Delicate Beauty Steals the Spring [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 11

Madam Zheng and a few older maids were chatting and laughing in the kitchen when they suddenly turned around and saw Ziming approaching.

The smiles on their faces froze instantly.

Ziming threw down a plate of tofu skin with a clatter. “The young lady had no appetite this morning. Normally, she eats bird’s nest porridge. Who would care for this pitiful plate of tofu skin?”

Madam Zheng quickly stepped forward. “Whatever the young lady wants to eat, we can make it.”

“I’m afraid even if you make it, someone from another courtyard will come asking, and you’ll just hand it over to them,” Ziming snapped. “A bunch of bootlicking dogs! Don’t you know who the real young lady of the Shunning Marquis Residence is? Blind fools, all of you!”

Hearing Ziming speak so harshly, Madam Zheng couldn’t help but frown. “Miss Zi, don’t take your anger out on us. Did the young lady stab your mouth with a golden hairpin again, and now you’ve got nowhere else to vent your anger but on us old maids?”

The other women immediately chimed in mockingly.

“We’ve served in this household for decades, Ziming. How long have you been by the young lady’s side? Watch that temper of yours you might bite your own tongue.”

“Even the Marchioness herself shows us old ones some respect. And here you are, just a little maid, daring to throw your weight around!”

“There are fixed rations for the kitchen. Even the young lady can’t just demand whatever she likes.”

They ganged up on Ziming with their sharp tongues. She was furious but couldn’t out-argue them and had no choice but to turn and leave.

Back at the young lady’s quarters, she saw Bitong combing Yu Luo’s hair. Ziming couldn’t hold it in and, with tears in her eyes, exaggeratedly recounted everything that had just happened in the kitchen.

Yu Luo reached out and gently held Ziming’s arm. “Don’t worry. Let’s go pay our respects to Madam first.”

Ziming had never seen Yu Luo so composed before.

But Yu Luo was the mistress with her keeping calm, the servants had no right to speak further.

Yu Luo opened a jewelry box and took out a pearl hairpin. Bitong quickly took it and fastened it in Yu Luo’s hair.

Yu Luo had beautiful hair thick, dark, and lustrous, like clouds softly piled atop one another. Her hair was so long it took considerable time to tend to it each day.

The pearl hairpin was dazzling and exquisite, but it still paled in comparison to the beauty of her jet-black hair.

Once she was dressed and groomed, Yu Luo led her maids to visit Madam Yu.

She arrived late. By the time she got there, Liu Yanran was already sitting eagerly beside Madam Yu, chatting and laughing with her.

Yu Luo caught a strong whiff of green tea* in the air and couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly.
(*Translator’s note: “Green tea” is slang for someone who pretends to be sweet and innocent but is manipulative.)

She ignored Liu Yanran entirely, only greeting Madam Yu with proper decorum before seating herself on the left-hand side.

Madam Yu lovingly wrapped an arm around Yu Luo’s shoulder. “Did you go to Swallow Island with your brothers yesterday? The wind there is strong. You must be careful in the future.”

Yu Luo nodded. “It was quite windy yesterday. When I returned, I came down with a fever and lost my appetite. I haven’t felt like eating since.”

For some reason, hearing this made Liu Yanran’s eyelid twitch uncontrollably.

She instinctively felt that whatever Yu Luo was about to say next wouldn’t be good news for her.

Madam Yu, who adored her daughter dearly, grew anxious at once. She looked toward Yu Luo’s maids. “How have you been caring for the young lady? Did you call for a doctor?”

Yu Luo was usually in good health, so Madam Yu was naturally worried when she heard she was unwell.

Yu Luo held her mother’s hand. “Mother, it’s not their fault. I just didn’t have much appetite. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”

Madam Yu’s worry deepened. She immediately asked what Yu Luo wanted to eat and told her servants to have the kitchen prepare it.

Ziming, sharp and quick-witted, suddenly realized what her mistress was planning.

Being a clever girl, Ziming quickly chimed in. “Yesterday, the young lady only wanted something light nothing greasy or heavy. Just a small plate of plain tofu skin. No need to stew it in chicken broth, just a simple dressing of dried shrimp and soy sauce would have been enough. The kitchen agreed, but when the meal came, it was nowhere to be found. When we asked, we learned it had been sent to the cousin instead.”

Liu Yanran hadn’t expected the mistress and her maids to lay such a trap.

She opened her mouth, but for a moment, she couldn’t think of anything to say.

Seeing Madam Yu’s expression darken, Ziming added fuel to the fire. “Yesterday, the young lady wanted that one dish. When we asked for it again, the kitchen said they had none left. So she went without food. This morning, they finally sent some but who wants to eat a cold dish first thing in the morning? It completely ruined her appetite again.”

Yu Luo interrupted gently. “Ziming, enough. Don’t speak of this anymore. Our cousin is a guest in the house what’s wrong with her having a simple dish? Our family can certainly afford it. If this were to spread, it would only bring ridicule.”

Liu Yanran: “……”

Yu Luo gave her a smile.

What? Just because you’re a green tea doesn’t mean I don’t have any tricks of my own.

Liu Yanran, having been completely outmaneuvered, was left bitter and speechless. Seeing Madam Yu’s expression grow colder, she hurriedly pushed the blame onto the kitchen. “The kitchen sent it. I didn’t know cousin wanted it. If I had known, I would’ve sent it over right away.”

Even though Liu Yanran was just a guest, Madam Yu no matter how much she doted on Yu Luo couldn’t make a big deal out of such a trivial matter.

After all, making a scene over a plate of food would only make people laugh.

Madam Yu swiftly changed the topic to something else.

Not long after, Liu Yanran took her leave.

Once she was gone, Madam Yu slammed the table. “These servants! They don’t even respect their own young mistress!”

Yu Luo calmly replied, “Mother, it’s never a good thing when servants get too bold. In a household like ours, there must be rules. The kitchen is supposed to be a clean place we can’t let a bunch of unruly old maids run wild.”

Madam Yu was pleased by Yu Luo’s thoughtfulness. She gently patted her hand. “My Luo’er has grown up, thinking so carefully.”

Yu Luo looked at her mother the face identical to the one from her past life and warmth surged in her heart. “Mother, let me punish them properly. If we don’t deal with this now, I’m afraid the same thing will happen again.”

Madam Yu nodded and assigned several maids to accompany Yu Luo to the kitchen.