Shuse Jinjia

Seeing Xie Zhaotang's refreshed appearance, Granny Zhao knew that she had been up for a while and smiled.

"The old lady has bad teeth, so I'll make some easy-to-digest porridge and rice cakes. They're not complicated, and I can do them all by myself."

When Xie Zhaotang saw Zhao Mama grinding rice into a small mill, she said, "Mama, you make one flavor by yourself. Why don't you let me try it and give the old lady a change of pace?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao thought it made sense and said with a smile, "Alright, this old servant will assist you, you can do it."

Xie Zhaotang had already become familiar with the small kitchen's stove and pots while brewing medicine last night. He glanced at the ingredients and fruits prepared in the small kitchen and found a bunch of ripe bananas, which were for the elderly to help with bowel movements.

She took a bowl, peeled a banana, mashed it into a fine paste with a spoon, mixed it with some rice paste, and then asked Granny Zhao to start a fire.

Once the pan was hot, Xie Zhaotang greased it with some oil, scooped a little rice batter into it, and fried it into small banana pancakes. Just before they were done, he sprinkled some sesame seeds on top.

Even Granny Zhao, who was standing nearby, was tempted by the sweet aroma.

"Granny, if you had some milk, adding some would make it taste even better!"

In her previous life, Xie Zhaotang often went into the kitchen and cooked various dishes for Grandpa Jiang and Tian Tian. She was a very good cook.

Seeing that the porridge wasn't ready yet, she took a banana pancake and handed it to Granny Zhao: "Granny, try this and see if it suits the old lady's taste."

Granny Zhao happily accepted it, took a bite, and then smiled.

"This old servant never imagined that bananas could be fried together with rice batter. This pancake is sweet even without sugar, and the refreshing sweetness of bananas is not cloying. It's quite unique, and I'm sure the old lady will like it."

"Fourth Miss, you are truly skillful!"

Xie Zhaotang said playfully, "Haven't you heard the rumors about me, Granny? I'm greedy, and I figured it out myself after eating too much. Granny, please don't call me 'old servant' in front of me. It makes me feel uncomfortable. Please be more casual."

"Granny, this rice milk isn't just for bananas! You can also add grapes to make a grape-flavored one, or add some fermented rice and an egg—it tastes pretty good too!"

Seeing that Xie Zhaotang had no contempt for her, and spoke eloquently about food as if it were her own, without feeling ashamed at all, Zhao Mama liked her even more.

"What else can Fourth Miss cook? I'll go get the ingredients in a bit, and you can make something for the Old Madam to try at noon."

Just as Xie Zhaotang said, the old lady was tired of the flavors she made, so this was a rare opportunity for her to change things up.

"Granny, I don't know what the old lady likes to eat. Why don't you go to the main kitchen and get some ingredients suitable for her, and I'll cook it according to her taste!"

Xie Zhaotang came to the Pei family to ask for help, but he didn't expect to be invited to stay overnight. Since he was staying at their house, he couldn't just sit and wait to be fed and drunk.

Seeing how sensible Xie Zhaotang was, Granny Zhao smiled and said, "Alright, I'll take care of it later. When the porridge is ready, I'll take it to the old lady. You can also fry some banana pancakes so you can all eat in a bit."

Granny Zhao scooped out the porridge, took a food plate, and brought over three banana pancakes.

As soon as she left, Li Qin burst in: "Tangtang, what delicious food did you make? I could smell the aroma even before I got out of bed."

Xie Zhaotang saw that there were still banana pancakes on the plate and handed one to her.

Li Qin took a bite and her eyes lit up as she looked at Xie Zhaotang with admiration.

"Tangtang, your cooking skills are amazing! I've never eaten such delicious pancakes before. Can you teach me how to make them? I'll make some for my dad when I get back."

Xie Zhaotang explained the steps to her while making the pancakes.

Turning around casually, I saw Ying'er and two maids listening at the door.

They all came to join in the fun because they smelled the aroma.

Behind them was Pei Song, who had come to pay his respects to the old lady.

When Pei Song saw Xie Zhaotang turn around, he called out, "Fourth Miss, I want to eat too. Fry some more for me to take on the road."

Well, Xie Zhaotang looked at the rice paste that Zhao Mama had ground and there wasn't much left. The rice still needed to be soaked and ground. How could she possibly finish it?

Ying'er, with a smile, came to her rescue.

"Young Master Song, Granny Zhao only prepared breakfast for our courtyard. How could she possibly make so much for you? Please make do with what you have outside today. We'll prepare more tomorrow, and you can bring it back then!"

Pei Song knew he was making a difficult request, but he couldn't resist the allure of the fragrance, so he looked at Li Qin ingratiatingly.

"Then can I have one to try?"

Li Qin was both amused and exasperated. She took the plate and handed it out, saying, "Here, have mine!"

"Thank you... I'll just have one."

Pei Song grabbed a banana pancake and laughed, "What else would you like to eat? I'll have the butler buy some later. It's on me, so don't be shy."

Li Qin and Xie Zhaotang were both guests and wouldn't speak casually.

The maids wouldn't say a word.

Seeing that the others remained silent, Pei Song said, "Never mind, I'll let the steward handle it!"

He ate two banana pancakes, still wanting to say more, but thinking he had to go out without delay, he casually said to Li Qin.

"Miss Li, Fourth Miss, you two stay here and keep my grandmother company. I'm going to my shift...we'll talk when I get back."

He strode away.

Ying'er couldn't help but chuckle and said to Li Qin, "Young Master Song usually doesn't come to pay his respects to the Old Madam when he's on duty. He came especially to show his respect since you're all here..."

Li Qin blushed at Ying'er's words.

Xie Zhaotang chuckled and continued making pancakes.

She's been through it all, so she understands. Aren't these two just deeply in love, feeling like they're missing each other terribly if they don't see each other for a day?

After Granny Zhao served the old lady breakfast and returned, she relayed the old lady's evaluation: Xie Zhaotang's banana pancakes had won the approval of everyone in the courtyard.

After having breakfast, Granny Zhao went to the main kitchen and brought back a lot of ingredients.

This commotion naturally startled Madam Pei and Madam Pei the Third.

The two already knew last night that Madam Pei had kept Li Qin and Xie Zhaotang.

It would be fine if Li Qin stayed, since the Pei family all knew that Pei Song had taken a liking to her.

Madam Pei initially looked down on the Li family's low social standing and opposed the marriage.

Unfortunately, Pei Song was stubborn. He got angry when he heard his mother complain about the Li family's low social status and started shouting.

"Mother, my grandfather was a peasant decades ago. You didn't mind his low social status when you married my father. How come you have such prejudice after a few days of good life?"

"I don't care, I just want to marry Miss Li. If you don't like her, then I'll never get married!"

Madam Pei has been troubled by this matter for the past few days, unable to figure out how to dissuade Pei Song from his idea.

Hearing that Li Qin had moved into the old lady's courtyard, he assumed that the old lady was using this move to reprimand him, and he felt somewhat uneasy.

Madam Pei was even more anxious, thinking that the old lady had taken a liking to Xie Zhaotang and wanted to propose to Pei Yu.

Li Qin is out of the question; her father is a royal physician, so even though her family background is a bit lower, she is still a legitimate daughter.

Pei Yu is just as talented as Xu Muyuan. He just didn't perform well in this imperial examination. He will definitely pass the next spring imperial examination.

Her son has a bright future, but Xie Zhaotang is just a concubine's daughter, and her birth mother is a concubine. How could she be worthy of her son?

"Why is this illegitimate daughter so restless? Relying on her looks, she attracts all sorts of suitors; she's a vixen!"

Madam Pei angrily cursed at her nanny.

Pei Yun and Pei Shu came to pay their respects, and they heard this as soon as they entered the door...