Chapter 261: Chapter 243, Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey_1
In the past two days, Daohua had been busy taking care of the old lady, Madam Li, and the Wu Family, all sick, while also preparing things for the trip to Xingyun Prefecture, in addition to finding time to deal with affairs within the estate; she was utterly overwhelmed.
During this time, undercurrents surged among the members of the Yan Residence, and there were quite a few murmurs in private.
One noon, under the blazing sun, Daohua returned to the main compound from the third courtyard.
“Madam woke up for a while earlier and looked more spirited than the past couple of days, she even ate a bowl of bird’s nest porridge before going back to sleep,” Ping Tong volunteered the information without waiting for Daohua to ask.
Hearing this, Daohua’s mood instantly brightened considerably, “It’s good that Mother has an appetite, once a person feels like eating, their illness is likely to improve quickly.”
Ping Tong smiled and nodded, “Isn’t it just so.”
Daohua patted her stomach, feeling a bit hungry after being busy for most of the day, “Is there any more bird’s nest porridge? I might as well have some; I have to greet Jingwan when she brings things over later.”
There was a momentary pause in Ping Tong’s expression, and she hesitated to answer.
Seeing her like this, Daohua was a bit puzzled, “Sister Ping Tong, what’s wrong? Is there no more bird’s nest porridge?”
Ping Tong glanced at Daohua, hesitant about how to start; these days, the young miss had been so busy, she was already exhausted, and Ping Tong didn’t want to bother her with the affairs of the estate.
Moreover, the young miss was in charge of the kitchen, and to speak ill of the kitchen was to slap the young miss’s face.
Ping Tong didn’t want to say it, but Ping Xiao couldn’t keep things to herself and blurted out, “I don’t know what’s been going on with the kitchen these days, but the food they’ve been sending is either too little or too late.”
“I went to the kitchen this morning and told them that Madam wanted to have bird’s nest porridge when she woke up and asked them to prepare it. But near noon, they only sent over one bowl.”
“If Madam wakes up in the afternoon and wants more, I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
Normally, a dish like bird’s nest porridge would be simmered and brought over to the main compound in a pot; the main compound had a small stove where it could be kept warm, allowing the masters to eat whenever they wished.
But now, the people in the kitchen had begun to neglect the main compound.
Daohua’s brow furrowed at once; she was not unaware of the idle chatter in the residence these past two days, but she had been too busy to deal with it.
Daohua suppressed the anger in her heart and looked toward Wang Manman, “Go call the Kitchen Manager here, I want to ask what’s going on.”
…
Soon, the Kitchen Manager arrived at the main compound, panting and feeling somewhat uneasy looking at the expressionless Daohua, “Young Miss, did you want to see me?”
Daohua responded indifferently, “I haven’t had lunch yet today, and since you made bird’s nest porridge for Mother this morning, go get what’s left; I’ll make do with some.”
The Kitchen Manager’s heart skipped a beat, and clutching her clothes, she appeared hesitant.
Daohua frowned, her voice growing colder, “From the look of you, it seems like a difficult task. Don’t tell me you ate the bird’s nest porridge?”
The Kitchen Manager trembled and fell to her knees with a ‘thump’, “Young Miss, it wasn’t me who ate it, it was Auntie Lin. Around noon, Xiyun, who serves Auntie Lin, came to the kitchen and insisted on taking the bird’s nest porridge away… ”
Anger flickered in Daohua’s eyes as she said coldly, “So, you, the Kitchen Manager, just let her take away my mother’s bird’s nest porridge?”
Although the Yan Family’s days were now a bit more prosperous, delicacies like bird’s nest were not consumed frequently by either the old lady or Madam Li; they were reserved for times of illness to help with recovery.
The Kitchen Manager replied, trembling, “Please, Miss, understand, I truly didn’t dare to stop her!”
“Bang!”
Daohua’s hand slammed down hard on the table.
“Dare not stop? In your eyes, who exactly is the master? The bird’s nest porridge my mother wanted to eat, you let a concubine’s maid take it away, and now you dare to come crying to me!”
“Ren Granny, since I’ve taken over the kitchen these past few months, you’ve performed rather well; I thought you were a clever person, but it turns out you are just a fence-sitter swayed by the wind.”
She could probably guess what was on Ren Granny’s mind: thinking that since her eldest brother and fourth brother weren’t coming back, the Yan Family would eventually fall into Yan Wenbin’s hands, and so, she eagerly curried favor.
“If you can’t manage the kitchen, then don’t bother doing it anymore!”
Ren Granny’s face changed dramatically as she begged for mercy repeatedly, “Miss, I was wrong, and I will not dare to do it again.”
Daohua ignored her and looked at Wang Manman, “Go and call Wei Madam from the kitchen.” As for the management of the house, she might still be unfamiliar, but when it came to using people, she had her own ideas.
After taking over the kitchen, she entrusted Ren Granny with its management but also kept an eye on others. Long before, she had taken notice of Wei Madam and intended to cultivate her.
She did this for two reasons: first, to avoid chaos in the kitchen from having no one to replace Ren Granny if something happened to her; second, to keep pressure on Ren Granny, making her aware that the kitchen could function without her.
She hadn’t expected to have to use her backup so soon.
“Yes!”
Seeing Daohua angry, Wang Manman also felt somewhat scared and quickly turned to call someone.
It took a good while before Wang Manman finally came back with Wei Madam.
Daohua frowned, “Why did it take so long for you to return?”
Wang Manman’s face was also not good as she stepped forward, “Miss, the relatives of Mistress Lin from her maternal family came, and they had the kitchen prepare many dishes to be sent to Shuangxin Courtyard. When I arrived, the kitchen was cleaning up, and Wei Madam was cooking, covered in stains; she changed her clothes, and that’s why we are late.”
On hearing this, Daohua’s anger surged, and she said coldly, “Mistress Lin’s relatives come to the residence, why was I not informed? Who allowed them in without permission?”
Daohua glanced around, “Where is Big Madam Fang? Go call her to me!”
This time, Daohua didn’t have to wait long. Big Madam Fang rushed over in haste, and as soon as she arrived, she knelt down to admit her fault, “Miss, it was my fault for not guarding the door properly, please punish me.”
Daohua’s gaze chilled as she looked at her, “Big Madam Fang, you are my mother’s right-hand woman, butler Sun is my father’s right-hand man, Uncle Sun and Granny Sun have been serving Great Grandmother and watched me grow up, our whole family has great trust in your family.”
Big Madam Fang’s heart trembled as she kept nodding her head on the ground, “I have failed the master’s trust, I assure you, this will never happen again.”
Daohua’s expression remained unchanged, “Remember the words you said today, in my sight, your family doesn’t get a second chance. Now go, find the person who opened the door and let them in, I want to know today.”
“Yes, I will go and check immediately.”
Big Madam Fang shakily stood up, glancing at the imposing eldest girl seated in the principal seat, she turned swiftly and left; just as she was about to step out the door, she heard the eldest girl’s words yet again.
“Wei Madam, from now on, all matters of the kitchen will be under your management, do you think you can handle it?”
“I will certainly not let down the eldest girl’s expectations.”
“Miss, I was wrong, I dare not do it again in the future, please give me one more chance!” Ren Granny pleaded loudly.
“If I were to give a chance for every mistake, wouldn’t everyone dare to make mistakes and then just beg for forgiveness? Ren Granny, today you and your son will leave the Yan Residence!”
Upon hearing this, Big Madam Fang’s body shook. She had not expected the eldest girl to not only strip Ren Granny of her job but also to expel her from the residence, her son included.
Was the eldest girl making an example out of the chicken to scare the monkeys?