Song Sanniang's Journey to Wealth

When the time came, Song Laoer and his daughter boarded Song Dazhi's ox cart and set off again. Not long after Song Sanniang had set up her stall, He Caimai arrived.

"Song girl, your luck has come." He said to her happily,

Song Sanniang asked curiously, "What luck?"

"The eldest lady wants to see you. Please come to the house tomorrow."

"Why does the young lady want to see me?" Song Sanniang was extremely surprised.

I thought to myself, could it be that the young lady wants to settle the score with me because I sold sweet soup under the name of the young lady? But then I thought it was not right. Uncle He said it was luck, so it should be a good thing.

"Well, you'll know when you see the lady tomorrow. I'm just giving you a message."

He Caimai was mysterious and refused to say anything, or maybe he really didn't know. But it made Song Sanniang feel a little uneasy.

After He Cai bought it, she began to inquire about the affairs of the He family.

Although everyone knew that the He Mansion had produced high-ranking officials and the current master was still an official, the one who came to her was the young lady of the mansion, so she had to understand the affairs of the female members of the He Mansion.

After she inquired around, she learned that the latest news about the He Mansion was that the old man and old lady He lived in harmony with each other and had three sons and one daughter.

The eldest son is currently the Minister of Rites and will be the future successor of the He family. Mr. He did not take a concubine, and he and Mrs. He had two sons and a daughter, Miss He, Young Master He, and Young Master He.

Madam He accompanied Mr. He to work in Kyoto, while Mr. He also studied in the Imperial College, leaving Miss He and Mr. He San to stay with the He family elders to fulfill their filial duties.

Madam He Er had only one daughter, Miss He Er, and no other children, so she had no choice but to take a concubine for Master He Er. The concubine gave birth to a son and a daughter for the master. The son was registered under Madam He Er's name, and became Master He Er, and was raised by her.

Mrs. He Er had never given birth to a legitimate son, and she had been constantly seeking medical advice, praying to gods, and neglecting to discipline Miss He Er. Moreover, she only had one daughter, so naturally she was obedient to her, which made her develop a willful and competitive character.

Mr. He San is the late son of Mr. He. He is about the same age as the younger generation of the He family and has not yet married.

Although he was the fourth child among Mr. He's children, the men in the mansion were called Master or Young Master according to their seniority.

Mrs. He Sangu married the son of the old man's subordinate and accompanied her husband to his new post.

With peace of mind, Song Sanniang felt much more at ease.

When she went back home that night and told Song Laoer and his wife about it, they were actually shocked. Song Sanniang had to persuade them with all her might to calm them down.

They both ate the delicious food in the evening but were absent-minded. She decided not to mention such things to them in the future.

The next day, Song Dazhi sent Song Sanniang to He Mansion on time, and asked Qin Haodong and the other man to look after Song Sanniang's stall. Originally, Song Laoer was going to guard the door, but was persuaded by Song Sanniang to leave.

After informing outside the door and waiting for a long time, a maid in blue clothes came out and led Song Sanniang in.

We walked around the screen wall, through the corridors, through one courtyard after another, and even saw a beautiful garden, the kind of Jiangnan garden with pavilions, towers, rockery, flowing water, and green trees, which set off each other very interestingly.

It took a while to reach a fresh and quiet courtyard. The maid in green went in to report. Song Sanniang waited outside for a while, then she came out and led Song Sanniang in.

Song Sanniang was in a state of anxiety. She lowered her head and tried hard to think about how to salute.

But even a good cook cannot cook without rice. As a country girl, she had never come into contact with such a prominent family, let alone any formalities.

"Miss, the person has been brought here," the maid in green clothes reported.

"Don't be so reserved. I'm here to discuss something with you today. Please take a seat." A clear and pleasant female voice sounded.

Song Sanniang looked up.

In the quiet and elegant hall, a girl about ten years old, wearing a goose yellow silk gown with flower and bird patterns and a moon-white pleated skirt, was sitting in the main seat, with two maids in pink standing on her left and right.

Song Sanniang sat down at the bottom, and then she said, "Chunmei, serve Miss Song some tea." The round-faced girl on her left responded and went down to prepare.

"The sweet soup you make is very much to my taste. I often invite my sisters to have a small gathering, and the snacks need to be changed from time to time. I want to hire you to come to my house to make sweet soup for me. Are you willing?"

Song Sanniang was a little surprised, but her wandering mind finally settled down. After a little thought, she refused:

"Thank you Miss He for liking my cooking skills, but I am a country girl, usually rough and rude, and I don't know any rules. I am afraid that I will get into trouble if I enter the He Mansion. When Miss He wants to hold a banquet, send He Caimai to tell me, and I will prepare it for Miss He."

Miss He was not angry after hearing what Song Sanniang said. At this time, Chunmei came in with a tray. She put down the things on the tray and placed a few plates of exquisite pastries on it.

Song Sanniang saw the salty-sweet chicken biscuits, the walnut crisps that smelled sweet even before she ate them, the small mung bean cakes with flowers carved on them, and finally a bowl of sweet soup with white fungus and red dates.

After Chunmei had set the table, Miss He began, "Come, don't be shy, try some of the cakes in our house."

Song Sanniang did not hesitate and picked up a piece of mung bean cake and tasted it. The mung bean cake was soft, sweet and not greasy at all. Then she tried them one by one and put down the spoon.

"These cakes are delicious, and the syrup is tasty too. Thank you, Miss He."

"If you stay in my house, you don't have to worry about the rules. You can stay in the kitchen and make me more cakes and sweets that are not available outside. I will give you ten taels of silver per month, two sets of new clothes every season, and rewards during festivals."

After a pause, she continued, "You can also learn how to make these cakes from Chef Liu. I heard that she likes you very much. When you reach the age of marriage, I will give you a dowry and let you leave the house freely." Miss He stated what she thought was a very generous reward.

But Song Sanniang refused without a second thought, "I am just a wild girl, I am used to running around in the fields all day long. If I am asked to stay in the kitchen all day, I can't stay there. Miss He, thank you for your appreciation. As soon as I make fresh sugar water, I will send it to your house immediately."

Miss He was a little disappointed, but she didn't force it. She asked Chunmei to pack up the remaining pastries for Song Sanniang to take away, and then asked the girl in green to send Song Sanniang out.

As soon as they walked out of her courtyard, a maid in blue stopped them. The maid in green stepped forward and said, "Xinghua, this is the eldest lady's guest. Why are you stopping us?"

Xinghua glanced at the girl in green clothes.

"The second young lady wants to see this guest. I'll send her out later. If you're worried, you can go with her." Her tone sounded a little disapproving, and after she finished speaking, she made a gesture of invitation to Song Sanniang.

Song Sanniang gave the anxious girl in green a look that told her to stay calm, then followed Xinghua, and the girl in green had no choice but to follow.