She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 277 - 276: Having Something to Entrust

Chapter 277: Chapter 276: Having Something to Entrust

Lian Gui sighed inwardly, yearning but unable to meet, the Crown Prince was that kind of person, and the wife of the heir apparent was truly pitiable. He bowed and said, "It’s like this for all parents, the Young Lady left suddenly, and it’s natural for the wife of the heir apparent to miss her daughter. Fortunately, Lady Qi has made us proud. Whether it’s His Highness Prince Yu or the local magistrates and prefects, they all have great respect for the Young Lady, far from the perfunctory treatment common women receive."

"Is that so? Even His Highness Prince Yu and the local officials show courtesy to the child?" Madam Yin quickly straightened her posture and asked Lian Gui, "Would Steward Lian bother to tell me about the situation over there?"

Lian Gui’s trip to Yuyuan Prefecture was quite a spectacle; he had witnessed many things and his own mansion had produced an exceptional daughter. Lian Gui didn’t mind the trouble and recounted the events of the trip once more, only omitting the troublesome business of the Liang family causing a stir and going to court. That matter had already been settled, and there was no use bringing it up, only to cause the wife of the heir apparent unnecessary heartache over the Young Lady.

Madam Yin listened to Lian Gui without moving a muscle, afraid of missing a single word, and occasionally interrupted to ask for details, forcing Lian Gui’s recount to take almost twice as long as when he had reported to Duke An.

Once Lian Gui finished his story, fearing that Madam Yin might have more questions, he hurriedly presented the package he had brought with him and said, "Before departing, the Young Lady sent these tokens of affection for the wife of the heir apparent."

Madam Yin quickly nudged Nanny Huang beside her, "Quick, bring it here and see, see Ah... see what thoughtful gifts the child brought back."

Nanny Huang took the package, handed it to Madam Yin, and, seeing Madam Yin’s hands trembling, helped place the package on the kang table.

Madam Yin’s hands shook as she opened the package. Though she saw two booklets, she couldn’t focus on much else and kept stroking the covers of the booklets, not even thinking of opening them.

Seeing that it wasn’t helping, Lian Gui remembered that in her emotional state, the wife of the heir apparent had completely forgotten about his presence in the room. Lian Gui reminded her, "The Young Lady also sent a letter for the wife of the heir apparent. It’s pressed under the booklets."

Madam Yin eagerly fished out the letter and opened it, quickly scanning it from front to back. Seemingly disappointed, she glanced at Lian Gui, then read the contents of the letter again, which indeed described the method for making some sort of thing, without a single word of greetings for her mother.

Madam Yin looked up at Lian Gui and asked, "Is this all? The child didn’t send back any message?"

"Replying to the wife of the heir apparent, the Young Lady did not send any message. However, Duke An also asked the same question earlier, and after I told him that the Young Lady did not send any message, he immediately praised the Young Lady for being sensible," Lian Gui, empathizing with a mother’s concern for her daughter, decided to convey Duke An’s thoughts to Madam Yin to keep her from feeling too saddened.

Madam Yin paused, realizing that her Ah Yan understood the importance of discretion and did not dare to send a message because of her status.

Nanny Huang, on the other hand, had different thoughts but refrained from speaking further in Lian Gui’s presence. She reminded Madam Yin, "Steward Lian has rushed here over several days and is quite weary. You should let Steward Lian rest first, and if you wish to know more, you can inquire from him later."

Only then did Madam Yin look at the sky and saw it was indeed late, "I have been too anxious, delaying Steward Lian." She then instructed Nanny Huang, "Steward Lian and the servants and guards who went with him have all worked hard on the road. Nanny, give Steward Lian two sums of two hundred taels of silver and see him out of the courtyard on my behalf."

Lian Gui stood up and bowed deeply, giving a serious warning, "These two cookbooks were transcribed by the Young Lady herself. Duke An has instructed that the recipes concerning cheese must not be used, the wife of the heir apparent may dispose of the rest as she wishes."

Nanny Huang brought Lian Gui back and saw Madam Yin alone, caressing two booklets and shedding tears. Cui Bai and Cui Zhu, the two maidservants, stood beside her at a loss. They only relaxed slightly when they saw Nanny Huang walk in.

Approaching, Nanny Huang called out softly, "Madam."

Madam Yin was startled, choking up as she spoke to Nanny Huang, "Nanny, Ah Yan didn’t leave me a message. Could it be that she resents me, her mother, for not raising her well? Ah Yan is such a clever and likable child, yet I have taught her in a way that makes everyone despise her."

"Look at you," even if that were the case, Nanny Huang couldn’t agree, so she said with a smile, "What are you thinking about? You know very well what situation the young lady is in now. This shows that our young lady has truly become sensible and cautious."

"Is that so?" Madam Yin murmured unconsciously, her tears still uncontrollably sliding down.

Nanny Huang looked at the two booklets and asked, "Have you seen what’s written in these two books?"

On this topic, Madam Yin finally felt some comfort, "These are recipes personally written by Ah Yan," she said, flipping through the pages, "Ah Yan has never liked writing. How much effort must she have put in to write so much? Poor child, this is a token of Ah Yan’s affection."

Nanny Huang said with a smile, "Wife of the heir apparent, please don’t be sad. You just said that the young lady didn’t leave you a message, but look at these, the young lady’s intentions for you weigh much more than a few words." Perhaps it’s not just about intentions that are that simple.

"Indeed, indeed." Madam Yin dabbed her swollen eyes with a handkerchief, "Our Ah Yan is telling her mother that she now has great skills, able to make so many delicious snacks and desserts."

If the young lady was simply trying to tell her mother how capable she was, was it necessary to go to such lengths to write down detailed recipes? Nanny Huang couldn’t help but feel it was unlikely, so she reminded, "The young lady is now very insightful, I think there must be another meaning. You should look at the young lady’s letters again."

Madam Yin had read the letters carefully and naturally knew their content, "In the letter, Ah Yan only wrote about how to conveniently make one kind of ingredient. She didn’t say anything else," thinking of the ingredient... Madam Yin’s eyes sparkled, hurriedly re-reading the letter, and indeed, it was about cheese, "Ah Yan actually knows how to easily make cheese, telling me to buy curd residue and butter from the Northern Barbarians’ nomadic lands."

Nanny Huang also peered at the letter. Steward Lian had just mentioned cheese, and she had been thinking hard about it—Duke had ordered not to use it, so it must be the snack that His Highness Prince Yu had recently sent to the palace.

Nanny Huang nodded and said, "It must be the snack recipe and ingredients that Prince Yu sent to the palace. Didn’t you hear what Steward Lian said? Our young lady is the Chief Steward of the Dairy Products Store."

"Lian Gui just now said that Duke An commanded not to touch the cheese recipe, but anything else was permitted," Madam Yin looked to Nanny Huang.

Clapping her hands lightly, Nanny Huang said, "That’s right. Didn’t the young lady write such a detailed recipe just so you could make it according to the directions?"

Madam Yin’s eyes lit up, "Is Ah Yan asking me to start a similar business with her? Nanny Huang, is that what Ah Yan means? Our mother and daughter, though thousands of miles apart, would be doing the same thing." This thought instantly provided Madam Yin with a solace for her longing for her daughter.