Shang Yunruo walked into the yard. The young servant wasn't particularly scared. He just bowed obediently and explained his reason.
"Madam, each firewood is counted. The Mistress sends someone to check every day. If there are a few missing, we have to compensate with copper coins out of our own pockets. We only earn so little copper coins every month. It's really not enough to compensate."
Shang Yunruo knew that the "Mistress" they were talking about was her aunt. She paused for a moment and still asked loudly, "So was it also taught by the aunt for you to defy your superiors?"
The young servant was intimidated by her imposing manner. After a moment's pause, he said, "Madam, please don't make things difficult for me. We send meals to the Second Master on time for three meals a day. But the Second Master dislikes the dishes and insists on cooking by himself. How much can he eat alone? Isn't this a waste of food?"
While listening to the young servant's sophistry, Shang Yunruo told Chu Yao to go and check Chu Yan's food.
Chu Yao came back and reported in a low voice. Shang Yunruo's face suddenly changed. She sternly questioned, "You're feeding the Second Master of the Marquis Mansion burnt dishes, scallion roots, cabbage stalks, onion peels and other scraps, right?"
Unexpectedly, the young servant became even more brazen. "It's not up to me. Whatever the kitchen gives, I just deliver. Why don't you go and ask the Mistress, Madam?"
The Mistress again.
She had endured the kitchen using inferior materials before. Now they were abusing and being mean to Chu Yan. It seemed that the whole Marquis Mansion was at her aunt's mercy. Was she going to rule the roost?
Shang Yunruo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, silently admonishing herself not to get angry.
She firmly didn't want to be the domineering, capricious and noisy self in her dream. She couldn't solve things with temper but with wisdom!
She coldly said to the young servant, "How much is the firewood? I'll pay you."
The young servant hesitated for a moment and said, "Three, three copper coins."
Chu Yao reacted very quickly. She directly threw three copper coins on the ground and spat, "You blind thing. Take your copper coins and get out of here quickly!"
After the young servant picked up the copper coins and ran away, Chu Yao helped Chu Yan finish cooking the dishes. Shang Yunruo sat at the stone table in the yard. She put the dishes sent by the kitchen aside, planning to feed them to the stray dogs later.
Then she took out her pastries from the food box and said indignantly, "It's too much. Such a dirty thing can happen in such a big Marquis Mansion."
She had also done such a dirty thing in her dream. Shang Yunruo pursed her lips and didn't say any more.
A fragrant smell wafted into her nose. Chu Yan's dishes were cooked and served on the stone table. She was just about to ask what he had cooked when a piece of steaming and fragrant dish was brought to her mouth.
Chu Yan's clear voice like jade sounded beside her, "Sister-in-law, try the stir-fried Chinese cabbage I made."
She wanted to take the chopsticks from his hand but touched the back of his hand. She was startled and quickly withdrew her hand.
After a moment's hesitation, she simply opened her mouth quickly and ate the dish on the chopsticks in one bite.
The tender cabbage heart entered her mouth. The soft cabbage heart wrapped around her tongue. Although it couldn't compare with the rare delicacies she was used to eating on weekdays, it had a special flavor.
Chu Yan's tall and slender figure was lengthened by the setting sun and projected onto Shang Yunruo's body. Their shadows overlapped.
He stared at his own shadow. His eyes flickered. His voice was soft and gentle, "Is it delicious?"
Shang Yunruo nodded and gave a thumbs up, sparing no praise, "It's really delicious. I didn't expect you to have such good cooking skills."
Chu Yan's voice was obedient. There was no trace of complaint at all. "I'm really grateful to sister-in-law for coming today. Otherwise, I would have been scolded. It was really my fault. If they didn't give me the firewood, it wouldn't matter if I skipped a meal. I shouldn't have taken it by myself. I won't do it again next time."
Hearing his words, Shang Yunruo got angry again. Originally, she just wanted him to have a better impression of her, but now she really felt a bit heartache for him.
"I'll take care of your three meals from now on!"
Her generous promise was met with Chu Yan's voice full of surprise but also a bit of self - blame, "Really, sister-in-law... Am I being a bit picky?"
This poor thing. He even blamed himself for being picky when the food was only fit for dogs.
Shang Yunruo pushed the pastries she made in front of him and said, "I haven't found out what you like to eat, so I made some pastries for you to try. If you don't like them, I'll make something else for you tomorrow. Just tell me what you want to eat."
Chu Yan's gaze fell on the white, soft and glutinous pastries. He picked up one, looked at it between his fingers and took a bite.
The soft, glutinous and sweet taste was accompanied by the fragrance of osmanthus and rice. It wasn't as repulsive as he had imagined. He usually didn't like to eat sweet food, but this one was a bit to his taste.
"How about it? Is it sweet?" Shang Yunruo asked with concern.
Chu Yan had already finished a whole piece. With the pastry in his mouth, he said, "It's not as sweet as the ones my mother made."
This was the first time Shang Yunruo heard him mention his mother. She asked curiously, "Does your mother like making pastries too?"
Chu Yan's voice became a bit lower. "Yes. Her pastries weren't delicious. They were too sweet. When she failed, she would force me to eat them. When she succeeded, she would send them to my father."
Although it was a complaining tone, there was a slight smile in his voice. Shang Yunruo could hear the tenderness and nostalgia.
"My mother was a spy from the State of Chu. It was her who killed my father."
Shang Yunruo, who had been immersed in the tenderness: …
What a wonderful past.
Chu Yan seemed to be lost in memories. "At that time, my mother was exposed by my father. She put a knife on my neck and threatened my father to let her go with my life. But my father didn't give in."
The more Shang Yunruo listened, the tighter her brows frowned. Listening to him talk about the past as if it was nothing, her heart ached.
Chu Yan even smiled. "Neither of my parents took my life seriously. It's already a kindness for my grandmother to let me live in the mansion. I don't dare to ask for too much."
Shang Yunruo finally understood why he had suffered all this.
She sighed and said, "But it was your mother's fault, not yours. You're the blood of the old Marquis and the legitimate Second Young Master of the Marquis Mansion. You shouldn't be treated like this!"
Chu Yan sat beside her and picked up his food. His voice was muffled. "There's no such thing as should or shouldn't. Just like the Second Uncle's family next door. They eat and use better things than us, but no one cares about it."
These words immediately caught Shang Yunruo's attention. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Didn't the Marquis and the grandmother notice?"
Chu Yan smiled faintly. "Grandmother naturally uses good things. My elder brother spends more time next door than here, so he naturally won't notice."
I see. Shang Yunruo asked again, "There surely won't be inferior ingredients over there, right?"
Chu Yan said, "Of course not. They probably use even better things than us. But they don't dare to show it openly. They probably use them secretly in their bedrooms or small kitchens."
Suddenly, Shang Yunruo slapped the table, startling everyone. She stood up, her face full of excitement. "Your words really reminded me. Chu Yao, come on. Go to the next door with me!"
"Sister-in-law."
Shang Yunruo, who had already walked out of the courtyard gate, heard Chu Yan's shout from behind. His voice was full of hope, "Will you come to see me tomorrow?"