Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Pei Zeyu was still wearing his usual light-colored casual clothes, with a matching fox fur coat over them. He glanced around casually and called out to his servants.

"Didn't I tell you to handle that?"

The servant was startled and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, it was just that I thought I'd try again to see if I could salvage the situation, and it actually did!"

"Is the stain gone?"

"It's gone, Second Master. Look, there's really no trace left."

The servant, as if presenting a treasure, showed Pei Zeyu the side that had originally been stained with tea.

The frost-colored brocade was as smooth as ever, with dark silver cloud patterns flowing around it, and the stain that had displeased him had indeed disappeared without a trace.

If I hadn't seen the mess firsthand, I would almost have thought I was mistaken.

"What method did you use to remove it?"

The servant dared not conceal the truth and answered honestly, "Second Master, this method was not my idea. It was Liu, the wet nurse in the First Madam's room. She is kind-hearted and, seeing that I was anxious, taught me a folk method from the countryside."

Nanny Liu? Pei Zeyu didn't have any particular impression of her.

He had never paid much attention to the many wet nurses and maids in the mansion.

"I understand. You can do whatever you want with the clothes; you don't need to keep them."

Having said that, he left without lingering.

Huh? You don't even want your expensive clothes restored to their original state?

The new servant couldn't tell whether it was the refined tastes of a wealthy family or the pickiness of his master.

He just scratched his head, staring blankly at his clothes.

Three more days passed, and as Lunar New Year's Eve drew ever closer, the heavy snow showed no sign of stopping.

At this time of year, the Duke's mansion would already be brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the courtyard would be filled with the fragrance of winter plum blossoms, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Now trapped in this remote mountain temple, with no end in sight and no idea when we'll be able to return, where is there even a trace of the festive spirit of the New Year?

The greatest threats, besides the cold, are hunger.

The temple's grain cellars are running low, and food supplies are insufficient.

The masters' allowances must naturally be guaranteed first.

Even with the reductions, by these past few days, all that's left is a bowl of rice porridge that's barely thick, served with a few pickles.

The situation of the servants was even more difficult.

Each day, all I received was a bowl of thin porridge that was almost like rice water. I finished it in a few mouthfuls, leaving my stomach empty and my back sticking to my chest from hunger.

Liu Wenying didn't eat her own porridge, but fed it to Luo Luo.

She was also very hungry, but her milk supply was insufficient.

The nights were even more unbearable, with a burning hunger in the stomach that made it impossible to fall asleep.

Cuihua, who was in the next stall, also stirred slightly and let out a very soft sigh.

She was also too hungry to sleep.

"Cuihua?"

"Sister Liu? Are you also too hungry to sleep?"

Liu Wenying nodded, then, remembering that she couldn't see, replied softly, "Yes."

"Sigh, when will we be able to get down the mountain? If this continues, there will be no food, and where will we get the milk to feed the little master?"

Without breast milk, the little master starved, and the wet nurses who served him were the first to be implicated.

Liu Wenying also fell silent.

Hunger is different from cold. While one can find ways to warm oneself by making a fire, food...

In this icy, snowy landscape, wild animals have long since disappeared around the temple, unless…

When she was hungry before, she did have this thought.

It's just against the rules, but when you're blind, rules and such are insignificant in the face of survival.

She leaned closer to Cuihua and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I have a way that might get us some food?"

In the darkness, Cuihua's eyes lit up.

"Really? But with the mountains blocked by heavy snow, where are we going to get it? The temple kitchen is empty..."

"Not inside the temple, but outside the temple."

"What could be outside the temple? Sister Liu, you must be starving."

Liu Wenying: "We can't worry about that now. It's too pathetic to starve to death. Let's take a chance. But I need Sister Cuihua's help."

Cuihua readily agreed: "Go ahead and say it."

"I'll leave Luo Luo in your care when I go out, and don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry, don't you know what I'm capable of?"

Liu Wenying used the excuse of getting up in the middle of the night to slip out of the dormitory.

The night was dark, but the snow was pure white, and the reflected light illuminated the ground.

Cuihua was terribly hungry and didn't really expect Liu Wenying to find anything to eat.

It wasn't until late at night that Liu Wenying called her out.

"Here you are."

Liu Wenying took out two enamel bowls she had found in the kitchen, and lifted the lid off the one that was being used as a lid. An enticing aroma wafted out.

With a "gurgle," Cuihua's stomach let out a disobedient growl.

The bowl contained a milky white broth that glistened slightly with oil, with a few pieces of fish visible at the bottom, and steam rising from it.

"Is this fish soup?"

"Um."

"Where did you get this?"

Cuihua could hardly believe her eyes.

"Don't worry, it wasn't stolen." Liu Wenying handed the bowl to Cuihua. "Drink some while it's hot to warm yourself up and fill your stomach."

Cuihua's mouth was watering, but she still asked, "What about you? Have you had any?"

"Don't worry, I drank a bowl as soon as it came out of the pot."

Without further hesitation, Cuihua didn't care about anything else. She quickly finished the bowl of soup, even licking the bottom of the bowl clean.

Reluctantly putting down her bowl, Cuihua was filled with questions. "Where did this fish soup come from?"

Liu Wenying: "When I first arrived at Daxiangguo Temple, I wandered around and discovered a lake of moderate size behind the plum grove. The water for the release pond is drawn from there, but the lake is in a remote location, already outside the area where the temple is usually cleaned."

Upon arriving, Liu Wenying noticed that the lake was not yet completely frozen, so she kept that in mind. These past few days, she had been so hungry that she couldn't bear it anymore, so she thought of going fishing.

Under the cover of night, Liu Wenying went to the kitchen and found a pickaxe and other tools, then went to the lake to break the ice and fish.

The frozen lake water is oxygen-deficient, so when holes appear, fish rush to swim to the vicinity of the holes.

Then use a sharpened stick to poke the fish, and you can catch it.

As for the fish soup, Liu Wenying found an old, unused clay pot in the kitchen, gutted and scaled the fish, and then simmered it until cooked.

After hearing this, Cuihua clicked her tongue in praise, "Sister Liu, I can tell you're really bold. This is a temple, how did you get involved with meat? But if I had your brains, I would have done the same. We're starving to death, why bother with rules?"

Only those who are well-off and have no worries about food and drink practice Buddhism and etiquette; they can't even save their own lives, so they don't care about those things.

Cuihua: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped you too."

The thought of Liu Meizi fishing alone outside in the dark and cold weather made her feel inexplicably sad.

Liu Wenying: "The more people there are, the easier it is to be exposed. Besides, we've all left, who will look after Luoluo? Sister Cuihua, you've helped me a lot too."

Cuihua nodded, "Okay, now that we have a solution, we can take turns going."

Liu Wenying agreed, "But we must be careful; this matter still cannot be known to anyone."

Fishing for food is different from making a fire for warmth. The former is not about scarcity but about inequality. Liu Wenying understood this perfectly and would never leave anyone with a handle against her.

…………