Chapter 95: Thriving

Mrs. Wei sighed and said, “The maid who was serving the young miss, Granny Xu, claimed the doll was dirty and took it to wash. However, she ended up ruining the satin while washing it. She then declared that the young miss was delicate and shouldn’t play with damaged things, so she had the doll thrown out of the mansion. The young miss cried and fell ill that day. Master had no choice but to replace a few of the serving staff and temporarily called me to look after the young miss.”

Oh…

Observing Mrs. Wei’s evasive demeanor, Chen Feng began to understand. She had been puzzled as to why the little girl’s grandmother had taken up monastic life, with other relatives still present in the household. Yet, there were only the father and daughter in the mansion, and the ailing little girl didn’t have a female relative to care for her. Perhaps there were deeper reasons behind this. Even the staff might not entirely be acting in the best interest of the master…

Shortly after, the maid Qiao brought in a food box. Mrs. Wei smiled and said, “I heard from my husband that you haven’t eaten yet. Please make do with this for now, and afterwards please teach me how to make osmanthus sticky rice dates. I don’t know why, but the ones made by me and the others aren’t as well-liked by young miss.”

She placed the meal on the round table in the living area—four dishes, a soup, and two bowls of rice. The aroma filled the room, and Chen Feng realized she was also hungry, well past mealtime.

She then had the maid Qiao take Qiqi and Gray to the backyard to eat, as they were making too much noise inside.

After the mother and son had finished their meal, Dabao’s eyes began to droop, and he kept yawning. Mrs. Wei asked Chen Feng to take him to rest on the beauty couch in the west room and brought a small silk quilt to cover him.

Later, they both went to the small kitchen in the backyard.

Mrs. Wei, aged around twenty-four or twenty-five, had a fair and delicate complexion. She was always ready to smile and was quite endearing. Chen Feng then mentioned the assistance provided by Luo Xiao.

Mrs. Wei smiled and said, “When my father-in-law comes to the city, he often mentions that my two children frequently go to your home to eat and drink. It’s only right for us to help in return.” She continued, “In three days, it will be young miss’s fourth birthday. After the celebration, the master plans for the young miss to live with us at Tangyuan. He says the countryside air is good, and it might be beneficial for her growth. Since the young miss likes you so much, you should come to Tangyuan to visit more often in the future…”

In the kitchen, all the ingredients for making osmanthus sticky rice dates were available. Since there were no fresh osmanthus flowers, there was a jar of sugar-soaked osmanthus flowers. While explaining the steps for making the sticky rice dates to Mrs. Wei and the kitchen manager Auntie Zhou, Chen Feng, sweating from the heat of the stove, wiped her forehead with a handkerchief. Seizing the opportunity, she also sprinkled a small yellow fragment from the handkerchief into the pot when the dates were being cooked.

Once the sticky rice dates were ready, Mrs. Wei tasted one and widened her eyes, saying, “Oh, we made them the same way, so why do Ms. Chen Feng’s taste so much better?”

The kitchen manager, Auntie Zhou, also tasted one and openly praised its flavor. Hearing Mrs. Wei’s words, she smiled knowingly and said, “Everything is about fate and method, whether it’s cooking or brewing alcohol. The same ingredients and steps can produce different results. If everything tasted the same, why would restaurants pay a high price to hire master chefs? They could just give the recipe to anyone to make.”

In praising Chen Feng, she also saved face for herself.

Mrs. Wei nodded in agreement.

Chen Feng suppressed a smile. She had been wondering how to explain, but Auntie Zhou had just smoothed things over for her.

The batch was quite substantial, filling two small colored porcelain basins. Mrs. Wei took out a delicate blue-and-white porcelain dish, arranged a plate of sticky rice dates, and placed it in the food box, instructing a young maid to present it to the master in the front yard. She explained, “Last time, my husband took the sticky rice dates made by Ms. Chen to the mansion, and not only did young miss like them, but the master also enjoyed them. He refrained from eating more, just to see the young miss enjoy them.”

Then, they took the remaining food and went to the upper room.

The upper room was quiet, the two children were still asleep.

Mrs. Wei placed a small plate of sticky rice dates on the table in the living area and put the rest in a food box to be placed in the side room. As she finished, they heard the maid Qiao’s voice from the east room, “Oh, the young miss is awake.”

Mrs. Wei laughed, “Oh, these dates are really tempting. They must have awakened the young miss with its fragrance.”

Chu Hanyan had awakened, and it was time to wake up Dabao too.

Chen Feng went to the west room, where Dabao was still sound asleep on the beauty couch. She gently roused him, and feeling somewhat grumpy, he pouted as if on the verge of tears.

Chen Feng chuckled, “This is Sister Yan’s home. If she hears you crying, she might tease you.”

Dabao’s eyes instantly widened, and he sat up, saying, “Mom, you’re mistaken. Dabao didn’t cry.” He immediately perked up.

A young maid brought a basin of water, and Chen Feng washed Dabao’s face.

In the study, after finishing the last date on his plate, Chu Lingxuan muttered, “While I’m here, why didn’t they make her prepare more?”

Standing nearby, Steward Luo suppressed a smile. When was the last time his lord had been so childlike? Perhaps not since the family crisis when the mistress was forced into monastic life.

He then gave a more detailed report to Chu Lingxuan about the Chen family’s situation, how Chen Feng sought medical treatment for Dabao, the incident of him being bullied in the village, and astonishingly, he also mentioned that Chen Feng’s designed button sold the best at Ni Shang Embroidery House, and she had signed a contract with them. He had touched on some of this before, but not in such depth.

Chu Lingxuan nodded and said, “This family seems reliable. Ms. Chen is also quite intelligent, and it seems my daughter really likes her.” He cleared his throat awkwardly and added, “In the future, when my daughter goes to Tangyuan, she can spend more time with the mother and son. Or perhaps have Ms. Chen teach my daughter sewing. After moving to the countryside, she can go and teach my daughter regularly.”

Steward Luo was momentarily taken aback. Teach his daughter sewing? Understanding the implication, he immediately bowed and replied, “Yes.”

Chu Lingxuan furrowed his brow in thought. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity with Dabao. The first time he saw him in Sanqing County, he felt a hint of recognition, and today it was even more pronounced. However, he was certain that he had never seen the child before. Perhaps it was just a sense of affinity.

Furthermore, why did Chen Feng also seem strangely familiar today? It was truly peculiar.

Chu Lingxuan and Steward Luo then went to the Joyful Pavilion.

Upon entering the courtyard, they saw Qiqi and Gray standing, chatting and reciting poetry. One was reciting while the other kept shouting, “Dabao needs to pee, Dabao needs to pee.” They were both mimicking Dabao’s voice, much to the amusement of the maidservants, who burst into laughter, covering their mouths.

To infuse vitality into his daughter’s courtyard, Chu Lingxuan had many flowers, plants, and trees planted, and had numerous birdcages hung around. However, only today did he feel an exuberant liveliness in the place.

No wonder his mother also liked the child, as well as these two personable parrots. Perhaps, with the addition of a little swallow, the place would become even more lively?