Chapter 9 Snacks

  Jiang Nang's return has brought some trouble, which is temporarily resolved.

  Cheng Er Ye spent several days of effort to dissolve the troubles brought by those absurd old acquaintances, and Cheng Er Furen temporarily didn't need to worry about managing this "daughter" who was a handful.

  Cheng Liu Niang and Cheng Qi Niang don't have to worry about their names being changed, that fool is also locked up, no need to be afraid of being scared.

  Madam Cheng doesn't have to worry about conflicts between husband and wife in the second house, the family is harmonious, and there's no more noise from her daughter.

  The days seem to have returned to their former calm and peaceful state.

  Ban Jin and Cheng Jiaoniang's life is not bad either, no need to worry about food and clothing, eating and drinking are rich, and they have their own small kitchen, no longer afraid of daughter-in-law picking food.

  "Girl, girl, is this okay?"

  A shout from Ban Jin came from outside.

  Jiangniang leaned against the back of a chair with her eyes closed, unsure whether she was asleep or awake.

  Ban Jin shouted and had already reached the door, holding up a piece of dough in his hand, greasy with butter.

  Jiang Nang opened her eyes and looked over.

  "Add another spoonful of honey," she said, "and then you can knead the dough."

  The happy echo of the semi-chin is.

  "Ah..." She was about to run away and turned back, "Wife, use chopsticks to pry it open and then..."

  Jiangniang got up from the desk, stretched out two fingers on both sides, and made a few gestures in mid-air.

  Her movements were slow and Half-leaf looked very detailed.

  "I know," she said, turning around and rushing into the small kitchen.

  Jiang Yao pursed her lips, which was her subtle smile, and continued leaning against the armrest.

  "Daughter, what's this? It looks great! I really made it myself!" said Ban Jin with delight and surprise.

  Golden fried food is arranged in a fan shape on a low table, pleasing to the eye.

  Jiang Yao picked up a piece of it with her hand and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. It was sweet and crispy, melting as soon as it entered her mouth.

  "I don't know," she said slowly.

  "Niangzi is really capable of thinking of such a method." Ban Qin also broke off a small piece and ate it, saying.

  Jiang Yao remained silent for a moment.

  This wasn't what she thought of, but just existed in her memory.

  "It's just a small path," she said.

  She ate just a few bites and then stopped eating, so Half Cabbage filled her bowl with water.

  "But, miss, you really don't drink tea?" she asked.

  "I won't drink that tea." said Cheng Jiaoniang, picking up water and drinking slowly.

  Half of the celery is sticking out of his mouth.

  "What kind of tea does she drink?" She asked somewhat helplessly.

  Jiang Nang slowly finished drinking water and put down her cup.

  Her memory didn't recover much, except for remembering her own reactions, she herself went to think and explore but got nothing.

  For example, sometimes when I see staple food, my brain will come up with ways to make it, but sometimes there is no reaction at all. For example, tea that I just can't get used to eating, apart from my brain refusing to eat it, as for what kind of food to eat, there is no reaction at all.

  She seems like herself but can't control it, really helpless.

  "I don't know," she said.

  This was an answer to Ban Jin's question. At that time, Ban Jin had already moved the low table away and she was used to Niang Zi answering slowly.

  "It's time for you to take a nap," she said.

  Jiang Nang nodded, supported her hand and stood up, crossed the bamboo curtain, and went to the bed.

  The house quickly fell silent.

  A maid outside poked her head in and saw through the bamboo curtain that the woman on the bed and the servant girl under the bed were both fast asleep. She then looked at the table in the middle of the hall, where a plate of golden, fragrant food was arranged, layered and coiled together in an intricate pattern that she couldn't figure out how it was made.

  My wife's eyes lit up, she tiptoed in carefully, pinched off a small piece and put it in her mouth, her expression of admiration grew even thicker.

  There was a faint snoring sound and the summer breeze came together.

  "As expected of a fool, all you know is eating and sleeping." She said in a low voice, pouting her mouth, "Wasting food for nothing."

  She glanced inward for a few moments, thought for a moment, and then picked up the food along with the plate and turned to leave.

  In this courtyard lived two people, one was myself and the other a young servant girl.

  The little girl goes out to play every day, and now she is nowhere to be found.

  My wife carried the food and looked around before going out the door.

  The sun was high in the sky, the lotus flowers in the pond had all wilted, and the cicadas in the woods were chirping weakly. It was a time for a midday rest, and the garden was quiet and still.

  My wife carried a tray and hurried out of the house, passing through the garden, out of the corner gate, and walked over a narrow alley to our home.

  "Hello."

  A girl's shrill cry suddenly came from above her head.

  My wife's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and she looked around in a flustered manner.

  "Here." A woman's voice called out.

  My wife raised her head and saw three girls standing in a small pavilion on the artificial hill.

  "Sixth daughter, seventh daughter, fifth daughter." The servant's wife hastily curtsied.

  The fifth daughter is the oldest in age but ranks last, it's not that this servant girl has lost her mind, but rather this is the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate birth.

  "What are you sneaking around for, you old thing?" said Cheng Qiuniang.

  Cheng Liu Niang had sharp eyes and saw the tray in the servant woman's hands, so she quickly pulled Cheng Qi Niang's sleeve and pointed.

  "What are you taking? Are you stealing again to supplement yourself?" said Cheng Liu Niang.

  She is now twelve years old and has reached the age where she can be called a young lady, and she also starts to follow her mother to manage household chores, knowing that these maids are most likely to steal.

  With this crime, lightly, they would be beaten and thrown out, but severely, they could be sent to the government office. The servant woman was so scared that she immediately knelt down.

  "Sixth daughter, I dare not, this is the leftover food that our young mistress was going to throw away. I saw that good flour food being wasted, so I thought of taking it home for my grandson to eat, it's not like I'm stealing." She said, knocking her head.

  Qing Qiuniang hummed in response, and only then did she realize that this old slave was from Qing Jiuniang's place. Because she disliked that fool, she also couldn't stand this servant girl.

  "It's none of your business," she said, pulling on Liu Niang's sleeve.

  The woman beside him smiled and shook her head.

  These maids are indeed cunning and shrewd, pushing everything onto the fool's head, no matter what they say, it's always her who is right, and she's not afraid of being questioned.

  Cheng Liu Niang heard that it was from the village of fools, and she also wanted to disdainfully throw it away, but her gaze fell on that plate of golden food and couldn't move away.

  She suddenly remembered the fragrance she smelled when she was peeling windows at the fool's place that day.

  "Hey, bring that over." She said, stretching out her hand and pointing at the plate.

  My wife didn't dare to be slow, at this time she no longer hoped to take the things back home, but rather that these three little girls would not pursue it further, and respectfully handed them over.

  "What's this for?" Cheng Qiuniang covered her nose and said with a hint of disdain, "Don't get infected with foolishness."

  Cheng Wu Niang took the plate handed over by the servant woman and smiled as she presented it to Cheng Liu Niang.

  "Sister, what's this for?" she asked.

  "We're going to feed the fish," said Cheng Liu's mother with a flicker of her eyes.

  "Eating this will make you stupid!" shouted Cheng Qiuniang.

  "It's better if we're foolish, then it will be easy for us to fish." Cheng Liu Niang said with a smile, lifting her skirt and heading towards the lotus pond.

  Qiezi pouted.

  "Then I won't play with you anymore." She shouted in mock threat.

  Cheng Liu Niang wasn't afraid of her at all and urged Cheng Wu Niang to hurry up.

  Cheng Wu Niang smiled and pulled Cheng Qi Niang.

  "Eating silly things won't make you silly, besides this isn't hers, it's ours." She said with a smile.

  Qie Niang nodded and followed him, half-pushing and half-pulling.

  My wife took advantage of the opportunity and ran away quickly.

  With a light touch, the crispy pastry scattered on the water's surface, and before long, it attracted big fish from under the lotus leaves to come and eat.

  "What is this thing? I've never seen it in daily life?" said Cheng Liu Niang, feeding the fish for a while, and couldn't help but sniff the fragrance of the thing in her hand again and again.

  "I don't know, I've never seen it before," said Cheng Wuniang.

  "What's given to that fool is naturally different from what we eat." said Cheng Qiuniang, covering her nose and stepping back a few steps.

  Cheng Liu Niang's eyes rolled around and she picked up a scorpion with her hand and put it in her mouth, which scared Cheng Qi Niang into shouting.

  "Ah." Cheng Liu's wife also cried out immediately.

  Cheng Wu Niang felt a bit enlightened, hearing that the fool's place was a separate small kitchen, but no cook was provided, only a rough servant woman and a rough servant girl were given. Such servants and girls could hardly make any decent food, but this fool didn't need anything good to eat anyway. For the fool, eating was just filling his belly.

  This dish is something they've never had before, it's not what they usually eat. It must be that fool's private kitchen cooking separately. It'd be strange if it tastes good.

  But the next moment, Cheng Liu's wife did not spit it out as she had imagined, but instead stretched out her hand to grab another handful and stuff it into her mouth.

  "It's delicious!" she said vaguely.

  Cheng Qiuniang and Cheng Wuniang widened their eyes, looking at Cheng Liuniang who had lost the elegance of a young lady.

  "Sixth Sister has gone silly!" cried Cheng Qiniang, lifting her skirt and running off.

  Madam Cheng's ears, which had just stopped ringing for three days, were buzzing again because of her daughter.

  This old girl originally wanted to stay for a few more years, but it seems like it's better to let her get married earlier.

  "Mother, mother, I want to eat this too, I also want to eat this too." said Cheng Liu Niang, kneeling on the cushion and shaking her mother's arm.

  On the low table in front of me was a plate of food, which had been picked at and was somewhat scattered.

  "Sixth daughter, you're already twelve years old, how can you still be so gluttonous?" Madam Cheng said with a frown.

  "Mother, I don't want to hear this, you're being biased, making delicious food for that fool but not for me." Cheng Liu'niang pouted and said, "You still want her to be the sixth daughter-in-law, and have me be the seventh!"

  Madam Cheng has a headache.

  "How come it's so delicious?" She reached out and pinched a piece into her mouth, her eyes lit up slightly, and she nodded, "Mmm, not bad."

  Seeing her mother agree, Cheng Liu Niang became even more confident and argued with Madame Cheng until she couldn't take it anymore.

  "Go and ask the cook." she said.

  Before long, the maid from Madame Chiang's side knelt down in the outer hall, trembling with fear.

  This kind of rough servant isn't even qualified to enter the house.

  She thought it was a done deal and that her words could deceive the young girls in the house, but the mistress was not one to be deceived no matter what.

  This is terrible, I'm going to be driven out myself, all because of this idiot, messing around with food.

  My wife is both hateful and fearful, prostrating herself on the ground in a frantic struggle.

  "Is this what you did?" asked Madame Cheng.

  My wife listened twice before she could make out what was being asked.

  "No, no, it was done by that half-witted girl." She said loudly, waving her hands.

  Celery?

  Madam Cheng thought for a moment before realizing who it was, and nodded in agreement. Since Old Madam Zhou had carefully chosen this maid to serve that fool, it was clear that she had been selected with care. The fool's needs were simple - just food and clothing, so it was only natural that the maid had good culinary skills.

  "Mother, I want that girl," said Cheng Liu'niang, sitting up straight.