Old Lady Jiang stared fixedly, looking carefully. Her eyes were slightly red, but in another look there was only solemnity left.
"Has no one from the two courtyards moved yet after all this time?" She asked in a low voice.
Tan Yue answered nervously, "Second Young Master is busy with government affairs, Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master are still in school at the National Academy and haven't come down yet, Second Lady took Fourth Young Lady out for a walk, Third Young Lady burned her hand, and the lady of the house just called for the doctor of the manor..."
So after nearly an hour of Jiang's legitimate daughter returning to the manor, she still hadn't seen the second Jiang family member.
Good, good, good.
Old Lady Jiang laughed angrily, "If they don't see, then they don't see. After all, I didn't come back to see them."
After speaking, she called the main kitchen to take away the flashy dishes, leaving only the hearty meat dishes.
Turning around, she was again the benevolent old lady, smiling as she watched her granddaughter play on the swing.
But it wasn't long before the swing stopped.
Old Lady Jiang was a little surprised, "Why did you stop? It's not time to eat yet, play a while longer."
"No no." Jiang Sheng waved her hand, "I was very happy playing for a while. As people say, we should be content." Such a beautiful swing that others can't even touch, she was able to play for so long, already extremely satisfied.
"Besides, I can't leave my grandmother dangling on the side." The little girl blinked her big, round eyes. "You're getting on in years and need to find a place to rest, not just standing there the whole time."
Of all the people in this entire household, only Tan Yue would say this before.
Now there was also Jiang Sheng.
Old Lady Jiang couldn't describe the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy feeling in her heart, but right now she just wanted to smile and take the little chubby hand again, "Alright, then let's go eat."
The chefs in the main kitchen were very efficient. The flashy plating really was gone, and the dishes brought out swiftly were all hearty meat dishes.
Pork, beef, mutton, chicken, cold and hot dishes, stir-fried and braised red, forty-nine dishes total, perfectly covering the entire table, leaving only the outer edge for placing plates.
Jiang Sheng was shocked again.
The meals were already considered bountiful even in the small courtyard of the second residence, taking into account Xu Mo's love of vegetables, Zheng Ruqian's love of fish, Fang Heng's love of stir-fry, Wen Zhiyuan's love of sweets, and Zhang Auntie's thriftiness, not willing for there to be lots of leftovers for the children, so she could only cook as little excess as possible. Yet now in the Jiang house, with only two masters eating, there were a full forty-nine dishes.
"Old Madam, young miss, there are still a few stewed dishes not ready yet, will serve them in a bit," said Tan Yue, smiling by the side.
So there were even more than forty-nine dishes.
Jiang Sheng felt like her heart was being torn. One moment, the floating meat aroma made her mouth water. The next moment, she felt extremely guilty for the waste.
She also felt guilty for eating this feast behind her brothers' backs.
"Try the red braised lamb with skin," Old Lady Jiang gestured for Tan Yue to put some in Jiang Sheng's plate. "I heard from Si Qing you like to eat lamb. I've wanted to send you some for a while now, but was afraid to disturb your peaceful life."
The lamb with skin, tumbling in the hot sand pot for half an hour, braised red to soft and tender meat and crispy skin, with various spices taking away the gaminess. Lying now in the pristine white plate, it looked for all the world like a beckoning courtesan of the night, stretching out a hand with utter charm, "Come, come eat me!"
Jiang Sheng wailed inwardly. I'm so sorry, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother.
She swiftly but steadily picked up her chopsticks, clipped firmly, popped into her mouth, and happily chewed.
The tender and crumbly lamb with no gaminess, the skin providing chewy texture, falling apart after a few more bites. Skin wrapping meat, meat mixed with tendon, carrying a savory spicy flavor. With a "gulp", it was swallowed down the esophagus, its final sacrifice in her stomach pouch.
Jiang Sheng was still reluctant to stop as she licked her lips clean.
Tan Yue deftly grabbed another bite with her chopsticks before Jiang Sheng ate that one too. And repeat.
This little girl's appetite was limitless.
Old Lady Jiang laughed delightedly from the side, seeing all her teeth but not her eyes. "Don't just eat this one dish, try the others too."
"This is stir-fried tender lamb rolled in thin crepes then sprinkled with crisp crumbs, lots of flavor layers."
"This is the sweet and sour fried meat slices, add some green onion shreds together, the green onion is sweet and not spicy, very nice."
Tan Yue discovered that the young miss really could eat. Give her anything and she'd eat it. So Tan Yue felt reassured to start busying about, circling the table area.
By the time Jiang Sheng set down her chopsticks, this usually arrogant head maid had broken out in a light sweat.
"Full?" Old Lady Jiang smiled and asked.
Jiang Sheng nodded, touching her slightly bulging belly pouch. "You should eat too Grandmother. With so many dishes, it'd be wasteful not to eat them."
In addition to the three late stews, there were fifty-two dishes total. Even eating with an open mouth, she'd still barely eaten one-tenth.
Thinking of throwing away the rest in the end, she felt a little reluctant and sad.
"It won't be wasted," Old Lady Jiang seemed to guess her thoughts. "Tan Yue and the other servants will also eat. The big maids and little workers will all get a few bites."
This was also an unwritten rule in great households: the masters' leftovers were divided among the servants to eat.
Jiang Sheng's expression immediately drooped.
"Is the young miss reluctant?" Tan Yue laughed softly. "No one in distinguished households in our Plentiful Capital city has ever eaten leftovers. Young miss, if you still want to eat, just have the main kitchen make more."
"That's not it." Jiang Sheng sighed feelingly. "If I'd known a great household's maid meals were so good, with lamb and beef to eat daily, I definitely would've sold myself into servitude back then if I'd had residency."
Being a servant is great - stable job, stable monthly silver, meat every day, and occasional rewards of gold and silver jewelry.
Too bad the beggars without residency couldn't get jobs or sell themselves. They could only steal a bit here and there to barely scrape by.
Luckily she had residency now, and family, and lamb to eat.
Jiang Sheng was elated, then turned and saw Tan Yue with red-rimmed eyes and Old Lady Jiang's solemn expression.
She realized she'd spoken wrongly. She hastily tried to remedy, "I'm doing very well now, much better than a maid. Big brother even got me registered for residency, I get to eat meat every day."
She didn't even get to say she could also earn money, and even send money to others.
Before she could, Old Lady Jiang swept her into an embrace, hugging her tightly.
To tell the truth, Jiang Sheng hadn't really tightly embraced anyone else before.
Mostly it was excited bear hugs with Second Brother. Or leaning drowsily in Big Brother's arms when carsick. Auntie Zhang would occasionally cry and hug her, but never this forcefully, as if wanting to knead her into her bones and blood.
Jiang Sheng struggled slightly but couldn't struggle free, so she obediently settled in.
It was in this moment she heard her grandmother's heartbeat and smelled her comforting scent, a hand lightly caressing, no, patting her back in a strange rhythm.
Jiang Sheng's eyes drooped closed. Full from the meal, it was easy to get sleepy, and sinking into this warm, secure embrace, she quickly fell asleep.
In her dreams, she was wrapped in swaddling unable to speak, only able to open her mouth and wail.
Every time she cried for a bit, a black-haired woman would come over, humming a song as she rhythmically patted the swaddle. "Baby is good, full and fed, time to sleep, Grandma is here, no crying or fussing."
Just like right now.
