Chapter 9 Leaving the Wang Family
Su Wan’s previous hairstyle was very dull, with heavy bangs, which made her look rustic.
Now Su Wan combed up all the loose hair on her forehead, revealing her full forehead, and combed it into two hanging buns, making her look lively and beautiful.
The new clothes that Su Wan put on also looked very festive. Although Su Wan’s skin was still dark and rough, her overall appearance was completely different from before.
Su Wan has big, lively eyes, a small nose, and plump lips. If it weren’t for her poor skin, she would have a very bright and noble appearance.
Aunt Zhou stepped forward and took Su Wan’s hand: “I didn’t expect that you would be prettier than the young ladies who often come to our house after just some dressing up.”
“From now on, you should dress like this. Don’t wear those grey things. They make you look old.”
At noon, Su Wan prepared four dishes and a soup, including stir-fried chicken cubes and white jade mushrooms. Duan Jingtian’s maid Chu Wen brought the food box to Duan Jingtian and delivered it to the school.
As soon as Su Wan came to work in the Duan family’s kitchen, she got along very well with Aunt Zhou. When she had nothing to do, Su Wan would lend a hand to others. The cooks and helpers in the kitchen all liked Su Wan very much.
However, Su Wan discovered that Chu Wen, the maidservant beside Duan Jingtian, was not very kind to her.
At night, Su Wan needs to cook for three people.
Wang Luosheng also followed Duan Jingtian to have dinner, and Duan Jingtian also invited Li Sheng.
Su Wan usually put a lot of thought into cooking for Wang Luosheng. She made clear arrangements on what to eat in the morning so that he would be more energetic to study, what to eat at noon so that he would be more fresh, and what to eat at night so that he would be more awake. Therefore, in the past two years, Wang Luosheng has been in good health and has enough energy to study.
When going to Duan’s house to cook, Su Wan naturally had to make the same arrangements for Duan Jingtian as well.
If she took care of Wang Luosheng, she would only be despised, but if she took care of Duan Jingtian, she could earn money. As a result, Su Wan cooked for Duan Jingtian more attentively.
The Duan family’s ingredients are better and more abundant, which is more conducive to Su Wan’s performance.
For today’s dinner, Su Wan is going to make braised fish and grilled lamb ribs, mapo tofu and blanched choy sum as vegetarian dishes, mixed grain rice, and vegetable soup.
After getting Su Wan’s menu, the Duan family’s servant quickly found the raw materials for making these dishes for Su Wan, and they were all very fresh.
The fish was a half-grown carp, the mutton was small ribs, the tofu was freshly made, and the vegetables were freshly dug from the ground.
After all the ingredients were prepared, Su Wan first marinated the lamb chops and let them sit, then cleaned the carp. Originally, these chores should have been done by the assistant girl, but Su Wan had her own way of processing the ingredients, and since there was enough time, she did it herself.
The little girl who helped Su Wan in the kitchen thought it was great to be Su Wan’s assistant. Su Wan was not like other chefs who left all the chores to her. She only had to wash the vegetables, which was a really easy job.
Compared with the heavy and tedious housework of the Wang family, this was too easy for Su Wan, and Su Wan also enjoyed it.
Su Wan prepared the grilled lamb chops, braised fish, mapo tofu and blanched Chinese cabbage. Duan Jingtian, Wang Luosheng and Li Sheng also went to Duan’s house after school.
( grilled lamb chops)
(braised fish)
( mapo tofu )
( blanched Chinese cabbage)
Chu Wen brought the dishes to the table, and Duan Jingtian, Wang Luosheng and Li Sheng sat down to eat.
Duan Jingtian took a look and found that the grilled lamb chops were very special. The mixed grain rice was replaced with the usual white rice, while the other dishes were ordinary dishes.
Overall, the meal was disappointing.
Duan Jingtian didn’t say much, just signaled Wang Luosheng and Li Sheng to start eating.
Wang Luosheng was unhappy. It turned out that Su Wan could only bring him trouble. Duan Jingtian specially invited her to come and cook, but she made such simple dishes. Wouldn’t this make Duan Jingtian unhappy? If Duan Jingtian was unhappy, how could he still come to Duan’s house to read?
After eating a few bites, Wang Luosheng complained: “This Su Wan, you spent so much money, but she only made these ordinary dishes for you.”
Wang Luosheng was used to eating the meals cooked by Su Wan and thought this was too ordinary.
Duan Jingtian spoke up: “Brother Wang is wrong. The food Su Wan cooked is indeed special.”
When Duan Jingtian first saw the food, he thought that although it looked delicious, it was too homely.
But as soon as he put the food in his mouth, Duan Jingtian knew that Su Wan’s home cooking was different from others.
The grilled lamb chops are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the braised fish is rich in flavor, the mapo tofu is spicy and fresh, and even the blanched choy cabbage is tempting with its garlic flavor. These are truly extraordinary home-cooked dishes.
If we talk about ordinary, the vegetable soup is the most ordinary. The soup is watery and the taste is very light, but you can understand the beauty of it after drinking a bowl. This vegetable soup is oily and can relieve greasiness. When you drink it, the heaviness and greasiness of the meal will be swept away, making you feel refreshed and clear-eyed.
Wang Luosheng had always looked down on what Su Wan did, thinking it was all trivial. At this moment, he blurted out, “It’s just cooking, it’s not a big deal.”
After hearing what Wang Luosheng said, Li Sheng immediately said, “Brother Wang, you are wrong. Cooking may seem like a trivial matter, but if you want to achieve Su Wan’s level, the thought and effort involved are no less than the thought and effort we put into studying.”
Wang Luosheng was a little embarrassed. Usually, Li Sheng and Duan Jingtian both respected Wang Luosheng very much, but today, both of them said one after another, “Brother Wang, what you said is wrong.” Wang Luosheng was a little embarrassed.
Duan Jingtian ignored Wang Luosheng’s embarrassment, and ordered someone to call Su Wan over.
Wang Luosheng saw from afar a little girl in rust-red clothes pushing the door open, and thought to himself that this little girl was quite pretty and looked a little familiar.
When the person came closer, Wang Luosheng, Duan Jingtian and Li Sheng recognized that it was Su Wan.
When they met at Wang’s house before, Su Wan had an ugly hairstyle, wore tattered clothes, and looked bad. Apart from her beautiful eyes, there was nothing else about her that could be associated with good looks.
Su Wan seemed like a different person today. Duan Jingtian was a little surprised. Su Wan was just wearing ordinary clothes and had an ordinary hairstyle, but she was already much more beautiful than an ordinary girl.
Although she is still thin and dark, she does look good.
Wang Luosheng was used to seeing Su Wan wearing tattered clothes, so he was surprised to see Su Wan suddenly change her clothes and look like a different person.
Li Sheng smiled and said to Wang Luosheng and Duan Jingtian: “Sister Su Wan looks very beautiful in this outfit today.”
Duan Jingtian smiled and replied: “Even compared with our Qingyun County’s most beautiful woman Yang Yunyan, she is not bad.”
Wang Luosheng said: “Yunyan is the daughter of the master. She is talented, beautiful, well-educated and well-mannered. How can Su Wan compare to Yunyan?”
Duan Jingtian: “Brother Wang, you are wrong. Sister Su Wan’s cooking is so delicious, she must be very smart.”
Li Sheng: “Brother Wang, what you said is wrong. If Sister Su Wan dresses like Yunyan, I think she will be a little better than Yunyan.”
Wang Luosheng was embarrassed again.
Su Wan responded generously: “Thank you, Brother Jingtian and Brother Li Sheng, for your compliments.”
Duan Jingtian, Li Sheng and Wang Luotian are about the same age, four or five years older than Su Wan. Duan Jingtian and Li Sheng treat Su Wan like a younger sister, and Su Wan just treats them as brothers and responds to their requests.
Duan Jingtian asked Su Wan, “Today is the first day that Sister Su Wan came to Duan’s house to cook. Are you used to it? Is there anything that is not going well or not satisfactory?”
Su Wan answered obediently: “The kitchen in the Duan Mansion is large, and the cooking utensils are very complete. There is nothing that is not convenient or satisfactory.”
After answering Duan Jingtian’s question, Su Wan asked, “I wonder if the food I cooked today suits your taste.”
Before Duan Jingtian could answer, Wang Luosheng started to criticize Su Wan: “Su Wan, you can cook ordinary dishes like tofu and Chinese cabbage at home, but now that you are in Duan’s house, how can you still cook these home-cooked dishes? Master Duan asked you to come here to cook delicious meals, how can you be so careless.”
In his previous life, Wang Luosheng was used to criticizing Su Wan, and he didn’t feel anything wrong in criticizing her again at this time.
Su Wan had a blank expression on her face: “Brother, you are wrong.”
“Brother said that I was just fooling around by making these ordinary dishes. This is a misunderstanding.”
“The meals I cook at home may seem homely, but they are prepared with consideration for my brother’s mental strain from studying, Uncle Wang’s physical strain from running the mill, and Luoxue and Aunt Wang’s inability to gain weight.”
“I have to consider everyone’s health, make the food delicious, and not spend too much money on groceries, so I can come up with our daily home-cooked meals.”
“I really put a lot of thought into the meals at home, so it’s really unfair to say that I’m just fooling around when I cook at home.”
Su Wan would not swallow the grievance given by Wang Luosheng, and continued: “Now I came to the Duan family to cook, Master Duan’s family is not short of ingredients, one can make whatever delicacies one want.”
“But Master Duan is also studying. Eating delicacies of different types will make him greasy and sleepy, which is not good for studying. So I made these home-cooked dishes to avoid affecting Master Duan’s studies.”
Duan Jingtian was very surprised after hearing what Su Wan said. Duan Jingtian usually ate delicacies from land and sea, whatever was delicious, and he did feel greasy after eating. But he didn’t have that feeling after eating the meal made by Su Wan today. It turned out that Su Wan had put special thought into this.
Wang Luosheng didn’t care about what Su Wan said. He thought Su Wan was talking nonsense. What she cooked at home was indeed some home-cooked meals, but they were just a little better than the home-cooked meals of ordinary people. It was not as thoughtful as she said.
The reason why he was clear-headed when he was studying was because he was naturally intelligent. It had nothing to do with Su Wan.
Su Wan continued, “I also read in a book that if we want to accomplish something, in addition to having three meals a day that are suitable for our body, we also need to have a proper work , rest schedule and exercise regularly to keep our body healthy. This way, we will have sufficient physical strength and a clear mind to do things, and it will be easier to get twice the result with half the effort.”
Li Sheng nodded: “We often say that whether studying well or not depends on how hard you work, but we ignore our three meals a day and our daily routine.”
“Only when you have a balanced diet and a regular work and rest schedule can you be in a better state to study. I have also read these principles in books, but they have not entered my heart. I am still torturing myself on weekdays, getting up at five in the morning and going to bed at midnight, hanging my head on the beam and piercing my legs with a needle. In order to save some food for my family, I even make do with simple meals.”
“After listening to what Sister Su Wan said today, I realized that I can’t go on like this. Only by nourishing my spirit and accumulating enough physical strength can I study better.”
“Sister Su Wan, thank you for your advice.” Li Sheng bowed to Su Wan.
Wang Luosheng felt very uncomfortable after hearing what Li Sheng said. It sounded as if Su Wan had contributed to his surpassing Li Sheng and getting the top spot.
Before Su Wan came to the Wang family, Li Sheng was the top student in the academy. Later, Wang Luosheng caught up with Li Sheng and surpassed him to take the top spot.
Wang Luosheng thought that this was all due to his hard work and intelligence, and had nothing to do with Su Wan.
But this time Wang Luosheng didn’t say anything more, lest Duan Jingtian and Li Sheng say, “Brother Wang, this is wrong.”
Duan Jingtian looked at Su Wan and asked, “Sister Su Wan, can you read?”
Su Wan nodded: “I learned when I was young, I recognize a few of them.”
Duan Jingtian felt that Su Wan was an even more special girl.
Duan Jingtian asked Su Wan again: “Do you like reading?
Su Wan nodded: “I like it.”
Duan Jingtian said, “I have a large collection of books at home. In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics, there are also miscellaneous notes, storybooks, and travel notes. When you have nothing to do on weekdays, you can go to my study to read.”
Su Wan smiled at Duan Jingtian: “Thank you, Brother Jingtian.”
When Su Wan smiled, Duan Jingtian was a little dazed. How come this dark-skinned girl looked so pretty when she smiled?
Duan Jingtian turned to Li Sheng beside him and said, “I thought you were just eating simple meals to fool yourself, but I didn’t know. So, you should come back with me to eat, and let Sister Su Wan cook more every day.”
Li Sheng refused again and again, but Duan Jingtian insisted: “People say that if you keep company with vermilion, you will be red. If you keep company with ink, you will be black. You can study with me after dinner every day. You are a hard-working person, and I can study harder with you.”
Li Sheng had no choice but to agree.
Wang Luosheng felt a little uncomfortable. It was Duan Jingtian who invited Li Sheng to the Duan family for dinner, but it was his mother who took the initiative to ask him to come to the Duan family for dinner. There is a certain difference between coming to eat by oneself and being invited to eat.
Moreover, Duan Jingtian took the initiative to invite Li Sheng to study together, but his qualification to read in Duan’s study was obtained because Su Wan came to cook.
Wang Luosheng felt a little uncomfortable.
After the group finished their meal, Duan Jingtian felt refreshed. After listening to Su Wan’s remarks just now, he thought it was a good time to study, so he invited Li Sheng and Wang Luosheng to study together. This time, Duan Jingtian did not suppress Wang Luosheng, and Wang Luosheng’s mood calmed down a little.
Su Wan came out of Duan Jingtian’s study, and the Duan family’s carriage sent Su Wan back.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Wan returned, there was a lot of work waiting for her. After Su Wan was picked up in the morning, Mrs Wang and Wang Luoxue cooked a meal for themselves at noon because they were too hungry. They didn’t do any other housework. They were waiting for Su Wan to come back to do the work.
The house was not cleaned, the dishes were not washed, the chickens were not fed, the chicken coop was not cleaned, and the dirty clothes were soaked in the basin all day.
When Mrs Wang saw Su Wan coming back, she hurriedly said, “Su Wan, hurry up and make dinner. We are starving.”
Mrs Wang’s cooking is not tasty. At noon, Wang’s father, mother and Wang Luoxue just ate a few bites. They were waiting for Su Wan to come back and cook.
Su Wan walked into the kitchen and saw a mess. The pots and pans used in lunch were all waiting for Su Wan to wash.
Su Wan did not wash the pot. She just cooked a pot of porridge in the pot that Wang Mother used to cook at noon. She added some chopped meat and vegetable leaves, adjusted the seasoning, and slowly simmered a pot of meat porridge.
When the meat porridge was served, Mrs Wang was about to scold Su Wan, but she smelled it and decided to fill her hungry stomach first before scolding. The porridge tasted quite good. After Mrs Wang ate two large bowls, she poured another half bowl into her bowl.
Only then did Mrs Wang have the energy to talk to Su Wan: “Su Wan, you go to Duan’s house to cook, but don’t delay the housework.”
“People should be grateful and repay kindness. You eat and use the Wang family’s food, so it’s only right that you do these little things for the Wang family.”
It’s just a little things. Su Wan sneered in her heart. One person does the work of three people. Is this just a piece of cake?
Aunt Li, who came to visit next door, came to chat with Mrs Wang in the moonlight and heard Mrs Wang’s words asking Su Wan to repay her kindness.
Aunt Li casually said to Su Wan who was washing dishes in the house: “Su Wan, you must repay your Aunt Wang. You are helpless and your Aunt Wang provides you with food and drink. You must repay this great kindness.”
As soon as Aunt Li finished speaking, a carriage stopped outside the door. It turned out that Duan Jingtian and Steward Li brought Wang Luosheng back.
Duan Jingtian heard Aunt Li’s words clearly.
Steward Li stepped forward and said, “What the lady said is not right. The work done by Miss Su Wan is probably enough to feed and spend money on three of her. The great favor the lady mentioned is a bit exaggerated.”
Seeing that the person who came to help Su Wan was well-dressed and came in a carriage, Aunt Li quickly changed her tone: “That’s right, Su Wan is very hardworking. She gets up before dawn every day to work. Not only does she take care of household affairs, she also helps out at the mill. She is a good girl who can do the work of three people. ”
Duan Jingtian said with a serious expression: “Then why did Madam say such words just now?”
Aunt Li smiled and said, “I was just giving her a few words of advice.” Aunt Li heard the displeasure in Duan Jingtian’s tone and hurried home, fearing that she had offended the important person.
The Wang Mother cursed Su Wan in her heart, but she smiled and said, “Aunt Li just said that. Master Duan, please don’t bother with her. Master Duan, please come in, steward Li, please come in.”
Duan Jingtian said: “Since I have sent my brother here, I will not bother you any more. Goodbye.”
Duan Jingtian said this and took Steward Li into the carriage.
Originally, Duan Jingtian had no plan to send Wang Luosheng back. After Wang Luosheng left, Li Fugui remembered the kindness of Su Wan in sending him the snowy custard mooncakes, so he told Duan Jingtian how Mrs Wang had arranged a lot of things for Su Wan in the morning at the Wang family, and how Wang Luoxue had ordered Su Wan around.
Duan Jingtian somehow asked Li Fugui to harness the carriage and go to Wang’s house. On the way, he met Wang Luosheng and took Wang Luosheng with him.
It seems like Duan Jingtian specially sent Wang Luosheng back, but it is not the case.
As the carriage left the Wang family’s gate, Duan Jingtian spoke to Steward Li who was driving the carriage in front, “As you said, the Wang family is indeed harshly treating Su Wan.”
Li Fugui said, “Just from what that gossipy woman said just now, I know that the Wang family really treats Miss Su the same way. This morning, I heard from Mrs. Wang that not only does Miss Su have to do housework, but she also has to work at the mill, which is a job that men do.”
Duan Jingtian shook his head: “I didn’t expect that Brother Wang’s family would be such people. No, I have to help Sister Su wan.”
The carriage galloped towards the Duan Mansion under the moonlight. Duan Jingtian thought of a way to help Su Wan. If Su Wan could live in the Duan Mansion and cook, then Su Wan would not have to do the heavy work for the Wang family.
Originally, he was worried that if Su Wan lived in the Duan family, she would be like a servant of the Duan family. But if she stayed in the Wang family, she would indeed be better than a servant.
