Life of Country Folks in the City during the Song Dynasty

Chapter 9

Gu Zao was wiping the salt off the vegetables with his hands, washing and drying them before turning around. He had already noticed the displeasure on the faces of the group. He immediately understood; they all shared Fang Shi's desire to enter the Grand View Garden and looked down on the pickled radishes and vegetables. Without saying much, he smiled at the broker and said, "The smell here is indeed a bit strong. Perhaps they can't stand it. Is there anyone else?"

The broker thought for a moment and said, "There is one, but she's a bit too young. I was afraid she wouldn't be of much use, so I didn't bring her."

Gu Zao said, "It's okay if she's young. I don't need her to carry baskets or shoulder loads here. Bring her here so I can take a look." Gu Zao thought that her place was dilapidated, and the older people there were all shrewd enough that they wouldn't work properly even if she hired them. It would be better to hire a younger one. Firstly, someone who was working at such a young age must come from a poor family, and she wanted to take care of her. Secondly, she also thought that someone who could easily manage things would be better.

The broker knew of Gu Zao's reputation as a "radish beauty" and, wanting to make a sale, took the girls and young wives away. The next day, he brought another one, this time a little girl of only ten years old, dressed in tattered clothes. Gu Zao had just thought she looked familiar when her third sister called out to her. It turned out to be the little girl selling fried dough sticks that they had rescued when they passed through Shili Town on their way to the capital.

The little girl had already recognized Gu Zao and her third sister, and immediately knelt down to kowtow. Gu Zao pulled her up and asked why. He learned that the little girl's name was Liu Zao, and she was from Shili Town. Her family was just a vegetable grower and their situation was not good. Her mother had passed away long ago, and she had several daughters in succession. They were eagerly hoping for a son, so they were naturally dissatisfied with Liu Zao and sent her out to earn money early on. Originally, they wanted her to sell fried dough sticks, but later they thought it didn't earn much money, so they asked a broker to help her. They said they didn't care whether she sold herself or did manual labor, so they wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of her so that she wouldn't be seen all the time.

Gu Zao felt sorry for Liu Zao and immediately settled the wages with the broker and paid the middleman's fee. The broker left happily, but Liu Zao was about to kneel down again. This time, her third sister pulled her back and said, "It's fine for you to come, but my house is small. I'm sorry to trouble you to share a room with my sister and me. Please don't mind."

Liu Zao, her eyes already brimming with tears, said, "Second Sister, Third Sister, I am already blessed to have met you two again and to have a place to sleep. I only hope that your family can buy me so that I don't have to go back. I would be willing to be your slave."

Gu Zaozao noticed something was wrong. She lifted up her sleeve and saw that her thin arms were indeed covered with bruises from pinching and twisting. She cursed the heartless woman in her heart, but then gently comforted her. When she heard that she hadn't eaten breakfast, she remembered that there were still a few chickens at home, so she picked some scallions and made her some fried rice with eggs. However, she scraped the rice off the plate, leaving not a single grain.

Sister Gu and the Sheep's Head Stick

That evening, Fang returned home. Gu Zao and the others hadn't gone to set up their stall yet and were busy packing up. She was suddenly surprised to find an extra person in the house. It was a bit dark in the house, so she couldn't see clearly. When she heard that Gu Zao had hired someone to help, she became quite unhappy and started nagging, "I finally managed to get my mouth out of the house, and you've taken in another one. If you're going to hire someone, why didn't you find someone strong and capable of doing some work? What can this skinny little thing do?"

Liu Zao and Gu Zao's third sister had only spent half a day together when she realized they were kind, and she was already overjoyed. Having eked out money for the past few years, she had learned to read people's expressions. Seeing that Madam Fang didn't like her, she had already taken a few steps from inside to stand in front of her. First, she greeted her loudly, "Madam," and then she smiled and said, "Madam, I am the fried dough vendor you rescued from the boat that day. Although I am a bit small, I am quite strong. If Madam needs anything, just give me a word, and I will always handle it properly for you."

This was the first time Fang had ever heard someone call her "Old Madam" since birth. The image of the Second-Rank Imperial Lady of the Grand Commandant's Mansion, whom she had heard about every day for the past month but never actually seen, instantly overlapped with her own. She felt as if she had lost twenty pounds. Seeing the daylight and recognizing the young girl from that day, the resentment in her heart vanished. She coughed, adopted the demeanor of the village head of Dongshan Village that she had secretly imitated, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

Gu Zao and her third sister were secretly laughing their heads off, but they were holding it in. Seeing that it was almost time, they called Liu Zao to go to the night market to set up a stall. Liu Zao's mouth was indeed loud and clear, and she kept calling out to everyone in a sweet and cloying way, making her third sister shake her head and admit that she was better than her. It turned out that she was the one who was born to do business.

The next day, Gu Zao asked her third sister and Liu Zao to go to the morning market to buy some vegetables. While she was busy in the courtyard, she suddenly noticed a woman in her early twenties standing at the door, carrying a piece of pork with two pig ears in her hand, and two girls hiding behind her, one about seven or eight years old, and the other a year or two younger. They only peeked out from behind the woman, their eyes fixed on her. The woman had a decent appearance, with a blue floral cloth tied around her head, and wore a slightly worn jacket, though there seemed to be some oil stains on the cuffs.

Gu had never seen this woman before and assumed she was just passing by, so he didn't pay much attention. Just as he was about to turn his head back, he saw that the woman was still staring blankly at him, with a look of sorrow on her face and her lips trembling slightly. Gu became suspicious and looked more closely, but he felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

The woman had already walked in a few steps, and without caring that her hands were covered in salt, she grabbed her and burst into tears.

"Second sister... how could you have such a miserable life..."

Gu Zao was startled. Her mind raced, and when she looked at the woman's face, which bore a resemblance to her own, she immediately understood. She smiled at her and called out, "Big Sister."

The woman was indeed the eldest sister of the Gu family. She had originally married a butcher in the county, but after a few years, both her parents-in-law passed away, and the whole family moved to Dongjing (Kaifeng). They now lived in Fangxiangqiao in the south of the city, next to a meat market. She and her husband had a shop there and sold pork every day. A few days ago, she happened to run into her aunt, Madam Hu, who stopped her and told her that her second sister was shrewish and ruthless, no wonder she was so unlucky that she even brought death to her husband. Only then did she learn that her family had moved to Dongjing, and she was worried about it. So, she took a break and brought her two daughters to visit her.

Seeing that she was pulling her to wipe away her tears, Gu Zao quickly put on a smile and said, "Elder sister, my mother and I have only been in the capital for a little over a month. We've been busy every day, always thinking about visiting you when we have time, but we've never had the chance. It's perfect timing that you've come by yourself today. Please come in and sit down." As she spoke, she smiled and asked the names of the two maids behind her. It turned out that the older one was called Zhu'er and the younger one was called Chuan'er. Knowing that their mother was coming to their maternal home today, they both insisted on coming along. Gu Zao couldn't refuse them, so she brought them along.

Gu Zao washed her hands, took Zhu'er and Chuan'er inside, and brought out the sugar pastries she had made yesterday. The two girls were a little timid at first, but after taking a bite, they found that the taste was better than they had ever tasted before. Seeing that Gu Zao's smiling eyes had become two beautiful crescent moons, they quickly started calling her "Auntie" affectionately.

When Sister Gu saw that Gu Zao's face was cheerful and her words were straightforward, and that she was not as depressed as she had initially thought, she forgot to wipe away her tears and just stood there staring at her. She felt that her younger sister seemed to be different from before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

Just then, Third Sister and Liu Zao returned with their purchases. Upon seeing Eldest Sister Gu and Zhu'er and Chuan'er, they couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Eldest Sister Gu then learned that her family had started a business selling pickled goods. She tasted a radish and found it quite delicious, chewing it all down before sighing, "Now that you're all doing well, I finally feel a little more at ease. Before, the road was long, and I was useless, unable to take care of you..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly.

Gu Zao laughed and said, "Eldest sister, you can rest assured. I'll take care of Mother and Third Sister Qingwu. You don't need to worry about going hungry. It's you who should be more careful..."

Third Sister wasn't that cunning, but Gu Zao had sharp eyes and had already seen that Eldest Sister Gu was a gentle person. Seeing that her brows hadn't relaxed in the short time she'd been inside, Gu Zao already had a feeling that Eldest Sister Gu's life probably wasn't very comfortable.

Sure enough, Gu Zao only mentioned it briefly, but Gu's eldest sister's face darkened. She lowered her head and stared blankly at her two daughters who were eating cakes, unable to say a word.

Gu Zao sighed inwardly. She wanted to ask, but every family has its own troubles. If she were someone who cared about her reputation, asking would only embarrass her. So she simply glossed over the matter and instead told some embarrassing stories about Fang Shi, which made Gu's eldest sister laugh and say, "Mother has always been like this."

As the sisters chatted, it was almost noon. Gu Zao got up and said she would cook some dishes for her eldest sister and daughter to have lunch together. Gu Dajie hurriedly got up, saying she had to rush back to Gu's shop. Before she knew it, it was past noon.

Seeing that she was indeed in a hurry to leave, Gu Zao didn't try to stop her. However, seeing that Zhu'er and Chuan'er were chatting happily with their third sister Liu Zao, their mouths covered in crumbs from pastries, they stopped in their tracks, unwilling to leave. Gu's eldest sister then frowned, raising her hand as if to hit them. Zhu'er and Chuan'er pouted as if about to cry, but Gu Zao quickly stopped them. She had originally wanted the two little nieces to stay for a few days, but seeing that her place was already so crowded that it was hard to even turn around, she finally managed to persuade them, even wrapping up the remaining sweet pastries and stuffing them into their little hands. She then picked up a few bowls of pickled vegetables and radishes, tied them up, and gave them to Gu's eldest sister. Only then did the eldest sister sheepishly take her daughter's hand, telling the two sisters to come visit her sometime. Gu Zao agreed, and then she left, looking back several times.

When Fang returned home in the evening, she saw the meat and pig's ears and realized that her eldest sister had come. Of the four children in the family, her eldest sister was the first and naturally the apple of her eye. It had been several years since she had last seen her, and she sighed with emotion. Gu Zao didn't mention the worried look on her eldest sister's face, but only said good things, praising Zhu'er and Chuan'er for looking like their mother and being beautiful in the making. Fang was overjoyed and said happily, "Of course! Don't look down on your mother now that she's become a deformed gourd. That's all because she married your deadbeat father. Your mother used to be delicate and beautiful. With just a pinch of her waist, you, second sister, were the most obedient to me."

Upon hearing Fang's words, even Liu Zao, who was known for her sweet talk, froze, tilting her head and looking at the girl from all angles. This prompted Fang to laugh and scold, "You little hussy, what are you looking at? If I were ugly, how could I have given birth to these three beautiful girls?"

That makes sense. Gu Zao looked closely under the dim light and, sure enough, she could still vaguely see the shadow of her own face on that fleshy face. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Time really is a cruel mistress, each cut killing a cat. But no matter what, she couldn't imagine what Fang Shi looked like when she pinched Fang Shi's waist back then.

The next morning, Fang went to work at the Grand Commandant's mansion in Zhengmen. From afar, she could see the main gate in the southeast. Although it was grand, she could not enter. She walked along the high blue brick wall to the side gate in the northeast corner. The gatekeeper recognized her and let her in. She then navigated the winding path and arrived at the large kitchen, which was built in a group of side rooms.

Although the Grand Commandant's mansion has two branches, the master of the second branch, known as the Second Master, is said to still be single, has a somewhat eccentric temperament, and is rarely home. Therefore, it is mainly the Yang family, the eldest son of the Grand Commandant, who lives in the east wing, and the old lady in the main house in the north that serve him. Although both sides have their own small kitchens, apart from some snacks, daily meals are all prepared in the main kitchen. Because the old lady's sixtieth birthday is approaching, and they were worried about not having enough staff, they added Fang Shi and several other old women.

Fang Shi spent her days washing vegetables, sweeping the floor, and scrubbing pots with the old women. Compared to the farm work she used to do, it was much easier. The Grand Commandant's mansion wasn't particularly harsh on its servants. She ate her fill every day, and there was always plenty of gossip to share. So she was quite proud of herself and felt that she was a bit superior to her neighbors. The only thing that bothered her was her boss, the cook who was called Sixth Sister-in-law.

This sixth sister-in-law was only in her thirties, and it was said that she had been taught by the same master as the people in the imperial kitchen inside Xuande Gate, so her skills were naturally quite good. The old lady of the mansion loved her sweet cakes and specially ordered that she be paid extra, so she always acted arrogantly in the kitchen, walking around with her head held high. However, in Fang's eyes, cooking was nothing special. She thought of her second sister, who used to burn rice, who had gone to the Li family in Yangzhou for two years and only watched the chef cook a few times in the kitchen, and now she was the best cook in Dongshan Village. So when she saw that this sixth sister-in-law was a few years younger than her but just relied on her cooking skills to often give her attitude, she had long been harboring resentment, but she just held back from jumping up.

It was almost noon when a pretty girl dressed in red and green moved into the kitchen. She didn't come in, but just stood at the door and called out, "Sixth Sister-in-law, the young mistress has a bland taste in her mouth and can't eat. I asked you to make some mutton head skewers for her to have a couple of sips."

Fang was busy picking vegetables. She had been here for almost a month and already knew that this young lady was Luo San Niang, the concubine of the main house.

Sixth Sister hurriedly removed her crossed legs, put down the half-eaten piece of cake, stood up from the stool, and replied with a smile, "Xiao Cui, I'll make it right away and send it over as soon as it's done."

Seeing that she answered cleverly, Xiao Cui nodded and left satisfied.

It turns out that although Luo San Niang was only a concubine, she was young and beautiful, and she was always good at manipulating people in the house. Before the New Year, she helped Grand Commandant Yang get a son in his middle age, and he was overjoyed. In addition, she was always generous and good at managing the servants, so everyone in the mansion who knew how to read the situation wanted to do their best to please her. She was already showing signs of sharing power with Jiang Shi.

Sixth Sister-in-law was not stupid. When she heard Xiao Cui say that her young mistress wanted to eat the mutton head skewers she made, she immediately started making them.

Sheep's head skewers is actually sheep's head soup, and people at the time often referred to soup as skewers. I saw her take a large bunch of scallions, take only the heart-shaped part that looks like leek sprouts, soak it in light wine and fragrant vinegar, and casually throw the rest on the ground.

Fang's eyes widened as she saw the woman take two sheep heads that had been purchased and cleaned, leaving only the tender meat from the sides of the face, and throwing the rest on the ground, saying, "These are not things that the noble people in the manor can eat."

Fang was heartbroken and couldn't help but pick up the sheep's head from the ground, muttering about how it was being wasted. Sixth Sister-in-law heard her and sneered, "You old woman, isn't that the dog that picked up the sheep's head that I threw on the ground?"

Enraged, Fang threw down the two sheep heads with missing cheeks, opened her eyes wide, and spit at Sixth Sister-in-law. Sixth Sister-in-law, unwilling to back down, disregarded her work, put her hands on her hips, and began to hurl insults at Fang. The insults escalated, eventually escalating into a physical fight. Seeing that they couldn't stop the fight, bystanders quickly ran to fetch the steward.

Fang's triumphant spring breeze

When the steward rushed over and shouted, Fang and Sixth Sister-in-law stopped fighting. However, their eyes were still wide open like fighting roosters, and they were panting heavily.

The steward, surnamed Lu, was only in his early twenties and a distant relative of the head steward of the manor. He had only recently arrived at the Grand Commandant's residence. Seeing that the kitchen had been turned into a complete mess by these two, with bean sprouts and cabbage scattered and trampled all over the floor, he angrily cursed, "You women! I usually ignore your constant commotion, but today you've actually started fighting! Do you think this is some kind of marketplace where you can act like this? If you don't hurry up, I'll kick you out with a stick!"

Seeing that Steward Lu was truly angry, Fang felt a chill of fear and shrank back, taking a small step back. Sixth Sister-in-law, however, dismissed him as nothing more than a kitchen supervisor and snorted coldly, saying, "Young mistress has a foul mouth. I was carefully preparing mutton head skewers for her, and this old woman came over and spat in my face for no reason. If she doesn't kowtow three times to apologize today, I absolutely will not continue."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shi, who had just pulled her head back, poked it back in and began to complain to the steward: "She was making mutton head skewers, but she threw a perfectly good mutton head on the ground. I couldn't stand it and went to pick it up, but she called me a dog. I was so angry that I fought with her. Why should I kowtow and apologize?"

Before Steward Lu could speak, Sixth Sister-in-law scoffed, "She really is a country bumpkin. Her eyes are only as big as copper coins. Let alone two sheep heads, even ten or a hundred, a family like the Grand Commandant's Mansion can afford to lose them. Besides, the leftover meat from the sheep heads is coarse. How can nobles swallow it?"

Manager Lu already knew perfectly well what was going on. He had long harbored resentment towards Sixth Sister-in-law because she was somewhat disobedient to his discipline. He stamped his foot and glared at her, scolding, "You woman, you don't know your place! Granny Fang picked it up, so why are you calling her a dog? You'd better get some rest and do your jobs properly!"

When Fang saw that Steward Lu seemed to be favoring her, she was overjoyed and became quite smug.

The sixth sister-in-law was taken aback, then sneered: "Lu family, I didn't sell myself here. The family hired me because they valued my skills. If you don't handle this fairly today, I'm afraid I won't be able to cook for the old lady's birthday."

When Steward Lu saw that Sixth Sister-in-law was using the fact that the old lady of the mansion liked a piece of her pastry to blackmail him, he thought that if this woman really did become stubborn and walk with her neck out, not to mention him, a mere kitchen steward, even the steward's relatives would probably not be able to bear it. So he hesitated again.

He hesitated there, while Sixth Sister-in-law and Madam Fang had already started arguing again. Seeing that neither side would listen to his advice, Steward Lu gritted his teeth, leaped out of the kitchen to find the head steward. Just as he reached the porch, he bumped into Bi'er, Madam Jiang's head maid. The two nearly collided. Steward Lu hurriedly stepped aside, apologizing profusely. Bi'er laughed and scolded, "You usually seem so composed, why are you so impulsive today?"

Seeing that Bi'er was smiling even though she was scolding him, Manager Lu straightened up and briefly mentioned what had just happened.

"You mean Grandma wants to eat those mutton head skewers?" Bi'er asked.

Manager Lu nodded and said, "That's what Sixth Sister-in-law mentioned."

Bi'er's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled and said, "You go back now and tell those two women to rest well. Madam will come and see you." Without saying anything more, she turned and headed towards the main room in the east wing.

When Steward Lu saw that such a small matter had alarmed Madam Jiang, even though the weather was a bit chilly and his back was already damp with sweat, he was afraid that if the two were still arguing when Madam Jiang arrived, he would lose even more face, so he hurriedly went back as well.

Bi'er lifted the curtain and went in. Madam Jiang had just finished lunch and was sitting there drinking tea. She leaned over and said with a smile, "Madam, I just ran into the head cook. He said that Sixth Sister-in-law got into a fight with a new maid."

Jiang laughed and scolded, "It's just such a small matter, why did you rush to tell me? If someone is causing trouble and doesn't listen to authority, just give them a few lashes and kick them out."

Bi'er leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. Jiang's face darkened, and after thinking for a moment, she nodded and sighed, "You're the clever girl. Come with me and take a look."

Bi'er smiled, reached out to help Jiang Shi, and the two headed towards the kitchen. As soon as they stepped inside, a tender little loofah flew towards them, almost hitting Jiang Shi in the face. Fortunately, Bi'er was quick-witted and grabbed it, so it flew sideways. Even so, Jiang Shi was still startled.

The one who flew out of the gourd was none other than Sixth Sister-in-law. It turned out that after Steward Lu left, the two of them got entangled again. Although Sixth Sister-in-law was also a shrew, she was no match for Fang when it came to fighting. Seeing that she was at a disadvantage, she grabbed something and threw it, but unexpectedly it hit Jiang. Even though she was brave, she let go and stood there blankly, somewhat flustered.

The two men, who had been trying to mediate the fight, were already sweating profusely. When they saw Madam Jiang coming over, they finally calmed down. They didn't even bother to wipe their sweat and rushed over to greet her, bowing and scraping.

Jiang didn't speak, but just watched. Bi'er glanced at Sixth Sister-in-law and said coldly, "Madam is kind. If you don't discipline her for a few days, this place will be in complete chaos. Now she even dares to throw things at us."

Seeing that she had caused trouble, Sixth Sister-in-law hurriedly ran to Madam Jiang and bowed, saying, "Madam, please calm down. It's all my fault. I was going to throw that woman away, but who would have thought..."

Before she could finish speaking, Bi'er spat at her fiercely: "You despicable thing, you're never a peaceful creature, how dare you take a perfectly good loofah and throw it around like that, do you think it just appeared out of thin air?"

Sixth Sister-in-law knew she was in the wrong and didn't dare to talk back. She just stood there with her head down, but her face still showed a hint of resentment. Jiang noticed this and coughed, then slowly said, "I heard that you took two sheep heads, but only cut off the cheek meat and threw them away? You also said that the noble people in this mansion can't eat coarse meat. I wonder who those noble people are?"

"But it was what the young mistress called it..." Sixth Sister-in-law responded.

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Cui's voice rang out from the doorway: "Sixth Sister-in-law, I asked you to make a sheep's head skewer, why hasn't it been delivered yet? If it's not delivered soon, Grandma..." She stepped in and saw Jiang Shi with a stern face in front of her. She was so frightened that she swallowed the rest of her words and just stood there blankly.

Jiang laughed and said, "Grandma, which grandma? The second master of this mansion is not even married yet, so where did this grandma come from out of nowhere?"

Xiao Cui's face flushed red and then turned pale. Realizing she had said the wrong thing, she quickly knelt down, slapped herself, and said with a forced smile, "Madam, please calm down. It was all my fault for being careless. I will never do it again."

Jiang gave her a cold look before saying, "That old lady is quite a demanding person, with such a picky mouth. She'll stick her neck out if it's not mutton cheeks. Go and call her here. I want to hear her explain this to me."

Helpless, Xiao Cui stood up and glared at Sixth Sister-in-law before slowly retreating. Once out of the kitchen, she ran as fast as she could to the west room of the east wing to deliver the message.

Fang had been there for over a month, and this was the first time she had met Jiang. At first, she feared Jiang would scold her, but then she realized Jiang seemed to have forgotten her, not mentioning her at all. Fang was already overjoyed and secretly shrank back into the crowd. Just as she was feeling relieved, she heard Jiang ask, "Who was fighting with Sixth Sister-in-law just now?"

Fang was shocked. Seeing that everyone in the kitchen was staring at her, she knew she couldn't escape it. So she shrank back and slowly moved out from behind the other women, standing there awkwardly with her head down.

Jiang glanced at her and said calmly, "You are a reasonable person who knows to cherish resources. However, you must abide by the rules of my Grand Commandant's mansion and not bring in those outside habits."

Fang had expected to get a good scolding, but to her surprise, it was just a casual remark. The words even sounded somewhat complimentary. She immediately bowed down and nodded repeatedly, like a rat that had fallen into a rice jar, with a smile on her face. She then glared at her sixth sister-in-law.

Seeing that Fang had gained the upper hand and that she had been ridiculed by her, Sixth Sister-in-law couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "I'm caught in the middle. If it weren't for the fact that the old lady likes my cooking, I would have been better off leaving sooner."

When Jiang saw that she had brought up the old lady to put her down, she was furious and remained silent for a moment.

Fang, however, was the type to seize any opportunity to climb the social ladder. Seeing that Jiang didn't seem to blame her, she felt emboldened and couldn't help but show off, saying, "When it comes to cooking skills, my second sister might not be inferior to you. It's just that I can't stand you using your authority to suppress people."

Sixth Sister-in-law curled her lip and sneered, but Madam Jiang seemed quite interested and looked at Madam Fang, saying, "Are you serious?"

Seeing Jiang respond, Fang became even more smug, gesturing wildly as she boasted, "That's right, my second sister was a top cook in Yangzhou back in the day, and everyone who ate her food said it was good."

Seeing that Madam Jiang was interested, Bi'er thought for a moment and knew what she was thinking. She then asked with a smile, "Where is your second sister now?"

Fang said, "I've made pickled radishes and am selling them."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the kitchen burst into laughter. Madam Jiang merely wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, Bi'er revealed her teeth, but Sixth Sister-in-law laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Seeing everyone laughing at her, Madam Fang hurriedly said, "Madam, I'm not just talking nonsense. My second sister's skills are indeed excellent. Even her pickled radishes taste much better than others. I don't think even my sixth sister-in-law can surpass her."

Hearing her say this, Sixth Sister-in-law took off her apron and sneered, "Madam, this is not my fault. Since this old woman Fang speaks of me like this, I have no face to stay here any longer. I might as well leave and let her second sister come over."

Jiang glanced at her and said indifferently, "I know you're capable. It's just something a country woman says casually. I'll just let it go. Why are you in such a hurry?"

The sixth sister-in-law was embarrassed and speechless, but when she looked up, she saw that Luo San Niang had already rushed over.

Meanwhile, Luo San Niang was getting impatient waiting in the house. When she saw Xiao Cui rushing over with empty hands, she was about to scold her when Xiao Cui waved her hand and whispered a few words. Luo San Niang's face immediately changed, and she scolded, "I only taught her how to make mutton head skewers, not how to cut off cheek meat! Isn't this just cheating me for nothing?" As she scolded, she didn't dare to stop and hurriedly swayed her bound feet toward the kitchen facing north.