Chapter 35

The sound of rain outside drowned everything else out. Xiao Wanling could only roughly guess what she was saying by reading her lips. She didn’t deny it.

But she truly couldn’t remember. “You are…?”

Li Die’er covered her face and wept. “I’m your second sister! You’ve changed—you’re even prettier than before!”

Xiao Wanling recalled that second sister who had been sold for food. She had worked as a maid in a wealthy household since childhood. They had rarely seen each other. Her face, in memory, was a blur.

Li Die’er couldn’t stop crying. “Fourth sister, I’m just so happy. You must never admit that you’re from the Li family! If our parents sold you once, they’ll do it again! You must remember that! I’ll leave tomorrow morning and go far away!”

She couldn’t return to that hellhole. She’d known all along that their parents were lying.

Xiao Wanling’s nose stung. Just how much had she suffered? Even after enduring so much herself, she still worried about others!

Li Die’er wiped her eyes. “Sister-in-law Lu is almost done—let’s stop talking.”

Sister-in-law Lu finished her bath and came in, placing the umbrella under the eaves. “I’ll wash the dirty clothes later! You two rest for now!”

Li Die’er took the clothes and left. Sister-in-law Lu couldn’t sit still and began patching holes in old garments. As she shook one out, she remarked, “These are big even on Miss Li!”

Xiao Wanling sat at the bedside doing needlework, distracted. “Yes,” she replied absently. Her memory of their eldest sister was even hazier.

Not long after, Li Die’er returned. She and Xiao Wanling exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Xiao Wanling got up to bathe. When she came back, Li Die’er quickly helped her wring her hair dry and poured tea for her. Sister-in-law Lu laughed, “Stop busying around! Let’s just sit and talk. You can rest easy here—no one asks about your past. Everyone’s the same in this village.”

Li Die’er sat down, still not quite used to it. She clutched her clothing tightly. She had heard from Sister-in-law Lu that her husband’s entire family—parents, son, younger siblings—had been killed by bandits. Only she and her husband had survived.

Li Die’er kept wiping tears from her eyes and began telling her own story. Her family had four daughters and one son. She had worked outside from a young age to support them. Things were going well until her mother faked illness and lured her home—only to sell her off as a concubine. Then a friend of her owner fancied her and passed her along again.

“Later I ran into Xue Cui on the street. My mother-in-law had always hated me, and she sold me off too.”

Sister-in-law Lu slammed the table in anger. “And your husband? They say a hundred days of kindness come from even one day of marriage. He just stood by and watched?”

Li Die’er lowered her head. “He didn’t have a say in the house.”

Sister-in-law Lu pinched her own philtrum in frustration. “Unbelievable. Well, it’s good you were sold—no need to serve that family of bastards anymore!”

Xiao Wanling asked, “What are your plans from here?”

“Take it one step at a time,” Li Die’er said, deftly wrapping thread around her fingers. “I never want to go back to that house.”

“Now that’s the spirit,” Sister-in-law Lu exhaled, finally calming down.

Sister-in-law Lu and Li Die’er pulled over a bamboo bed, laid down thin quilts, and went to sleep. The three women chatted late into the night before finally dozing off.

The next morning, the weather cleared.

Sister-in-law Lu got up early, washed some clothes, and went to check on her farmland to see if her crops had been knocked down by the rain.

Xiao Wanling went to the kitchen to boil some potatoes, but when she came back, Li Die’er was gone. Xiao Wanling guessed she’d slipped away quietly and hurried to pack some potatoes into a grain sack. Locking the door, she chased down the road toward the city.

She figured Li Die’er couldn’t have gone far, and sure enough, she spotted her about three hundred meters ahead.

Li Die’er was sitting by the roadside, her feet aching terribly. She had taken off her straw shoes to reveal torn heels. When she saw Xiao Wanling approaching, she panicked and stood up, trying to leave again.

Xiao Wanling grabbed her arm. “I’m going to the city too.”

Li Die’er looked at her in shock. “People from the village can just leave like that?” She’d heard their household registrations were kept by the village head and logged with the government.

Xiao Wanling didn’t realize she had misunderstood. She told her to help carry some lotus root powder and dried fruit and vegetables from the farm supervisor. She needed to change Madam Ji’s mind about taking her to the capital. She had already planned the dishes and tea she would make.

The farm supervisor was heading to the city to purchase supplies and dropped them off at the Zhang residence before hurrying off.

Li Die’er stood awkwardly to the side. Xiao Wanling knocked on the Zhang residence’s main door. A servant recognized her and quickly led her inside. Li Die’er looked up in surprise, then quickly lowered her gaze, staring at her toes—yet she couldn’t help peeking at the beautiful house.

Madam Zhang saw Xiao Wanling bringing another woman and looked briefly surprised before recovering her composure and instructing Chun Zhi to stand guard outside.

Xiao Wanling pulled a recipe from her sleeve and handed it to Madam Zhang.
Madam Zhang looked it over and asked, puzzled, “How do you make these pearl meatballs?”

Xiao Wanling took out a grain sack from her basket—about two jin of cassava flour.
“With this. But I need to visit Madam Ji first.”

Madam Ji had many eyes and ears. She likely already knew Xiao Wanling had entered the city.

No more words were needed. Madam Zhang understood. “Go, don’t worry.”

Xiao Wanling hoisted her basket and left the Zhang residence. Outside, a carriage marked with the Prince of Jin’s seal was waiting. She got in. Nanny Xun, seated inside, nodded at her.
“Madam has been waiting for your tea.”

Xiao Wanling asked softly, “How is the madam’s health lately?”

Nanny Xun replied, “Not bad, but she says everything tastes bland.”

After over half a month on a low-fat diet, it was time for a “cheat day.”

“How about sour and spicy noodles today?” Xiao offered.

Nanny Xun nodded. “Madam Xiao, show us what you’ve got. Whatever you need, just say the word.”

Taking the chance, Xiao Wanling said, “Please help me get more of that chili from last time—also beef and suet. As for the rest, anything fresh and in good condition will do.”

She also planned to make a butter hotpot. As long as the broth was good, anything dipped in it would be delicious.

At the Prince of Jin’s estate, Xiao Wanling made her way straight to the kitchen. Nanny Xun instructed the servants to gather ingredients and then went to report to Madam Ji.

The kitchen had sweet potato starch and mung bean flour. Xiao Wanling first mixed sweet potato starch with boiling water to create a batter and began making vermicelli noodles. Outside the kitchen, people peeked in, amazed to see the batter drip through a strainer into hot water, instantly forming noodles.

She hung the noodles to dry, then moved on to chopping meat, mincing garlic, and stir-frying Sichuan peppercorns.

Madam Ji was growing impatient and kept sending Nanny Xun to check on progress.

At last, a porcelain bowl of sour dumpling soup was ready. A tangy aroma wafted through the air. Madam Ji couldn’t wait; she took one bite and found her appetite revived, gulping down the rest of the dumplings and even several spoonfuls of the soup.

Then the sour-spicy noodles were brought in. The translucent strands glistened, sprinkled with vibrant red chili flakes.

Unlike the crab roe noodles from last time, this one was refreshing and energizing. After one bite, her cheeks flushed. A slow chew revealed crispy beans. Even after half a bowl, she wasn’t tired of it but worried her slender waist might not stay that way.

In her delight, Madam Ji rewarded her with a cart full of grain, instructing that Xiao Wanling could take it back to continue developing new dishes.

Nanny Xun bowed deeply. “Madam Xiao is still in the kitchen, preparing hotpot base for the journey to the capital. The smell outside is choking everyone!”

“Truly?” Madam Ji beamed. “She’s such a clever girl. Reward her with one hundred taels of silver!”

Nanny Xun curtsied. “Yes, Madam.”

Outside the kitchen, even the maids and attendants stood far back. The air was filled with a pungent, aromatic scent—along with a strong beefy aroma.

Nanny Xun covered her nose with a handkerchief and peeked inside. “Madam Xiao, the madam rewards you with one hundred taels of silver and a cart of grain.”

The deep red hot pot base was almost done cooking down. Xiao Wanling stepped out. “Thank you, Granny, for putting in a good word for me!”

She now had one hundred catties of grain, and hopefully the farm supervisor had returned by now.
Nanny Xun heard that Xiao Wanling was asking around and reassured her, “No need to worry. The prince’s carriage will take you back anytime.”

Xiao Wanling bowed. “Many thanks.”

While she had the time, she blended the slimming tea: dried lotus leaf, winter melon rind, wild chrysanthemum, green tea… twelve taels of each.

She divided the blend into small daily packets and instructed Nanny Xun: “Take one dose about 30 minutes after meals—it cleanses the stomach and expels toxins.”

Nanny Xun was thrilled. “This is just what Madam needs!” She hurried off to deliver the tea.

Xiao Wanling looked up at the darkening sky. The lanterns in the estate were already lit.

She returned to the kitchen and stirred the hot pot base. It was just about done. She poured it into a wooden basin to cool.

The next morning, Xiao got up and went to check the hot pot base. She lifted the gauze and saw that it had solidified.

She flipped it out, cut it into equal portions, wrapped each in oiled paper, and tied it with red string. She asked the chefs to help chop pork, beef, and shrimp. Meanwhile, she sautéed and boiled the dipping sauces while the maids cleaned fresh vegetables.

By early morning, the fragrance wafted through several courtyards. More and more people passed by the kitchen.

After a whole morning’s work, Xiao Wanling brought twelve finished beef tallow hot pot bases to Madam Ji.

Madam Ji, supported by Nanny Xun, walked from the main hall to the garden pavilion.
On the round table sat a copper pot, split in two like a yin-yang symbol—one side held red broth, the other clear soup with fresh ginger, bundles of scallions, a few goji berries, and a shimmering layer of yellow oil on top.

The red broth was filled with pungent spices. As soon as she sat, the rich aroma hit her. Madam Ji covered her mouth with a handkerchief and gave Xiao Wanling a mournful look—she’d already eaten too much the day before.

Xiao Wanling raised a hand. The maids brought in plates of vegetables, sliced meat, meatballs, potatoes, lotus roots, and sweet potato balls—an array of novel ingredients.

Madam Ji asked, “They’re raw?”

Xiao Wanling used long chopsticks to swish some beef in the red broth, then dipped it into an oil bowl. “This one is bold and spicy—please eat sparingly. It’s more suited for men.”

Then she scooped a shrimp ball into the clear broth and waited for it to float. “This one is very light. Mandarin duck pots are perfect for two or more people.”

Madam Ji felt guilty eating the beef, but the shrimp ball was tender and refreshing—delicious even in quantity. Hearing “two people,” she thought of herself and Lord Zhu, imagining the two of them enjoying a long meal together. Her mood instantly lifted.

Using a handkerchief to dab her lips, she said, “Madam Xiao, you are truly a marvel!”

Xiao Wanling presented the hot pot base recipe. “With this, you can replicate the broth. The ingredients can vary—you won’t get tired of it even after months!”

Nanny Xun quickly stepped forward to receive it and withdrew to Madam Ji’s side.

Madam Ji felt Xiao really understood her and smiled brightly. “What reward would you like?”

Xiao Wanling bowed her head. “This humble woman would like to remain in the mountain village—to continue developing recipes and beauty remedies.”

Madam Ji was delighted. “Pass the word—whatever Madam Xiao needs, everyone in the Prince of Jin’s household is to fully cooperate!”

Nanny Xun walked off to deliver the command. Xiao Wanling secretly let out a breath of relief. So she wouldn’t be taken to the capital after all? It was time for Madam Ji to depart anyway.

TL’s Food Notes:

hotpot:

sour-spicy noodles:

sour dumpling soup: