kvmb Chapter 6 I Can't Afford to Pay
Chapter 6 I Can't Afford to Pay
The Duke's Mansion is now in the hands of the Lan family, but the kitchen is managed by the second branch of the family.
The second wife, Madam Wang, also came from a prominent family. The person currently in charge of the kitchen is none other than Madam Yao, the dowry maid who accompanied Madam Wang.
As the head of the kitchen, nothing, big or small, could escape her notice.
She was, of course, aware that Granny Yang had given Lu Yangyang leftovers.
However, Granny Yang was able to get into the kitchen through the connections of He Nanny, who was Sheng Yunzhu's real "grandmother." Therefore, she always fawned over Sheng Yunzhu and could be considered a member of the main branch. As long as the other party didn't go too far, Granny Yao wouldn't say anything. Bullying Lu Yangyang was their own business and had nothing to do with the second branch. Granny Yao naturally turned a blind eye and pretended not to know anything as long as it didn't get to her.
Besides, even if this matter really gets out of hand, it will only reach the Duchess Lan and won't have much to do with the kitchen.
So she never expected that Lu Yangyang would be such an unpredictable person, not only refusing to complain to her own mother, the Duchess, but actually running off to the kitchen to cause trouble.
If she continues to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and things escalate, then the kitchen will be held responsible.
Therefore, she had no choice but to step forward.
With a stern face, Granny Yao shouted and walked over. She first bowed respectfully to Lu Yangyang, "This servant, from the Yao family, greets Miss Lu. I am now in charge of the kitchen. If Miss Lu has any complaints, please feel free to speak up. It is a busy time in the kitchen right now, and it would be bad if I offended you. Miss Lu, you should go back and rest first. I will inform the Second Madam and then personally go to apologize to you."
It was called an "apology," but there was no trace of remorse; instead, it carried a warning.
It was clearly a message to Lu Yangyang that the kitchen was busy right now, and if she continued to cause trouble, they would tell the Second Madam. Telling the Second Madam would be the same as telling the entire Duke's mansion that Lu Yangyang was new here and should avoid causing trouble.
Lu Yangyang glanced at her.
In her dreams, Lu Yangyang mostly glimpsed scenes of "her" insane jealousy of Sheng Yunzhu, with very few details of their daily lives. It seems she had truly suffered some injustice, but had endured it all.
Lu Yangyang had only been at the Duke's mansion for a day, and she had already endured countless waves of humiliation since she entered. She was clearly the rightful mistress of the mansion, yet even a servant dared to point at her and call her a stinking beggar.
How much suffering must that "she" in the dream have endured to reach the point of being driven mad by jealousy?
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Lu Yangyang looked down and saw that Granny Yang seemed to be spitting out the cornbread in her mouth. She lifted Granny Yang's chin and forced her to swallow the cornbread. Then she took the plate, pried open Granny Yang's mouth, and, ignoring her resistance, poured vegetables and bones into her mouth.
Granny Yang's face turned bluish-purple from holding her breath, and the whites of her eyes bulged out.
This scene truly frightened the onlookers. Granny Yao was also anxious. She never expected that Lu Yangyang not only didn't hear what she just said, but actually went even further.
"Stop! You'll kill someone if you keep doing this!" Granny Yao shouted urgently.
"A human life?" Lu Yangyang laughed expressionlessly. "What's the life of a servant in the Duke's mansion worth? I'll take her life, so what?"
"You, you..." Even though Granny Yao had seen a lot in life, she couldn't help but panic at this moment.
The entire Duke's mansion disregarded Lu Yangyang, this country bumpkin. After all, even if she was the Duke's biological daughter, her disfigurement rendered her worthless in the mansion. What good was the identity of a true heiress if she was a worthless country bumpkin?
However, even so, Lu Yangyang was still the master.
He is the master of the Duke's mansion.
If she really wanted to argue with a maid, what would the result be? She would only get a minor punishment. The Duke had already brought her back, so would he really risk his own daughter's life for a maid?
In that instant, cold sweat dripped down Granny Yao's back.
Let alone that old woman Yang's life, even if it were her life, it would be worthless in front of the Duke.
"Please forgive me, Miss," Granny Yao said through gritted teeth, and knelt down with a thud. "It was my fault for not doing my job properly. I beg you to punish me. I will definitely keep the kitchen in check from now on and this will never happen again. I hope you can give me a chance to atone for my sins."
The kitchen staff's practice of serving dishes according to the ingredients was an unspoken rule in every household, but this was the first time that someone had completely disregarded the rules. If you neglected her, she would truly dare to take your life.
Granny Yao hardened her heart, raised her hand and slapped herself twice. "Please, Miss, have mercy. I will definitely report this to the Second Madam and deal with it seriously."
"Is that so?" Lu Yangyang asked calmly.
"Yes, this servant will have someone take Granny Yang to the Second Madam right away," Granny Yao replied hurriedly.
"Alright, since you're so sensible, I'll give you that face." Lu Yangyang nodded, looking very agreeable.
But her hands didn't stop moving for a second, showing no intention of letting go of Granny Yang. No one knew how she did it, but she managed to force-feed Granny Yang the entire plate of food without spilling a drop. Then she picked up a cornbread and, in front of everyone, slowly stuffed it all into Granny Yao's mouth. After that, Granny Yao was like a dead fish, her eyelids rolled back, and if it weren't for the occasional twitching of her body, one would have thought she had choked to death.
"I grew up in the countryside, so I don't have much experience. What I can't stand the most is waste."
Lu Yangyang stepped on Granny Yang's back and pressed her face to the ground, where the bird's nest was scattered everywhere: "This bowl of bird's nest is worth a thousand gold pieces, so lick it clean for me, one spoonful at a time."
"Go tell your esteemed third young lady that her loyal dog has licked the bird's nest clean for her. If you want compensation, don't come to me; I can't afford it."
Lu Yangyang had a smile on her lips. She looked thin and small, like a malnourished, weak and pitiful child. But at this moment, the people watching all turned pale and no one dared to utter a sound.
They were terrified that they would be the next ones trampled underfoot like dead fish.
After watching Granny Yang lick the bird's nest clean from the ground, Lu Yangyang kicked her plump body, clapped her hands, and glanced at Granny Yao: "Where's my dinner?"
Granny Yao jumped up in a flash. "This servant will go and prepare it for you personally."
In no time at all, two food boxes were respectfully handed to Yuanxing. "This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Miss."
Yuanxing opened the food box in a daze and saw several steaming dishes inside. They looked freshly made, with both meat and vegetables, and looked very tempting.
"Let's go." Lu Yangyang turned and left, and Yuanxing excitedly followed with the food box.
"Miss, you are truly amazing!" After leaving the kitchen courtyard, Yuanxing looked at Lu Yangyang with nothing but admiration, but she still didn't understand, "Miss, why didn't you go to Madam to seek her help?"
"She didn't cook the food, why are you looking for her?"
If finding the Lan family was useful, why would the "she" in the dream have been driven to the point of madness?
It is better to rely on oneself than to rely on others.
Back in the courtyard, Lu Yangyang washed her hands and eagerly asked Yuanxing to bring out all the dishes, which were then placed on the stone table in the courtyard. There were two food boxes containing a total of eight dishes, as well as snacks and bird's nest. The dishes looked and smelled delicious, and Lu Yangyang's eyes lit up.
She had never seen such good food.
The best thing she had ever eaten was when Uncle Zheng took her to a street stall after she had collected some game and sold it for money. She ate a bowl of mutton offal noodles with some crispy pastries. The taste of it made her drool all winter.
Lu Yangyang picked up the plate and, without even picking up her chopsticks, began to wolf down the food into her mouth.
Suddenly, a "pfft" of laughter came from the courtyard wall behind them.