Ye Zhen was unaware of the Lady Hou's thoughts.
She took Wanxing to Wangjiazhuang.
She was greeted by Granny Cui, who served the old lady. Granny Cui had been ordered to go to the Marquis's manor that day to stop the Marquis's wife from making a mistake, but she was pushed by the Marquis's wife.
In the critical moment, Ye Zhen disregarded his own capture and turned around to help her in time, for which Cui Mama was very grateful.
Otherwise, if her old bones fall, they might shatter.
Upon learning that Ye Zhen had prepared vegetarian food as a token of gratitude, and that there was also food for her and the female doctor, she treated Ye Zhen with great kindness.
"Young Madam is very kind, but my matriarch is currently doing her evening prayers..."
Madam Wang is a Buddhist and insists on doing morning and evening prayers.
Ye Zhen said she just wanted to express her gratitude and would go back after delivering the food.
And indeed, he delivered the items and then went back.
Granny Cui grew to like her more and more; she didn't try to curry favor or flatter, she was a genuine person.
Therefore, after Madam Wang finished her Buddhist rituals, she couldn't help but praise Ye Zhen in front of Madam Wang.
The Wang family has a deep-rooted background, and Madam Wang is someone many younger generations in the capital want to curry favor with.
However, she rarely ate anything given to her by outsiders, and ordinary people couldn't even bring it to her, so Granny Cui would refuse it.
This old maid wasn't kind to everyone.
It was clear that Ye Zhen had truly caught her eye, which piqued the interest of Old Madam Wang.
When she saw the dishes laid out on the table, she began to understand Cui Mama.
Wensi Tofu Soup, Vegetarian Crab Roe, and Vegetarian Abalone in a Straw Raincoat—the ingredients are all ordinary, but each dish requires extreme patience and effort.
I heard he was seriously injured and had a high fever last night, which shows his sincerity.
She tasted them again, her eyes brightening slightly, and said to Granny Cui, "Not bad, you should try some too."
Granny Cui covered her mouth and laughed, "To be honest, she also sent some to this old servant and the female physician. This old servant has already tasted it without your knowledge."
She had served Madam Wang for decades, and their bond had long surpassed that of ordinary master and servant. Coupled with Madam Wang's indulgence, she became somewhat casual in her speech and actions.
"Many young ladies in the capital will exaggerate the effort they put in to the extreme, and they will exaggerate the suffering they endure to the heavens. It is common for them to praise the rich and belittle the poor."
"There are very few people like the young mistress; this old servant isn't just praising her lightly."
Granny Cui was pleased with her judgment. "This old servant is just a servant. She could have easily not saved me that day."
Even if she hadn't sent this dish today, you wouldn't have blamed her for anything; even if she had, you still wouldn't have any connection with her.
She probably thought of all this, yet she still sent it, which shows she was genuinely grateful.
It is not about currying favor.
"I heard that she learned these dishes from the masters in the temple in the south. I, an old servant, have some knowledge of cooking and know how much effort it takes to learn these dishes."
It's clear she frequented temples quite often, and had a Buddhist heart.
She then sighed, "It's such a pity..."
"What's a pity?"
Xie Tingzhou walked in from outside, smiling as he answered Cui Mama's words.
When Madam Wang saw him arrive, her eyes crinkled with a smile, and she quickly beckoned him to sit down beside her. "She's just feeling sorry for your sister-in-law; she seems like a nice girl."
It's a pity that I'm going to waste my life like this.
Xie Tingzhou remained noncommittal, his gaze fixed on the dishes on the table.
Madam Wang asked, "Would you like to have something to eat with me?"
"good."
While they were talking, Granny Cui had already added bowls and chopsticks.
Xie Tingzhou tasted each dish, especially the vegetarian crab roe, which he scooped up three times. "Did Ye Zhen make this herself?"
He was also on the estate, so he naturally heard that Ye Zhen was cooking, but he still asked the same question.
Madam Wang smiled and said, "That's right."
A young mistress who is not valued would probably not dare to play tricks on the estate of the Marquis.
"If you like to eat it, I'll have Taozhi learn how to make it and then I'll make it for you."
Xie Tingzhou shook his head, "Grandma, there's no need for you to go to such trouble. I'm just curious."
He then changed the subject, and upon learning that he would be returning to the capital the next day, Madam Wang was very reluctant to part with him and talked to him for a long time.
Finally, he asked, "Is there someone you have a crush on?"
Xie Tingzhou laughed, "I'm mostly in the military, and there are few women on the border. If I said I had my eye on someone, my great-aunt would probably worry."
"Still so unruly."
Madam Wang gently patted his hand, her eyes full of affection, "My great-aunt is old, and she has no regrets in this life."
My only hope is to see you get married and have children, so that I can face my elder sister in the future.
Her parents passed away early, and her eldest sister married a man to support the family and raise her and her younger brother. However, this also took a toll on her health, and she passed away at a young age.
She took her young niece to the capital to raise her and arranged a marriage for her with the Marquis of Zhongyong.
Unexpectedly, due to her husband's transfer to another post, she went with him to take up the post. Only a year after leaving the capital, her niece, whom she had raised as her daughter, died in childbirth.
She left behind a helpless infant, who grew up amidst numerous hardships, and whose appearance was disfigured when he was around ten years old. She always felt that there was a conspiracy involved.
But nothing could be found.
In the end, he had no choice but to force Marquis Zhongyong to either let Xie Tingzhou be raised in the Wang family or to take him in by his own side.
Marquis Zhongyong chose the latter, and he has been safe and sound all these years, but now at the age of twenty-three, he still has no marriage prospects.
She had also looked for him privately, but he was disfigured, his stepmother was in charge, and people from good families would hesitate.
If someone from a poor family were to enter the Marquis's mansion, it would be secondary that they wouldn't be able to help Ting-ge'er; what she worried about was that Liu-shi would torment them to death, which would be a pointless loss of the young lady's life.
In this great victory, Brother Ting directly burned and killed 50,000 enemy prisoners, thus earning a reputation for being cruel and bloodthirsty.
Although she was a woman, she knew that Da Yuan's current national strength was simply insufficient to support those 50,000 prisoners.
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