"Mother Yu, who has made you so angry?" Mu Jinyuan brushed the dust off her clothes.
"It’s those bootlicking curs! The Eldest Miss sold off everyone in our courtyard, so there was no one left to cook. I went to the main kitchen to have them prepare some food, but they tried to fob me off with spoiled leftovers. They are holding your mother in less and less regard every day!" Mother Yu’s lips trembled with rage.
Mu Jinyuan realized immediately that Mother Xu must have been deliberately making things difficult.
"Don't worry, they won't have many more good days left," Mu Jinyuan said, soothing Mother Yu before turning to fetch some pastries from inside the room.
Mother Yu was still fuming and hadn't really taken in what Mu Jinyuan said.
"Mother, you must be hungry. Have something to tide you over." Mu Jinyuan took a piece of osmanthus cake and handed it to Xiao Shuning.
Xiao Shuning smiled and took a small bite, but she could not hide the sorrow in her eyes. She had heard everything Mother Yu said; the Side Courtyard was small, and Mother Yu’s voice had been quite loud when she was angry.
"Yuan'er, you shouldn't have been so impulsive, dismissing everyone in the courtyard like that. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you are a callous, arrogant, and overbearing Eldest Miss."
"Mother, if even Chunxing could betray me, do you think anyone in this courtyard..." Mu Jinyuan paused, "...or rather, anyone in the Mu Mansion is worthy of our trust?"
"What do you mean by that?" Xiao Shuning put down the half-eaten pastry, the morsel in her mouth suddenly feeling like a lump in her throat.
"Mother, I want you to ask the State Protector Estate for a few capable people to come and help us."
Xiao Shuning’s face hardened, and she refused flatly. "No. Your grandmother dislikes it the most when I have contact with my family. If we bring people over from the State Protector Estate, your grandmother will think I am trying to use my family’s influence to suppress her, and it will stir up such a storm that your father will be troubled. He is already exhausted enough at court; we cannot let him come home to be upset by these trifles."
How could her scoundrel of a father be worthy of such a gentle and understanding mother! She wanted to tell her mother about all the disgraceful things Mu Bingwen had done, but without proof, her mother would certainly never believe her. The servants were already riding roughshod over them, and her mother still wanted to endure it.
But she could not.
"Mother, you just need to ask for the people. I will handle Grandmother; I will ensure she agrees willingly." Mu Jinyuan could not afford a direct confrontation, so she tried to keep her tone calm.
"Yuan'er, we only need to endure for a couple of days, there is no need to clash with your grandmother." Xiao Shuning looked uneasy; Yuan'er, who had always been so docile and sensible, seemed to have changed.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Just listen to me this once."
Looking at Mu Jinyuan’s pleading expression, Xiao Shuning’s heart softened, and she nodded. After all, the courtyard could not be left without anyone to serve them.
"Something smells delicious," Mu Jinyuan said, her mind relaxing now that she had Xiao Shuning's consent. Suddenly, she caught the scent of cooked meat.
"My Lady, Miss, we have food! We won't go hungry anymore!" Mother Yu’s voice was loud and brimming with an indescribable joy.
Mother Yu placed two dishes on the table, followed by the timid Qiqi. After setting down the soup, Qiqi hurriedly stepped back, almost retreating out of the room entirely.
"Did you make this?" Mu Jinyuan scrutinized Qiqi before looking at the dishes on the table.
"Yes. I used the ingredients from the kitchen to cook some food, hoping to ease the hunger of the Miss and the Lady," Qiqi answered, her eyes cast down, her voice cautious.
Shrimp with eggs, pan-fried tofu, spinach with vinegar, and clam and mushroom soup. They looked like simple, everyday dishes, but they smelled wonderful. Xiao Shuning picked up her chopsticks, placed a piece of tofu in her mouth, and Mu Jinyuan followed suit.
"It's delicious," Mu Jinyuan said, exchanging a surprised look with her mother.
"Your skills are quite good. Don't be so tense; did you learn this somewhere?" Xiao Shuning waved gently at Qiqi, signaling her to come forward.
Seeing the kind expressions on Xiao Shuning and Mu Jinyuan’s faces, Qiqi’s guard lowered slightly. She answered in a small voice, "I used to wash dishes at a restaurant. I would watch the chefs cook, and over time, I picked up a few things."
No wonder—it tasted better than the food at an average small eatery. It seemed that, by some stroke of luck, she had stumbled upon a treasure.
***
Meanwhile, at Anqing Hall, Wan Niang and Mu Jinxia had finished their lunch. The two women exchanged a look, and Wan Niang suddenly let out a heavy sigh.
Old Madame Mu let out a satisfied belch and rolled her eyes. "Why are you sighing for no reason? You're going to sigh away my son's good fortune—it’s bad luck. If you’ve eaten your fill, get back to your own courtyard. Don't be an eyesore here." She was in no mood to have her nap disturbed.
"Mother, Jinxia is now at the age for marriage. You know that Jinxia is actually a year older than Jinyuan. Now that Jinyuan is about to marry into the estate of the Heir of Marquis Yongning and live a life of luxury, Xia'er can only hide her identity. She has suffered so much, and her future really cannot be delayed any longer," Wan Niang whimpered.
"Mother, Xia'er doesn't mind the suffering. As long as Father and Brother's futures are secure, I would be willing to marry a common street peddler," Mu Jinxia said, her eyes welling with tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall. She looked incredibly aggrieved.
Old Madame Mu felt as if she had been pricked by a needle. Mu Jinxia had been sensible and filial since she was a child, a girl who truly tugged at the heartstrings. She was nothing like Mu Jinyuan, whose cold demeanor was exactly like Xiao Shuning’s—the sight of her was enough to make the Old Madame sick.
"My precious Xia'er, how could you marry a street peddler? We must choose carefully—only the finest young man in the capital is worthy of our Xia'er!"
"Grandmother, don't tease me. I know my status is lowly. What choice do I have? Unlike Sister Yuan'er, who is so lucky to be doted on by Father, and with a mother who is a daughter of the State Protector Estate—even if she hadn't been betrothed to the Heir of Marquis Yongning since childhood, there would still be plenty of high-ranking families wanting to form an alliance," Mu Jinxia said, pouting.
Old Madame Mu felt even more guilty. Back then, she had swapped the child in Xiao Shuning’s womb with her own biological granddaughter born to Wan Niang, forcing Jinxia to call her own father 'Uncle' all these years. If not for the power of the Xiao family, she never would have agreed to let her son marry a "used woman" like Xiao Shuning, which had left her family unable to be truly reunited even while living under the same roof.
"Mother, I know you love Jinxia, but to the outside world, I am your daughter—a daughter who was cast aside by her husband’s family. What kind of good family would be willing to marry a woman with a mother like that? Even if she did marry, she would surely be bullied..."
"Whoever dares to bully Xia'er! Even if Xia'er's status cannot be made public, everyone knows that her 'uncle' is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue! They wouldn't dare even if they were given the guts!" the Old Madame declared arrogantly.
"Even if she were the biological daughter of the Vice Minister, without the backing of the State Protector Estate, the best she could hope for would be to marry an official below the fifth rank..."
"Are you saying my son’s rank is too low?" The Old Madame’s eyes sharpened, and Wan Niang immediately knelt before her.
"No, that’s not what I meant!" Wan Niang said in a rush. Did she really have to spell it out for her?