Chapter 75: Silver Notes

Shen Si Jier and Xiang Hui had been gone for a long time, and the side gate was cleared of idlers.

Shen Shi and Miss Ning, along with Second Miss Ning and Third Miss Ning, were all dressed in splendid attire, their robes fluttering gracefully.

Surrounded by maids and matrons, they boarded the carriage to the Qin family.

For women celebrating birthdays and attending longevity banquets, it often meant a whole day of leisure and entertainment, offering a rare chance to relax.

Pear Moon remembered there was still some ice left in the Small Tea Room and hurried back to make Red Bean Frosted Mountain.

Madam Liu had promised to help her inquire about matters in the Main Kitchen and would inform her once there was definite news.

With the masters away, there wasn’t much to do. In the kitchen, Granny Fan was pickling Eight-Treasure Pickles.

Gluttonous maids gathered around, claiming to help with vegetable picking but actually sneaking peanuts to eat.

Granny Fan wore a displeased expression, as the kitchen had been missing quite a few items these past few days.

Peanuts, dried fruits, eggs, and dried meat—though not much was missing, the accounts never seemed to add up.

Losing food from the kitchen wasn’t a major issue; even a fool could tell someone was stealing to eat.

But this time was different. Even fresh shrimp and fish were missing, something that had never happened before.

Raw meat couldn’t be eaten by oneself; it must have been taken out to sell.

The fish and shrimp from Phoenix Ripple Courtyard were all top-quality goods, worth a fair amount of money if sold.

Losing goods worth about one tael of silver every day—who could bear such losses?

But without catching the thief red-handed, they could only swallow their grievances in silence.

They were certain Xiang Hui was the thief, as she had the most creditors in the courtyard.

Seeing her driven back to the Shen family earlier, they couldn’t help but feel relieved, finally having kicked the thief out.

“That greedy, shameless wretch! Light-fingered and short-sighted, daring to stuff anything into her mouth—sooner or later, her guts will rot! Let’s see what she steals back in the Shen family. That starving little wretch won’t even have chaff to eat!”

Spotting Pear Moon approaching, Granny Fan quickly looked up and called out, “Xiao Yue, have you lost anything from your Small Stove Room? I’m afraid that shameless wretch might have rummaged through it too!”

Pear Moon hadn’t lost anything, having long been on guard against this.

All the fine and valuable ingredients were locked in the cupboard, with the key kept on her person at all times—she never dared to be careless.

As a gluttonous girl herself, how could she not understand how uncontrollable the hands of the desperately hungry could be?

The young maids were already deprived of treats; in the blink of an eye, they could chew through half a jar of rock sugar, more voracious than rats.

When it came to stealing sugar or snatching fruits, Xiang Hui was the most shameless, always charging ahead.

Pear Moon had long been wary of her, not even letting her touch the tea leaves.

After listening for a while, she realized Phoenix Ripple Courtyard wasn’t just missing food—anything valuable was disappearing.

The maids speculated for quite some time, all convinced Xiang Hui was the thief.

It was a bit like everyone kicking a wall that was already falling or pounding a broken drum—a case of piling on when someone was down.

“I had two boxes of scented powder, and one went missing the day before yesterday—it must have been Xiang Hui who stole it. Sister Dong Mei also lost two gold rings and a plum blossom hairpin. It must have been her too! The mistress is so foolish, sending her back to the Shen family without even questioning her!”

“The mistress doesn’t handle these matters, all because Granny Zhao doesn’t care. My brand-new box of rouge paste, worth two taels and five mace of silver, also went missing a few days ago. I went to tell Granny Zhao, but the old lady scolded me instead, asking why I bought rouge and calling me a seductress who deserved it. Isn’t that infuriating?”

It was indeed infuriating, and Pear Moon felt angry on her behalf.

“If the masters and the supervising matrons don’t care, what can we maids do? Now that Xiang Hui, that thieving girl, is gone, we can finally have some peace.”

The maid who lost the scented powder had no choice but to resign herself to her misfortune.

In Granny Zhao’s eyes, maids losing their belongings was no big deal—nothing compared to the face of the masters.

“Since you knew Xiang Hui stole it, why didn’t you stop her and demand it back? Just let her get away with it?”

When Xiang Hui boarded the carriage, she was still carrying a small bundle. Pear Moon couldn’t help but interject.

“We wanted to search her bundle, but Xiafu-jie stopped us. What Xiafu-jie said made sense—they say to catch a thief, you need the stolen goods. What could we do if we didn’t catch her red-handed? If the eldest mistress got upset, we’d be the ones to suffer.”

The maid who lost the valuable jewelry had no choice but to swallow her anger, but she was still terribly aggrieved.

Granny Zhao never bothered with reason when handling matters; she simply punished whoever made the most fuss.

Senior maids like Xiafu and Zhi Qing also followed suit, smoothing things over without addressing the real issue.

In both conflicts with Xiang Hui, Pear Moon had remained quiet and let the other side make all the noise.

She was afraid Granny Zhao would get annoyed and punish both sides indiscriminately, fifty lashes each.

For those who served as slaves or maids, this was an unavoidable reality—there was no justice to be had.

By noon, the weather had grown hot. Taking advantage of the empty room, Pear Moon decided to go back to wash her face and change clothes.

Just as she reached the firewood shed in the backyard, she suddenly heard the rustle of a skirt.

“Xiafu-jie? You didn’t go out with the eldest mistress?”

Pear Moon was startled.

Xiafu was wearing a slightly worn, wrinkled silk skirt that trailed on the ground, her hair tied in double buns with satin ribbons. She was sweating profusely from the heat.

She had already received the monthly allowance for a first-rank maid and was now one of Shen Shi’s personal attendants.

First-rank maids considered the kitchen courtyard too dirty and usually sent junior maids to relay messages, rarely coming over unless necessary.

Xiafu was also startled and laughed, patting her chest.

“I just went to the Small Tea Room looking for you, and Qiu Huanhuan said you’d gone out! The eldest mistress took Zhi Qing-jie and Dong Mei with her. Miss Tan is the daughter of a fourth-rank military official—it wouldn’t be appropriate for too many of us to go, as if we were just after rewards. In this sweltering heat, staying behind is a relief.”

“If Xiafu-jie needed something, you could’ve just sent Huan Huan to tell me. Look, your skirt is already dirty!”

The small courtyard wasn’t clean, with charcoal ash and debris filling the cracks between the rough bricks.

Pear Moon always tied her skirt at the waist with a sweat towel—though it looked unsightly, it kept the hem from dragging in the dirt.

Xiafu’s skirt trailed on the ground and had picked up quite a bit of dust.

Pear Moon quickly tried to be helpful, crouching down to brush it off for her.

“Did jie want something to eat for lunch?”

She was in charge of the small stove in the small kitchen, something Granny Fan did secretly, keeping it hidden from the higher-ups but not from those below.

To keep everyone else from talking, she had to offer them some benefits as well.

Pear Moon was lively by nature, and whenever she wasn’t too busy, she often made private dishes for others as a treat, charging fairly.

For three coins, she could make chilled noodles; for five coins, meat pies; for ten coins, wontons; and for twenty coins, meat and vegetable rice bowls—everyone got their money’s worth.

When Pear Moon was too busy, Huan Huan would take over, and her cooking was also quite good.

Some picky maids and grannies specifically came when Pear Moon was free, knowing her food tasted better.

“Ah, yes, that’s right! It’s gotten hot today, and I haven’t eaten anything since morning. If you’re not too busy at noon, could you make me a bowl of chilled noodles with shredded chicken and sour bamboo shoots?”

“Of course, with the eldest mistress away, I happen to be free.”

Xiafu did look unwell, likely suffering from heatstroke—not only was she sweating profusely, but her hands were trembling slightly.

As she turned to leave, Pear Moon quickly stopped her, putting on a broad, ingratiating smile.

“Xiafu-jie, would you like to add fragrant chicken egg and salted duck egg?”

“No, thank you for your trouble!” Xiafu hurriedly waved her hand.

Tsk! Why didn’t she get it?

Pear Moon smiled sheepishly, lowering her head and rubbing her hands together.

Had the heat addled her brain? How could she make it without payment?

“Oh, right, here are three coins for you!”

Only then did Xiafu remember, rummaging in her sleeve for a while but failing to produce even half a coin.

“My memory fails me—I’ll send it to the tea room later.”

Her face flushed, she turned and ran off, her skirt dragging on the ground and sweeping up a patch of black dust.

“I’ll bring it over to you once it’s done!”

Among the first- and second-rank maids, Xiafu was the stingiest.

Others would give an extra coin or two for sweets, but from her, you couldn’t even squeeze out a needle.

Still, Pear Moon was fair-minded—whether she received a tip or not, she cooked just the same, though she might grumble inwardly.

Returning to her small room, she took off her vest, fetched water to wash her face and wipe herself down, and changed into a dry bamboo-cloth jacket.

It was still early, and Pear Moon remembered the leftover ice in the tea room, eager to hurry and make Red Bean Frosted Mountain.

She was about to rush out when a sudden unease gripped her.

Hidden in the small room were over two hundred taels of silver—if stolen, it would be a disaster.

It was fine if she didn’t think about it, but the more she dwelled on it, the more anxious she grew.

Pear Moon took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang, standing on tiptoe to feel around in the hole in the ceiling wall.

This was Autumn Abundance’s idea—a bundle of silver ingots, all hidden in the beam cavity.

Dust from the ceiling fluttered down, stinging her eyes and flying into her mouth.

She felt around, but all she touched was dirt and dust—where were the silver ingots?

Pear Moon’s legs went weak, and she sat down on the kang, her body instantly turning cold!

It’s over! The silver is gone!