Chapter 11 Inescapable Past Life_2

Madam Jian's voice had barely sounded when the other cooks all rushed to plead for mercy on their behalf, and the two kneeling on the ground begged for forgiveness over and over again. The young maid, barely of age, was so scared that she almost burst into tears.

Sang Wan, seeing that the pleading was sufficient, let out a helpless sigh and said, "Sister-in-law Jian is right, Mrs. Wang's dinner is of utmost importance, now is not the time for this!" Her gaze lingered on the fallen wax gourd bowl on the ground, sighing with regret, coupled with deep helplessness and reluctance.

Madam Jian and the main culprits felt even more ashamed and guilty upon hearing this. Madam Jian clenched her teeth and bravely said, "Young Mistress, these two slaves have been so careless, causing such a commotion on such a good day. As for their punishment, please give your instructions, old servant will carry them out without fail!"

Madam Jian inwardly cursed her bad luck and, after much thought, decided to let Sang Wan decide for herself, which would also make Sang Wan feel better and spare herself from any grievances.

"Oh? Anything at all, and you'll carry it out without fail?" Sang Wan asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, looking at Madam Jian with a half-smile.

Madam Jian's heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy. With the words already out, she couldn't back down and reluctantly nodded, "Yes, old servant will obey without fail!"

Sang Wan smiled faintly, curving her lips upwards, and said to the two trembling people kneeling on the ground, "You can get up now! It's clear you are honest, and it was just a minor accident, I won't punish you!"

The two of them were momentarily stunned, looking at each other in disbelief, thinking they had heard wrong.

Madam Jian and everyone else heaved a great sigh of relief, smiles appearing on their faces. "What are you still standing there for, get up quickly? Are you waiting for the Young Mistress to help you up?" Madam Jian scolded with a smile and then turned to Sang Wan with a flattering smile, "Thank you for your grace, Young Mistress! You are truly benevolent!"

"Thank you for your grace, Young Mistress!" The two of them snapped out of it and hurriedly kowtowed, crawling up joyfully.

However, Sang Wan turned to Madam Jian with a smile and said, "They can go unpunished, but as the manager here, you surely can't just let things slide, can you? What do you think?"

"Young Mistress, this..." Madam Jian's previously eased heart tightened again, her pupils shrank slightly as she looked at Sang Wan feeling bitterness in her mouth.

What was this about? The culprits were let off, yet she, the manager, was being troubled instead! Everyone, including the two who had just stood up from the floor, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

With a smile, Sang Wan said, "It's simple. You've been in the kitchen for quite some time, haven't you?" Seeing Madam Jian nod mechanically, Sang Wan continued, "From now on, I would like to ask Sister-in-law Jian to teach me how to cook some dishes. As a daughter-in-law, I ought to take good care of my mother-in-law and serve my husband well. Please, Sister-in-law Jian, I'm counting on you!"

"Oh my, Young Mistress!" Hearing this, Madam Jian's spirit lifted and she patted her chest, laughing and saying, "What a big joke you're making, you almost scared my heart out of my chest! Sure, what's the big deal? Whenever you come over, old servant will surely teach you! Madam and young master's tastes, I know them all too well!"

"The Young Mistress is truly filial!"

"Indeed! Virtuous!"

After the false alarm, the atmosphere relaxed and everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Sang Wan joined in the laughter, waving her hand and saying, "Alright, everyone go back to work, it's almost time to serve the dishes! Sister-in-law Jian, keep a close watch!"

"Rest assured, Young Mistress!" Madam Jian responded with a clear and cheerful laugh.

Sang Wan smiled and nodded, feeling that after this incident, at least for today, no one would dare to have any ill intentions, and even if they did, they would find no opportunity.

The meal was laid out, consisting of twelve dishes and one soup. At the table sat only Mrs. Wang, Shi Fengju, Shi Lian, and Gu Fangzi; the people from the second house did not come over again. Shi Fengju also had a younger brother, Shi Fenghua, who was studying at Yuanchang Academy and only returned for two days. After Sang Wan paid her respects with tea yesterday, he went back to the academy.

Sang Wan stood properly beside Mrs. Wang, holding clean silver chopsticks and a pristine white bowl, Serving diligently. The two dishes she had personally made, the steamed Chinese perch and toon tofu, were placed in front of Mrs. Wang.

Gu Fangzi had informed Sang Wan that she liked wax gourd bowl dishes and Mrs. Wang had also become aware of it. At this moment, seeing that there was no wax gourd bowl on the table, Mrs. Wang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Knowing her own preferences yet deliberately not serving the dish, what did that imply?

Sang Wan had originally intended to find an appropriate moment to explain the reason behind it, but at this instant, catching Mrs. Wang's expression, she was startled and couldn't wait for an appropriate moment anymore, seizing the initiative was more important!

"Mother, I had planned to make steamed Chinese perch and your favorite wax gourd bowl! But, the wax gourd bowl was accidentally knocked over by a little girl! It's all my fault! So I quickly made this toon tofu, please taste it and see how it is?"

"Toon tofu?" Mrs. Wang's attention was immediately captured, she glanced over at the dish beside the steamed Chinese perch and laughed, "Is it this one? Haha, where would you find toon at this time of year! But now that you mention it, it really whets my appetite; I was just thinking of this dish!"

"Please, have a taste, Mother!" Seeing a smile on Mrs. Wang's face, Sang Wan knew she had passed the test, as there was no further mention of the wax gourd bowl, and quickly took the opportunity to place a piece of tofu carefully into Mrs. Wang's bowl with her chopsticks.

Mrs. Wang glanced at her and smiled, picked up her chopsticks to taste a bite, and her eyes immediately sparkled, nodding and saying, "Not bad at all! This is indeed toon tofu! Come on, try it and see if it's the right flavor!"

Nobody was foolish enough to dampen Mrs. Wang's spirits, so they all happily tasted a piece with their chopsticks, agreeing with smiles.

"How strange! Where could you find toon at this season! Miss Wan, tell us all about it, so we can broaden our knowledge!" Mrs. Wang joked.