Mrs. Aldridge (1)
Mi closed the door, her heart pounding. She went to the phonograph box, pulled out all the manuscripts, and tore them to shreds. The Dahlia contest had long since ended; why had she kept these comments?
In the next room, Ailian gripped Xiaowei's arm tightly: "What should I do about Xiaowei? What if she doesn't like me?"
"Miss is so adorable, who wouldn't like you?!" Xiaowei gently patted Ailian's arm. "Miss, tell me slowly, what happened?"
“Go and buy all the reports from Lihua Music critics in the gossip news.” Ailian suddenly made a decision. She looked at the wall connecting to Mi’s room and a plan came to her mind.
Xiao Wei returned with a stack of tabloid articles, and Ai Lian read through them one by one, praising her voice. At first, the music critics said her voice was captivating, the kind of voice that easily touches the heart. The floor was covered with newspapers arranged by date. Initially, it was all praise, but suddenly one critic changed his tune, his words becoming aggressive. Something must have happened. Ai Lian sat on the newspapers, lost in thought. She cut out pieces from the tabloids, pasted them into a thin sheet, and read it repeatedly.
The next day, Mi resumed her running-to-work routine, much to Miss Ellen's displeasure. Dougto, seeing that Ellen's carriage hadn't taken Mi to work, was extremely disappointed and reluctantly removed the aristocratic set menu. Mi was in the kitchen preparing sauces, cutting beef into two-finger-thick slices and placing them in a slightly bubbling pan of oil. She was teaching little April, "This is called a low-temperature oil bath." Mi took out an hourglass to keep track of time.
Little April took out her notebook, scratched her head at it for a while, and then looked up: "Sir, may I ask how to write the character for 'bath'?"
Mi wrote the character for "bath" next to her to show her. The characters for "bath" and "lotus" are all winding and intricate; the difference is only one bend. Mi put down her pen and ruffled little April's hair. She wondered if she should ask Anna for advice. It wasn't her fault, so why did she feel so guilty? It was as if she had hurt an innocent child. "Sigh"—Mi sighed deeply. When she first learned that the winner of the Dahlia singing competition was Ailian, she had thought it was all rigged. Ailian was clearly an overly innocent child.
Mi was in the kitchen preparing the steak sauce. The steak looked good today; Ailian loved it so much, she could easily eat at least two pieces. Ailian didn't go out with her today. It would be best if Ailian moved back to her castle and they never had to do anything again.
Mi and April were discussing today's set menu when the owner suddenly rushed in: "Quick, quick, serve the food, the nobles have arrived."
A smile crept across Mi's lips; she knew this little glutton would be greedy. Mi picked out the two best-looking steaks and brought them out. The seat where Ailian usually sat was occupied by a plump woman—Countess Aldrich.
Mi carried the tray over: "Two aristocratic sets, forty copper coins." Mrs. Aldrich waved her hand, and the maid standing beside her produced a silver derry. Mrs. Aldrich looked at Mi haughtily and said, "The rest is a reward for the chef."
The maid sat down to cut the steak, then forked it and fed it piece by piece to Mrs. Aldrich's plump lips. Mi suddenly thought of Eileen so naturally opening her mouth to be fed; were these nobles' hands merely for decoration? Mi glanced away in disgust and turned back to the kitchen.
"Sir, you're amazing." The boss walked into the kitchen. All the set meals for today were sold out, and the boss generously bought a few dishes from the restaurant next door.
Mi ate the signature dishes that the owner had specially bought for her. The roast chicken was delicious, and the steak was tender. Her cooking skills weren't particularly impressive; what attracted people were the two nobles, Ellen and Countess Aldrich. This was a humble little shop that nobles wouldn't frequent.
After finishing her meal, Mi checked her bonus box and found three gold coins inside. Miss Ellen was much more generous than Mrs. Aldrich. Mi whiled away half the day in the restaurant, only leaving when the sun was setting. She went to check on Beatrice. Beatrice had fully recovered and had made several good friends. Mi didn't disturb her and quietly returned to the Flower Inn.
The blue moon was exceptionally clear tonight. Mi sat on the balcony, gazing at the quiet night sky. No one was in the next room; Miss Ailian had finally gone home. Mi calculated her share of the profits. Once she saved ten gold coins, she would pay Anna's salary. She planned to form a team at the Adventurers' Guild. She had been in Sun City for over half a year and hadn't seen a single Long-lived being. The residents of Sun City seemed to have forgotten that this land was originally inhabited by Long-lived beings; no one knew what they looked like.
The Adventurers' Guild is full of all sorts of people; these individuals seem to have appeared out of nowhere on this land, helping King Derek I establish the border defenses. Mi is certain these adventurers aren't locals; perhaps they know the Long-lived Race. Mi once suspected that the Long-lived Race were eyes placed into experimental boxes by experimenters; they possess long lifespans and have witnessed human history firsthand.
But these long-lived beings were almost entirely slaughtered in the end. Wouldn't those observers be angry? Mi stared at the deep blue night sky. How did those observers view humanity? Power was so alluring. A tiny cell they had placed inside eventually became the master of the entire world, holding the power of life and death over all life. Wouldn't those observers be envious? Power was the greatest poison. Those observers watched power expand day by day. Weren't they even a little tempted? Human intelligence had developed to the point where, perhaps in the near future, it would break through the shackles of interstellar space. No, Mi shook her head. She had already crossed interstellar space, jumping from one box to another. Blue Star was a low-level experiment that started with cells. What were the Flower Kingdom and the Witch's Forest compared to that?
The wasteland was filled with primitiveness and savagery, like a primitive society that had not yet evolved. The border city and the neighboring city formed a boundary of civilization. Population was equally important to both cities; men and women alike wanted to seize power, and everyone strived for their own interests. If it weren't for the harsh environment, Mi felt that the neighboring city 17 would almost be considered perfect.
Sun City, a city teeming with nobles and adventurers, offers no comparison to the Flower Kingdom. The Flower Kingdom has no prisons; everyone who commits a crime is immediately exiled to the Acropolis. These crimes are not differentiated by severity. The king needs money, and wealthy merchants can buy titles with gold—these titles are like commodities, utterly ridiculous.
Mi stared blankly at the witch, playing with her. The adventurer Sin liked to go to the snowy region, but what exactly was there? Mi thought of the Yeti in the Snow Theater. Killing the Sandman didn't yield any equipment, so what about killing the Yeti?
Mi thought of Anna again. Being a maid was a profession she'd never seen before; it was a training ground for motherhood and women's skills. Motherly love might be innate, but creating such comfort and dependence required methods and skills. For the first time, Mi realized that women weren't born gentle, nor were they born mothers just because they could give birth. Motherly love was a learned skill, and so was femininity. Those maids experimented and experienced these qualities on themselves and their companions, like a women's support group. Mi thought of the little girl beside Mrs. Aldrich—beautiful, yes, but their faces showed either fear or sharp wit, completely lacking the gentleness, generosity, and tenderness of a maid. Mi thought of Mrs. Aldrich's face; the power and wealth were written all over it. She couldn't love; she only knew how to conquer. This woman was a complete dictator.
The next day, Aileen and her carriage still hadn't appeared. Mi stretched out her arms and legs and ran along the alley towards the restaurant. Along the way, she would carefully examine every carriage she saw, and if she didn't see Aileen's decorations, she would turn away in disappointment.
Doug Tor saw Mi running over, his expression of disappointment even deeper than Mi's. He watched Mi go into the kitchen, move a stool to the doorway, and wait, whether it was Lord Ellen or Countess Aldrich, either one would do.
Mi stared blankly at the two large crates of dozens of chickens in the kitchen. Kraft hadn't been able to buy any meat today; there was no beef or lamb. Apparently, the steaks yesterday were especially delicious, and all the restaurants were going to feature steaks and lamb chops as main courses today.
"Alright, let's have chicken noodle soup today!" Mi rolled up her sleeves. "Little April, start kneading the dough and cutting the noodles." Mi picked up a knife and chopped off the chicken heads one by one, hanging them to the side to drip blood. There were too many chickens to pluck in time, so Mi peeled off the whole chicken, skin and feathers included, setting the innards aside. Today's side dish was stir-fried chicken giblets. Mi rummaged through the vegetable basket for Exploding Fruit, a spicy fruit. Stir-fried with chili, Mi slurped her saliva. The Flower Country didn't have rice, which was Mi's biggest regret. Spicy stir-fried chicken giblets were the perfect accompaniment to rice.
Dozens of chickens needed to be cooked in four pots. Mi instructed Kaf, "Go to the market this afternoon and look for those big pots that can withstand the heat." Mi calculated the date; if Qiu hadn't kept Fried there, he should already be on his way back.
The chicken was cooked and taken out to cool. The chicken soup from the four pots was put into one pot, with a thick layer of butter on top. Little April and Philip were stunned: "Does chicken soup smell this good?"
"Chicken soup makes noodles taste even better." Mi was very satisfied with the pot of chicken soup.
The chicken was shredded, the crisp onions were sliced, and the popcorn was blanched in boiling water and then sliced into almost invisible, translucent strips. Sea salt was ground into powder and sprinkled in, then everything was mixed together. Mi took a bite; it was salty and delicious. Hmm, this bite was spicy. She ate the popcorn, then the crisp, sweet onions. The chicken was fragrant and tender, but something was missing. Mi fed a bite to April, asking for her opinion.
Philip ate one bite after another, repeatedly saying it was delicious. He suggested adding some popping fruit, but Little April brought out two apples: "It's a little too sweet." Adding the apple shreds made it sweet enough, but it lacked a touch of tangy flavor. Little April then brought out two lemons, and Mi grated the zest and added it in. Now the flavor was just right. Mi said to Little April, "You'll make this dish tomorrow." Little April would be an excellent cook; she was very creative with seasonings. Ever since she saw Mi use flowers and fruits in her cooking, she always managed to find the perfect way to use them.
The spicy stir-fried chicken giblets smelled incredibly pungent. Philip covered his nose and ran out into the yard, coughing loudly. Little April, though insisting on staying in the kitchen, refused to eat the dish. Mi, smelling the familiar, acrid odor, decided to ask Kraft to buy two fish the next day; she wanted boiled fish, or perhaps Kraft could find some sauerkraut. Mi prayed again that Fried would return quickly; nine times out of ten, Kraft's purchases wouldn't satisfy her.
The spicy stir-fried chicken giblets were incredibly delicious. The chicken intestines were tender, the chicken kidneys were crisp, the chicken liver was soft and powdery, and the chicken heart was chewy. She drank water to relieve the spiciness while still eating. All she needed at that moment was a bowl of rice. Doug To smelled the pungent odor and rushed into the kitchen. He saw Philip eating the spicy stir-fried chicken giblets with tears streaming down his face.
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