Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

As the morning light begins to shine, the sparrows' chirping is clear and melodious, penetrating the rising sun.

Lin Zhiruo slowly sat up from the bed that was full of traces of time, and a strong and unique aroma of spices immediately filled her nostrils.

"Good morning."

A deep and slightly hoarse voice sounded, it was the unique voice of my father.

(By the way, I have returned to my long-lost home.)

This was the first time that Lin Zhiruo had returned to this place full of memories since she entered the palace service.

Logically speaking, as a personal maid, she has no holidays, because even when her master is resting, time still flows, and this is her fate.

What's more, if Quan Wushuang had other maids around him, the situation might be different, but his special living environment really cannot accommodate more servants.

(It’s hard to imagine how that maid managed to hold on to this day on her own.)

Lin Zhiruo was full of respect for the elderly maid Henghua.

And this vacation was possible thanks to her generous consent.

Of course, it was only natural that she ordered me around.

Lin Zhiruo climbed down from the bed quietly and sat on the simple chair.

Her father held a bowl of steaming porridge in his hand and slowly handed it to her.

Lin Zhiruo took a sip. Although the porridge was neither salty nor greasy, it exuded a unique and rich flavor due to the various spices carefully added by her father.

She frowned slightly and added some vinegar to balance the taste.

"Go wash up."

"After breakfast."

Lin Zhiruo responded to her father's words while gently stirring the porridge with a spoon.

At the same time, my father had already started busy preparing the ingredients.

"Any plans for today?"

The father asked with concern.

Lin Zhiruo tilted her head, thought for a moment, and shook her head:

“No plans at the moment.”

"If there's nothing else, could you help me run to Hongxia Tower?"

There was a hint of expectation in my father's words.

"……OK."

After Lin Zhiruo agreed, she added another spoonful of vinegar to the porridge.

The restaurant run by my father was indeed located in Hongxialou in Yanhua Lane, but what he said about "going to Hongxialou" had another deeper meaning.

Lin Zhiruo greeted the male servant in front of the brothel with ease and walked inside.

She passed through the magnificent, towering entrance hall and stepped onto the winding corridor leading to the wing rooms.

The atrium is well-maintained, just like a noble's mansion. At night, lanterns are hung high to illuminate every corner.

The garden has been carefully cared for and is lush and vibrant.

Sometimes, some guests would choose to drink tea and enjoy the scenery here in the afternoon and choose the woman of their choice.

After passing through this bustling place, Lin Zhiruo came to a slightly deserted room.

There are few guests here on weekdays. As soon as you enter the door, you can smell the unique scent of patients.

"Good morning."

Lin Zhiruo said softly.

I saw a woman lying on the bed with disheveled hair, her face haggard, like an ugly skeleton.

"I brought food."

Lin Zhiruo spoke again, but the woman remained silent, as if she had long forgotten the ability to speak.

In the past, she had disliked Lin Zhiruo for no reason and always kept her out, but now, she had lost even the energy to do so.

Lin Zhiruo carefully fed the frail woman the food specially prepared by her father.

Although this food is not as delicious as delicacies from land and sea, it is nutritious and quite effective.

However, for this woman, even this food could not bring any comfort.

Despite this, there was nothing they could do except continue feeding.

This woman, who is nearly 40 years old and has lost her nose, was once so glorious.

As a famous brothel, Hongxialou once had the pride to select its customers, but it also had a past that was too painful to look back on.

In the few years after Lin Zhiruo was born, Hongxia Tower once hung a disgraceful sign.

Unfortunately, this woman contracted the disease during that period.

If I had taken my father's food in time in the early stages, I might have recovered long ago.

However, fate played a trick on her and her condition gradually worsened to its current state.

Not only did her appearance become unbearable to look at, but her body was also ravaged by the disease and her memory was torn to pieces.

The timing was too bad. When Lin Xiang first visited the brothel, her illness was quietly entering its incubation period.

If I had been honest with you at the time, perhaps the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this point.

But who would easily believe a former eunuch who suddenly appeared?

If you don't receive customers, you won't have food to eat. This is the iron rule of brothels.

A few years later, the rash broke out again and the tumors quickly spread throughout her body.

So she was imprisoned in this dark room, away from the sight of guests.

Although this practice was quite cruel, it was considered a great mercy compared to being kicked out of the brothel and thrown into a dirty ditch.

Lin Zhiruo took out a cloth from the basin and gently wiped the woman's withered body.

Because the doors and windows of the room were closed, the unpleasant smell became stronger.

(Perhaps, you could burn a little incense to dispel the smell.)

Lin Zhiruo pondered in her heart.

She had a box of incense given to her by a noble person. The fragrance was elegant and unique, and the giver had expressed his love for it.

However, since other smells cannot be mixed into the seasoning, she never uses it easily in her daily life.

Only when the noble person arrives will she burn it slightly.

But at this moment, she decided to make an exception and borrow a little.

As the slightly sweet and fragrant aroma slowly spread, a faint smile appeared on the woman's dry face.

Lin Zhiruo vaguely heard her humming a nursery rhyme in a hoarse voice.

Perhaps, at this moment, her mind has returned to her distant childhood, and she is recalling those nostalgic scenes?

Lin Zhiruo gently placed the incense burner in the corner of the room to prevent the woman from accidentally knocking it over.

Just then, she heard hurried footsteps outside.

"Why are you so panicked?"

A female trainee hurried in. Lin Zhiruo remembered that she worked under Xiaohe.

"Uh... Miss asked me to come. She said if you're here, it's best not to go back because there's a guy with strange glasses looking for you."

"Oh?"

The little girl was obviously unwilling to enter the room full of patients and just waited at the door.

Maybe he thought the woman without a nose was too scary.

Lin Zhiruo already knew the identity of the man wearing glasses - he was one of the regulars at Hongxia Tower.

But she didn't want to meet him.

"As long as I stay here, the customer won't come. The madam won't let the customer see what's hidden."

Lin Zhiruo said lightly.

"I know, then I'll go back first."

The little girl responded with a sigh of relief, then turned and left.

Lin Zhiruo looked at her back and let out a breath.

The woman without a nose stopped humming the nursery rhyme and took out a string of flat marbles made of dyed small stones from her side.

She arranged the marbles one by one, as if she was sorting out fragments of lost memories.