Je vends des vêtements et j'achète du vin à boire avec toi

Chapitre 5

Long Er couldn't hide his surprise: "You ate so much?"

“Yes.” Feng Ning nodded without blushing. Long Er finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Feng Ning put her hands on her hips: “No matter how much you hated me before, it’s fine if no one comes to visit me when I’m sick, and I can tolerate my husband ignoring me, but I absolutely cannot let myself go hungry.”

Long Er genuinely found it amusing. Going hungry? What kind of novelty was that? He deliberately made things difficult: "But I've already instructed the kitchen, so what are you going to do about it?"

Feng Ning glared at him fiercely, then suddenly turned her head and walked away.

She was so imposing just now, but she's retreated without a word? Long Er thought for a moment, then waved her hand, signaling a guard to follow her, before turning back into the library to continue reading the files.

Contrary to Long Er's expectations, Feng Ning did not retreat. She went straight to the kitchen. At this moment, the master of the house had finished eating, and the servants were having lunch in the kitchen courtyard. When they saw the legendary Third Madam, who was supposedly ignored by everyone, barging in, they were all taken aback.

When Feng Ning saw that each of them was holding a large bowl piled high with rice, she felt quite envious. She snorted and turned to go into the kitchen. The kitchen was not yet tidy, and she casually rummaged through it, but didn't see any ready-made food, which disappointed her.

A middle-aged, overweight man followed her in, shouting, "What are you doing, Madam? This is the kitchen, not a place for you to play."

"Who are you?"

The fat man puffed out his chest and said, "I am Chef Tang Rong, everyone calls me Chef Tang."

Feng Ning patted his shoulder, and Chef Tang's heart skipped a beat. Did this lady want to make trouble for him over the two vegetarian dishes and one rice dish? Although the dishes were simple, he had made them with care. If this lady was picky, he would not stand for it.

Feng Ning said, "Chef Tang, your cooking is delicious." Chef Tang was startled. What kind of tactic was this? A polite approach followed by a forceful one?

"But..." Sure enough, there was a "but" at the end. Chef Tang was mentally prepared. Although the Third Madam had no status in the mansion, he still had to be careful in dealing with her. "But such delicious food, and you only give me such a small amount? How can I be full?"

Not enough to eat? The cook was stunned. Although the meals ordered by the Third Madam's room a while ago were for two people, he hadn't paid much attention, assuming that the maid was eating with them. A few days ago, the Second Master specifically instructed that only simple vegetarian dishes be sent to her, and he even asked if it was for one or two people. The Second Master replied that it was for one person, and he also said that it was against etiquette for the maid to eat with her master, and that the Second Master would not allow it in the future. He didn't expect that the Third Madam would come to question him today.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Feng Ning simply asked, "I'm not full right now, what do you suggest we do?"

What to do? The cook was at a loss. He could only casually say, "There's only the food left that our servants in the courtyard are eating. There's no time to start cooking, so we'll have to wait until the afternoon."

Feng Ning's eyes lit up at the mention of afternoon: "Steamed buns?"

Chef Tang shook his head: "Steamed buns won't do. They're for Second Master. He's used to having some snacks every afternoon. He didn't get any that day, and he got really angry."

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning immediately understood: "So that's how it is." No wonder the meals had changed these past few days for that stingy man. She thanked him, turned, and left. The cook scratched his head behind her, completely baffled by the Third Madam's intentions.

That afternoon, Chef Tang carefully steamed a basket of fragrant, plump, white meat buns. Just as he was about to open the steamer to take out the buns, he suddenly heard a loud crashing noise outside. When he went out to check, he found that the large pile of firewood in the yard had all fallen over for some reason. He quickly told several servants to help pile the firewood up and rushed back to the kitchen to collect the buns. But when he opened the steamer, he was stunned!

Why are all the steamed buns gone, just like that day? Staring at the empty steamer, Chef Tang's face turned green. What on earth happened?

Long Er didn't get any steamed buns that day, but found an empty bowl on the path in front of the library. He knew what was going on and was naturally furious. But upon closer inspection, he found that his sister-in-law's behavior was quite different from usual, and rather strange.

He summoned Granny Yu and said, "That woman, Feng Ning, claimed to have lost her memory after being injured, and her behavior is also very different from before."

"I know that. Originally, I wanted to leave her hanging, and she would naturally reveal her true colors after a while."

"I tested her, and her reaction was as if she genuinely didn't know. If she was faking it, her skill in playing dumb is quite impressive."

"The timing of this amnesia is indeed too coincidental. In this way, she can deny everything." Granny Yu's suspicion of Feng Ning has never diminished.

Long Er nodded: "There's another strange thing. She said she didn't remember anything, but she hadn't forgotten any of the paths in the house. A few days ago, she wandered around, and I sent someone to follow her. She never walked the same path twice. She found the kitchen very accurately and even ran to the library. The day I saw her, she was standing in front of the mechanism, but she didn't take a single extra step. In the end, she returned to her own courtyard and found it without much effort, without taking any side paths. This doesn't seem like she has no memory at all."

You have to understand that the layout of the buildings and the arrangement of the roads in the Dragon Mansion are all very particular. New servants would definitely get lost if they weren't guided for a month or two. Feng Ning had been here for so long before, and she had gotten lost many times. Now she says she has forgotten everything, but she doesn't get lost anymore.

Hearing that she knew the way, Granny Yu became even more convinced that Feng Ning was pretending to be stupid: "I didn't expect that she would start to cause trouble again before her injuries had fully healed. I have to keep an eye on her."

Long Er nodded and offered another idea: "Although it's unlikely, if her amnesia is true, her strange behavior now could be explained as her pretense. Now that she's forgotten the purpose of the Feng family sending her here, she's showing her true colors."

Granny Yu snorted: "Xiaoqing also told me that the woman wanted to go back to her parents' home. We absolutely cannot let her go back. Although what she stole was a fake, we still don't know what she knows. The attack on Third Master is not simple either, and it may not be unrelated to the Feng family."

Long Er said, "Then leave Feng Ning to Granny. I have already instructed Steward Tie to strengthen the investigation within the mansion. The Third Brother will be fine on this trip, so Granny, don't worry."

“Alas, how can I not worry? I watched you brothers grow up, and now everything is peaceful and stable, but then the Feng family came along. Third Master married such a woman, ruining his life. I really feel sorry for him.”

"Grandma," Long Er comforted the old woman who treated the three brothers like a mother, "We will definitely find a way to resolve the Feng family's matter."

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu replied, "Second Master, don't worry. That woman is trying to play dumb. I will definitely make her slip up."

Author's Note: What should I say today? I remember having thought of something before updating, but now I've forgotten. Jinjiang keeps acting up, making my brain act up too.

Then let's take the big stick and beat the little tyrant! I'll hit him! I'll hit him! I'll hit him, ...

4

4. The suspicious behavior of Madam Long San...

Feng Ning learned from Granny Yu that she couldn't return to her parents' home because she had injured her head and the cause of the injury hadn't been found yet; she still needed to continue taking medication. Returning home would be a long journey, and stopping her medication would be bad for her health. Moreover, Granny Yu said that if something happened on the way, how would the Long family explain it to the Feng family?

Feng Ning was naturally disappointed, but what Granny Yu said made perfect sense, so she couldn't really refute it. Anyway, she was eating well every meal now, with enough to eat and drink, so she was satisfied with the current situation for the time being.

Seeing that it was not easy for Granny Yu to come all this way, and that she was much more friendly this time, Feng Ning quickly pulled her down to sit and chat.

"Granny Yu, tell me, how did I get married into this family?" (Young Master Meat. Buy/Collect)

She thought the other person would ignore her, but Granny Yu calmly sipped her tea and actually started telling her a story.

The Long and Feng families were old friends, their bond strong since their ancestors' generation. Their patriarchs had fought side-by-side, sharing hardships and contributing greatly to the court, protecting the nation and quelling rebellions—their merits were renowned. Back then, the two families had agreed to arrange a marriage between their children, signing a written agreement and exchanging tokens. However, both families had only sons, so the matter was dropped. Later, for reasons unknown, the Feng patriarch suddenly resigned from his official post and took his family south, while the Long patriarch's health deteriorated, and he eventually passed away. After that, the two families gradually lost contact and communication.

Old Master Long had an only son named Long Sheng, who followed in his father's footsteps and became an official in the imperial court. He had three sons: Long Teng, Long Yue, and Long Fei. After Long Teng married, Long Sheng died in battle. His wife, overwhelmed with grief, died of depression. At that time, the court was in turmoil, and foreign enemies constantly invaded the borders. Like his father, Long Teng took up arms and went to the battlefield. Long Yue stayed at home to manage various affairs and preserve the family business that two generations of the Long family had worked hard to build. Long Fei also bid farewell to his master and rushed home to assist his elder brother. They were all young then, and their hardships were immense. The Long family was a powerful family, attracting many schemes and plots. Fortunately, the three brothers worked together and, after several years, finally quelled the war, stabilized the family business, and lived a peaceful and prosperous life.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Truly remarkable!"

Granny Yu glanced at her, seemingly trying to find something on her face, but Feng Ning didn't pay attention and urged her to continue. So Granny Yu continued, "At that time, the Feng family, who had moved to the south many years ago, suddenly came to our door with a written agreement and tokens, bringing their daughter, demanding that the Long family fulfill the marriage agreement."