Chapter 3: Longan Soup

This was Pear Moon’s first time entering Shen Shi’s Main Chamber.

The room was filled with an air of elegance and opulence, with a faint, soft fragrance lingering in the air.

Shen Shi had just risen and was dressed in casual attire, reclining on a soft couch with several maids attending to her on either side.

Fragrant Grass, however, was kneeling on the floor, none of her usual cleverness in sight.

The situation felt somewhat eerie.

Pear Moon knelt down without a word, revealing her swollen cheek.

Shen Shi did not ask about it, merely nodding to Granny Zhao. “Is this Xiao Yue? She is indeed quite comely.”

Pear Moon kept her head lowered, but from the corner of her eye, she sensed something amiss.

The room was lavishly decorated, yet there was not a trace of festive red.

Shen Shi was dressed in plain clothing, without any red or green adornments.

In a corner of the hall, the wedding quilts and candles were piled together, not yet arranged.

The Young Master was not in the room.

Pear Moon felt somewhat at a loss.

Shen Shi looked haggard, clearly having not slept all night. She gave a slight glance, and a half-bowl of cold longan soup was brought before Pear Moon. “Was this bowl of longan soup brewed by you?”

Could something have gone wrong with yesterday’s soup? A chill ran down Pear Moon’s spine.

Taking the small celadon bowl with lotus patterns, she finally breathed a sigh of relief—it was not her brew.

The red dates still had their pits, the longans and goji berries were unwashed, the silver ear fungus was not soaked, and white sugar was mistakenly used instead of brown sugar.

Most crucially, all the ingredients had been thrown into the pot together, so the silver ear fungus was still hard while the longans had turned mushy.

Only a fool like Fragrant Grass could brew something like this.

“It was not brewed by this servant.”

Pear Moon also took the opportunity to explain the correct method for making longan soup.

“Did Jade Ink ask you to brew longan soup yesterday?” Shen Shi inquired.

“Yes. This servant brewed it and handed it to her,” Pear Moon replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Shen Shi said nothing more, only glancing at Granny Zhao.

Before Granny Zhao could speak, a pretty maid interjected.

“A coarse maid daring to take tea room beverages to give to others shows she lacks discipline. A few strokes of the rod to teach her a lesson should suffice. Having her stand in the room only dirties the floor.”

Pear Moon recognized her as Angelica Orchid, Fragrant Grass’s older sister.

Hearing her sister speak up, Fragrant Grass hastily added, “That wench Xiao Yue has light fingers and shallow eyes, always sneaking bites. I asked her to watch the tea room for a while, and she stole a whole pot of longan and red date soup!”

What utter nonsense.

Jade Ink was a first-rank maid. If she said the Young Master wanted it, the tea room naturally had to provide it. Was one supposed to verify it first?

“Have Xiao Yue go to the tea room and brew another pot of longan and red date soup.”

Ignoring the two maids, Shen Shi directly instructed Granny Zhao.

Angelica Orchid’s expression changed, and she hurriedly smiled at Shen Shi. “Miss, kitchen maids are unclean; things they make cannot be eaten. Fragrant Grass is clean and extremely clever. It would be better to have her return to the tea room to brew it.”

Her repeated interruptions greatly displeased Granny Zhao.

“Fragrant Grass is clever? She couldn’t brew longan soup properly, and when carrying a bowl, she scalded the Son-in-law’s hand. She’s far too clever!”

Hearing this, Angelica Orchid quickly explained, “Fragrant Grass is still young. Please teach her more, Granny.”

“Miss Angelica Orchid is older and indeed even cleverer, having burn ointment ready at hand!”

Granny Zhao grew angry, openly rebuking Angelica Orchid, and the entire room fell silent.

Shen Shi furrowed her brow slightly and, seeing Pear Moon still present, first said, “You may go to the tea room.”

Baffled, Pear Moon left, first returning to the small kitchen to inform them, then going to prepare to brew the longan soup.

Off-duty maids, as usual, were in the tea room chatting idly while cracking melon seeds.

From their chatter, Pear Moon finally pieced together the events of the previous night.

Last night, the Young Master was exhausted. After sitting outside the bridal chamber for a while, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, so he ordered the small tea room to send longan and red date soup to soothe his nerves.

Fragrant Grass had been eyeing this easy task for a long time and personally carried the bowl over.

Unaware that the Young Master was unwell, she took advantage of her young age to deliberately act coquettishly.

Half a bowl of scalding longan soup spilled, reddening the Young Master’s hand.

After finally bringing a new bowl, the Young Master said the flavor wasn’t right.

Just as he was about to lie down and rest, her sister Angelica Orchid jumped out, holding the Young Master’s hand, blowing on it and applying ointment.

It wasn’t until the night watch that Jade Ink brought the longan soup.

The Young Master drank a bowl and then headed to the Tranquil Study.

Shen Shi waited in vain in the bridal chamber, so angry she didn’t sleep all night.

She believed Jade Ink had seduced the Young Master with the longan soup, so she immediately ordered someone to investigate and learned that the soup had been stewed by Pear Moon. That was why, early in the morning, she sent Granny Zhao to the kitchen to apprehend her.

Although the marriage hadn’t been consummated the previous night, the Young Master still followed etiquette and came to have breakfast with his wife.

Coincidentally, Pear Moon had just finished stewing the longan soup, packed it in a food box, and sent it to the corridor, where a maid inside took it over.

A dining table was set up in the room, with the couple sitting opposite each other.

Behind the Young Master stood Jade Ink, while behind Shen Shi stood another first-rank maid, Zhi Qing.

“My husband enjoys longan soup, so I specially prepared it for you to taste. You’ve been toiling at the border and should consume more calming and nourishing foods. From now on, let the maid Xiao Yue be solely responsible for this task.”

Shen Shi smiled gently, gesturing for Pear Moon to enter.

Pear Moon didn’t dare approach the table, stopping at the threshold and giving a low curtsy.

The Young Master’s gaze was cold as he glanced at Pear Moon, then looked at his wife with confusion.

Shen Shi, with a beaming smile, spoke kindly and gently, “Xiao Yue is a kitchen hand, but she’s a neat and clean child. Since my husband drinks longan soup for breakfast, let Xiao Yue rise early to stew it, so it won’t interfere with her other duties.”

Even if longan soup isn’t troublesome to make, it still requires stewing for an hour.

Shen Shi’s words were light and easy, but wouldn’t Pear Moon have to wake up an hour earlier every day?

And without delaying her other duties—truly treating her as less than human.

Pear Moon inwardly lamented but dared not show it on her face.

If a master accused her of “slacking off,” the consequences would be even worse.

“No need!”

The Young Master frowned and pushed the longan soup away.

“My husband needn’t worry about the trouble; it’s just a small matter. As long as my husband stays healthy, it will put Mother and Grandmother at ease.”

Shen Shi smiled broadly, but the Young Master wore an unhappy expression.

“The kitchen hand is young; you mustn’t treat her too harshly. They already have plenty of duties. Waking up early to stew this is a waste of manpower.”

Shen Shi’s smile froze, and she was stunned for a moment before stammering, “I saw that my husband enjoys drinking it, so I had the little maid prepare it daily. I’ve been fasting and reciting Buddhist scriptures these years and would never treat them harshly.”

The Young Master set down his chopsticks, took a deep breath, as if suppressing his anger.

“Longan soup is calming, and I only drink it at night. There’s no use making it early in the morning. Did you see that little maid’s face swollen an inch high? Why didn’t you send her to recover from her injuries instead of ordering her to stew that nonsense early in the morning?”

Shen Shi hadn’t expected his anger and panicked, stumbling over her words.

“Her face… I didn’t hit her. It’s common for maids to roughhouse…”

“Ningguo Mansion has always been lenient toward its servants. I don’t want to see such excuses in Phoenix Ripple Courtyard again.”

The Young Master ate nothing, turned, and left in a huff.

Jade Ink, who had remained expressionless all along, gave Shen Shi a solemn curtsy and quickly followed.

Shen Shi’s face turned deathly pale as she faced the table full of delicacies and the untouched bowl of longan soup.

Pear Moon stood frozen in the doorway, and it was a long while before she saw Granny Zhao slowly approaching.

Her palm opened, revealing four silver ingots: “Return to your duties in the kitchen. There’s no need to be afraid.”