Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 79

Cang Chuli appeared at exactly the right moment and sent Xiao Yaqing back to her own tent.

He had heard only a little of their conversation, but he had the distinct impression that if he let them continue, his brother might lose any chance he had left.

As the sky gradually darkened, the banquet on the first night of the Winter Hunt began.

Dongfang Wei awarded roast meat and fine wine according to each person’s hunting results that day.

Several important ministers of the court also received roast venison as a separate reward.

Cups passed back and forth, and after several rounds of wine, the gathering grew lively.

Dongfang Wei did not restrain his guests. The ministers who were normally steady and reserved began singing and reciting poetry once the alcohol took hold.

One military officer even insisted on entering the center to demonstrate a set of boxing techniques passed down through his family.

Cang Chuli watched everyone make fools of themselves.

After eating only a few bites of roast meat, he set it aside.

Roast meat became cloying easily, and the cold weather made it cool quickly. Once cold, it was even less appetizing.

Just then, Mo Bai arrived carrying a steaming bowl of chicken-broth noodles and placed it before Cang Chuli.

He quickly pulled back his hands and pinched his earlobes.

Whew. The bowl had not felt this hot when he was eating earlier. Carrying it all the way here had nearly burned him. He should have used a tray.

Every trace of yellow fat had been skimmed from the chicken broth. The mushrooms lent the soup a subtle, savory aroma.

Several blanched cabbage leaves rested on top, garnished with chopped scallions. The sight alone stirred the appetite.

Mo Bai explained, “Miss Ah Heng said that eating nothing but roast meat would inevitably become greasy. If the General no longer wants meat, you can have a few bites of noodles or drink some broth.

“The soup was made from the wild pheasants you hunted today.”

Cang Chuli lifted some noodles with his chopsticks.

They had even brought cabbage and mushrooms. The thoroughness of their preparations never disappointed him.

* * *

Cang Chuli presented the tiger and deer he had hunted to the Emperor.

The tiger hide remained with him. It had so many holes that the Emperor certainly could not use it. As for the rest of the game, Cang Chuli told the household servants to decide what to do with it themselves.

At first, Xia Heng and Chuqing had roasted some meat as well.

But they had only cumin, with no chili pepper powder, and after eating a few pieces, the meat became cloying.

Xia Heng could have bought some seasoning from the system store, but there were too many eyes around. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Chef Xiang had mentioned that Cang Chuli’s stomach had suffered after he went severely hungry some time ago. Cold or greasy food could still make him uncomfortable.

Xia Heng therefore used the chicken broth from that afternoon to cook some dried noodles. She had originally intended to save them until he returned that night, so he could have something warm after drinking.

She asked Mo Bai to carry a bowl to Cang Chuli. Everyone else eagerly ate the remaining noodles.

Chuqing was working hard on a chicken bone.

“Delicious! Ah Heng, you added pepper!”

Xia Heng looked up from slurping her noodles in surprise.

“You can actually taste that? Impressive!”

Wild pheasant inevitably had a strong, gamey smell when cooked. To remove it, Xia Heng had added plenty of scallion and ginger, along with a small pinch of ground pepper.

She could barely taste it herself, yet Chuqing had noticed!

Xia Heng had also tried gnawing on a piece of chicken.

Unfortunately, this genuine free-range pheasant seemed to have exercised more than she did.

She could not bite through it. She simply could not.

“Miss Ah Heng!”

Mo Qing came running back with the bowl in his hands.

When Xia Heng saw that the bowl of chicken-broth noodles Mo Bai had just delivered had returned completely clean, she felt gratified.

Chuqing handed Mo Qing the noodles cooked for him.

The servants’ own bowls were not arranged as beautifully.

Mo Qing accepted his bowl but did not begin eating yet.

“The General asked for another bowl!”

That was not what Xia Heng had expected. She quickly set down her own bowl and prepared to rise and cook more.

“Grand Secretary Li, Minister Xiao, and Miss Xiao want bowls too.”

“What?”

How had her noodles spread to other households?

“Grand Secretary Li’s teeth are poor, so he couldn’t chew the meat. He saw the General eating noodles and asked him for some. Minister Xiao saw that and wanted a bowl too.

“When I passed the women’s banquet, Miss Xiao heard that you had cooked them and asked for a bowl as well.”

After explaining, Mo Qing remained standing and noisily slurped his noodles.

Watching the General eat earlier had made him unbearably hungry.

Xia Heng nodded after hearing the explanation.

Making more broth would be easy. No one except sharp-toothed Chuqing wanted much of the chicken, so she could simply add more water and continue simmering it.

Fortunately, they had brought plenty of dried noodles. Chef Xiang would certainly be delighted when he heard about this after they returned.

“Mo Bai already ate. The next batch will take a little while to cook, so slow down. You’ll swallow cold air eating like that,” Chuqing advised while gnawing on her chicken.

Only then did Mo Qing find a folding stool, sit down, and eat while he waited.

Xia Heng cooked the noodles and blanched the vegetables in one smooth sequence.

She divided the noodles among the bowls, arranged the cabbage attractively, and scattered chopped scallions over the top.

Finally, she handed the tray to Mo Qing, who had finished his own meal at astonishing speed.

As Cang Chuli ate his second bowl, he felt the discomfort in his stomach gradually fade.

Mm. He could have this again tomorrow morning.

When anyone else came asking for noodles, he sent them away with the same answer.

“There are none left.”

Many officials watched Grand Secretary Li and the others with regret.

Why had their households not thought to bring dried noodles?

In weather like this, how comfortable would it be to finish the roast meat with a steaming bowl of noodle soup?

Xiao Huan slurped his noodles and thought that the dried noodles must have been brought by that gutsy maid from Mingxu’s household.

Yes, after Xia Heng’s feat at the training ground, many people knew that Cang Chuli’s mansion had an exceptionally gutsy maid.

He had noticed during their previous outing that the girl had ideas of her own.

She had known to bring oilcloth to the training ground, along with that pastry tin she used as a steamer. This time, she had even brought noodles!

The Numerical Bookkeeping Method had originated with her as well.

No wonder Yaqing was willing to associate with a maid. The girl truly was talented.

Xiao Yaqing and Madam Xiao sat in the women’s section.

When they saw Mo Bai carry a bowl of noodles to Cang Chuli from afar, they guessed Xia Heng had made them. They had seen her simmering chicken broth that afternoon.

Later, Xiao Yaqing asked Mo Qing about it and learned that her father had requested a bowl too.

Madam Xiao had little appetite that night, so Xiao Yaqing shamelessly asked for one on her behalf.

“Xia Heng must have brought these. That child is truly thoughtful. Next time, our household should stop fearing the trouble and prepare more thoroughly as well!”

Madam Xiao picked some noodles into her daughter’s bowl, then drank the light broth with satisfaction.

“She may be a servant at present, but she handles matters carefully and considers everything. Yaqing, you should learn from her in that respect.”

“I know, Mother!”

Xiao Yaqing leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder.

How fortunate she was to have become her parents’ daughter in this life.

Although her father was an official, he had never favored sons over daughters.

Even after the family was demoted, he had never mistreated her.

He had even entered trade without hesitation because of one sentence from her when she was little, despite how much scholars looked down on merchants.

Her mother had never forced her to behave like the sheltered daughters of other great families—memorizing books of female conduct and never leaving the house.

Even when Xiao Yaqing said she had befriended a maid from Mingxu’s household, her mother only advised her to be more restrained in public. She had never scolded her for it.

“Mother, you’re so good to me!”

“Mm. Learn to be more thoughtful from that girl.”

Madam Xiao’s smile did not change.

Mystery solved.

Her mother simply thought she was too careless and never considered enough.

The banquet continued deep into the night.

By the time Cang Chuli returned to his tent with Mo Qing and Mo Bai, Chuqing had already heated water for washing and placed a hot-water bed warmer beneath his quilt.

Mo Qing and Mo Bai would stand guard inside Cang Chuli’s tent that night.

They were away from the mansion, so caution was essential.

Xia Heng prepared sheepskin robes for them, which Uncle Zhao had unearthed from storage.

She had heard that Cang Chuli had seized them from a foreign nation several years earlier. Since no one in the mansion had needed them, he had put them away.

They resembled the robes worn by Tibetans and were warm whether draped over the shoulders or worn properly.

If the guards needed to sleep, they could turn the robes over and use them as blankets for a brief rest.

Xia Heng handed the robes and the little clay stove to the two men.

She told them that strong tea was currently brewing on the stove. If they became unbearably sleepy during the night, they could drink some.

If they did not want it, they were to remember to extinguish the coals.

Only after everything had been handed over did she return to her own tent with Chuqing and prepare to rest.