Second Grandma Shi personally welcod her at the gate, with warm smiles as they held hands and entered.
"With so free ti on my hands, I made so pastries and specially invited elder sister-in-law over to try them. If they’re not good, please don’t bla !" Second Grandma Shi said with a laugh.
"How could that be? Sister-in-law is truly skillful!" Sang Wan smiled. Seeing the golden-brown rectangular pastries, served in a white porcelain dish, each about two inches long, exquisitely adorable with a rich sweet scent wafting warmly towards her.
Amid smiling faces, Second Grandma Shi invited Sang Wan to taste. She picked up a small piece with delicate silver tongs and tasted it, nodding with a smile of approval, "Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, sweet but not cloying, with a hint of sourness in the sweetness, what’s rare is the perfect control of heat, not even a hint of burnt taste, these fried milk cakes are absolutely marvelous!"
Fried milk cake is made from freshly fernted cow’s milk cheese, carefully cutting the curdled cheese into small pieces, then coating them with a thin layer of flour slurry and deep frying them. Cheese is a staple food among the grassland tribes, but it is rarely seen in the households of the south.
Unexpectedly, Sang Wan recognized it.
Second Grandma Shi said with a surprised laugh: "So elder sister-in-law has tried it! I thought I was the only one who knew about it. It seems I’ve been showing off unnecessary skills!"
Sang Wan shook her head and said with a smile: "I’ve seen it in books but never tasted it! Sister-in-law’s culinary skills are truly exceptional!"
Second Grandma Shi burst into laughter, "Elder sister-in-law’s comnts are very professional, it’s obvious you are an expert, which shows that your own skills must be good too! Elder sister-in-law, when will you give a chance to expand my horizons?"
Sang Wan did not refuse and smiled noddingly: "If it’s not good, please don’t make fun of !" Before marriage, she had learned various cooking styles, pastries, porridges at ho, and had delved into related books quite deeply. Her creations were indeed not bad.
"How could that be! I was thinking of asking you to teach !" said Second Grandma Shi, and the two shared a laugh.
They sat for a while longer, and Sang Wan bid farewell with a smile. Second Grandma Shi accompanied her by holding hands out of the courtyard, and they exchanged smiles as they said goodbye.
"Second Grandma, why didn’t you say it?" Su Qing said quietly, watching the retreating figures of Sang Wan and her servant.
Second Grandma Shi sighed and shook her head, murmuring: "I couldn’t bring myself to say it! How could I say such things!"
Second Grandma Shi couldn’t help but feel a sense of kindred spirit towards Sang Wan, thinking to herself, with such intelligence and gentle grace, why wouldn’t the young master like her? Gu Fangzi is harsh and sycophantic, not even worthy to carry her shoes!
"But as for Second Madam Shi, how will you explain it to her?" Su Qing couldn’t help but worry.
Second Grandma Shi scoffed coldly: "If I can’t explain, then I won’t!" She herself felt ashad of doing such things, yet they expect her to comply, does she look like a fool? This house doesn’t even feel like a ho anymore, she doesn’t want to stay any longer!
Back in Ningyuan, upon learning that Sang Wan had returned from Second Grandma Shi’s, Mrs. Li frowned unconsciously and found a mont when no one was around to softly speak to Sang Wan: "Madam, it’s better to keep a distance from Second Grandma Shi in the future, our Master’s wife is a bit cautious about her!"
"Cautious?" Sang Wan was surprised.
"Yes," Mrs. Li nodded and said, "Master’s wife thinks Second Grandma Shi couldn’t keep Second Master Shi at ho; since the mont he walked through the door, he runs away from ho, which makes her an unlucky person. Madam, it’s better to keep a distance for no reason!"
How could she be blad? Indeed, to everyone else, their own child is perfect, and the fault always lies with others!
Sang Wan, unconvinced and in disagreent, but knowing Mrs. Li ant well, nodded with a smile: "I understand, I shall interact less with her. By the way, Mrs. Li, there’s sothing I’d like to consult with you about, but I’m a bit afraid—"
Mrs. Li smiled and said: "Madam, you’re being too polite. Just tell whatever it is! Serving my madam and sharing your worries is my privilege; if I can’t help, we can still figure out a solution together!"
"You’re right!" Sang Wan hurriedly smiled earnestly, "When I visited Second Grandma Shi today, I felt as if she had sothing to tell , but after all, she didn’t say it, and I didn’t ask, but this feeling in my heart—"
Before Sang Wan could finish, Mrs. Li clapped her hands and said: "I knew it! Second Grandma Shi usually keeping to herself and hardly interacting with others, why would she suddenly invite you over if not for sothing urgent! Madam, don’t worry, I’ll have soone look into it!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Li!" Sang Wan imdiately felt relieved. With Mrs. Li’s status and experience in the house, gathering so information would be easy.
Mrs. Li indeed acted swiftly and brought back news by that evening.
"This is a difficult matter to discuss!" Mrs. Li’s expression was sowhat ugly and furious, "Second Master Shi heard from sowhere that Liu Ya knows how to ta that white parrot, and he’s having Second Madam Shi ask you to send Liu Ya over! They pledged that Liu Ya wouldn’t be mistreated, and upon arrival, would instantly beco a concubine, in consideration of your status! Second Madam Shi didn’t dare to ask directly, so she wanted Second Grandma Shi to speak to you! That must have been the reason for today’s invitation! It might be difficult for her to broach such a request, hence she didn’t ntion it!"
Upon hearing this, Sang Wan felt as if she had fallen into an ice pit, chilling to the bone.
It finally ca!
She still rembered from her past life, when Second Master Shi was drunk in the garden, and Liu Ya happened to pass by, he forcefully pulled her away. After that, Liu Ya cried nonstop, but it was a done deal, she had to leave Sang Wan and go to Second Master Shi’s side.
But Second Master Shi was just montarily interested in Liu Ya, how could he truly favor her?
To have an uncle forcefully take a niece-in-law’s maidservant wasn’t a glorious affair. Second Madam Shi’s face couldn’t bear it, so she slandered Liu Ya, calling her a seductive, shaless vixen who tempted the Master, blaming Sang Wan as well for not disciplining her maid properly. As a result, Sang Wan was severely reprimanded by her mother-in-law Mrs. Wang, made to kneel all night and confined for three months.
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