Chapter 12: Celebrating a Birthday

Actually, the Marchioness of Dingxi's suspicion wasn't far off, but her "cleansing operation" was destined to end in futility. Even if she turned the entire Marquis's manor upside down, she would never find this person, because this person was living peacefully in Qiutong Courtyard, focusing all her efforts solely on making her own life a little more comfortable.

As evening approached, preparations for dinner began in Qiutong Courtyard.

"Ha, fresh, all-natural, and pollution-free..." Qi'yue muttered to herself, looking at the plucked, washed, and spotless white chicken laid out before her.

"Young Mistress, what did you say?" A-Hao asked.

"Nothing," Qi'yue smiled, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "Well then, tonight we're having a barbecue."

A-Hao's eyes instantly lit up. Ever since the day she ate the leavened sugar pancakes Qi'yue had made, the poor girl—who had been sustained by her own cooking for three years—could no longer stomach any other food.

Compared to a modern professional woman like Qi'yue, who had developed self-reliance through education and living in staff dormitories, A-Hao, an ancient maid, actually seemed like a pampered young lady.

"What flavor does A-Hao like?" Qi'yue asked with a smile. "Pan-fried, stir-fried, braised, deep-fried, or roasted—which one do you choose?"

"Of course, whatever the Young Mistress is best at," A-Hao replied.

That would naturally be the BBQ party's secret recipe: roasted chicken steaks and wings... Qi'yue snapped her fingers. No problem.

"What was that?" A-Hao asked, having not heard clearly, watching Qi'yue's strange posture.

"Nothing, nothing. Just some slang I learned from beggars in front of a temple back in the day," Qi'yue laughed. Regarding her "past self's" sudden, refined culinary skills despite her amnesia, she attributed it all to Qi Yue-niang's decade-plus years of living as a beggar.

Being a beggar meant finding ways to fill one's stomach, which inevitably led to cooking methods that the pampered members of high society could never imagine.

However, there were a few too few chicken wings, and they lacked the necessary tools for a barbecue. For the sake of the meal, A-Hao wasn't afraid to face the kitchen staff; she scurried off to request them. For some reason, the previously harsh older maids had become much more accommodating lately. Who knew how long this erratic change in attitude would last? Seizing the opportunity, A-Hao was determined to grab what she needed first and worry about the rest later.

"What's the rush?" A-Ru called out, watching A-Hao dash out. Looking into the kitchen, she saw Qi'yue with her sleeves rolled up, humming a little tune while wielding a knife to chop the chicken.

"Young Mistress, let me do this. How can you be doing such work?" A-Ru hurried over.

"It's fine, I'm just idle anyway." Qi'yue gritted her teeth and chopped the chicken head off in one stroke. Seeing A-Ru looking at her with a strange expression, she turned back. "Are you finished with your work?"

A-Ru withdrew her gaze and nodded quickly.

"Then go help brew some soup," Qi'yue smiled.

A-Ru complied and walked to the stove.

"Young Mistress," she called back again.

Qi'yue gave a non-committal "Mhm" without turning around.

"When I am performing tasks for you, there is no need to say 'help'," A-Ru said with her head lowered.

Qi'yue's chopping paused, and she shot her a glance.

"Oh," she replied simply.

When Nanny Zhou arrived with her entourage, the first thing they heard was the laughter coming from the courtyard and the fragrant aroma of roasting meat.

"Young Mistress," Nanny Zhou called out respectfully, stopping at the door.

The laughter ceased.

"Oh, it's Nanny Zhou. Come in, quickly," Qi'yue's voice drifted from inside, laced with amusement.

Nanny Zhou pushed the door open. Her first glance was toward the main room, but she saw no one.

"Nanny Zhou."

Following the voice, she saw the young woman standing by the small kitchen door, smiling and waving at her while holding an iron fork.

"Good heavens, dear! What are you doing?" Nanny Zhou cried out in surprise, looking around frantically. "Where is A-Ru? Has that little brat started slacking off too?"

A-Ru hurried out of the kitchen to pay her respects, her sleeves rolled up and hands covered in oil, proving she hadn't been idle.

"I'm just playing around," Qi'yue smiled, handing the iron fork to A-Hao. "Nanny, come and taste our roasted chicken."

Nanny Zhou, however, heard a different meaning in those words.

"When the Young Mistress was recuperating at the villa, the kitchen was far away, and the food would get cold during delivery, which wasn't good for her health. So, a small kitchen was opened in the courtyard. Now that it's summer, we should revert to having the main kitchen deliver the meals," she immediately turned to instruct the older maids behind her.

The maids complied.

"No need, no need," Qi'yue laughed, prompting A-Hao. "Take this over to Nanny Zhou to taste. See how our skills are."

A-Hao obeyed, turning back into the kitchen to bring out a plate of chicken wings.

"Please taste, Nanny." She held it out before Nanny Zhou. Seeing the four maids behind her, she quickly added, "We've only managed to make this one plate so far."

The maids who had been peeking in stood straight. A few curled their lips in disdain, thinking: *This little girl is so shallow; what haven't we eaten before?*

Nanny Zhou looked at the seven or eight chicken wings on the plate. In this house, chickens were usually eaten whole; this was her first time seeing wings served separately. Her professional instinct told her that the main kitchen must have been skimming portions from Qiutong Courtyard again, and the Young Mistress was intentionally showing her this to spite her...

Thinking this, she saw how the wings were roasted to a glistening, golden brown, and she indeed reached out to take a bite.

"Mmm." Her eyes brightened.

"Delicious, isn't it?" A-Hao said with a hint of pride. "Please don't shut down our little kitchen; just tell them to deliver the ingredients more promptly."

*She's complaining about the main kitchen's cooking...* A-Ru glared at A-Hao.

Being an elder, Nanny Zhou didn't go on eating voraciously despite the taste.

"The Young Mistress has excellent skills," she praised with a smile.

"I'm just playing around because I'm idle," Qi'yue laughed. Her gaze shifted to Nanny Zhou, landing on the food box held by the maid behind her. "Is something the matter, Nanny?"

"Today is the Marquis's birthday..." Nanny Zhou said. The maid behind her stepped forward to present a food box. "As it is inconvenient for the Young Mistress to attend, the Marchioness specifically sent longevity noodles."

A-Ru's expression changed to one of shock and unease. Heavens, she had been so distracted lately that she had forgotten the Marquis's birthday. No wonder she had heard the faint sound of music. Although the Marquis's birthday had nothing to do with them—the Marchioness had decreed in the first year that they were not to appear at the banquet or even perform kowtows—it was still a significant event.

"You've come at the perfect time, Nanny. And with a food box, even better," Qi'yue smiled. Since she had already told more than one lie, she spoke them with effortless fluidity. "I already kowtowed in the courtyard with the maids at noon to wish the Marquis long life. Since I cannot attend in person, I thought I would cook a dish to add to his celebration. Nanny, please take this to him for me."

Nanny Zhou hadn't expected this. So the Young Mistress had been cooking personally for this reason...

This time, Qi'yue entered the kitchen herself and brought out a bowl.

"I don't have much skill; it's just a token of my respect," she said.

By then, A-Ru had already taken the food box and taken out a bowl of noodle soup.

Nanny Zhou saw that it was a bowl of something stir-fried with meat; it smelled quite fragrant, though it looked ordinary.

"The Young Mistress is very thoughtful," she nodded with a smile.

As A-Ru added the dish into the soup, Nanny Zhou took her leave.

A-Hao watched them walk away with a melancholy, longing expression.

"Stir-fried chicken chunks... I haven't even tasted them yet..." she murmured. Before she could finish, A-Ru tapped her on the head, and she quickly stuck out her tongue, not daring to say more.

"Come on, come on. Noodle soup with chicken carcass," Qi'yue beckoned.

Hearing there was still fresh food, A-Hao immediately perked up and ran into the kitchen with the bowl of longevity noodles.

***

The Marquis of Dingxi's evening banquet was held in the main hall used for daily life. The midday external banquet had already concluded, and by evening, the outside guests and friends had dispersed, leaving only the immediate family.

The Marquis had four sons and four daughters. The eldest, Chang Yuncheng, was twenty-four, and the youngest daughter was four. Besides the primary wife, Lady Xiao, there were five concubines, seven or eight chambermaids, and the various attendants and maids serving them all, crowding the room.

There were also the elders' aunts and legitimate younger brothers who had established their own households. However, the older aunts no longer attended such gatherings—they were either in seclusion or had been taken in by their legitimate sons. Those with good relations sent their descendants to the banquet, while those with mediocre relations simply sent someone to kowtow. The Marquis's legitimate younger brother had long since passed away, and his widow lived in the adjacent "West Mansion" with their children; naturally, that family was expected to attend.

Although the Marquis's ancestors were from a military background, by the time it reached Chang Rong, the martial spirit had faded; he held only a civil post within the military department. Fortunately, the eldest son, Chang Yuncheng, had inherited the family's martial tradition, allowing the Marquis to focus more on leisure and refinement. He had a particular fondness for elegance and, more importantly, for beautiful women. Consequently, not only were his concubines and favorite maids exceptionally beautiful, but even the common maids within sight were of above-average appearance. At this moment, the courtyard was filled with the sound of jewelry clinking and the sweet chatter of women, making it feel like a feast of the immortals.

Except for the eldest son, Chang Yuncheng, who was away on military orders, all the children were present. Ten large tables were set up in the five interconnected halls. Since they were siblings, there were no strict gender segregations, and they sat together in a mixed arrangement.

When Nanny Zhou arrived, the evening banquet was in full swing.