Sweeping away hunger
Seeing the weather gradually warm up, Yulan thought of asking the kitchen to stew some mutton for Liu Er to nourish him. When she was a child, her mother would stew a pot of mutton soup for her every hot day, but she only ate it once a year.
The woman who manages the kitchen is from the same hometown as the housekeeper Liu. She relies on her connections to flatter the weak and look down on the powerful. Privately, everyone calls her "the woman with slanted eyes."
When Bao Fu heard that Yulan was going to the kitchen to order food, he insisted on going with her.
"You are no match for the West Courtyard now. That old woman will definitely give you a hard time."
Yulan didn't take it seriously. Even Madam Yun, an unfavored concubine, could order dishes. So, Second Young Master Liu must be of a more noble status than Madam Yun, right?
"Don't disbelieve me, just wait and see." Bao Fu took the lunch box from Yulan's hand and led the way forward.
When she reached the kitchen door, she saw the slanted-eyed woman sitting with her legs crossed, drinking wine. The pot on the stove hadn't even been lit yet. Seeing the perfect time, Yulan politely said to her, "Mother-in-law, is there any mutton in the kitchen today? I'd like to order a bowl of mutton soup for the second young master."
The old woman ignored him and continued drinking.
Yulan was a little annoyed. She had never been so annoyed before in the West Courtyard. Bao Fu looked at the old woman and placed a few copper coins on the table. The old woman didn't even glance at him and continued to drink. Bao Fu took out a few more copper coins and placed them on the table. This time, the old woman glared at him, rapped her knuckles on the table a few times, and said disdainfully, "Is that all? You're sending away beggars?"
Although Yulan is usually kind to others, she also has a bad temper in her heart and pulled Bao Fu back.
At worst, I can just throw away this mutton!
Bao Fu wanted to persuade her, but he couldn't stand Yulan's fast pace, so he hurried to catch up and explain, "Mrs. Yun is from the lowest class and has a fierce temper. Although she's not favored, she's noisy. The squinting maids judge people by their appearance and know that Mrs. Yun is not easy to mess with, so they don't try to trip her up. The one in our North Courtyard is a master, to put it nicely, but in reality, it's no different from being in prison."
Yulan listened in silence all the way. The weather was already hot and humid, and beads of sweat oozed out of her collar. She tidied up her sweat-soaked hair, threw the lunch box on the table, and went back to the house to get a broom taller than her.
Bao Fu was startled when he saw the broom, and then he saw Yulan's angry look and shouted, "You must be crazy! Master Liu took care of Concubine Yun's mischief, but who will take care of you if you do this?"
"Stop talking nonsense! I'll get those copper coins back for you! If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it myself! We in the North Courtyard can't always be bullied!"
Liu Er sat in the room, the window slightly ajar, allowing him to clearly see the entire courtyard. He looked at Yulan's back, then at the folded corner of a book in his hand. He unfolded it and saw a picture of a "cricket" inside.
When she returned, Yulan looked like a triumphant female general, a large broom in one hand and her "trophies" in the other. Bao Fu followed terrified behind her and immediately locked the north courtyard.
"Auntie, you're so fierce! I was afraid you'd chop her with a kitchen knife."
"That woman bullies the weak and fears the strong. If I'm not ruthless, won't I be squeezed and flattened?"
Yulan washed her face briefly and brought the food box in. Seeing that Liu Er was still reading, she began to set the dishes on the small round table and said with a smile, "Second Master, the kitchen has stewed mutton with radishes today, and mixed in some appetizing cucumbers and black fungus. Do you think it suits your taste?"
Liu Er raised his eyelids and watched Yulan's small mouth opening and closing as if she was chatting with him about family matters. He felt a sense of comfort and enjoyment in his heart. He walked to the round table and saw that Yulan was still smiling at him, as if what happened before had never happened.
"Sit down and eat together."
"Huh?" Yulan was startled. Just as she was about to find an excuse to escape, Liu Er stopped her from saying anything. "It's hot, I have no appetite. Go get two more sets of bowls and chopsticks."
Two pairs? What does that mean? Yulan was still stunned, not realizing what Liu Er was saying.
"Go quickly. I'm the master of the North Courtyard, and I have the final say."
Yulan brought the bowls and chopsticks in a dull manner, still a little dazed, and motioned for Bao Fu to come in. A master and two servants sat around the small round table, looking at the food on the table, but no one sat down.
"Shall I ask you two to sit down?"
"No, no." The two of them immediately sat down, picked up their bowls and chopsticks and started eating.
"Let's eat together from now on."
One? Eat? Yulan glanced at Bao Fu, who also looked puzzled. Liu Er found it amusing to watch the two people's eyes rolling around in front of him. This was the first time in all his years at the Liu family that he felt they weren't so cold. Just watching them was enough to satisfy him.
The next morning, before daybreak, the slanting-eyed old woman led Butler Liu to the north courtyard. Because Liu Er had woken up late, neither Yulan nor Bao Fu were used to getting up so early. They heard a faint knock on the door and slowly opened it. Upon opening, they were met with the snarky-faced old woman and Butler Liu's hateful expressions.
"Were you the one who beat up Old Lady Liu yesterday?" As soon as Butler Liu opened his mouth, the old lady poked Yulan's nose with her finger in a rage.
"That's her!"
Yulan pushed the finger forward and said with red eyes, "Master Liu, you have to make the decision for me. It was clearly my mother-in-law who didn't prepare food for the master, so how did I become the one who hit her? You know that the second young master is frail and sickly. The kitchen has to deduct the mutton soup he rarely wants."
As she spoke, Yulan became more and more aggrieved, and she cried so hard that Bao Fu was stunned.
The housekeeper glanced at the old woman, who quickly jumped up and started to argue as if her tail had been stepped on: "What do you mean the master wants to drink mutton soup? Just smell the pungent smell of mutton on her! She must be greedy and using the master as an excuse!"
Sheep smell? Yulan was the most particular about cleanliness, so she had to apply powder and ointment twice daily. It was a clear sign of dirty water. She cried even harder, accusing the slant-eyed woman of slander. Bao Fu was confused, but figuring it was right to follow Yulan's lead, he started crying too.
Butler Liu was annoyed by the noise, so he gave each of them twenty strokes of the ruler and let the matter go.
Just when Butler Liu thought he had taken care of the matter, Liu Er suddenly appeared out of nowhere and called him over. Although he was privately called "little bastard", he was still Master Liu's own flesh and blood after all, so Butler Liu still bowed respectfully.
"I wanted some mutton soup, but my maid was bullied just for asking the kitchen for a bowl of mutton soup on my behalf. Was it your fault, Steward Liu?"
"Second Master, it was my fault for not being able to control my subordinates, so this Liu Po was also punished."
Seeing that Butler Liu was being slick, Liu Er said, "Since you know that you can't control your servants, you should also be punished with twenty scissors. My maid hit someone, and I can't control my servants either. I should also be punished with twenty scissors and sent to the ancestral temple for punishment."
He asked Butler Liu to lead the way and brought them to the Liu family ancestral hall, determined to accept the punishment.
As they walked, Butler Liu's face darkened as he whispered to the squinting woman, "From now on, just give the North Courtyard whatever they want! You're dragging me down for those petty gains! The money I spend on groceries isn't enough for you to be greedy for? Do you know how busy I've been lately? The Master, the Madam, and the pregnant women in the West Courtyard are all so worrying! And I still have to take care of this kind of shitty business of yours!"
As Butler Liu spoke, the old woman did not dare to retort and just followed with her head lowered and small steps.
This incident was a fairly large and minor incident, and it had just happened to reach the ears of the East Courtyard. As soon as Aunt Chuanfang finished explaining the situation, Madam Qin laughed. She skimmed the foam from her tea and said, "He can be punished if he wants. There's no need to withhold money from the North Courtyard anymore. It wouldn't sound good if it got out. Besides studying, give him everything he wants."
Chuanfang listened to the instructions and went to make arrangements. As soon as she left, Aunt Lanfang came in with seven or eight young girls. The human trafficker in the lead was a chubby middle-aged woman with a round face and crescent-shaped facial features.
"I have met Madam. These are all carefully selected concubines with clean family backgrounds and good health. Do you think any of them satisfy you?"
Mrs. Qin took a quick look and found that they were all pretty and of similar height.
"She looks alright, but I wonder what her personality is like?"
"Don't worry, ma'am. They are all very obedient and sensible."
Madam Qin took a sip of her tea. If Master Liu hadn't decided not to enter the East Courtyard, why would she have bothered? She held back her anger. She wanted to find a good concubine who could easily bear a child for her and Master Liu, but she also didn't want Master Liu to live comfortably. After a long silence, she said, "Keep the quietest one."
Seeing that his business was successful, the human trafficker happily handed over the indenture to Aunt Lan Fang.
There was only one girl left in the main hall, with her eyelids drooping timidly. She didn't dare to look at Madam Qin who was sitting in the main seat.
"What's your name? Where are you from?"
"I am a commoner... Fan Ninghua, from Lujiang, nineteen years old... I lost my father at an early age, and followed my mother to remarry here. Because my mother was seriously ill... I have never had... marriage..." She said a lot in one breath, and Madam Qin did not interrupt, just closed her eyes and listened.
She spoke in a very low voice, sounding very labored, which was not what Mr. Liu liked, but she stayed anyway.
The doctor treating Liu San had to go to the North Courtyard today. It was funny to say that there were three people in the North Courtyard, and each of their hands needed medicine. All six of their hands were tightly bound with gauze, and the doctor had also instructed them not to get wet. The three of them looked at each other, then smiled. The work in this courtyard wouldn't matter for a few days, as their only master wouldn't care anyway.
Yulan and Bao Fu were thinking that since they couldn't do anything, they might as well get Liu Er to play mahjong. He always kept himself in the room reading when he had nothing to do, so they might as well take advantage of these days when he couldn't write to rest.
Liu Er had a cold expression on his face, but he was actually looking forward to it. He was talking nonsense, but he sat down honestly.
Yulan's little mouth started chattering about how to play leaf cards again. Liu Er wasn't really listening. He'd discovered that he'd recently really enjoyed watching Yulan talk. Her little mouth opened and closed, chattering endlessly, like a lively little cricket. But now he didn't mind the noise anymore; instead, he enjoyed it.
"Forget it, you'll know how to play it once we start." Yulan spread out the cards and shuffled them, and several people began to wash them clumsily, tying them with gauze.
The three of them were just relaxing when Aunt Qingfang came. Firstly, she brought some medicine to show her concern, and secondly, she knew that everyone was not doing well, so she wanted to add some manpower to the North Courtyard.
Liu Er didn't want it, but he knew his resistance was futile. He reluctantly left the staff behind, assigning the maids to Yulan and the servants to Bao Fu. However, Aunt Qingfang said Yulan was too inexperienced and brought in a senior maid of the first rank to manage the North Courtyard.
The maid was a servant assigned from the East Courtyard, named Haitang, who had previously worked for Aunt Qingfang. She had a broad, square face and a tall stature, so tall that from a distance she looked like a burly man. She was a quiet woman, and everything was arranged according to Aunt Qingfang's instructions.
Liu Er was angry and locked himself in the room again.
The so-called concern was out of kindness, but it was nothing more than being sent to monitor him. He was a sickly and disabled man, which really caused Mrs. Qin a lot of trouble.
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