28 Li He

◎Her hands don't look like those of a cook◎

——It’s Chun Sanniang!

Song Jinyi's first reaction was that she must have seen it wrong. Didn't Chun Sanniang lose to her at the Gu Mansion? Why did she come here?

The sounds of beating and scolding came from Chun Sanniang's side, each one louder than the last, and it was hard for Song Jinyi to ignore them. "It's all your fault, little bitch. If it weren't for you, how could I lose to a loser? I worked so hard to come here, and still get laughed at by those people!", followed by a "pa".

Listening to the sound, Song Jinyi could imagine how painful it would be if the slap landed on her. This hand was too harsh. She hissed twice and said, "This hand is really cruel. You don't treat me as a human being."

From Chun Sanniang's curses, she probably guessed the reason. She thought that although Chun Sanniang lost to her, she had come to Shengjing by relying on her fame and means.

It's just that when people knew about the loss of the game, he got angry and took his anger out on irrelevant people.

"It's fine if the person being beaten doesn't fight back, but why doesn't he run away? Even if he signed a contract to sell himself, it wouldn't be like this," Song Jinyi wondered.

She watched as the man was slapped again by Chun Sanniang, his entire face tilted to the left. Half of his face was swollen. Thanks to Song Jinyi's good eyesight, she was able to barely recognize him.

Song Jinyi couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so she rushed out from the bamboo forest, took a step forward, and grabbed Chun Sanniang's violent hand.

“That’s enough!”

When Chun Sanniang saw that it was Song Jinyi, she narrowed her eyes and stared at her coldly. She raised her hand, pointed at her and shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are? I'm teaching my people a lesson, and you have the right to tell them what to do?"

As she spoke, she glanced left and right, as if looking for something to vent her anger. Suddenly, her gaze stopped on Li He, and she looked up and glared at Song Jinyi fiercely.

She bent her arm and swung her hand, and the fierce wind from her palm was enough to show how much strength she used in this palm.

If this slap had landed on Li He's face, disfigurement would have been the least of his worries. His hearing would have been damaged.

Song Jinyi was so focused on saving people that he didn't care about anything else. He kicked Chun Sanniang's ankle. Chun Sanniang felt pain and her left leg bent.

The slap brushed past Li He's face, and the sharp nails scratched Li He's face, leaving two faint blood marks.

Chun Sanniang was already angry, and now that she was humiliated, her anger rose like a fire filled with hot oil. Her face turned red, and she was shaking with anger. It looked like she wanted to rush up and tear Song Jinyi to pieces.

But she did it—

Song Jinyi raised his hands and clamped Chun Sanniang's hands like a big crab, "Calm down, you are the top chef of Zuichunlou after all, and you are also a well-known figure. All the people living in this courtyard are your colleagues..."

Just as Song Jinyi and Chun Sanniang were in a stalemate, sporadic footsteps and whispers were heard from the path beside the bamboo forest. It turned out that Song Jinyi was making too much noise and attracted other guests.

The bamboo forest and the human figures overlapped, and the rustling sound was getting closer and closer.

Chun Sanniang glanced around, suddenly relaxed her grip, and changed her tone, "You just took advantage of a loophole to defeat me once, and you think you are the most powerful person in Yunzhou, or even the most powerful person in Daxia.

Is there no one in this world more powerful than you? I just said something unpleasant and you insulted me. Not only did you bully me, but now you want to teach me a lesson?

She yelled out in a venting tone, "Don't go too far!" Her angry red eyes, coupled with her weakness, made people mistakenly believe that she was wronged.

Those who came later did not know the reason behind the incident and simply judged what they saw and heard at first sight as the "truth".

"This little girl actually managed to bully the fierce Chun Sanniang into this state. She doesn't look like a simple person!"

"Chun Sanniang is the top chef of Zuichunlou after all. How could she let this little girl who appeared out of nowhere bully her? Does she really think she is a dish and has no idea how high the heavens and the earth are?"

"That's right, that's right—"

Although Chun Sanniang has a bad temper, she has made many acquaintances in Yunzhou over the years. Moreover, her skill in confusing right and wrong is perfect, and is not inferior to her own craftsmanship.

If he wanted to clear his name, the only witness he could turn to was Li He.

Song Jinyi looked at Li He, who was kneeling behind Chun Sanniang. She seemed afraid of being noticed. She hunched her back and tried to curl up into a ball, like an ostrich that has encountered danger and buries its head in the sand, deceiving itself.

Li He's presence was very low. Next to the triumphant Chun Sanniang, she was like a weed beside a big tree, or dust in the desert, so small and inconspicuous. As long as she didn't say anything, no one would notice her.

Song Jinyi shook her head and thought: "Forget it, she is Chun Sanniang's person, how could she stand up for me and tell the truth?"

She raised her eyes and looked at Chun Sanniang frankly. She, Chun Sanniang, was just one person's opinion, while I was frank and honest. What was there that I couldn't explain clearly?

Song Jinyi strode forward, straightened her body, and said bluntly: "The truth of the matter is not what Chun Sanniang said. I just passed by here and saw Chun Sanniang attacking me.

I couldn't bear to see her abusing me, so I intervened. It's not what she said. Don't listen to her nonsense."

Chun Sanniang tilted her neck back and lightly kicked Li He's butt, commanding him confidently, "Come out and explain who hit you."

Li He didn't move, and her body shrank even smaller. Chun Sanniang looked at Song Jinyi provocatively.

Li He's silence was naturally taken as the truth of what Chun Sanniang said. Others just thought that Song Jinyi was turning the tables and looked at her with disgust.

Seeing that everyone was on her side, Chun Sanniang slowly approached with the demeanor of a victor and said in a low voice, "Be smart and pack up and get back to Yunzhou quickly. Don't lose the game and get yourself into trouble."

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was becoming tense again, the butler of the Gu Mansion also rushed over after hearing the news. Song Jinyi explained the details, but he did not respond. He only told everyone to concentrate on preparing the dishes for the nobleman's birthday banquet and urged everyone to disperse.

The guests in this mansion are all famous colleagues from all over the place. If she can't explain herself clearly, her reputation and business will definitely be affected when she returns to Yunzhou.

She stepped forward and said, "Please, housekeeper, please judge this matter. Once the matter is clarified, everyone will naturally disperse."

The housekeeper said, "According to what Madam Song just said, you have no evidence. If you don't have any evidence, how can you tell whether what you said is true or false?"

Song Jinyi pointed at Chun Sanniang, "But she has no evidence and she insults me for no reason. And..." Song Jinyi pointed at the maid who led the way, "She saw it too."

The maidservant lowered her head and remained silent.

The housekeeper said, "Even if things are as Madam Song said, then Madam Chun hasn't done anything against the will of heaven. In my opinion, it's better to let this matter go."

"Wait--" Just as everyone turned around and was about to leave, and Song Jinyi didn't know how to turn the situation around, someone suddenly spoke.

Unexpectedly, Li He stood up. She was slightly taller than Chun Sanniang, and her slightly round figure seemed to rise from the ground, attracting everyone's attention, especially the wound on her cheek.

Chun Sanniang didn't expect that the cowardly Li He would dare to speak in public.

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes were grim, and she looked at Li He with a threatening look. She said coldly, "Think about what you want to say."

Li He hesitated for a few seconds, and finally, as if mustering up all the courage, "It was this Madam Song who helped me, otherwise I might not be able to hear everyone's voices or speak now."

Someone asked, "Is that the one who beat you like this, Lady Chun?"

Li He's silence at this time was tantamount to acquiescence.

"I told you not to talk too much!" Chun Sanniang interrupted harshly, and then kicked Li He. She was still not satisfied and was stopped by someone.

There was no need to say more. Someone whispered, "This Chun Sanniang is usually very bad-tempered. I didn't expect her to be so vicious. After all, she is her sister."

The sound was not loud, but Song Jinyi, who was standing next to them, heard it clearly. She looked between the two of them in surprise.

They don't look like real sisters, do they?

Seeing the housekeeper's indifferent look, Song Jinyi said, "Don't go too far. This is someone else's territory after all, not your Chun Sanniang's private residence.

Besides, Li He is not your servant, so what right do you have to beat or scold him at will? If someone dies, not only will you be in trouble, but the others in the Gu Mansion will also be accused of not helping."

She paused and gave the housekeeper a meaningful look. "If something happens here, there's no guarantee that the Gu Mansion's reputation won't be damaged."

The housekeeper immediately took these words in and waved his hand. A dozen servants stood aside and he said, "You are all invited by my master to celebrate the old lady's birthday. Since you are guests, you should be treated with courtesy.

But if you cause trouble in the mansion, we will naturally not be polite. Please stop here for today."

This farce started suddenly and ended abruptly.

Song Jinyi was "politely" invited back to her residence.

Song Jinyi was assigned to a small courtyard in the south, which had three rooms. Two people were supposed to sleep in one room, but someone didn't want to share with her, so she slept in one room by herself, and she was happy with it.

Song Jinyi looked around the new room. It was much better than her leaky little house. She rolled over and rolled to the window. She raised her upper body, tilted her head back, and looked at the sun in the sky.

"Strange," Song Jinyi murmured.

"This Chun Sanniang is Zui Liuxia's top chef. The most important thing about pastries is the fermentation of the dough. Apprentices have to feel the degree of fermentation by kneading the dough. It's impossible..."

She recalled the hand she had just seen.

She raised her own hand again, swaying it slightly in the sunlight to observe it, and said, "How could her hands be so white and clean? My body is so pampered, and after only a few months, I already have calluses on my hands. There's no way she doesn't have calluses."

She thought for a while, "Unless..." Song Jinyi stroked the calluses on her thumb knuckles and said, "Her hands don't look like those of a cook."