Chapter 475: Yes, Why Shouldn’t I?

Chapter 475: Yes, Why Shouldn't I?

Although Master Shen was still angry, he finally relented at the request of his most beloved daughter, but continued to complain, "That crazy girl, she's acting outrageously in the Shen family as if it's some place where she can throw a tantrum. Earlier, she seemed obedient and well-mannered, but it was all an act."

Madam Fang hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, my lord, I didn't expect this girl to be so disrespectful. If she behaves like this outside in the future, who knows what people might say about our Shen family."

Master Shen, who valued his reputation the most, turned even darker at Madam Fang's words. "Zhuyu is truly sensible. Zhuyu, you handle this matter and teach your elder sister proper etiquette."

Shen Zhuyu responded and then turned to Ma Chuniang, "Ma Chuniang's injuries must be treated properly. Eldest Miss was indeed too harsh. If not treated well, there might be scars. Banxia, go fetch a doctor to treat Ma Chuniang's wounds. Use the best medicine. If there are scars on her face, how will Ma Chuniang be able to show her face in the future?"

The maid by her side quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Miss."

Ma Chuniang was overwhelmed with gratitude and exclaimed, "Elder Miss... no, Second Miss is truly kind-hearted. This servant is deeply grateful."

That accursed Elder Miss was trying to disfigure her! If a person's face is ruined, it will affect them for life!

With the money she had saved over the years, she could afford one or two bottles of good scar-removal medicine, but how could she bear to use over a decade of savings for that?

Fortunately, Miss Zhuyu was kind-hearted. The new Elder Miss was like a wicked woman. She couldn't even compare to one of Miss Zhuyu's fingers.

Ma Chuniang then reminded, "Second Miss, Eldest Miss has taken all the meals. There's nothing left for Master, Madam, and the young masters. It will take another hour to cook again..."

"It's alright. Have someone go out and buy some food. You should focus on resting and recovering from your injuries for the next few days," Shen Zhuyu said gently.

Ma Chuniang sniffled and said, "Thank you, Second Miss."

In the front courtyard, the table was empty, but in the back courtyard, Jin'er, Qingluo, and Zhe Ying began setting the table with various delicacies.

"Jin'er, Ah Ying, you two are amazing! In such a short time, you've pulled out all the weeds in the yard and cleaned the house spotlessly. How did you manage that?" Qingluo was still astonished when she thought about what she had seen earlier.

She almost thought she had entered the wrong courtyard.

Zhe Ying remained silent, so Jin'er had to respond. Jin'er didn't want to take credit for the shadow guards' work but had to answer. "Hehe..."

Not knowing what to say, she just laughed it off.

Fortunately, Qingluo didn't dwell on it and soon finished setting the table.

Seeing that Su Youyue seemed curious about a winter melon dish, Qingluo began to explain.

"Miss, this is our Dong Rong's first-grade winter melon dish. It contains chicken gizzards, frog meat, shrimp, sea cucumber, crab meat, fresh bamboo shoots, fresh lotus seeds, winter mushrooms, and ham. The ingredients alone weigh half a jin (about 250g).

It's quite complicated to make. First, carve auspicious patterns into the winter melon skin, then boil it to remove the raw flavor, and coat it with peanut oil. Next, add the blanched frog bones, second broth (a lighter broth made from the second simmering of ingredients), and seasonings like ginger and scallions. Simmer for half an hour to infuse the melon with the rich flavors, then add the prepared ingredients and broth. Finally, sprinkle with ham crumbs for color. Only then can it be called a first-grade winter melon dish."

Having been in the borderlands for a long time, Qingluo knew quite a bit of the Great Shen language. Jin'er, having overheard, couldn't help but exclaim, "With so many premium ingredients, it certainly deserves to be called a first-grade dish. Qingluo, you know a lot. Have you made this dish?"

Qingluo shook her head modestly, "I've only made a simple version of the three-fresh winter melon dish with regular chicken, river shrimp, and bamboo shoots. It's not as luxurious as this one. But my young miss is skilled in cooking and has done extensive research. The three-fresh winter melon dish she made was much tastier than mine. The melon flesh was thick and soft, turning into a puree with a spoon. The taste was incredible.

However, river shrimp and bamboo shoots are easy to obtain, but the chickens are raised from eggs, and we're reluctant to eat them often. Also, making this winter melon dish requires a lot of firewood, which is hard to chop. Miss and I don't make it often..."

Jin'er was stunned, "You also raise chickens and chop firewood yourselves?"

Qingluo nodded with pride, "The chickens that Miss and I raise are the fattest in the surrounding villages. The firewood we chop is the neatest. In the kitchen, people often think it's firewood for building fences."

She was open and honest, with no shame. To her, raising chickens and chopping firewood wasn't hard work—it was a source of pride and joy.

From the moment Qingluo started speaking, Su Youyue listened intently.

"When the chickens were still chicks, they were the cutest. Miss and I would sometimes feed them flies and mosquitoes. After two days, they would follow us around."

"At that time, there was a Little White that was especially smart and always ran the fastest, grabbing the most food."

"And then?" Jin'er was so engrossed that she forgot to pick up her chopsticks, realizing their life in the countryside wasn't as tough as she'd expected.

Qingluo's eyes suddenly drooped. "Later, when Little White was chasing me too closely, I accidentally fell and crushed it to death..."

Never in a million years would she have expected such an ending for Little White. Jin'er was speechless.

Zhe Ying, who had been standing nearby, had an unreadable expression.

"At the time, I cried for a whole day, but it was Miss who made a bowl of winter melon soup to comfort me. Later, we buried Little White together in the back mountain. But I secretly kept one of Little White's feathers. Before we came to the Holy City, I accidentally found it again. When Miss saw it, she immediately remembered Little White." Qingluo continued.

Before Jin'er could respond, she noticed Qingluo's eyes welling up with tears.

"Miss... *sob* *sob* *sob*..."

Tears streamed down the little maid's face.

Jin'er was flustered and quickly stepped forward to pat her on the back.

"If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have rather died than let Miss come back." Qingluo didn't want to cry so miserably, but sorrow welled up from her heart, unstoppable.

Su Youyue was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Since the Shen family had already decided to force your Miss into this marriage, whether she agreed or not didn't matter to them."

Seeing Qingluo's confused expression, she continued, "The Shen family knew they were taking a huge risk by tampering with the emperor's decree, but they were ready to face the consequences. So, they couldn’t risk sending a fake Miss Shen. If exposed, it would be seen as treason against the emperor."

"Therefore, in their eyes, whether your Miss agreed or not wasn't a choice from the beginning."

Gradually, a hint of resentment appeared in Qingluo's eyes. "They’ve never cared for Miss since the day she was born. How can they treat her like this?"

"Exactly. How can they justify this?" Su Youyue echoed, lowering her gaze.