Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 10: Bamboo Shoots with Pork

Chapter 10: Bamboo Shoots with Pork

Deputy General Zhang and Cang Chuli stared at each other.

“You mean she took a side path to the side gate of the Purple Bamboo Grove, while the person waiting for her at the main gate each guarded one entrance, and after waiting for an hour, she went back and went to sleep?”

Cang Chuli summarized Deputy General Zhang’s report, feeling as though he had gained a whole new understanding of the young lady who could faint standing up while pouring tea.

“Yes, General.”

Deputy General Zhang’s expression was complicated as well.

“When Ah Da and the others were patrolling on the road, they even made a few detours specifically to avoid running into her… Then Miss Xia went back. That person is still in the Purple Bamboo Grove now.”

“But I truly never expected it to be that ungrateful traitor! This subordinate will go capture them alive at once!” Deputy General Zhang said furiously.

Cang Chuli rubbed the space between his brows. He had not expected there to be such a way of doing things, and he could not help secretly wondering if perhaps he had been too vigilant.

“No need for now. Since it failed this time, they will meet again soon. Let us wait and see.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Deputy General Zhang looked toward the tightly shut door.

“General, it is late. Die’er saw that you had not yet gone to bed and specially made you a midnight snack. Please have some to warm your stomach.”

Tonight, Zhao Die had painted on the most fashionable makeup among the young ladies of the capital.

As she moved, her clothes gave off a sweet, delicate fragrance. A sheer blue-green gauze outer robe was draped over her shoulders.

In the moonlight, it shimmered like rippling water on a spring lake.

On the tray in her hands sat a steaming tureen of chicken soup. It was a medicinal tonic she had spent three full hours simmering tonight. Beside the soup, she had even warmed a small pot of wine.

Beneath her gentle expression was a trace of absolute confidence.

The General of Northern Pacification was only just of age. Not only had he never married, he had not even taken a concubine.

For a man like him, as long as she could enter his inner courtyard in a legitimate way, no matter what status she was given, the servants below would have to listen to her!

Among the respectable daughters of Huaxia’s capital, who would be willing to marry into the General’s Mansion of Northern Pacification and live like a widow for a living demon like him?

Even if she was only a concubine, as long as Cang Chuli was not around, this vast General’s Mansion of Northern Pacification would become Zhao Die’s domain! And if she was fortunate enough to have a child, would that not mean inheriting the General’s Mansion and its unimaginable wealth?

Although his ruthlessness had frightened her at their first meeting, that had only been because those women were stupid! They had actually tried to kill him! Once the General of Northern Pacification became a man wrapped around Zhao Die’s finger…

At that thought, the curve of Zhao Die’s lips grew even wider.

The door before her slowly opened. Zhao Die carefully lifted her head, her eyes shimmering as she met…

Deputy General Zhang’s expressionless face, his gaze fixed somewhere in the distance…

He acted as if he had not seen her at all.

Zhao Die watched helplessly as Deputy General Zhang pressed his lips together, turned around, shut the door again, then took the tray from her hands just as she was about to speak.

“The General said he is asleep. Just give the midnight snack to me.”

Unwilling to give up, Zhao Die bit her lower lip and called softly toward the room, “Then Die’er will serve the General as he retires for the night.”

As she spoke, she tried to slip past Zhang Qiang and charge into the room.

Deputy General Zhang expressionlessly extended one hand to block Zhao Die.

“The General said the scent on you is too strong and is keeping him from sleeping. From now on, you need not serve him at night.”

Zhao Die staggered back a step as if she had lost her balance. She wanted to explain that the incense on her was the currently most fashionable Moon Unicorn Incense, so expensive that one tael of silver could only buy the tiniest amount.

But when she met Deputy General Zhang’s dead-fish eyes, which looked as though they could not even focus properly, she swallowed her words back down.

Humiliated and furious, she stamped her foot where she stood, lifted her skirts, and ran off.

Left standing in place, Deputy General Zhang listened to the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance. Only then did his scattered gaze slowly focus on the steaming chicken soup before him.

Thinking of the two fools who had waited in the wrong place at the Purple Bamboo Grove just now, he was filled with emotion for a moment…

Was this the gap between people?

After detoxifying and sleeping soundly through the night, Xia Heng opened her eyes to discover that she had already missed breakfast at the public kitchen.

Refusing to give up, she slipped Chef Xiang a small corner of silver and wheedled a small piece of meat out of him.

Hiding it as best she could the entire way, she ran back to her courtyard, steamed a basin of rice, then squatted on the ground and began processing the few bamboo shoots she and Chuqing had snapped off yesterday.
Lately, Cang Chuli hadn’t summoned her to serve him at all. Qiulin, who lived across from her, on the other hand, followed Cang Chuli out early and came back late every single day.

Zhao Siyan had been transferred to the Washing Workshop thanks to her excellent embroidery skills, where she worked under Aunt Chen doing mending and patching.

That left Xia Heng and Zhao Die next door looking like a pair of idle vagrants.

Xia Heng didn’t like going out. Zhao Die was the exact opposite-the girl was nowhere to be seen all day long.

On the rare occasions they did run into each other, Zhao Die would merely glance at her, not deigning to greet her in the slightest.

Watching Zhao Die, dressed in gauze robes, slowly walk away, Xia Heng silently pulled her own little floral padded jacket tighter around herself.

Inwardly, she sighed. The other girl looked so delicate and fragile, but wow, her constitution was genuinely impressive!

Before lunch, Xia Heng intercepted Chuqing at the entrance to the communal kitchen. Chuqing clearly hadn’t expected Xia Heng to fulfill her promise so quickly.

She happily followed Xia Heng back to her quarters, and the two of them held bowls of rice while eating from a huge plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, their mouths practically shining with oil.

“Oh, right. The general is going to Putuo Temple tomorrow to pray for blessings. He wants all of us to go with him.”

Xia Heng nearly choked to death on a mouthful of rice. After finally catching her breath, she said, “Putuo Temple? Us?”

“Yeah. Every time the general returns from a victorious battle, he goes to Putuo Temple to pray for the soldiers who died in battle. This time, he’s bringing you, Qiulin, and those twins too. I’ll be going as well!”

As Chuqing spoke, she added another bowl of rice.

“Every time he wins?”

Xia Heng repeated.

Chuqing gave her a strange look.

“Our general has never lost a battle!”

Then she puffed out her cheeks and added, “And he never will!”

Xia Heng deeply realized she had accidentally stepped right on the sore spot of a Cang Chuli fan, and immediately begged for mercy.

Fortunately, Chuqing did not hold it against her. After accepting Xia Heng’s apology, she continued eating with peace of mind.

As they were talking, Qiulin returned.

Seeing Xia Heng and Chuqing enthusiastically devouring a large plate of food, Qiulin thought of the intelligence Zhang Qiang had given her that morning and fell silent…

Xia Heng noticed Qiulin had stopped and was looking at her with an indescribable expression.

She looked at the food in front of her, and in that instant, felt as if she understood something.

“Qiulin! You haven’t eaten yet, right? Come eat with us!”

Qiulin had been just about to return to her room. Hearing Xia Heng’s invitation, she looked at the fragrant, steaming plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork in front of them.

She swallowed, then silently changed the direction of her feet.

Maybe… she could have a little?

Xia Heng filled a bowl to the brim with rice for Qiulin. Qiulin thanked her, then began eating in silence.

Seeing Qiulin’s chopsticks move faster and faster, Chuqing could no longer sit still. She silently increased the speed at which she picked up food too.

Xia Heng lifted her eyes and saw the two pairs of chopsticks on the table moving so fast they left afterimages…

There was no need. Truly, there was no need.

Xia Heng had no choice but to divide the food into three portions, one plate per person.

Only then did the average eating speed of the two heroic women finally drop.

Thankfully, they had gathered quite a few bamboo shoots yesterday, and the dish had come out large enough for three people.

A while later, the three of them sat sprawled in their chairs with their bellies sticking out, looking exactly like three big-bellied toads.

Zhao Die, who had just finished making her rounds to show her face around the General’s Mansion today, returned to their quarters and immediately saw the three of them in that hopeless state.

Before she even entered the room, while still standing outside the door, she flicked out her handkerchief and activated her mockery skill.

“Well, well. Isn’t this the favored one who follows the general around every day? What’s wrong? Even after sticking to the general day in and day out, you still don’t get fed?”

Qiulin showed no reaction. Zhao Die didn’t particularly care and turned her fire on Xia Heng instead.

“She gets to follow the general around every day and enjoy the best food and drink. Do you really think it’s your turn to suck up to her? Why don’t you see whether she’ll even remember your favor?”

Xia Heng looked completely bewildered.

“Achoo!”

Zhao Die sneezed. Looking at Xia Heng’s useless, dazed expression, she lost the desire to waste any more words on this blockhead and turned back into her own room.

“Oh, right, Ah Heng,” Chuqing said.

“We’re setting off early tomorrow. Remember to wear more layers.”

Xia Heng thanked Chuqing and mentally took stock of her belongings.

It was her first trip far from home, and she had heard they would even be staying overnight. Somehow, she just couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her heart.