After buying double portions of the food, Wu Granny could no longer refuse.
Feeling sorry that Lin Qianqian had just returned from a long journey and not wanting to continue troubling her, Wu Granny took the four dishes and a jug of wine back to the communal sleeping quarters where she lived.
Eight elderly servant women shared the large kang bed there. Four were currently on duty, while the remaining four sat around an oil lamp doing needlework, chatting and laughing together.
The moment they saw Wu Granny return, the conversation immediately stopped.
Carrying the food inside, Wu Granny filled the room with its rich aroma.
She had long suffered bullying from these women, so there was no way she would generously share her precious food with them.
Ignoring everyone, she laid out the dishes and began eating and drinking.
Both Old Madam Lin and Wang Shi were notoriously stingy.
As a result, the servants of Lin Residence ate poorly and rarely tasted meat even once a month. Smelling the fragrance of the dishes, the women sitting around the lamp swallowed repeatedly.
Wu Granny ate with great care, unwilling to waste even a bit of Miss Qianqian’s kindness.
The braised beef was truly delicious.
According to Hongdou, it came from Drunken Immortal Tower. A single meal there could cost an ordinary family their lifetime savings. The taste was indeed extraordinary.
The women sharing her room often bullied Wu Granny. They all knew that after she had saved the legitimate eldest daughter of the household, Wang Shi had constantly targeted her.
Having grown accustomed to bullying her, they now wanted to snatch her food as well.
The moment several women stood up and grabbed a plate of beef, someone suddenly shouted:
“What are you doing? Put that down immediately!”
The newcomer was Mother Sun.
Earlier, while returning, Mother Sun had run into Hongdou, who quietly conveyed Miss Qianqian’s instructions, telling her to look after Wu Granny in the servants’ quarters.
That was why Mother Sun had come here.
The moment she entered, she saw everyone harassing Wu Granny.
Mother Sun sighed inwardly.
Miss Qianqian is truly godlike. She actually predicted what would happen here.
I’d better be even more careful in the future. I absolutely can’t let Miss Qianqian catch any leverage on me, or I’m finished.
When she went to fetch Qianqian from the estate, one kick had nearly taken half her life.
Today, outside the residence gate, Granny Chen had been struck with a single blow and ended up twisting on the ground like someone possessed.
Terrifying.
“Get back, all of you!”
Mother Sun was one of Wang Shi’s favored senior stewardesses. Nobody dared disobey her.
The women reluctantly returned the beef they had grabbed.
“Didn’t you hear what happened to Granny Chen outside the gates today? You all know who she offended. Wu Granny once saved Miss Qianqian. If anyone dares bully her, Miss Qianqian won’t let it go.”
The moment Granny Chen’s fate was mentioned, everyone turned pale.
Rumor had it that Granny Chen was now crippled.
And all because she had offended Miss Qianqian.
Wang Shi had wanted to give Miss Qianqian a show of authority, but instead the entire residence had received a show of authority from Qianqian.
Too frightening.
No one wanted to end up like Granny Chen.
The women who had intended to steal Wu Granny’s food immediately retreated into the corners, shrinking like frightened quails.
The area around the oil lamp became empty.
Wu Granny was kind-hearted and grateful for Mother Sun’s help.
“Come, come. Mother Sun, have a drink and relax.”
Mother Sun happened to be craving something good and didn’t refuse.
She sat down beside Wu Granny.
Her eyes casually swept over the wine jug.
The label immediately caught her attention.
Drunken Immortal Tower Peach Blossom Wine.
She cried out in shock.
“This wine? It’s actually Peach Blossom Wine from Drunken Immortal Tower! A single jug costs ten taels of silver!”
Miss Qianqian is truly generous.
The women in the corners widened their eyes in disbelief.
Ten taels of silver for one jug of wine!
Extravagant beyond belief.
They had worked at Lin Residence for more than ten years and still hadn’t managed to save ten taels.
Wu Granny looked embarrassed.
“How could an old woman like me deserve wine like this? I tried refusing, but Hongdou insisted on giving it to me. These dishes are from Drunken Immortal Tower too. I heard this braised beef is called Immortal Beef. It’s outrageously expensive.”
The others could hardly contain their envy.
The kind of blessing Wu Granny was enjoying was something they could never afford, no matter how much they saved in a lifetime.
They couldn’t even dream of such treatment.
Comparisons truly made people miserable.
Still, they believed that Miss Qianqian had no backing and could never defeat Wang Shi, whose family came from the Chancellor’s residence.
Once Qianqian lost favor, they could always deal with Wu Granny later.
Mother Sun ate happily.
She had served beside Wang Shi for more than ten years, working tirelessly, yet she had never once tasted the food of Drunken Immortal Tower.
Who would have thought that the person who finally let her experience it would be Miss Qianqian?
Back then, Jiang Shi had also been a genuinely good person.
If Wang Shi had never entered the household, perhaps every servant in the residence would have lived comfortably.
Mother Sun stuffed two slices of beef into her mouth.
The meat was richly flavored, springy and tender without sticking between the teeth.
It was unbelievably delicious.
“Wu Granny, if you ever get food from Drunken Immortal Tower again, don’t forget me.”
Meanwhile, in Longevity Courtyard, where Old Madam Lin lived, every lamp was brightly lit.
The furnishings inside were extremely luxurious.
The bronze ram-head lamp on the wall, the jade cabbage ornament on the table, and the beautiful celadon tea set all came from Jiang Shi’s dowry.
Old Madam Lin was currently enjoying a bowl of bird’s nest porridge.
More than a dozen dishes covered the table before her.
Eight maids and servant women attended her side.
Before her son had become the top scholar, she had never eaten her fill in the countryside.
Now that she possessed wealth, she spared no expense on herself.
The maid Xiaoxing was reporting to her.
“Second Miss has already settled into the residence. She’s staying near the stables in the southwest corner.”
Old Madam Lin naturally knew how dilapidated those buildings were.
However, she did not think Lin Qianqian was being mistreated.
To a girl who had nearly died at birth, simply being alive was already a tremendous favor bestowed by the Lin family.
“Letting Second Girl stay near the stables is already generous. She grew up in the countryside; her previous conditions were surely worse. Tell her she needn’t come pay her respects every morning. Out of sight, out of mind.”
The Jiang family had already fallen from power.
In Old Madam Lin’s eyes, Jiang Shi’s daughter no longer possessed any value.
Her only worth was marrying in place of Lin Baozhu.
Now, Wang Shi’s son and daughter were her true grandchildren.
After all, Wang Shi’s father had remained firmly seated as Left Chancellor for many years.
Old Madam Lin currently controlled Jiang Shi’s dowry.
According to noble family customs in the capital, Jiang Shi’s dowry should eventually belong to her daughter.
But Old Madam Lin already regarded it as her own property.
Simply seeing Lin Qianqian—the rightful heir to that dowry—made her uncomfortable.
Better not to see her at all.
“Although the Champion Marquis has become a fool, his status is not something a crude country girl deserves. Have someone teach Second Girl embroidery and needlework first. Later, I’ll speak with the clan school and let her learn some reading and writing. She’s already fourteen. After two years of cultivation, she can marry into the Champion Marquis’s residence. Then no one can say we’ve slighted the Champion Marquis.”
The next morning, after washing up, Lin Qianqian was preparing to climb over the wall to eat breakfast outside the residence.
Just then, an unfamiliar young maid approached.