Thinking back on the hardships they had faced along the way, Wu Shi’s eyes reddened. Who would willingly sell themselves into servitude if there were any other options? Seeing Zhou Yue a bit nervous and Zhou Xing still naive, tears suddenly fell from Wu Shi’s eyes.
Although young, Zhou Xing understood somewhat. She wiped away Wu Shi’s tears, “Mother, I will take good care of the young lady. Please don’t cry.”
Wu Shi hugged Zhou Xing tightly. It was hard for her to accept that her young daughter had to serve others. Zhou Yue pursed her lips; the thirteen-year-old girl had already come to understand the harsh realities of life.
“Mother, the young lady said that once we have saved enough money, we can buy our freedom. We just need to save enough.”
“That’s true. We’ve finally settled down, let’s not talk about these things for now. First, let’s pack up our things, and we can talk about the rest later,” Wu Shi also had clarity, “Xingxing, I see the young lady has a kind nature. You must listen to her and serve her well.”
“I know, Mother. I will serve the young lady well,” Zhou Xing said crisply. Wang Ma just happened to walk up to the door and heard the conversation between Wu Shi and Zhou Xing, a smile appearing on her face.
“It’s getting late, time for lunch,” Wang Ma said as she entered the room, and seeing the three of them looking at her, she too smiled warmly.
People are easy to get along with, so there’s no need to be harsh. Besides, the Jiang family isn’t so strict with rules.
Just as they stepped out of the courtyard, Wu Shi saw her youngest son, Zhou Wen, squatting next to Jiang Chan, watching two puppies play and wrestle.
“Big sister, these puppies are so interesting.”
Jiang Chan’s expression softened, “This black one is called Taxue. See, its paws are white, does it look like it’s stepping on snow? The other one is called Naihuang Bao.”
“Why is it called Naihuang Bao? Is it also a bun?” Zhou Wen, with his clear black and white eyes, looked at Jiang Chan, who reassured him that all was safe, and the child quickly became lively.
“Naihuang bao is a type of bun we make at home. You’ll know why it’s called that when you taste it tomorrow. Your mother and sisters are here, we should go to lunch now.”
Jiang Chan, noticing everyone standing on the corridor including Wu Shi, her daughters, and Wang Ma, called them over. Wu Shi tentatively patted Zhou Wen’s clothes, “From now on, call her ‘young lady’.”
Jiang Chan raised her hand, “He’s still young, we can teach him later. Now it’s time for lunch. After lunch, Zhou Shi and Zhou Yue will follow me to learn how to make dim sum. Just don’t find it too hard.”
Zhou Yue nodded, “Young lady, I will learn well.”
Jiang Chan looked at Zhou Yue, who was a bit shorter, “I believe in you. In the future, the dim sum shop will be in your hands.”
Because new people had joined the household, Li Ma had prepared several dishes, all of them new styles contributed by Jiang Chan. Seeing Wu Shi a bit constrained, Lin Shi smiled, “Our home isn’t strict with rules. If you’re not used to it, you can join Li Ma in the future.”
When Jiang Chan first arrived, she found that Wang Ma, Li Ma, and Uncle Zhong all dined at the table, unlike other households where servants didn’t eat with the family.
These were all old members of the Jiang family, already close like family. Now, as Wu Shi and others joined Jiang Chan and Lin Shi for meals, they felt uncomfortable, so Lin Shi simply suggested, “Let’s do this, Uncle Zhong, go get a small table this afternoon. From now on, the Master, I, and Xiao Chan will eat together. Mr. Zhou just arrived, so you can accompany him.”
Uncle Zhong naturally nodded in agreement. Hearing Mrs. Lin’s explanation, Zhou Shan and the others also felt relieved. Now, they were also interested in slowly savoring the dishes.
Li Ma had prepared dishes like braised pork and pork bone soup, totaling seven or eight dishes. Seeing Zhou Yue and Zhou Xing only looking at the vegetables in front of them, Jiang Chan pursed her lips and didn’t say much.
“Madam Zhou, making dim sum is physically demanding. You need to eat more to have the energy for the afternoon,” Li Ma noticed Jiang Chan’s concern and added several pieces of meat to Zhou Yue and Zhou Xing’s bowls, prompting Wu Shi to say it was enough.
Seeing her daughters’ eyes suddenly brighten, Wu Shi wiped her eyes while passing the bowls. It seemed that the master’s house was indeed amiable, and her heart could finally be at ease.
After a hearty meal, Zhou Shan followed Uncle Zhong to run errands, and Wu Shi took her daughters and Li Ma to the kitchen. Li Ma, who knew some dim sum skills but wasn’t very proficient, also learned quietly from the back.
As for the youngest child, Zhou Wen, he obediently followed behind Wu Shi, who was busy while he just stood and watched.
Making sponge cakes mainly involved beating the egg whites until foamy, a task that required a long time. After beating the eggs, Wu Shi shook her arms, clearly feeling the soreness.
Li Ma chuckled, “This task can be left to shopkeeper Zhou in the future. Men have more strength. It used to be Uncle Zhong who did this.”
Wu Shi nodded, her arms indeed sore. No wonder Li Ma mentioned it was physically demanding. Jiang Chan didn’t cook herself but directed Li Ma, while Zhou Yue and others watched Li Ma’s movements without blinking.
Li Ma managed, albeit with difficulty, to make a batch of sponge cakes that were golden brown on the outside and smelled sweeter than ordinary dim sum.
Jiang Chan took a bite of a sponge cake, “This batch turned out alright. Aunt Zhou, why don’t you try it? This is the signature sponge cake from our shop, you can’t find this dim sum on the market.”
Zhou Wen took the sponge cake from Li Ma and thanked her, saying, “Thank you, Auntie Li, please have some.”
Li Ma smiled, “You eat it yourself. We’ll eat these ourselves. Zhou Shi, Zhou Yue, Zhou Xing, you also try some.”
Concerned they might feel uncomfortable, Li Ma also took one and tasted it carefully, “It still a bit lacking, not as delicious as the young lady’s.”
Wu Shi now realized the sponge cake recipe was Jiang Chan’s invention, now taught to them. Especially considering her daughter Zhou Yue had learned such a skill, in the future, they would have many options.
“Just practice more. Aunt Zhou, Ah Yue, your future task is to make dim sum. You don’t have to do anything else. Whenever you learn to make dim sum, the shop will open.”
The preparation is key, and Jiang Chan planned to make a big impact with her shop. Even if it took a few extra days, it was alright.
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