The man's face changed drastically, like a frightened bird, but he refused to admit it.
"Madam, I'm innocent! How could a cook who spends all day in the kitchen be greedy? Even if the steward in this courtyard is greedy, it's not my place to take kickbacks."
Meng Qingluan lowered her eyelashes thoughtfully, then looked up at him and smiled.
"That's right."
The man breathed a sigh of relief, and Meng Qingluan continued speaking.
"Then you and the butler should come up to the hall. Madam, I need to check the accounts."
After finishing her sentence, Meng Qingluan ignored the man's expression, turned around and searched the kitchen, pointing to the pork that hadn't been used yet.
"Take all of these with you, and those two women too."
Meng Qingluan glanced at the two women standing in the corner and pointed at them casually.
After saying that, Meng Qingluan rushed to the hall surrounded by the crowd.
The man stamped his foot in regret, hoping that this legendary countrywoman was easy to fool.
…
Meng Qingluan sat in the chair in the center of the hall and accepted the teacup handed to her by US dollars.
Instead of drinking, she imitated the way the matriarchs on TV used to play with the teacup lid.
The two women in the kitchen were brought over, and they huddled together in fear, too scared to look up.
The two were wearing very thin clothes, or rather, very revealing clothes.
It was very revealing, with a strapless bra underneath and only a thin layer of gauze on top, and the quality looked very poor.
Both of them had thick makeup on their faces, their white skin and stiff red lips looked somewhat out of place.
I wonder how these two ended up in the kitchen?
Meng Qingluan smiled kindly, "Are you afraid of me?"
The two women raised their hands to look at her, then suddenly lowered their heads and shook them.
"I'm not afraid..."
They said they weren't afraid, but the trembling in their voices betrayed their true feelings.
Meng Qingluan put down her teacup. "I'm not a man-eating monster. What are you two doing standing there? It's not like we're interrogating a criminal."
"..."
The two dared not respond.
If I don't stand, am I supposed to kneel down?
Meng Qingluan sighed softly, "Sit down and talk. This chair of mine isn't a tiger bench."
"No, madam..." the two still refused.
Dollar frowned. "If Madam tells you to sit, then sit. Why all this pretentious affectation?"
Upon hearing this, the two dared not speak again and hurriedly sat down in their chairs.
With his back straight, hands on his lap, and his whole body stretched into a straight line, even his buttocks were almost touching the edge of the chair.
Observing this scene, Meng Qingluan said with a half-smile, "Are you two planning to fall to the ground so you can take the opportunity to extort some money from me?"
No...that's not it.
The two men waved their hands, their bodies trembling with anxiety.
They had never seen such a scene before, and were terrified that the madam, seeing their flamboyant appearance, would become enraged and secretly kill them.
They often saw things like this in Liuxiang.
Some of the women went out perfectly fine one night, but never came back the next day.
Dollar couldn't stand their behavior and said bluntly, "Madam wants you to sit down."
The two of them shifted their buttocks and sat completely on the chairs.
Seeing the two shivering from the cold, Meng Qingluan waved her hand and had two coats brought over.
Several maids quickly brought it and presented it to the two men.
The two were taken aback at first, then quickly heard Meng Qingluan's words.
"It's so cold, put these on. If you two fall ill in our household, we are a poor family and don't have enough money to treat you."
Although they were still afraid, they were also moved.
They were really cold.
"Thank you, Madam."
Knowing her temperament, the two men took the clothes and dressed them properly.
Meng Qingluan shifted her gaze and saw that the cook from the kitchen had already run over.
Before she could even speak, he knelt straight down on the ground without saying a word.
"Madam, I know I was wrong."
Meng Qingluan rested one hand on her forehead and said lazily, "Then tell me what you did wrong."
"I shouldn't have stopped Madam from looking at the food, nor should I have eaten too much, lest I upset her."
Meng Qingluan smiled, knowing that this guy was trying to mislead her.
Meng Qingluan asked with a grin, "That's all?"
The cook nodded.
Meng Qingluan raised her hand and clapped several times.
"I like honest people like you. Tell me, how many taels of silver do you want as a reward?"
"Huh?" The cook didn't expect Meng Qingluan to be so easy to fool.
He was secretly pleased; the steward was right after all—this was indeed a country bumpkin.
He was just putting on a show of power; he only fooled her a little, and she fell for it.
"No need, no need, that's the virtue of a petty person."
"Don't be shy, go ahead and speak."
The cook weighed it in his hand for a moment, then slowly extended three fingers.
Thirty taels?
Meng Qingluan nodded, clapped her hands, and then looked at the servants standing to the side and gave the order.
"Go, bring a chair, put him on it and give him thirty strokes of the cane."
"yes."
The guards acted immediately, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him onto the chair that had been brought over.
"You... what right do you have to hit me?"
Meng Qingluan said leisurely, "Still asking? Add thirty more strokes, beat his buttocks until they're covered in blood."
Meng Qingluan leaned back in her chair, watching his pale face with great interest.
The cook was frightened and begged for mercy, saying, "Madam, I know I was wrong, please have mercy on me."
"You? What did you do wrong? Don't you possess the admirable virtue of honesty?"
“I shouldn’t have talked back to you, Madam, and I shouldn’t have tried to climb the social ladder. I don’t want the thirty taels of silver.”
Meng Qingluan was annoyed. She never expected that he would still dare to deceive her like a fool even when he was about to die.
He waved his hand and said, "Ninety strokes, quick!"
The cook's eyes widened.
Ninety strokes of the cane?
Not only will his buttocks be bruised and battered, but his life will also be completely ruined, perhaps even leading to his demise.
"What right do you have to hit me? This is murder! If word gets out, believe me, you'll go to jail!"
Meng Qingluan nodded earnestly.
"I will listen to your opinion. I am a person who listens to advice the most. This is one of my few virtues."
"After you're beaten to death, I'll dismember you and throw your body into a well, then I'll give your blind old mother some money and tell her you're just too busy."
cook:"……"
How could she know that she had a blind mother?
Meng Qingluan glanced at the servants. "What are you standing there for? Make your move."
"yes."
The board was swung up heavily and then fell quickly, the force creating a loud thud in the air, and even more piercing was the sound of a buttock being slapped open.
As soon as one board was pulled away, another board immediately followed, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
Meng Qingluan saw this bloody scene but didn't even blink, remaining calm and composed as she sat in her chair.
After only two rounds and four strokes, the cook couldn't take it anymore.
He screamed for help, "Madam, I was wrong, I'll tell you everything!"
Meng Qingluan slowly took two more sips of tea, sighed, and then raised her hand.
"Stop, let him speak. If I'm not satisfied, I'll add another thirty strokes, and I'll give you a bigger bonus later."
"Yes! Thank you, Madam."
Upon hearing this, the servant felt a surge of strength in his hand as he held the board.
Upon hearing this, the cook nearly fainted from shock. What a terrible fate! To have been stuck with such a scoundrel!
“I…I did take a kickback, but I only took a portion of your breakfast for myself.”
"..."
"I'm doing this for your own good! Madam, think about it, you're a petite woman, what if you overeat and ruin your health? I took it because I care about you."
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