Sprinkle the pre-chopped garlic evenly on the dishes, cover with the lid, and let it sit for about two minutes. Then, the cook Chuntao wrapped a wet towel around the handle of the frying pan and lifted it to the edge of the stove.

The rough servant girl next to the kitchen assistant quickly changed the large pot for boiling water, and then handed over a brand new spatula.

Chuntao lifted the lid of the pot, picked out half of the garlic, threw it into the swill bucket, and stirred the remaining garlic until no trace was visible before officially putting it on a plate and adding a few pieces of celery.

"Take it to the hall."

As she instructed, she pulled off the sleeve from her arm and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the lining of her apron. When the rough maid carried the plate out of the small kitchen, she stuck her whole butt to the small stool.

With her fist hitting her sore and swollen calf, Chuntao’s heart cursed Caixia over and over again.

If it weren't for that little hoof insisting on causing trouble and being beaten for several days, and being unable to get out of bed, there would have been two kitchen assistants on duty in this small kitchen. How could she have exhausted herself like this?

As she was muttering inwardly, suddenly someone picked up a curtain and entered the kitchen. At first, Chuntao thought she was just a rough maid delivering vegetables, but she didn't pay much attention. However, someone asked, "Chuntao, do you still have any leftover black chicken soup?"

"Oh my, Lady Qingwen!"

Chuntao let out a sigh and quickly jumped up from the small stool, laughing and saying, "Yes, yes, yes. You told me to cook more black chicken soup at noon. How dare we neglect?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed to the small stove next to her, where the clay pot was simmering over a charcoal fire. "Look, this has been simmering over low heat until now, and there are still about two or three bowls left," she said

"Thank you for taking the trouble, Sister."

Qingwen took out dozens of large coins from her sleeve and handed them forward. Chuantao was full of *’refuse,’* but she had already held the copper coins tightly in her hand, counting them in detail.

The smile on Chuntao's face became even more lively as she discovered that it was nearly twice as much as what Lady You had given her last time.

She turned around and took out the food box, spoon, chopsticks, and other items from the nearby cupboard. She put the small clay pot inside and smiled, "The clay pots don't have much weight either. Miss, why don't you take them all together? When you have time, it's not too late to bring them back."

Qingwen thanked her and carried the food box out of the small kitchen, but she neither went to the living room where she was gathering nor returned to the west wing where she lived. Instead, she went straight to the outside of the courtyard.

"Stop!"

At this moment, a sharp shout suddenly came from the pitch-black corridor.

Immediately after, Furong, the maidservant next to Ruan Rong, came out of the corridor and stopped Qingwen with a cold smile. Her narrow, triangular eyes scanned the food box and pouted, asking, "What is inside?"

As early as when Qingwen was in charge of taking care of Sun Chengyi, the two of them were not eye to eye terms. Therefore, seeing that she was blocking the way, Qingwen didn't have any good looks for her. She looked at her coldly for a while before finally spitting out three words, "Black Chicken Soup."

"Ha!"

Furong had lost some momentum in the stalemate just now, but when she heard the three words *'black chicken soup,'* she immediately felt like she had been beaten with chicken blood and scolded with full energy, saying, "This black chicken soup was originally made for Concubine Zhen, so she asked the stove to cook two bowls of it for her every day. How can you steal it and serve it as a favor?"

Without waiting for Qingwen to refute, she sneered again, "Especially, Caixia was beaten with the family rules personally ordered by the Second Master. If you rushed to visit her, where did you put the Second Master to?"

In fact, it was Xiangling who took the initiative to offer black chicken soup to Caixia for body repair.

But seeing that Furong had lifted Sun Shaozong out first, Qingwen was unwilling to use Xiangling as a shield and was pondering whether there was any other way. Suddenly, someone behind her shouted, "Furong, where did you go just now? Why don’t you hurry back and serve!"

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Shiliu rushing over in a lively manner. Without saying a word, she pulled Furong and ran towards the hall.

Furong stumbled a few steps when she pulled back and finally stood still. She couldn't help but feel angry and said, "What are you pulling me for? This little hoof stole the black chicken soup from the kitchen and wants to..."

"Shut up!"

Shiliu scolded, but turned around with a hint of flattery. She smiled at Qingwen and said, "Sister, don't worry. This crazy girl has always heard that wind is rain, and she didn't mean to make things difficult for you."

As she spoke, she earnestly reminded, "Although it's not a few steps away, you should at least light a lantern. Otherwise, if someone bumps into it, how should it be?"

This speech confused Qingwen.

Although Shiliu didn’t target her like Furong did, she has never given her a good face either. Today, she was calling out one sister after another, which was puzzling.

Did she suffer from hysteria and feel confused?

Watching Shuliu and Furong return to the main hall, Qingwen was still covered in mist. She stood in the yard pondering for a long time before realizing that she needed to send the black chicken soup to Caixia.

So she temporarily suppressed her doubts and hurriedly left the courtyard carrying a food box.

After circling all the way, she arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard in the northwest corner. In the darkest room, only a bean-sized oil lamp was lit. Looking through the window paper, it was as dim as a ghostly fire.

This scene made Qingwen, although she had not yet seen her, her mind was filled with descriptions of *'desolation.'*

Why was this so difficult?

To be honest, although she was also in the Rongguo Mansion and had an inseparable sweetheart, Qingwen couldn't understand the infatuation that Caixia had for Jia Huan.

In terms of character, knowledge, appearance, background, and career prospects, what was Jia Huan outstanding in?

Not to mention that he was only eleven years old!

Perhaps…

This was the legendary fate, right?

Shaking her head and sighing, Qingwen lifted the curtain and entered the room. Then, with the faint light, she swept around the room before finally finding the figure of Caixia on the hardboard bed in the northwest corner.

"Qingwen?"

At this moment, Caixia had already noticed Qingwen and climbed up from the bed sideways, wondering, "How did you get here?"

"Concubine Zhen heard that your wound has never been cured, so she specially asked me to bring some black bone chicken soup that can replenish blood and energy."

As Qingwen spoke, she walked to the hard bed and saw that there were no tables or chairs around. She placed the food box on the ground, lifted a corner of the bed mat, took out the clay pot, and placed it on top. Then, she handed the chopsticks and spoon to Caixia.

"Here, it was simmering with charcoal just now. You can drink more while it's hot."

Caixia was stunned for a while, holding a spoon and chopsticks before sighing softly, "It's rare that she still remembers our past relationship."

"Yuanyang also remember!"

Qingwen said angrily, "If it weren't for her pleading, you would still be chopping firewood and carrying water outside. How could you have the opportunity to be a kitchen helper? But you're lucky, you just arrived at the small kitchen... Forget it, you might not be willing to listen to anything I say."

Halfway through, seeing Caixia's expression, she suddenly became uninterested. She lifted the lid of the clay pot and explained, "If you have leftovers, put them under the bed for now. Tomorrow, I'll heat it for you. If anyone asks, just push it over my head."

After speaking, she got up and returned to the backyard.

"Qingwen!"

As she stepped outside the door, Caixia suddenly called out to her. Qingwen looked back with suspicion, but Caixia said solemnly, "Second Master Bao and Third Master Huan are different. Without you, he can still enjoy wealth and prosperity."

What did this mean?

Was she mocking herself with sarcasm?!

Qingwen couldn't help but sink her face and ask, "What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything else."

Caixia said again, "I was just thinking that as long as that person lives peacefully and freely, we servants should also be satisfied. Why insist on something?"

At first glance, this statement seemed a bit ridiculous. Wasn’t it Caixia herself who was truly demanding something?

However, upon careful consideration, although Caixia had caused trouble in front of Sun Shaozong twice, she never had the luxury of returning to Jia Huan's side. She just hoped to guide Jia Huan back on the right path and not delay his future.

Thinking of this, Qingwen suddenly became a little flustered, because she suddenly realized that her feelings for Baoyu were not as pure as Caixia's feelings for Jia Huan!

And this was something she would never admit.

Therefore, in a state of panic, she responded hastily and fled in panic.

As she reached the west wing of the backyard, Qingwen's mind was in chaos. She sat in the living room for a long time, lost in thought, until a few calls came from her ear, only to realize that Xiangling had returned from dinner.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

Xiangling said in confusion, "Did Caixia say something unpleasant?"

"This... this is not true."

Although Xiangling treated her like a sister, Qingwen didn't want Xiangling to know that she was worried, so she forced a smile and said, "Just when I was going out, I had a few words with Furong, and I felt a little uncomfortable."

Upon hearing that it was related to the big maid beside Ruan Rong, Xiangling immediately became conflicted and wanted to persuade Qingwen to calm down, but she also knew her temperament and would not easily change course.

Helplessly, she suddenly remembered what Ruan Rong had told her and quickly said, "By the way, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. When the Second Master enters the palace to face the Emperor today, he receives news that the court may send him to Huguang to quell the rebellion."

"This trip can take as little as a year or as much as two or three years. Naturally, the Second Master's side can’t be separated from someone to take care of. However, both Sister Ruan and I have to stay at home to take care of our children, and only Concubine You can follow Second Master southward."

"However, Concubine You was worried that the little maids around her might not be attentive enough, so she specifically recommended you..."

"She recommended me? Why?!"

Qingwen was surprised to hear this. She had no connection with the Second Sister You, and for no reason, why did the Second Sister You suddenly recommend her to go along with Sun Shaozong southward?

Xiangling pursed her lips and said awkwardly, "You have always been a smart person. How could you be confused at this time? I think when Second Master returns from the victory, it will be just right for me to call you *'Sister.'*"

After hearing these words, how could Qingwen not understand anything else?

The word *’serving’* was not just about serving tea, pouring water, and making beds and bedding.

The reason why Sister You recommended her was that she was afraid of arousing jealousy from Ruan Rong. After all, Concubine Zhao's experience was there; secondly, since she voluntarily recommended her, if she were to be favored in the future, she would inevitably owe her a favor.

No wonder Shiliu's attitude changed greatly before, so she was also afraid that she would take revenge on the two of them if she rose to the sky one step at a time!

It was just that…

Qingwen twisted her fingers like fried dough twists, shook her head laboriously, and said, "I'm afraid it's impossible."

Although she had even thought about fighting against Ping'er and Xiaohong when everything was hopeless in Rongguo Mansion, it was just a momentary impulse.

At present, she heard that Sun Shaozong intended to take her in, and Qingwen's heart was filled with the shadow of Jia Baoyu. Although she knew her hope was slim, how was she willing to easily give up her body?

Xiangling saw her in a state of panic, with a hint of resentment on her face. Her joy suddenly dissipated, and she leaned forward to embrace Qingwen's shoulder. In a soft voice, she said, "I can roughly understand your thoughts. I think back then, Master Xue..."

When it came to Xue Pan again, she felt a bit uneasy, but after a moment of relief, she continued, "When Master Xue gave me as a gift to the Second Master, I was very anxious. But how can you and I, from our backgrounds, go against the Master's wishes?"

"But later on, I spent a long time with the Second Master, and I was fortunate enough not to hide it from my sister. I once secretly thanked the Buddha several times, allowing me to meet the Second Master in this lifetime."

“You have come to our mansion for some time now. I don't need to say what kind of person the Second Master is. You are also aware that since you can no longer rely on Second Master Jia, entrusting your life to such a man is not an insult."

Just this paragraph alone might not shake Qingwen's heart, but it made Qingwen hesitate when it echoed with Caixia's phrase *’Don't force yourself.’*

For a moment, she thought, why not just push the boat with the flow and cut off her obsession with Jia Baoyu? Suddenly, she remembered the carefree years by Jia Baoyu's side.

Until the end, she couldn't make a decision. Instead, she suddenly remembered someone and blurted out, "Since we need to choose someone who can serve, why didn't we choose Yuanyang?"

Xiangling has also heard of rumors in the mansion, so it was not surprising that Qingwen mentioned Yuanyang at this moment, but shook her head and said, "Now the Eldest Lady is counting on her for support, which is why the mansion is well managed. How can she leave her for a moment?"

Qingwen casually said that she wanted to take the opportunity to change the topic, but when Xiangling replied, she dismissed the matter and immediately fell silent again.

And Xiangling didn't know how to persuade her, so she silently stood by her side.

The two of them sat relatively dry for about a quarter of an hour, only to hear a faint knocking on the door outside. Then came the respectful voice of Shiliu, "Concubine Zhen, Second Master is calling for you to come and talk."

The master and servant in the room finally woke up, and Xiangling quickly stepped forward and opened the door, preparing to follow Shiliu to the main room of the main hall.

Unexpectedly, Shiliu stood at the door but was not in a hurry to leave. She countered with a smile and said, "Sister, just lock the door. Concubine Zhen may not come back tonight."