Chapter 40 Snow Disaster When Granny Xu returned home after her evening shift, she saw her son...
When Granny Xu returned home after her evening shift, she saw her son and daughter-in-law smiling broadly as they saw the steward and her brother off. She stood to the side, not getting in the way of their work, and only came out after they had left: "My son, how was your day?"
"Mother, the steward is very satisfied!" Er Shun's wife said with a happy face. "He just told Er Shun to wait for good news."
"That's wonderful!"
"Let's go, let's go back and talk about it." Er Shun was afraid that others would hear, so he quickly pulled his mother and wife back.
Once inside, he couldn't wait to ask, "Mother, which shop did you buy these vegetables from? Did you use your own money?"
Er Shun's wife also looked worried upon hearing this.
Granny Xu waved her hands repeatedly: "No way—all this stuff, including the cost of vegetables, oil, and seasonings, only cost a hundred coins at most!"
"Really? The pig's trotters I ate today tasted even better than the ones my husband gave me!" Er Shun was taken aback. He wasn't exaggerating; just now, someone at the table had said he had spent a lot of money and was being too polite.
The pig's trotters had been stewed for a long time, their outer skin translucent and glistening, while the inside was soft, chewy, and tender. The group had originally intended them as a snack with their drinks, but after eating two or three pieces, they finally remembered the alcohol.
Not only was Er Shun completely captivated, but even the steward was dazzled by the food and nodded repeatedly.
This is just one dish; there are two other meat dishes as well!
Er Shun tasted it and found it hard to believe that this was the kind of flavor that ordinary restaurants and eateries could produce.
Er Shun's wife widened her eyes: "Our mother is really capable! She can even find such an inexpensive shop."
"What cheap shop? Don't talk nonsense, you two." Granny Xu was both amused and exasperated. She quickly explained, "Didn't I tell you two last time? Have you both forgotten? This was made by Madam Su from the main kitchen."
"Su... Su Niangzi? In the main kitchen... Oh!" Er Shun's wife was taken aback at first, then remembered: "You mean Han'er from Jiang Niangzi's family?"
"Madam Jiang? Madam Su? Sister Han?"
"That's the Jiang lady who took over Wang Pozi's job and now raises cats and sparrows in the lady's courtyard." Er Shun's wife knew Jiang lady, but they had never been close to her. She had only heard that her daughter worked in the main kitchen.
"I never expected her cooking skills to be so amazing!" Er Shun's wife couldn't help but praise Granny Xu again at the end. "When my mother told me that, I was still worried and was thinking about whether to go out and buy a roast chicken to add to the dishes."
Who knew—
"Our mother has such good taste!" Er Shun's wife gave a thumbs up and praised Granny Xu from head to toe.
"I told you, Xun Han'er was the right choice." Granny Xu's face was flushed, and her voice was louder than usual.
Although her son and daughter-in-law never treated her badly, Granny Xu was often criticized for being stupid and ridiculed for being only able to watch the servants' quarters for decades in the Marquis's mansion and never seeing her master all year round.
After being flattered by her daughter-in-law, Granny Xu felt lightheaded, her face glowing, and her heart filled with joy.
Reminded by his wife, Er Shun also recalled the Jiang family mother and daughter from the depths of his memory. However, he worked for the young master in the front yard and was unaware of what happened in the back yard, only having a vague impression: "I remember she made tea cakes before and received a reward. I didn't expect her to have such good skills..."
"People are now making first-class and second-class food."
"Huh?" Er Shun was taken aback and hurriedly inquired about the relationship between Granny Xu and Su Zhihan, how she persuaded her to help cook, and most importantly, how it cost 100 coins.
After Granny Xu finished explaining the whole story, Er Shun and his wife both felt it was inappropriate: "Mother, this is your fault. How can you only give one hundred coins?"
"Last time, Brother Li from the courtyard invited Aunt Zhang to cook for his birthday. She gave him five hundred coins for just one dish, and he even thought it was cheap!"
"I would like to give more, but Madam Su is very polite and unwilling to accept it." Granny Xu said with a worried look, and then recounted what had happened that day.
"This... is a problem." Er Shun frowned as well. There's an art to gift-giving; it's best to give something that makes everyone happy. If they insist on giving money, it might make them seem distant instead of building rapport. But exchanging one hundred coins for three dishes felt a bit excessive to Er Shun and his wife.
The family of three discussed this matter for quite a while.
The following evening, Granny Xu brought two jugs of sauce and pastries to thank Su Zhihan.
She wanted to give him more money, but Su Zhihan politely refused again. However, this time Granny Xu had a point: "I know that Madam Su is being considerate of me and doesn't want me to spend more money."
"But that's how it is in our household."
“My son said yesterday that Zhang Mama used to cook for the boys in his courtyard and charged them 500 coins for each dish, which was a regular price.”
"You made three dishes, so I'll give you one hundred coins."
"If word gets out, what price will be appropriate for other people who come to you for cooking?" Granny Xu said to Su Zhihan.
"What does it matter? I just told people that I was still helping out at Cao Mama's place, and then Mama came to ask me for help."
"That wouldn't be good." Granny Xu remembered what her daughter-in-law had said and quickly stopped Su Zhihan: "If someone misunderstands, they might think that Madam Su thinks they have no taste. That would be a mistake and offend people."
Su Zhihan was taken aback at first, then frowned.
Seeing Su Zhihan hesitate, Granny Xu quickly took out another piece of paper from her bosom and stuffed it into Su Zhihan's hand: "I know that Madam Su is trustworthy and kind, and does not want to take more money from me, so how about this—please accept this!"
"This is--"
"It's the recipe for those melon seeds," Granny Xu said with a smile, pulling Su Zhihan along. "Try making it later, I guarantee it will taste exactly the same!"
Su Zhihan hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it after being persuaded by Granny Xu. After seeing off the happy Granny Xu, she carefully wrote down the prescription, then turned around and put the paper in the stove to burn.
Witnessing Granny Xu's arrival was Wang's wife. She watched Granny Xu and Su Zhihan being intimate and felt uneasy. Suddenly, she remembered that her husband had been drinking alone last night and had complained to her before going to bed that Granny Xu's son, Er Shun, had paid for people to drink but hadn't invited him.
After much deliberation, Wang's wife decided that she couldn't wait any longer.
That evening, she discussed it with her husband, and the next day she brought some things to apologize in person.
Jiang Zhenniang accepted the gift with a lukewarm attitude, but at least the neighborly relationship was restored. Wang Pozi only found out about it later, but she had long lost her former arrogance. She sat on the edge of the kang with her head down, rubbing the chilblains on her hands, listening to her son's complaints.
"Ren Ershun treated everyone to the food made by Han Jie'er."
"The manager has already agreed, saying that he will be sent to serve in the front later..." Wang Xuerong drank his wine, glancing sideways at the silent Granny Wang.
If she hadn't offended the Jiang family, and since they were neighbors, Sister Han would definitely have helped with the cooking, and perhaps that opportunity would have fallen into her lap.
The more Wang Xuerong thought about it, the more resentful he became, and the worse his gaze became towards Granny Wang.
...
After the winter solstice, it snowed heavily for five days.
Because of the weather, Su Zhihan did not leave the manor. She only learned from the steward and servants who usually went out to buy supplies that there was a snow disaster in various places around the capital. It was said that some villages and towns were swallowed up by the heavy snow, and most of the people in the villages were gone.
The servants in the Marquis's mansion had never heard of such things before, and they were all terrified, their faces turning pale. They gathered together, asking the stewards and servants, or the young maids who had been brought in to buy supplies, if they had ever seen such a sight.
Some people asked Su Zhihan, but she just shook her head and remained silent. Little did she know that her mother and she were eager to sever ties with the Su family.
However, not everyone who entered the manor like the Jiang mother and daughter completely severed ties with their family. For example, a maid named Xiao Tao wiped away her tears, saying that the price of firewood and charcoal outside had more than tripled, and her family had sent a letter asking for her help, so she sent all her saved monthly wages back home.
Everyone present sighed in sympathy. Some of the younger maids who were on good terms with Xiao Tao even gave her a few copper coins so she could get some money in an emergency. When Su Zhihan saw this, she and Yinghong and the others stepped forward and also gave Xiao Tao a few copper coins.
Cao's mother was a step too slow, pulling the group back to their original positions: "Oh dear, why give money? Look around, are any of the older folks in the house going up to give money?"
"Just a temporary fix..."
"Sigh, how much of what these girls say is true and how much is false? Don't believe them all." Cao Mama had been in the Marquis's mansion for many years and had seen a lot. There was a reason why the masters in the mansion preferred to use servants born into the household.
She couldn't help but tell the others about what had happened in the manor. Ahead, there were young maids who had been bought and sent back by their families. They first sent their monthly allowances back home, and then went on to steal gold and silver from the manor.
Once the person was caught and handed over to the authorities, the family refused to come forward, claiming it was all their daughter's fault and denying that they had taken the gold and silver.
By then, it will be too late for regrets.
Su Zhihan was unaware of this, and she glanced at Xiao Tao wiping away her tears, and said with a smile, "It's been snowing for half a month now, maybe they really can't make ends meet, which is why they came to us for help."
Su Zhihan, worried that Cao's mother might feel uncomfortable, quickly added, "Besides, a few copper coins isn't much. If she's lying, we'll just consider it money we paid to judge her, and keep our distance in the future. If she really is in trouble, then I've done a good deed for my family."
After hearing this, Cao's mother also thought it made sense. She originally didn't want to give it, but now she also asked Cao Daya to step forward and give Xiao Tao two copper coins.
However, Su Zhihan felt a sense of worry as she listened to the discussions in the main kitchen. After things were settled in the evening, she planned to go to Grandma Chen's house to check on her situation and see if she had suffered any damage.
As soon as Su Zhihan reached the door, she saw Granny Xu come forward to greet her: "Madam Su, Madam Su? It's so cold, are you going out?"
"Okay, I'm going out to buy some things."
"The roads outside are very slippery, so please be careful—by the way, my wife is home today. What do you need to buy? Or I can ask her to buy it for you!"
"No need, no need, I'm just taking a walk and looking around." Su Zhihan exchanged a few words with the enthusiastic Granny Xu and walked out of the Marquis's residence. The road in front of the Marquis's gate was in good condition; it was regularly swept and looked clean.
After walking a short distance, she saw a completely different scene. Most of the shops in the market were not open for business, many shop signs and tiles were lying on the ground, and one inn was even half collapsed, with tables, chairs and utensils all crushed inside. The shopkeeper was wiping away tears and calling his wife and children to help clean up the mess.
Su Zhihan glanced at it and continued walking forward. Soon she saw the street officials and servants passing by.
The Street Office was similar to the sanitation bureau and urban management law enforcement bureau of later times. It was responsible for the daily cleaning and repair of city streets, ditch cleaning, and order maintenance. It was also the most common minor official in the capital.
Their complexions were poor, with dark circles under their eyes. Most importantly, they were all dragging hemp ropes with straw mats attached to the ends. The straw mats were tightly wrapped into long strips, making them look very cumbersome.
Suddenly, a grayish-white arm slid out from the straw mat and moved up and down the road.
The people around Su Zhihan held their breath and instinctively made way for her. Only after the street officials had gone far away did whispers begin to circulate in her ears: "Another person...frozen to death."
"This is the third time today, right? At least a dozen people have died."
"That's more than that... There are so many city gates, I reckon it's at least four or five times more!"
“Sigh… At least he died at home. My family said that all the roads to the mountains were blocked, and many horse-drawn carts and donkey carts had fallen into the valley at some point, freezing to death along with the people and animals.”
A gloom settled over the faces of the people, and after a few words, they could say nothing more. They hurried away, some to earn money, others to repair their houses, not wanting themselves or their families to become the next corpses dragged away by the street sweepers.
Su Zhihan stood there, feeling uneasy. Only after the group from the Street Office disappeared at the end of the road did she pick up her feet again and head towards Grandma Chen's house.
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