Chapter 76 Chapter 76 I Miss Him
With the competition about to begin, Rong Linyan stayed in the sword hall every day, practicing diligently and studying each sword technique manual given to him by Bai Hua in an effort to improve his skills and achieve breakthroughs.
Madam Rong was deeply worried after not seeing her son for several days.
She sent someone to summon Bai Hua, and with a smile implying that she could personally prepare a meal and snacks to take to the Sword Hall as a sign of care. After all, she was going to marry into the Rong Mansion in the future, so showing up at the Sword Hall now wouldn't be impolite.
Bai Hua was unwilling, but at the moment she and her personal maid Xiao You were still living in the Rong Mansion, so she had no choice but to agree.
As the two were about to leave Chenxiang Garden, they happened to run into their two older cousins who came in to greet them. They brushed past each other, nodding to avoid further pleasantries.
Rong Chifei entered the room and sat down, snorting in dissatisfaction. She said, "She's getting more and more unruly. She dares to act like a proper young lady from a prominent family in the capital, but she doesn't even greet people. Is she arrogant or deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"
Rong Chifang didn't think her cousin was being rude, and smoothed things over by saying, "You're overthinking it. Hua'er didn't mean it that way. Mother told her to go to the Sword Hall to visit her brother, and she was in a hurry to get to the kitchen to prepare, so it's understandable that she left in a rush."
Rong Chifei wouldn't listen to any advice. She looked at Madam Rong and continued relentlessly, "Mother, the Bai family is declining and in decline, while my brother has a bright future. If he really becomes a favorite of the Great General Wang in the future, he will surely be favored by noble ladies. Why don't we delay and make sure it falls through, and then try to arrange a marriage that will benefit my brother? This will not only be beneficial to my brother's career, but the entire Rong family will also benefit."
Everyone understands this principle, but Bai Hua is, after all, the daughter of Madam Rong's own sister, and is related by blood. How can one clearly calculate the pros and cons?
Rong Chifang had long regarded Bai Hua as her future sister-in-law. Upon hearing this, she said, "That's not quite right. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Marrying a noble lady can indeed bring immediate benefits, but our family has declined from imperial merchants to local merchants. I'm afraid our temple is too small to accommodate such a great person. In terms of talent and appearance, Hua'er is impeccable. Although her status is not as glamorous as before, she is still a good match for my brother. Moreover, she is the daughter of my mother's only sister. It is only natural for us to take care of her."
The two daughters each held their own opinion, and neither could persuade the other, so they both looked to Madam Rong, waiting for their mother to give her opinion.
Madam Rong remained silent for a long while, lost in thought and memories.
Thirty years ago, my father betrothed my elder sister to the Bai family, an earldom of equal social standing, and married her to the Rong family, a wealthy and powerful merchant family favored by the late emperor. One daughter married into power and the other into wealth; both marriages were considered quite good.
However, the emperor's orders were constantly changing and his intentions were unpredictable. With one decree, the once respected Rong family, the imperial merchants, suddenly plummeted in status, becoming no different from ordinary merchants and peddlers of the lowest rank. They had no place to stay in the capital and had to move to their hometown of Jiling to make a living.
Thus, the two sisters' fates diverged. The elder sister, as the Earl's wife, lived a glamorous life as a noblewoman for decades, while the Rong family faded into obscurity after leaving the capital, and when they were mentioned again, they were referred to as the Earl's wife's poor relatives.
Madam Rong couldn't swallow this insult and was even more unwilling to accept it. They were clearly siblings from the same mother, so why was she so much inferior to her sister?
However, fortunes change, and unexpected events can happen at any time. Now, the Bai family has also become dependent on the Rong family.
Madam Rong never surpassed her elder sister in her entire life, yet she found a morbid sense of superiority in her sister's daughter.
Back then, despite the risks and her husband's objections, she insisted on letting the daughter of a disgraced official stay in the mansion. This was not only out of pity for Bai Hua, an orphan with no one to rely on, nor entirely out of pleading for Lin Yan. More importantly, it was because she wanted to console herself with a desire to regain her pride.
Pulling herself out of her reverie, Madam Rong composed herself and began to reprimand her two daughters: "What are you arguing about? Your brother has lofty ambitions and practices diligently every day, neglecting his family. He has put in so much hard work to prepare for the competition, and as his mother, I feel sorry for him. It's just a matter of finding someone to comfort him. What's wrong with that? Lin Yan is a man of his own mind. He won't listen to my advice, nor will he listen to yours. Only Hua'er's words have any effect on him. If I don't send her, who else can I send?"
Rong Chifei muttered under her breath, "But by doing this, aren't you just openly declaring to the public that Bai Hua is your future daughter-in-law? With your brother's career about to take off, Bai Hua has transformed from a fallen heiress into an official's wife. What a huge advantage she's gained! Why is it that the Bai family is always so lucky, and their suffering is only temporary?"
Hearing this, Madam Rong felt particularly uncomfortable.
This is precisely the crux of her intractable problem.
Yes, why should we?
Why is it that my sister can enjoy the respectable life of a noblewoman in the capital, while I can only make a meager living in a small town by running a sword-making business? Why is it that my daughter is an unappreciated merchant's daughter, while my sister's daughter is born a noble lady, a golden branch and jade leaf?
Hua'er has only been down on her luck for three years, and she will soon be able to return to a life of luxury and wealth by marrying Lin Yan.
Thinking this way, Madam Rong felt unhappy and resentful.
Madam Rong closed her eyes wearily, raised her hand to rub her temples, and said in a tired tone, "The marriage is still uncertain. Let's wait until the competition is over before we talk about it."
Rong Chifang and Rong Chifei looked at each other, each with their own thoughts. After responding, the two of them left their mother's room one after the other.
...
In the kitchen.
Bai Hua and Xiao You were busy preparing the dishes together. Neither of them had any particular ideas about what to make; they just used whatever was available in the kitchen.
Seeing that the butcher had delivered a very fresh row of pork ribs this morning, Bai Hua decided to stew a pot of pork rib soup. It would be convenient and not seem perfunctory. Xiao You had visibly lost weight, so she decided to make a little extra to help the little girl recover.
Simmering soup requires skill; it takes time and effort to cook it over low heat to make it fragrant and delicious.
While waiting, Bai Hua prepared to make some dough and dessert. She gestured to Xiao You, "There seems to be a bag of raw chestnuts in the bamboo basket in the corner. Can you bring it over? Let's peel them and make chestnut cake. Do you want some?"
Xiao You's eyes lit up, her mouth watered, and she nodded quickly: "I want to eat, I want to eat. The osmanthus pudding and chestnut cake you make are absolutely delicious. Even the old-established pastry chefs in the third alley of Jiling Food Street can't make these two cakes as well as you."
Bai Hua smiled and, following Xiao You's praise, began to boast: "We belong to the Beijing school of cooking, and we have been instructed by the imperial chefs of the capital. Our skills are naturally no less than those of others."
Xiao You quickly brought the chestnuts over and placed them on the table, then deftly gathered her sleeves and prepared to peel them.
Bai Hua was about to start peeling her nails when Xiao You stopped her, saying, "Miss, don't peel them. Your nails are well-maintained and have grown out to the right length. I recently learned some nail polish patterns and I'm just waiting for you to come back so I can paint your nails."
Bai Hua spread her hands, looked down at her fingers, which were tender and glossy, with white crescent-shaped fingers, almost exactly the same as before she left.
She initially approached Ning Jue on Xianyang Mountain as a maid. She was mentally prepared to endure some hardship, but she never expected that she would be treated much better than she had imagined.
Ning Jue treated her very well. Just like Xiao You, he would take the initiative to do the difficult and strenuous work, afraid that she would get her skin chafed or her nails damaged.
The only difference is that Xiao You's concern for her was appropriate in terms of status and position, while Ning Jue's attitude towards her was the opposite, a special care that was not in accordance with the rules for a master to give to a maid.
Bai Hua was slow to realize, and only now, looking back, did she belatedly realize that back when they lived in the wilderness on Xianyang Mountain, the young master had already treated her differently.
If we're talking about developing feelings for someone, perhaps he did it much earlier.
Bai Hua snapped out of her reverie and answered Xiao You's question, "Really? What have you learned?"
Xiao You smiled and began to elaborate, as if to take credit: "There are so many, all of them are the latest styles. Before, I only knew how to apply five-color nail polish, changing the color of each of my five fingers, but the overall look was still monotonous. This time, I found a master, and I have benefited a lot from it."
Bai Hua: "Master?"
Xiao You explained the whole story: "It's like this. Not long ago, A Cui and I accompanied the young lady shopping, and we happened to visit the same hairpin shop as the prefect's daughter. The prefect's daughter had a maid named Zhao'er with her, who was very talkative. We got along very well and started meeting up from time to time to chat. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I learned a lot of nail polish dyeing techniques from Sister Zhao'er. For example, she taught me to use a fine-tipped brush dipped in flower juice to outline butterfly patterns, and to use gold and silver foil for decoration. I've learned all of these."
Bai Hua smiled and praised Xiao You: "So smart, when I have some free time, I'll definitely let you show off your dyeing skills."
Xiao You nodded vigorously, looking eager to make a name for herself.
The two stopped talking about nail polish and turned their attention back to the bag of raw chestnuts. Xiao You couldn't persuade Bai Hua otherwise, so the two of them worked together to efficiently peel all the raw chestnuts.
As the chestnuts were steamed and Bai Hua was about to mash them, she noticed Xiao You hesitated, as if she had something on her mind.
Bai Hua asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao You immediately shook her head and said it was nothing, but the more she did so, the more it seemed like she was trying to cover something up.
Bai Hua stopped what she was doing, looked over inquisitively, and asked thoughtfully, "Did your second cousin cause you any trouble while I was gone?"
Xiao You shook her head more vigorously, denying it outright: "No, no, Miss, don't worry, I've learned my lesson. Since the Second Miss always dislikes us, we just avoid her. Besides, the Second Miss has always wanted to compete with you for attention, so since you're not in the manor, she naturally won't remember me."
Bai Hua was afraid that Xiao You was lying, so she rolled up her sleeves and carefully checked for any injuries. Only after confirming that there were none did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She asked, "If you weren't bullied, then what were you trying to ask just now?"
Xiao You had no choice but to tell the truth: "It's just... it's just that I feel like the young lady suddenly doesn't care much about the young master anymore. The young master loves to drink the troublesome crucian carp and tofu soup, but the young lady made pork rib soup instead. The young master loves to eat honey-glazed osmanthus soft cheese, but the young lady didn't prepare it and instead made chestnut cake."
Bai Hua didn't respond to Xiao You's guess in the first half of her sentence, and said in a calm tone, "It's just using what's available. Don't overthink it. The chestnut cake is for you. Don't you like it?"
Hearing this, Xiao You was deeply moved. Forgetting about how her young lady felt about Young Master Rong, she worked even harder to knead the chestnut flour and glutinous rice flour into the mold.
Bai Hua didn't want to talk about Rong Linyan, and because she was worried about not being able to tell Xiao You the truth, she met someone outside who loved to eat chestnut cake.
Fortunately, Xiao You did not press further, focusing intently on her work.
Bai Hua lowered her gaze, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt much more relaxed.
The chestnut cakes were in their initial shape, forming eight petals, and were arranged in an orderly fashion on the wooden board. Bai Hua and Xiao You felt a great sense of accomplishment as they looked at them.
The two of them carefully placed the shaped pastries one by one into the steamer.
Xiao You stayed behind to keep an eye on the heat, while Bai Hua moved two steps away, cut two pieces of corn, and added them to the pork rib soup to stew together.
Actually, she hadn't forgotten her cousin's taste. He loved crucian carp soup the most, and on his birthdays, her aunt and two older cousins would carefully prepare different kinds for him—pickled cabbage flavor, mushroom flavor, tomato flavor, you name it. But her cousin had said that of all the fish soups he had ever tasted, she was the best.
Hearing those words back then warmed her heart, but now, her feelings are completely different.
It was a coincidence, or you could say it wasn't.
Ning Jue also loves fish soup. It's surprising that these two people who don't get along have such similar tastes.
Bai Hua stared at the pot lid, slightly lost in thought.
She didn't know why she chose to stew pork ribs. If she wanted to use something nearby, there was a fish stall just across the street. She could have asked her servant to go out and buy a fresh fish, which would have taken no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. It was very convenient.
But in the end, she used other ingredients, citing the need to save time.
Is it something you're insisting on?
Maybe.
Perhaps because she had made fish soup for the young master so many times, she was no longer used to making it for others.
She couldn't help but recall the young master's relaxed expression and approving gaze as he slowly savored the fish soup; the sense of accomplishment she felt was unprecedented.
A subtle, bittersweet feeling suddenly welled up in my heart.
Bai Hua realized that she missed him.
I really want to.
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