The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 13

Song Luoning sat by the bed, looking at the obscure expression in Xiao Yu’s eyes. This person was becoming more and more difficult to understand. If she really was as useless as the neighbors said, then where did her shocking ideas about gender equality come from?

And besides the look of desire she had when she looked at her, she hadn’t actually done anything to her. On the contrary, she had prepared medicine and cooked for her. While she wasn’t exactly obedient, she was still well-behaved.

After finishing up, Xiao Yu went into the kitchen. Dinner wasn’t ready yet, and she was too lazy to speak to the young lady.

She would have to handle this herself.

They had drunk coarse rice porridge in the morning and had a simple lunch in town. She definitely couldn’t serve coarse rice porridge again for dinner. While coarse rice was nutritious, it was difficult to digest, and long-term consumption could harm the stomach. The pampered Song Luoning definitely couldn’t handle it.

Xiao Yu simply filled a basin with clear water and poured the coarse rice into it, scrubbing it repeatedly using the most primitive method to remove the outer layer. This gave her half a basin of polished rice.

She took out a portion to cook porridge for tonight, and then drained the water from the rest and left it in a ventilated area to dry for later use.

As for the vegetables, there were only bamboo shoots at home. They had stir-fried bamboo slices in the morning, so she would make a cold bamboo shoot salad for tonight. It would be refreshing and appetizing, perfect with white porridge.

She would have to find time to buy some other vegetables tomorrow. They couldn’t just keep eating bamboo shoots.

After she finished, Xiao Yu brought the food to the table and called the young lady to eat.

“Thank you, husband,” Song Luoning said as she sat down. Her gaze swept over the cold bamboo shoot salad and landed on the bowl of white porridge in front of her.

This kind of white rice was only made by large households who would patiently scrub the rice to improve its texture and taste. Regular people would just eat it as is.

She hadn’t expected this person to cook white rice porridge again. Was this something someone who had been long deprived of food would do?

She had observed that while the Xiao family was considered well-off in Chen Family Village, Madam Xiao’s clothing wasn’t particularly luxurious. It was only slightly better than that of a typical farmer, and they only had one small maid. Would a family like this go through all this trouble just for the texture of their food?

Clearly not.

Even the official families in the capital didn’t eat this kind of painstakingly prepared white rice every meal.

Putting that aside, Xiao Yu’s cooking skills were also excellent. This wasn’t the level of someone who spent their days idly.

Suppressing her doubts, Song Luoning discreetly sized up Xiao Yu. The young girl’s face was sallow and her body was thin, clearly showing signs of long-term malnutrition.

Would a person like this have the energy to pursue the perfect food texture?

Song Luoning’s lips curled. “Husband’s cooking is so good, Luoning is blessed with good food from now on.”

Xiao Yu looked up at her.

Did that mean she would be cooking from now on?

Xiao Yu didn’t want to bother with her and just ate in silence. She had been working all day and just wanted to finish eating and go to bed.

Song Luoning ate about half a bowl of porridge and then put down her chopsticks, looking at Xiao Yu, unsure of how to start a conversation.

After finishing her meal, Xiao Yu got up to clean the dishes. Just as she was about to push the door and leave, she heard Song Luoning call out to her.

What did this woman want now? Xiao Yu’s alarm bells immediately went off.

Song Luoning hesitated for a moment. “Husband, could you please bring some hot water? I’d like to bathe.”

“…”?!

Xiao Yu pursed her lips and stood holding the door frame for a while. She closed her eyes, hiding the patience in them. The young lady hadn’t mentioned a single word about money. She had known to pay when she asked her to cook before, but after receiving that one piece of paper, she had started ordering her around freely.

After composing herself, Xiao Yu went to the kitchen without a word. She started a fire and heated water. This time, she would need more than just one basin, and it looked like the water in the water tank wasn’t enough either.

Xiao Yu grabbed the bucket and went to the river. The area was quiet under the moonlight. The bucket hit the water, creating ripples that spread out, and the surface of the water shimmered.

For the half-person-tall bathtub, she had to make five trips just to fill it halfway.

She was so tired she was half dead.

“Thank you, husband. Could you please wait outside for a bit?” Song Luoning asked in a low voice.

Xiao Yu stared at Song Luoning for a moment, then went into the courtyard without a word.

She hadn’t expected herself to adapt to the role of a maid so quickly.

She sighed into the darkness. Starting tomorrow, she needed to make the rice huller, winnower, and mortar as soon as possible. Once she made money, she could get rid of this young lady.

While Song Luoning was bathing, Xiao Yu went over the production process in her mind again. This would make things go more smoothly tomorrow.

The rice huller required two flat bamboo baskets. The original owner’s memory said that Chen Ziyi could weave these, but she wasn’t sure if he would be willing to help her.

The winnower was even more complicated to make. Not only did she need to cut wood into planks, but she wasn’t sure if she could handle the complicated joinery. If she really couldn’t, she would have to find a reliable carpenter to help.

The mortar was relatively simple; the key was finding a suitable stone.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. The silver moonlight was as cool as water. A clear female voice from inside the house interrupted Xiao Yu’s thoughts.

“Husband, can you come in for a moment?”

Xiao Yu came back to her senses. She guessed she was done bathing. She returned to the room. Song Luoning was sitting by the bed in only her inner clothing. Her slender figure was vaguely visible through the bed curtains.

Before, Xiao Yu might have had some romantic thoughts, but after seeing Song Luoning’s true colors, Xiao Yu scoffed in her heart.

“Husband, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Xiao Yu didn’t have to guess what she needed her to do.

The bathtub was steaming, and the temperature in the room had risen. Xiao Yu’s face darkened as she scooped the water from the tub into a wooden bucket and carried it outside.

By the time she finished, it was already the second watch of the night. Xiao Yu’s hands were trembling from exhaustion. The original owner’s small body couldn’t handle being ordered around by the young lady.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep in the next second.

The next day, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Xiao Yu woke up. She went to the river to get water, filled the water tank, and then went to the mountain to dig a basketful of bamboo shoots. By the time she returned, she was drenched in sweat.

In the morning, she had not only finished the chores but also exercised.

She really hoped to return to her former physical condition soon.

At the hour of Chen, Song Luoning finally came out of the room. When she saw the bamboo shoots and the water in the tank, she was secretly surprised, but her expression remained calm.

“Husband, you’ve worked hard. Let Luoning make breakfast for you today,” Song Luoning said softly. She imitated Xiao Yu, took a bamboo shoot from the basket, and peeled off the skin with her hands.

“Hiss~”

A streak of blood appeared on her fair fingertips. A splash of crimson appeared on the white skin. Song Luoning’s phoenix eyes were misty and wet, looking incredibly delicate.

“…”

She knew she couldn’t rely on the young lady to do anything. How could this person’s skin be so delicate?

Unlike herself, who was destined to be a maid.

It was just peeling a bamboo shoot, wasn’t it?

Xiao Yu’s face darkened. She snatched the bamboo shoot from her hand and placed it aside. She led her to the washstand and expressionlessly began to clean her hand.

The woman’s soft, slightly cool hand was being kneaded little by little in hers.

Song Luoning frowned and instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Xiao Yu’s grip tightened. Her voice was cold. “Husband, I can do it myself. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Shut up.” The young man’s voice was sharp and carried a hint of coldness.

This pervert!

She had thought she was just a lustful pervert, but she didn’t think she’d be so bold.

“Xiao…”

“Alright, don’t pretend if you can’t do it. You’re so much trouble.”

“…”

You bastard pervert!

Song Luoning gritted her teeth, pulled her hand back, and said coldly, “I’ll trouble you with breakfast, then.” With that, she turned and went back into the room.

Great. She kindly helped her clean her hand, but instead of being grateful, she gave her a cold shoulder?

Xiao Yu stared at the closed door, really wanting to go their separate ways right now and forget her fate as a maid.

A sense of frustration was stuck in her chest. She wanted to go back and reason with her.

After a long while, rationality won. The six hundred taels of silver in her hand were still from her. She had to stay calm until she earned enough money.

Wasn’t it just cooking?

It was effortless. Xiao Yu picked up the bamboo shoot that Song Luoning had just peeled, peeled it again, washed it, and took it to the kitchen, where she skillfully cut it into shreds.

She quickly made breakfast and walked to the door. “Song Luoning, open the door.” The young man’s voice was full of emotion but still clear and crisp.

When Song Luoning heard the voice, her heart tightened. She composed herself for a moment, then opened the door, her eyes filled with caution.

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