Chapter 10 Bet
The next day, when Aman woke up, it was already broad daylight.
Thinking that he had slept so soundly through the night, Aman couldn't help but feel amazed.
After getting dressed, I opened the window. The weather was still bad today; it was foggy outside. A gust of cool wind blew in, and Aman sneezed. He quickly closed the window.
It's so cold, and I'm so hungry.
As usual, after washing up and boiling water, Aman waited quietly for the Marquis's residence to send over breakfast.
Today's breakfast was still white porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables, and perhaps because she was too hungry, she felt that today's breakfast was less than usual.
The steamed buns were still five, but they looked noticeably smaller. The porridge was the same; the bowl that was usually full was only half full today.
Fortunately, the porridge still hadn't boiled, so she added water and cooked it, managing to make a large pot of it.
Listening to the sound of the white porridge boiling in the pot, Aman's gaze fell on the wild vegetables beside him. If conditions allowed, wild vegetables were actually quite good.
Unfortunately, there was nothing in Wutong Garden, so even if she wanted to do it, she was powerless to do so.
When serving the porridge, Aman filled a large bowl to the brim for Fu Yunxiu, and after putting in one steamed bun, she broke it in half.
Fu Yunxiu didn't say anything when he saw the one and a half steamed buns. He finished his porridge and only ate half a steamed bun.
When Mantou brought out the remaining half of the steamed bun, he couldn't help but complain, "Did the cook at the Marquis's mansion slack off today? He put the steamed buns in the pot before they had risen."
Aman knew he was referring to the small size of the steamed buns, but she just glanced at him and didn't say anything.
These steamed buns are indeed fluffy and soft, but they have definitely become smaller.
Even at this point, Aman still didn't think much of it. It wasn't until noon when the Marquis's residence delivered lunch that the food was noticeably less, and one of the dishes even looked like leftovers from yesterday—a mushy bowl of food that was impossible to identify.
"These damned people, could they be taking kickbacks from them again?" This kind of thing has happened before. When the Marquis's mansion sent over leftovers, the young master had just moved in not long ago. He was furious and went to argue with them. Although he got a scolding from the young master, at least it had some effect.
From then on, no matter how perfunctory the food was, it was always better than leftovers.
But unexpectedly, they've made a comeback.
Even so, Mantou dared not make any rash moves this time. The young master had never liked to associate with the Marquis's mansion, let alone cause a scene over a meal.
Mantou explained the situation to Aman, but Aman still felt that it wasn't quite right.
After all, the amount of food had been suddenly reduced since last night. Even if someone did take a kickback, it wouldn't be so obvious. Besides, with the food the young master is eating now, what kind of kickback could he possibly get?
But no matter what, food still needs to be eaten. Aman didn't want Fu Yunxiu to eat leftovers, so she made a wild vegetable soup.
The wild vegetables are fresh and naturally delicious; they only need a little saltiness from the pickled vegetables.
Mantou watched as Aman made a soup in the blink of an eye, and the look in his eyes was beyond admiration.
The remaining food was obviously not enough for the two of them, but after tasting the dark-colored dish, neither of them dared to touch it again.
After all, going hungry is a small matter, but getting sick and having diarrhea from eating bad food is a big deal. Who knows how many days the food has been sitting there?
But Aman took this matter seriously, so when the people from the Marquis's residence came to deliver dinner that evening, Aman specifically mentioned it.
The other person was a young girl about the same age as Aman. When Aman said that there was not enough food for them and that there were too many people to eat, she nodded repeatedly and said that she would definitely tell the kitchen about it.
Aman thought there was hope, but to her surprise, the next day, the person delivering the food was changed from a young girl to a lean young man.
Aman opened the lunchbox and found that the portion was the same as yesterday, or even less.
Seeing that the man was about to leave, Aman hurriedly reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Brother, could you please tell the kitchen to prepare a little more food in the future? After all, there are three people in Wutong Courtyard now, and the young master is not in good health. He can't always eat this kind of bland food."
Hearing Aman's words, the man looked troubled. "The food is always arranged by those above. I'm just a food deliveryman. Please don't make things difficult for me, young lady."
“I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you,” Aman reached into his sleeve, took out the few coins he had, and stuffed them into his hand. “I just want you to pass on a message to the cook in the kitchen.”
"Girl, I really can't help you with this, so please don't make things difficult for me." The man pushed away Aman's hand that was trying to give him money, took two quick steps, and clearly didn't want to get entangled with Aman.
Aman realized there was nothing he could do, so he asked about the whereabouts of the girl from before.
"Oh, her? She did something wrong and angered Chef Song, so she got beaten up and is now recuperating in the woodshed."
Upon hearing this, Aman immediately understood. What could he have done wrong? He'd only relayed a message for him…
It was my own fault that she was harmed.
A man felt a pang of guilt and handed over the few coins he had in his hand again. "Then I'll trouble you, brother, to go and see her for me and pass on a message: thank you for relaying my message, and I'm sorry she was implicated because of me."
"This..." The man hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the money. "Alright then, I will definitely pass on your message, young lady."
After the man left, Aman carried the food box into the room and turned around to see Mantou pushing Fu Yunxiu to stand at the door of the main room. The two of them stared intently at each other, their eyes full of scrutiny.
Realizing she had just been somewhat entangled with another man, and fearing misunderstandings, Aman quickly explained, "No, I was just..."
"Steamed bun." Fu Yunxiu interrupted her, giving her a cold look, as if he didn't want to hear her explanation.
Mantou understood and hurriedly pushed him towards the outhouse.
Aman hadn't seen Fu Yunxiu for a day, and when she suddenly saw him, she stared at him blankly, her eyes practically glued to him.
Fu Yunxiu held back for a long time, but finally snapped just before Mantou was about to help him up, "How much longer are you going to watch, Miss?"
His cold voice was like ice, making Aman shiver. Only then did he realize that he needed to urinate.
Immediately, Aman's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. He grabbed the food box and dashed into the kitchen like a shot.
When Mantou returned to the kitchen, Aman's face was still flushed. Mantou glanced at the breakfast that had been delivered that day and, sure enough, the portion was much smaller.
"Did the person delivering the food change today?" Mantou asked.
He and the young master had been standing there watching because Chunyu, who had always been in charge of delivering meals, had been replaced. From that person's account, Mantou could probably piece together most of the story.
He overheard Aman giving instructions to Chunyu yesterday, and then Chunyu was punished for doing something wrong. He would never believe there was nothing fishy going on.
What a coincidence!
Aman nodded, looking at the bubbling white porridge in the pot with a worried expression.
If it were just a matter of reducing the amount of food, she and the steamed bun could simply eat less. But the problem is, they're using leftovers that have been sitting out for who knows how long. The young master's health is already poor; if he can't even have basic food and warmth, how can he possibly survive?
"I guess Madam has offended Second Madam again," Mantou guessed.
Since the young master moved out of the Marquis's mansion, he has been practically invisible. If it weren't for the innocent bystanders being affected, Mantou really couldn't imagine what reason the Second Madam would have to cut back on the food in Wutong Garden.
He couldn't believe that a cook had so much power to arbitrarily punish a maid.
"Why don't we cook for ourselves?" Aman suggested. At least that way, they wouldn't be at the mercy of others.
"It's easier said than done," Mantou sighed.
Not to mention that the second wife is now in charge of the household affairs, and their spending is already dependent on her, even if they really started cooking for themselves, the kitchen would need to be repaired, cooking utensils would need to be prepared, and rice, flour, oil, and salt would all cost money.
Now, even if the entire Wutong Garden were dug up, not a single tael of silver could be raised.
After hearing Mantou's analysis, Aman felt a little discouraged. Without money, there were obstacles everywhere.
But Ah Man was still somewhat unwilling to give up like this.
She felt that a man as upright and noble as the young master shouldn't live such a stifled life.
After breakfast, Aman locked herself in her room and thought it over. She still felt it would be better for her to cook for herself.
Although rice and flour are not cheap, the price of last year's old rice has dropped by half. As for oil and salt, one purchase is enough to last a long time.
As for repairing houses, if bricks and tiles are too expensive, thatch can be used, as long as it can provide shelter from the wind and rain.
After careful calculation, Ah Man concluded that, including all the miscellaneous expenses and labor costs, three taels of silver would be enough.
Moreover, as Mantou had previously stated, according to the rules, even though the young master had moved out of the Marquis's residence, his monthly allowance should still be ten taels of silver.
She can forget about the previous allowances; she only needs this month's allowance, which shouldn't be difficult.
Aman always does what she thinks. Once she has made up her mind, she will put it into action. Therefore, when Fu Yunxiu heard her suggestion, he was a little taken aback.
If I remember correctly, he hasn't allowed her to stay yet!
“Young master, I’ve calculated it carefully. All the miscellaneous firewood, rice, oil, salt, and house repairs will only cost three taels of silver. According to your usual allowance, that’s more than enough.” Aman chattered on and on, her eyes shining like pearls under the moon.
Fu Yunxiu was influenced by her, and his mood, which had been low because of the weather, brightened up a bit.
But he still remembered his initial insistence, and after Aman finished speaking, he added leisurely, "Miss Aman, if I remember correctly, I haven't decided to let you stay yet."
But Aman ignored him and said to himself, "As for the chef, you don't need to worry about that at all. I'm a good cook, so we can save that money."
Mantou watched the two talking to themselves, especially the young master, who seemed to have punched cotton. She spoke up at the right moment to ease the awkwardness, "Miss Aman, actually you miscalculated."
"Huh?" Aman was interrupted and looked completely bewildered.
“Yongzhou is not like your place. Things here are not cheap. All these miscellaneous fees add up, and it won’t be less than six or seven taels of silver,” Mantou said.
"What? Six or seven taels?" Aman was utterly shocked. This was double the price she had calculated. "Is it that expensive?"
"Hmm." Mantou nodded cruelly, and given the current situation of the Marquis's mansion, it would probably not be so easy to get this allowance back.
Aman was slightly discouraged, but then she thought that the young master's allowance was ten taels, so even if he spent six taels, he would still have four taels left. Four taels of silver was more than enough to support the three of them. Before, when she and her grandmother were alone, they didn't even need half a tael of silver a month.
Having figured all this out, Aman instantly felt fully revitalized. "Then there are still four ounces left, right?"
But the problem is...
"Mantou," Mantou was about to say that the problem was that it was difficult to get the money back, but Fu Yunxiu interrupted him. He put down the book in his hand, and a hint of a smile appeared in his usually calm eyes as he looked at Aman. "I think Miss Aman's idea is very good."
He raised an eyebrow and smiled handsomely. "Then I'll trouble Miss Aman to go to the Marquis's residence to ask for your allowance."
It was rare to see her young master so gentle, and Aman stared at him intently, completely unaware of the hidden scheming within.
But steamed buns are different.
He could tell at a glance that the young master had ill intentions.
Before he could stop him, Aman happily agreed, "Okay, I promise to complete the mission."
“That’s good,” Fu Yunxiu nodded, then his tone turned icy, “But if you can’t get it back, please leave Wutong Garden on your own.”
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