"Mom, I’m not hungry. You eat," said Xi Niu.
The woman replied softly, "Silly girl, mom’s not hungry. I ate at the employer’s house yesterday. This porridge is specially bought for you. You eat and mom can go to work in peace."
Upon hearing her mother’s words, Xi Niu blinked her big eyes, lowered her head, and slowly started eating her porridge...
Cai Wei’s steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and porridge were served, and she withdrew her gaze and started eating her breakfast.
The old couple’s breakfast was delicious. The soup was slowly simmered under low heat, sticky and thick. The dough for the steamed buns was kneaded with effort, making them soft and fluffy when eaten. Unfortunately, the pickled vegetables were average, just some mustard bumps marinated in a large sauce jar, then chopped into fine shreds, mixed with chili oil, green onions, and cilantro minces inside. If these mustard bumps could be marinated in soy sauce and drizzled with sesame oil, sesame on top, they would taste even better.
Just then, Brother Ying brought back a message.
"Master, there’s been a big incident at Shen Mansion!"
Cai Wei, intrigued by the gossip, held up a piece of steamed bun and forgot to put it into her mouth.
Brother Ying chattered, "Master, Old Master Shen is sick, he was upset by his second concubine. It’s said that the children she gave birth to, are not from Old Master Shen, and Old Master Shen has fallen ill due to his wimpiness..."
"What about Madam Shen? And Miss Shen? How are they?"
Cai Wei didn’t care whether Old Master Shen was upset or not.
"Madam Shen is checking the mansion’s accounts. It appears that quite a lot of income over the years is missing. It’s probably siphoned off by someone; Miss Shen has been attending to Old Master Shen’s illness at his bedside for a whole day and night without sleeping!"
"Alright, I got it, you may go!" Cai Wei closed her thoughts.
It seems, the Juhua mother and daughter have made their move, and Madam Cui has regained her right to control the central distributions and is going to settle the accounts!
Cai Wei breathed a sigh of relief, as a friend of Juhua, all she could do for her was this much!
As for Aunt Yan, without Madam Cui’s intervention, the County Magistrate Shen would be the first one not to let her off, taking away her power to run the household would be the least punishment. Chances are he might want her life as well. But for such a vicious person like her, she deserved it.
As a concubine, she failed to stay in her place, made no distinction between the legitimate and the illegitimate, and even schemed against the mistress, oppressed the legitimate daughter, causing chaos in the mansion. If she hadn’t gone overboard, Cai Wei wouldn’t have deliberately exposed her sins. The saying "Evildoers will kill themselves" refers to people like her!
After breakfast, Cai Wei decided to return to the inn. Looking at the current situation of Shen’s family, Madam Cui may not have time to go and purchase the manor with her for half a day. So, going there would be of no use; she might as well go back to the inn to catch some sleep. Yesterday, she had stayed up all night in space making five-flavored peanuts and five-spiced soybeans, and she was really tired and sleepy now.
Making up her mind, she turned around and headed towards the inn.
At this moment, there were more people on the streets. Teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, and workshops on both sides of the road were gradually opening. There were also many small vendors with large umbrellas on the open space on both sides. The street extends to the east and west, stretching all the way to the relatively quiet suburbs outside the city. There was a constant flow of people on the street: there were noblemen in silk clothes, farmers on the road, shopkeepers delivering goods in carriages, and porters driving donkeys. Everyone was bustling back and forth on both sides of the road, busy with their own things. Only Cai Wei was leisurely looking around, her eyes sweeping over the houses, tea stalls, booze cellars, meat shops, temples, and official buildings on both sides, completely at ease.