The main house was quiet and still, now not quite the busy farming season. With the men working in the fields, the women had time to stay at home and do some housework and needlework. It was within this relaxed atmosphere that Lady Wang grew careless, leading to the current situation.
Lady Wang watched with wide eyes as Ye Xinyan led Qi Jia away, feeling a deep-seated hatred for Lady Han that made her teeth itch with irritation.
This foolish woman, who only understands how to play at cleverness as if her head was kicked by a donkey. On a normal day, her stupidity wasn’t apparent, but once something happened, it fully revealed her true colors as a foolish woman.
What is the current state of the Second Branch family? Can’t Lady Han see it? The Second Branch is not an ordinary household nowadays, especially if you look at the cattle farm that sprung up on that gravel land to the north of the village; it indicates that the Second Branch will undoubtedly prosper in the future.
The gravel land, claimed to be for rearing cattle, has cattle sheds built with more care than the houses people live in in the village. According to those who work at the cattle farm, the cattle pens and corrals, although not spotless, are definitely not like any place for livestock but are even cleaner and more particular than many farmers’ homes.
And then, there’s that expansive stretch of land to the north of the village, spanning dozens of acres, all said to be part of the cattle farm’s property. If the whole area is used for rearing cattle, just think of how many work oxen, industries, and silver that would amount to.
Even if Ye Zi is just the steward for some other owner, the fact that he can manage such a vast enterprise shows the capabilities of Qi Younian and Ye Zi. Even the village chiefs and clan elders wouldn’t dare to offend the Second Branch of the Qi family now.
The Liu family, the largest landlords with property spread over several nearby villages, rushed to bring congratulatory gifts to Qi Younian when the cattle farm began its construction.
Alas! With a deep sigh, Lady Wang knew that nothing she said now could change what had happened.
She gave Lady Han a cold glance and said, "With the men of the house away, I don’t wish to criticize you, but you better hope that Ye Zi’s words were spoken in jest and that he won’t actually send Ershun back. If Ershun really is sent back, you can explain it to your own man and children."
With that, Lady Wang turned and went back to her room without casting another glance at Lady Han. To place hope in Ye Zi’s words being a jest? That’s a joke in itself.
Lady Xu hesitated for a moment, then abandoned the idea of persuading Lady Han. Considering Lady Han’s unyielding nature, nobody could change her mind. She sighed inwardly, turned, and went back to the kitchen to continue her work.
Lady Han stood frozen in the courtyard, bewildered. How, how could this be?
As sons and daughters-in-law from the same parent, did she not have the right to demand the same treatment as the main house? The Second Branch family had plenty of advantages. If she was silenced, considering Qi Dagen and her three foolish sons, who knows how many benefits they could lose? Could she be blamed?
Of course, Ye Xinyan was not joking. As soon as she returned, she wrote a note, found a boy working at the cattle farm to deliver it, and took a ride to the county town to pass the message to Nanny Jin, instructing her to immediately hire a reliable carriage to send Ershun back.
The note was brief, merely stating that Lady Han’s child was too precious to be doing such work and that Ershun should be sent back at once in a dependable carriage.
By the time the message reached the snack shop, the cream cakes had just come out of the oven, filling the air with the rich scent of cream and cheese. The smell alone was enough to intoxicate the patrons and staff of the snack shop.
This morning, Nanny Jin brought the leftover fresh cream from the house to the snack shop. Following Ye Xinyan’s instructions, she showed Xinger and Yun Niang how to make this new pastry.
Ye Zi was right; the creation of the cream cake wasn’t much different from the usual cakes, and following Ye Zi’s instructions, Yun Niang and Xinger managed to make it successfully on their first attempt.
The only difference from the cakes made at home was that those were steamed, while the cakes in the store were baked. The baked cakes emitted an even richer aroma; the enticing scent of caramelization was irresistible.
The cheesecake, using fermented cream in place of milk and vegetable oil, made its appearance. Without even tasting it, one could tell, just from its appearance and scent, that this pastry was extraordinary.
Since the term "cheese" would likely not be embraced by the citizens of the Great Xia Dynasty as it was a foreign concept, Ye Xinyan had to abandon the highly esteemed modern term and simply named it "cream cake."
Nanny Jin dragged her gaze away from the cake, preparing to attend to the messenger boy from the cattle farm when Shopkeeper He arrived, drawn by the scent.
It wasn’t that Shopkeeper He had nothing better to do than to keep an eye on the snack shop. Rather, the unique and lingering aroma of the cream cake was the culprit. The kitchen of the snack shop was right next to the Great Crane House, and the wall dividing them was indeed quite low.
As soon as the first whiff of caramelized cream emerged from the clay oven while making the pastries, a servant at Great Crane House caught the scent and scurried to inform Shopkeeper He that the snack shop had a new pastry, so uniquely fragrant that it made mouths water just by smelling it.
And so, Shopkeeper He came over.