Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 453 Transgression
"It's just a bowl of ginger soup, how could it not be divided evenly?" Lin Yangyang frowned.

Lin Zhiqing was not surprised, but instead said:

"This is not a problem of uneven distribution, but a problem of some people's insatiable greed."

"Cousin, people are complicated. If you take one more bite, I'll take one less."

Lin Yangyang scratched her head: "But this ginger soup isn't anything precious."

"Besides, can we even finish drinking all of that?"

"If you can't finish it yourself, taking it home is a good thing too." Asagao felt this deeply.
"When I had nothing to eat before, let alone ginger soup with sugar, even tree leaves and grass roots were rare delicacies."

That's a digression.

The Lin family wasn't short of food, but the ginger soup was free.

Some people have a different perspective; they think that since it's free, if others get more, they get less.

Why should that be?

Moreover, such situations are unlikely to occur among the people in the master's courtyard.

Because the maids and servants who are close to their masters are used to seeing many good things, they are unlikely to try to take advantage of such small things.

If the master doesn't drink ginger soup, the maids and servants who are close to him won't fight for a bowl of it either, lest they incur the master's dislike for no reason, which would be a loss for them.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing looked at Chaoyan and said:

"Asagao, what do you do with the ginger soup that I don't usually drink?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Asagao answered:
“Miss, I don’t like the taste of ginger, so it’s usually given to the cleaning maids or old women.”

These people have a relatively low status in the courtyard, which matches what Lin Zhiqing had said earlier.

Lin Zhiqing nodded slightly and said, "Zhaoyan, relay my order: ginger soup from the east kitchen..."

"Oh dear, miss, you have to stand up for us!"

An old woman's voice broke the tranquility of the courtyard.

Then, a noisy commotion broke out.

Lin Yangyang frowned: "This is outrageous! Who allowed them to cause trouble in Qingmei's courtyard?"

"Asagao, go out and take a look." Lin Zhiqing sat at the table, her expression calm.

"Yes," Asagao replied, then immediately turned and left.

Seeing that the old women outside the courtyard were about to start fighting, she quickened her pace and raised her voice:
"How dare you disturb Miss! This is outrageous! Do you have any manners at all?"

As soon as she spoke, everyone outside fell silent. The one leading them was a plump old woman, who gave a cold snort:
"Miss Asagao, we have come today to ask you to uphold justice!"

"The ginger soup prepared by the East Kitchen is clearly meant to be one bowl per person, so why does Granny Wu get two bowls every day?"

A short, elderly woman standing next to her immediately blushed and shouted at the top of her lungs:

“That was a gift from my goddaughter, a token of her filial piety. A bowl of ginger soup isn’t worth much. Why are you making a scene here with Miss?”

Upon hearing this, Asagao looked at the plump old woman:
“Granny Zhou, if you have any questions, you can speak with the steward outside first. After the steward speaks with me, you can report to Miss.”

"What do you mean by making a scene at Shuqing Pavilion now? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass my young lady?"

Asagao squinted, her words subtly pointing out that Granny Zhou didn't follow the rules.

Granny Zhou's eyes darted around: "Oh dear, Miss Chaoyan, how could you, a mere maid, understand the difficulties of us rough folks?"

"If I hadn't been wronged and had nowhere to turn for help, why would I have crossed the line?"

"Old Zhou, you still won't admit your mistake..." Chaoyan spoke again, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Old Zhou.

Granny Zhou's voice was even louder than before:

"Miss Chaoyan, you used to be just a country girl, you know how tough it is for us." "Now that you've been promoted, are you starting to make things difficult for this old woman?"

As soon as she spoke, many people around her began to echo her sentiments.

Asagao glanced around and saw that they were all old women from the other side of the garden. She took a few steps forward:
"Don't compare me to you. At least I know the rules and won't block my master's door!"

Granny Zhou's face was full of impatience:

“Miss Chaoyan, you are just a maidservant in front of the young lady. I am looking for the young lady. You can just go in and announce my arrival.”

As she spoke, she looked Asagao up and down, her gaze making people very uncomfortable.

Asagao frowned, about to speak, when Lin Zhiqing's voice came from inside the courtyard:

"Asagao, go and invite Grandfather over."

Upon hearing this, Asagao loudly agreed, then instructed the guards to keep watch at the gate before heading outside.

Granny Zhou and the others were all confused by this order and could only stand outside the door for a while.

A full incense stick's time passed before Lin Qingshan arrived with Chaoyan.

Seeing so many people gathered outside Shuqing Pavilion, he immediately frowned, but said nothing and walked into the courtyard.

At first, Granny Zhou was a little uneasy, but seeing that Lin Qingshan did not scold them, she felt more confident.

"You see, I told you long ago that Miss Zhiqing only took over the position of head of the family because she had no other choice. Now that the old Marquis has returned, she's as obedient as a kitten," Granny Zhou said in a low voice.

The others looked at each other, and no one dared to refute her statement.

Not long after Lin Qingshan entered, Chaoyan called everyone into the courtyard.

Lin Zhiqing, Lin Yangyang, and Lin Qingshan sat in the courtyard, drinking tea without speaking for a long time.

Granny Zhou looked around and, seeing that no one was speaking, she couldn't contain herself any longer, but still lowered her head.

After finishing a cup of tea, Lin Zhiqing finally looked at Granny Zhou:

"Granny Zhou, I remember you're an old servant in this household."

Granny Zhou stepped forward and bowed: "Miss, I did not leave the Lin family when the Fourth Master had his accident."

"If you think about it, I was already serving the Lin family when the old Marquis was still in Shengjing."

After serving for so long, she's still just a gardener.

If it's not because someone is targeting them, then it's definitely because they lack the necessary skills.

Lin Zhiqing understood the situation and remained silent.

"Snapped!"

Lin Yangyang, standing to the side, slammed her teacup down:

"Old woman Zhou, since you are an elderly person, how can you be so ignorant of etiquette?"

"Who gave you permission to wail in front of Shuqing Pavilion?"

Granny Zhou trembled, but kept talking: "Miss Yangyang, I was just too angry at the time, please understand me."

"Angry?" Lin Yangyang sneered. "What, you're not angry anymore when you see my grandfather? You remember the rules when you see my grandfather?"

"Treating us? You want us to be tactful towards you? Anyone who didn't know better would think we were the ones making things difficult for you."

Lin Yangyang's words were much harsher than Asagao's, but also much more effective.

Everyone knows that Lin Yangyang is a reckless and unruly person, so no one dares to do anything to her.

Granny Zhou's eyes darted around, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. For a moment, she didn't know how to speak.