After moving out of the Marquis’s residence, Rongrong’s days became completely peaceful.

For half a month, Rongrong stayed in Huaihua Lane to recover from her leg injury, and she was healing quickly.

Liuli had visited twice in the middle of the night, checking on her injury and giving some instructions before leaving in a hurry.

Chunxing, who had a good temperament and was diligent, quickly became familiar with the seamstresses in the courtyard.

Whenever she heard any new and interesting news, she would come back and share it with Rongrong, which made things lively.

The meals at the embroidery workshop were not bad, but they were far from the quality of those at the Marquis’s residence.

Chunxing often said she wasn’t full, but fortunately, she needed to return to the Marquis’s residence every now and then to fetch medicine for Rongrong.

Aunt Han would give her a large food box filled with cakes and meat jerky to satisfy her cravings.

Overall, life after redeeming herself was going smoothly.

The only troubling thing was that Rongrong’s brother and sister-in-law had come to the capital to see her.

These two were usually lazy and good-for-nothing, but they were sharp enough to first find their way to the Marquis’s residence and then be directed to Huaihua Lane.

Seeing the man and woman standing in front of her bed, Rongrong felt a headache coming on.

“Rongrong, how is your injury? Is it going to leave any lasting disability?” Xue Dacheng asked.

The original owner was very beautiful, and her brother Xue Dacheng was also not bad-looking.

He had a handsome appearance, which is why his wife, Cui He, married him.

Unfortunately, this brother was neither skilled in farming nor very bright.

He squandered Cui He’s dowry on small businesses and ended up losing everything.

Later, with their parents dead, an old grandmother to support, and two sons to feed, they had sold all but one acre of their three-acre land.

The remaining acre was given to the grandmother’s adopted grandson to farm, while Xue Dacheng and his wife came every now and then to beg their sister, who worked at the Marquis’s residence, for money.

Last time, Rongrong had cut them off, and this time, even though they had come again, Rongrong still kept a stern face.

Although Xue Dacheng was unsuccessful, he had a good relationship with his sister Rongrong in the past; otherwise, the original owner wouldn’t have repeatedly given them silver.

But now, Rongrong was not the same as before, and even though Xue Dacheng had many things to say, he found himself unable to utter a single word in the face of Rongrong’s cold expression.

“Sis, is the rent for this place expensive?” Xue Dacheng asked dryly.

“It’s alright,” Rongrong replied tersely.

Cui He glanced at Chunxing, who was busy nearby, and couldn’t help but ask, “Sis, how much silver have you saved? Can you still afford to keep a maid?”

“Chunxing is a maid from the Marquis’s residence. I was injured while protecting my master there. The family felt sorry for me and let Chunxing take care of me for a while. Once my leg is healed, Chunxing will return to the Marquis’s residence.”

“Is that so?” Xue Dacheng and Cui He nodded in agreement, exchanging a glance filled with hidden intentions.

After an awkward laugh, Cui He asked, “So, you’re staying here and not going back to the countryside?”

“I can’t farm or plant rice. What would I do back there?” Rong Rong replied calmly.

“Yes, yes.” In the past, when Xue Dacheng and his wife came to see their sister, it was always Cui He who did the listening while Xue Dacheng did the talking.

But today, Rong Rong’s attitude was cold and distant toward Xue Dacheng, barely responding to him and treating him as if he were miles away.

On the other hand, she was more polite to Cui He.

Seeing this, Cui He asked, “Aren’t you going back to visit? Your grandmother and nephews miss you.”

Rong Rong frowned slightly.

She had no feelings for the Xue family and despised her brother and sister-in-law, who only knew how to ask for money.

However, she had taken over the original owner’s body and owed her a favor.

The original owner’s parents were gone, and she had a duty to take care of her grandmother.

“My leg won’t heal anytime soon, so I can’t go back for now. Please apologize to my grandmother for me.” With that, Rong Rong took a pouch from under her pillow and handed some money to Cui He. “I’m not well-off right now, so I can’t repay the money you lent me to buy my freedom. Use this money to buy some treats for my nephews.”

“Okay.” Cui He accepted the money readily.

Then, she took out two dark clay jars from Xue Dacheng’s basket, emitting a sour smell.

Rong Rong covered her nose. “What’s this?”

“These are pickled bamboo shoots made by your grandmother. You used to love eating them with cornbread when you were little!” Xue Dacheng said proudly at first, but when he saw Rong Rong’s look of disdain, he deflated. “You’re used to living well now and don’t eat these poor things anymore.”

He started to put the jars back.

Rong Rong quickly said, “Leave them. My nose isn’t feeling well, and I couldn’t stand the smell for a moment. Pickled bamboo shoots with porridge are the best.”

“Of course, they are! I used to love eating them with steamed buns too,” Chun Xing chimed in with a smile.

Because of the pickled bamboo shoots, Rong Rong became a bit more polite to Xue Dacheng.

Seizing the opportunity, Xue Dacheng said, “You used to come back every few months. Since you haven’t been back in a while, you should come home for the New Year, right?”

“Yes, Rong Rong, no place is better than our own home. Can you come home for the New Year?” Cui He asked eagerly.

Seeing how eager they seemed for her to return, Rongrong was slightly surprised.

Then she thought that perhaps they were short on money and were waiting for her to return so they could borrow some from her, especially through their grandmother’s complaints.

The couple was somewhat justified in their request; although the house wasn’t Jinrong’s, it was Rongrong’s, and she still needed to go back and have a look.

After a moment of contemplation, Rongrong finally relented: “If my leg is fully healed, I’ll return for the New Year this year.”

Xue Dacheng and Cui He were overjoyed at Rongrong’s promise.

Xue Dacheng said, “I’ve found out that Uncle Yang from the east end of our village will be sending a cart of mountain goods to the capital at the end of the year. I’ll go with him to deliver the goods and then bring you back.”

Rongrong had never left the capital on her own in either of her two lifetimes, so having Xue Dacheng to help was naturally a good thing.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to find her way back home.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xue Dacheng and Cui He left, fearing that lingering too long might delay them.

Rongrong instructed Chunxing to deliver a jar of pickled bamboo shoots to the seamstresses next door, and Chunxing said they all liked it very much.

In the evening, when Chunxing brought back the meal from the embroidery workshop, Rongrong tried using the pickled bamboo shoots as a side dish and found it quite delicious.

As the days passed, and after applying the bone-setting ointment for thirty days, Rongrong could finally walk again.

After lying in bed for so long, she felt almost debilitated.

The previous day, she had made a list for Chunxing to buy some preserved fruits, glutinous rice flour, rose honey, and also a steamer and molds.

Rongrong had Chunxing light a fire and prepare the water in the kitchen while she mixed and kneaded the dough.

An hour later, a steamer full of fragrant rose-scented cakes emerged.

“Miss, your hands are truly skilled. The cakes smell even better than those made by the Marquis’s chefs!” Chunxing said, lifting the bamboo lid of the steamer with her eyes wide in amazement.

Rongrong smiled without speaking.

The Marquis’s chefs were indeed good, but her skills were on par with those of the imperial kitchen masters.

“Try one,” Rongrong gestured to Chunxing.

“Me first?” Chunxing looked at Rongrong in surprise.

Seeing her nod, she placed the lid back on the steamer, wiped her hands, and grabbed a piece of the fragrant cake.

Since it was freshly steamed, the cake was a bit hot. Chunxing tossed it between her hands to cool it down before taking a bite.

“It’s delicious!” Chunxing, who didn’t know how to read and had seldom heard stories, found the cake to be incredibly soft and glutinous.

It melted in her mouth with just a slight press, softer and more delicate than the cold glutinous rice cake she had had at the Marquis’s residence.

The rose flavor added a refreshing touch.

Seeing Chunxing so excited about the cakes she made, Rongrong was naturally pleased.

Every cook hopes for their dishes to be recognized and enjoyed by their diners.

“Keep this plate for yourself, and take the rest to the others in the courtyard as a thank you for their care during this time,” Rongrong instructed.

Rong Rong, who had injured her leg, lay in bed all day, with everything being done by Chun Xing.

Despite Chun Xing’s diligence, she was just a maid, and cleaning and washing kept her extremely busy.

Many tasks were often helped by the seamstresses in the same courtyard, who would sometimes bring food from the embroidery workshop for Rong Rong and Chun Xing.

Even the workers from the outer courtyard contributed their efforts. Rong Rong had been planning to thank them even before she could get out of bed.

“Everything’s delivered. What will the young lady eat?”

“We still need to steam the second batch!” Rong Rong replied. Seeing that it was about time, she began making the second batch.

She put more effort into this batch than the first, grinding almonds into powder and mixing it into the dough.

She used molds to shape the cakes into flowers, placing each one carefully in the steamer.

While commoners couldn’t afford the delicacies of nobles, the flower-shaped cake molds sold in the city were simple but still quite attractive.

Rong Rong instructed Chun Xing to remove some wood from the stove and switch to a lower heat, which meant this batch took an incense stick’s time longer to steam than the previous one.

“Not bad,” Rong Rong said, satisfied as she took the steamer down and looked at the fragrant flower cakes.

She then noticed Chun Xing eagerly watching. “Do you want to eat?”

Chun Xing laughed awkwardly, shyly pursing her lips. “I’ve had enough. I just think your cakes are even better than those from the marquis’ kitchen!”

Rong Rong tasted one herself, nodded, and then placed five cakes into a small food box, handing the steamer to Chun Xing. “Here, these are yours.”

“Thank you, miss.” Chun Xing, still a young girl, couldn’t hide her delight despite her earlier refusal, now beaming with happiness.

“Chun Xing, now that my leg is healed, when do you plan to return to the marquis’ residence?” Chun Xing was a maid from the marquis’ house.

Xie Yuan initially took pity on her injured leg and let Chun Xing take care of her.

Now that her leg was healed, there was no reason to keep Chun Xing.

Chun Xing was eating a cake when she heard Rong Rong’s words.

She immediately stiffened and then began to cough violently, choking on the cake.

Rong Rong hurriedly patted her back, helping her clear her throat before handing her a cup of tea. “Drink slowly.”

Once she had caught her breath, Chun Xing knelt before Rong Rong, crying. “Miss, please don’t send me back. The people in the marquis’ house look down on me because I’m from the countryside. They ignore me and even the rougher servants mock me. When you were in the marquis’ house, they showed some restraint because of you. But now that you’ve left, I’ll be bullied to death if I go back.”

“The marquis’ house is a place of rules. Zhen Zhen is my good friend. If you suffer any grievances, you can go to her.” Rong Rong helped Chun Xing up and spoke gently. “You are a maid of the marquis’ house. It wouldn’t be right for you to stay here. Besides, look at this place. How can I afford to keep a maid?”

“You don’t need to support me. The young master told me to take care of you. The marquis’ house will pay me.”

“That’s the point. Since they pay you, you should return to the marquis’ house.”

Chun Xing insisted, “The young master only said to take care of you. He didn’t say when I should return. Miss, please let me stay here.”

“But…”

Chun Xing, sensing Rong Rong’s hesitation, quickly added, “Miss, my indenture is still at the marquis’ house. If they demand me back, I’ll go.”

Seeing Chun Xing’s expectant face, Rong Rong reconsidered sending her back immediately.

“Who are these cakes for?” Chun Xing asked.

“They’re for Boss Mei. She’s helped me a lot. Now that I’m better, I should thank him.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

Rong Rong shook her head. “We’ve been busy all day and the kitchen is a mess. You clean it up. Boss Mei lives nearby, so I’ll go by myself.”

“Alright,” Chun Xing agreed cheerfully, holding her tray of rose cakes.

Though Rong Rong had just started walking again, the miraculous medicine she used made her leg feel as good as new.

Boss Mei’s house was close to the seamstresses’ courtyard.

Rong Rong carried the food box and walked a few dozen steps to reach it.

Though the layout was similar, this house was more impressive, with a grand yellow pear wood door and a plaque reading “Mei Residence” hanging above it.