After Xie Nanjia returned, she first went to Aunt Cai's room to greet her. She omitted the part where Zhao Jingyu teased her and told Aunt Cai everything else she could.
After hearing this, Aunt Cai didn't say anything and told her to go back to her room and rest.
Xie Nanjia took her leave and returned to her residence. Jiuer was still awake. Seeing her come back, she pulled her aside and asked her all kinds of questions.
Xie Nanjia said a few words and told her to go to bed quickly. Jiuer said, "I can't sleep. Let me tell you a funny story that just came out of the pot."
"You really can't stop talking about your profession, and it's fresh out of the oven." Xie Nanjia teased her, "Then tell me, is it steamed buns or rice cakes?"
Jiu'er chuckled: "It's not a bun, nor a rice cake, it's a big pancake."
"What big pancake?" Xie Nanjia asked.
Jiu'er said, "Not long after you left, Su He from the Fourth Young Miss's courtyard came over and said that the Fourth Young Miss had a sore throat due to the flu and wanted to eat a bowl of egg custard. Aunt Cai was not at home, and the other chefs were too lazy to make it, so they asked Su He to find the cook. However, the cook said that they only cooked for the servants and were not qualified to serve the masters. They pushed the responsibility back and forth, which annoyed Su He. She stood in the courtyard and cursed loudly, which alarmed Aunt Cai. She came over and cursed the chef and the cook one by one, and then made egg custard for the Fourth Young Miss herself."
"Is this true?" Xie Nanjia asked in surprise. "Although the Fourth Miss is not favored, she is still the master after all. Those people are short-sighted and deserve to be scolded."
"They deserve it. Madam Cai even said she would deduct their monthly salary!" Jiu'er echoed, "The fourth young lady is really pitiful. Her food is the worst among all the masters. Occasionally there is a good dish, but some bold servants dare to replace it for her. Have you seen the fourth young lady? She has not seen meat for many years and is so thin that a gust of wind can blow her away."
Xie Nanjia recalled the appearance of the Fourth Young Lady. She was indeed very thin, but she didn't expect that she was thin due to hunger.
Jiu'er added: "Fortunately, Aunt Cai is fair, otherwise the fourth young lady would have no way to survive."
Xie Nanjia nodded: "It is precisely because she is fair that she can become our leader. The masters are not stupid and know who can be of great use. You should also learn from Aunt Cai in the future and always keep mercy and justice in your heart."
"Yeah." Jiuer nodded seriously.
When Xie Nanjia heard Jiu'er talking about Su He, she thought of Su Mei and Su Ju in the Fourth Aunt's courtyard, so she asked her, "Did all the maids with the name Su come into the mansion together?"
Jiu'er said, "Yes, because of the death of the Crown Prince's wife, a large number of people were replaced in the mansion. There are ten people with the character Su in their generation. Those who paid tribute to the steward were assigned to good places, and those who didn't were assigned to corners. Su He probably didn't pay tribute to the steward and had a bad temper, so she was assigned to the fourth young lady."
"I see." Xie Nanjia touched her head, "It's getting late, go to bed quickly, you have to get up early tomorrow."
Jiu'er lay obediently, sticking her head out from under the quilt, blinking and looking at her: "Sister Xiu'er, I think you look like my mother."
"..." Xie Nanjia didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Go to sleep!"
Jiuer stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes.
Xie Nanjia blew out the light and lay on the bed, still thinking about Su Ju.
There was a vacancy in the young master's courtyard, and she was considering whether to transfer Su Ju there.
Su Ju doesn't have any special qualities. Her only advantage is that she is practical and capable. If she is transferred to the painting building, she can help.
But she has been in the spotlight recently, so let's wait and see about this matter!
During the collective morning training the next day, Aunt Cai again spoke publicly about what happened last night. She fined all the chefs and cooks two hundred coins each and fined herself five hundred coins to serve as a warning to others.
Everyone had complaints at first, but when they heard that she had punished them as well, they were speechless. They thought they were unlucky, but they did not repent in their hearts. Instead, they thought that it was the Fourth Young Miss who had implicated them.
At breakfast time, Su He came again and said that the fourth young lady was in worse condition than yesterday and could not eat anything. She asked the kitchen to make some refreshing soup.
Seeing that those people didn't seem happy about it, Xie Nanjia took the initiative to tell Aunt Cai that she would do it.
Seeing that she was sensible, Aunt Cai agreed.
Those people all curled their lips and rolled their eyes, gossiping in a sarcastic tone, saying that she only got the job of making midnight snacks for the Marquis, and she thought she was omnipotent, and she was showing off her abilities here and there, so why didn't she go to heaven
Some people also said that she just wanted to act nice in front of Aunt Cai. Unfortunately, Aunt Cai was not the master. At best, she was promoted to the position of chef and given the job of buying and selling things. So what? Wasn't she still a servant
Some people also said that she did it to curry favor with the Fourth Miss, but others soon said that currying favor with Aunt Cai was worse than currying favor with the Fourth Miss. At least she could have enough food to eat by following Aunt Cai, but if she followed the Fourth Miss, she couldn't even get enough to eat.
Xie Nanjia turned a deaf ear to all the gossip. After making the soup, he reported it to Aunt Cai and personally delivered it to the fourth young lady.
Aunt Cai advised, "Su He must have said something angry to the Fourth Miss yesterday when she returned. When you see the Fourth Miss, tell her to be more tolerant and tell her that I have punished the people below."
Xie Nanjia agreed and went to the Fourth Miss's Yilan Courtyard with the soup.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, he ran into Zhao Jingyu, who was touring the garden accompanied by Wei Jun, wearing a red dress, swaying freely in the early autumn morning breeze.
Xie Nanjia was puzzled. Why was he everywhere? Since he was so free, why didn't he go out and have fun? What was the point of visiting the garden
She wanted to avoid him and take another route, but Zhao Jingyu saw her with his sharp eyes and called her out, "What a rude girl! You didn't come to greet the young master when you saw him. Where are you going to hide?"
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to go forward and pay his respects to him.
Zhao Jingyu saw her holding the soup pot, and her eyes lit up: "Is this the soup you made?"
"Yes." Xie Nanjia responded.
"Where are you sending it?" Zhao Jingyu asked again.
"My Lord, this is for Miss Four. She is sick and wants to drink some refreshing soup." Xie Nanjia said.
"Oh." Zhao Jingyu lifted the lid and took a look. "It's such a big pot. Can Fourth Sister finish it?"
Xie Nanjia: “…”
This shameless guy, is he trying to steal his sister's soup
"Second Young Master, this soup is light and is for patients. You may not be used to it," she reminded.
"Who said that?" Zhao Jingyu rubbed his neck and coughed twice. "I drank too much last night and my throat is dry and sore. I just want to drink something light. Wei Jun, help me hold Xiu'er, it's very heavy."
"Yes!" Wei Jun took the soup from Xie Nanjia without saying a word.
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Zhao Jingyu took her sleeve and said, "Why are you standing there? Come on, I'd like to go with you to visit the fourth sister."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Why didn’t you remember your fourth sister when there was no soup
She was full of contempt and pulled her sleeve out of Zhao Jingyu's hand: "Second Young Master, please respect yourself and don't fight with me in public."
"Oh?" Zhao Jingyu asked with interest, "Can we do it if it's not in public?"
"..." Xie Nanjia turned her head away and ignored him, then walked to the front.
Zhao Jingyu laughed out loud, feeling very happy.
The second young master's sudden visit caused chaos in the courtyard of the fourth young lady Zhao Lanzhi.
Two maids and a woman came out to greet them, and they knelt on the ground in a panic and kowtowed to Zhao Jingyu.
This yard is like a forgotten island. No visitors have come for years, and the grass in the yard is almost overgrown.
Zhao Jingyu didn't expect this scene to be like this. She couldn't accept it for a moment and quietly asked Xie Nanjia: "Is this really where the fourth sister lives?"
Xie Nanjia said, "How can the fourth young lady compare to you, young master? If you give her some of the small change from your daily extravagance, it can cover her expenses for a year."
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
He knew that Xiu'er was mocking him, but he didn't have the heart to find fault with her at the moment, because he was so shocked. Although his fourth sister was born to a concubine, she shouldn't be ignored like this. The treatment she received was not even as good as the well-known maidservants around Qin.
While he was thinking, the fourth young lady Zhao Lanzhi dragged her sick body out to greet him, her voice as weak as a mosquito: "Greetings, second brother, I hope you are well."
As he was about to bow, Zhao Jingyu held him back and said, "Don't worry about whether I'm safe or not. Make sure you're well first. Go back to your room and have some rest."
It was just a common sentence, but Zhao Lanzhi's eyes turned red. She whispered, "Thank you for your concern, second brother. Please come in and sit down."
Several people came in, Zhao Jingyu sat down, Wei Jun put the soup on the table, and the maid Su He then helped the fourth young lady sit down opposite Zhao Jingyu.
Zhao Lanzhi asked Su He to serve tea to Zhao Jingyu. Zhao Jingyu said, "Forget the tea. To be honest, Fourth Sister, I didn't know you were sick. I just happened to see the maid from the kitchen bringing you soup. I smelled the delicious soup, so I followed her. I hope Fourth Sister doesn't mind and give me a bowl of soup, okay?"
These words made several people laugh.
Even though the fourth young lady knew that he did not come here on purpose, she was still delighted. She hurriedly asked Su He to bring a bowl of soup over and said, "In this case, I have to thank this girl. If it weren't for the delicious soup she made, I wouldn't be able to welcome a distinguished guest like my second brother to my courtyard."
Zhao Jingyu felt ashamed and promised, "I didn't know it before. I will come to see you often in the future. You have to get well soon."
"Really?" Zhao Lanzhi's dull eyes suddenly lit up. "Second brother, you are not lying to me, are you?"
"Really, second brother never lies." Zhao Jingyu promised.
Tsk! Xie Nanjia curled his lips at the side. He never lied to people, but he never lied to the dead. There is not a single living person who has not been deceived by him. What a big liar!
Zhao Jingyu seemed to have telepathy with her, and suddenly turned to look at her: "Are you criticizing me in your heart?"
Xie Nanjia lowered her brows and closed her eyes: "I dare not."
"Don't dare?" Zhao Jingyu snorted, "There is nothing you dare not do."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Even drinking soup can't stop your mouth.
Zhao Lanzhi looked at the two of them curiously: "Second brother is familiar with this girl?"
Zhao Jingyu said, "Yes, she is a good cook. I originally wanted to transfer her to my side, but she swore she would never serve me. Unexpectedly, she was willing to serve you. It shows that your face is greater than that of my second brother."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Zhao Lanzhi had probably never been cared for or coaxed by anyone before, so she was extremely happy just because Zhao Jingyu said a few words to her.
The brother and sister drank the whole can of soup while talking.
Zhao Jingyu looked at Zhao Lanzhi's obviously improved spirit and energy, and felt a special sense of accomplishment, as if he had done something great.
He sat for a while, then stood up to say goodbye, and instructed Xie Nanjia to prepare every meal for the Fourth Young Miss personally and deliver it to her from now on until she recovered. He also asked Su He to call a doctor for the Fourth Young Miss and ask the doctor to use the best medicine. He also told anyone who dared to refuse to do so should go to the West Courtyard and tell Wei Jun, who would take care of it.
Su He was so grateful that she kowtowed to him several times.
After leaving the yard, the three of them walked in silence for a while. Zhao Jingyu asked Xie Nanjia, "Why are you silent? Are you conquered by my charisma?"
"Tsk!" Xie Nanjia sneered, "Isn't it normal for a brother to love his sister? Where's the charisma? I wonder if you're greedy and are deliberately making up an excuse to ask me to cook for the fourth young lady so that you can come over and eat and drink for free."
"..." Zhao Jingyu looked at her helplessly and dotingly, and lifted her chin with his index finger, "Xiao Xiu'er, what do you think of the young master? Since you have wronged me, I must live up to your grievance. I will eat every meal from now on, so remember to cook more."
"..." Xie Nanjia didn't bother to pay attention to him, slapped his hand away and walked away.
You shameless man, you are addicted to teasing people. Believe it or not, I will put croton powder in your food and you will die from diarrhea!
(End of this chapter)