Chapter 27: Chapter 27

This sudden remark from Ming Rou instantly left everyone rooted to the spot.

Zhong Lin’s expression was awkward. Over the past few years since Ye Qiuniang came to the estate, his various overt and covert gestures had naturally been noticed by everyone. When Ye Qiuniang abruptly disappeared half a year ago, Zhong Lin had indeed been heartbroken for a while.

And when she suddenly returned this time, those old feelings in his heart had begun to stir once more.

But after interacting over these past few days, he found Ye Qiuniang was still the same as before. She seemed unchanged at first glance, but on closer examination, she seemed entirely different somehow.

Zhong Lin remembered how, when Ye Qiuniang first arrived, she looked very plain. She was also very hardworking, toiling without complaint, willing to do any dirty, tiring, or bitter task. The manager also loved assigning her various jobs, even willing to take her along wherever he went. At first, he had felt quite sorry for this girl.

But as time went on, he discovered that Ye Qiuniang’s manner became increasingly composed, while her temperament grew sharper. It seemed at first there was no change—still the same coarse clothes and faint smile—yet one could sense a different quality about her. Before, he had still occasionally been able to approach her under the pretext of offering help. But now, it felt as though Ye Qiuniang didn’t need his help at all. This realization deeply frustrated Zhong Lin.

Now, being directly told so by the other party’s younger sister, Zhong Lin instantly lost face.

But before he could even open his mouth, A Tao spoke up first. “Brother Lin, Miss Ming is just joking with you. It’s getting late; you’d better head to the estate soon. If you’re late, the manager will scold you again.”

Then he turned to Ming Rou and said, “Miss Ming, didn’t we come to make dyes with Tiantian? We should get to the main business first.”

In truth, Ming Rou regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. She had always been pure-hearted yet impulsive. Her grandfather had told her to curb her temper, but she had never remembered. Now, seeing this man before her, thinking that everyone on the estate knew he harbored feelings for Jiujiu, she couldn’t suppress the sourness in her heart and blurted out a direct warning.

Ming Rou regretted it inside, but her face showed no sign of it. Her chin was raised, still looking somewhat defiant.

Under A Tao’s persuasion, Zhong Lin said nothing more. He picked up his hoe and left.

The remaining three looked at each other for a moment. Only then did Ming Rou remember she had just sniped at her new friend’s own brother, and couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.

But then Zhong Tiantian came over, took her sleeve, and said, “Forget the adults’ business. Let’s just do our own thing. If Sister Qiu really is betrothed, it’s better to let Brother know sooner, so he won’t fall in deeper.”

Hearing this, Ming Rou finally breathed a sigh of relief. Smiling, she stepped forward and linked her arm with Zhong Tiantian’s as they entered the house, secretly resolving not to be so impulsive next time.

Ming Rou relayed Ye Qiuniang’s idea about adding beeswax to Tiantian, and the three decided to give it a try.

But where could they get beeswax? The two were instantly stumped.

In the end, A Tao solved the problem.

“Old Man Zhao’s family raises bees. I’ll go ask him for a bit to test first. If we need more, we’ll think of other ways.”

For now, they truly only needed a little to experiment with. A Tao was close with Old Man Zhao. He ran off and returned shortly after, cradling a small piece of honeycomb wrapped in a lotus leaf.

“Old Man said you have to boil the honeycomb first to melt it, then strain out the impurities before you can use it.”

Zhong Tiantian immediately followed his instructions. She found a small pot, added some water along with the honeycomb, and boiled it down. Soon, she obtained half a small bowl of beeswax. She took a tiny bit and mixed it thoroughly with the safflower sap they had extracted the previous day, finally achieving a sticky paste. It really did look the part.

Looking at the rouge paste, which was so similar to those they had bought before but with an even purer color, Ming Rou felt joy surge straight to her heart.

After it cooled, she and Zhong Tiantian, along with A Tao, applied some to each other’s faces to test the effect. As expected, it was much better than yesterday’s batch and also smelled very nice. However, the moisture level was still somewhat lacking. But it had already surpassed many lip rouges currently sold on the streets. The three didn’t feel discouraged at all; instead, they were even more excited.

“Rourou, this is already very good. If we tinker with it more, it might get even better.”

Ming Rou nodded. Today’s achievement filled her with immense joy, and it was Jiujiu’s reminder that had led to such great progress. She absolutely had to tell her the news when she got home.

The two had busied themselves all day, so immersed in their own world that they hadn’t even noticed the time. They didn’t even realize when A Tao had left. It was only when Zhong Lin entered the house that Ming Rou noticed the sun was about to set. She hurriedly packed her things, preparing to head back.

As she passed the large grass shed, she recalled the ordeal of being chased by the goose that morning. Unable to resist, she glanced in that direction. Unexpectedly, she met the goose’s sharp, piercing eyes. Startled, Ming Rou’s feet skidded on the ground. The goose raised its long neck and let out a honking sound, as if mocking her.

Ming Rou was speechless, but she wasn’t about to hold a grudge against a fowl. Brushing off her backside, she lifted her chin and strode past the goose with a swagger, granting it not another glance.

When she arrived home, Ye Qiuniang had also just returned. Ming Rou eagerly presented her day’s accomplishment to her.

Ye Qiuniang turned, gently stroked her head, and praised, “I just mentioned it casually. I didn’t expect you all to actually make it.”

Ming Rou beamed at her. “Jiujiu, look here. Doesn’t it look pretty?”

Only then did Ye Qiuniang carefully examine her. She saw a thin layer of rouge applied to her lips, moist and glossy, shimmering faintly, looking extremely enticing. There was also a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks, which, paired with today’s outfit, made her look simply adorable.

Ye Qiuniang’s gaze instantly deepened. But the young girl then stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer to her. “Jiujiu, does it smell fragrant? Can you smell the honey?”

Startled, Ye Qiuniang leaned back slightly and quickly reached out to steady her, preventing her from leaning any closer. “Fragrant, I can smell it.”

Ming Rou saw Ye Qiuniang leaning back and huffed unhappily. “You didn’t smell it at all, and you didn’t look closely. You’re just brushing me off.”

“Of course I’m not brushing you off.”

“I don’t believe you. Smell it again.”

Helpless, Ye Qiuniang had no choice but to let her stand firm. Only then did she lean down slightly, bring her nose close to Ming Rou’s lips, and take a gentle whiff.

In truth, she didn’t even need to sniff. Because as soon as she was near Ming Rou, her pleasant scent would come in overwhelming waves. Was it a floral fragrance? Or the taste of honey? Or perhaps the fresh scent of a young girl? Whatever it was, Ye Qiuniang didn’t dare inhale more. She just moved closer briefly and then quickly held her breath.

“Alright, I’ve smelled it. It really is fragrant. Go play on your own; I’ll get dinner ready.”

Only then did Ming Rou reluctantly let Ye Qiuniang go. Seeing the small piece of cured meat Ye Qiuniang was carrying, her expression instantly perked up again.

“Jiujiu, we’re having cured meat tonight!”

Seeing her greedy little face, Ye Qiuniang laughed and said, “There was some in the storehouse. I put a bit on account to bring back as a treat for Eldest Miss, who worked so hard today.”

Ming Rou immediately grew shy. “I didn’t work hard. Jiujiu’s the one who works hard. Jiujiu, let me help you cook.”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Ye Qiuniang was glad to involve her.

She poured some rice into the pot and handed it to Ming Rou. “You go rinse the rice. Just one rinse is enough. Then add water—let the water come up to about half a finger joint above the rice. We have cured meat tonight, so we’ll cook plain rice.”

Assigned a task, Ming Rou was overjoyed. She carried the little pot outside to rinse the rice. Meanwhile, Ye Qiuniang quickly got the fire going in the kitchen.

When Ming Rou brought the pot back in, Ye Qiuniang checked it. The water level was just right, not too much and not too little. She set it directly on the stove.

Ye Qiuniang handed the wild greens she had picked on the way home to Ming Rou to wash outside, then boiled another pot of water. Once the water was hot, she cleaned the small piece of cured meat and placed it whole atop the rice to steam.

The wild greens were boiled directly in water to make a soup. By the time the greens were cooked, the rice and cured meat were also ready. Waves of cured meat fragrance wafted from the pot, making Ming Rou stare at it without even shifting her gaze for a second.

Amused, Ye Qiuniang estimated the time and removed the fire burning beneath the rice, letting the pot continue to simmer on the stove.

The moment she lifted the lid, an enticing aroma rushed out. The glistening, translucent cured meat lay across the rice, a sight that made one’s index finger twitch.

Using chopsticks, Ye Qiuniang picked up the whole piece of cured meat and set it on the cutting board. She then sliced it into small pieces. The steaming hot slices had alternating layers of fat and lean meat. The fatty parts were crystal clear, while the lean parts were a bright red. Just looking at them made one’s mouth water, not to mention the rich, cured aroma that constantly tantalized the taste buds.

Ming Rou peeked out from behind Ye Qiuniang, watching her slice the meat while secretly gulping down her saliva.

Ye Qiuniang lowered her head to look at the little dark head of hair. Chuckling softly, she cut a small, leaner piece and fed it to Ming Rou’s mouth.

Ming Rou opened wide and snatched it with a “nom.” After just two chews, she nearly swallowed her own tongue.

Back when Ming Rou was still at the Ming Residence, smoked meats like this were rarely eaten. Wealthy households always sought freshness and delicacy; cured items weren’t often seen on the table. Even when they were, in the presence of other exotic delicacies, cured meat never held enough appeal to gain favor. Thus, in Ming Rou’s memory, she had hardly ever eaten cured meat.

Coupled with the bland, watery diet of the past few days—just plain porridge without any oil at all—her little stomach was completely cleaned out.

Now, tasting this cured meat, she felt as if she were eating a delicacy from the rarest mountains and seas.

Seeing her utterly satisfied expression, Ye Qiuniang’s face was also filled with laughter. She asked, “Is it good?”

“Exceptionally good. The smoky aroma is captivating and irresistible. The cured flavor is rich and full-bodied. And it’s fatty without being greasy, and the lean meat doesn’t stick between the teeth.”

“Before, didn’t you refuse to eat even a speck of fat? That piece you just ate was half fat.” Ye Qiuniang couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Hehe, go ahead and make fun of me. Anyway, I can eat it now. Hmph.”

After the cured meat was sliced and plated, and the wild greens were ladled into a large bowl, Ming Rou eagerly scampered off to serve the rice. The two sat facing each other, enjoying that day’s wonderful mealtime together.

Well-fed and satisfied, Ming Rou’s mood remained excellent all the way until bedtime. Even then, she was still laughing and fooling around with Ye Qiuniang. But midway through her antics, she suddenly recalled the daytime’s events. Her mood instantly dipped a little. Somewhat uneasily, she said to Ye Qiuniang, “Jiujiu—”

“Mhm?”

“Today when I went to Tiantian’s house, I ran into her older brother. The one who’s always liked you.”

“And then?”

“I don’t like him.”

“If you don’t like him, then don’t. You can’t force yourself to like someone you don’t like.”

“But he’s Tiantian’s older brother. And when the goose chased me today, he helped me.”

“Then why don’t you like him?”

“Because he likes you.”

“So what?” Ye Qiuniang said.

“You’re mine. No one else should like you.” Ming Rou had been feeling a bit guilty, but when she said this, she became exceptionally self-righteous, as if it were some absolute, natural principle.

Ye Qiuniang chuckled softly at her words. “If he didn’t like me, would you still dislike him?”

“No, I wouldn’t. He’s Tiantian’s big brother, and Tiantian is my good friend. And he even saved me. How could I dislike him?”

“Then just let him no longer like me.”

“Mhm, so this morning I told him you’re already betrothed and he shouldn’t like you anymore. Jiujiu, was it okay for me to say that?”

“It was fine. That’s exactly what should be said.” Ye Qiuniang turned on her side and gently ruffled her soft hair.

“Jiujiu, you didn’t even scold me. You’re so good.”

“Why would I scold you? I was indeed betrothed long ago. What you said was the truth.”

“But… but…”

“But what?” Ye Qiuniang’s voice was devoid of any inflection.

“But we’re both women,” Ming Rou said, snuggling closer to her and hugging her arm cautiously.

“Then is there any law under heaven that says a woman can’t be betrothed to another woman?” Ye Qiuniang kept her expression neutral, her fingers still lightly teasing her hair, making Ming Rou feel incredibly comfortable.

Ming Rou pressed her head against Ye Qiuniang’s arm and thought carefully for a moment. It seemed there wasn’t such a law, but somehow, she still felt something was off. Yet the fingers on her head seemed to carry a magical power, stroking her into drowsiness. She couldn’t help but yawn slightly, her eyes growing heavy and hazy.

“But…” Ming Rou murmured sleepily, unable to find words to respond.

“Does Eldest Miss not want Jiujiu to stay by your side forever?”

“…Mmm, I want that…”

“Then why fret over so many other things?”

“Mmm… no more fretting… Jiujiu, stay with me always…” Ming Rou was already slipping into slumber. Where was her consciousness to realize what she was saying?

Only just before losing awareness, she mumbled hazily, “…Goose… Jiujiu, the goose…”