Chapter Ten Enigmatic

  Although Mrs. Cheng Da took care of Cheng Jiao Niang on behalf of Mrs. Cheng Er, Mrs. Cheng Da still went to ask Mrs. Cheng Er in person.

  "Eldest sister-in-law, just take a fancy to one of the maids here, you can just go and get her, let alone now that Jiaoniang is also being raised by you." said Madame Cheng.

  Not everything within a company is reasonable, but saying one more sentence won't kill you and can avoid some misunderstandings.

  This is Mrs. Cheng's experience as a married woman for decades.

  "It's just the maid by my second brother's daughter, I should say something as her aunt." She said, this topic will stop here, she also knows that the couple from the second house will not have any dissatisfaction, saying more would make it seem too cautious and insincere. She changed the subject, "I had someone call that maid over, let's ask about her cooking skills."

  Madam Wang originally had no interest in seeing a silly maid, but since her elder sister-in-law mentioned it, she agreed.

  "If you eat the meal made by that little girl, you will become stupid," said Cheng Qiuniang.

  Mothers converse, two sisters sit behind a screen playing Go.

  "That girl is not a fool." Cheng Liu Niang snorted at the child's words, while pushing the chessboard, "I won, I ate all the fried food on that plate, see, I still beat you."

  Qiqi pouted and shook the chessboard with a loud clatter.

  "Am I really going crazy?" Cheng Liu'niang fanned herself with a small fan, pretending to be serious, "How did you still win against Qī Niáng? It turns out that Qī Niáng is even dumber than an idiot?"

  She said with a small fan covering her mouth and giggling.

  Cheng Qiuniang was both ashamed and angry, and burst into tears.

  "Sixth daughter! You're bullying your sister again!" Madam Cheng's angry voice came from behind the screen.

  The wet nurses also came in and knelt down to scold Liu Niang and comfort Qi Niang, seeing nothing unusual, it was obviously a common occurrence for the two sisters.

  Just as things were getting lively, Ban Jin was brought over.

  "What's your wife doing?" asked Mrs. Cheng Er in a proper manner.

  Delighted beyond measure.

  "My daughter is asleep." She happily replied.

  It's late already, yet you're still sleeping. Madame Cheng pouted her mouth and indeed fools are just fools.

  "Is this what you did?" Madame Cheng didn't need to be polite with a servant girl and directly asked.

  The woman pushed over the leftover fried food that Cheng Liu's wife had eaten to let Ban Qin see.

  Half of the celery exclaimed in surprise, with a look of astonishment on his face.

  It wasn't until now that she realized her food had been stolen, and both the maid and Madame Cheng looked at her with a knowing expression.

  "My daughter doesn't like eating meals, so I made some snacks." Ban Jin said hastily with her head lowered.

  When the servant woman came and called her, she said with a smile to the maid, "It must be that you have come to see the young lady."

  "Snacks." Jian Niang spat out two words.

  However, at that time she didn't understand and thought the lady wanted to have some snacks. Originally, she was going to get them herself, but the servant urged her to go over, so she had to order a rough maid to serve the lady with snacks.

  I didn't expect this snack to be already at your wife's place!

  Was the "little food" the madam mentioned referring to the lady seeing her for the sake of little food?

  How did you know?

  Good heavens! The young lady is indeed a clever and resourceful person, she's really too intelligent!

  Ban Jin raised his head again, with a look of surprise and excitement.

  This expression was very common among Madame Cheng, the second lady and the maids. When a maid in the house received some recognition and was called to be questioned, she would show the excitement of being about to receive an unexpected delight.

  This girl must have also guessed what good luck was going to hit her next.

  Madam Cheng smiled slightly.

  "You've done a good job," she said, looking at a maid standing in the doorway. "Taomaid, let her follow Zhuniangzi in the kitchen to make some pastries."

  My wife is right.

  "Not yet, thank you, madam." She said, pointing with her chopsticks.

  Zhū Niáng Zǐ is a skilled cook in the family, able to make delicious pastries. Many young girls would love to follow her and learn this skill.

  Ban Jin looked somewhat stunned, seemingly unable to understand what was going on.

  "Thank you, madam." She still knocked her head in gratitude and then raised it, "What does the madam want me to do?"

  "Look, you're really foolish, can't even understand what's being said!" said Cheng Qiuniang from behind the screen.

  Cheng Liu's daughter got up and walked out.

  "I want you to come and make some snacks for me." She looked at Ban Jin, her head slightly raised as she spoke.

  Bàn qín finally understood.

  "But I still have to serve the young lady of our house." she said dully.

  "Also dismiss two more maids for Jiao Niang." Madame Cheng took over the conversation and added, "And let one of the kitchen maids go too."

  That's enough.

  "Sister-in-law, where did you use so much?" said Mrs. Cheng II.

  "She's ill after all, it would be better if there were more people." said Madame Cheng.

  Half of the celery is a bit dull.

  "Does your wife mean that I won't be following you home anymore?" she asked.

  Cheng Qiuniang got up and came out, looking at Ban Qin's giggling smile.

  "As expected, she's really stupid and can't even understand what people are saying. Those who follow fools will become foolish themselves." She said with a smirk, glancing at Cheng Liu Niang, "Sixth sister, do you really want to eat something made by this silly girl? Think carefully about it."

  Cheng Liu Niang hadn't spoken yet when Ban Qin opened her mouth.

  "My daughter, my daughter is no longer foolish," she said hastily.

  Qī Niáng and Liù Niáng both had the same expression this time, and they burst out laughing together.

  "Really, my wife is better." said Ban Jin, pointing at the dishes, "This, this wasn't made by me, it was taught to me by my wife."

  What she said wasn't heard clearly by many people present, but one thing was understood by everyone.

  "Sixth sister, I'm not going with you," said Cheng Qiuniang with a smile.

  Cheng Liu's mother swallowed her pride.

  "Don't you want to go and make some snacks for me?" She took a step forward, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

  Ban Jin was somewhat flustered.

  "Slave, slave actually can't make desserts." She stuttered and said, "It was all taught by the young lady..."

  Her words had barely fallen when Cheng Qiniang burst out laughing, and this laughter immediately triggered a fit in Cheng Liu'niang.

  "Give me a slap!" she shouted, throwing out the fan in her hand fiercely and stamping her foot, shouting "Slap! Slap!"

  Ban Jin was startled, and the maids were also stunned for a moment, but then one of the maids immediately stepped forward and slapped Ban Jin's ears twice.

  "It's all right." Madame Cheng finally spoke up.

  My wife has already put down her hands and is standing with her hands hanging down.

  Her face was swollen like a radish, and she was completely dazed.

  She had been bought and trained by Old Lady Zhou for a period of time before being sent to the Taoist temple to serve Cheng Jiaoniang. Although life in the temple was simple and austere, thanks to Old Lady Zhou's money, no one in the temple dared to bully them. Cheng Jiaoniang was also an idiot, quiet and peaceful every day, with not much to do, and no master or mistress to control her, it was the first time she had been beaten since childhood.

  "If you don't want to, then forget it," said Madame Cheng lightly.

  Ban Jin was still stunned.

  "You haven't thanked the lady yet!" The servant woman said in a low voice.

  Half of the celery was in a panic, knocking his head in gratitude, and hastily got up and ran away in a hurry.

  "Mother, get her out of here! Get her out of here! I don't want to see this girl in our home!"

  Cheng Liu Niang's voice came from behind her back.

  Watching Ban Jin hurry over in a fluster, the servant girls and maidservants going back and forth couldn't help but point and whisper to each other.

  Ban Jin only felt her face burning, she didn't know if it was shame or pain.

  She lowered her head, somewhat flustered and nearly tripped over her own feet. Only then did she realize that in her haste to get up, she had left her shoes at Madame Cheng's place. Not daring to go back for them, she walked away hastily with her head hung low, wearing only her socks.

  The pebbles on the road hurt his feet.

  Ban Jin lowered her head and big tears fell down one by one.