Crossing Over to Yamada Love

The chicken and pork bones were stewing in the pot, and Mo Lan was preparing the sauce. Sometimes you order more of this, sometimes less of that.

Mo Lan adjusted the dishes again and again, and now there were already about twenty plates of dishes that didn't suit her taste in front of her. Xia Yu and Granny Bai's mouths twitched as they watched, thinking: What exactly is Miss trying to do? With so many dishes, will she make them eat them all when it's time to eat them?

The chopped vegetables were all gone, so Mo Lan chopped a whole bunch more. She continued working, experimenting.

Water, soy sauce, aged vinegar, rock sugar, chili oil, salt, small bell pepper rings, minced garlic, and toasted sesame seeds—after adding the vegetables, Mo Lan took a bite. "Hmm, it's starting to taste like it. It's somewhat similar, but not quite. It's still missing something."

After the broth that had been prepared for her cooled down, Mo Lan added more broth to adjust the sauce. The flavor was noticeably better. Mo Lan had tried both chicken broth and pork bone broth, and both tasted good, but something was still missing. Mo Lan felt it wasn't quite right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Miss, the food is getting cold. Please just have one bite, and we'll make more later," Xia Yu said, stepping forward to persuade Mo Lan. The food delivered from the main kitchen had long since gone cold.

"Okay," Mo Lan replied. Anyway, she couldn't remember for the time being. She asked Xia Yu and Granny Bai to eat with her, but they both said they didn't dare, so Mo Lan didn't insist. She took a plate and set aside half of her food for the two of them.

The two women were moved by Mo Lan's actions. The food wasn't important; what mattered was Mo Lan's thoughtfulness. This gesture touched them more than any money, because they both longed for the care and attention of family.

After Mo Lan finished eating, the two women offered her a fruit platter. Only after Mo Lan started eating the fruit did they, at her insistence, sit down and begin their own meal.

Mo Lan took a bite of the apple. She wondered if some time-traveling predecessors had ever been to this world. Tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes were originally from foreign lands and shouldn't exist in this era, but they were here now. There were also plenty of fruits: watermelons, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, and so on. However, they were all in season, with nothing particularly out of season.

This apple is really good, crisp, sweet, and juicy. It's a pity I don't know how to make apple cider vinegar; otherwise, I could make some fruit vinegar. Thinking of apple cider vinegar, a thought suddenly flashed through Mo Lan's mind: would adding some apple or pear juice to the sauce taste better?

Mo Lan is a woman of action; once she thinks of something, she does it. She ran to the cutting board again. There was no juicer here, and since she was just doing an experiment, she decided to use a simple method first.

She chopped the apple into small pieces, put them in a bowl, and mashed them into juice. She also juiced the pears in the same way.

She added apple juice to one dish and pear juice to the other. After tasting them, she had to admit they were quite delicious. Between the two dishes, she preferred the one with pear juice.

She brought two plates of vegetarian dishes with gravy to Bai Pozi and Xia Yu.

"Mom, Xia Yu, can you taste these two dishes for me? How do they taste?" Mo Lan said to the two of them with a smile.

The two women were already full, but since the young lady had made them the dishes, they felt they had to try them no matter what.

The two of them each picked up a chopstick and started eating. After taking a few bites from each plate, seeing Mo Lan's expression, Granny Bai spoke first, saying, "Miss, to be honest, the first bite of this dish wasn't quite what I was used to; it tasted different from the dishes I'd had before. But after the second bite, I thought it was quite good, and after the third bite, I thought it was really nice. The flavor was salty, a little sweet, a little spicy, and also refreshing. It was cool and delicious, making you want to keep eating."

Hearing what Granny Bai said, Xia Yu hurriedly nodded and said, "Miss, what Granny Bai said is exactly what I was thinking. I wasn't used to it at first either, but now I think it tastes delicious. Also, please don't laugh at me, Miss. I can't taste any difference between these two dishes." Xia Yu lowered her head after speaking, clearly embarrassed that she couldn't tell the difference.

Mo Lan smiled and looked at Granny Bai. Granny Bai lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Miss, this old servant thinks this plate is more mellow, while this plate is sweeter. However, the difference in flavor is not obvious. I don't know if this old servant is right."

Mo Lan nodded. Granny Bai said the sweeter one was made with pear juice. The other dish was made with apple juice; she hadn't expected Granny Bai to have such a sensitive palate.

"Aunt Bai, Xia Yu, do you think customers would like to eat this kind of dish if it were sold?" Mo Lan asked the two of them.

Granny Bai pondered for a moment, then raised her eyes and said to Mo Lan, "Miss, this old servant thinks that if it were served in a restaurant, it would be very popular and many people would enjoy eating it. But it's just one dish, which is too simple and might not be enough to make a good impression. I wonder what Miss's plans are?"

Seeing their expressions, Mo Lan didn't answer Granny Bai's question. Instead, she sat down, looked at them seriously, and said softly, "Granny Bai, Xia Yu, although your indentures are in my hands, and you are nominally my people, this is the Marquis's residence. My grandmother and I won't stay here for more than a few days before returning to Shangchang. You've been to my home, and you know that it's incomparable to the Marquis's residence—it's like comparing heaven and earth. So, I want to ask you, what are your plans for when we return?"

After hearing Mo Lan's words, Granny Bai looked at Mo Lan intently, as if trying to see through her heart. Then she knelt down and said, "This old servant is willing to go back with the old lady and young lady."

Xia Yu also knelt down and said, "This servant is also willing to follow Miss."

Mo Lan didn't immediately call out. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Mother Bai, Xia Yu, I'm not asking this to force you. I want to know your true feelings. Given the friendship we've built along the way, I won't make things difficult for you. If you want to stay, you can stay at Lan Courtyard, or you can go wherever you wish. I can speak to the Marquis and his wife about it."

Granny Bai kowtowed, raised her face and looked at Mo Lan earnestly, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss. However, this old servant's willingness to stay by your side is sincere, and I hope you will grant my request. Please rest assured, Miss, this old servant was originally from Lan Courtyard. I will never betray you, my aunt and Miss."

Mo Lan was startled by her words. This old woman was originally from Lan Courtyard? How come she didn't know? What secrets were hidden here? Old woman Bai should know all this. She had to find out.

Mo Lan reached out and helped the two of them up, then asked them what had happened.

Granny Bai sat half-reclined on the stool, her eyes becoming deep, and softly began to speak to Mo Lan: "This old servant remembers that Lan Courtyard was built in the third year after the Marquis's mansion was completed. It was because the Dowager Madam missed the old lady so much that she discussed it with the Marquis and the Second Master and built Lan Courtyard. Almost everything in the courtyard was arranged under the supervision of the Dowager Madam. Not only was the arrangement of the old lady's main house overseen by her, but she also put her heart into the arrangement of several side rooms, always hoping that one day the old lady could bring her descendants back and live comfortably."

The Dowager Madam personally selected four senior maids, four junior maids, eight lowly maids, one head maid, four second-class old women, and six lowly old women to manage everything in Lan Courtyard. This was because the Dowager Madam would visit Lan Courtyard daily, and apart from the Dowager Madam, the Marquis, the Marquis's wife, and the Second Master, no one else was allowed to enter. The servants of Lan Courtyard enjoyed the best of everything, matching the standards of the Marquis's wife. Therefore, many in the household envied Lan Courtyard.

Hearing Granny Bai say this, Mo Lan's eyes flickered. Sure enough, this courtyard was indeed built by the Grand Madam. It seemed that she had not guessed wrong. However, this Lan Courtyard had aroused the jealousy of many people.

She pondered to herself but didn't interrupt, continuing to listen to Granny Bai: "Later, the Dowager Lady grew old and fell ill, so the Lady of the Marquis took over managing everything in the mansion. The Orchid Courtyard fell into a much worse state than before. The Dowager Lady was willing but unable to manage it; she couldn't go to the Orchid Courtyard, and the servants, outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, no longer acted according to her wishes. The people in the Orchid Courtyard, however, were grateful for the Dowager Lady's kindness and didn't want to bother her with such trivial matters. However, before the Dowager Lady passed away, she instructed the Marquis that the Orchid Courtyard should not be given to anyone except the Old Lady; if he ever learned that the Old Lady was no longer alive, then the Orchid Courtyard should be sealed off. Furthermore..."

Granny Bai paused here, and Mo Lan glanced at her and smiled, "Granny Bai, if there's something you're having trouble saying, it's fine not to say it. There's no need to make things difficult for you."

A cold glint flashed in Granny Bai's eyes as she said, "There's nothing wrong with saying this in front of Miss. Although I was only a second-class old woman back then, I knew that there was a storeroom behind Lan Courtyard where the dowry left by the Grand Madam to the old lady was kept."

Every year, the Marquis and the Second Master would add one item to the storeroom as a token of their affection for the Old Madam. Before her passing, the Dowager Lady had decreed that if the Old Madam were found, all the dowry in the storeroom would belong to her, to be distributed as she saw fit. No one else was allowed to touch it, nor could anyone covet it. She hoped the Marquis would severely punish anyone who touched anything there, and he swore an oath before the Dowager Lady's bedside. Therefore, while everyone in the household was envious, no one dared to touch the contents of the storeroom behind the Orchid Courtyard.

The Dowager Madam had also instructed that if the old aunt were to pass away one day, these things should be divided into three parts: one part for any descendants of the old aunt, one part for the Marquis, and one part for the Second Master. Because the Dowager Madam had given these instructions, many people in the manor were unwilling to search for the old aunt, nor did they want to find her. This way, they would eventually be able to share in those things. Of course, the Marquis and the Second Master were exceptions. This old servant has seen clearly over the years that the Marquis and the Second Master still have deep feelings for the old aunt. They have also been searching for her. It is truly a blessing from heaven that the Marquis has finally found the old aunt, and the Dowager Madam can now rest in peace.