Yuniang stood there in a daze. Although she had been renamed "Lingjiao" for several days now, she seemed to have already grown accustomed to this new name…
Yet after stepping through the gate of Lady He's small courtyard, she always felt she should still be called "Yuniang"—that she should be a young kitchen maid standing there in new clothes, waiting to go out and play.
She should not be a lowly servant girl, named "Lingjiao" on a whim by the stewardess who happened to be eating water caltrops, simply because she shared the character "yu" with the young ladies of the Vice Prefect's household.
"I'm talking to you!" The young servant girl, seeing her standing there blankly without responding, couldn't very well reach out and tug at her, so she simply stretched out her foot and stepped on her.
Yuniang startled with a jolt. Fortunately, she had already set down what she was holding before sneaking her glance, so no mishap occurred.
"Sister Shan Zhi, it's nothing…" Yuniang quickly looked up at the young servant girl Shan Zhi, then lowered her lashes to conceal the jealousy in her eyes, standing up straight and proper. "I just… I just… have never seen a cook's courtyard before."
Yuniang was jealous of Shan Zhi.
Although Shan Zhi was somewhat older than her, the two had entered Vice Prefect Wu's household in the same batch.
When they had first been assigned under the stewardess in charge of sweeping and miscellaneous chores, she had been called Yuniang, and Shan Zhi had been called Gou'er.
If only Shan Zhi hadn't rushed forward to greet the stewardess first, just in time for the stewardess to notice the gardenia tree in the corner of the courtyard budding with flowers, and to find the name "Gou'er" too unsightly for the stage, bestowing the name "Shan Zhi" instead—
That name, at least connected to flowers and blossoms, though not as pleasant-sounding as "Yuniang," was still far more presentable than "Lingjiao"—it should have been hers.
The more Yuniang thought about it, the deeper her fingernails dug into her flesh—Shan Zhi must have called her that just now on purpose, and Fusheng had certainly heard her new name!
She had done nothing wrong at all, so why did Heaven not favor her in the slightest?
While Yuniang was brooding over why Heaven did not favor her, Fusheng had already boarded the sedan chair with Lady He and the others.
This was her first time riding in a sedan chair. Although she shared it with Yinxing, the two of them were small, so there was still plenty of space.
"I've only ever ridden in an ox cart—this is my first time in a sedan chair!" Yinxing touched this and felt that, until she had satisfied her curiosity about the sedan chair, then grabbed Fusheng's arm and asked, "Sanniang, did you see Yuniang just now? I heard from Sister Meimei earlier that Yuniang was sold by her mother-in-law to serve in the Vice Prefect's household. I never expected they'd even change her name! Lingjiao… hearing that name makes me want to eat water caltrop soup…"
Since Yuniang had been driven out, Fusheng had never heard that name again in Lady He's home.
However, it didn't surprise Fusheng in the least that Yinxing knew Granny Zhang had sent Yuniang off to be a servant girl.
Sweet Water Lane was only so big, and Lady He's house wasn't far from theirs. That day, Granny Zhang had made such a grand show of boasting—if one hadn't heard about it, that would have been the real surprise!
Fusheng acknowledged Yinxing with a word or two but made no further comment.
Yinxing, having already been reminded of sweet soups like water caltrop soup by the name "Lingjiao," let her thoughts wander wherever they pleased, already chattering on about all the delicacies of the season.
The sedan chair left Sweet Water Lane and traveled along the main road. Before long, the clamor of voices outside the sedan grew loud and bustling.
It was truly the busiest day of the Dragon Boat Festival races at the Dangui Pool—before they even drew near, the road was already clogged and impassable.
Today was a day of crowds and festivity. Some had closed their shops for the day to celebrate the holiday with their families, while others, naturally, had taken advantage of the throng to make extra goods and hawk them on the streets.
Fusheng lifted the edge of the curtain to peek outside. Vendors selling sachets and colored cords, zongzi and cold rice balls, candied fruits and dried snacks—these were all commonplace. What truly drew the biggest crowd was a peddler selling fans.
It was only the beginning of the fifth month—surely it wasn't hot enough yet to need a fan.
But with so many people on the streets today, and even more packed around Dangui Pool, the early summer heat and stuffiness were unavoidable when bodies pressed so close together.
At times like this, buying a fan—no matter how roughly made—could at least relieve the momentary heat. And if kept properly, it could even last through the rest of the summer!
Catching sight of the dense, dark sea of people outside, Fusheng let the curtain fall and began to ponder whether she should buy a fan herself, or perhaps just pluck a large leaf instead?
Before leaving home today, Yang Tieniang had given pocket money to all the children in the household. Junsheng, true to his earlier promise, had given her half of his share.
She now had twelve wen on her. If she wanted a full stomach, that was enough for a bowl of shredded chicken noodles and a cup of mint water!
Clearly, though, she had been overthinking things.
When the sedan chair came to a stop and she and Yinxing stepped out, they followed Lady He to pay their respects to the prefect and the vice-prefect, and their final resting spot was at the side of the viewing platform above.
Though only Lady He had a seat, it was still far more spacious than the jostling crowd below. And with the elevated position and clear sightlines, they could see exactly how the dragon boat races below were unfolding.
For the umpteenth time, Fusheng realized that in this Song dynasty that seemed to exist in a parallel time, the status of a professional female cook could elevate an ordinary woman of the streets by a tremendous margin.
Banquets had to be booked in advance; one had to send a sedan chair to invite a cook to one's home for private cooking. A cook like Lady He earned at least twenty to thirty guan a month—equivalent to three to six months of income for an ordinary craftsman…
Fusheng glanced at Lady He, then at Madam Qian seated beside her, and made up her mind.
No matter what, she would spur Junsheng on to pass the boy examination, then the county examination to become a xiucai, and finally attain the rank of juren. And before Junsheng achieved juren status and headed to the capital for the metropolitan examination, she would master Lady He's signature skills and successfully complete her apprenticeship!
Everyone spoke of the splendor of Bianjing's nine thoroughfares and three markets, of phoenix towers overlooking ornate streets, of auspicious vapors that were no mere smoke.
Since she was destined to be a cook, she would merge the ancient with the modern, and ultimately become the finest cook in all of Bianjing… It wasn't that she was overly greedy—she was still young, and anything was possible…
Wasn't it?
When Fusheng's slightly drooping eyelids lifted again, her eyes were filled with the light of hope, making her seem all the more vibrant and alive.
Only, she happened to be standing a little too close to Madam Qian.
Her master, Lady He, hadn't noticed the change in her expression, but Madam Qian caught it all in a single glance.
Though Madam Qian and Lady He had trained under the same master, a private matter from years past had left them at odds ever since, and they rarely met without exchanging sharp words.
Madam Qian had a pair of phoenix eyes with slightly upturned outer corners, which gave her an inherent two parts more "fierceness" than Lady He. Add to that her fondness for applying a vivid, full-bodied pomegranate-red lip color—as brilliant as a blooming pomegranate—and that original fierceness swelled from two parts to four.
She thought she was looking at him casually, but Fusheng felt his back straighten two notches under her gaze.
Just as Fusheng was about to break into a forced smile, she slowly turned back around, her voice drifting lightly as she said to Lady He:
"He Yunsu, oh He Yunsu, your eye for picking disciples is getting worse and worse."
After drawing a glare from Lady He with that single remark, she propped her chin on the back of her hand, beaming.
"That one you kicked out before was an ungrateful wolf; the one by your side now looks like a simpleton. You're not clever to begin with, and with one… two… three… oh no, four silly children around you, how will you get by in the days ahead!"
Madam Qian's voice was lowered, but it carried a crispness that belied her age, her tone light and quick—so clear that Lady He, separated only by a small low table, heard every word.
Standing behind Lady He, Big Fool Meimei, Second Fool Qingnu, Third Fool Yinxing, and Fourth Fool Fusheng all heard it plainly as well.
"Qian Huilan!"
Lady He's brows shot up in fury.
She had been in quite a good mood today, but when Madam Qian settled in beside her, the thought of a possible squabble had already dimmed her spirits by a notch. Now, hearing these words, that single notch of displeasure swelled to three.
This woman—she'd been insufferable since childhood!
In the past, she'd mocked her for being dull-witted and foolish, and now she wouldn't even spare her disciples and maids.
If this weren't the dragon boat race viewing stand, if the main platform weren't filled with various officials, if their master Guild Leader Song weren't seated not far away—
She would absolutely trade a few sharp words with this black-hearted woman, then tear that mouth of hers apart!
Which of her disciples and maids was foolish?
Qingnu was steady and devoted, Fusheng had improved in cooking by leaps and bounds since she'd come around, Yinxing's tongue was sweet as honey, and Meimei was a maid rarely found in this world!
"Hmph, nothing good ever comes out of your mouth. I won't stoop to your level!"
With a roll of her eyes, Lady He turned her head away, staring sulkily at the water.
Fusheng knew that her master and Madam Qian had long-standing friction, but what exactly that "friction" was, she had no idea.
She hadn't seen much of Madam Qian before—the only time being when Yuniang was cast out.
But now, watching how Lady He and Madam Qian interacted… though it did carry a hint of "clashing blades," the atmosphere was actually quite harmonious!
Down on the water, the dragon boat races had already begun. It looked just as lively and intense as the matches between her village and the neighboring one in her past life. It was novel at first, but after watching for a while, Fusheng found it dull.
As the excitement of the race climbed to new heights, Lady He and the others had already moved to the railing.
Yinxing, however, was more interested in the tea cakes on the small table and didn't go up.
Fusheng edged closer to her and asked in a low voice, "Yinxing, do you know why Master and Madam Qian bicker every time they meet?"
She was genuinely curious.
Yinxing had been with Lady He longer than she had—maybe she knew?
But to her surprise, Yinxing swallowed the pastry in her mouth and shook her head.
"I don't know. Sister Qingnu and Sister Meimei don't know either. They say it's something from when the mistress was young—probably only the mistress and Madam Qian know."
Clearly, Yinxing had asked before but gotten no answer.
Yinxing stuffed a piece of cake into Fusheng's hand. "Sister Qingnu said this was made by the Tongpan family's cook, and the method is different from what's outside. I'm heading up front to watch the excitement now!"
The snack that was pushed over was not the tea pastry Yinxing had been eating earlier, but another plate of sandalwood cakes.
Fusheng had seen these before in her previous life when she accompanied her grandfather to ancestral rites—old sandalwood shavings, mixed with white honey and glutinous rice flour, kneaded with agarwood water, and dried without oil.
The process, well, was rather troublesome.
The taste, well, Fusheng didn't care for it.
But at this time, neither the raw ingredients nor the craftsmanship were something the common market could achieve.
These sandalwood cakes, aside from appearing at ancestral rites of great households, could only be seen at elegant gatherings.
Seeing these cakes at the dragon boat race viewing stand… Fusheng found it somewhat amusing, and wrapped them in her handkerchief to put away.
She'd take them back to let Grandfather and Grandmother have a taste of something new!