Because she hadn't slept all night, Xu Yuehuai was completely out of sorts and was pulled into the carriage by the Duchess of Zhenguo in a daze. It wasn't until she was in the carriage that she realized what was happening and struggled to get off.
"Madam, I can't go with you. I have a lot of things to do at Tianxiang Tower." She said, and started to walk downstairs.
Unexpectedly, she was grabbed by the arm by the Duchess of Zhenguo again.
The Duchess of Zhenguo quickly stopped him, complaining, "Look at you, you're such a grown man, how come you still don't know how to take care of yourself? Right now, even if the Emperor himself came, he wouldn't let you stop resting. You don't need to worry about anything, I'll take care of everything."
“But…” Xu Yuehuai was still worried.
"Manager Xu still gave in to my wife. Ever since you left that day, my wife has been filled with remorse and blames herself for only crying and not taking care of your feelings." Amber, the maid of the Duke of Zhenguo, quickly offered a few words of comfort.
It was these words that made Xu Yuehuai decide to stop the carriage, though a hint of melancholy appeared on her face.
Although she had little hope that she was the daughter of the Duke and his wife, she still hoped that she could have a family and blood ties.
Lady Zhenguo naturally saw through her thoughts and quickly took her hand, gently comforting her: "Don't worry, I'm not worried either. It's just that there was no news before, but the Duke has already sent people to investigate again. There will definitely be clues. Good things come to those who wait, and good news will surely come in the future."
"Hmm." Xu Yuehuai felt that being pulled like this by her made the anxiety in her heart seem to calm down a bit, and for a moment, she even felt a little greedy for this feeling.
As they talked, they arrived at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion without incident.
The Duchess of Zhenguo first told everyone to rest in the house for a while, and then she went to cook herself.
The servants looked at each other, none of them daring to leave. After all, the kitchen was still quite dangerous, and they dared not leave the Lady of Zhenguo alone, especially since she had never cooked before.
Lady Zhenguo was getting angry when she saw that no one was leaving, and she was about to lash out.
Fortunately, Amber stopped her in time and smoothed things over, saying, "If Madam tells you to leave, then leave. I'm here. Even if the Duke comes back, he won't blame you."
Upon hearing this, the servants looked around before leaving.
When the Duchess of Zhenguo entered the kitchen, she saw so many bottles and jars, as well as vegetables and fruits. She didn't know where to start and could only wander around the kitchen.
Amber knew perfectly well that her mistress couldn't cook, and seeing her pacing around like this, it was clear she had made the decision on a whim. She quickly reminded her, "Madam, do you want to make porridge or a dish?"
The lady was not annoyed when she heard her question. Instead, she thought about it carefully and felt that making porridge would be easier.
"Make some porridge and a side dish," she chuckled. "A-Yue is the head chef of Tianxiang Restaurant. No matter how good the dishes are, they're not good enough for her. Keep it simple."
“But I think Manager Xu will like anything Madam makes.” Amber chuckled and began to remotely instruct her, “Madam, now squat down and open that cabinet. It’s full of rice. Then take some rice, wash it, and then stew it.”
"Alright, alright, I understand." The lady responded, then got up, took a bowl, and started picking out rice. She was in a dilemma because she didn't know which kind Xu Yuehuai would like, so she was very conflicted.
After some deliberation, she decided to put a little of each type of rice in, so she happily scooped out some of each type, put them in a large bowl, and went to the water tank to scoop water to rinse them.
She took two bowls and carefully scrubbed the rice grains as if washing pearls. After washing them twice, she was satisfied and ready to cook them.
Fortunately, there was a fire on the stove, otherwise she would have had to start another fire. She took a jar, washed it clean, added water, and put the washed rice in to cook.
Now that we have the porridge, we need to make a side dish.
She thought for a moment but still had no idea, so she asked, "Amber, what should I do if I want to make a side dish?"
Amber thought for a moment, then looked at the cabbage and radishes in the kitchen and suddenly had an idea: "Madam, just wash and chop the cabbage and radishes, blanch them, and then marinate them with salt and vinegar."
"Okay, I understand." The Duchess of Zhenguo ran over to pick out vegetables like a happy child. She finally chose a cabbage and a radish, then took them over to wash them. As she passed the stove, she didn't forget to stir the porridge she was cooking.
After washing it, she started to struggle again, wondering whether to cut it into strips or slices. She felt that this was the way she usually ate it, so she decided to cut it first and see.
Then, with one cut, the radish turned out a bit crooked, not the same size on the left and right. She made a few more cuts but it still couldn't become shreds, it looked more like strips, so she decided to cut it into strips.
She chopped all the vegetables and poured hot water over them. The heat scalded her right hand, so she ran to the side to rinse it off.
Afraid that she would be too slow and make Xu Yuehua go hungry, she simply ignored her scalded hand and hurriedly scooped out the vegetables, then prepared to add salt and vinegar.
She didn't know which was which, but the salt was white. She scooped up a spoonful, felt it wasn't enough, and added another spoonful. Then, she licked the salt, which had some grains stuck to her fingers, and found it was sweet.
That means it must have been put in the wrong place.
She then scooped two more spoonfuls of white liquid from another jar and put it in. This time it must have been salt. She tasted it, and it was indeed very salty.
The lady recognized vinegar, so she poured in a little, and the side dish was done.
She went to check on the porridge; the rice in the pot had already split open, so it looked cooked.
Although Xu Yuehuai was in the unfamiliar illusionary world of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she was visibly relaxed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When the Duchess of Zhenguo brought in the white porridge, she was fast asleep. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, the Duchess of Zhenguo had no intention of waking her up. So she simply asked someone to take the porridge to the stove to keep it warm, while she stayed by her side.
She fanned him to cool him down and shooed away mosquitoes and flies, afraid that Xu Yuehuai would be awakened from his dream.
Afraid that the Duchess of Zhenguo would get tired, Amber quickly came up to dissuade her, saying, "Madam, please rest. Just call me."
"No, this child sleeps just like I did when I was little. It makes me happy, not tired at all." She pushed away Amber's hand. She didn't want to entrust this kind of thing to others.
About an hour later, Xu Yuehuai finally woke up.
She saw the Duchess of Zhenguo fanning herself incessantly by her bedside, and felt a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.
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