After sweeping the floor the next morning, Wang Yan and Chunyan went to Chef Sun's place again.

Although Granny Sun looked stern and didn't smile much, she had a kind heart and would always give the two of them some snacks whenever she saw them.

They never stopped the two girls from coming to visit Fuling, and tacitly allowed them to sit and rest in the kitchen and take a break.

Wang Yan felt that she had some social anxiety disorder, but such people are often kind.

Today was no different. After stewing a pot of shark fin and bird's nest soup on the stove, she instructed Fuling to watch the fire before heading back to her room.

Wang Yan and Fu Ling chatted, "Does the old lady stew a bowl of bird's nest for the madam every day?"

Fu Ling was a bit shy, and upon hearing this, she smiled and nodded.

"This bird's nest is good for nourishing the stomach and beautifying the skin. Putting aside other soups, my wife eats a serving of bird's nest soup every day."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, looking like she had learned something.

"I've seen that the old lady has stewed all sorts of sweet and savory flavors on a regular basis, but has she ever tried stewing bird's nest with milk?"

Fu Ling is curious: can milk be stewed with bird's nest?

Wang Yan nodded affirmatively, "I have a book called 'Miscellaneous Notes on Mountain Foods' at home, which briefly records a few kinds of snacks and soups."

I've heard about it at home; it has blood-nourishing and calming effects. Why don't you ask Auntie to stew it for Madam? It'll be nice to have something different to eat."

Fu Ling took it to heart.

That afternoon, Grandma Sun came out and tried stewing a pot of it. After tasting it, she called Wang Yan over.

"How could you reveal your family's secret recipe?"

Wang Yan bowed and replied earnestly, "It was originally a book that my family found at a general store, and the recipes recorded in it are not complicated."

Mother knew I was cleaning the kitchen in the backyard, so she told me to take an egg and ask Auntie to make me some egg and milk soup when I had free time. She also casually mentioned that this method could also be used to stew bird's nest, and that I could teach it to Auntie Sun.

Finally, she added in a lively tone, "If you don't believe me, Auntie, go to the side gate and ask your mother."

Grandma Sun really did send Fuling on an errand. Grandma Wang understood then. It wasn't that she was afraid of the family's secret recipe; they were all servants sold into the mansion, so what didn't belong to the master?

"I originally made this at home with different ingredients after reading a book, just to coax my child to eat it. The book said it could be paired with bird's nest, but I had never tried it before."

Remembering that Yan'er was sweeping the kitchen, I told her to just casually mention it. Whether it works out or not, it's still a way of showing filial piety to my wife.

Fuling went back and relayed the message, which put Grandma Sun at ease. It seemed it wasn't Wang Pangzi who made the dish; otherwise, it would have been bad if her son had made a false claim and caused a food mishap.

Grandma Sun received a new recipe and stewed two bowls of bird's nest in the kitchen. She took one bowl for herself.

The rest was divided among the three girls. This was the first time Wang Yan had ever eaten bird's nest in both her lives.

It doesn't taste very good either; it's not as good as egg and fermented rice!

The next day, none of the four women who had eaten bird's nest showed any adverse reactions.

She ordered red dates, milk, and bird's nest stew as her tonic for the day. Wang Yan ate it and found it no different, but the lady found it very novel.

After giving her a string of coins as a reward, Granny Sun, who wasn't stingy, gave a handful of Poria cocos and shared half with Wang Yan.

Wang Yan, still in a daze, received another month's wages the day after returning from her holiday.

Not only that, after sweeping the floor that day, Zhixuan, who served by Granny Hua's side, came out and rewarded her with two silver peanuts.

Chunlan followed behind, her face full of resentment, but as soon as Zhixuan turned her head, she quickly and obediently followed behind without moving.

"Oh, thank you, sister."

So, after lunch that day, she naturally asked Aunt Sun if she could make some snacks to thank Sister Zhixuan.

Grandma Sun readily agreed, and then asked her what she wanted to do.

I made rice crusts by hand, steamed a pot of rice, and while waiting for it to cool down, I swept the floor.

Two hours later, after finishing all the work, she washed her hands and came to the small kitchen.

Take out a large bowl, pour in the cooled rice, add an appropriate amount of flour, and crack in about ten eggs.

The ingredients needed are salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, cumin powder, and black sesame seeds.

Besides salt and sesame seeds, the other two ingredients require grinding the granular plants into powder.

Fuling and Chunye helped her crush the garlic with a garlic press, and then rolled it out again with a rolling pin.

Add the ingredients to the mixed rice and knead into a large dough.

Brush a layer of oil on the cutting board, place the dough on it, roll it into a thin sheet, and cut it into pieces.

Heat oil in a wok until it reaches about 30% of its maximum temperature. Fry the ingredients until golden brown and crispy. Remove them from the oil and let them cool. Wrap them in parchment paper and they will keep for several months.

She cut the pieces into long, rectangular strips, about the size of an adult's palm. This saved her time.

A large wooden basin of dough was used to make 30 wrappers, each containing ten pieces.

She used the parchment paper from the small kitchen, and Aunt Sun didn't charge her for today's ingredients.

A few grains of rice, what's the big deal? We can't even use up the monthly supply from the main kitchen.

She left five packets for Aunt Zheng, including two packets of Poria cocos, to eat as a snack in her spare time.

After taking the rest back, Chunyu distributed a bag to each of the other roommates, and then took her to return the favor to her sister Zhixuan.

"You two little girls, what brings you here at this hour?" he said, leading them into the house and pouring each of them a cup of tea.

Zhihan is on duty tonight to serve the Madam. Granny Hua went back to her home outside the mansion today, and she and Chunlan have both returned.

Two second-class maids share a room, and there was no one in the room before they arrived.

Zhihan brought a pot of tea and was drinking it while reading and practicing calligraphy.

"I made some snacks, sister, you can try some when you have time." Zhixuan accepted them with a smile, and also gave the two of them a packet of pine nut candy.

"Take it and share it."

It was still pitch black, so they didn't linger. The two of them walked hand in hand back to their lodgings. As they passed Chunxi's room, splash—a basin of water was spilled out.

"Sorry, it was dark, I didn't see you." Chunlan laughed triumphantly and turned to go back.

"stop!"

Chunlan frowned, turned around and looked at her. What's wrong?

Without saying a word, Wang Yan snatched the wooden basin from her hand. There was a water vat opposite their house, so she went over and filled the basin with water.

Chunlan saw through her intention and ran back to the house before she had even fetched the water.

Chun Cui, seeing her cowardly appearance from inside the house, was furious.

"Open the door! I want to see if she really dares to splash water. If we catch a cold tomorrow, see if the steward doesn't sell her off by the feet!"

He was about to get out of bed, open the door, and twist the little hussy's mouth apart!

Chunlan stepped aside, saying, "If you want to go, then go."

As soon as the door opened, Wang Yan and her companion carried a basin of water and swiftly bypassed her, splashing the water on the beds of several people, except for Chunxi, who was sitting on her own bed.

Even though Lian Chunju didn't get out of bed or make a sound, she still got soaked and her clothes were completely drenched.

Chun Cui was so angry that her hands and feet were trembling. How dare she?

"Aren't we going to report this to the head maid? Hurry up and go. But the basin is from your room, so we might have to point out that you're the ones who are slandering us."

“Yes, all four basins in our room are completely dry.” Chunyu and Chunxue also came out.

Only eight third-class maids and four gatekeepers lived in this courtyard; the others lived in the courtyard on the left, towards the front. They were about five or six minutes away, so it was impossible for them to hear anything.

Several gatekeepers were peeking through their windows to watch the commotion from their own rooms, but the fact that they didn't open their doors clearly indicated that they wouldn't get involved in this mess.

Chun Cui glared at him with hatred, but didn't say a word.

She was just a third-class maid; if she really went to find the head maid, regardless of the truth, she would inevitably suffer. Besides, she was in the wrong from the start.

"From now on, be careful when I come back. If you piss me off, we're all done for. I'm not afraid of being sold out!" After uttering these harsh words, the group of people hurried away.

Wang Yan's reckless actions were a classic case of a novice defeating a master!

Those men could only keep quiet and suffer in silence. Fortunately, Chunxi's bed wasn't wet, so they made do with what they had for the night.