Chapter 436 - 168: Visitors
Chapter 436: Chapter 168: Visitors
But he had always been the type to never give up until he got what he wanted. If he failed once, he would try again. If he failed a second time, he would try a third...
It even became his perfect excuse to keep pestering her. Chen Wanqing was so miserable she could only stammer out the whole story.
"I... I don’t think you have bad bone structure, or the look of some treacherous official. It’s just that you’re too handsome, and I’ve heard that many of the officials in the Capital City... aren’t picky. I’m not very powerful. I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you in the future—"
Her explanation was worse than no explanation at all. Those few sentences had thoroughly annoyed Zhao Jing.
As a result, he lost all tenderness that night, tormenting her relentlessly from the inside out.
When Chen Wanqing arose the next day, the spot on the pillow beside her was already cold. Zhao Jing was gone; she had no idea when he’d left.
Chen Wanqing dressed and went outside. She saw that the adjacent room was also quiet; De’an was gone too.
After asking a servant who was sweeping, Chen Wanqing learned that the two young masters from the Wang Family had come to pay a visit.
Chen Wanqing was surprised. ’Didn’t they just send a reply yesterday, saying they would welcome our family to their estate the day after tomorrow? How is it that they’ve come to the Zhao Family before we even had a chance to visit them?’
Pondering this, Chen Wanqing set off toward the courtyard where Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er were staying.
The mother and daughter were sitting in the courtyard, tying decorative knots.
The sun was bright today, and the everblooming roses in the main courtyard were in full, fiery bloom. Paired with the clear blue sky and the chrysanthemums lined up in a row beside the steps, the scene was as beautiful as a painting.
Chen Wanqing approached them and said, "Why don’t you take a walk around the grounds? Mother, Xiang’er, don’t just sit here all day. You should take the time to get familiar with our new home."
"It’s too big. Just one walk around makes my legs ache. Xiang’er and I walked about halfway around this morning. We had nothing to do after breakfast, so we decided to tie some knots to pass the time. Oh, Qing’er, are you hungry? The cook left some food for you on the stove. You should go eat something to tide you over."
Chen Wanqing really was a bit hungry. The night’s activities had taken their toll.
Thankfully, Mrs. Zhao was considerate and didn’t ask why she had woken up so late. Otherwise, Chen Wanqing would have been mortified.
The so-called "cook" in the household wasn’t a professional one. Privately, Chen Wanqing wanted to have the cook they had hired back in Qingshui County come and take over the kitchen.
But the family couldn’t keep buying takeout. And while it would be fine to have that cook prepare meals just for the family, she was afraid that if the cook had to feed the servants as well, it would only make them look down on their new masters.
Left with no other choice, she had asked the four maids yesterday if any of them had a specialty dish.
As it turned out, there was.
After all, these were women who had lived for thirty or forty years and had run their own households. It was only natural they’d have some skill in the kitchen.
While they might not be able to cook everything well, each had at least one or two dishes they excelled at.
One of the maids mentioned that her husband and children had loved her wontons. When they were alive, whenever she made them, even her youngest child could finish a whole bowl.
Unfortunately, her husband and children had been killed in a mudslide.
With nowhere else to go, she returned to her maiden home. But her family tried to marry her off to a pig butcher who had already beaten three wives to death. Terrified, she packed her things and fled. Eventually, with no other prospects, she sold herself into servitude.
She had been a servant for over a decade. Though she usually ate from the communal pot, she always made wontons to honor her husband and son on the anniversaries of their deaths, so she never lost the knack for it.
And it was this maid’s wontons they had eaten for breakfast.
And she had to admit, they were delicious.
They were a little inferior to those from the "Fresh Meat Wontons" shop in Qingshui County, but only because she hadn’t had enough time to let the broth simmer long enough.
Given enough time, the maid could surely make a bowl of wontons that was in no way inferior to those from the "Fresh Meat Wontons" shop.
As Chen Wanqing was taking small bites of her wontons, Mrs. Zhao shyly asked, "Qing’er, about the two young masters from the Wang Family visiting today... are they betrothed?"
Chen Wanqing choked. She coughed until her face was beet red, and it was a long while before she could stop.
Xiang’er also blushed deeply, mortified.
She tugged insistently on Mrs. Zhao’s arm, trying to get her to go back inside.
"I’m still young! Why are you bringing this up? My sister-in-law is trying to eat, don’t startle her!"
Mrs. Zhao, however, pleaded with earnest anxiety.
"You’re already fourteen! How many girls your age in the village aren’t already betrothed? You have to compete for the sons of good families. If you don’t, you’ll be left with the scraps. And what’s so good about what’s left over? Would you be satisfied with that?"