High-class maid

On the third day of their vacation, Shen Xing'er and Wang Shi were in the kitchen.

"How annoying! It rained during my last vacation, and it's raining again this time. It's been raining for three days straight. Do you not want me to go out and play?" Shen Xing'er pouted and said.

"Alright, there's always a lot of rain in summer. Come on, help me out, let's make chili sauce," Wang said comfortingly.

"Mother, you've prepared so many chilies, are we going to the manor this afternoon?"

"I'll make them and put them in jars. You can give some to the people in your small kitchen and tea room too. When they don't have an appetite at home, they can spread them on steamed buns and eat them. They're so delicious," Wang said as she washed the chili peppers.

First, Wang roasted the white sesame seeds and peanuts. Then she instructed Shen Xing'er to crush the peanuts, while she chopped the ginger, chili, and garlic.

Heat the oil, add minced garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Then add chili peppers and minced ginger, stir-fry until almost cooked, and finally add seasonings and two tablespoons of white wine. Your delicious and appetizing chili sauce is ready!

After they cooled down, Wang put them into a clean jar.

After finishing all this, it was already evening. Shen Xing'er looked up at the sky and said, "It seems I won't be able to go to the manor this afternoon. Get up early tomorrow so as not to affect my morning duties."

"It's alright, Mom will call you tomorrow. We won't cook anything tonight, we'll just have chili sauce," Wang said.

At dawn the next day, Wang woke up Shen Xing'er from her sleep. The two of them washed their faces, then picked up the bundles they had packed the night before and set off on their way back home.

When they reached the door, they saw Wu Xiucai pushing his mother towards the door.

"Auntie, are you going back to the manor again?" Wu Xiucai asked, looking at the bundles the mother and daughter were carrying.

"Yes, Xunzhi, are you setting up a stall on the street?" Wang asked, looking at the things he was carrying.

"Yes, it's not too hot yet, so I thought I'd go out and set up a stall for a while, and also push my mother around to get some fresh air," Wu Xiucai said.

"Oh, right, this is the chili sauce I made yesterday. Here, have a jar. It goes really well with steamed buns." As she spoke, Wang took a jar of chili sauce out of her bundle.

“Sister, we don’t want it anymore. We’ve already eaten quite a lot of food from your family, how can we accept more?” Before Wu Xiucai could speak, his mother refused.

"It's alright, elder sister, I made a lot. Try my cooking. It's not worth much money. Please accept it." After saying this, Wang stuffed the jar of chili sauce into Wu Xiucai's hand.

Wu Xiucai bowed to them and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but I will accept it without hesitation."

After they parted ways, Shen Xing'er asked in confusion, "Mother, why were you so good to them, mother and son?"

“Child, you don’t understand. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Besides, Scholar Wu is an upright man, and they’ve had a hard life. We should help them if we can.” He continued.

“Do you think your mother is that stupid? Haven’t you noticed that every time we come home on vacation, the area in front of our house is spotless? Wu Xiucai’s house is to the east of us, and the family to the west doesn’t live here year-round. Who else could sweep our front door besides Wu Xiucai?”

Shen Xing'er suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. The book says, 'Everyone sweeps the snow in front of their own door.' Even though it's just a small thing like helping us sweep the floor, it shows that Scholar Wu is very grateful to us and is doing what he can to help."

“Yes, Mother admires his mother’s perseverance. For her son’s future, she resolutely chose to divorce. So let’s help if we can,” Wang said.

After arriving at the mansion, the mother and daughter parted ways. Shen Xing'er did not go to her room, but went directly to the tea room.

When Shan Tao arrived at the tea room, she said, "Xing'er, you're back. Why didn't you go to your room?"

"It's fine to go back to your room. I wanted you to get some more sleep. I've already lit the fire and brought the water. Oh, and my mom made some chili sauce for me to bring to everyone to try."

As Shen Xing'er spoke, she took out chili sauce from her small bundle and shared it with Shan Tao, her mother, and Granny Zhou.

After finishing their work in the tea room, the two went to help out in the small kitchen.

"Old Zhou, do you know what mistake that Doctor Qian made? I heard he was kicked out of the manor," Chen Shan's wife asked as she put steamed buns into the pot.

"I heard about it last night too. Apparently, it was because his medical skills were inadequate and he misdiagnosed the pulse, so the second madam kicked him out," said Granny Zhou.

"Oh no, this Doctor Qian has been in our household for so many years, and I've never heard of him being unskilled in medicine. Could he have offended someone?" Shan Tao asked suspiciously while picking vegetables.

Her mother nodded with a pursed lip and said, "Of course it is. Zhang is pregnant. As a doctor, he must have known, but he chose to hide it for Zhang. This means that the second wife is destined to be his sworn enemy."

"I hope Doctor Qian won't hold a grudge against the Second Madam. After all, being kicked out by the master is a great humiliation," Shen Xing'er said.

"Never mind what others say. When gods fight, mortals suffer. We just need to do our own job well," said Granny Zhou.

The group nodded in agreement.

However, the second master's courtyard was not so harmonious.

Since becoming pregnant, Madam Zhang has stopped being so timid and submissive, at least not when facing the Second Madam. She no longer has the obedient demeanor she once had. This infuriated Ban Jian, the Second Madam's maid.

"Madam, if we just send Dr. Qian away like this, will he hold a grudge against us? Will the old lady and the first wife blame us?" Ban Jian asked anxiously.

"Whether we get rid of Doctor Qian or not, he won't be on our side. Rather than letting him become Zhang's confidant, it's better to send him away as soon as possible. How could the old lady blame us? Would I have driven Doctor Qian away without her tacit approval?"

Ban Jian suddenly realized: "Oh, so it was the old lady who was standing up for you."

"No, Zhang openly bribed that Doctor Qian. Do you think the old lady and the first wife would tolerate him? He's just using me as a pawn," the second wife said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shi was leisurely lying on the chaise longue, eating a peeled pomegranate.

"Miss, this is a letter from Zhang Mama, who is in charge of purchasing. She said that the person specifically asked for the letter to be given to you, and then left after dropping it off," her maidservant hurriedly said.

Zhang sat up, opened the letter, and angrily exclaimed, "How dare you threaten me!"

After saying this, she told the maid to burn the letter. She thought the maid was illiterate, but little did she know that the maid had secretly peeked at it. She only glanced at it, but was startled and dared not look at it again.

"Miss, what's wrong? Should we tell the master?" the maid asked, pretending not to understand the words on the sign.

"No need. You must not tell the master about this. My cousin from my mother's side is always asking me for money. When I don't give it to him, he even threatens my parents. Alright, you can leave now. I'll rest for a while."

Zhang hurriedly made up an excuse to brush it off.