Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and the household will receive another reward. A third-class maid will receive 50 copper coins, no more and no less.

Besides the copper coins, the First Madam also rewarded her with a meal. One dish was particularly peculiar; it was prepared by the head kitchen at the behest of the Heir Apparent and specially sent to Madam Gao.

Lady Gao tasted two bites, and the rest, which she couldn't finish, she distributed to the maids.

This dish is called "Banglin Fresh". It involves digging up some tender spring bamboo shoots, burning a pile of bamboo leaves in the bamboo forest, and throwing the bamboo shoots with their skins on into the hot ashes to cook them directly.

The method is simple, but it tastes sweet and juicy, with its own unique flavor.

………………

After receiving his reward from the steward at Moyuan Courtyard, Wang Xing took two large boxes of mugwort-scented rice dumplings, four boxes of pastries, and four boxes of melons and fruits with him.

I boarded the carriage arranged by the manor to deliver a Dragon Boat Festival gift to the third young master at his estate in the suburbs.

Passing by a roadside stall, he even asked the servant driving the carriage to stop so he could buy three packs of snacks.

There are about ten pieces in a package. Cut the pork with a good balance of fat and lean into three-inch pieces, add white sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, pepper powder, and sand powder (a kind of Chinese medicine), mix well and marinate, then put it in the sun to dry. After drying, wash it clean.

Add scallions, salt, wine, and sugar, spread it on, put it in a pot and steam for an hour until cooked, then take it out and let it dry.

It can be preserved for a long time, and it's good to make a snack to satisfy a craving. This is what Wang Xing brought for Lin Mu.

It's easy to imagine that there wouldn't be much good food on the estate, and the food would definitely be bland.

Upon seeing the young master, Wang Xing was summoned and questioned, "How has the household been lately? Is the old lady well? Where are the master and mistress? Have any invitations been sent home?"

"All is well. These mugwort rice dumplings were ordered by the old lady. The first batch made in the kitchen should be packed up first."

"The stables have specially dispatched a carriage to deliver it early, so that the young master can eat before lunch."

After a pause, she replied with some trepidation, "Recently, apart from the madam receiving a few invitations to flower viewing banquets, the young master has not received any visiting cards."

As expected, the Third Young Master's expression darkened slightly after hearing this, but he did not get angry at Wang Xing.

Wang Xing guessed that he was probably in a good mood these past two days. That was a good thing, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the third young master gave him and Lin Mu each a string of mugwort-scented rice dumplings, and told them to take them and share them with the children in the village.

The zongzi is small and delicate, but it is filled with a variety of ingredients, such as dates, chestnuts, dried persimmons, ginkgo nuts, and red beans.

These children had never seen zongzi filled with so much stuffing before. They ate them with their eyes squinted and they smiled.

After they finished eating, they took the bird eggs and wild fruits they had collected and gave them to Wang Xing and the others.

Wang Xing wasn't about to snatch the food from them, so he pulled out a bag of pine nut candy and told them to share it.

I originally brought two packets from the manor, both for Lin Mu, but now I'm setting aside one packet.

Lin Mu was so moved by what his brother had brought that he almost cried.

"You have no idea, it took me these past two days to eat, drink and rest before I finally recovered. I didn't skimp on the food; the previous two days I was so hungry I was practically starving."

The young master was sent to the estate and was in a bad mood, so he caused trouble for a while. The others didn't have to come along and were left to their own devices.

But he was different from others. His parents didn't have any proper jobs, and they couldn't even keep their laundry work. They were squeezed out of the job early on.

He entered the mansion alone, determined to make a living, so he had to dig up some things from above.

He was given a more important role, but he suffered a great deal as a result.

However, the young master seems to have improved his mood these past two days. The other day, he even enthusiastically asked the kitchen to kill a chicken and make soup.

The young master took the chicken soup himself, and Lin Mu ate most of the remaining chicken pieces in the pot.

Although I ate meat, it wasn't very satisfying; the flavor was just too bland.

The young master has somehow changed his temperament and developed a preference for light-flavored food. Although he's been able to get some meat lately, he hasn't had his fill.

The three packs of "suan tiao ba zi" and several packs of "guo ba la tiao" (spicy rice crust strips) that Wang Xing sent were a real lifesaver. I took some out to eat when I was craving them, and they were very satisfying.

"Good brother!" Lin Mu patted him on the shoulder and happily led him to the backyard to fetch water and make him tea.

When they arrived at the kitchen, they found that Old Liu, who had been watching the carriages outside, had also come in.

"Young Master told me to come in and have a cup of tea, and he wanted to go feed the horses. After I came in, I realized that I forgot to bring black beans today. Do you have any in the kitchen? Could you scoop me a bowl?"

"Yes, yes." The kitchen maid nodded and bowed as she scooped out a bowl of the best black beans and handed it to him.

However, it was Wang Xing who took Hei Dou. He hadn't seen the young master for a long time and needed to go and show his loyalty.

The place to tie the horses wasn't in front of the main gate, but rather behind the house, in a grove of trees.

Wang Xing carried a bowl of black beans and ran over in just a few breaths.

"This is a sachet I made myself. It's not as exquisite as the embroidery by the embroiderers at Yuexiu Tower, so please don't look down on it."

Wang Xing was startled; it was clearly a young woman's voice, soft and gentle, with a sweet quality.

Then she heard her third young master's familiar voice again, a clear and gentle voice that was rarely heard from him.

"What a coincidence, I also made one, made with mugwort, realgar, and perilla that I selected myself. If you don't mind, please consider it a return gift."

Wang Xing didn't listen to what happened next. The girl seemed even more shy.

When they spoke, it became a soft murmur, and even when the wind blew in their direction, they couldn't hear anything.

With a mix of fear and trepidation, Wang Xing carried the black beans to the courtyard gate. Just then, he saw a group of mischievous boys coming down the mountain with branches and sticks. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

Make a move to walk outwards and scatter a bowl of black beans on the ground.

So everyone saw Wang Xing squatting on the ground, picking up beans one by one.

Having just eaten the rice dumplings and candy given to them, they all stopped playing and came over to help pick up the beans.

They had only picked up most of the bowl when the Third Young Master strolled over leisurely.

Seeing Wang Xing's dark expression, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Xing quickly stood up and bowed. "Old Liu said he forgot to prepare the black beans for feeding the horses, so he specially scooped a bowl from the kitchen."

I was going to deliver these to the young master, but I spilled all the beans on the way. I spent ages picking them up, but only managed to get half a bowl back.

The third young master stared at him menacingly for a long time, then glanced at the group of mischievous boys.

After confirming that he really didn't see anything, she chuckled and said, "It's just a few beans, don't bother picking them up, go back."

Wang Xing shook his head. "If Lao Liu finds out, he'll skin me alive. I'd better pick it up and send it over."

The third young master nodded indifferently, "Then let these boys help you pick them up first. I've written a few articles, come and help me pack them up to take to Father."

Wang Xing agreed and obediently followed, then put the article in a brocade box and returned home with Lao Liu in the afternoon.