If Fu Zhi previously felt like he was lying in an ice cellar, now he feels like he's standing on a sharp knife.

The kind of thing where someone could die if they're not careful.

Almost without thinking, he quickly kowtowed several times, crying out that he was wronged, "Xiao Liu dared not deceive Madam, Xiao Liu really did not know who the woman you are talking about is, Xiao Liu has never seen any unrelated woman while following the eldest young master, please investigate, Madam!"

With a cold laugh, Cheng kicked Fu Zhi in the shoulder and said angrily, "Still dare to be stubborn? All the best tonics in the warehouse were sent to Guyang County by Yuan'er. Most of them are suitable for women's health. If it weren't for the fact that he has another woman outside, tell me, why would he do this?"

Fu Zhi's heart sank. He bit his lip and said decisively, "Young Master is the master, and Xiao Liu is the servant. This servant dares not presume to judge the master's right and wrong. Please forgive me, Madam. Xiao Liu truly did not know!"

"What a loyal servant you are!" Madam Cheng laughed angrily. "Don't forget who sent you to serve Yuan'er. I am your master! You think you are being loyal to Yuan'er, but little do you know that you are aiding and abetting evil and harming him! Yuan'er is my lifeblood. If anyone dares to harm him in the slightest, I will not forgive them!"

"Xiao Liu wouldn't dare! Xiao Liu wouldn't dare to hide a single word from Madam, every word he said is true!" To show his determination, Fu Zhi bowed his head heavily to the ground, and his head instantly swelled up.

Granny Cheng was heartbroken and said urgently, "My child, everything the mistress has done is for the good of the young master. As servants, we should tell our masters everything without reservation. You should quickly and truthfully report everything to the mistress!"

Fu Zhi kept kowtowing, refusing to change his address no matter what.

Cheng felt a fire burning in her heart, but she had to suppress the anger in her chest and said with great difficulty, "Sixth Brother, I know you are loyal to Yuan'er, but you must know that Yuan'er is the legitimate son of the Minister's Mansion. Everything he has must be the best. Those disreputable women will only drag him down. You can't bear to see the eldest son being trampled on and do whatever he wants in the future, can you?"

Fu Zhi pursed his lips, his eyes darting around, and said, "Madam, everything Xiao Liu said is true. The eldest young master really has no woman by his side!"

Madam Cheng was furious. She slammed her fist on the table and said angrily, "Do you dare to swear on your deceased parents and relatives? If there is even half a lie, may they never be reincarnated! I ask you, do you dare to swear?"

Fu Zhi's face turned pale instantly, and Granny Cheng also knelt down on the ground with a thud, her eyes filled with panic.

"You dog slaves! A whole family of heartless, rotten trash, you even dared to deceive me! You want to show your loyalty, huh? Fine, I'll grant your wish! Guards, drag this old man and this child out and sell them. I don't want to see them again. Tell them to get far, far away!"

Cheng was both angry and resentful, and the words she blurted out made Cheng Mama's face turn as white as paper and her whole body tremble.

She was a maidservant who accompanied Cheng to the Fu family as part of her dowry. When she accompanied Cheng to the Fu family, Cheng had already helped her get rid of her lowly status. However, to show her loyalty, Cheng still kept her indenture.

Despite their long relationship as mistress and servant, Granny Cheng never dreamed she would hear such words from Madam Cheng's mouth.

Fu Zhi also never expected that his insistence would lead to his aunt, who treated him like her own child, suffering such a fate.

It wasn't until the servants rushed over and dragged Granny Cheng away that Fu Zhicai suddenly came to his senses. He rushed forward and hugged his aunt tightly, crying out in tears, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything. It has nothing to do with you, Auntie. Please, Madam, spare your aunt!"

Madam Cheng loosened her grip on the handkerchief, exhaled softly, waved for the servants to leave, and stepped forward to help Granny Cheng up.

Seeing his aunt still trembling uncontrollably even after being helped to a chair by the madam, Fu Zhi closed his eyes in despair and shed tears once again.

Looking at the lifelike plum blossoms carved with a bamboo knife on the surface of the pastry, Jiang Shan couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "It's amazing! Mother, your craftsmanship is simply incredible! It looks just like the real thing, you can even see the stamens clearly!"

Mrs. Jiao stopped what she was doing, gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead with the other end of the bamboo knife, and said with a smile, "What's the big deal? It's just a few flowers. Alright, alright, don't stand here in the way. Go back inside and rest. Your Uncle Qiao and I can watch over things here."

Qiao Shi was kneading the dough, watching Jiao's mother's movements intently. When Jiao's mother stopped, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a simple smile, "Yes, Shan'er, you go and rest. I'll keep an eye on the heat, and I'll bring it to you when it's done!"

Jiang Shan couldn't stay there any longer as a third wheel, so he reluctantly took a raw plum blossom pastry, licking it as he walked out.

Jiao's mother called out from behind, meaning that it hadn't been steamed yet and couldn't be eaten raw.

"He's getting more and more like a child as he gets older, even more disobedient than Sanlang!" Jiao's mother muttered to herself as she continued her work.

Qiao Shi peeked into the doorway, then quietly moved closer to Jiao's mother, lowering his voice to say, "Why don't you take a break? You've been busy all morning!"

Without even looking up, Jiao's mother said, "Are you tired? Then you should rest!"

"I'm not tired. It's not good for you to keep your head down like this. Your neck will hurt and your back will ache. You should take a break!"

Jiao's mother found Qiao Shi noisy and was about to scold him when she looked up and saw the man in front of her with a smile in his eyes and fine beads of sweat on his forehead, kneading dough non-stop, his clothes soaked with sweat but not bothering to wipe it away.

Her heart softened, and she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow, scolding him, "Why are you kneading so much dough? I can't make that many shortbreads and pastries by myself."

Qiao Shi held his breath, afraid that if he exhaled, he would blow the handkerchief in Jiao's mother's hand away. Only when those slightly cool little hands moved away from his eyes and the faint fragrance disappeared did he slowly exhale.

"I was thinking that I'd be going out to sea to find some fresh seafood these next few days, and I probably wouldn't have time to knead the dough, so I decided to make a lot today. Shan'er said that the more you knead that rice cake, the more elastic it becomes, and the better it tastes, so I made it too."

Jiao's mother pulled Qiao Shi aside to sit down, poured him a glass of water, and asked, "Do you really have to go? The sea has been rough these past few days, it might not be safe. Why don't we wait a few more days before going?"

Qiao Shi grinned. "Our shop sells freshness. Because there are fewer ships going out to sea these days, Shan'er said that some of our popular dishes are about to run out of stock. I have to go check it out. Don't worry, I have a few familiar older brothers who are always at sea. With them going out to sea with me, nothing will happen."

Jiao's mother didn't say anything, stood up and continued carving.

Just when Qiao Shi thought that Jiao's mother wouldn't tell him when, her slightly gentle voice came over, "Our whole family is counting on you. If anything happens to you, you will have let us down. Do you understand?"

Qiao Shi was first startled, then completely bewildered.