Chapter 2 It turns out she transmigrated into a book. Su Zhihan followed Cao Mama's instructions...
Following Cao Mama's instructions, Su Zhihan quickly took out coarse noodles and pork from the cupboard, then picked up a bamboo basket and went outside.
"Han-jie, where are you going?" Cao Mama, who was watching from the sidelines, looked on in confusion and called out to Su Zhihan.
"Aunt Cao, aren't we making pancakes? I was just about to go to the field behind the house to pick some scallions to use for making pancakes."
Having been in the Marquis's residence for two months, Su Zhihan had thoroughly familiarized herself with the surroundings. The main kitchen of the Marquis's residence was very close to the servants' quarters, and it was spacious, with even an open space where easy-to-grow vegetables and spices were grown.
“There’s no need for all that trouble.” Upon hearing this, Cao Mama called out to Su Zhihan. She took a few steps forward and gestured for Su Zhihan to look outside and check the time: “Look, the servants will be coming to the kitchen to collect their food in a quarter of an hour. By the time you’ve finished preparing the dough, they’ll have to tear down the kitchen. You can just make a flatbread.”
"Laomo?" Although Su Zhihan knew what it was, she wanted to get closer to Cao Mama, so she pretended not to know and asked with a puzzled look, "What is that?"
"It's a pancake made with scalded dough."
"I, I, I've never made it before." Su Zhihan glanced at Madam Xu, her face flushed as she lied. Then she tilted her head back slightly and mustered her courage to say, "Aunt Cao, could you tell me how to make flatbread? I've made steamed buns and pancakes at home, so I should be able to learn quickly without delaying everyone's meal."
Cao Mama hesitated for a moment before swallowing her words of refusal. After all, cooking for the servants was her job. Even though Madam Xu had asked Han Jie'er to do the work, if something went wrong and delayed the servants' mealtime and work, it would probably be Cao Mama who suffered the consequences if it reached the supervisor.
Cao's mother glanced at Su Zhihan again, seeing that she was almost ashamed enough to bury herself in the ground, and finally relented: "Alright."
Before Su Zhihan could express her gratitude, she added, "However, I can only tell you how to do it; I can't teach you how."
"That's good! Thank you, Aunt Cao!"
"Oh...you're so young, yet you're so polite." Cao's mother thought of her own daughter who always slacked off when it came to chores, and then looked at the sweet-talking Han'er in front of her, and felt a pang of sadness.
She composed herself and first taught Su Zhihan how to boil water in a pot, then scald half of the coarse flour and stir it into dough flakes, and then knead the other half of the coarse flour into a dough with cold water.
Finally, Cao's mother taught Su Zhihan how to combine the two doughs together and knead them into a smooth dough. Watching Su Zhihan's movements, she nodded repeatedly: "Your kneading technique is really good. Have you learned it before?"
"You could say you've studied it, right?"
"What kind of answer is that? You either have studied it or you haven't," Cao's mother said, puzzled, and subconsciously questioned.
“Actually…” Su Zhihan lowered her head, her eyes flickering. Her cooking skills naturally came from her previous life, but she couldn’t say that out loud. She had to put a label on the source of her cooking skills.
“When my father was still alive, my family sent me to work as a kitchen apprentice in a restaurant,” Su Zhihan explained softly.
This is true. You should know that being a cook is a popular profession nowadays. Not to mention that famous cooks are sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles, and can earn hundreds of coins for a single banquet, even ordinary cooks are quite popular and earn a good salary.
Some families skilled in cooking even preferred to have daughters rather than sons, so that they could raise them to adulthood and then send them to wealthy families to work as cooks.
Before Su's father became a gambler and alcoholic, he had thought about letting his daughter learn a trade. In fact, the original owner of this body even spent a few days at a restaurant in town.
"It's just that my father passed away early, so I only learned a little bit and didn't learn anything more."
"The cook at that shop was very good at making meat buns. I often watched him make buns, and after seeing it so many times, I remembered it."
"You learned it just by watching?" Cao's mother wasn't stupid; she quickly grasped the important point. Apprentices who just entered the kitchen were initially given odd jobs, especially those in small shops. They had to do everything, with no rest, and they weren't taught how to cook or make steamed buns.
Su Zhihan lowered her head and whispered, "I was thinking that if I could learn to make steamed buns, I could open a steamed bun shop with my mother in the future and make money, so... I watched very carefully and secretly memorized it."
Madam Cao was speechless. Looking at Su Zhihan kneading the dough, she suddenly remembered the gossip in the mansion. Someone said that they had seen Han Jie'er's mother in the mansion twenty years ago.
It is said that Han Jie'er's maternal grandmother was an old woman in the mansion and had even nursed her aunt for a period of time. However, the couple soon received the old lady's favor and were released from the mansion along with their daughter, Jiang Zhenniang.
Rumor has it that they chose a scholar as a husband for their daughter, hoping she could become an official's wife. Little did they know that a servant's fate is always that of a servant.
More than ten years have passed since then. Not only did Jiang Zhenniang not become an official's wife, but both her parents also passed away. Moreover, the scholar she married became a gambler who squandered all the savings her parents had accumulated. He even left behind a mountain of debts after his death, forcing Jiang Zhenniang and her mother to sell themselves to pay off the debts.
When Cao's mother heard this, she scoffed. This was the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence; who would be willing to leave here?
If that were the case, then Han-jie would truly be pitiful. If her maternal grandparents hadn't left the Marquis's mansion, they would surely be very respectable stewardesses now, or perhaps they would be maids accompanying their daughters, or managing affairs outside, or holding the keys to the dowry. Their lives would be respectable and comfortable; why would they even think about opening a steamed bun shop to make a fortune!
Cao's mother's eyes showed even more pity, and she couldn't help but sigh, "...You are a good person."
She paused for a moment, then comforted him, "You can learn more in the kitchen. Your osmanthus cake is so popular with girls, you might actually have some talent for it. You could become a head cook and establish yourself in the future."
Su Zhihan nodded earnestly, her hands continuing their work. Following Cao Mama's instructions, she deftly and skillfully rolled the dough into long strips, divided them into evenly sized pieces, and then rolled each piece into a ball.
The dough balls, rolled into round shapes, were squeezed together and piled up close.
Once the cutting board was full of dough pieces, Su Zhihan picked up the rolling pin and rolled out the dough pieces into round pancakes. Her movements went from not being very skilled at first to becoming nimble. In just a few dozen pancakes, Cao's mother nodded repeatedly and praised her, "Oh my, look at your hands, so skillful."
After stacks of dough were laid out, all that was left was to bake them. Just as Cao's mother had said, these unleavened dough flatbreads were easy to make and easy to bake. You didn't even need to pour oil into the iron pan; you just pressed the flatbread directly onto the pan and gently pushed it with a spatula.
Once both sides are cooked through, remove them from the pan.
After Su Zhihan finished baking all the pancakes, the servants from each courtyard came to the kitchen.
Mrs. Cao smiled and said, "Look, isn't it just right?"
Su Zhihan wiped her hands, and upon hearing this, immediately nodded vigorously: "Aunt Cao is so amazing, she calculated it perfectly!"
"Of course, I've been a head chef for many years." Cao's mother was quite proud and couldn't help but boast about her experience, such as being an apprentice since childhood and cutting radishes for twelve hours a day... Her words drew frequent glances from those around her, who secretly cursed Cao's mother for bragging without even thinking.
Su Zhihan, however, agreed earnestly, almost as if she were writing it down in a notebook. Her serious demeanor pleased Cao Mama even more, so she went to the side and got two freshly fried meat pies and stuffed them into her hands: "Nao—hurry up and have something to eat, you still have to clean the kitchen later."
"Thank you, Mother." Su Zhihan's eyes lit up, and she happily accepted the meat pie. This meat pie was a food for third-class servants and maids. The outer crust was fried until golden and crispy, the dough was fluffy and soft, and the meat filling inside was rich and juicy. It was much more fragrant than the flatbread that had just been made with only dough. As soon as it came out of the oven, it attracted the attention of a group of rough servants. When they saw that Cao Mama had given Su Zhihan two, they could not hide their envy.
"Such good meat, given to this girl..." Granny Zhao, who had just arrived for dinner, happened to see this scene. Her eyes turned red, and her gaze at Su Zhihan was as fierce as if it had been tempered with ice. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the pancake was originally hers and had been stolen.
Granny Zhao wanted to step forward and take advantage of the situation as usual, but when she looked up and saw Cook Xu, she immediately remembered being scolded. Her face darkened, and she casually pushed aside Yang Liu, who was about to serve the dishes, grabbed the spoon and ladled herself a large bowl of stir-fried vegetables. While eating, she kept staring at Su Zhihan, as if she were gnawing on Su Zhihan's flesh.
Su Zhihan couldn't ignore that burning gaze. She turned around and met Granny Zhao's fierce expression. She frowned, a fire rising in her heart.
She didn't argue with Granny Zhao, but Granny Zhao kept pressing her—did she really think she was a weak and easily bullied person?
Su Zhihan took out bamboo paper, wrapped the two meat pies in it and put it in her bosom. Then she went to the cook, Xu, and said, "Madam Xu, I noticed that my mother hasn't come to eat yet. She must be busy with work. I'd like to go to the laundry room and take two meat pies to her."
Cook Xu glanced at the two meat patties, her expression softening slightly: "You're a dutiful child, go on, and don't forget to come back and do your work later."
"Yes, thank you, Madam Xu." Su Zhihan received permission and went out with the meat pie in her arms. When she reached the kitchen door, she glanced behind her out of the corner of her eye and saw that Granny Zhao was still staring at her, but she just stayed where she was and did not follow.
It's clear that she's a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong; she simply didn't dare to cause trouble in front of Chef Xu.
Su Zhihan calmly withdrew her gaze and walked with practiced ease to the place she usually swept. Her experiences over the past two months were enough for her to conclude that no one would come here at this time.
She looked up and saw ripe persimmons hanging from the treetops, each one round and plump, like a red lantern.
In the past, when sweeping the house every day, Su Zhihan would use bamboo tongs to pluck the nearly ripe persimmons from the top of the trees. This would prevent birds from pecking at them and increasing her workload, and she could also store them in the house to enjoy as a snack when they ripened.
Clearly, Granny Zhao was only thinking about pushing the blame onto herself and probably didn't even notice that these persimmons had created an opportunity for her.
What a waste of these good persimmons.
Su Zhihan felt a pang of regret, but her hands didn't stop moving. She shook the persimmon tree a little harder, and sure enough, a few ripe persimmons at the top swayed gently a few times before falling to the ground with a 'plop plop'.
In a short while, the ground was a mess.
Su Zhihan estimated the time, quickly turned and disappeared into the winding path, heading towards the laundry room without looking back. Even before she reached the other side of the path, she faintly heard an angry shout in the distance: "Where's the person responsible for sweeping?!"
Granny Zhao once said that the person responsible for sweeping and cleaning must not leave their post without permission.
Su Zhihan also remembered that Granny Zhao used this as an excuse to prevent her from leaving whenever she was on duty, making her the last one to arrive at the kitchen and only able to eat what others had left over.
Now that this situation has fallen on Granny Zhao, it's unclear how she will resolve it. Su Zhihan pondered this as she walked along the winding path, soon arriving at the laundry room.
However, Su Zhihan couldn't find her mother. According to the people in the laundry room, her mother had gone out of the mansion with Zhang Mama on some errands.
Su Zhihan felt a pang of regret for a moment, then turned and walked back.
Before she even reached the area she usually swept, she heard Manager Li's angry voice from afar: "Is this the result of your cleaning?"
"No, everything was fine when I left."
"At a time like this, you still dare to abandon your post and talk back? I'll see what you do..."
"No, no, I... I'm going to have dinner!"
"Old Zhao, you've really gone senile! You don't even know the proper etiquette anymore! When did your meals become more important than matters of the household?"
"What day is it today?" Manager Li laughed angrily and said in a deep voice, "I've heard that you've been slacking off before, but I didn't expect you to be so bold as to slack off on such an important day as today."
"You can't even do simple chores like sweeping and cleaning properly. What use are you in this household? I'll go and tell the mistress today that you should go home!"
"Hey? Hey! Manager, Manager Li!" Granny Zhao cried out in a panic as she chased after Manager Li, pleading for mercy.
This release from the manor was not an act of grace to make her a law-abiding citizen, but simply a way to send her home. Her indenture was still with the manor, so she couldn't work for other families. Not only did she receive no monthly allowance, but she was also forbidden from entering the manor. She could only stay at home every day, spinning a spinning wheel and doing odd jobs, hoping that the manor would remember her.
For Granny Zhao, who loves using the Marquis's mansion as a facade and is extremely concerned with her image, this should be the best retribution.
Su Zhihan didn't listen any further. Instead, she tiptoed past the area and then returned to the kitchen with light steps.
Although cleaning the kitchen wasn't easy, Su Zhihan felt it was much better than sweeping the floor outside in the wind and sun. She tidied up the things on and off the stove, and then took a broom, mop, and rag, cleaning the house inside and out several times. She even arranged the charcoal piled in the yard neatly before she stopped.
By the time she finished tidying up, it was completely dark. Su Zhihan closed the door and turned to walk home.
She and her mother lived in the northwest corner of the servants' quarters. The house was small, with only two rooms, one inside and one outside, but it was quiet and peaceful.
When she returned to her residence, Su Zhihan could see the flickering flames on the window paper from afar, and could also faintly smell the aroma of meat.
Her eyes lit up, and her steps became lighter. A smile bloomed on Su Zhihan's face as she pushed open the door and called out, "Mother, you're back? I have good news to tell you—"
"Mother?" Su Zhihan looked up and saw that there was no one in the outer room. The whole room was empty and the furniture was pitifully scarce. There was only a wooden table with peeling paint, two benches and two wooden boxes. There were also a few earthenware jars, basins and burlap sacks and other sundries placed or leaning on both sides. Several hemp ropes were tied to the beams, with a basket of eggs and half a piece of pork belly hanging from them.
Su Zhihan's gaze swept over the pork belly and quickly landed on the clay stove in the corner.
The clay stove was burning brightly, making the earthenware pot gurgle and bubble, with a series of bubbles rising from the edges, bringing a rich aroma of meat.
Su Zhihan placed the bamboo basket on the table, took a rag, and walked to the clay stove. She covered the pot lid with the rag, then lifted the lid and peeked inside. She saw a pot of stewed cabbage and pork simmering inside.
The cabbage had been stewed until tender, its stems and leaves soaked in the broth, appearing translucent. As for the large chunks of pork, they swayed gently in the boiling broth, their beautifully marbled appearance making Su Zhihan swallow hard.
Even though she had eaten pancakes and stir-fried vegetables before, her stomach started growling as she smelled the aroma and looked at the pork.
"Han-jie, you're back?" Just then, a pair of hands lifted the curtain on the inner room door, and Zhi-han's mother, Jiang Zhen-niang, poked her body out from inside.
"Mother, why did you buy pork?!"
"Hehe, smells good, doesn't it?" Jiang Zhenniang didn't answer Su Zhihan's question, but waved to her: "Han'er, you're back just in time. Come here, your mother will show you something good."
Upon hearing this, Su Zhihan took a few steps forward out of curiosity. When she reached the doorway to the inner room, the scene that greeted her made her instinctively hold her breath, her eyes widening in disbelief: "Where, where did all this money come from?!"
There was a small mountain of copper coins piled on the kang (a heated brick bed), with two or three pieces of silver lying next to it.
"These are all the lucky money I received today!" Jiang Zhenniang smiled from ear to ear. She took Su Zhihan's hand and walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), happily pushing the copper coins in front of her daughter.
"Wow, so generous?"
"Of course! Don't you know who the lady is going to marry!"
Su Zhihan was unaware that since they entered the manor, the preparations for the eldest daughter-in-law's wedding had come to an end. Some of the maids and servants were both envious and jealous of the people in the eldest daughter-in-law's courtyard, and they had caused quite a bit of trouble, intentionally trying to squeeze out and replace them.
In the early days after they arrived at the manor, there was a great commotion throughout the household over the position of a maidservant to the eldest daughter. However, the mother and daughter, being newcomers, were cautious and never got involved.
After that, Su Zhihan was entangled by Granny Zhao and was preoccupied with how to get rid of her. Later, she was busy getting close to the maids in the second young lady's courtyard. She didn't even have the mind to listen to gossip, let alone inquire about the identity of her future son-in-law.
Or rather, as a lowly maid, the affairs of the girl and her future son-in-law were too far removed from her, and she had no need to know about them at all.
Su Zhihan, upon hearing her mother's question, casually replied, "It must be the Marquis's or Earl's residence..."
"Wrong, wrong! It's the Crown Prince Rong!" Jiang Zhenniang interrupted Su Zhihan, excitedly announcing the answer: "Although it can't compare to the respectable mothers, among the servants who went with her, Mother definitely got the most!"
"Hehe, let me tell you, this trip to the Rong Prince's Mansion has really broadened my horizons," Jiang Zhenniang said excitedly, recounting everything she had seen, heard, and tasted.
“The Prince Rong’s heir…” Su Zhihan repeated absentmindedly. As a lowly kitchen maid in the mansion, she had no interest in these unattainable figures and was more focused on counting the copper coins in front of her.
Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred...
Su Zhihan paused in counting the money, then suddenly frowned. The heir of the Prince of Rong, the eldest daughter of the first branch of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family—this combination seemed familiar to her.
Jiang Zhenniang, oblivious to her daughter's thoughts, continued to chatter on about what she had seen and heard: "...I used to think our Marquis's mansion was the epitome of wealth and nobility, but after going to the Rong Prince's mansion, I realized what true nobility is! For the Rong Prince's heir's wedding, not only did the Empress Dowager and the Empress send people to handle the arrangements, but the Emperor himself instructed the Minister of Rites to deliver gifts. And all those people in that room were important figures that I'd never even heard of before..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Zhenniang heard a series of crackling sounds. She stopped talking, looked down, and saw that her daughter's face had changed drastically. Her hand loosened its grip, and the copper coins she had been holding instantly scattered on the kang (a heated brick bed). Some spun around a few times, while others rolled to the corner of the kang and headed straight for the ground.
Jiang Zhenniang grabbed a copper coin that was about to fall, frowned and looked at her daughter: "Han'er, what's wrong with you?"
Su Zhihan forced a smile, then hesitated and said, "I just suddenly remembered something—our eldest daughter's maiden name is... isn't it called Chaoyang?"
“Yes,” Jiang Zhenniang readily agreed, then stared at her daughter in shock. She hurriedly stood up, glanced outside, then tightly closed both the inner and outer doors. Finally, while picking up the scattered copper coins, she muttered, “Han’er! You’ve been at the Marquis’s residence for over two months, and you still don’t know the eldest daughter’s name? If word gets out, everyone will laugh their heads off!”
"When I saw you today, Miss Wancui told me to tell you that the manor will start selecting a wife for the second young lady before the new year..."
Su Zhihan felt a bitter taste in her mouth and didn't pay any attention to Jiang Zhenniang's words. She knew the names of the masters in the mansion, but as a lowly maid, she hadn't even met them in the two months she had been in the mansion, let alone understood their preferences.
Only now, after learning that the eldest daughter's future husband is the heir of the Prince of Rong, has she finally connected these somewhat familiar names.
She didn't just travel to ancient times, she traveled into a book!
More importantly, according to the plot of the book, the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, where she lived, was going to be implicated and brought down in three years due to the rebellion of the Prince Rong's mansion.
At that time—
All the men were executed, and most of the women were exiled. Although the book only mentions it briefly, the description of the overturned benches, the fluttering ribbons, and the room full of lonely ghosts was enough for Su Zhihan to glimpse the tragic ending.
Compared to the fate of the masters, the fate of the servants and maids was slightly better—but only slightly better.
Besides those involved in the case who were executed, the remaining male and female servants were either confiscated by the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) or sold on the street by the government, with their fates varying.
Her experiences since transmigrating have taught Su Zhihan the cruelty of contemporary society, leaving her with absolutely no room for wishful thinking.
Not to mention that, according to her original plan, she was going to work in the Second Miss's courtyard, and getting involved would mean certain death. Even if she didn't get involved and survived, she didn't know where the government would sell her off to.
Just thinking about it made Su Zhihan break out in a cold sweat, and her mouth tasted bitter. She and her mother had barely escaped the tiger's den, how did they end up in the wolf's lair again?
Just as Su Zhihan's face turned ashen and her thoughts were in turmoil, Jiang Zhenniang noticed that something was wrong with her daughter. She stopped talking, casually tossed the copper coins into the box, and rushed forward to support Su Zhihan: "Han'er, Han'er!?"
A note from the author:
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