to look away.

The clothing and housing were not as backward as imagined. The various ancient buildings had their own charm. Various plaques and couplets were written in beautiful calligraphy. The people, tall, short, fat, thin, old and young, were all looking at this side, because they had caught the triumphant army and could face the most enthusiastic people directly.

Many girls who were dressed a little better threw sachets at them.

However, Yan Qiushu's carriage was at the very back, no different from an ordinary carriage, so when she passed by, the people had already returned to their normal shopping routine. When she looked, a man carrying candied haws straw passed by the window and scratched Yan Qiushu's face.

So she never lifted the curtain to look again.

Above the crowd, at a restaurant window with an excellent view, a man and a woman were looking at Xiao Huaiting's returning army, and they kept watching the army until it left their sight. Suddenly, the woman seemed to see something, and her eyes fell on an inconspicuous carriage in the middle of the team, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Why does the profile of the woman revealed when I lifted the curtain and threw back the sachet look familiar?

The people were mainly concentrated on the road leading into the city.

When they got into the city, there were fewer people. At this time, Yan Xiang, who was responsible for driving Yan Qiushu, changed direction and the carriage entered the residential alley, turned several times, and arrived at Luming Lane in the north of the city.

The south of the city is where civil officials live, and the north of the city is where military generals live. The location is larger and more spacious, and the population is relatively sparse. The Zhou Dynasty has always valued civil officials over military officials.

The Xiao family was located in Luming Lane in the north of the city, very close to the imperial city.

Yan Qiushu thought that the carriage had arrived and she could just go in through the side door.

Who knew that when he got off the carriage, he found a woman standing at the gate of the Xiao family. She looked to be about thirty years old, with a delicate face, dignified manners, and a smile on her face. She looked very approachable. When her eyes met Yan Qiushu's, she immediately smiled and took two steps forward: "Is this the Miss Yan that Lao Liu mentioned in the letter? She is really beautiful. Lao Liu went to see His Majesty and wrote back to ask me to take care of her temporarily. Miss, please come in quickly."

Yan Qiushu's eyebrows jumped. She really didn't expect Xiao Huaiting to be so responsible.

Because the woman in front of him was none other than Xie Qingyun, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xiao family and the legitimate daughter of the Changzhou governor.

The book doesn't mention any details about the Xiao family; they are all the original owner's memories.

After all, she is a concubine of the Xie family, so she will remember her in-law relationships with some wealthy families so that she won't be rude to them when she meets them in the future, otherwise it will bring shame to the entire Yan family.

But in fact, the original owner had never seen these people. As a concubine's daughter, she had very few chances to go out because of the suppression of her stepmother. Even if she went out, she had to wear a mask on her face because her mother was a concubine.

In this era, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate classes was huge. Legitimate daughters could go out openly, but illegitimate daughters had to cover their faces when meeting outsiders in the boudoir, unless they married and became the mistress of a family. After marriage, they were not allowed to meet outsiders at all.

In addition, although the original owner was beautiful, the skills her aunt taught her were all about coaxing men. Men like weak women, so she kept her eyebrows arched like willow leaves and her waist slender like a willow all day long.

But Yan Qiushu is not like that. She even modified her eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil to make her look more heroic. Her behavior is also very different from the original owner. Unless you are very close to her, it is difficult to recognize her.

She gave an embarrassed smile, revealing the timidity of an ordinary woman meeting a lady from a high family for the first time, and knelt down to greet: "My humble daughter greets the young lady."

"You are Lao Liu's adopted sister, so you are naturally a member of my Xiao family. We are one family, so you don't have to be polite."

Xie Qingyun's expression was cheerful yet shrewd. She was quietly observing the other person. Seeing the girl's innocent look, she showed a little more fondness in her eyes. She walked over, took her hand, and led her into the mansion. "Your courtyard has been prepared a long time ago, but we don't know your living habits. If you find anything uncomfortable, please tell the maid."

"Thank you, young madam." Yan Qiushu nodded and followed her pace.

The Xiao family is wealthy and powerful, and the people are all good. Not to mention that Yan Qiushu was brought back by Xiao Huaiting, so they attach great importance to her and let her live in a separate courtyard. The maids and servants in the courtyard, as well as some things she would need, are all prepared.

The maids Shui Yu and Shu Lu were specially introduced. I heard that they were arranged by Madam Xiao herself. They were both maids who knew the rules. It was just that Madam Xiao was ill and it was inconvenient for her to come out to greet the guests.

For this, Xie Qingyun even apologized to her specially.

Yan Qiushu felt unworthy of it. She just wanted a safe place to live, so considering Xiao Huaiting, the two of them signed an agreement, which was also a labor contract, each getting what they needed. She didn't expect that this labor contract brought so many conveniences, and she hadn't done anything yet!

Therefore, Yan Qiushu could only express her gratitude again and again.

Both sides were very polite, and the meeting was about to end.

As the person who is currently in charge of the family finances, Xie Qingyun has a lot of things to do, especially since Xiao Huaiting has just returned from a great victory, and there are always many people coming and going, so after sitting for a while, she left.

After seeing the owner off, Yan Qiushu returned to the yard and looked at the yard that looked like a separate house, smiling happily.

Her choice was indeed right!

This job benefit is awesome!

At this time, the head maid Shui Yu stepped forward and said softly, "Young lady, you must be tired from the journey. I have prepared hot water and new clothes. Would you like to wash up now?"

Yan Qiushu readily agreed, and the other party went to prepare. After a while, she was sitting in the bathtub, soaking in a hot bath. If she hadn't refused to be served, Shui Yu would have helped to rub her back.

After taking a bath, it was already Youshi. Shui Yu helped her dry her hair while asking, "Miss, it's time for dinner. Should we take it directly from the main kitchen or cook it in the small kitchen?"

"Small kitchen?" Yan Qiushu was surprised.

The young lady of the Xiao family didn't tell her that there was a small kitchen just now.

Shui Yu smiled and said, "The Sixth Young Master specifically instructed the housekeeper to build a small kitchen for your yard, with the same expenses as the main kitchen. He also sent a cook who can cook here."

Finally, she said jokingly, "I've never seen the Sixth Young Master be so attentive."

Yan Qiushu:?

What does this have to do with Xiao Huaiting?

But seeing Shui Yu's blinking eyes, with an expression that said, "I understand, you understand, and everyone understands," she understood what he meant. Embarrassed, she hurriedly explained, "General Xiao was kind enough to take me in. He's a good man."

Shui Yu didn't understand her nice guy card and kept nodding like a little fangirl: "Yes! Sixth Young Master is a good man. I heard that he even fought bandits on his way back this time, and many people praised him!"

Yan Qiushu: ...

She stopped thinking and went straight to the small kitchen. The world is big, but eating is the most important thing!

Before going there, Yan Qiushu thought that it would just be a simple kitchen. However, when she got there, she felt satisfied after just one look.

Although the kitchen is not big, it has everything it needs. There is a large, clean shelf next to it, with some dry goods and a small amount of fresh ingredients placed in baskets. Basic condiments such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and cornus officinalis are all on the countertop, but medicinal condiments such as bay leaves and cinnamon are not available.

Until now, these ingredients have not yet been served on the table.

But it’s okay, she doesn’t want to eat anything too heavy right now.

After Yan Qiushu inspected the kitchen, she had already thought about what she wanted to eat. Because she had just arrived, there were not many ingredients in the kitchen, only some cabbage and some meat simply marinated in soy sauce.

These meats are coated with soy sauce, so they can be kept for two more days without becoming as sticky as pickled meats.

When she saw such ingredients, she subconsciously thought of lean meat porridge.

Yan Qiushu rolled up her sleeves and started working on it herself, startling Shui Yu and the kitchen maid, Aunt Xu. They hurriedly said, "Miss, what do you want to do? We'll do it!"

"It's okay, I can do it myself." Yan Qiushu waved her hand and refused their help.

The main reason was that this was too simple. She skillfully used a knife to cut off a palm-sized piece of lean meat. The lean meat needed to be chopped into minced meat, so the sound of "dong dong dong..." of cutting vegetables soon rang out in the kitchen.

Shui Yu and Aunt Xu stood aside, somewhat at a loss.

The girl brought back by the Sixth Young Master was given the status of a mistress as soon as she entered the mansion. Although she was verbally called his adopted sister, they all felt that it was a cover-up by the Sixth Young Master and that she was probably the future Sixth Young Master's wife.

In addition, the girl's behavior doesn't seem like she comes from an ordinary family. She's probably some naughty young lady.

So even though there was a small kitchen, they never thought that she would be the one to do it!

But Yan Qiushu's movements were too skillful. When she stood in front of the stove and chopped meat, it made people feel that this was her territory and no one else could interfere. Aunt Xu looked at Shui Yu for help in panic.

Shui Yu also shook his head blankly. Forget it, they should just do what the master says. It won’t be wrong.

Yan Qiushu also noticed the tension between the two. She suddenly realized it, thought for a moment, and said, "Madam Xu, please light the fire, fetch water, and help wash the rice."

"Okay!" After receiving the task, they both breathed a sigh of relief and started to get busy.

After a while, the rice was washed and put into the pot, and the fire was lit, lighting up the kitchen red. Yan Qiushu had chopped the meat and had nothing to do for the time being, so she walked around in the yard and relaxed for a while.

In order to hurry on her way, she had been sitting in the carriage for so many days that her bones were almost falling apart.

After taking a short walk, Yan Qiushu returned to the kitchen on time. The rice had just boiled and the delicate white porridge was oily. She put the minced meat in it, added salt to enhance the flavor, and stirred it to allow the minced meat to be completely absorbed into the porridge. After about half a cup of tea, she added the chopped vegetables.

At this time, the pot is already filled with a sweet and lightly salty rice aroma. This rich flavor is mixed with a little meat aroma, making the taste refreshing and not greasy, but rather subtly tempting.