Chapter 45 On that day, "Li Lang, your stinky tofu is ready." "This..."
"Li Lang, your stinky tofu is ready."
"Two skewers here—and two bags of dried tofu, please."
"Okay, that's eleven coins in total."
"I'd like two tiger-skin eggs, and a skewer of stinky tofu, please?"
"Okay, that's six coins in total."
"I'd like two skewers of stinky tofu."
"Okay... Oh, Mrs. Su." Not only were Grandma Chen and Xiao Hong busy at the stall, but Grandpa Hu, whose health had just improved, also came over to help collect money. He looked up and saw Su Zhihan, paused for a moment, and then subconsciously greeted her.
"Grandpa Hu, I'm here to patronize your business." Su Zhihan blinked before Grandpa Hu could say anything more.
There were so many people on the street right now, and there might even be people from the Marquis's mansion here. She didn't want the whole world to know that she was setting up a stall.
Just like today, she didn't bring Jiang Zhenniang here specifically to see the pavilion stall, but happened to come along the way and saw Grandma Chen and her family diligently setting up their stall before even finishing making their signboard.
"Oh, it's been a long time since Miss Su has come." Grandpa Hu, despite his age, was quite perceptive. He smiled and took a few copper coins from Su Zhihan's hand: "Would you like sweet or savory sauce?"
"It's sweet, isn't it?"
"Alright." Grandpa Hu was very quick and efficient, and soon he handed two skewers of stinky tofu to Su Zhihan.
As for Grandma Chen and Xiao Hong, they were so busy that they didn't even notice when Su Zhihan came or left. They only found out that Su Zhihan had come when they closed up shop in the evening.
Jiang Zhenniang looked around curiously. She knew about stinky tofu and that it had caused quite a stir in the kitchen, but she had never actually eaten it.
That vat of uniquely flavored brine... even now, Jiang Zhenniang dares not recall its smell. As for what happened afterward, her daughter took the pot and the brine with her, so she never got a chance to try it herself.
Jiang Zhenniang stared at the fried stinky tofu. The stinky tofu, freshly scooped from the oil, was steaming hot, and its golden surface was brushed with a layer of reddish-brown, glossy sauce, making it look exceptionally tempting.
Jiang Zhenniang took a deep sniff, and what filled her nostrils was a unique aroma composed of the fragrance of oil, beans, and soy sauce, which had absolutely nothing to do with the word "stinky".
Finally, she took one more small bite.
With a crackling sound, the crispy yet slightly chewy tofu skin is torn open, and the fried tofu inside, coated in sauce, rolls into your mouth, quickly bringing heat and aroma deep into your mouth.
"Hoo hoo..." Jiang Zhenniang opened her mouth and hissed a few times before savoring it. Although it was said to be sweet, the sweetness was not prominent; the light, refreshing sweetness actually brought out the original flavor of the tofu.
One bite after another, one piece after another.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Zhenniang had finished the entire skewer of fried stinky tofu. She licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, and if it weren't for the increasingly long queue in front of the stall, she would have loved to buy two more skewers to try.
Why doesn't this girl say it's delicious?
Jiang Zhenniang glanced at her daughter resentfully, then her gaze fell on Su Zhihan's hands, which were red from the cold.
She thought for a moment, then went to the stall next door.
After Su Zhihan finished eating the stinky tofu, a piping hot meat bun wrapped in oil paper fell into her hand.
A warm current meandered up her palm and slowly flowed into her heart, instantly dispelling all the chill from Su Zhihan's body.
"Come on, have a meat bun to warm yourself up." Jiang Zhenniang pointed to the mutton bun stall. To everyone's surprise, the bun seller was a Western Region merchant with deep-set eyes, a high nose, and curly hair.
People from the Western Regions are common, but it's rare to see one selling steamed buns. A crowd of Beijing residents surrounded him, asking questions and pulling out their wallets to buy either a mutton steamed bun or a mutton flatbread.
"Huh? Mutton buns made by people from the Western Regions?" Even though her palms were slightly red from being burned by the meat buns, Su Zhihan didn't let go. After glancing at the Western Regions vendors, she quickly took a bite to try it.
The steamed dough is soft and fluffy, thin and light, and the inside is soaked with mutton broth. It sticks to the tip of your tongue with every bite.
Immediately afterwards, the aroma of mutton fat spread across the tip of the tongue, and the rich meat juices rushed into the mouth, quickly filling every part.
These mutton buns are exceptionally well-made. The mutton inside is cut into large chunks instead of minced, preserving its freshness to the fullest. With each bite, the deliciousness of the mutton and wild onions bursts in your mouth. This rustic and direct flavor is completely different from the mutton buns sold in other shops, making one curious about the scenery beyond the Great Wall.
Su Zhihan squinted her eyes and ate with relish.
Jiang Zhenniang looked around and quickly found a beverage stall: "Shall we go over there and have another bowl of sweet soup?"
Sweet soup is a common winter drink these days. It is usually made by stewing longan, red dates, ginger slices and goji berries. Some people also use almonds, or they can directly cook pear soup. The taste is slightly different, but most of them are sweet, hence the name sweet soup.
"No need." Su Zhihan grasped Jiang Zhenniang's hand and stuffed it into her pocket: "It's warm now."
The mother and daughter smiled at each other and walked back, looking at the lights.
Halfway there, Jiang Zhenniang suddenly remembered something. She paused and asked quietly, "Han'er, how did you buy the pavilion stall?"
Unlike Su Zhihan, who entered the household later, Jiang Zhenniang knew the process of acquiring property as a servant and was aware of the difficulties involved.
Don't be fooled by her previous claims that once her family is wealthy, she will buy a courtyard in the capital and two maids; those are residences, not shops.
While masters might agree to provide courtyards for servants to live in, they are unlikely to allow them to own shops and land.
Moreover, purchasing a residence also requires the master's consent, a privilege usually reserved for head housekeepers.
In ordinary third-class servant families, being able to buy a maid to serve in the house was a matter of great pride.
Su Zhihan only said that Pearl helped with the arrangements, but didn't go into the specific details. Jiang Zhenniang remembered Pearl and exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder she was so generous with the gifts last time; she's actually quite capable."
“I heard that there are several maids in Chang’er’s room. They all learned manners from their mothers since they were young. I suppose she is one of them.”
These maids, like the maids who accompanied the young ladies, were all chosen from among the family's children from a young age. They learned to read and write with their mothers and later helped with chores in the front and back courtyards.
Even if they couldn't become the husband's concubine, they would be assigned to the steward or a trusted servant, making them the ones with the best future prospects in the family.
Jiang Zhenniang sighed a couple of times, then turned the topic back to Su Zhihan: "But why did you set up a pavilion stall? It's attracting a lot of attention."
He had only been in the household for less than six months, yet he had already set up a small stall under his name. Although it was a tiny shop, it was still a shop, and if word got out, it might cause gossip.
Jiang Zhenniang originally wanted to say a few more words, but when she thought of the exchange between Su Zhihan and Grandpa Hu, she swallowed her words back.
It seems the daughter is still paying attention.
Jiang Zhenniang had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Su Zhihan say, "Actually, I want to save some money so that I can send someone to the border in the spring to send a letter and see if I can find... find my elder brother."
Su Zhihan tentatively voiced her reason.
The moment she finished speaking, she saw Jiang Zhenniang's expression suddenly change.
There was another reason why the Su family could act so recklessly and set their sights on the mother and daughter as soon as Su's father died—that was because after Jiang Zhenniang's eldest son, Su Zhihan's brother Su Lifeng, was conscripted into the army, letters were initially sent, but then not a single letter was received for three consecutive years.
When they were still in the village, Jiang Zhenniang did not believe that her son had died. She wanted to send someone to the border military camp to look for him, but by then the family had run out of money and none of her relatives were willing to lend her any more.
Later on, Jiang Zhenniang never mentioned the matter again.
Jiang Zhenniang never expected that Han Jie'er would mention Feng Ge'er, and for a moment she felt a mix of emotions.
She... had long since given up hope.
It wasn't that Jiang Zhenniang didn't hope her son was alive, but she felt that the Su family was being arrogant. Perhaps the village had already received the letter about her son's death and even the compensation money, but they had secretly kept it from her and pocketed the money.
This is possible, since letters are usually sent to the county or town level, and then handled by county or town officials before being passed on to the village head or village chief, and finally distributed to the villagers.
These were merely Jiang Zhenniang's guesses, but she couldn't bring herself to voice them, let alone persuade her daughter to give up the search.
Jiang Zhenniang's eyes reddened, and she subconsciously looked up at the lanterns hanging overhead to keep her tears from falling. After a long while, she finally choked out, "Are we still short of money? Mother has some money here."
"It's not much difference, just send someone to look for it." Su Zhihan's heartstrings trembled as she listened to Jiang Zhenniang's trembling voice.
She knew all too well that her brother from her previous life had probably already passed away, but since this matter was related to her future plans to leave the manor, Su Zhihan had no choice but to harden her heart and continue, "I was thinking that if my brother were still alive, we would have to redeem ourselves and leave the manor to reunite with him, which is why I wanted to try to save up more money."
Jiang Zhenniang opened her mouth, then realized why her daughter was so eager to make money. Looking at Su Zhihan's expectant expression, she nodded: "From now on, your mother will save money with you."
It's always good to save more money.
As for Feng Ge'er's death, Jiang Zhenniang thought her daughter would know when she was older.
The mother and daughter walked hand in hand toward the Marquis's residence.
On the way, Su Zhihan felt a cool sensation on the tip of her nose. Looking closely, she realized that it was snowing lightly again.
"It's snowing again..."
"Oh, really." Jiang Zhenniang looked up at the sky and muttered, "I hope it won't rain too heavily this time."
Fortunately, this time it only snowed lightly and then stopped.
The next day, Jiang Zhenniang saw her daughter off and hurried to San Niangzi's courtyard to go to work.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, the gatekeeper gave her a wink and whispered, "Third Miss is angry. She just punished two of the maids who serve in the rooms. Sister Jiang, be careful..."
Jiang Zhenniang thanked her and sighed silently. Ever since the Third Young Master had not woken up, the Third Young Lady's temper had become more and more irritable, and the atmosphere in the courtyard had become increasingly tense and gloomy. Unexpectedly, even the maids in the house were punished today.
She thought for a moment and then walked into the courtyard.
In the past, during their free time, several young maids would gather under the eaves, picking up meatballs to tease the birds. But now the area outside is deserted, and the maids and servants, afraid of making a noise and attracting attention, have all crowded into the tea room.
Forget about joking and laughing; everyone was even speaking in hushed tones. As soon as Jiang Zhenniang entered, she heard the maids sobbing and the other maids complaining, "The mistress was just angry, that's why she chased you away."
“You don’t know…”
“This morning when we went to the main courtyard with my wife to pay our respects, the second wife took the third wife’s seat and said that she thought the third wife was going to take care of her husband and probably wouldn’t come.”
"A petty person has gained power!"
"And the eldest daughter-in-law, who used to be so affectionate to the young lady, is now cold and indifferent. She didn't even say anything when she saw that, and even told the third daughter-in-law not to get angry with the second daughter-in-law."
"In the past, Third Sister was so polite to them, and she would help them whenever she could. How could they treat her like this?" The people in the room who were indignant on behalf of Third Sister were all her maids. They were all heartbroken by this sudden incident, and they were also indignant about Third Sister's plight.
"Do you think... the young master can still wake up?"
"..." The commotion in the room abruptly stopped, and the silence was so profound that only the sound of breathing could be heard.
After a moment, someone casually changed the subject, bringing the topic back to the Laba Festival: "Last year, my wife gave me a bowl of salty porridge, which was quite delicious."
"When I came to work this morning, there were even more people outside, all waiting for the Laba porridge from our Marquis's residence."
"Oh, just hearing about it makes me want to drink it."
"It should be delivered today, right?"
Just then, someone came from outside to say that the main kitchen had delivered Laba porridge.
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