Chapter 19 Let's Find a Trouble
Seeing that her young mistress looked noticeably more energetic these past few days, Yingjie's goodwill towards Shen Qingtang increased even more. She covered her lips and chuckled, "It's been delivered, it's been delivered, it's right there in the small kitchen. Although Qingtang is busy every day, she keeps this matter in mind. Every day at 11:30, she will have someone deliver the braised eel."
After saying that, she added slowly, "She also delivered this beef jerky."
"I heard it was made for Miao'er and sent over to eat. We made a little extra and sent it over for Miss to try as well. There are two flavors: spicy and five-spice honey. I just took a bite and it's so chewy and delicious. It's not only fragrant but also not dry. Just like the other servants said, it's really delicious."
Upon hearing that the beef jerky was made by Shen Qingtang, Old Madam Qin's previously lazy expression changed, and she glared at Yingjie with displeasure, saying, "Then why did you put the food box so far away? Bring it over here so I can have a taste."
Yingjie deliberately contradicted her, feigning a wronged expression, and said, "But the one who said they wouldn't eat it was you, Miss." She knew firsthand how picky her young mistress was. Once, a young chef who had just joined the Qin Mansion knew that the young mistress had an exceptional taste for food. In order to win her favor, he would send her new dishes every few days for her to taste. In the end, however, he lost all confidence because of the young mistress's sharp and sarcastic comments. He could no longer cook delicious food and resigned, leaving the Qin Mansion.
Grandma Qin rolled her eyes speechlessly and said, "With Shen Qingtang's exquisite culinary skills, even a celestial being would never forget her cooking. How could I not eat it?" Take the braised eel she sent over as an example. In the past, no matter how delicious a dish was, she would find it tasteless after eating it two or three times. But now, she had eaten it for four or five days in a row, and not only did she not feel tired of it, but she also always felt a craving and couldn't get enough.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask Shen Qingtang to cook a few more dishes, so she could only look forward to it every day.
Yingjie raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised to hear such high praise from such a discerning young lady. It's no exaggeration to say that even if Shen Qingtang were to switch careers and become a chef, she would definitely be among the very top performers.
As expected, the beef jerky that the other party brought was also a great favorite of Grandma Qin. If Sister Ying hadn't stopped her, she probably would have eaten the whole jar.
*
"Little Sparrow, what's in that food box you're holding?" Qin Rongyun sat on the sofa, watching TV listlessly. But when her eyes fell on a can of spicy beef jerky on the table, the corners of her lips involuntarily curled up, and a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.
According to the original schedule, Qin Rongyun should still be filming on set at this time. However, because the famous director had rejected his suggestion to let Shen Ruowan play the female lead, he, the male lead, simply went on strike and withdrew from the crew, abandoning his agent and team, and went straight back to Qin Mansion to rest.
"Second Young Master," the maid Xiao Que called out timidly, and replied respectfully, "There are two cans of beef jerky inside." Unlike the gentle and approachable image of a wealthy young master that Qin Rongyun presented on television, everyone in the villa knew his domineering, arrogant, and conceited nature, and that he was extremely calculating.
A careless reply, a slightly hot cup of tea, or a poorly cooked runny egg... could all become reasons for the other party to scold or even punish them. However, considering the other party's status as a member of the Qin family, many servants, including her, chose to swallow their anger.
Xiao Que felt a chill in her heart. How could the second wife, who had such a good temperament, have given birth to such an unruly son? Could it be that they were switched at birth in the hospital?
"Beef jerky?" Upon hearing this, Qin Rongyun showed little interest: "Which store delivered it?" As everyone knows, beef jerky is his favorite snack. It's not only chewy but also low in oil and sugar, making it a rare food that doesn't put much strain on the body for actors who need to maintain their figure and image.
He had publicly admitted this preference on TV shows and Weibo, so many businesses would send packages to Qin's mansion hoping to win his favor and boost sales. However, most of the time he would just have the servants throw them in the trash. He was just bored and asked a question.
Xiao Que lowered her head even further, her voice weak as she said, "This was made by Shen Qingtang herself." Everyone in the Qin Mansion knew that the second young master's former fiancée was Shen Qingtang, who had been quite disgusted by this. She only managed to break off the engagement when the eldest young master's legs were crippled. It was said that the second young master went to a bar that very day to throw a celebration party and didn't return home all night, prompting the second wife to make several phone calls to inquire about his whereabouts.
As expected, Qin Rongyun's expression immediately changed upon hearing this. His face darkened, and he said disdainfully, "This Shen Qingtang is truly persistent. I just got back, and she immediately brought over my favorite beef jerky, trying to win me back." He paused, then chuckled, a hint of barely perceptible smugness in his voice: "Can someone as fickle as her really take good care of my cousin?"
Sensing the hint of misplaced confidence and infatuation in the other person's tone, Xiao Que pouted speechlessly. As far as she knew, this beef jerky wasn't just delivered here; it was also sent to Old Madam Qin and the First Madam. Moreover, the quantity was much greater than what was sent to them—it couldn't fit in a single food box.
However, she saw no need to offer any advice, and simply asked, "Second Young Master, what should we do with all this beef jerky?"
Qin Rongyun waved his hand impatiently and said, "What else can we do? Just throw it in the trash can."
Bai Rou came down from the second floor at this moment. Having overheard much of what was happening, she frowned slightly and scolded, "This is, after all, Shen Qingtang's heartfelt gift. Yun'er, even if you don't accept it, you can't just throw it away, can you? It would sound terrible if word got out."
Although that's what they said, you could tell from the reproachful look in their eyes that they weren't angry at all.
She paused and then said, "I heard that this beef jerky is quite good. Everyone who has tried it says it's delicious. Xiaoyun, you should try it."
Qin Rongyun said disdainfully, "No matter how delicious it is, can it be as delicious as Xiao Wan's? It's all garbage, you might as well just throw it away."
His words were not unfounded. As a seasoned beef jerky enthusiast, Qin Rongyun has tasted more than 300 brands of beef jerky, both domestic and foreign. His palate has become very discerning, and he can still find flaws in beef jerky no matter how delicious it may be in the eyes of others.
It wasn't until Shen Ruowan was grateful that he had righteously rejected the leading role of a famous director for her sake that she personally made two jars of beef jerky and mailed them to him as a token of her gratitude.
Upon tasting it, Qin Rongyun was amazed. It was so delicious that she finished a whole can in one go. She couldn't bear to eat the other can of beef jerky and was now pestering the other party to make a few more cans and mail them over.
Seeing Bai Rou's disapproving look, he glanced at Xiao Que and said, "Then I'll just give it to you. It'll be a good use of it. I can't stand such trash."
Xiao Que: "..." Sensing the belittling tone in the other person's words, she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, but a smile quickly appeared on her face, and she happily said, "Thank you, Second Young Master."
Although she had never tasted the beef jerky made by Shen Ruowan, she could confidently say that the beef jerky made by Shen Qingtang must taste good. When Xiao Qing shared some with her, it was so delicious that she almost swallowed her tongue. It was many times better than the beef jerky on the market.
It's a pity that the second young master didn't have the good fortune to taste such a delicious food. Now that it's been given to her, she can take it back and enjoy it at her leisure.
Bai Rou didn't take this trivial matter to heart. After instructing Xiao Que to make her a bowl of beauty and health-enhancing bird's nest soup in the kitchen, she looked at Qin Rongyun and asked, "Xiaoyun, when will Xiao Wan finish filming the variety show?"
Qin Rongyun calculated the time and said, "It should be finished around next week. What's wrong, Mom?"
Bai Rou smiled gently and said, "It's nothing. Didn't you tell me before that Shen Qingtang snatched the medical book that Xiao Wan wanted? After she finishes work, let her come to the Qin Mansion to take the medical book away."
"Really?" Qin Rongyun's face immediately lit up with joy.
Bai Rou walked to the sofa, leaned down slightly, reached out and stroked Qin Rongyun's head, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as she said, "Xiaoyun, when have I ever failed to keep a promise I made to you?"
No.
The answer immediately came to Qin Rongyun's mind with absolute certainty, and she excitedly called Shen Ruowan.
*
Shen Qingtang is usually very busy, taking care of Qin Guanlan, studying medical books, practicing acupuncture, preparing three meals a day... Now, farming has been added to her schedule.
Ever since Qin Guanlan agreed to set aside a small plot of garden land for her to grow medicinal herbs, she went online and bought some seeds of Chinese medicinal herbs suitable for planting in this season, such as Isatis root, Salvia miltiorrhiza, wolfberry, and Polygonatum.
The seeds finally arrived today. Right after lunch, she couldn't wait to grab a hoe and plant them. Since the project wasn't too big, she declined Qi Yi and Qi Er's help.
This barren land had been deeply tilled and fertilized beforehand, so all you need to do is dig a small hole in each area, plant the herb seeds, and water them. These crops are generally cold-resistant and not delicate at all. After that, you just need to water, weed, fertilize, and catch insects every few days, and then leave the rest to time.
Just as Shen Qingtang finished her work, she heard Xia's hurried shouts and quickly ran towards her. Her face and forehead were covered in sweat, and her cheeks were flushed like a red apple because she was panting heavily. Her face showed obvious anxiety.
After spending the past few days with the two new maids, Shen Qingtang had gained a general understanding of their personalities. Xiao Qing, true to her name, was a warm little sun, lively and cheerful, always smiling, loving to eat and sleep, and guileless. Wherever she and Qi Yi were, there was always laughter; the two of them were like three hundred ducks chattering away. In contrast, Xiao Qing was much quieter. Although short, she was very opinionated, calm, and thoughtful; it was rare to see her so flustered.
After Xia stopped standing, Shen Qingtang took out a napkin and handed it to her, asking, "Xia, what's wrong? What happened?" Then, a thought flashed through her mind, and her expression turned serious: "Is it Brother Qin...?"
The thought of this possibility immediately made her uneasy, and her usually calm face showed a rare hint of anxiety.
Fortunately, Xia shook her head and denied it, saying, "Sister Chen, Brother Qin is fine." She quickly took a few breaths to calm herself and said, "You're the one who's in trouble." She bit her lip and instructed, "You stay in the small garden today and don't go back inside."
Upon hearing that Qin Guanlan was alright, Shen Qingtang breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and asked, "Why is that?"
Xia recalled the scenes she had just witnessed, her face turning pale as she said, "The eldest madam just came to see the young master, but she looked so awful, all angry. As soon as she came in, she complained that the flowers at the door weren't being taken care of properly, and she also complained that the tea Xiaowen poured for her was too hot, and she gave her a good scolding."
"Of course, this could also be an excuse to make trouble, after all, Xiao Wen destroyed the rare orchid that his wife had worked so hard to find."
Shen Qingtang listened patiently. If it was only to this extent, Xia would probably be secretly happy instead of rushing to find her.
"Then the lady went upstairs, hugged the young master's legs and started crying, her makeup ruined. And she was cursing you, saying you ruined the young master's life, otherwise he wouldn't have been unable to stand up for the rest of his life, that you're a devil." The last few words were rather vulgar.
"So, Qi Yi told me to come find you quickly, lest you go back and run into trouble. Madam is crying and making a scene now, and the eldest young master can't get the reason out of her."
After exchanging a few hurried words, Xia said goodbye, "Sister Chen, please be careful. I'll head back now."
Shen Qingtang nodded, but couldn't help frowning as she watched Xiaoqian's departing figure. If she remembered correctly, Su Rong had happily arranged to visit the Starry Sky Gallery to see Master Hitler's art exhibition with her group of wives today.
This master painter, Hitler, was of pure German descent, born into an artistic family. From a young age, he displayed exceptional talent in painting. At just seven years old, he became a student of the dean of the highest art academy and an internationally renowned painter. His graduation work, "The Goddess," immediately garnered attention, defeating many famous predecessors and winning numerous international awards. His work was valued at 8 million, making him a recognized genius in the oil painting world and a sought-after figure by wealthy families. It seemed that simply acquiring a painting instantly bestowed upon him the label of an artist.
He was a meticulous and rigid man who often wore a pair of strange black-rimmed glasses and never spoke to anyone.
However, he focused on painting portraits of women, depicting everything from the most ordinary female shop assistants on the street to the dazzling female stars on stage, all rendered with such realism that they were almost indistinguishable from the real thing. What's even more striking is that he poured all his feelings of isolation from the outside world into his paintings. The rich emotional coloring is deeply moving and touches the viewer's heart, making them involuntarily experience happiness, bitterness, pride, inferiority, and other emotions alongside the figures in his paintings.
This painter was undoubtedly Su Rong's favorite. She had flown to Germany several times to buy his finished work "Goddess" at a high price, but was repeatedly rejected and told that it was not for sale.
Su Rong had no choice but to settle for second best. Upon learning that the other party had traveled all the way to China to hold an exhibition, she bought tickets well in advance and eagerly awaited the day.
The art exhibition was supposed to last all day, but she rushed back at noon, which must have been strange. Even Brother Qin couldn't get any answers, and her efforts there were all in vain.
She frowned, recalling the original owner's social circle, and a name suddenly popped into her mind—Zhang Xining.
Zhang Xining is a well-known socialite in the Zhang family, a wealthy and powerful clan. She loves attending various parties and also runs several bars. She is radiant and poised, possesses high emotional intelligence and is adept at handling affairs. With her extensive network of connections, she can always find a way to invite even the most difficult people, thus maintaining good relationships with many wealthy wives and young ladies.
She was certain that the other party would not be absent from such a prestigious art exhibition, and that she knew the reasons behind Aunt Su's departure midway through.
At first, the original owner of this body had also connected with the other party's connections and attended a few banquets. But Zhang Xining soon discovered that the original owner was an empty-headed fool who would also annoy others, so he unknowingly distanced himself from the other party, but they did not delete each other's contact information.
Shen Qingtang took out her phone and dialed the number without hesitation.
Looking at the name displayed in her contacts, Zhang Xining, who was holding a glass of champagne and chatting with her friend, had a hint of surprise in her eyes. A person standing next to her happened to see the call and said with a half-smile, "Xining, you really have a wide circle of friends."
The implication is that the other party is indiscriminate in making friends, even daring to befriend a notorious jinx like Shen Qingtang.
Zhang Xining retorted with a half-smile, "Yes, otherwise Master Hit would not have specially invited me here."
"I noticed you've been standing on the periphery of the crowd for so long without saying a word to Master Hit. Let me introduce you later. Chairman Wang is with Madam Wang right now and doesn't seem to have time to arrange such a small matter for Secretary Li." Upon hearing this, the woman's face turned pale and then red. Some people even revealed that this Secretary Li was actually a kept mistress, and the faces of those around her instantly flashed with disdain and contempt.
Seeing the constantly ringing phone, Zhang Xining originally wanted to hang up immediately, but recalling a scene that flashed through his mind, he hesitated and answered it anyway.
"Miss Chen, good afternoon. May I ask what brings you here?" she greeted politely.
Shen Qingtang was never one to dawdle, and immediately spoke up: "Miss Zhang, there's something I'd like to ask you." From the background noise and keywords coming through the microphone, she had already determined that the other party was currently at the Starry Sky Gallery. "Why did Aunt Su leave halfway through her visit to the art exhibition?"
Zhang Xining had even considered the possibility that the other party might ask to borrow money, but she never expected that the call was to inquire about this matter. However, gossip from wealthy families always spreads the fastest, and even if she deliberately concealed it, as long as Shen Qingtang was determined to find out, it was only a matter of time before the other party found out the truth.
So she immediately told the whole story.
It turned out that while admiring the paintings, Su Rong happened to taste a mango crepe. It was quite delicious, and she assumed it was from a brand-name cake shop. She asked the person in charge which shop it was, saying she'd patronize their business when she had time. As luck would have it, one of the people in charge of the art exhibition was none other than her former in-law, Lin Yumei, Lin's mother, who had already broken off her engagement with Qin Guanlan.
The other party immediately revealed that the small cake was made by her daughter and was a first-prize winning dessert competition. Even the usually serious Master Hit praised it highly and revealed that the master was willing to sell "Goddess" to her. Then she sarcastically suggested that the other party should eat more if they liked it, and secretly blamed Qin Guanlan for delaying her daughter's happiness when he became paralyzed. Fortunately, the Lin family was magnanimous and did not hold it against her. As a result, her daughter was to be engaged to the eldest son of the Yan family, a top-tier wealthy family.
The definition of a wealthy family is obviously very strict; below the top-tier wealthy families are the first-tier wealthy families.
Being considered a top-tier wealthy family signifies that the family's business has achieved a leading position in its industry, possesses substantial assets, and wields significant influence. There are four such top-tier wealthy families, and the Yan family is one of them.
Su Rong, who has always had a fiery temper, couldn't stand this nonsense, so she started arguing with Lin's mother on the spot. As a result, Qin Yuan, who rushed over, loudly reprimanded her, accusing her of disturbing the tranquility of the art exhibition.
After figuring out the whole story, Shen Qingtang finally understood that Su Rong had been upset outside, so she left halfway and ran back. Because of her pride, she refused to tell the whole story and could only cry while hugging Brother Qin's crippled legs.
Her eyes darted around, and an idea had already formed in her mind. She apologized, "Ms. Zhang, thank you for telling me about this."
Zhang Xining didn't hang up immediately. Instead, she pursed her lips and suddenly asked a completely unrelated question: "Shen Qingtang, did you go to the vegetable market about a month ago?"
Although Shen Qingtang was puzzled, she quickly said, "That's right, I'll go there to buy some groceries."
"And you also rescued a little girl who had heatstroke and a cold?" Zhang Xining raised an eyebrow slightly, but unconsciously felt a bit more favorably disposed towards Shen Qingtang.
If it were someone else, they would probably be eager to bring up their rescue, either to boast or to claim credit, but the other person remained completely silent.
“Not bad.” Shen Qingtang didn’t take it to heart at all and said in a calm voice, “It was just a small favor.”
Zhang Xining's admiration for Shen Qingtang grew even stronger upon hearing this. If she hadn't stumbled upon a short video, she wouldn't have believed that Shen Qingtang, who was always good-for-nothing and hung out in bars, could actually save someone.
"No need to thank me, thank yourself." If it weren't for this, she probably wouldn't have answered the call at all.
*
Su Rong was undoubtedly a proud person. Although the Su family had two sons in this generation, they only had one daughter. She was pampered and spoiled growing up, and coupled with her fiery personality, she always spoke out against anything she disapproved of, never letting herself suffer in silence.
She then married into the Qin family in a grand and glamorous manner, and after giving birth to a son and a daughter, she completely solidified her status in the wealthy family. Apart from her discord with Qin Yuan, she can be considered a role model for many women.
But her outstanding son was destined to spend his entire life in a wheelchair... Su Rong's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her face.
Seeing her sobbing uncontrollably, Qin Guanlan felt a little helpless and lowered his voice to coax her, "Mom, don't cry. I think I'm fine as I am."
Between sobs, Su Rong shouted, "What's so good about it? You're a perfectly healthy person, and now you can't even stand up. It's all Shen Qingtang's fault..."
Before he could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open.
Being stared at directly by the person she had just been gossiping about was undoubtedly embarrassing. Su Rong felt guilty at first, but quickly glared at Shen Qingtang with righteous indignation. This was all something the other person owed her!
Before she could figure out how to start the conversation, Shen Qingtang spoke up: "Aunt Su, let's go back to the gallery later."
"What?" Su Rong's eyes widened, still not having reacted.
Shen Qingtang said, word by word, "Let's go find fault."
"We'll retaliate in kind, just as they treated you badly."
Suddenly, Su Rong heard the sound of battle horns.
The tears that had been flowing uncontrollably suddenly stopped, and Shen Qingtang's figure, standing in the center of the doorway, seemed to grow taller.
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