Chapter 9 Madam Liu

After lunch, Aman went straight to the backyard to dig for wild vegetables.

When Mantou came out of the young master's room, she asked some questions, which made her realize that Mantou was considering her words that morning and wanted her to stay.

Although Mantou was just a servant like her, he had served the young master for many years. If he could mediate, the matter might be resolved.

In order to stay, Aman is now willing to catch even a snake with his bare hands, let alone ants or insects in the grass.

Using a twig to beat the grass and scare away the small animals inside, Aman searched for about half an hour and dug up a small basket of wild vegetables, including dandelions, sunflowers, shepherd's purse, and all sorts of other things.

Aman went to the kitchen, cleaned the wild vegetables, and soaked them in water. Seeing that it was still early, he went back to his room and dozed off for a while.

In late spring, the wind was still chilly. Fu Yunting got into the carriage and suddenly sneezed.

Upon hearing this, Madam Fu hurriedly told Zhang Mama to bring him a cloak to wear.

"No need, Mother. It's already very hot in the capital. There's no need." Fu Yunting settled into the carriage and leaned out the window. "You should go back early too. It's windy outside."

"No need, I'll watch you go. Be careful on the road." Madam Fu looked at him, her face full of reluctance. Her son had been a worry since he was a child, and now that he was grown up and living away from home, she could only see him a few times a year.

Despite his good grades and studies in the capital, he is a kind-hearted person, and she is always worried that he will be bullied by others outside.

“The outside world is not like home. Be careful in everything you do. Bamboo, take good care of your young master. If he loses even a single hair, I will hold you responsible.”

"Oh, I know, Mother. I'm already so old." Fu Yunting was getting a headache from her nagging and just wanted to leave as soon as possible, so he urged the driver to hurry up.

"By the way, Mom, you should go see your brother when you have time. He must miss you too, but he's just being stubborn and won't say it."

"I know, I know. Be careful on your journey." Mentioning Fu Yunxiu, Madam Fu's heart couldn't help but sink a little.

Even after the car had driven away, her brows remained furrowed, and her eyes held an unyielding heaviness.

"Madam?" Seeing that she lingered, Zhang Mama couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Is Madam thinking of the eldest young master?"

“I didn’t go in person that day, I don’t know if he will be angry with me?” Madam Fu said.

"How could that be? The eldest son is always filial. He knows that you are busy, Madam."

Even so, Fu Yunxiu's current state was ultimately something she owed him. Madam Fu sighed, "Let's go, I'll go see him."

While you're at it, see if that little girl is still around.

Another gust of wind rose, bringing a chill, and Madam Fu pulled her clothes tighter. The group of women and servants hadn't gone far when a carriage arrived and stopped in front of the Marquis's residence.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and stepping out was none other than the Second Madam, Liu Yu.

Liu Yu was a few years younger than Madam Fu. Her elder brother was the General Zhenyuan, who was highly regarded by the emperor. As the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, and with her son temporarily acting as the head of the family, she naturally acted with extraordinary ostentation. Not to mention that the furnishings in her courtyard were all made of silver, even her carriage was much larger and more luxurious than others.

Madam Fu thought to herself that this was bad luck, and was about to quicken her pace when Liu Yu called out to her, "Oh, it's so windy, why are you outside, sister?"

As she spoke, she walked forward with a smile.

Madam Fu harbored a grudge against Liu Yu for taking away her power in managing the household affairs, so she naturally didn't give her a friendly look when she saw her. However, she couldn't directly break off relations, so she could only force a smile and pretend to be polite, "Yun Ting is going back to the academy, so I came out to see him off. Sister, you're dressed so beautifully, where have you been?"

"Oh, I didn't go anywhere. It's just that the Duchess of Huaguo said that her husband brought her a rare item from the Western Regions and invited me to come and take a look," Madam Liu said, running her hand through the gorgeous jewels at her temples with a smug look on her face. "Oh, it's also my fault for being too busy these past few days. I haven't even had a chance to see Yunting when he came back."

Madam Fu thought to herself, "Who cares if you see me?" But she didn't show it on her face. How could she not know that Liu Yu was deliberately showing off to her, trying to provoke her and make her angry?

Lady Hua was originally her good friend. In earlier years, the two often enjoyed flowers and tea together. However, she didn't know what trick Liu Yu played and got to know someone else. Their relationship became increasingly close, which angered her, so she broke off the friendship.

But it doesn't matter. A friend who can be taken away might not have been a friend in the first place.

Seeing that Madam Fu was not angry, Madam Liu smiled and brought up another matter, "By the way, I heard that you were not in the manor the other day. You went to find a concubine for Yunxiu. How did it go?"

It's not something to be proud of for a mother to find a concubine for her son. A hint of embarrassment flashed across Madam Fu's face, but she still smiled gently, "What nonsense! It's just the servants talking nonsense. I just found a better maid for Yunxiu."

"I see," Madam Liu nodded, looking neither agreeable nor disagreeable. "Indeed, Yun Xiu's health needs careful attention."

Madam Liu sighed, "Alas, it's such a pity. When Master was alive, he clearly favored Yunxiu the most for the position of head of the family, but unfortunately, Yunxiu's leg..."

Madam Liu shook her head, her face full of regret.

Seeing that she was deliberately bringing up the sore spot, Madam Fu was almost furious. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly in her palms. "Everyone has their own fate. Yunxiu, that child, is ultimately not destined for such good fortune."

"That's true. Some things are not meant to be, and you really can't force them. No matter what tricks you use, it's all in vain. Don't you think so, sister?"

Knowing what she was implying, Madam Fu's smile faltered. "Of course, my sister must be tired from the long journey to admire the flowers. She should go and rest early."

Despite her sharp tone, Madam Liu didn't seem to mind. Instead, she looked happy and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister. It's just a pity that I'm destined to be a busybody, so I don't feel that tired at all."

"In that case, please go ahead, sister. I'm tired and want to take a nap." With that, Madam Fu helped Zhang Mama leave.

"Respectfully seeing off my sister." Madam Liu gave a slight curtsy. Only after Madam Fu and her servant had entered and walked away did she ask Hongxing, who had come to serve her, "Is that woman still there?"

"I haven't heard any announcement from over there, so they must still be there."

"Hmph, it must have taken a lot of effort on her," Madam Liu sneered, her face full of mockery. "She didn't treat people like human beings before, and now she's putting on this show of a loving mother for whom?"

She actually thought of using such despicable means to have her eldest son give birth to a grandson so that her younger son could seize the position of head of the family.

She looked at Hongxing and said, "Give the order that the food over there doesn't need to be enough; just enough to keep them from starving."

"Yes." Hongxing accepted the order and hurried off to the kitchen to relay it.

Thinking back, it had been two days since she entered the Wutong Garden, and Madam Liu couldn't help but feel curious, wondering which family's silly girl could stay in such a dreadful place for so long.

In Wutong Garden, the silly girl Aman had already gotten up.

Grandma once said that a cat's nap should be taken for only 15 minutes, and one will feel refreshed.

Mei Mei stretched lazily, then got out of bed, opened the door, and found the entire courtyard silent except for a few clear bird calls, making it seem even quieter and more spacious.

Looking at the tightly closed door diagonally opposite, Aman knew that the young master must be awake now, perhaps reading a book, or perhaps practicing calligraphy. It was better for Mantou to serve him than for her.

Since she could remember, Aman had never been so free. The young master didn't need her to serve him, there was nothing for her to do in the Wutong Courtyard, and no one talked to her. She was really going to get sick from boredom.

After closing the door, Aman looked at the empty room and sighed.

Actually, she really wanted to go out and see the prosperity of Yongzhou, but unfortunately she was short of money and didn't know the way since she was unfamiliar with the area.

Aman opened the bedside cabinet and took out the bundle inside.

There weren't many things in the bundle; besides a money pouch, there was only a cloth bag wrapped in silk.

Aman opened the cloth bag, and what caught her eye was a bright red.

That was a veil that Grandma embroidered for her herself, made of the finest fabric, with the phoenixes on it embroidered with gold thread. Grandma said that this was a veil she embroidered for her mother, but unfortunately her mother never got to use it. She said she hoped that Aman could wear it when she got married in the future.

This had become an obsession for the old woman, so even when she was so ill, she refused to let her remove the veil.

Aman buried her face in the veil, as if she were burying herself in her grandmother's arms.

Grandma, don't worry, Aman will definitely live a good life. Aman will also remember your teachings and will never let you down.

Thinking of her grandmother, Aman couldn't help but shed tears. After composing herself, she carefully folded the veil and opened the money bag next to her.

The bag was empty except for a few copper coins, which was only enough to buy a vegetarian noodle dish.

If she had the same embroidery skills as her mother, she could easily make a living by renting out embroidery pieces at any embroidery shop. But unfortunately, she was clumsy, and the mandarin ducks she embroidered looked even uglier than ducks.

Aman suddenly realized that she seemed to be completely useless and couldn't do anything.

This discovery discouraged Aman, and he was still feeling weak and listless even at dinner time.

After returning the lunchbox to the owner, Aman carried the lunchbox containing dinner into the kitchen.

Tonight's dinner was different from usual; we ate noodles, with a small dish of pickled vegetables on top, cooked noodles underneath, and a bowl of toppings for eating the noodles.

By the time we got here, the noodles in the food box had gotten pretty cold and were all lumped together, looking quite unappetizing.

"How are we supposed to eat this?" Aman couldn't help but feel a little angry.

But Mantou was very happy. "It's alright. This noodle is chewy. It will open up after soaking in the sauce. Young Master loves noodles the most."

Back when he was at the Marquis's residence, the young master always had noodles for one of his three meals a day. But after he came to Wutong Garden, it became difficult to deliver noodles, and the kitchen was too lazy to make them, so he could only eat noodles occasionally.

Even though the noodles were a bit soggy when they arrived, the young master still liked them very much and ate more than usual.

Hearing what Mantou said, Aman got excited. He heated up some water on the stove, put the lumpy dough in to rinse and heat it, and threw in a handful of fresh wild vegetables as well.

The noodles, which originally looked bland and tasteless, were transformed instantly with the addition of green vegetables. A spoonful of topping was then poured over them while they were still hot, making them look incredibly appetizing.

"It would be nice if there was an egg." Aman said with some regret, but Mantou didn't care. Seeing that Aman had finished making the dough, he took it and went to Fu Yunxiu's room.

Aman watched his hurried steps and shook her head with amusement. After scooping the remaining noodles out of the pot, Aman found that the noodles could barely fill a bowl.

But there were two of them, her and the steamed bun.

Moreover, the portion size for dinner today was significantly smaller than yesterday's.

Perhaps the noodle maker didn't know that there was another person in Wutongyuan.

Aman didn't take it to heart. He took his own bowl, scooped out a small half bowl of noodles, and added a full spoonful of noodle soup.

She doesn't do anything all day, and she doesn't need to eat much. Just drinking water is enough. She has to serve the young master steamed buns; he can't go hungry.

That night, Aman lay in bed, his stomach growling with hunger.

Rubbing her already empty stomach, Aman wondered if the young master had eaten enough.

She hadn't seen the young master for a whole day.

Thinking of Fu Yunxiu's face, Aman couldn't help but feel her cheeks burning. Although in her memory, the young master had never given her a kind look, a handsome person is still handsome even when angry.

Moreover, she had even seen the young master's sleeping face.

He was so handsome and outstanding, gentle and refined.

Sigh, I don't know if I'll be able to see the young master tomorrow.

What kind of food will the Marquis's residence send tomorrow morning?

I hope you can send more.

I'm so hungry!

With wild and unrestrained thoughts running through his mind, Aman gradually drifted off to sleep. All fear and ghost stories were left behind because of hunger.

A note from the author:

----------------------

Please add this to your favorites!