Chapter 52: Plum Preserves

Seeing Granny Zhao’s grim expression, Shen Shi knew she was angry.

If it were up to her current state of mind, she would have loved to dismiss this old servant who bit the hand that fed her.

But Phoenix Ripple Courtyard was in chaos right now, and with no one reliable by her side, she still needed Granny Zhao to manage things.

Once she fell out of favor with her husband and mother-in-law, she had ended up in such a predicament. She couldn’t dismiss the maids she disliked, and even her wet nurse wasn’t of one mind with her.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Not wanting to see Granny Zhao in front of her, she sent her away.

Only Zhi Qing remained in the Warm Pavilion. She, too, wore a troubled expression and pondered for a long while before speaking up to advise.

“Granny Zhao is, after all, an old servant. Why must you, Madam, clash with her? From what I’ve observed, among the servants who accompanied you to this household, only she is loyal to you. Granny He, Mama Hu, and the others—their words are sweet as honey, but their hearts are treacherous. If you wish to recover your health, Madam, and if Phoenix Ripple Courtyard is to reestablish its rules, you must rely on Granny Zhao.”

Shen Shi’s temperament was such that she responded better to soft words than to harsh ones. Seeing Zhi Qing also urging her in this way, she grew even more displeased.

Remembering how Angelica Orchid used to be by her side, clever with words and able to ease her worries, she now took a dislike to Zhi Qing as well.

Many of the people around her had left, and those who remained were all retained by her mother—she couldn’t dismiss them even if she wanted to.

Feeling disgruntled, Shen Shi frowned deeply, waved her hand, and sent Zhi Qing away as well.

Seeing that Shen Shi wouldn’t listen to advice, Zhi Qing could do nothing about it.

Loyal at heart, she remembered that Shen Shi hadn’t eaten anything and sent someone to the small kitchen to have a bowl of soup prepared and delivered.

Shen Shi enjoyed rich soups, often favoring Chicken Wingtip Soup, Scallop and Squab Soup, or Perch and Water Shield Soup, all of which required great care and skill to prepare.

Granny Fan’s culinary skills were passable when it came to steaming, stewing, or stir-frying meat, but she was not adept at making these refined soups.

In a fluster, she prepared a bowl of Scallop and Squab Soup and sent it over. Not long after, a maid returned with the food container, cursing.

“Madam found the smell nauseating and scolded me harshly!”

Squab soup was trickier to make than chicken soup because squab had a gamey taste, and one couldn’t bleed or blanch it.

When cleaning the squab, one had to use fine flour to scrub and knead away the bloodstains to remove the gamy odor.

It also needed to be soaked with old ginger, scallions, garlic, peppercorns, and premium Shaoxing wine before it could be simmered in an earthenware pot.

If it was simply stewed like chicken soup, how could it not be gamy?

Granny Fan didn’t know the proper method, so no matter what she tried, the soup remained gamy. Anxiously, she paced around the kitchen.

The maid continued to make a fuss and curse, urging her relentlessly.

After fretting for a long time, Granny Fan finally slapped her forehead, grabbed two squabs, and hurried to the Small Tea Room.

Pear Moon was fanning the fire to brew tea when she saw Granny Fan push aside the curtain and enter with a worried expression, followed by a third-rank maid.

“Xiao Yue, please prepare a bowl of Scallop and Squab Soup properly. Madam is waiting to eat!”

That day when Pear Moon prepared the Chicken Wingtip Soup, everyone in the courtyard had seen it, and Granny Fan knew about it too.

She didn’t have any ill intentions—her own skills were lacking, and she just wanted to find someone to quickly complete the task.

“If Xiao Yue is so capable, able to brew tea and prepare soups, why not let her manage the kitchen too? Let her take care of all the master’s food and drink by herself, and the rest of us can just take it easy!”

The third-rank maid was named Xiang Hui. She had been closest to Fragrant Grass before and was also a lazy, cunning sort who loved to gang up and bully others.

After Fragrant Grass was driven out, she thought she could take charge of the Small Tea Room, but Pear Moon and the others had taken it over instead. She had been harboring resentment ever since.

This young girl was only thirteen, with no sense of propriety. She wanted to cause trouble for Pear Moon and seize control of the Small Tea Room.

For the past two days, Granny Zhao had been strict with her management, so Xiang Hui hadn’t dared to cause trouble. She had held back for those two days.

Today, led here by Granny Fan, she was itching to stir up trouble.

She strode into the room, kicked the stool aside with two swift kicks, sat down at the table, lifted the lid of the preserves jar, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Seeing her like this, Pear Moon did not immediately respond to Granny Fan. Instead, she turned her face and said, “Sister Xiang Hui, the tea leaves, pastries, preserves, and candies in the Small Tea Room are all accounted for. There’s only half a jar of Plum Preserves left. It doesn’t matter if you grab some to eat, but if the mistress in the main room suddenly wants a fruit platter, what will we send up?”

Xiang Hui deliberately raised her feet high and spat two plum pits toward Pear Moon.

In her eyes, Pear Moon was just a coarse maid, someone they were used to bullying. Who cared what she said?

“You rotten-mouthed kitchen wench, do I give you face? The fruits in the tea room are part of the mistress’s allowance for us. Who are you to tell me what to do? What if I eat them? Are you in charge now? Don’t you see Granny Fan brought a pigeon? Go make your soup! How much I eat is for the mistress to decide, or else Sister Zhi Qing or Granny Zhao will handle it! Even if I eat them all or throw them out to feed the dogs, it’s none of your business!”

Granny Fan was timid and incompetent. Seeing Xiang Hui come in to pick a fight, she felt a little afraid.

She first handed the pigeon to Pear Moon, urging her to hurry and make the soup, then turned to persuade Xiang Hui, “Miss Xiang Hui, don’t be upset. She just doesn’t want you to eat the preserves. I have a few dozen coins here—take them and buy some hot cakes.”

She wanted Pear Moon to make the soup but was also afraid Xiang Hui would complain to Shen Shi. Granny Fan dared not offend either side.

Xiang Hui had been feeling proud lately because a second-rank maid position was vacant above her, and she was sure to fill it sooner or later.

Seeing that Granny Fan wasn’t flattering her but instead pushing her away, she felt displeased.

“Take your dirty hands off me, you old hag! Why can’t I eat these preserves? Who’s been guarding them day and night? We’re the Shen family’s dowry servants—why should we fear a coarse maid? Does Ningguo Mansion bully our mistress, and now even its maids bully us? Even if I don’t eat them, I’ll take them out to feed the dogs. No one’s getting any advantage!”

Without another word, she swung the celadon jar and smashed it to the ground, shattering it to pieces.

Pear Moon had been hoping she would do just that. She simply laughed and said, “Sister Xiang Hui, what a fine move. As long as you dare to take responsibility for your actions.”

As luck would have it, just before they entered, Zhi Qing had left the Small Tea Room.

These past few days, Shen Shi had no appetite and couldn’t eat or drink. Zhi Qing had come to ask for Rose Dew and Plum Preserves.

Pear Moon had been preparing the fruit platter and had just taken down the newly pickled jar of Plum Preserves.

Plum Preserves were made by pickling waxberries with medicinal herbs, then wrapping and soaking them in tangerine and mint leaves, giving them a sweet, sour, and fragrant taste.

These fruits were difficult to make, and Pear Moon had hidden them in the back to prevent them from being wasted.

She sneered, pointing at the food box in front of her, and called out toward the curtain, “Sister Zhi Qing, the Rose Dew is ready, but there are no Plum Preserves left. If the mistress asks, you can just ask Sister Xiang Hui for them.”

Xiang Hui turned around abruptly and saw Zhi Qing and Granny Zhao standing outside the curtain, their faces ashen with anger.