Chapter 112: Unexpected Small Production

  Mr. Qi looked up and down at the two maidservants, feeling unfamiliar, but upon closer inspection, he seemed to recognize them as being from Old Lady's house. Seeing that they were carrying food boxes, he hastily asked: "Where are you going?"

  An older maid replied: "Go to Lan Garden, the old lady ordered that the things be sent to Madame Su."

  Qī shì thought of Sū Huìlán's gentle and soft face, and suddenly felt jealous. "The old lady is thinking of her." Her voice was not small, and the people around her all heard it. Zhū Guǒér was tense and pulled her sleeve, while the two little maids who were delivering food boxes lowered their heads and pretended they hadn't heard anything.

  "Alright, I haven't seen my sister in a long time either. Why don't I just tag along with you guys?" With that, he turned around and headed towards the direction of Lan Garden.

  Two maidservants nodded their heads in agreement and followed behind Madam Qī, carrying food boxes as they walked slowly.

  In the Lan Garden, Su had just finished dinner and was having her nurse help her play on the rug in the pavilion when suddenly she heard a giggling sound coming from afar, getting closer and closer. The curtain was lifted, and Qi walked in with small steps, twisting her waist, full of charm and elegance.

  Mr. Qi's idea is simple, when a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child, which one looks good? Waist and bucket-like, face also swollen and ugly, at this time Su Shi can still be proud of where to go?

  But as soon as she entered the warm pavilion, she was stunned. Madame Su wore a light-colored, high-collared Chinese tunic with a loose-fitting hem due to her pregnancy. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with simple vines in green thread. Although it was a very simple garment, she wore it in such an elegant way that it seemed extraordinary, and compared to usual, she looked fuller, but there was no sign of the "barrel waist" that Madame Qi had imagined.

  The wet nurse helped Su Shi lean against the kang, and shouted at the little maid outside the door: "You lazy and cunning thing, you've become more and more severe, even when Qi Niang came, you didn't report it, tomorrow I'll find a matchmaker to come, and sell you all off."

  Qī knew she was talking to herself and didn't care, so she just plopped herself down on the kang, "Sister, is this not being a good younger sister?"

  Su's gentle tone, even if dissatisfied, did not want to show it like others, only said: "Sister, what are you talking about?" And pointed to the two maids beside her, "Are they from the Madame's courtyard? Did they come with Qi Niang?"

  The older maid came forward and greeted Madam Su, saying: "I've been entrusted with a task by the mistress to deliver some food to Auntie." The younger maid quickly stepped forward and handed the food box over to the wet nurse.

  The wet nurse opened the food box, took out a plate of cold dishes and two plates of snacks, and handed the food box back to the maid.

  "Please, miss, convey my thanks to the lady for her gift." Su said: "I'm feeling unwell and it's getting late, I'll go thank the mistress another day." After saying that, she gave a signal to the wet nurse.

  The wet nurse completely disregarded the sour look on Qī Shì's face, as if she had just spilled a vinegar jar, and pulled out a string of money from her pocket, stuffing it into the hand of the maid, saying: "It was hard work for you girls to make this trip, go buy some flowers to wear when you get back!"

  The two girls couldn't decline any further, so they thanked the Su family and left with their food boxes.

  "Without coming to sister's room, I really didn't know how shabby my own place was. Looking at sister's place and then looking at mine, it's really like heaven and earth! And look at this good rug, I would feel heartbroken putting it on the bed to sleep on! Sister actually has it under her feet, after all, she is favored, can't be compared."

  Su smiled and said, "It's just ordinary goods, if sister doesn't mind, I'll have someone roll it up and send it over."

  When Qī was young, she was also a talented and beautiful courtesan in the art house. However, after marrying into this family for so many years, it's inevitable that she learned from others how to be petty and narrow-minded, abandoning her former talents and skills. After more than ten years of this, it's no wonder she became worldly.

  "Sister's things, I don't dare to want. Lest turning back, the old master will say that I am greedy again." Qishi thought for a moment and said: "Sister doesn't know, does she? Just now at the banquet, Wangshi scolded sister!"

  Ms. Wang? Is there a day when she doesn't scold herself? I'm afraid that in her heart, she is always scolding herself at all times.

  Su Shi didn't mind and asked: "What did you say?"

  Qī shì saw her so calm and unhurried, as if she didn't care at all, and felt quite angry in her heart. "What good words can be said! That cheap servant girl, spewing filthy language, I, sister, am not learning from her. Just listening to it makes one feel disgusted, and it's infuriating on behalf of my sister, so much so that I didn't even eat dinner before rushing out."

  Su knew in her heart, but didn't pick up the conversation, only saying: "These vegetarian dishes were specially ordered from Jufu Restaurant. It's hard for Madam to remember me, and it's not just that these two desserts are rare. I heard that the ingredients are particular, the craftsmanship is complicated, and just making them takes half a day's time, over ten processes, several workers putting in materials, and the price is exorbitant. And even with money, they're hard to buy, you have to order three days in advance!"

  Qī's eyes landed on the two plates of dim sum and couldn't move away.

  Su smiled faintly, "I don't like sweet things now, it's a waste of Madame Tai's kindness."

  Mr. Qi's mind was all on these two dishes of dim sum, how could he see the disdain in Mrs. Su's smile?

  "If you don't mind, sister, I'll have someone pack the box and send it to your room. Just now, because of me, you got angry for no reason, which is really my fault. If you get sick from anger, it's not worth it. Now, calm down and eat something, don't starve yourself."

  At this time, Qi didn't hear any ulterior meaning in Fang's words and thought she believed her own words. She said: "That despicable woman Wang will get what's coming to her sooner or later."

  Su let someone bring a box made of cedar wood with a carved pattern of auspicious flowers, and had them pack the pastries well and stuff them into Zhu Guo's hands.

  "Sister, how can this be? The things the madam rewarded me with, where did they go so easily?"

  "It's just a snack, I don't like eating it now, so I'll give it to my sister." Su Shi covered her mouth with a handkerchief and yawned, saying: "Sister, I'm really sorry, but I'm feeling very tired now, so I won't accompany you anymore. It's getting dark too, I'll have someone carry a lantern to send you back!"

  "Alright, sister, rest well! I'll come again another day."

  Zhu Gu'er supported Qi Shi and gave Su Shi a half bow, and the two of them finally left Su Shi's courtyard.

  The wet nurse waited until the person had walked far away before saying: "Miss, can you trust what Lady Qi said?"

  Su knew she was being mocked by Wang, and was afraid that Wang would really insult her behind her back.

  "Qī shì's behavior, haven't you seen enough of it? She's the best at making something out of nothing. As for Wáng shì, I understand her too - she wouldn't say anything in front of everyone. Don't believe everything Qī shì says, today's incident might have been caused by anyone."

  Wáng shì has always been low-key and never takes the initiative to provoke others or insult people in public. It's not that Wáng shì is a particularly noble person, but she's a hidden needle, usually striking unexpectedly and quietly, keeping her sharp edges retracted on ordinary days, being low-key and cautious, absolutely not letting anyone easily grasp her handle. How could someone like this behave in such a way?

  The wet nurse finally realized and repeatedly said that Mrs. Qi was sinister.

  Su shook her head secretly, the wet nurse was born kind and gentle, but had been taken advantage of all her life for being too soft-hearted. Qi was at most just a petty person who distorted black and white, but truly sinister people were someone else!

  Xiao Ya Tou lifted the curtain and reported: "The swallow mother from Third Miss's room has arrived."

  Su said "ah" and it was just as well that she had arrived at the right moment, for she was thinking of having a chaperone mother by Ali's side.

  "Hurry up and let her in." Su Shi hoped that this mother would be a great help, so that her own daughter's life could be better in the future. In her heart, she unconsciously regarded Yan Shi as one of her own people.

  Yan entered the warm pavilion, greeted Su with a bow and smiled: "Third Miss ordered me to come over and pay respects to Auntie. I am Yan Shi, at your service, Auntie Su."

  Su Shi had the wet nurse help Yan Shi up and beckoned her over, saying: "Come sit closer to me."

  Miss Yan stepped forward, and Mrs. Su took her hand, but declined to sit on the kang, saying: "The third young lady's temper is a bit impatient, but she has a kind heart. As she grows older, she becomes more sensible, and you are not as busy as before. If her behavior is improper, you should advise her, don't let her lose her sense of propriety, be taken advantage of by others, and damage her reputation." She knew Miss Yan was not from the mansion, so she spoke more freely.

  Is she eccentric? Yan didn't notice, only thinking that Su probably also didn't understand this daughter thoroughly, after all the daughter had always been raised under Fang Wanru's name! But she didn't know the true appearance of things, which exceeded her expectations and also transcended scientific categories!

  "Auntie, rest assured. Since I've followed Third Miss, I'm naturally her person and will think of her in everything. After all, only when the master has dignity can we servants have dignity too. Auntie, don't worry!"

  Su heard this and was naturally overjoyed. Her daughter was her own flesh and blood, after all, but her value was right there. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was still the mistress, while Su herself was just a concubine - even if you put it nicely, she was only half a mistress. She didn't want people to think that she had influenced Third Miss and had her hands in her pockets.

  At this moment, a loud and urgent cry came from outside the door: "Auntie, auntie." The curtain was lifted, and a delicate white face entered the warm pavilion.

  "What's wrong with you?" Su knew that Fang was usually calm and composed, but now she seemed flustered and unlike herself.

  Fang Qiao knew that Yan Shi was not an outsider, and the matter was urgent, so she couldn't avoid telling her. She took a deep breath and told her everything she knew: "Qi Shi's body is not well, they've invited a doctor to take a look, saying it's a miscarriage."

  Miscarriage? Su was taken aback for a moment, then heard Fang Qiao continue: "The slave has received news that she is afraid of being related to us. After all, she just returned from Lan Garden and something happened, it's really a bit too coincidental. I've been paying attention to the rumors, but no one knows the real reason yet. It's just said that they might investigate from what she ate. Do you think it has anything to do with those two boxes of pastries?"

  The wet nurse was alarmed upon hearing this, "This is a frame-up! We didn't do anything!" Then she seemed to think of something and slapped her thigh, "Miss, this... wasn't meant to harm us, was it?" After all, Mrs. Su was nearly six months pregnant!

  Su thought to herself, unsure whether Qi was taking the blame for her or if someone really wanted to frame her. But this dessert was given by Fang's people, could it be that this person had such a big nerve, not even putting Fang in their eyes?

  Fang Qiao was so anxious that she couldn't bear it. "Auntie, make a decision quickly, I'm afraid by now, the old lady has already received the news."