Chapter 17: Five Blessings of Jin

"Madam, madam, what's wrong with you?" Xing was a little anxious and hurriedly called out, reaching for her pillow.

But after pulling it a few times without success, she exerted more force.

Chuyu felt embarrassed and didn't want to see anyone. She hadn't expected Xing, this silly maid, to actually snatch her pillow. When she revealed her crimson face, she found a group of maids standing by her bedside.

Chuyu blushed even more, and her maids also blushed and dared not look at her because of her somewhat revealing attire, which challenged the traditional views of life.

Chuyu, seeing her maids blushing, inexplicably felt less embarrassed.

"Cough, cough, hurry up, I'm feeling hungry," the maids snapped back to reality and began to attend to Chuyu's grooming.

After dining, Chuyu began her days of playing with cats and walking dogs.

After adapting yesterday, Xiaoxin and Fei, the cats, had improved a lot. Xiaoxin had returned to its mischievous self, while Fei still seemed a bit reserved, with its large round eyes watching everyone from the innermost part of the bed.

Chuyu used a silk handkerchief to play with them, occasionally giving them some dried fish to eat, and soon they were having fun.

Just when Chuyu was about to go to the small kitchen, the neighboring Lady Wufu Jinxitela came.

After hearing that Jiang Fuhai had sent her to convey the message, Chuyu was a little confused. Had the Fifth Lord taken a concubine? She hadn't noticed, with so many people in the back palace. It was only the 33rd year of Kangxi's reign, and she couldn't help but feel that something was not right.

"Sending my regards to Sister-in-law." Lady Wufu Jinxitela saw Chuyu's puzzled expression and then paid her respects with a slightly hoarse voice, as though she had been crying. Chuyu, as if she hadn't noticed her abnormality, welcomed her in and asked her to sit. She scrutinized her carefully.

She was a year younger than Chuyu's original self, with a youthful appearance and fair skin, but with a few pimples on her face that marred her beauty. In this palace, such appearance seemed rather ordinary, and she didn't seem as attractive as the maids around Chuyu.

Chuyu had wanted to give her some tips on getting rid of pimples, but she thought better of it as they were not very familiar, and it might not be appropriate.

After Lady Wufu Jinxitela was seated, she smiled slightly and said, "I hope I'm not being presumptuous by disturbing Sister-in-law, but the food here is simply too tempting. I couldn't resist coming in for a taste."

"I see, so you're also a glutton," Chuyu laughed. Had she really come just for the food? If so, she could accommodate her; she might not be able to help with anything else.

"I'm usually okay, but I couldn't help being drawn in by the smell coming from your residence yesterday. It seems that the food here is excellent," Lady Wufu Jinxitela said, surprised and then added, after sipping some tea, "What kind of tea is this? It's so delicious."

"This is honey orange tea, perfect for relieving internal heat. If you like it, I'll have someone bring you a jar. It's also good for beauty and skincare."

"In that case, I'll take you up on that." She really liked it; it was much better than the bitter tea she usually had.

Seeing her enthusiasm, Chuyu said, "There's plenty of delicious food and drinks. After changing clothes, I'll take you to the kitchen and we can prepare some tasty dishes together." She extended the invitation directly.

With that, she planned to take her directly to her inner room; they were almost the same size, so it would be enough to wear her clothes.

Lady Wufu Jinxitela's eyes lit up. Could they also go into the kitchen? In the deep palace, everything was carefully maintained. Even in her bedroom, she had to hold herself like a precious concubine of His Highness, but she was just a young girl of a dozen or so years, how could she bear it?

"Sister-in-law, will His Highness be angry when he returns and sees this?" Lady Wufu Jinxitela was a little uneasy.

"Why should His Highness be angry?" Chuyu asked in confusion.

Lady Wufu Jinxitela was at a loss for words. Sister-in-law and she were both concubines of the prince, but Sister-in-law led a much more carefree life. Thinking about her own situation, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Seeing Lady Wufu Jinxitela's worried expression, Chuyu comforted her, "No need to worry. A real man won't argue with us young ladies. You don't have to worry. You can relax a bit in my place." Chuyu felt better with a companion by her side.

"Did Sister-in-law also keep pets?" Lady Wufu Jinxitela was surprised when she saw Xiaoxin running to Chuyu's feet.

"Yes, it's called Xiaoxin, my little darling," Chuyu said with a sweet smile as she hugged Xiaoxin.

When Lady Wufu Jinxitela arrived, she had already asked the little eunuch to take Xiaoxin away, but who knew the little guy had remembered the way back and returned.

Lady Wufu Jinxitela felt as though a whole new world had opened up before her, realizing that Sister-in-law, like her, was also doted on. But she couldn't be like Sister-in-law and seek attention just for food.

Unaware of her thoughts, Chuyu changed her clothes and then, along with her maids, led Lady Wufu Jinxitela to the small kitchen.

Upon arriving at Chuyu's small kitchen, Lady Wufu Jinxitela was full of admiration. Was Sister-in-law's small kitchen of a higher standard? It seemed to have everything.

But she was also puzzled: "Sister-in-law, can the small kitchen still be used like this?" Her small kitchen was just enough for two people, mainly for making snacks.

Seeing her innocent curiosity, Chuyu lightly poked her forehead, "You're so naive. With money, what can't you buy? Things work the same way in the palace."

So, in the palace, you could use money in this way too. She had thought that the money in the palace was just for bribing servants, but she couldn't be as carefree as Sister-in-law just for food.

Just as they were about to begin, Su Peisheng came with a message.

"Fujin Ji Xiang," Chu Yu called out, then continued, "Master Ye asked this servant to inform you that he will be returning this evening with the Sixth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince for dinner. He requests Fujin to make the arrangements." Su Peisheng's eyes were almost swollen from smiling.

Chu Yu blushed a little, thinking of her own lack of restraint from yesterday upon hearing the Fourth Prince's name.

"Understood. Wait here for a moment. The Fourth Prince's lunch will be ready soon. You can take it back to him," Chu Yu said as she prepared the ingredients.

Chu Yu had instructed Wang Dali to stew a soup early in the morning, specifically a pig stomach soup for the Fourth Prince, with added Chinese yam and fresh vegetables. Now she was adding some noodles to it, thinking it should be enough for him.

After some thought, she also had Wang Dali cook a pot of pumpkin millet porridge, which was good for the stomach.

Unbeknownst to herself, she had already started to put her heart into preparing the meals.

The Fifth Fujin watched from the side, feeling unsettled. She had come to see Chu Yu partly due to the rumors. Previously, the rumors had said that the Fourth Fujin was ugly, but now everyone was saying that Chu Yu was extremely beautiful. She herself was not particularly pretty, so she had come to learn from her. She also thought that since they were both not favored, they could surely get along.

But after coming here, she found that things were not as she had expected. The way the eunuch, who was close to the Fourth Prince, spoke to the Fourth Fujin showed that she held a high position in the Fourth Prince's heart.

The eunuchs around the masters were always careful and flattering to the mistresses in the backyard. There was only one master, but many women, so it was rare to see a smiling face like Su Peisheng's.

At this moment, the Fifth Fujin had a bit of admiration for the Fourth Fujin.

She couldn't help but become Chu Yu's little follower, wanting to learn everything. However, since she had never been in the kitchen before, it was naturally a mess, which made Chu Yu burst into laughter, and she laughed along without realizing it.

In no time, Chu Yu cooked up two pots of rice noodles, thinking of satisfying the Fifth Fujin's craving for the "Crossing the Bridge" rice noodles.

Yesterday, Wang Dali had already made the rice noodles. It was simply grinding the rice into flour and making it into noodles. Today's taste was better than yesterday's, and it was much better than the modern rice noodles. This was pure and natural, without any pollution.

The Fifth Fujin left after having lunch. When she left, Chu Yu specifically had two little eunuchs carry the pots to take back. Did you notice her hesitant expression? She was probably thinking of sending a portion to the Fifth Prince as well.

When the Fifth Fujin was in the kitchen with Chu Yu, they were like children, but when she left, she resumed her usual dignified demeanor.