Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 137 Major Change_1

Chapter 137: Chapter 137 Major Change_1

After Zhulan had checked, she went to see the other rooms before returning to the main room, where the kitchen maid came in with the meal, "Madam, there are six dishes in total. I’m not sure if they suit your taste. If not, I’ll change them next time."

Zhulan saw that there were fish, meat, and chicken among the six dishes, all of which were full of color, fragrance, and flavor. Just the scent of them was very appetizing. She had checked the side rooms and trusted Zhao Bo, so the kitchen maid must be good, "Fine."

The kitchen maid, seeing the Madam’s indifferent expression, felt somewhat anxious. She needed this job.

Zhulan tasted two bites of each dish. Although they were not as delicious as Lady Li’s cooking, they were quite good, "The taste is quite good. You should eat with us!"

The kitchen maid’s tone faltered a little, "After Madam has finished, I can just eat the leftovers."

Zhulan, seeing the kitchen maid’s patched-up clothes, understood. Kitchen maids weren’t bold enough to eat more at the table and were not allowed to take food home. Zhulan and her child couldn’t finish six dishes, and there would certainly be quite a bit left. After the kitchen maid cleaned up, not only could she have her fill, but she could also take some home. It was common for kitchen maids to take home leftovers, "Go back to the kitchen and boil two large pots of hot water for later use. When we’ve finished here, I’ll call you."

The kitchen maid was overjoyed. She had worked for many families, some generous and others stingy. The Madam’s previous words showed no displeasure; she had implicitly permitted the kitchen maid to take some leftovers home. Cheerfully, she replied, "Yes, Madam, I’ll go boil the hot water right away."

When outsiders were gone, little Ming Teng became lively, "Grandmother, is this really our house? Do we have such a big house now? And grandmother, who was the person who served the dishes just now? Why did she call Grandma ’Madam’?"

Ming Teng was puzzled; why had everything changed so much since they arrived in Pingzhou?

Zhulan looked at her grandson, whose eyes were filled with curiosity, and explained while holding her chopsticks, "Of course, this is our house. As for the auntie just now, she is a kitchen maid that Grandmother has hired to help cook. As for the title, Grandmother is the head of the household and naturally should be addressed as ’Madam.’ There, that’s enough for you to know for now. You’ll understand the rest when you’re older. Now, hurry up and eat."

Zhulan was relieved that Ming Teng didn’t ask any further questions; she was glad for her quick thinking, otherwise Ming Teng would have kept asking why endlessly.

This time, she hadn’t brought her daughter-in-law. Otherwise, before her title of Madam, they would have to add the word ’old,’ making it ’Old Madam’!

Ming Teng, being small and at an age where he loved to eat, quickly focused all his attention on the meal.

Xue Han, eight years old, was in Pingzhou for the second time and sensed that home was completely different now. Once her father became a Scholar, she would be a Scholar’s daughter. If her father advanced one more step, she would be the young miss of a Graduate’s family. Now that they had a kitchen maid to help at home, she was adjusting very well.

After dinner, when the children had warmed up, Zhulan told Xue Han to take out quilt covers and bring them back to the wing rooms for a change, as they wouldn’t need the quilts they had brought from home.

Zhulan then followed the kitchen maid to the kitchen in the backyard, which was where they had lit the fire for cooking that day. There were pots boiling hot water, the grain and flour containers were full, and radishes and cabbages were stored in baskets. There were plenty of dishes and bowls in the cupboard, and all kinds of kitchenware were complete. Quietly, she calculated an account of what was paid for by Zhao Bo and roughly estimated what she had to repay him.

Zhulan and her child had left quite a bit of food from their meal: the chicken was barely touched, and half of the meat dish was left. Since fish was rare in winter, it had been entirely eaten. The staple white rice was left over by more than a bowl. Zhulan saved the barely touched chicken and the most leftover braised pork for the next day, giving the less leftover stir-fried liver and meat slices to the kitchen maid, who didn’t eat at the moment but packed it in a bowl to take home.

The kitchen maid, Mrs. Wu Li, worked even harder because Zhulan wasn’t stingy and was also kind. After finishing her kitchen work, she even swept the snow clean from the yard.

Zhulan felt a bit embarrassed. Noticing the hour was late and that the front courtyard was still busy, she knew they wouldn’t finish eating anytime soon.