Chapter 11: They actually had a fight?

While Su Xuanming was indulging in high-standard consumption at the teahouse, Gu Nanxi was not idle either.

"This steamed egg custard isn't as fresh and tender as usual," Gu Nanxi frowned as she scooped up a spoonful of crab roe egg custard.

Lu Mei looked around. Seeing that the servants were all far away, she whispered into Gu Nanxi's ear, "Mistress, I went to check the main kitchen. The ingredients aren't fresh at all."

To the common people, food is heaven. One of the most important criteria for determining whether a life of "letting it rot" is high-quality is the food!

"How unfresh are we talking?" Gu Nanxi asked with concern.

"The cabbage leaves are full of wormholes, the dried fruits are years old, the eggs smell strange, and even the crabs are dead!"

Gu Nanxi was speechless. Without good food, half the joy of a "letting it rot" lifestyle was gone.

"Why is this happening? Are the servants in the manor really this arrogant?"

Gu Nanxi frowned. Usually, if they were a bit greedy, it was one thing, but now they actually dared to feed the master rotten leaves?

Lu Mei's expression turned solemn as she shook her head. "I went to inquire with the housekeeper. Originally, the procurement was handled by merchants the manor had worked with for years. Although they were a bit more expensive, the quality was guaranteed."

"But a few days ago, Li Ningjing declared that she would be responsible for the expenses. Consequently, the procurement duties fell to her father and brothers."

Gu Nanxi understood. Is spending someone else's money the same as spending your own?

The Li family didn't have a deep foundation to begin with, so to supply such a massive Marquis manor, they naturally had to pinch pennies.

However, understanding was one thing; Gu Nanxi had no intention of eating rotten leaves herself.

Gu Nanxi signaled Lu Mei to go to the money box and pulled out a string of copper coins. "Find some errand boys. Before the night market closes, hurry and buy some food."

Lu Mei obeyed and left.

The commercial economy of the current dynasty was quite developed, with specialized errand boys responsible for food delivery.

Lu Mei thought about how the Marchioness's appetite had grown significantly lately, so she ordered a large spread: "Pickled crabs from under the bridge, spicy lung slices from the top stall at the night market, fine vermicelli, ginger shrimp, and the mutton fat chive pancakes from Dingfeng Pavilion..."

The order was too large for one person to handle, so she called for several more errand boys to split the shopping.

By the time the delicacies reached Gu Nanxi, they were still steaming hot.

"It's so good to be rich," Gu Nanxi said, taking a large bite of the spicy lung slices.

Since chili peppers had not yet been widely popularized, the spicy lung slices used garlic and similar ingredients to provide heat, offering a unique flavor.

Just as Gu Nanxi took a bite, Su Yunyan burst in, weeping uncontrollably.

Gu Nanxi didn't blame the gatekeepers for their lack of responsibility; after all, with that girl's freakish strength, who would dare stop her?

"Mother, life is unbearable! For a bowl of papaya stewed with bird's nest, they actually used crushed bird's nest scraps!" The more Su Yunyan cried, the more she felt her life was miserable.

Before she was even born, her biological father had gone to the border, and he hadn't returned once in over ten years.

Her eldest brother was loved by their grandmother, and her second brother was the apple of her mother's eye because of his poor health due to premature birth.

Only she was unloved by her father and mother, and now, even a bowl of bird's nest was nothing but scraps!

"I went to question Jing'niang's father, and do you know what he said? He actually said that a whole bowl of bird's nest and crushed bird's nest are both bird's nest! It's all just swallow saliva anyway, what's the difference?"

Su Yunyan cried as if the heavens were falling, gasping for breath.

Gu Nanxi felt that Jing'niang's father actually had a point, but unfortunately, this pampered girl raised in luxury could not accept it.

It wasn't a matter of right or wrong; it was purely a difference in consumption values.

Before Gu Nanxi could think of how to comfort the young girl, she saw a little maid at the door whispering frantically to Lu Mei.

Then, Lu Mei ran over, her eyes bright and her face flushed with excitement.

"Mistress, Li Ningjing and Dalang are fighting!"

"Where? Let's go see!" Su Yunyan stopped crying instantly, wiped her face with a handkerchief, and looked ready to sprint out immediately.

Gu Nanxi, who had already finished reading all her storybooks, decided to go along as well.

Lu Mei looked hesitant. "But Mistress, you are still under house arrest."

Gu Nanxi tapped her forehead. "You blockhead. Go call a few tall and strong servants to carry a bamboo chair out. If I lie on the chair and my feet never touch the ground, I am naturally not violating the ban."

House arrest, house arrest—what exactly was "arresting the feet"?

Only the feet were restricted; no other part of the body was!

"A genius! So that's what house arrest means!" Su Yunyan felt her trip wasn't wasted; she had learned something new!

Fearing they would miss the excitement, the mother and daughter didn't even bother to dress up and headed straight for the scene of the argument.

In the back garden of the Yongchang Marquis Manor, a pretty woman stood with her hands on her hips, scolding a man much taller than her until his head was nearly bowed to his chest.

Gu Nanxi signaled Lu Mei to move forward. "Go toward the rockery. It's too far here; I can't hear clearly."

The servants were panting heavily from the exertion, but the thought of seeing Li Ningjing's drama gave them a sudden burst of energy.

"Eh, Second Brother, why are you here?" Looking down from their vantage point, Gu Nanxi spotted Su Yunting acting suspiciously behind the rockery.

Startled, Su Yunting turned around to see his own mother and sister. He breathed a sigh of relief and signaled them to be quiet. "They're in the middle of a heated argument; don't disturb them."

Su Yunyan lowered her voice. "Didn't you say you were so angry you couldn't get out of bed? How do you still have the energy to be here?"

Su Yunting chuckled. "This performance is more effective than a century-old ginseng. It's just that Eldest Brother is too pathetic. If it were me, I'd have made her crawl back."

"You should stop making Second Sister-in-law angry. With your constitution, any woman could slap you flying," Su Yunyan said, genuinely worried for her brother.

Su Yunting: "Shut up and watch the show."

As night fell, the mother and son hid behind the rocks, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Not far away, Jing'niang's reprimands were clearly audible: "Su Lang, you actually blame me? Do you know that to be with you, my Li family has nearly exhausted its entire fortune?"

Jing'niang wiped her tears. "Other nobles look down on me and boycott my family's business. Have I ever complained to you about these hardships?"

"The petty people in the manor are disobedient; they act respectful to my face, but who knows what they say behind my back?"

"I originally thought you were considerate of me and understood me. But what have you done?! You went to a teahouse and spent a hundred taels! Is the tea made of silver? Is the tea water made of melted gold?"

Su Xuanming's spirit was weak as he pleaded, "Jing'niang, I... this... just help me this once. I've already written the IOUs; we can't have people coming to the door to collect debts. It would ruin our status."

Jing'niang exploded with rage. "Status, status! What status do you have? You are merely the eldest son of the Yongchang Marquis Manor; you haven't even secured the position of Heir. What are you acting so high and mighty for?"

Su Xuanming's face was extremely embarrassed, but he couldn't bring himself to lose his temper with Jing'niang. He only suggested softly, "Jing'niang, how about you return the management authority to Mother? With Mother around, I can pay all this back in a month."

(End of Chapter)