Gao Pan'er had been running around outside all afternoon, and as soon as she got back, she lay down on the bed to rest. She was sleeping soundly, and although there was some noise outside, she didn't wake up.

However, as Du Juan and Qing Yan's argument grew louder, Gao Pan'er woke up from her sleep. Her face couldn't help but show anger at being woken up.

"Qingyan, what's all the noise outside? What are you doing?"

"You can't even keep an eye on the door properly? Who's making noise outside?" Gao Pan'er couldn't help but raise her voice two octaves higher than usual.

She got out of bed and suddenly flung the door open. She saw Du Juan, Mo Qian's maid, and Qing Yan pulling and tugging at each other.

"Is there something you need, Miss?" Gao Pan'er saw the dead maidservant beside that little bitch Mo Qian and subconsciously tried to control her expression, trying to appear as kind as possible.

Only after he finished speaking did he realize that he wasn't in front of Mo Qian. He didn't need to act like this in front of a maid. He was giving her too much face. She was just a maid!

His expression gradually turned cold and stern, his voice slightly chilly, "What are you doing here?"

"You're disturbing my rest."

“Aunt Gao, it’s all Juan’er’s fault. She saw I was in a hurry and forgot to think of it.”

However, Aunt Gao also came from a poor family, so she should understand me, right? Sigh, I'm just anxious to do things for my master and worried about messing things up.”

“Aunt Gao is always kind to people, especially to us servants. She is kind and tolerant, not to mention that she is also charitable. I don’t think she would hold a grudge against me.”

"Furthermore, the young lady wants to eat some home-style dishes tonight. She thought that Aunt Gao has been skilled in cooking since she was a child, and she probably has her own experience now. So she thought she would eat some so that Aunt Gao's skills would not go to waste."

"Young Miss is so kind-hearted, always thinking of Aunt Gao and keeping her in mind." She used her sleeve instead of a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eye.

"Everyone can see how Aunt Gao treats Miss. I don't think Aunt Gao will refuse this trivial request."

"Miss, you've always told me that Aunt Gao is the most enlightened and kindest person in our household." Du Juan showered Gao Pan'er with compliments, spouting nonsense without batting an eye.

"Young Miss, what would you like to eat?" Gao Pan'er clenched her fists, her fingertips turning white.

Bear with it. Now that little slut Mo Qian is in charge of the household, and after all these years, I've always acted weak and kind to Mo Qian in front of the master. Even though the master is away now, it's not good to suddenly change my attitude.

In addition, she also wanted people to misunderstand that Mo Qian was arrogant and rude, bullying her father's concubine and having no manners, thus ruining her reputation.

And she added fuel to the fire between the master and his son, convinced that Mo Qian was bullying them, and always acted submissively.

"The young lady said that Aunt Gao only needs to cook a few of her own specialties."

“Perfect timing. I was worried that Aunt Gao would get tired, so I was asked to help her out,” Du Juan replied with a smile.

"I understand. I'll change my clothes and then go. You can go out now." Gao Pan'er waved her hand, her face expressionless.

"Okay, Aunt Gao, I'll go prepare now and wait in the kitchen."

"Okay, go ahead."

Gao Pan'er watched Du Juan's departing figure with a grim expression.

"Madam, Miss is bullying us too much. She's probably trying to cause trouble again. It's too much. Madam, you're still Miss's elder, and she doesn't even give you any face." Qingyan said angrily, standing up for Gao Pan'er.

"Besides, we have several chefs employed in the manor, it's not like we're short of cooks. Miss is really awful!"

"Alright, that's enough. After all, Mo Qian has just taken over the family. New broom sweeps clean, and this first fire will probably only burn this far."

"The master hasn't returned yet, so let's not confront her directly. We'll deal with her when he gets back!"

"Let her be smug for now, she'll suffer later," Gao Pan'er stubbornly insisted.

However, her expression remained unsettled, revealing that Gao Pan'er still harbored some resentment about the matter.

After all, when the master is around, cooking a couple of dishes can make him happy. Maybe if the master is happy, he might make a couple more hairpins. Or, in front of the master, she can play the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother to show her care and love for Mo Qian.

Now that the master has gone on a long trip and is not in the mansion, he is cooking for Mo Qian alone. Doesn't that make people feel inferior to her? Gao Pan'er is not happy about this.

However, it's just a small matter of cooking two dishes, not worth arguing about who's right or wrong. If outsiders find out, they might just become a laughing stock for no reason.

It's truly a dilemma; they're forced to put on a brave face even when they're in a bad situation, and they can't even complain!

Gao Pan'er secretly added another mark to Mo Qian's mind. When the master returned, she would definitely make her pay back that little bitch Mo Qian one by one when she had the chance!

Gao Pan'er instructed Qingyan to find some clothes to change into in the wardrobe in the inner room. After lingering in the room for a while, she slowly walked out after some maids outside couldn't wait to check on her.

I walked three beats slower than usual, and it took me about fifteen minutes, or the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, to get to the kitchen.

He immediately pretended to be in a hurry, taking small, quick steps, and jogged into the kitchen.

"I'm exhausted... I was worried the whole way here that I wouldn't have enough time and would go hungry... so I rushed over here in a hurry, and I'm almost out of breath." Aunt Gao clutched her chest, panting heavily, her voice broken and intermittent.

Qingyan, who was standing next to her, was stunned for two seconds when she saw Aunt Gao acting like a singer, recited, and fought. She quickly reacted and pretended to be weak and powerless, cooperating with Aunt Gao.

"Madam, you ran...too...fast, I almost...couldn't keep up. Miss, you're such a kind person, you certainly...won't...blame me." Qingyan was half-bent over, her breath coming in gasps.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Aunt Gao. Please sit down and rest. If the young lady finds out, she'll blame me for not serving you well."

Dujuan instructed the kitchen maid to bring over a stool.

Although everyone knows the truth, as long as we don't completely break off relations, we still need to cover it up with a fig leaf!

Anyone with eyes could see that Aunt Gao's acting was a bit exaggerated. She said she had run all the way here, but her makeup and hairstyle were not messy at all. It was full of flaws!

Besides, I've seen the physical condition of runners before. Do you think these two, mistress and servant, are fools?

Du Juan couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly.

Besides, if I hadn't sent someone to invite them, I don't know when they would have come!

They didn't say it out loud, simply because they were too proud to admit it and didn't want the situation to become even more awkward.

"Stop busying yourself, stop moving chairs, I'm fine. Let's get the food ready for Miss as soon as possible," Gao Pan'er said dismissively, waving her hand.

His voice sounded anxious, as if he was really worried about delaying the young lady's meal and making her hungry.