Border Cook

And it's painful and itchy, the kind that's unbearable!
Liu was filled with rage and angrily left with the maid beside her.

Xia Mingyue drank all the tea in the cup, put it on the table, and asked Yinqiao to add some new water for her.

In the corner, the door panel connecting to the central kitchen at the back made a "dong dong" sound.

Quick, yet hesitant.

There was no need to guess, Xia Mingyue knew who it was, and she raised her hand and called Yin Qiao to open the door.

As soon as Yin Qiao opened the lock, Zou Shiyun hurriedly ran into the yard, knelt down in front of Xia Mingyue with a plop, and kowtowed repeatedly.

Because she used too much force and the ground was paved with extremely solid blue bricks, Zou Shiyun's forehead soon became red and swollen, and bleeding slightly.

Xia Mingyue was startled and quickly reached out to help, "What are you doing? Get up quickly?"

Zou Shiyun burst into tears, her voice choked with sobs, "Thank you, Madam Xia, thank you, Madam Xia..."

When she learned that a gorgeously dressed woman named Liu came to look for Xia Mingyue, she guessed that the person was probably her mercenary stepmother, so she secretly lay behind the door connecting the central kitchen and Xia Mingyue's house to find out what was going on.

Liu's visit was beyond her expectation, but after careful consideration, it made sense.

After all, since Liu married into the Zou family, she has gradually taken control of all the money and housekeeping power, and she regards the two sisters as thorns in her eyes.

This time, the two sisters escaped from home, and the marriage that Liu had promised to her nephew fell through, causing her to be ridiculed by her natal family. They also took away a lot of jewelry and money, which made Liu very angry.

Liu probably dreams of finding the two sisters, bringing them home, and giving them a good lesson. Naturally, she will do her best to find the whereabouts of the two sisters.

Zou Shiyun had imagined the day when Liu would find the two sisters.

But what Zou Shiyun did not expect was that the reason Liu was able to find them was because she had written a letter for help to her maternal grandparents.

Since their mother passed away, her maternal grandparents had ignored the situation of the two sisters. Zou Shiyun thought that her maternal grandparents might ignore her request for help and pay no attention to it. Unexpectedly, her maternal grandparents actually sent the letter back home.

Obviously, their grandparents felt that the two sisters were committing a heinous crime by running away from home and that they needed to be properly educated at home.

My father who is still alive, my grandmother at home, and even my maternal grandfather’s family…

All those who were related to them seemed not to care whether they lived or died, let alone what difficult situations they would face in the future.

At that moment, Zou Shiyun suddenly felt that she and her sister had been completely abandoned by all their loved ones.

This feeling of sadness and helplessness came over her like an overwhelming force, wrapping her tightly around Zou Shiyun and tightening continuously, causing her to ache all over and unable to breathe.

Zou Shiyun wanted to break in and tell Liu clearly that if she insisted on taking the two sisters back, she didn't mind going all out and dying in front of her.

Ending his own miserable life also made Liu's plan completely fail, and he would bear the vicious infamy of forcing his stepdaughter to death for the rest of his life.

Just when all her anger rushed to her head and she was thinking about doing this stupid and foolish thing, she heard what Madam Xia said.

Madam Xia said that if the two sisters wanted to leave, they would have to ask Liu to pay three thousand taels of silver as compensation for breach of the ten-year construction period and for knowing the secrets of the central kitchen.

The ten-year construction period has never happened before, and although it is true that the secrets of the central kitchen are known, there is no such rule as Madam Xia said.

It was obvious that Madam Xia was helping the two sisters.

The matter of three thousand taels of silver scared away the greedy Liu.

After all, although the Zou family was wealthy, three thousand taels of silver was not a small amount of money. Liu would definitely not be willing to use such a large amount of silver to exchange for the two sisters.

As long as Liu gives up this matter, the two sisters will be safe.

Madam Xia is the savior of the two sisters!
The tears in Zou Shiyun's eyes burst out like a flood. She couldn't stop them no matter what. She just mechanically repeated the word "thank you".

Xia Mingyue felt sad when she saw this.

She could understand how Zou Shiyun felt at this moment.

A person who had been in the water for a long time, was already dying, and almost closed his eyes in despair, waiting for death to come, suddenly saw someone stretching out a rope...

You can imagine how excited I was.

"Okay, okay." Xia Mingyue said softly, patting Zou Shiyun's back gently. "The more you have to muster up your courage and cheer up. You have to know that you are the elder sister and you have to take good care of your younger sister."

Hearing Xia Mingyue mention the word "sister", Zou Shiyun's heart was lifted. She forced herself to stop crying, wiped the tears from her face, and nodded vigorously, "I understand, Madam Xia."

"Now that you know, calm down and tell Shi Liu that you two sisters should be mentally prepared."

Xia Mingyue said, "From what I see from Madam Liu, she is not the type to give up easily. I don't know what she will do next."

"But no matter what she does, you and Shi Liu can rest assured. I will do my best to help you if I can."

"But as I said, when you live in this world, it is one thing for others to help you, but the most important thing is that you must stick to what you want in your heart and never back down no matter what difficulties you encounter."

Helping others is a gratifying thing, but if the person you are helping backs out when you are halfway through helping, all the hard work you have put in will be wasted, and you may even be branded as meddling in other people's affairs. For the helper, it will be a heartbreaking, frustrating and regrettable thing.

Xia Mingyue hopes that those whom she helps wholeheartedly are worthy of her help.

Zou Shiyun understood the truth behind this and nodded vigorously again, "Don't worry, Madam Xia!"

Things have come to this point, and the two sisters no longer have any way out or other thoughts.

Just as my sister said before, here they do not rely on any relatives, they earn money and make a living with their own hands, and they feel very at ease and full of happiness.

As long as the two sisters are willing to work hard, they will be able to survive in this world, and they will be able to hold up the sky like Madam Xia!
But... Zou Shiyun was a little worried, "This Liu is usually fierce and has no regard for her reputation. She left in anger just now, and she might ruin your reputation outside..."

"If a reputation can be ruined by one person's empty words, then it is better not to have it."

Xia Mingyue smiled and patted Zou Shiyun's shoulder again. "Okay, this is not something you should worry about. Go wash your face, cheer up, and go to work first."

The Song family is preparing for the wedding, and the central kitchen has been busy these days. If she delays any further, she really won't be able to finish her work.

Madam Xia has helped her so much, she can't let other things affect Xia's business.

"Okay." Zou Shiyun wiped his face again and bowed to Xia Mingyue, "I'll get busy first."

"Go ahead." Xia Mingyue watched Zou Shiyun return to the central kitchen through the small door, smiled slightly, and picked up the teacup again.

Yin Qiao locked the small door again and said, "Madam, how about I go out and take a look at that Liu?"

If Liu is really a difficult person, then she can't just stand by and watch. If Liu does something out of line, she should report it to the authorities in time.

You have to know that my wife is now the Lord of Anle Township and holds a title, while Mrs. Liu is just an ordinary citizen. If someone really spreads words that are unfavorable to my wife outside, a sentence of "groundless slander" and "insubordination" would be enough to make Mrs. Liu suffer the consequences!

Xia Mingyue felt that there was no need to do so, but seeing that Yin Qiao's face was full of worry, she smiled and said, "It would be nice to go out and see what's going on."

"I happened to go to Buyun Tower when I went out, took these candied dates there, and gave them to Dahu and Erhu."

Xia Mingyue and Mrs. Lu made some candied dates these two days, thinking that they would be convenient for stewing soup, cooking porridge and eating on weekdays. Zhao Dahu and Zhao Erhu usually like to eat sweets, but Mrs. Lu was busy taking over the work of Mrs. Song these two days and was unable to get away, so she had no time to give some to the two of them.

"Okay." Yin Qiao responded with a smile, took the jar of candied dates that Xia Mingyue and Lu had prepared, and walked out quickly.

Liu had long since disappeared, and Yin Qiao couldn't find her either, so she simply went to Buyun Tower first, gave the things to the two Zhao brothers, and after a few simple words, she didn't stay any longer and hurried out of Buyun Tower.

But walking on the street, Yinqiao was in trouble again.

Although Jinqiu County is not very big, it is not an easy task to walk around. If you want to find this Liu...

Oh, yes, it seems that my wife just suggested that Liu go to the City God Temple?

Go there and take a look!

Even if I can't find Liu, the weather is getting warmer and the City God Temple is very lively. There are many stalls selling all kinds of small gadgets and snacks. I can go there for a look and find a few new ones to bring back for my wife, so it won't be a wasted trip!
Thinking this way, Yin Qiao quickened her pace.

At this time, Liu angrily called the driver to go to the City God Temple.

Along the way, he complained about the driver's slow speed and kept urging him to go faster.

The driver was very helpless about this, he even curled his lips and rolled his eyes secretly.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, I just know you are hurrying. Jinqiu County is very busy, and the streets are full of people. How can you hurry fast?

If you have the ability, come down and drive the bus yourself!
But although he grumbled in secret, the driver did not dare to say it out loud. He could only respond on the surface, but in fact he still followed the procedure.

Seeing this, Liu cursed a few more times, and even disliked the entire Jinqiu County, "Poor mountains and bad waters give rise to unruly people!"

So what if she is the head of Anle Village? She still comes from a remote and poor village, and she is also a complete shrew!
Let me show you, you shrew, how powerful I am!
Liu was furious, but the little girl beside her was terrified, "Madam..."

"Just say it if you have something to say!" Liu couldn't stand her timid look.

She is now the legal wife, the legitimate lady of the Zou family. The maid beside her should be very dignified and dignified. But she is so timid and unpresentable!

"Madam, the Lady of Anle Township is now a favorite of the Empress Dowager and the Queen. She is courteous to everyone when she walks around the capital. Madam, if you confront her head-on, I am afraid..."

"What are you afraid of!" Liu interrupted her. "No matter her status, she should be reasonable. Those two girls are from the Zou family. Why should she, an outsider, meddle in other people's business? This is unacceptable!"

"We need to let her know what the consequences are of meddling in other people's affairs, and let her know that there is still reason in this world!"

"That being said..." the little girl hesitated, "After all, there is a difference between officials and civilians. If this causes trouble..."

"Put your heart back in your stomach!" Liu was a little impatient. "What about being an official or the head of Anle Township? She jumped from a common woman to the head of Anle Township. There are many red-eyed rabbits. Don't worry. When the time comes, as long as you say something bad about Xia Mingyue, there will definitely be a lot of people jumping out to agree with her!"

You have to know that people all dislike you for being poor and are afraid of you becoming rich. When you gain power, others will become jealous to the point of going crazy and will not want to find ways to cause trouble for you. That is impossible.

If it was really Xia Mingyue who was bullying others by taking advantage of her power, then she wouldn't mind going all out and filing a complaint in the capital!
Fortunately, she is just a common woman, and Xia Mingyue is the head of Anle Village. She has more dignity than her. I don’t believe that Xia Mingyue will not be afraid when the time comes!
Seeing that Liu was very determined about this matter, the little girl stopped trying to persuade her.

Liu was thinking about what words would be the most attractive to start with.

The master and servant had different thoughts, and the carriage fell silent for a moment.

The carriage continued to move forward and soon arrived near the City God Temple.

The City God Temple was very lively at this time, and the crowded carriage could no longer move forward. The driver had to stop and let Liu and her maid get off.

After Liu got off the carriage, she looked around and finally chose a teahouse that was quite close to the City God Temple.

She went straight up to the second floor and sat at the seat closest to the window. Liu first gulped down a few cups of tea to moisten her throat. After a moment, she put her hands to her mouth, made a trumpet shape, and shouted at the top of her voice.

"Come and take a look, take a look. Someone is meddling in other people's family affairs, forcing their daughter not to go home, instigating her not to listen to her family, and instigating her not to marry according to her parents' wishes. Isn't this clearly bullying?"

"Fellow villagers, please give us your opinions. How can there be such a cruel and vicious person in this world who would not allow a daughter to listen to her parents and not allow her to return home? If everyone is like her, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

"These parents treated their daughter wholeheartedly, but because they didn't let their daughter do what she wanted, she became resentful of them. Then she turned around and listened to what others said and got angry with them and refused to come home. What kind of thing is this!"

"If this continues, how can we continue to be parents and plan for our daughter..." (End of this chapter)