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Gan Shier downed a large bowl in one gulp, then secretly glanced at him: "If it were true, you wouldn't just throw a punch at me right here, would you?" Cheng Mutian thought to himself, "If you act like this, my wife will never take you as an example again. I'd be happy to do that, why would I hit you?" He happily took a sip of wine as well, and found that the originally bitter taste had turned sweet. He patted Gan Shier's shoulder and said, "What's wrong with a man taking in a wife or two? Just don't favor one too much. Don't forget that Third Madam is your legal wife." He then laughed, "Aren't you always shameless, flattering your wife in front of others and behind her back? How come you're willing to upset her this time?" Gan Shier said seriously, "This concubine was given to me by my wife. If she had frowned at the time, I would never have taken her."

Once Cheng Mutian found out whether the maidservant was real or not, he only wanted to go back and report as soon as possible. He didn't care about anything else. Apart from Xiao Yuan, he didn't care about the joys and sorrows of others. Even the last question he asked was just to mock Gan Shier.

He stood up with his wine bowl, said "Next time, I'll treat you to a good drink at a proper restaurant," and hurried home. When he arrived in front of his wife, he first ridiculed Gan Shier, putting on an air of being the only man in the world who was true to himself. Finally, he casually said, "Gan Shier really did take that girl as his concubine. I thought he only took her because he didn't want to offend Third Madam."

San Niang leaned against the door frame, her eyes swollen like red peaches, and asked with trembling lips, "Brother, is what you said true?" Cheng Mutian couldn't stand her like this and frowned, "So what if I took her? She can't get past you. Besides, isn't that concubine your personal maid? She's one of us, what's there to be afraid of?"

Xiao advised her, "Most discord between couples in the world arises from misunderstandings. You've only heard it from your brother; you haven't asked Gan Shier or Cuizhu yourself. Isn't it a bit premature to be upset before you've even figured things out?"

Cheng San Niang thought her sister-in-law's words made sense, so she wiped the marks off her face, borrowed her makeup box, and carefully applied a layer of powder to cover her red and swollen eyes before going home to ask for details.

After having drinks with Cheng Tian, Gan Shier went directly to the toy store and wasn't home. There was only Cui Xiu in the house, sitting in front of the mirror combing her hair. She was combing her hair in the most fashionable women's hairstyle at the time. When she saw Cheng San Niang standing quietly at the door in the mirror, she quickly dropped the comb and kowtowed, complaining, "Young Madam has wronged me."

Cheng San Niang then remembered that this girl already had someone she loved. Gan Shier's act of pretending to be serious had ruined their marriage. She was filled with remorse and said, "It is an honor for the master to bestow a servant upon someone from the household. I will prepare a large dowry for you and marry you off to him."

Cuizhu glanced at her and said, "Where did you get the money to prepare my dowry, young mistress? Your own dowry was pieced together from various sources."

The dowry was a sore spot for Cheng San Niang. She was so choked by these words that she couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened, her legs went weak, and she slid to the ground against the door.

Chapter 110 The Chambermaid (Part 2)

It would be a grave offense for Madam Fang to fall ill from anger. Cuizhu panicked and hurriedly called for help. Cheng Sanniang grabbed her arm with all her might and asked, "Didn't you swear you would marry that servant?" Cuizhu looked down at her new clothes and answered irrelevantly, "The young master is very considerate. He said that as long as I give birth to a son or daughter, he will make me his concubine."

Cheng San Niang's body began to slide down again. A little maid named Cuihua couldn't stand Cuizhu's arrogant attitude and spat, "You slept with the young master, but there's not a single trace of blood on the bed. You must have been taken advantage of by that servant long ago. You're just a withered flower, yet you're being offered as a concubine."

Cui Zhu's expression changed, and she hurriedly retorted, "Who said I didn't have any blood? I just put that white cloth away early on. Did I really want you to see it?"

Cheng San Niang wasn't used to arguing with people. Watching them bicker for a few moments, with Cui Zhu and Cui Hua getting increasingly heated, her head started to ache. Just as she was about to return to her room to think of a solution, she suddenly heard Gan Shier's loud shout from ahead: "Oh no! Oh no! Madam, come quickly and help me move the books!" Cheng San Niang was startled. She helped the maid to the second gate and saw four full baskets of books piled up there. Gan Li was trying to pay the porters, but couldn't find enough. He complained to Gan Shier, "Young Master is too henpecked; he doesn't even have ten coins on him." Gan Shier scratched his head: "Nonsense, these books are too expensive; I've spent all my money." After scratching his head, he looked up and saw Cheng San Niang. He quickly went to borrow money from her, saying, "Madam, quickly have someone put these books in my study. Father has come from Quanzhou and is catching up with Father-in-law. He'll probably be here soon."

Upon hearing that her father-in-law had arrived, Cheng San Niang hurriedly directed the maids to fetch water and clean the study, which was covered in cobwebs, and then neatly arrange the books. Gan Shier walked into the main room, picked up the teapot, and took a swig, sighing, "I never realized how expensive paper was until I bought books. A single page costs four copper coins!" Cheng San Niang asked in confusion, "Why does my husband have to buy books now? Didn't he have any to read when he was with his classmates?"

Gan Shier coughed for a while after spitting out some tea before saying, "After Father leaves, I still need to go to study at my classmate's place. Moving back and forth is too much trouble. It's better to buy another set." Seeing that Cheng San Niang didn't quite believe him, he quickly slipped away with Gan Li under the pretext of going to pick up his father.

Cheng San Niang, her heart filled with thoughts of Cui Xiu, stared blankly at his retreating figure for a long while before remembering to instruct the kitchen to prepare a hangover soup. Not long after, someone from the Cheng family arrived, inviting the young mistress of the Gan family to a banquet. Usually, she would bring Cui Zhu with her to such occasions, but now her personal maid had become her personal enemy, and she had no one left to rely on. She couldn't help but shed a few more tears, elevating Cui Hua, who had just argued with Cui Zhu, to be her head maid and sending her to her parents' home in a sedan chair.

Her small residence was only a short walk from the mansion. When she entered, the banquet hadn't started yet, and she briefly greeted the elders before heading to the third courtyard to find her sister-in-law. Xiao Yuan immediately noticed that the head maid beside her had been replaced, and felt a pang of sadness for her. She asked softly, "Have you asked Gan Twelve?" Cheng San Niang shook her head, tears streaming down her face, "I only asked Cui Zhu. She said that the master wants her to bear children and even wants to elevate her to the position of concubine."

Xiao Yuan was anxious for her and said, "Even when an official is judging a case, both sides' testimonies must match. Why did you only ask Cui Xiu and not Gan Shier?"

Cheng glanced at the courtyard in front and said, "Father-in-law advocates taking concubines for the master. Why don't we use Cuizhu to fool him first and then make further plans?"

Xiao Yuan thought to herself, "What a fool I am." She asked, "Gan Shier really took her in. What are your plans?" Cheng San Niang twisted her handkerchief into a rope. But she said, "What else can I do? Even my brother says it's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. I can only turn a blind eye."

Xiao felt a pang of heartache for the finely crafted bamboo handkerchief. She sighed inwardly. They had been sisters-in-law for over two years, yet her sister still wouldn't tell her the whole story. Everything was always half-revealed, half-hidden. She had already suffered so much hardship in her family home before marriage. Now that she was finally in charge, would she really let her continue to suffer?

She was unsure how to continue the conversation when Cailian came to report that the dishes for the banquet were ready and asked the young mistress to check. She thanked her silently and hurriedly asked Acai to escort Cheng San Niang to her seat at the front. She then led her people to the kitchen. Since Master Gan was both a relative by marriage and an old friend, the kitchen was bustling with activity, with many dishes being prepared. Ayun handed Xiaoyuan a meatball to taste, pouting, "San Niangzi is too weak. Sister Xiu should teach her how to use a stick." Xiaoyuan took a bite of the meatball and sighed, "My sister-in-law is more sensible than anyone else, but she suffers from being too shy and not good with words. How can a couple live together if they're always guessing each other?"

Ayun laughed, "Let's have the eldest sister teach her what 'being straightforward' means." Her words drew laughter from the cooks. Cailian quickly glared at her. Following Xiaoyuan's instructions, she served the dishes to the table in a flowing stream.

It was said that Cheng San Niang was invited to a banquet. In reality, the men were all drinking at the front. Only Madam Qian and Xiao Yuan accompanied her inside. She ran back to her parents' home crying several times. Everyone in the Cheng family knew that they had recently taken in a concubine. Madam Qian gestured with her lip towards the maidservant behind her, comforting her, "Having a concubine in the house makes you look good. Your sister-in-law suffered because of this."

Now, no matter who brings up this matter, Cheng San Niang will burst into tears, but when Madam Qian's words mentioned Xiao Yuan, she didn't know how to respond, and even forgot to cry. She stared blankly at her stepmother and then at her sister-in-law.

Xiao Yuan completely ignored Madam Qian's words and turned to ask Cheng San Niang, "Is the room where your father-in-law lives ready?" Cheng San Niang was unsure how to respond, so she quickly nodded and said, "There are three courtyards, but we only live in one. There are plenty of empty rooms. I had already asked them to tidy it up when I came out."

Xiao Yuan added, "You've just started your family, so you probably don't have all the household items. Just come and get whatever you're missing." Cheng San Niang secretly glanced at Madam Qian, and seeing that her expression hadn't changed much, she got up to thank her and then personally poured each of them a cup of wine.

After they finished their meal, before the wine was finished, Xiao Yuan waited with Cheng San Niang for a while, but when Master Gan didn't come out, she pulled her back to the third courtyard to sit for a bit. Cheng San Niang patted her chest and said, "Sister-in-law, you've grown quite bold these days. You even dare to openly say you'll help me out when my stepmother is around." Xiao Yuan laughed at her and said, "I think you've become timid since you got married. Back then, you cried and begged me not to give the account books to my stepmother. I listened to you and took charge of the household, and I was able to decide to help you out. Why are you so hesitant now?"

Cheng San Niang had her sister-in-law supporting her when she was young, so she only needed to follow behind and help out. Now that she was married, she realized that she had to take the lead in everything, both at home and outside. She was used to living behind the scenes, so she was naturally not used to being in the spotlight. Today, she witnessed Xiao Yuan's way of handling things and thought of Cui Xiu at home. She wished she could bring her sister-in-law back to her original state, handle all the household affairs for her, and then send her back. However, she knew she was too embarrassed to say it, so she lowered her head and remained silent. Not long after, a maid came to report that Master Gan had gotten drunk and asked his daughter-in-law to send someone to serve him. She hurriedly took Cui Hua and rushed to the front yard. Xiao Yuan also went with her. They borrowed two of her servants and helped Master Gan into the sedan chair.

Master Gan was quite drunk. He swayed a few times on the bed and vomited it all up on the way. This actually sobered him up. As soon as he entered the house, he went straight to his son's study. Seeing the shelves full of books, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "Twelfth, you must read books, but you can't let your health deteriorate. I mentioned in my letter that I wanted you to take in a maid. Have you done so?"

Cheng San Niang hurriedly called Xiu to kowtow and told her to serve tea to the master. However, Master Gan did not drink the tea served by the maidservant. Instead, he called in another maidservant and said to Gan Twelve, "I will give you a concubine." Gan Twelve stood next to Cheng San Niang, shook his head and smiled, "Your wife is so virtuous that she has already taken me a concubine. Father, you should keep this one for yourself."

Master Gan blushed, then, without offering any more tea, hastily drank a couple of sips before feigning sleepiness. He helped the maid from earlier to the courtyard prepared for him to rest. Gan Twelve secretly chuckled behind his back, then pulled Cheng San Niang into the room, saying, "My father is terrified of my mother. It's not a good place for him to have an affair in Quanzhou, so he specially came all the way to Lin'an, and even has to pretend to give way to me, so that he can tell my mother later: 'This maid is a gift from my son to me.'" Cheng San Niang knew that Master Gan was terrified of his wife, but she was speechless that her father-in-law would travel all the way to Lin'an for an affair. She pursed her lips and chuckled to herself, then looked up and saw Gan Twelve loosening his belt, deliberately saying, "My lord, aren't you going to Cui Zhu's room?"

Gan Er suppressed his smile, looked closely at her face, and asked, "Do you want me to go?" Cheng San Niang remembered that he had just praised her for being virtuous in front of her father-in-law, and that unwillingness was stuck in her throat like a fishbone, and she couldn't spit it out.

Gan Shier didn't hear her reply. Instead, he tied his belt, went to open the door, and turned back to ask, "Do you really want me to come?" Cheng San Niang had tears in her eyes, but she didn't turn around. She silently nodded, and when she heard the door close and turned back, Gan Shier had already gone towards Cui Zhu without looking back.

She couldn't sleep at all after lying in bed, her tears soaking half her pillow. She wanted to ask her sister-in-law for advice that very night, but her father-in-law was at home. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next day, she got up early, thickly applying powder to cover her red and dark circles, hoping to continue to win praise from her father-in-law for her virtuousness. However, the maid who had served Master Gan the night before said, "Master took the young master out early this morning, saying that he wanted the young master to take him to see the restaurants in the capital."

She slowly walked towards her room, but saw in the distance that Cuizhu was going to the main room to pay her respects. Not knowing how to face this maid who had spent the night with her husband, she hurriedly took Cuihua's hand and went outside, stopped a sedan chair, and sat down to find Xiaoyuan.

Chapter 111 Talking Nonsense

In the main room of the third courtyard of their own house, Xiao Yuan, Aunt Chen, Li Wu Niang, and San Wu Ge were chatting happily. A Yun lifted the beaded curtain and announced that San Niangzi had arrived. Xiao Yuan hurriedly ordered someone to add a chair and serve tea, and introduced her to Cheng San Niangzi: "This is my third sister-in-law from my maternal family. I met her at the auction. This is my birth mother. I'm afraid this is the first time I've met her."

Seeing that there were guests present, Cheng San Niang didn't want to confide in her sister-in-law, so she silently bowed and sat down next to Xiao Yuan. Chen Yiniang, being an elder and meeting Cheng San Niang for the first time, took a fine handkerchief made of bamboo and gave it to her as a greeting gift. She also took a pith tiger from Wu Ge's hand and said with a smile, "Did you make this, San Niang? You have such skillful hands. I can only embroider clothes for my grandson, but I can't make these kinds of things."

Cheng San Niang smiled and was about to say a few words of modesty when she suddenly noticed that the tiger's tail was untied. She then remembered that she had run over here in a daze yesterday and hadn't finished tidying up the thing yet. Her face immediately turned red, and she quickly took the tiger and continued to braid the tail.

She finished the tiger and handed it to Wu Ge, still feeling a bit embarrassed. So she called Cuihua back to get some dyed pith paper, wanting to weave a few more toys for Aunt Chen and Li Wu Niang to take back for their children to play with. Cuihua lived nearby and quickly retrieved the materials. Her fingers flew as she wove a bird, then a little rabbit. Aunt Chen and Li Wu Niang were both intrigued and gathered around to watch. Aunt Chen pointed at Li Wu Niang and said, "She has two boys; weave more for her. I'll take one back for Yu Niang to hang by her bedside." Li Wu Niang replied, "They're not my own children; I'm too lazy to take them back. I'll give them all to Yu Niang."

Cheng San Niang paused for a moment. "Li San Sao's family also has concubines?" Li Wu Niang twitched her lips. "Every family has a few. Your sister-in-law is just lucky." Chen Yiniang laughed. "That's the trouble of wealthy families. We poor families can't afford to keep concubines, so we don't need to worry about that."

Aunt Chen herself was a concubine, yet she spoke so openly about how Li Wu Niang's family also had concubines who had given birth to sons. Cheng San Niang thought to herself, "So everyone is the same." Emboldened, she revealed that she had taken the initiative to send herself to a concubine to test her husband's true feelings, asking these "experienced" women for advice.

Every family has its share of troubles involving multiple wives and concubines, and sure enough, no one laughed at her; everyone spoke freely.

Li Wuniang first explained, "It's unavoidable that my family has concubines. You are so lucky that no one takes concubines. Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?"

Cheng San Niang said, "I have no choice. My husband's relatives all advised me, and my father-in-law has come to Lin'an in person. I must think about my reputation."

Li dismissed it: "What's a reputation worth? Even if you're labeled a jealous woman, you can't send someone to your husband's doorstep."

Aunt Chen said, "As a woman, how can she not value her reputation? I don't think there's anything wrong with Third Sister sending a concubine to the master. It's just that men love novelty. You can give it a try, but how can you let them do as they please?"

Seeing that everyone was saying she had handled things poorly, Cheng San Niang felt a vague sense of regret. She worriedly said, "The die is cast, and there's nothing we can do?"

Li Wuniang comforted her, saying, "What's there to worry about? Just hire a slave trader to sell her." Cheng Sanniang hesitated, "What if the master truly loves her? Wouldn't selling her break his heart?" Li Wuniang remembered that it was because of this thought that she had tolerated He Laosan's concubine giving birth to two or three sons in succession, and she shut her mouth and remained silent.

Cheng San Niang then asked Chen Yiniang. Chen Yiniang smiled and said, "Since you don't know what the master is thinking, why not find out before you act? If he doesn't care, then sell it. If he does care, then bear with it."

Cheng San Niang simply didn't dare to ask. Hearing this, she lowered her head and remained silent.

Li Wuniang looked down on those who hesitated. She asked outside, "Why isn't Sister Cheng here yet? She's always the last one at the auction."

Cheng San Niang then realized that they wanted to play gambling games. Since she didn't want to go home anyway, she made up a few more games and said with a smile, "Let's gamble with a big dice, I'll join in the fun."

The four of them sat for a while longer, until Cheng San Niang had woven more than ten pith trinkets before Cheng Da Jie appeared, followed by Ji Liu Niang carrying a large bundle. As soon as she entered, she said, "Fourth Sister, tidy up a courtyard for me. I'm sending Ji Liu Niang to her parents' home to rest during her pregnancy."

As everyone here knows, Sister Cheng had given birth to two children, both of whom unfortunately died young. This time, she must have seen that "one of her own" was pregnant and wanted to ensure that she could safely give birth to a son so that she could raise him as her own.

Aunt Chen always put her daughter's interests first. She whispered to Xiao Yuan, "I've never seen a concubine go back to her mother's house to rest during her pregnancy. You'll be held responsible." Xiao Yuan chuckled softly, "This Ji Liu Niang is our madam's cousin. She has her aunt to take care of her. It has nothing to do with me." After saying that, she asked someone to call Xiao Tong Qian and have her carry the bundle to take Ji Liu Niang to the second courtyard.

Sister Cheng had never been particularly interested in the flea market; she only joined because she enjoyed the lively atmosphere. Seeing Third Sister Cheng sitting alone, looking dejected and weaving, she quickly went over to ask what was wrong. Third Sister Cheng, being close to her, didn't hide anything and recounted the story of sending a concubine to her husband. Sister Cheng, who hadn't been back to her parents' home in a long time, was hearing this news for the first time. She pulled Sister Cheng along to find Xiao Yuan, quite displeased, saying, "Third Sister is still young, it's normal that she doesn't know how to handle things. Why didn't you, as her sister-in-law, stop her? Why did you let her do such a foolish thing?"

Aunt Chen, being the biological mother, couldn't easily defend her daughter, but Li Wuniang retorted without any politeness, "If a sister wants to send her family members to her brother-in-law, how can her sister-in-law from her own family stop her? Is this some kind of twisted logic from your Jin family?"

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Xiao Yuan quickly said, "I was also at fault in this matter. I trusted Gan Shier too much. I will definitely shamelessly ask him another day why he was willing to make his wife sad."

Her interruption made Sister Cheng forget to retaliate against Li Wuniang, and she turned to ask Cheng Sanniang: "Have you asked Gan Shier if he dared to take a concubine so soon after getting married?"

Cheng San Niang lowered her head and shook her head, saying, "I was too embarrassed to ask him in person, but my brother asked him for me. The master said that he accepted a concubine because he didn't want to offend me."

Sister Cheng got anxious: "You still want Erlang to ask for you about something like this? Don't you have a mouth?"

Cheng San Niang repeatedly wove and unraveled the toy, then stammered, "I'm afraid... what if my husband says he likes embroidery? I, I..."

Sister Cheng stomped her feet, wishing she could slap her awake: "So what if you love him? When he's not around, beat him if you need to, sell him if you need to. Do you think he'd divorce you for a concubine?"

Cheng San Niang valued Gan Shier, so she refused to listen to her and just twisted her skirt without saying a word.

Li Wuniang understood her thoughts and said, "Since you've already made your decision, you're just as unfortunate as I am. Just endure it slowly."

Cheng's words made her even more disheartened, so Sister Cheng hurriedly said, "Don't listen to her. She's arrogant on the outside but soft on the inside. Just sell that concubine, and Gan Shier won't dare to do anything to you."

Cheng San Niang asked, "Sister, you've arranged so many concubines for your husband, but I've never seen you sell them?" Cheng Da Jie replied, "Whether I sell them or not, I should at least make myself happy. If you're not happy, why don't you sell them?"

They made sense, but Cheng San Niang felt none of them applied. She endured it, feeling resentful and unwilling, yet also concerned about Gan Shier's feelings. Lost in thought, she wove something, when suddenly she heard Xiao Yuan exclaim, "San Niang, what are you weaving? The pith paper is all messed up!" She seemed to wake from a dream, looked up, and saw only herself and Xiao Yuan left in the room. She asked in surprise, "Where are they?"

Xiao Yuan sighed and shook her head: "They all have concubines. Seeing you so upset, they felt bad too, so they left long ago. You were so engrossed in your story that your eldest sister called you several times but you didn't hear her. I had to stop her before she left." Cheng San Niang dropped what she was doing, leaned on her shoulder, and cried: "Sister-in-law, things have already come to this. What should I do? Please teach me, considering that I've never had a mother to teach me since I was little." Xiao Yuan patted her back and said: "I've already made a mistake once. How can I teach you? Every family's situation is different. What works for me may not work for you."

Seeing that Cheng San Niang seemed to have taken it to heart, she continued, "No matter what, you must ask Gan Shier directly to find out his thoughts before taking any action. This kind of secretive behavior is not the way a couple should behave."

Cheng San Niang blinked her teary eyes: "Then I'll ask my husband now, before my father-in-law passes away?" Xiao Yuan patted her: "He's the one you're going to spend your whole life with, so what can't you say openly?"

Cheng San Niang also regretted not speaking up last night because of her pride, which had pushed her husband to the concubine's room. She dried her tears, got up and said goodbye, and went home to wait for Gan Shier.

She thought she wouldn't see him until evening, but when she got home, Gan Shier was already sitting in the hall with Master Gan. She hurriedly went forward to greet him and asked, "Father, weren't you going to the restaurant? Why are you back so soon?" Master Gan said, "It turns out that those restaurants don't open until evening. We went too early. Let's wait until it gets dark before we go."

Cheng San Niang was still wondering why a restaurant only opened for business at night when she heard Master Gan say, "Daughter-in-law, the 'two cooked fish' from your mother's house yesterday was very delicious. Why don't you make some for me to try?"

Although she was an unwanted illegitimate daughter, she was still born into a wealthy family. She had never been to the kitchen before and didn't even know whether a pot was round or flat, let alone how to cook such a famous dish. Even the cook she had just hired only knew a few common dishes. She was just thinking about whether to borrow a cook from her parents' home when Gan Shier spoke up: "Father, my wife is a lady from a respectable family. How can she go to the kitchen to cook? Please wait patiently. When we go to the restaurant tonight, I will order some for you."

When Cheng San Niang saw that her husband dared to openly defend her in front of her father-in-law, even more so than her brother, her unease immediately lessened. However, she was someone without a good dowry to back her up. Her husband dared to speak, but she dared not obey. She hurriedly washed her hands and went to the kitchen, and then ordered someone to go to her parents' home to borrow a cook.

Chapter 112 Growth (Part 1)

After a while, the Cheng family's cook arrived, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the kitchen. She asked what ingredients were needed to make two kinds of cooked fish. The cook smiled and said, "Our young mistress gave the instructions first, so I brought them myself." As she spoke, she took out a basket, took out two catties of yam, cooked it, added a milk ball, and mashed it finely. While she was telling the Gan family's cook, who was helping her, to chop three catties of dried tangerine peel and two ounces of ginger, she advised Cheng San Niang to go out and rest so as not to be choked by the fumes.

Cheng San Niang shook her head and said, "It's alright. If the master investigates, I'll have an explanation." Seeing her cautiousness, the cook felt a bit sorry for her and said, "Master Gan will only ask a few questions at most. Does he expect you to cook it yourself? I'll tell you the cooking method—add the yam, dried tangerine peel, and minced ginger that you just prepared to half a pound of bean flour paste and mix them together. Then add dry bean flour to make a thick paste for the filling. For each rice noodle sheet, wet the rice noodles, put in the filling, fold it over, and shape it into a fish shape. First, fry it until cooked, then cook it in the sauce."

Cheng San Niang was confused, but managed to remember a few main ingredients and seasonings. When the "two-cooked fish" was ready and plated, she personally served it. Sure enough, she heard Master Gan ask, "Wife, what is the fish skin made of?" Cheng San Niang replied, "Yam." Master Gan frowned and thought for a moment, "Yam can be made into such a thin skin?" Cheng San Niang blushed and racked her brains to think of the ingredients. Gan Shier picked up a "two-cooked fish" and put it in Master Gan's bowl, saying, "It's already not easy for her to be in the kitchen. Mother doesn't even know which way the kitchen door opens."

Old Master Gan had suffered endless oppression at home. He finally managed to show off his authority as the head of the household in front of his daughter-in-law, but his son, who was so audacious as to disregard his father, ruined the whole thing. Enraged, he threw down his chopsticks, abandoned the dishes on the table, and stormed out.

Gan Shier hurriedly hugged Cheng Sanniang and kissed her, comforting her, "My father is just like this, don't take it to heart." After saying that, he rushed out and found Master Gan at the alley entrance, scolding him, "Father, if you're angry, take it out on me, why are you making my wife lose face?"

Old Master Gan, unable to bear it any longer, stormed into the street, his face contorted with rage, and demanded, "After all these years of studying, all you've learned is to be afraid of your wife?" Gan Twelve protested, lamenting the books he had never read, "I learned it all from you, Father." Old Master Gan, losing face, spotted a restaurant ahead and headed towards it. Gan Twelve followed, seeing the lavish decor and realizing that without a string of cash, one wouldn't be able to leave, he hurriedly stopped his father, asking, "Father, do you have any money?" Old Master Gan had money, but was still angry, and retorted, "I gave you plenty of money when you came to Lin'an. I've come all this way, and you won't even treat me to a drink?"

How could Gan Shier say that he needed to keep his money to pay off debts? He simply said that the restaurant was no good, and that it had only opened that night.

Master Gan looked around and saw a brightly painted gate at the entrance of the restaurant. A row of red and green lanterns with gold-plated gauze hung in the street. Looking further inside, he saw scarlet curtains adorning the halls and courtyards. Through the wide-open back door, he could vaguely glimpse the lush flowers and trees in the back garden and the elegant seating area. The more he looked, the more he liked it. Ignoring Gan Twelve's advice, he went inside and discovered that the restaurant had a hidden world inside. After walking a dozen or twenty steps along the corridor from the entrance, it split into north and south corridors, both with elegant pavilions for seating.

Seeing that his robes were of fine material, the waiter hurried over and greeted him, "Sir, don't be fooled by the lack of sights now. Tonight, the lanterns and candles will illuminate the place, creating a breathtaking spectacle." Indeed, this was the capital; even a waiter spoke with refined manners. It seemed that leaving his son to study in Lin'an was the right decision. Master Gan smiled, glancing around. Gan Twelve caught up from behind and pulled him, saying, "Father, this place isn't open yet. I'll take you to 'Da Wan Tou' (a restaurant name)."

The waiter, hearing that the porters and laborers frequented "Dawantou" (a place for beating bowls), was disdainful, but seeing that the man's clothes were of decent quality, he feared he might miss out on a wealthy customer. So he quickly said to Master Gan, "Sir, don't be in such a hurry. Sit down and have a couple of drinks first. Come back to our main corridor in the evening; it has a different kind of scenery."

Master Gan, who usually frequented restaurants in Quanzhou, had no idea what "Da Wan Tou" (打碗头) was. He was hesitating whether to go with his son to see it for himself. But upon hearing the waiter's words, he immediately stopped hesitating. He chose a small, elegant room and sat down firmly, refusing to move an inch.

The waiter, beaming with obsequiousness, brought over a tray of wine. The wine was served in a small silver jar. Master Gan took one and clicked his tongue in amazement. He said to Gan Twelve, "Although Quanzhou is wealthy, we don't have such refined tastes."

Gan Shier was restless. His father had rushed out, perhaps truly without money. He himself had to borrow money from his wife to buy a book. Where would he get so much money for wine? He peered outside. Gan Li hadn't followed him out. He could only stop the waiter and say, "Do you know the Cheng family at the foot of Phoenix Mountain? Go and invite their young master over for a drink. I'll give you a tip later."

"We know that you can stay at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. Please have a seat, sir. You'll be right there." The guest they invited was none other than the young master of the Cheng family. He was indeed wealthy. I hadn't misjudged him. The waiter was secretly pleased and ran off quickly to fetch Cheng Mutian from the dining table.

When Cheng Mutian arrived at the restaurant, he saw that it was Gan Shier who had invited him. His face immediately turned frosty. He said, "I was just eating. I thought some businessman had called me to discuss business, so I rushed over. How could a scholar like you come to a restaurant like this?"

Gan Shier quietly pointed to Master Gan in Jichu Pavilion and said, "Wouldn't it be cheap for me to treat you to a meal here? We won't order any cards." Then he pointed to the waiter next to him who was looking on expectantly and said, "Brother, please give me my tip first."

Cheng Mutian then realized that it was because he hadn't brought any money and had asked him to be a sucker. He was both amused and exasperated, and called Cheng Fulai to give him a tip, saying, "You have no money and you still brought your father-in-law here to drink. I don't have any money to lend you." Gan Shier cried out that he was wronged: "I was dragged here by him."

Cheng Mutian didn't believe that a father would take his son out to brothels. But since Master Gan was an elder, he couldn't refuse to pay for him. So he glared at Gan Twelve and said, "Put this money on your account. Remember to pay me back."

Seeing him nod, Gan Shier called him "good brother" several times and led him inside to see Master Gan. Although Master Gan didn't know Cheng Mutian very well, he knew that his father, Master Cheng, was a rigid man who would rather buy people into the family one after another than hire prostitutes. He guessed that the son raised by the old man would also be a little rigid, so he was reluctant to sit at the same table with him and said, "You young people are not comfortable sitting with me. Why don't you go to another room on the side and have some fun?"