Perhaps her good mood simply fueled her appetite, for just listening to the suggestions made Du Jingyi feel a little hungry. She smiled, “Danruo is so clever! You haven’t even prepared breakfast yet, and you’re already thinking about lunch. Come on, take me to see what we’re having this morning.”
Danruo wouldn’t stop her; the small kitchen was kept spotless every day, so it was no trouble for her young lady to take a look. They walked from the vegetable patch to the kitchen door, and before they even stepped inside, the master and her servants were greeted by a delicious aroma. A steamer near the wall billowed with fragrant steam, clearly holding something delightful.
Three cooks worked in the small kitchen, slightly plump but exceptionally neat. Their knives made quick, rhythmic sounds as they chopped ingredients into fine shreds. Seeing Du Jingyi enter, they showed no great surprise. After all, Du Jingyi had often visited the small kitchen in the past. There were even wooden benches and tables in the open space in front of the vegetable garden where, sometimes, Du Jingyi would eat outdoors, enjoying the incredibly fresh food. There was quite a fuss about it at times.
“Today, I’ve prepared sweet rolls with sweet filling for you, Young Madam. The delicious crumbs on top were made by this servant when I got up this morning. You will try it later, Young Madam. Do you like it?”
Du Jingyi nodded, her eyes narrowing with a smile. She wasn’t a picky eater, or rather, in Danruo’s presence, no one could be picky. After all, Danruo’s culinary skills were boundless; otherwise, Du Jingyi wouldn’t have begged the Du family to send her as a dowry maid. Seeing that Du Jingyi had no objections, Danruo continued, “A few days ago, I saw some black beans when I went out shopping. Let’s make a cup of soy milk for the Young Madam today. Drinking it will be good for your eyes and hair.”
“Okay, I’ll let you decide,” Du Jingyi said. She was usually quite firm about what she wanted to eat, but that was when she was outside. With Danruo, she basically ate whatever was prepared for her.
Standing in the small kitchen, watching the busy cooks, the occasional wafts of cooking smoke filled Du Jingyi with a good mood that lasted all day. For some, happiness might come from vast wealth and power. But for her, calmly experiencing the seasons’ changes and enjoying simple daily meals was the most comfortable and joyful thing.
Perhaps sensing she didn’t want to leave, Lizhu and Yingying came from the main room and began wiping down the tables and chairs outside. There wasn’t much dust, but after a night, they felt a little exposed to the dew. After wiping, Yingtao was about to place a cushion for her to sit on, but Du Jingyi was too quick and sat down immediately. Seeing this, Yingying suppressed the words that had been on her lips.
After a short while, the hot breakfast was brought out from the kitchen, making everyone’s mouths water. Du Jingyi waved to several maids and said, “Sit down and eat with me. There’s so much; don’t waste it.”
“Yes ,” they replied. The maids weren’t overly formal; they had often done this before.
After drinking the hot soy milk, her entire body felt much better. As expected, the sweet-filled flower rolls suited Du Jingyi’s appetite perfectly, and she ate two or three in quick succession, yet still felt she wasn’t full. However, she stopped herself, saying with a touch of reluctance, “I can’t eat any more, otherwise I won’t be able to eat anything for lunch.”
She said it seriously, and the maids laughed. Especially Lizhu, who joked, “Young Madam, just eat as much as you like. If it doesn’t work, we’ll just ask Danruo to move lunch back a bit, so you won’t miss out.”
Du Jingyi’s eyes lit up, thinking this was a good idea. But after a moment’s thought, she shook her head. “Forget it. You should learn to be more disciplined throughout your life. Otherwise, it’ll be bad if you indulge your desires every day and become lazy.”
Hearing this, the maids nodded, feeling their mistress’s words made sense. She was only eighteen or nineteen, and though she liked to sleep in, she never delayed important matters. They truly admired this about her. It seemed that anything Du Jingyi set her mind to, she could accomplish. This, they believed, had something to do with the discipline she had just mentioned.
“Okay, let’s go back after eating. We still have to be busy with the move.”
The maid, Yingtao, nodded and stood up. Lizhu, being a little greedy, grabbed a sweet-filled flower roll and stuffed it into her mouth. Du Jingyi watched, amused. “Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you.”
Lizhu chewed quickly and swallowed it whole. Then she picked up her bowl of soy milk and drank it down. She patted her chest twice and smiled at Du Jingyi. “Let’s go, Young Madam.”
Seeing her eat so eagerly, Du Jingyi quickly told Danruo, “Lizhu really likes these. Make some for her breakfast tomorrow, too.”
Lizhu’s eyes lit up, and she cast an excited look at Danruo. Danruo smiled and nodded, then said, “Okay, I know. I’ll make a whole basket for her tomorrow and let her eat as much as she wants!”
“Hehe, thank you, Sister Danruo.” Among the four maids, Lizhu was the youngest, so it was natural for her to call her “Sister Danruo.”
After eating and drinking, the master and her servants returned to the main house. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Butler He and Aunt Dou waiting in the courtyard. When the two saw Du Jingyi, they immediately took a few steps forward and greeted her respectfully, “This servant has seen the Young Madam.”
“Butler He and Aunt Dou, please rise quickly. Why are you here so early today? Do you have something to tell me?”
Both nodded, and Aunt Dou stepped forward to explain, “After I came back yesterday, I already made an agreement with the masonry team to start construction today. They are all experienced people. They can work clearly based on the drawings. I estimate that it will be completed in a short time.” With that, Aunt Dou handed over a booklet detailing the status of the masonry team.
Du Jingyi took it and looked at it, then said, “Sit inside and talk.”
“Yes, Young Madam.”
Renovating the General’s Mansion was no small task, and their moving date had been set, so everything had to be completed before that date. Moreover, both quality and quantity had to be maintained; there could be no carelessness. Du Jingyi read carefully, discussing with Aunt Dou as she did. After several exchanges, Du Jingyi understood that this team of bricklayers was indeed excellent. Their quotation was clear, and their workmanship was fine. Even their entry and exit times, who came, what work they did, and what areas they entered were all meticulously reported.