In this manner, with the tacit cooperation between father and daughter, a bowl of bitter medicine quickly reached its bottom.
Holding the empty dish of preserved fruits, little Jin Lanyue’s tiny face was covered in a sense of accomplishment. “Mommy is so amazing! Drank it all up!”
“It is because you fed me well.” Jiang Xiyue offered a weak smile, reaching out a hand to caress her husband’s slightly exhausted face. “You have worked hard these past few days.”
The Marquis of Beiding grasped his wife’s hand, his eyes overflowing with tender affection. Before he could voice his professions of love, however, the little toddler squeezed right into the middle of the two of them. “And Yue’er! Yue’er also worked hard-hard!”
The tender atmosphere was instantly shattered, creating a scene that was rather comical for a moment, and the husband and wife both turned their heads away to laugh in unison.
“Yes, yes, yes, our Yue’er worked the hardest.” The Marquis of Beiding laughed heartily as he scooped up his daughter, pressing a kiss upon her chubby cheek. “What reward do you want?”
The tiny tot tilted her head in thought, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Want candies! Want pastries!”
A child’s wishes unpredictably revolved around those two choices. It had truly been difficult for her to hold the dish of preserved fruits earlier without stealing a single bite for herself, feeding them all to her mother instead.
“Alright, everything shall be as you wish,” Jiang Xiyue replied gently, a trace of color returning to her pale face.
She was doing much better, but she remained ill.
According to the female physician, she needed to rest in bed to recover.
During these few days of lingering on her sickbed, she absolutely had to take her medicine on time and in the correct dosage to prevent her condition from fluctuating or even deteriorating.
During this period, Jin Lanyue insisted on staying by her mother’s side no matter what, and Jiang Xiyue happened to not want to be apart either. Furthermore, since heatstroke was not contagious, mother and daughter lay down together to take a afternoon nap.
As they slept, the little toddler woke up, opening her eyes to find her mother still peacefully asleep.
Unable to fall back asleep, she climbed down from the bed with exceptionally light steps.
Just as she walked into the outer chamber, she caught the sound of two young maids whispering beneath the veranda:
“Madam barely ate a few bites of her lunch again…”
“The medicine prescribed by the imperial physician is too harsh on the spleen and stomach. She even threw up once in the middle of the night yesterday…”
“Sigh, if she doesn’t eat anything, how can her body ever recover…”
The tiny tot clenched the hem of her clothes tightly.
If Mommy doesn’t eat food, does that mean she won’t get better?
This won’t do… I have to think of a way to make Mommy eat.
What should I do?
[System Auntie]: Host’s need detected.
[System Auntie]: Recommending ‘Universal Medicine’ to the Host.
[System Auntie]: Universal Medicine possesses the efficacy to cure all illnesses, strengthen the body, and neutralize all poisons.
Jin Lanyue’s eyes lit up. “Really? Auntie, then let’s use it quickly!”
[System Auntie]: Host, please note: Universal Medicine possesses a physical form as a white powder. It is tasteless and odorless. Consuming it directly is relatively difficult; it is recommended to mix it into food or drinks.
[System Auntie]: When using it, please take care not to be seen by others.
Jin Lanyue nodded in a half-understanding manner.
At three years old, she still had no concept of how precious a treasure the Universal Medicine described by the system was.
She only knew that she now had a way to make her mommy eat food and stop feeling miserable.
Thus, lifting the hem of her skirt, she ran straight toward the small kitchen.
She had a plan!
She was going to make delicious pastries for her mommy to eat!
By putting the Universal Medicine inside the pastries, her mommy wouldn’t feel miserable anymore after eating them!
Inside the kitchen, a cook was currently kneading dough, preparing to make a soft and palatable steamed sponge cake.
Seeing Jin Lanyue burst inside, she hurriedly curtsied. “Countess Chief, may you be blessed with boundless fortune. This place is thick with grease and smoke…”
“Yue’er wants to make pastries for Mommy!” The tiny tot had already dragged a low stool over to stand on her tiptoes, her small hands gripping the edge of the counter. “Yue’er will do it! Let Yue’er do it!”
Unable to dissuade her, the cook could only watch over her carefully from the side.
However, the tiny tot turned her head, stiffening her chubby face as she feigned absolute seriousness. “Secret, it is Yue’er’s secret, no can look!”
The cook found it amusing. “Alright, I won’t steal a look at the little County Chief’s secret recipe. But there are knives and fires in the kitchen, which are dangerous. Let me stay by your side to help you, alright?”
“No can do!” the tiny tot stated firmly.
She remembered perfectly well the instruction her System Auntie had given her about not letting anyone else see.
The cook found herself in a dilemma.
The kitchen was by no means a suitable place for a tiny tot to play. If any danger were to occur, they could absolutely never afford the consequences.
However, the little County Chief was the master after all, and it wasn’t proper for them to refuse.
Pondering for a brief moment, her gaze suddenly landed upon the half-kneaded dough before her, and she thought of a compromise.
Pointing at the basin containing the dough, she said, “Then, how about the little County Chief takes charge of the most important part—kneading the dough? Once you are finished kneading, call us back inside, and we will take charge of steaming it, alright? In this way, the pastry will still count as being made by the little County Chief herself.”
The tiny tot thought about it seriously and felt that what she said made perfect sense.
Thus, she nodded her head. “Okay~ Thank you~”
The cook then locked away all the knives and completely extinguished the fire in the stove before retreating outside.
Presently, Jin Lanyue was left entirely alone in the kitchen.
[System Auntie]: Mission triggered.
[System Auntie]: Standing in the kitchen, you suddenly have a brilliant idea.
[System Auntie]: Ever since you returned to the Marquis of Beiding’s manor, they have all treated you with cold indifference, revolving around her every single day, and even fiercely denouncing you as malicious to contrast her purity.
[System Auntie]: Didn’t they say you are malicious? Then you might as well show them what true malice looks like!
[System Auntie]: Poison their food for them to eat, and let them see what true malice is!
[System Auntie]: Mission: Poison the food and serve it to the family of the Marquis of Beiding.
[System Auntie]: Reward: Antidote Pill.
“Poi-son…” Jin Lanyue bit her finger. “What does that mean?”
“Does it mean putting lots and lots of things inside?” The tiny tot contemplated seriously. “Mmph, it should be exactly like this!”
She patted her chest. “Leave it to Yue’er, System Auntie!”
Standing on her tiptoes, the tiny tot immediately found herself flummoxed by the jars and pots scattered across the counter.
But it didn’t matter; she wouldn’t retreat!
Exerting her strength to stretch her short arms, she pulled two porcelain jars over and opened the first one—
“It’s white-white!”
She opened the second one—
“Huh? Why is it still white-white?”
The tiny tot scratched her head, stretching her arms on her tiptoes once more to pull over two more porcelain jars.
Opening the third one, it was different this time!
“It’s black-black water-water!”
The tiny tot happily opened the fourth one, her smile freezing instantly—
“Why is it still black-black water-water?”
Faced with a difficult problem, the tiny tot fell into deep thought.
But very quickly, she thought of a solution.
“I’ll eat a little bit to try it out!”
Extending her tiny hand, she dabbed a bit of the white granules from the first jar and popped it into her mouth. Upon tasting it, her eyes closed in pure happiness. “It’s sweet-sweet! It’s candy!”
She grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her mouth. “Candies are delicious! Sweet-sweet!”
Clutching the sugar jar with her tiny hands, she poured it straight into the dough basin. “Sweet-sweet candies for Mommy to eat!”
After pouring half a jar with a loud clatter, she finally put it down with great satisfaction and looked at the white granules in the second jar.
With her previous “successful” experience, she grew very bold this time, directly pinching a large handful with her tiny hand and stuffing it into her mouth.
As a massive handful entered her mouth, the tiny tot’s entire body gave a violent shudder.
“Pah, pah, pah!” The tiny tot stuck out her tongue, using a handkerchief to wipe it frantically. “It’s salty-salty! Gross—”
Puckering her tiny face, she reached for the third jar.
Inside was a black liquid, emitting a sour aroma.
The tiny tot was much more cautious this time, carefully dabbing a tiny bit to taste.
It was indeed sour.
But it seemed alright.
The tiny tot nodded her head and also poured half a jar into the dough basin.
Then came the fourth jar, which was also a black liquid.
Tasting it… mmph, salty-salty.
Then pour half a jar of that too!
After a flurry of operations, the tiny tot still felt it wasn’t enough, her eyes shining brightly as she looked toward the other porcelain jars…
One spoonful, two spoonfuls…
Half a jar, an entire jar…
Mounds of white sugar and salt crystals rained into the dough basin.
Following that came soy sauce, vinegar, Sichuan peppercorn powder…
Every single seasoning she could reach, the tiny tot added them all into the dough basin.
It wasn’t until she was panting heavily from exhaustion, her body covered in a messy smattering of seasonings, that Jin Lanyue finally stopped.
Lastly, it was time for the Universal Medicine!
The system materialized the Universal Medicine, and the tiny tot poured it all inside without the slightest hesitation.
Looking at the basin of dough, the colors were exceptionally rich.
Rolling up her sleeves—though they were already so dirty that rolling them didn’t make much difference—she began trying to knead the dough.
In reality… it resembled stirring more than anything else.
The dough gradually turned an bizarre grayish-brown hue, emitting an indescribable odor.
Yet, the tiny tot grew more enthusiastic the more she worked, the stray hairs on her forehead completely drenched with sweat.
Finally, she called the cooks back inside, proudly presenting her creation to them. “Look!”
“Is the little County Chief finished? The little County Chief is truly—” The cook peered inside, and the praise that had reached the tip of her tongue instantly died out.
“…???!!!”