Chapter 29: The Kitchen

In the afternoon, Wen Ruyu got out of bed, feeling a bland taste in her mouth and wanting to eat something.

She recalled that the shrimp cakes from the other day tasted great. The main ingredients seemed to be shrimp meat and sweet wine. Thinking of it now, she suddenly craved them.

The Lu family had a fixed schedule for purchasing ingredients every month, especially poultry like chickens and ducks, which were bought in large quantities to last a whole month. When they originally bought the house, they chose one with a large kitchen, allowing them to keep these poultry in a designated area for management.

Because of this, the household always had enough chicken and duck eggs. When the weather was cold and the poultry stopped laying eggs, they would buy extra eggs as needed.

She just wasn’t sure if there were enough fish and shrimp.

But Wen Ruyu was not someone who would deprive herself. Whether they had it or not, she first called Chun Tao and told her to go to the kitchen to ask if there were any shrimp cakes.

Chun Tao was in charge of her meals and serving food. Seeing that the old lady had an appetite, she immediately went to inquire in the kitchen.

By this time, it was already afternoon, and the kitchen was preparing for dinner.

Chun Tao’s mother was one of the Lu family’s cooks. Seeing her daughter coming over, she smiled and placed a piece of sliced lard cake into her mouth.

The glutinous rice cake was sweet and soft, and although it was soaked in lard, it didn’t feel greasy at all.

After chewing and swallowing the cake, Chun Tao finally said, “The old lady wants to eat shrimp cakes.”

Her mother responded, “We just happen to have shrimp. I’ll have it prepared and sent over soon.”

Chun Tao nodded and, still craving the cake, reached out to grab another piece to eat.

The other cooks and kitchen maids in the kitchen saw this but remained indifferent.

The old lady did not like male cooks, believing that men with beards cooking and tasting food were unsanitary. Thus, there were no male cooks in the kitchen.

Tasks like unloading and transporting goods were usually done by the male servants or strong maids.

Since Chun Tao was a personal maid who often served Wen Ruyu and sometimes even slept in the old lady’s room, she did not frequently return home.

Although mother and daughter saw each other often, they rarely had long conversations.

However, ever since the old master passed away, Wen Ruyu was the highest authority in the Lu family. Being a senior maid by her side meant that Chun Tao’s entire family stood a little taller.

Her mother walked into the kitchen, gave instructions for the shrimp cakes to be made, and then pulled her daughter aside for a private chat.

Chun Tao, still craving food, grabbed another piece of lard cake before following.

Her mother laughed and scolded her, “You greedy little cat! All you see is food. Do you even use that head of yours for anything?”

Since she was in front of her own mother, Chun Tao acted less restrained than when she was serving Wen Ruyu.

Knowing that she had to return to report back to Wen Ruyu, her mother kept the conversation brief.

“You’re eighteen now, and it’s time to start thinking about marriage. In another two years at most, you should consider settling down. The old lady is kind-hearted, and if you fancy someone, your father and I can ask her to grant you a marriage. It doesn’t have to be a servant or steward from our household. Our Lu family maids are respected enough that proper families would take them as legal wives.”

“Oh, Mother, it’s still too early for that!” Chun Tao whined.

She couldn’t explain why, but she just didn’t like the idea of marriage.

“Too early? Nonsense!” Her mother’s expression grew stern. “Look at Fen’er from your courtyard. She has everything planned out.”

Hearing this, Chun Tao glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering, “She’s good at scheming, but I have no interest in that. When the old lady was sick the other day, Third Young Master started sweet-talking the maids in her room. Only Fen’er took the bait.”

“She’s foolish. She doesn’t realize that Third Young Master is only using her to gather information about the old lady. If there’s any change in her health or any news, she acts as his messenger.

“The rest of us older maids will eventually leave. Whether we stay by the old lady’s side long-term is uncertain.

“Fen’er, being younger and someone the old lady remembers by name, has a better chance of taking over when we’re gone. Third Young Master is clever—he saw this opportunity. Even if she’s not with the old lady, as long as she stays in our courtyard, she’ll still be useful.”

Her mother was puzzled. “But what’s the harm? Fen’er is still the old lady’s maid. If the young master marries her, won’t she gain status?”

Chun Tao disagreed. “That’s all just wishful thinking. Did he ever promise her anything? She’s just a first-class maid, after all. If Third Young Master doesn’t want her, she has no say in the matter.

“Even though he’s just a concubine-born son, he’s still a master. Would the old lady take the maid’s side over him? At best, she’d get a few taels of silver as compensation. At worst, she’d be casually married off to a random servant.

“Even I can’t be sure if the old lady will arrange my marriage. So why would Fen’er have a better chance than me?

“And what’s so great about becoming a concubine? Look at Concubine Qian—her own son can’t even call her ‘mother.’ Even though she serves the old lady tea and takes care of her, she still has to act humble and obedient.”

Her mother sighed, “Even a concubine’s life is better than being a servant forever.” Though Chun Tao’s words made sense, she still spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

Chun Tao pouted. “If you keep talking like that, I won’t chat with you anymore!”

Seeing her daughter’s playful tantrum, her mother chuckled and patted her arm. “Alright, my good girl, I understand. You want to marry properly. As a household-born maid, the masters will treat you well. Even if you marry an ordinary man, you’ll still be a proper wife. Knowing this, I feel much more at ease.”

Chun Tao smiled, wrapping her arms around her mother.

As they chatted, Chun Tao mentioned, “The other day, the household received new winter clothes. The old lady had Qingxue send a full set to Third Young Master. He happened to receive a hairpin and wanted to give it to Qingxue, but she noticed it was just a cheap silver-plated one. She thought the old lady might disapprove, so she refused it. Somehow, that hairpin ended up with Fen’er.”

Her mother scoffed. “She’s an old lady’s maid and still so easily swayed?”

It was just a slightly fancier hairpin—hardly worth anything. The old lady’s personal maids earned more than others, so this behavior was baffling to her mother.

Just as their conversation was wrapping up, a kitchen maid walked by, startled by Chun Tao’s loud voice.

Realizing someone was approaching, Chun Tao’s mother quickly ended their chat.

“These things will come to light eventually. Just don’t get involved.”

“I won’t,” Chun Tao assured her.

Her mother nodded. “Alright, go back now. The old lady might be waiting for your report.”

Chun Tao acknowledged and hurried back.

Meanwhile, Wen Ruyu, pleased that shrimp cakes were available, prepared for afternoon tea.

The shrimp cakes, deep-fried to a crisp, were served in a visually pleasing arrangement. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and naturally sweet from the shrimp, they needed little seasoning to be delicious.

After finishing her tea, Qin Fu and her brother arrived to bid farewell.

Though Wen Ruyu invited them to stay, they had to leave for wedding preparations.

Knowing she couldn’t insist, Wen Ruyu let them go, sending her eldest son to escort them to the door.