Today was the third day the young ladies from the marquis manor had come to stay.
For these three days, Jiang Ran’s Second Sister had been at Fifth Young Lady’s side every single day—serving tea, tidying the room, even personally helping cook meals.
There was hardly any need for Madam Liu to remind anyone.
Madam Yun asked, “Then what about your Third Sister?”
Jiang Ran had three older sisters. Her eldest sister was already married. Second Sister was fifteen, and Third Sister belonged to the second branch of the family.
Jiang Ran answered honestly, “Third Sister’s been running to the stables these past few days.”
Jiang Ran had seen it herself.
Madam Yun’s face remained blank. “If they ask you to do something, then just do it.”
After saying that, she stopped bothering with Jiang Ran and left with her basket.
Jiang Ran took out bowls and chopsticks and sat down to eat.
Stir-fried vegetables and rice.
It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t very good either.
She had only transmigrated a little over ten days ago. Even when she had cooked for the whole family earlier, she had only copied Madam Yun’s methods, secretly mastering how to control the fire first.
If she suddenly cooked too well, wouldn’t people grow suspicious?
But now she had a proper opportunity.
Jiang Ran wanted to eat something good too.
Life was too bitter. She had suffered working herself to death in her past life, and now life was even harder. The last thing she wanted was to mistreat her own stomach.
After quickly finishing her meal and washing the dishes, Madam Yun still hadn’t returned.
Jiang Ran went to the kitchen and scooped out some rice, soaking it in water. Then she cleaned the stone mill in the courtyard and waited for it to dry before grinding flour.
The rice needed to soak for a while.
Once it looked ready, Jiang Ran started grinding it into rice slurry.
Rice flour alone wasn’t enough. She added a bit of starch made from wheat flour, small pieces of pork lard, and a little salt to improve the texture.
At times like this, a perforated ladle came in handy.
She boiled water in a pot, poured the rice batter into the ladle, and slowly let it drip through.
Thin, smooth, crystal-clear noodles slid into the pot one strand at a time. Once briefly shaped by the hot water, they were done.
Jiang Ran tasted it.
Smooth and springy.
If only it had a good topping, how delicious would that be?
She fished out a few strands.
This was only a test to see if it would work, following the steps she remembered from before.
Since it turned out well, she saved the rest of the batter and started preparing toppings instead. That way, the noodles would taste best.
For the soup noodles, Jiang Ran planned to make a sour and spicy minced meat topping.
She chopped meat into mince and stir-fried it in pork lard until fragrant, then added vinegar and zhuyu peppers.
There wasn’t enough time to make broth from scratch, so she found dried mushrooms and dried shrimp.
The dried shrimp were large and orange-red, wrapped in oiled paper. There weren’t many of them, and they didn’t seem like something the Jiang family could afford.
Most likely, they had been a holiday gift sent by the marquis manor.
After washing them and simmering them in hot water, they released a savory flavor. Then she added the cooked minced meat.
The rice noodles were boiled plainly in water.
At the bottom of the bowl, she added a spoonful of pork lard, a bit of salt, and soy sauce for seasoning. Then she filled the bowl with white rice noodles and ladled in the broth.
The smell alone was delicious.
As for the mixed noodles, those were simpler.
A spoonful of pork lard and a splash of soy sauce.
After mixing it together, she quickly ate a bowl herself.
What cook didn’t sneak a taste?
She added a few small greens to the top of each bowl.
Without waiting until evening, Jiang Ran brought the noodles over to Sixth Young Lady, along with Fourth Young Lady’s share.
Sixth Young Lady hadn’t expected them so quickly, but luckily, she had been thinking about the rice noodles all afternoon and hadn’t eaten much lunch.
Two bowls each.
Jiang Ran set the noodles down but didn’t leave.
She hadn’t gotten paid yet—why would she go?
Sixth Young Lady smiled and called over a maid.
“Bring payment for Miss Jiang.”
The maid handed Jiang Ran a pouch, about the same weight as the one she had received that morning.
Working for the marquis manor really paid well.
No wonder Second Sister always hovered around Fifth Young Lady. Who didn’t like money?
Jiang Ran politely took her leave so she wouldn’t interrupt the sisters’ meal.
Inside the room, Sixth Young Lady looked at the two bowls of noodles in front of her.
The bowls and chopsticks belonged to the Jiang family—rough and plain.
She didn’t like them.
But the smell was wonderful.
The snowy white noodles were stained brown by the sauce.
She picked up a bite with her chopsticks, but the noodles slipped right off.
In the capital, there were many rice-based foods—rice cakes, chilled rice cakes, and more. Sixth Young Lady loved them all.
But she had never heard of this before.
Nor had she ever seen it.
This time, she used more force and finally got the noodles into her mouth.
Smooth. Chewy. Refreshing.
The first taste was sour and spicy, followed by the rich savoriness of the broth.
Sixth Young Lady had picky tastes.
If she thought something was good, then it was genuinely good.
She couldn’t help trying the pork-lard mixed noodles too.
This one looked rougher and less elegant than the soup noodles, but the flavor was wonderful.
Simple and deeply fragrant.
Even though she had already eaten lunch, she still finished both bowls.
Only half a bowl of soup remained from the soup noodles.
The mixed noodles left behind only a shallow brown stain at the bottom of the bowl, dotted with bits of chopped scallion.
How satisfying.
Sixth Young Lady looked over at Fourth Young Lady.
Fourth Young Lady had also finished eating and was leaning lazily against the chair back, looking like a sleepy cat.
Seeing her glance over, Fourth Young Lady looked smug.
“If not for me, you wouldn’t have gotten to eat this.”
Sixth Young Lady corrected her, “If not for Miss Jiang, we wouldn’t have gotten to eat it.”
Fourth Young Lady pressed her lips together.
“You’re not wrong. What a pity we can’t have this tonight. I still want more.”
Sixth Young Lady said, “While we’re here, isn’t that easy? Just pay her to make more. It’s only after we return to the manor that we won’t be able to eat it anymore.”
They only stayed at the estate for a little over half a month at a time and couldn’t visit often.
Fourth Young Lady smiled carelessly.
“That’s easy enough. Just take her with us.”
Sixth Young Lady’s round eyes widened, disbelief written all over her chubby little face.
“That doesn’t seem right! Bringing someone back to the manor just to eat mixed noodles a few times? If the elders found out, we’d definitely get scolded.”
Fourth Young Lady said casually, “Then make it proper. Bring her back and ask if she wants to be a maid. Then we’d never have to worry about not having good food.”
Sixth Young Lady hurriedly waved her hands.
“That absolutely won’t do! Fourth Sister, don’t say things like that. She’s a perfectly respectable girl. Why should she sell herself to become a maid?”
Fourth Young Lady didn’t care much and argued back, “It’s not like nobody does it. Look at the one following Fifth Sister around all day. Isn’t that exactly what she wants?”
At that, both girls fell silent.
Neither knew what to say.
Fourth Young Lady was fourteen this year. Sixth Young Lady was a year younger. Fifth Young Lady and Sixth Young Lady were the same age, though Fifth Young Lady was born a few months earlier.
Jiang family’s Second Miss looked around fifteen or sixteen, older than the three of them.
But the girls had grown up in the marquis manor.
With just one glance, they could tell exactly what Jiang family’s Second Miss wanted.
She admired the manor’s life and wanted to sell herself into service to become one of the young lady’s maids.
Being a servant came with many rules.
The marquis manor had house-born servants and bought servants alike. Most people who entered the household had tragic pasts and nowhere else to go.
They had never seen a decent family’s daughter willingly wanting to sell herself into servitude.
Still…
Life at the marquis manor was good.
Far better than being a tenant farmer.
And becoming a senior maid beside a young lady was considered respectable too.
Sixth Young Lady said, “That may be what she wants, but Miss Jiang might not think the same way. We should just eat a few more bowls while we’re here.”
Though paying for it made their hearts ache a little.
Their monthly allowance was only ten taels. Today alone, they had already spent two mace of silver.
But young ladies of the marquis manor couldn’t very well hand over just a few copper coins or a few dozen coins.
That would look too stingy.
Fortunately, they were leaving tomorrow.
Even if they ate more, it wouldn’t cost much.
The two decided to skip dinner tonight and instead eat another meal tomorrow morning.
Sixth Young Lady instructed her maid, “Go see if Miss Jiang has left yet. Wash the bowls and return them, and tell her to bring the same thing tomorrow morning.”
Eating outside cost over a tael of silver per meal.
She and Fourth Sister were sharing the cost, so two bowls each only came to one mace per person.
A pretty good deal.
After all, no amount of money could buy her willingness.
If it hadn’t tasted good, she wouldn’t have spent the money.
The maid went out.
Jiang Ran hadn’t left yet.
She wanted feedback.
The maid returned the washed bowls and tray to Jiang Ran, handed over the silver, and told her to bring the same thing tomorrow morning.
Jiang Ran put away the pouch.
“I’ll bring it over first thing tomorrow morning. Oh, and the plants in the fields aren’t wild vegetables. My mother said the season for wild greens has already passed.”
She had asked while cooking the noodles.
The maid nodded.
Seeing nothing else to do, Jiang Ran headed back.
After she left, Jiang Xing came out of Fifth Young Lady’s room.
The maid inside had said Fifth Young Lady wanted to take a nap.
Jiang Xing had barely reacted before the maid bluntly told her, “Young Lady is resting now. Miss Jiang should head back.”
Only then had she come outside.
The rooms prepared for the young ladies were all in the same area.
Just now, Jiang Xing had seen Sixth Young Lady’s maid talking to Jiang Ran.
She hadn’t seen any money being passed over—the two had their backs to her—but she had noticed the maid standing there.
Disappointment filled her.
She had followed Fifth Young Lady around for so long, yet Fifth Young Lady had always remained distant.
And this hadn’t started recently.
Whenever Fifth Young Lady came to the estate before, Jiang Xing had always tried to curry favor with her.
The young ladies always arrived at the estate in carriages.
They brought all sorts of things to decorate their rooms, and their food, clothing, housing, and travel were all excellent.
Even the maids dressed well.
She had heard they received monthly wages too.
Jiang Xing’s clothes had long since worn old.
But her eldest brother had to study, so she had to save money wherever she could.
Being a maid was better than being a daughter of the Jiang family.
Jiang Xing hadn’t chosen Fifth Young Lady randomly.
She had observed all the young ladies in the marquis manor.
Fourth Young Lady had a spoiled temper—working for her would bring no good.
Sixth Young Lady loved food and understood nothing.
Only Fifth Young Lady immersed herself in books and poetry. She seemed more learned than Jiang Xing’s brother, and even dressed better than the other young ladies.
Jiang Xing didn’t know much about the marquis manor, but from this alone, she could tell Fifth Young Lady was favored.
If she wanted to become a maid, then naturally she should choose a mistress with a future.
The family already knew about this plan.
With a little persuasion, they would agree.
Life at the marquis manor was good, and if she earned money to help her brother study and support the family, no one would object.
But why was Jiang Ran here?
This morning, she had gone out with Fourth Young Lady and Sixth Young Lady to gather wheat. It was already noon—why was she still around?
Jiang Xing’s stomach growled with hunger, making her even more irritated.
Jiang Ran usually kept to herself and never stood out.
Now she suddenly wanted to get close to the young ladies?
If Jiang Ran stole away such a good opportunity, Jiang Xing would never swallow this grievance.
She felt wronged.
She was already fifteen.
If this didn’t work out soon, marriage arrangements would start.
Her eldest sister had married into the capital. Her brother-in-law was only a minor bookkeeper and barely made any money all year.
She didn’t want that kind of life.
Jiang Xing’s nose stung with tears.
Covering her face, she ran home and cried for half the day, not even eating lunch.
She even went crying to her grandmother, Madam Liu.
“Grandmother, I’m doing this for Big Brother’s future! If I can win Fifth Young Lady’s favor, and she rewards me with things from time to time, wouldn’t that save money for the family? I’m doing this for us! Why is Jiang Ran trying to get close to the young ladies right now? With her personality, she won’t even realize if she offends someone. If she causes trouble, our whole family will suffer! Grandmother, please help me. Otherwise, maybe we can give something to the nanny beside Fifth Young Lady and get me into the manor first—that’s the important thing!”
Madam Liu had half-white hair and sharp, narrow eyes that made her look intimidating.
At home, she favored the eldest branch and her youngest son the most.
To her, Jiang Xing was closer than Jiang Ran.
Seeing her granddaughter upset, she couldn’t sit still.
Besides, she also hoped Jiang Xing could enter the marquis manor and help support the family.
Tenant farmers weren’t servants.
Even though they farmed the marquis manor’s land, farming only earned so much money in a year.
She had heard from manor servants that respectable senior maids earned two taels of silver each month.
That was twenty-four taels a year.
Add in rewards from time to time, and wouldn’t that be more than what men earned farming all year?
Madam Liu said, “Stop crying.”
…
The sunlight was harsh.
Back home, Jiang Ran hid her money away.
She had weighed it.
She now had six mace of silver.
But the money hadn’t gone through the family, so she definitely couldn’t let anyone know about it.
She ate another bowl of noodles herself, then comfortably took a nap.
When she woke up, her eldest aunt came to call both Jiang Ran and Madam Yun to the main house.
Madam Yun asked, “What’s going on?”
“You’ll know when you get there.”
Madam Yun looked at Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran had no idea either.
They would find out once they arrived.