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The slave trader brought about a dozen young girls. Their clothes were all tattered and worn; some were even barefoot. The August air was already quite chilly. Xiao Yuan quickly ordered someone to fetch them some shoes. The slave trader handed over a roster. "Fourth Miss knows how to manage money. Since that fire, so many families have gone out of business. Now is the cheapest time to buy people." Gone out of business? Xiao Yuan was startled by this question. It was as if she were seeing herself back in the manor. Her eyes welled up with tears. She asked each girl's age and place of origin according to the roster. Finally, she kept them all to observe their character for a few days. She arranged to return with the slave trader in half a month.

Ah Xiu was busy all day at the old house. Xiao Yuan then brought up Cai Ju and Cai Lian to serve her. She also ordered Cai Lian to be in charge of training the newly bought maids.

Cailian had been busy for several days and came back to Xiaoyuan: "Fourth Sister left behind a total of fifteen new maids. Since they have only been here for a short time, their character is still unknown. They are divided into three categories according to their appearance: two are of the upper category, ten are of the middle category, and three are of the lower category."

Seeing that she spoke clearly and logically, Xiao Yuan picked up the booklet the woman handed her and flipped through it. She remembered the names, ages, and hometowns perfectly.

Cailian took on the task of assigning maids and worked diligently. When the slave trader came to her door again, she sent back two stupid maids and selected a clever one to learn manners. She selected two of the best-looking maids who had already been trained and sent them to the small bridal chamber. She also sent two diligent but average-looking maids to Aunt Chen's room.

The two maids she assigned to Xiaoyuan were fifteen years old and had already blossomed into beautiful young women. However, they spent their days either playing with birds and feeding fish, or chatting and eating melon seeds. For several days in a row, Xiaoyuan felt that the two maids were not easy to use, so she called Cailian to ask her why. However, Cailian refused to say anything and insisted that she ask Aunt Chen.

Xiao Yuan had no choice but to go to Aunt Chen with a belly full of doubts to exchange the girls. Unexpectedly, Aunt Chen said that the two girls were quite good-looking and that they could be her maids when she got married.

Xiao Yuan was naturally firmly opposed, but Aunt Chen tried to persuade her for half a day: "You were born into an official's family, how can you marry without taking a few maids with you? Wouldn't you be ridiculed?"

Xiao Yuan resisted for half a day, but finally couldn't withstand Aunt Chen's nagging and fled in defeat. She made up her mind that she must find a reason to get rid of those two maids as soon as possible.

After the building was completed, Axiu rented out most of the rooms, but one room facing the street was unwanted because it was large inside but small outside. This suite was perfect for a kitchen inside and a small counter outside. Xiaoyuan then decided to open a cake shop. Although she knew nothing about cooking, she had several good cooks at home. So she ordered someone to build a roast duck oven and instructed her four best cooks to add eggs to the dough and bake it in the oven. These cooks were all experienced cooks with decades of experience. With the time it took for the dough to rise, they brought out steaming hot cakes in front of Xiaoyuan in less than two hours.

Xiaoyuan took a knife and cut the cake into small pieces. She examined it several times, but couldn't find any flaws. She was both happy and a little disappointed: "Is this really your first time baking a cake? Before... the first time I made this, it was either burnt or undercooked."

The cook who brought the cake smiled and said, "Fourth Sister is of noble birth, how could she make this? We usually make cakes, but we just steam them; Fourth Sister, you really have a clever mind, this baked one is indeed more fragrant than the steamed one."

Xiao Yuan became even happier when she heard that the cake smelled good. She shared the cake with them, and everyone said it was delicious.

After they finished eating, Xiaoyuan instructed Cailian to bring them a reward and said, "Go back and think about it. In three days, we'll have a cake-making competition. Whoever makes the most varieties and tastes the best will be our cake shop's new head chef."

The four cooks had all thought that their mistress had only summoned them to satisfy their cravings, never expecting such a great reward to await them. So, after returning home, they racked their brains and used all their skills, determined to win the competition.

When the competition began, Xiao Yuan stood in front of the table and looked at each cake in turn. She saw that most of the cakes were slightly modified from the original ones. Some were sprinkled with red beans, some had a few raisins added, and some chefs even bought dates from Persian merchants at a high price to decorate them in order to make them stand out. However, one cake was different from the others, as it was milky white.

Seeing Xiaoyuan staring at the milky white cake, Cailian quickly ordered the cook to cut it into pieces and present it to her.

Xiao Yuan picked up a piece, tasted it, and asked excitedly, "Is this cream? Where did it come from?"

The cook replied, "We have an acquaintance who works in a restaurant that caters to foreigners, and this stuff came from there."

Xiao Yuan was very excited and immediately announced that she would be the head chef of the cake shop. Then she went back to her room, laid out paper, and wrote down more than a dozen pages of all kinds of bread and cakes she had eaten in her memory. She then called A Xiu to prepare for the opening of the cake shop.

Ah Xiu had been busy for several days, and all the materials for the stove and counter were ready. She was just waiting to choose an auspicious day to open for business. After reporting on the matter, she stood at the door and complained, "Fourth Sister, what kind of vixens did Cai Lian pick for your room?"

Xiao Yuan pulled her into the room, "Keep your voice down, that's what your aunt picked out."

Ah Xiu took out two sachets and said, "They asked me to give these to Young Master Cheng. They really have no shame."

Xiao Yuan took the sachet and looked at it. She saw that the stitches were fine and the mandarin ducks on it were lifelike, much better than the handkerchief she had embroidered.

She tossed the sachet back into Ah Xiu's arms and said solemnly, "Take this to Young Master Cheng quickly, don't delay others."

It took Ah Xiu a while to react. She held up the sachet to Xiao Yuan and asked, "Fourth Sister, are you crazy? You're actually giving them a chance?"

Xiao Yuan said, "Just take the sachet and see how Young Master Cheng reacts." She thought to herself, "If he really accepts it, I'll immediately have my aunt break off the engagement."

She paused, then said, "Although you all say I am kind and generous, I don't want to be bullied. These two skillful maids are as beautiful as flowers, so I'll make them cake beauties for you."

Ah Xiu readily agreed, saying she would take the two maids with her as soon as the shop opened. However, fearing they might have ulterior motives and add something to the cakes, she didn't let them into the shop. Instead, she set up an advertising sign at the entrance and had the two of them stand there as living advertisements.

When Aunt Chen learned that the maid she had chosen for Xiao Yuan's dowry was standing in front of the shop looking like Xi Shi (a famous beauty in ancient China), she was quite anxious for a while. It wasn't until Cheng Fu brought over the sachet that Cheng Mutian had thrown away that she suddenly realized what had happened and from then on, she put aside the matter of choosing a concubine for Xiao Yuan.

Chapter Eight: Ah Xiu's Marriage

When Cheng Mutian heard that Xiaoyuan's cake shop had opened, he assumed that such unusual items must be sold to wealthy families, so he hurriedly sent Cheng Fu with a cartload of ivory boxes filled with cakes as a congratulatory gift. When Cheng Fu arrived at the shop, he immediately saw the two cake beauties and was so frightened that he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Luckily, that young master didn't even look at the sachet before throwing it away, otherwise it would be our young master standing here at the door." Seeing that he was portraying his fourth mistress as such a fierce person, Axiu naturally wouldn't stand for it. She argued with him for a long time but was no match for Cheng Fu, so she complained to Xiaoyuan.

After listening to Axiu's complaints, Xiaoyuan buried her head in her arms and laughed her heart out before pretending to be indignant: "That Cheng Fu is too audacious. He actually dared to bully my maid. I must write a letter to his master to argue with him."

Seeing that Xiao Yuan was serious, A Xiu hesitated again: "Fourth Sister, I was just complaining. If Young Master Cheng finds out about this, he will definitely punish him."

Xiao Yuan suppressed a laugh, put on a stern face and scolded her, "You're usually such a straightforward person, why are you being so long-winded now?" After saying that, she pushed aside A Xiu, took the letter paper, picked up the pen and wrote a long and fluent piece, then personally sealed it with wax and had Cai Lian give it to the servant outside to deliver to the Cheng family.

After reading the letter Xiao Yuan sent, Cheng Mutian both laughed and frowned: "If you want to marry off a girl, just send her over. But she has too many tricks up her sleeve."

Just then, Cheng Fu brought in the newly bought writing brushes and ink, and Cheng Mutian stopped him and asked, "Cheng Fu, you've been with me since you were little, it's time to find you a wife. I think Cuizhu in Third Sister's room is quite nice, how about..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Fu panicked and, not daring to interrupt Cheng Mutian, could only prostrate himself on the ground and kowtow repeatedly.

Cheng Mutian was startled by him and said, "You actually like He Si Niang's girl so much?"

Cheng Fu said anxiously, "Young Master, you know? Then why are you teasing me! You must have learned it from that He Si Niang!"

"How dare you! How dare you speak to He Si Niang like that?" Cheng Mutian glared and shouted, his face unconsciously turning red.

Seeing that Cheng Mutian did not object to his relationship with Axiu, Cheng Fu smiled and kowtowed again, begging him to propose marriage on his behalf.

Cheng Mutian was introverted from a young age. He could only exchange a few words with Cheng Funeng. So, jokes aside, the next day he had a decent dowry prepared and hired a matchmaker to propose marriage.

A maidservant marrying a boy. There have never been many rules about it. To hold such a formality, with a matchmaker in a yellow vest bringing the betrothal gifts, is unprecedented. All the maids and servants of the Chen family gathered to watch the spectacle, completely blocking A-Xiu's room.

Ah Xiu herself was in Aunt Chen's room at that moment, standing at the lower end listening to her instructions.

Aunt Chen had someone bring a tray of jewelry and handed it to A-Xiu. She said, "You must know that Fourth Aunt is treating you so well so that you won't be bullied when you go to the Cheng family. When you get to the Cheng family, you must not only get along well with everyone, but also keep Fourth Aunt's thoughts in mind so that she won't suffer as much grievance as she marries into the family..."

Aunt Chen nagged for a full half hour before finally letting her go to the small round room.

Xiao Yuan took her indenture and handed it to her, saying, "From now on, you are free. But the Cheng family will never release Cheng Fudi. Therefore, you'd better not make a fuss. Just tell everyone you're still my maid. When you have children in the future, I will definitely find a way to give them a proper status." After saying that, she granted her a few days off to go home and see her parents.

After Cheng Fu set the wedding date, Xiao Yuan prepared bedding and trunks for A Xiu, and hired a tailor to make new clothes for all four seasons, which aroused the envy of all the unmarried maids in the courtyard. On the wedding day, she also invited A Xiu's two younger sisters to accompany her, hired a band of musicians, and sent her off to the bridal sedan chair in a lively manner.

The Cheng family all believed that Axiu's indenture was still in Xiaoyuan's hands, and no one knew that she was already free. The housekeeper, Meng Sao, followed the usual practice and made her a manager, in charge of the maids in Cheng Mutian's courtyard.

Cheng Mutian has two sisters. The elder sister is already married, and the younger sister is only eleven years old. The house has been without a mistress for a long time, and the maids in the courtyard have always been unruly. In addition, Axiu is straightforward, and she has suffered some hidden losses over time.

When Aunt Chen learned of Ah Xiu's situation in the Cheng family, she was really worried for her. She specially sent someone to call her back, closed the door, and taught her the unique skills she had used in the mansion.

Having learned from Aunt Chen, Ah Xiu found it much easier to return to the Cheng family mansion. She openly sent small gifts to everyone, making them happy; secretly, however, she took advantage of Cheng Fu's favored status to squeeze out several head maids who were prettier than Xiao Yuan.

She spent some time getting the maids in order, and remembering Aunt Chen's teachings, she went to the cake shop to get the latest pastries, put them in the ivory box that the Cheng family had given her before, and personally delivered them to Third Sister Cheng's room.

Cheng San Niang, who had a sweet tooth, was delighted to see the cake and cheerfully invited A Xiu to stay for tea and snacks before letting her go. A Xiu was relieved to see San Niang's amiable manner, but when Cheng's eldest sister returned to her parents' home and saw the boxes of pastries, she scoffed, "What kind of behavior is this? They brought back our own boxes filled with worthless pastries. I really don't know what Er Lang was thinking, not wanting Ru Zhen but instead marrying her!"

That night, she felt increasingly indignant on behalf of her husband's cousin, and the next morning she sent a pretty young girl to Cheng Mutian.

When Ah Xiu saw the girl, she was dumbfounded. This was someone sent by her aunt, and she couldn't be easily ostracized. But this girl looked like a water onion. Wouldn't putting her in Young Master Cheng's courtyard cause trouble for Fourth Sister in the future?

She wanted to ask Aunt Chen for advice, but ever since several maids had left Cheng Mutian's courtyard, Aunt Meng had become wary and rarely let Axiu go out. She thought and thought but couldn't come up with a solution, so she had no choice but to go back to her residence to find Cheng Fu.

Cheng Fu was changing his clothes to go out with Cheng Mutian when he heard A Xiu's words and laughed, "It's no big deal. Don't worry about it at all. No matter who Erlang takes as a concubine or maid, he won't want her."

Ah Xiu pressed for an explanation, but Cheng Fu refused to say anything more.

She couldn't sit still in the room, so she hurriedly wrote a letter and chased after Cheng Fu to give it to Xiao Yuan.

Upon receiving the letter, Xiao Yuan sighed, "What can I do even if I'm in a hurry? Am I supposed to kick that girl out of the Cheng residence right now?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Chen laughed and said, "That's unnecessary. Cheng Erlang's sister and younger sister were both born to his father's concubine. Both of them were later sold off by Master Cheng. Do you know why?"

Xiao Yuan had known Cheng Mutian for a long time and had heard about this matter, so she wasn't too surprised. She replied, "It's rare for someone to be sold after having a child, but it's not unheard of."

Aunt Chen lowered her voice and said, "There's a hidden story you don't know. I overheard Madam mentioning it casually. Everyone says that Cheng Erlang's mother—Master Cheng's principal wife—was murdered by several of the concubines in the household. After Madam Cheng died, Master Cheng knew in his heart that it was the fault of several concubines, but he didn't know exactly which ones. So he simply sold all his concubines and maids to human traffickers."

Xiao Yuan was secretly alarmed. "No wonder Master Cheng only has a rented concubine left." She thought of the introverted and taciturn Cheng Mutian and sighed, "Cheng Erlang is really pitiful. He has to face the two daughters of his enemy every day. Although they are sisters, how can they talk to each other?"

Aunt Chen patted her hand and said, "Cheng Erlang is not of the same mind as them, so he will definitely not take a fancy to the maid they sent. You can relax. His third daughter is still young and is not a problem. When you marry into the family, you only need to be wary of your eldest sister who is already married."

Xiao Yuan nodded gently, carefully noting it down without mentioning it.

Chapter Nine: Aunt Chen's Thoughts

Xiao Yuan strictly followed the customs of the Southern Song Dynasty, and her cake shop focused on high-end products. Not only were the cakes exquisitely made, but even the boxes used to hold them were made of gold, jade, or ivory, making the ladies of Lin'an City proud to have tasted Xiao Yuan's cakes. She was successful in her business, but she felt that the people serving her were becoming increasingly unsuitable. The newly promoted Caiju was not available when she was called several times, and when she inquired, she always said that she was in Aunt Chen's room.

That day, she called Caiju in to serve her again, but it was Cailian who came in.

"Is Caiju still in Aunt Chen's room?" Xiaoyuan frowned slightly and asked.

Cailian replied, "She came back a long time ago and is in her room."

"Now that you're back, why don't you come and serve me?" Xiao Yuan stood up, intending to go to Aunt Chen's room.

Cailian knelt down in front of her to block her way, saying, "Fourth Sister, you'd better not go. I heard that Caiju has already introduced her cousin to Aunt Chen."

Xiao Yuan was a little confused, but after asking a few more questions, she finally understood—when Cai Ju heard Xiao Yuan advising Aunt Chen to remarry during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had a change of heart. Coincidentally, a distant cousin of hers was so poor that he came to stay with her, so she boldly went to see Aunt Chen.

Seeing Xiao Yuan's complicated expression after hearing this, Cai Lian assumed she was angry with Cai Ju, so she said, "Fourth Sister, Cai Ju was just confused for a moment, please forgive her this time."

Xiao Yuan was thinking about Aunt Chen. Cai Ju went to look for Aunt Chen in the morning, but Aunt Chen hadn't come to see her all day. Could it be that she really liked Cai Ju's distant cousin?

Even after the lights were turned off, Xiaoyuan still couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning. She wanted to go find Aunt Chen to ask for clarification, but she was afraid of confirming her suspicions. "I'll just wait for her to tell me herself," she thought, suppressing her inexplicable restlessness and forcing herself to close her eyes and sleep.

Half a month passed in a flash, and there was still no news from Aunt Chen's side. Xiao Yuan was a little relieved, thinking that her own mother might not be interested in a homeless and unemployed old bachelor.

One day, while taking a nap, she overheard the maids outside talking. They said that Caiju had used her connections to introduce her cousin into the family. Xiao Yuan was startled. She jumped up and rushed to the back garden. She found the steward and asked who Caiju's cousin was. The steward pointed to a strong, muscular man and nervously asked, "Fourth Sister, is Aunt Chen dissatisfied with the new Shen Changchun?"

"So his name is Shen Changchun. How come my aunt knew he was coming to our house?" Xiao Yuan was startled again, her brows furrowing deeply.

The steward said with a fawning smile, "Look at what you're saying, Fourth Sister. It was Aunt Chen who brought up the matter of the bamboo house. If she didn't agree, who would dare to bring people here?"

Xiao Yuan stood there stunned. The manager called her several times before she came to her senses.

She was about to run to Aunt Chen's room to find out what was going on, and then sell Caiju far away. Fortunately, an autumn breeze blew by, cooling her face and gradually calming her down—although she despised such scheming maids who climbed the social ladder, if Aunt Chen truly favored Shen Changchun, wouldn't punishing Caiju be embarrassing for her?

Lost in thought, she wandered aimlessly until Asu called "Fourth Sister" in her ear. Only then did she realize she had unknowingly walked to the door of Aunt Chen's room.

She wanted to turn back, but Asu had already lifted the curtain and called out, "Auntie, Fourth Sister is here."

Xiao Yuan had no choice but to go inside. She saw that Aunt Chen was just as flustered as she was, standing in front of the chair instead of coming up to hug her as usual.

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time before Xiao Yuan broke the silence, saying, "Auntie, I am your own daughter. Is there anything you can't tell me?"

Aunt Chen picked up her teacup to cover her face and said shyly, "Fourth Aunt, I was confused. I knew that I was tricked by Caiju, but I still did that to Shen Changchun... It's not that I wanted to hide it from you, but I was just too ashamed to say it out loud."

This was the first time Xiao Yuan had ever seen Aunt Chen blush and blush. In a daze, she seemed to see herself standing by the river, holding a jade boat, secretly picking up a small scroll of paper, not daring to let anyone know—she suddenly felt ashamed of her selfishness.

“Aunt, it’s not your fault. My marriage was also a result of being used by Madam. And what was the outcome?” Xiao Yuan thought of Cheng Mutian and a smile appeared on her lips. “Marriage is like a pair of shoes. Only the wearer knows if they fit. Aunt, you don’t need to worry about others.”

Aunt Chen was both surprised and delighted. She grabbed Xiao Yuan's hand and asked repeatedly, "Really? Fourth Sister, do you really think so?"

Xiao Yuan nodded and said, "But Auntie needs to find out more about Shen Changchun's family background."

Aunt Chen felt relieved and relaxed, and excitedly started talking about Shen Changchun to Xiao Yuan. Seeing her radiant smile, Xiao Yuan felt even more certain that she had done the right thing.

Being happy for Aunt Chen doesn't mean being happy for Caiju. When Xiaoyuan returned to her room that evening, she still wished she could immediately call the slave trader to sell Caiju. However, after much deliberation, in order to ensure that Aunt Chen would not have any relatives who were slaves in the future, she gave Caiju the indenture and restored her freedom.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather grew colder and colder. The walls of the houses in Lin'an were thin, making them cool in the summer but unbearably cold in the winter. Fortunately, the cake shop had made a lot of money, and Xiao Yuan had undertaken a major renovation at home. She dug up the ground in all the houses, built chimneys, and then paved them with blue bricks. One end of the chimney connected to the kitchen, keeping the fire burning day and night, while the other end had a chimney window to vent the smoke out into the courtyard. Less than an hour after the chimneys were completed, all the rooms were warm, and the servants praised Xiao Yuan highly.

By the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the family had a considerable amount of money in their accounts. With money to spare, Aunt Chen had prepared all the necessary items for the New Year and also prepared a table of wine to celebrate the eve of the Lunar New Year with Xiao Yuan.

The maids brought up the warmed wine and set out the steaming hot pot. Aunt Chen cooked a few fish balls for Xiao Yuan and said with a smile, "We don't have anyone in our family who performs the Kitchen God's ritual, so we can't use sugar to seal the Kitchen God's mouth."

Xiao Yuan said, "There's an old rule that 'women don't worship the stove god,' and we can't do anything about it. So why don't we..." She turned and sent the maids to the kitchen to drink, and continued, "Why don't we let Uncle Shen come in sooner?"