Chapter 70: What's the difference between this and locusts?
Yu Wan realized that He Jing might be sick, so she changed her mind and asked him to go find Jin Yifei instead.
Xue Xiujun readily agreed and ran out of the courtyard.
After being exposed to the night breeze for a while, He Jing's face and body cooled down considerably, and he returned to normal.
"Those three people were clearly after you."
Yu Wan also felt that what he said made a lot of sense, and seemed to be thinking about it.
"I wonder who they are. Maybe it's those two young masters from Beijing whom I offended in Sui County? Surely they don't think I'm a young lady from the Jin family and want to kidnap me?"
He Jing then raised another possibility, "Perhaps someone doesn't want you to help the Jin family?"
Xue Xiujun rushed back in a flurry, grabbed the teapot on the table, and poured himself a cup of tea.
“Those people have been moved. When Jin Yifei and I went there, we didn’t see a single one. He was going to come, but when he heard you were alright, he didn’t. He said it was too late and he didn’t want to disturb your rest. Besides, he was anxious to find out the truth and wanted to give you an explanation. However, to avoid alerting them, we need to investigate secretly for now, so the Jin family might not be able to give you a formal apology for the time being.”
Everyone went to sleep with their questions in mind.
The next morning, Yu Wan asked the maid in the courtyard to help her get lotus roots.
Now, whenever the maids hear that she's looking for ingredients, they know that she's going to cook something delicious again, and they know that they'll be lucky enough to taste it every time. They can't help but be overjoyed.
While Yu Wan was busy in the small kitchen, the maids gathered around to learn from her. These maids did not have a very high status in the Jin family. The personal maids of the master, mistress, young master, and young lady did not need to do rough work, but these maids did not have a fixed scope of duties and were sent wherever they were needed.
The girls' daily meals and treatment were generally poor, in addition to their regular work.
After spending a few days with Yu Wan and the others, they realized that these people were approachable and would share their food with them, which made them very happy.
When the entire Jin family came to the courtyard asking for food, the few maids felt they had hit the jackpot.
Seeing that Yu Wan was busy working alone, they wanted to help.
"Madam Yu, you are a guest of the Jin family, and we are maids. These things are what we should be doing. Could you let us help? Of course, it would be best if we could learn a little bit from you."
Yu Wan has never hidden her culinary skills; she is willing to teach anyone who wants to learn.
"Sure, let's come together."
Yu Wan was about the same age as them, so they got along well. During their time together, she learned about the family situations of these women. Most of them came from poor families and had to sell their daughters because their families could no longer afford to raise them.
They sometimes lament their fate, but overall they remain optimistic and positive, because everyone has to keep living.
The maids noticed that Yu Wan was different from the rich young ladies they had seen before.
"Madam Yu, you are beautiful and dignified, clearly a lady of high birth. How come you do such rough work?"
Yu Wan then smiled and told them about her background, how she did business, and how she fought against wolves, making the girls' faces turn pale.
"That was terrifying! Madam Yu, you've been through so many dangers, aren't you scared?"
“How could I not be afraid? I’m terrified of dying. But what can I do? It’s precisely because I’m afraid of dying that I have to work even harder to change,” Yu Wan said with a smile.
After chatting for a while, breakfast was ready. A table full of fragrant lotus root dishes was served, with more than a dozen dishes of different flavors and cooking methods, which made everyone's mouths water.
No one knows who leaked the news, but just as everyone was about to sit down, eight maids came over.
The maids in the courtyard looked at each other, not saying a word when they went to fetch the lotus roots.
The maids who came to ask for food laughed and said, "You didn't say anything, but the main kitchen usually takes care of your meals. Do you need to guess what you want by asking for ingredients?"
Zhu Zhifeng asked in bewilderment, "Then how did you know it was A-Wan who did it?"
The maid bowed to her and replied, "Replying to Miss, I am from the old lady's room. When the old lady heard that you wanted lotus root, she guessed that it was cooked by Madam Yu herself, so she left the breakfast on the table uneaten and ordered me to come and ask for some to take back."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "It's just been made and we haven't even touched it yet. If Madam doesn't mind, please take some of each dish to try."
"Thank you, Madam Yu," the maid said, bowing in thanks.
The other maids who came to ask for their share saw that she had spoken, so they hurriedly thanked her as if they were afraid that Yu Wan would stop them. They quickly took a portion and left in a swarm.
Xue Xiujun looked at the plates on the table, each with only a third of the contents remaining, and wailed:
"What's wrong with these people? They're used to robbing; what's the difference between them and locusts?"
Zhu Zhifeng was also quite helpless; the remaining amount was probably barely enough for the dozen or so people to eat until they were about 60% full.
"There is still a difference. If they were really locusts, they probably wouldn't leave us a single bite."
Xue Xiujun was a little annoyed. "Doesn't your maternal grandparents have a master chef? They can't possibly not know how to make these things, can they?"
Zhu Zhifeng sighed, "You've eaten the food made by those chefs before. It looks beautiful and is very nutritious, but it's very different from Awan's cooking. They are too cautious when they cook, afraid of making their masters sick, so their food lacks a bit of fun."
Xue Xiujun, seemingly remembering something, nodded in agreement.
"That's right, it has to be the proprietress, she's far better than those imperial chefs."
Zhu Zhifeng curled her lip, "Imperial chef? You talk as if you've ever eaten food cooked by an imperial chef."
Xue Xiujun retorted, "How do you know I haven't eaten it?"
Zhu Zhifeng was about to retort, but then gave up, grabbed her chopsticks and started eating first. Filling her stomach was the priority, since the current portion was not enough to satisfy her hunger.
Xue Xiujun also realized the problem, so without saying a word, he started eating.
Yu Wan invited several maids to sit down together, but they dared not. Servants were not supposed to eat at the same table as them, let alone fight over food.
Yu Wan noticed their concerns and gave them some of the food, which the maids gratefully took away.
He Jing watched all this silently until Yu Wan sat down and picked up her chopsticks, at which point he also picked up his chopsticks.
Because Zhu Zhifeng and Xue Xiujun had eaten first, they were only about 80% full.
He Jing only ate a few bites, silently leaving the rest for Yu Wan.
Yu Wan felt that everyone hadn't enjoyed the meal enough and regretted not cooking enough.
However, she had to leave for Jin's Restaurant and didn't have time to cook a special meal for them.
Fortunately, Jin Yifei brought over food he had cooked himself, which finally filled everyone's stomachs.
Even the usually picky Xue Xiujun couldn't stop praising, "This young master Jin's cooking skills aren't bad at all!"
Yu Wan was surprised to find that Jin Yifei was the one accompanying her. She thought he would feel embarrassed when he woke up and recalled his behavior last night, but he seemed to have completely adjusted his mindset and returned to the cheerful young man he had first met.
“Awan, those thugs from last night have confessed to everything, but this matter is a bit complicated. Let me explain it to you slowly.”
Yu Wan nodded. "Then let's go."
Without saying a word, He Jing followed and got into the carriage together.
Seeing his reaction, Jin Yifei observed Yu Wan's expression and noticed that she was reading a book and didn't even glance at the two men in the car.
"Young Master He, we've known each other for so long, yet I never knew where you were from. Now that you've been visiting my hometown for some time, I wonder if there will be a chance to experience your hometown's unique customs someday?"
The boy replied indifferently, "Of course there is," and then fell silent, clearly not wanting to discuss it further.
Jin Yifei knew that this young man wasn't necessarily unfriendly to everyone, nor did he harbor any grudges against anyone; he simply didn't want others to understand him. Moreover, beneath this cold exterior, he subtly treated different people differently.
He was very curious, and even wanted to verify his judgment, so he planned to investigate further, but being too obvious would be very impolite.
Just as he was about to give up on the idea, he heard the girl suddenly speak.
"Yes, where is your hometown? You don't seem to have much of an accent."
Yu Wan had been curious for a long time, but hadn't had the chance. Now was the perfect opportunity to sound her out.
He Jing's gaze swept back and forth between the two, a hint of displeasure rising on his handsome face.
Teaming up, huh?
“We need to go further south,” he replied casually.
Jin Yifei asked curiously, "Further south? That's really far, especially to the north of Sui County. The two places are thousands of miles apart. How did you end up in Sui County?"
He Jing didn't want to answer, but when he felt the girl's bright eyes staring at him, hoping for his reply, he became even less inclined to speak.
"It's nothing, just exile."
This reason did not convince the two men, who could see from his appearance and demeanor that he was by no means an exile.
Even if he was once an exile, he certainly wasn't before; he was someone with a very unusual background.
Jin Yifei changed the subject again, "I see that you and Young Master Xue get along very well. Where is his hometown? You must have heard about my hobbies before. I love to travel around. I wonder if I have ever been to either of your hometowns. If there are any places I don't know about, and I miss out on delicious food and beautiful scenery, that would be a great regret in my life."
He Jing simply closed his eyes to rest, "I don't know, I'm not familiar with him."
Yu Wan didn't believe it at all, but she always nipped the idea of digging deeper in the bud, especially since there was a third person present.
She was becoming increasingly curious about the boy.
What secret could possibly keep him hidden until now, without uttering a single word, and even risking his life for it?
Yu Wan then brought up the assassins from last night, asking, "Who were those people?"
Jin Yifei, with a serious expression, explained the composition of the Jin family and some internal power struggles.
Today, the Jin family is led by the matriarch, who has three sons and three daughters, as well as five collateral branches. The Jin family is large and powerful, and has always chosen capable people to manage its businesses. However, there are always those with ulterior motives who seize opportunities and rise higher and higher in the family, and then they have other ideas.
Nowadays, some members of the Jin family are colluding with outsiders, setting up various traps and conspiracies to gain some benefits.
These people are waiting for the Jin family to face a great ordeal so they can step forward as saviors, using the pretense of caring for the Jin family to fish in troubled waters.
"Madam Jin is very capable; the Jin family will be fine," Yu Wan concluded after listening.
“That’s right,” Jin Yifei said with a smile, “but those people won’t give up.”
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