Ye Yunniang withdrew her gaze and quickened her pace back to Zhiyuxuan.
As I reached the door, I heard Tao Hong's voice. Why was she back at this hour?
"What kind of filling is this?"
"Peach Blossom Nurse, you can only choose four zongzi." Pear stopped Peach Blossom from taking more zongzi; everyone's limit was set. If Peach Blossom took more, others would be at a disadvantage.
"What do you mean by taking too much? I just wanted to see what it tasted like. It would also help Aunt Lan and Nurse Ye pick out what they wanted. You little maid can't even speak properly. Go play somewhere else, don't get in the way." Tao Hong waved her hand, shoving Li'er aside as if shooing away a fly.
Tao Hong took out a zongzi from the food box and smelled it first.
I can't smell any filling, so I have to start opening it.
"Peach Blossom Nurse, you can't open it anymore." Pear reached out and grabbed the rice dumpling, preventing Peach Blossom from taking it.
"I already told you. I'm keeping an eye on things for Nurse Ye. She always loves sweets. If you get something bad, she might blame you. I'm doing this for your own good." Peach Blossom was stronger than Pear, and she forcefully broke free from Pear's grasp.
Pear was unsteady and was thrown backward by Peach Blossom's big movement.
"Ah—" Pear cried out in fright, thinking she had fallen to the ground.
What I felt on my back wasn't a stone slab, but the scent of milk.
"Sister~" Pear's voice carried a grievance she herself was unaware of, a grievance that only she felt towards her family.
"Peach Blossom Nurse, you don't need to bother choosing a filling for me. I'm not picky; I love all kinds of fillings." Ye Yunniang helped Pear up.
Ye Yunniang glanced at the four opened zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) on the stone table. Two of them had been bitten, and two others, though unbitten, had been broken open, revealing the cured meat and red beans inside.
Tao Hong's actions made Ye Yunniang frown. She then looked at the food box, where there were still about a dozen unopened rice dumplings.
"Li'er, why haven't Aunt Lan's zongzi been delivered to her room yet?" Ye Yunniang said, picking out six of the best-looking ones and placing them on a plate. She handed them to Li'er, "Hurry up and deliver them. Aunt's zongzi can't be delayed."
"Hey, hey, hey..." Tao Hong tried to stop her, but Li'er had already taken the plate and brought it into Aunt Jinlan's room.
“The wet nurses have been chosen. The remaining four in the box are mine.” Ye Yunniang said, closing the food box and carrying it back to her room.
When Tao Hong saw Ye Yunniang take away the four unopened ones, she didn't say anything when she saw the four she had opened on the table.
She cursed Ye Yunniang inwardly for returning so early and delaying her. If she had opened all of Ye Yunniang's zongzi, she could have gotten eight zongzi herself.
Ye Yunniang was unaware of Tao Hong's thoughts. Even if she had, Ye Yunniang wouldn't have let her have her way. Even if she didn't eat the food, she would still take it. She wouldn't give Tao Hong a chance to take advantage of her.
Inside the house, Ye Yunniang brought out the food and ate.
Tao Hong walked in, looking around the room with disdain. The layout and furnishings were really bad. It wasn't as refined as her own room.
After making her mental assessment, Tao Hong plopped down opposite Ye Yunniang.
“Nanny Ye, I’ve been taking your place all day. It’s your turn to go see the young master tonight.”
"Aunt Lan instructed that today is Peach Blossom Wet Nurse's shift. Why do you say she's replacing me?" Ye Yunniang said, putting down her chopsticks and getting up to leave.
"What are you going to do?" Tao Hong reached out and grabbed Ye Yunniang.
Her hands, which were peeling the zongzi, were greasy. Feeling nauseous at being held by such hands, Ye Yunniang forcefully pulled her hand away.
"Of course I'll go to Aunt Lan and ask her. Is she mistaken? I can't let Peach Blossom Wet Nurse work for me for nothing."
Tao Hong: That won't do! If Ye Yunniang goes, we'll be exposed.
Tao Hong slapped her forehead. "Look at me, I'm so busy serving the young master that I'm dizzy. I actually got it wrong, tomorrow is when Nurse Ye is supposed to be on duty. Today is my shift. I won't keep Nurse Ye from eating. I have to go take care of the young master." Tao Hong got up and left.
He walked out of the room, turned around and spat, then muttered "bitch" under his breath.
Previously, Ye Yunniang had never argued or fought for anything. Tao Hong thought Ye Yunniang was weak and easy to bully.
It has now been discovered that Ye Yunniang is not one to suffer any loss.
Tao Hong reluctantly returned to Fanghua Courtyard to take care of Jiang Tingjun. Before leaving, she instructed Li'er to rewrap her zongzi.
“If the bag isn’t good, I’ll have Aunt Lan deduct your monthly pay,” Tao Hong threatened.
Pear reluctantly agreed.
Inside, Ye Yunniang washed the oil off her hands and sat down to eat again. She packed the bowls and chopsticks into a lunchbox and carried it out.
Pear is wrapping the zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) and trying to recreate it. But Peach Blossom tore it very roughly, and not a single zongzi leaf is intact.
No matter how careful Pear is, there's nothing she can do.
"Have you eaten your zongzi?" Ye Yunniang asked Li'er, putting down the food box.
"No. I was just about to eat when Peach Blossom Nurse came back and started rummaging through everything." Pear said, then remembered something, "Thank you for reminding me, sister." Pear quickly took out her own zongzi, carefully peeled it open, and ate it. She then washed the two zongzi leaves clean.
Use a good piece of bamboo leaf and a slightly less rotten bamboo leaf to wrap two rice dumplings.
Ye Yunniang also unwrapped a zongzi and gave the bamboo leaves to Li'er.
The four rice dumplings were wrapped, and Li'er delivered them to Peach Blossom House.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I came out.
Ye Yunniang couldn't help but laugh out loud at Li'er's appearance.
Pear laughed along with her.
The two laughed, and after a while, they sat down to talk.
When Ye Yunniang told me that one of her maids had been caught when she returned, I was shocked.
Pear immediately ran out.
The news spread throughout the mansion the next day that the maid Hongxing was the one who stole Jiang Mingyue's jade orchid hairpin. Although Hongxing insisted that she found it while cleaning the artificial hill.
No one believed it. Why didn't he hand it in after finding it? Why did he hide it? Why did he secretly inquire about the price of the jade hairpin? He was clearly a thief.
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