That day, the kitchen delivered a plate of fermented crab. Grandma Sun tried two pieces but didn't find them very tasty.
So he went and asked for another basket of raw crabs, deciding to make crab-stuffed oranges himself.
Select fresh, large, round oranges, carve patterns on them, cut off the top, and scoop out the orange flesh.
Steam a basket of plump crabs, then peel out the crab meat and crab roe.
Heat oil in a wok, add crab meat and crab roe and stir-fry until fragrant. Add Shaoxing wine and orange juice for seasoning. Before serving, drizzle with a very small amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
Line an orange cup with perilla leaves, put in the stir-fried crab meat and crab roe with orange flavor, and steam for 15 minutes.
After removing the crab, top it off and serve with a glass of Shaoxing wine. The fruity aroma is rich, the flavor is fresh and delicious, and the taste is quite layered.
Wang Yan ate two oranges in one go, but still wasn't enough. She quickly grabbed the last orange.
Chunxi, Chunye, and Fuling were so angry that they almost broke off their friendship with her, so the last orange was shared among the four of them.
The old lady's birthday banquet is coming soon, and the group discussed going home while eating.
Otherwise, I might be transferred to work in the main kitchen. Forget about taking a vacation to go home; I'd have to wash vegetables until midnight, which would be exhausting.
Wang Yan is going back tomorrow. Chunye is surprised, "Taking a vacation so early?"
Wang Yan nodded; she went back so early to buy herself more time.
The old lady will celebrate her birthday next year, but this year both of the young masters in the family passed the imperial examinations, which is also a great joy.
She wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and get both her parents released from their servitude.
When she returned home last time, she found that Wang Pangzi and the other man seemed to have changed their attitude again, and it seemed that they had no intention of redeeming themselves.
The discovery that the house the two had previously bought could be used to register a female household for Yingjie opened up a whole new world for them.
Their current plan is even to have Wang Yan redeem herself and leave, and then Wang Xing should stay in the manor and make his own way in the future.
If it weren't for the fact that Wang Xing injured his arm last time, and the young master deliberately made things difficult for him, preventing him from going out to recuperate, it would have been a different story.
This infuriated Aunt Wang, who bitterly regretted her decision to keep Wang Xing with the Third Young Master and discussed with Fatty Wang the possibility of redeeming Wang Xing as well.
Wang Yan hadn't yet realized that their thoughts had changed; they actually thought that living a carefree life in the mansion was quite nice.
This time when I go back, I'll have to do a lot of persuasion; just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Why go back early? Because if she couldn't convince Wang Pangzi and his companion before the birthday banquet, she could have Wang Xing go back and explain again.
Even so, Wang Yan still felt that there was little hope. She sat on the bed and hugged her head, her head aching from thinking so hard. How should she persuade these two?
After packing my things in the evening, I slowly made my way home. Because I was walking so slowly, I ran into Fatty Wang at the side gate.
Fatty Wang packed a bag of Dongpo pork and a bag of Dongpo tofu, and when he saw Wang Yan, he asked her to take the two bags of vegetables.
I carried my daughter home on my back. She'll be 11 soon; she'll grow taller and I won't be able to carry her anymore.
When they arrived at their doorstep, they ran into Liu Xiang'er's mother, who looked at them with disdain.
But times have changed. The daughter is no longer the mistress who might become a concubine in the future; she has become a servant who has been driven out.
He snorted coldly, not daring to actually come up and say those sarcastic and cutting things.
Wang Yan put her hands on her hips and glared back, which was seen by Aunt Wang. Wang Yan smiled ingratiatingly, then turned around and made a funny face before hurrying home to eat.
The food was delicious, with large chunks of meat served with specially made rice porridge. You could enjoy the rich and flavorful meat to your heart's content without it being difficult to digest.
After the meal, Aunt Wang asked her and Wang Ying to go do some needlework. Wang Yan refused, and instead had a serious expression, wanting to talk to them both.
Aunt Wang clicked her tongue, "I'm busy washing the pots and dishes, so speak quickly, right here!"
Wang Yan refused, insisting on going inside to formally and solemnly address the matter. Having no other choice, Aunt Wang had to speed up the dishwashing process.
After quickly tidying up, I went inside to hear what Wang Yan had to say.
Wang Yan cleared her throat and glanced timidly at Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang took a handful of melon seeds, cracking them open as she looked at her, "If you want to say something, hurry up and say it."
"Father, Mother, you two should redeem yourselves in advance for the old lady's birthday celebration."
Wang Pangzi and his companion exchanged a glance, then touched their noses.
"Oh, well, we're still thinking about it. Your mother and I were just about to ask if you want to go out first, or if your brother should go out first?"
Fatty Wang was genuinely conflicted. His family had always planned to get Wang Yan released from her servitude first. But Wang Xing's injury was truly worrying.
Moreover, Wang Yan seems to be doing quite well in the Hou lady's courtyard. With Granny Sun taking care of her, they can wait a little longer.
Wang Xing was worried that the Third Young Master might go crazy again someday. He was lucky this time, but what about next time?
Wang Yan shook her head. "Let you and your mother redeem yourselves first."
"What? Your dad and I were talking about you and your brother. Don't change the subject. You really need to think this through! Do you want to wait another year or go out this year?"
Aunt Wang tossed the melon seeds onto the table, picked up a cup of tea, and took two gulps.
Wang Yan's face was serious. "I'm not talking nonsense or interrupting. Please listen to what I'm saying to see if it makes sense."
Firstly, my brother and I will not redeem ourselves immediately. One reason is that the Third Young Master won't release us, and my brother needs to find another opportunity. But what kind of person is the Third Young Master? Needless to say.
Therefore, I cannot redeem myself. At least it will let him know that my brother has a younger sister working for the Lady of the Marquis. This will make him more cautious in his actions.
Secondly, we need to get Father and Mother to redeem themselves first. The second reason is that although Yingjie and I can be registered as female households, will you feel comfortable with us living alone in the future?
They were worried and brought us back to live with them, but they still had to be on tenterhooks, afraid that they would buy us more work to do.
If one of our family members had also redeemed himself and taken Yingjie far away from the Marquis's mansion, we wouldn't have needed to go through all that trouble to send her back to the sewing room.
Even if living outside is safe and secure, you are still working in the mansion.
Even to see them, one had to ask for the master's permission. The family was separated by distance. How could they possibly live like this?
Furthermore, looking further ahead, when Yingjie and I get engaged, our family won't be short of money.
But would someone really want to marry a woman whose parents-in-law are servants? (This is purely for parents' advice; people who actually think this way wouldn't associate with them.)
Why would my parents want to work as servants in the Marquis's mansion when they could earn a good living by setting up their own stall?
Thirdly, putting everything else aside, the Second Master's actions have offended countless people in the past, but this marriage has offended the Marquis's family—it's obvious to everyone. What if the Marquis's family...?
Before he could finish speaking, Aunt Wang came up and covered his mouth, saying, "You mustn't say anything reckless, you mustn't say anything reckless!"
Wang Yan pushed her hands away, saying, "That's all I have to say. You two should think it over."
Fatty Wang hesitated for a moment, "But your father is a water case supervisor, after all. Even if he really wants to redeem himself and resign, the supervisor won't agree to release him so easily."
Wang Yan had a headache; it was indeed a problem. Wang Ying had also come over earlier to listen to their conversation.
Looking at everyone, he suggested, "How about I fall again in a couple of days and say that my old foot injury has flared up again and I need to go out again?"
"Have your parents accompany you, and take the opportunity to give Steward Rong some gifts. Then, redeem yourself from your servitude."
Wang Yan gave Ying-jie an approving look; that was indeed a good idea.
However, Wang Yan spoke up again, "Let's wait until after the old lady's birthday to ask her. After all, Yingjie is the one who embroiders the old lady's birthday gift. It wouldn't be good if something went wrong before the birthday."
Aunt Wang and Fatty Wang were persuaded, and Wang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing her brother to take leave to come back and persuade them again.
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