Chapter Thirty-One: Courtyard Gossip (III)

Xia He stood quietly behind Tao Ming and said in a soft voice, "Cousin, the blue sea-green bowl holds soup stewed with golden pheasant, it's the most nourishing. Shall I serve you a bowl?"

Golden pheasant? Could it be wild fowl? It should be edible, right?

Tao Ming reached for the bowl to serve herself some soup, but Xia He stopped her. Tao Ming looked over in confusion; Xia He gave a gentle shake of her head and took the bowl, serving the soup before placing it in front of Tao Ming.

The matriarch's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly she felt a touch of disdain, thinking, How could someone of standing serve themselves? She has no presence as a mistress at all.

Out of caution, Tao Ming sipped the soup first. It tasted slightly gamey, but not unpleasant. She picked up a piece of meat; the flavor was decent.

She picked out several pieces of meat for the two children. Then Xia He brought over another bowl, filled with round, pale green grains that resembled mung beans.

Tao Ming glanced at the food, then at Xia He. Xia He promptly explained, “These are Jade Pearl Rice, milled from the Jade Valley.”

Tao Ming tasted a spoonful. It was soft, sticky, and sweet. She turned to Softsoft and said, “This is delicious.”

Xia He immediately served half a bowl each to the two little ones.

Softsoft looked at the meal and complained, “Mama, the chopsticks are too big, I don't know how to use them.”

Only then did Tao Ming remember that Softsoft was still using training chopsticks, the kind connected at the top, and couldn’t handle the separate, slender sticks used here.

She produced two pairs of training chopsticks and handed them to the children.

The matriarch's eyes lit up. “These chopsticks are quite novel.”

Tao Ming quickly replied, “They're specially made for children to practice with.”

The matriarch continued, “Once the meal is over, you must tell me about all these curious items. Staying in the manor all these years has nearly bored me to death.”

The seven madams exchanged glances.

Softsoft played with her food for a while, hesitant to eat. Tao Ming whispered, “The rice is really tasty. Try a little first, and Mama will get you something even better soon.”

Softsoft nodded. Meanwhile, Glutinous was already eating happily.

After a short while, Softsoft declared herself full. Tao Ming saw there were only a few bites left and didn’t push her further. She naturally took Softsoft's bowl, placed it in front of herself, and began to eat the leftovers.

The madams exchanged meaningful glances.

Xia He quickly tried to stop her. “Cousin, you can just throw away the leftovers.”

Tao Ming looked at the table—almost all the dishes were barely touched, only about a third eaten. The rice in front of the aunts was hardly touched as well. She asked, “Is there this much left over every day?”

Xia He remained silent.

The matriarch asked, “Mingming, what is it?”

Tao Ming detested wasting food, but now was not the time to make a scene. She smiled, “Nothing.”

But then Softsoft piped up loudly, “Teacher said, we mustn’t waste food!”

Tao Ming hurriedly shook her head at Softsoft, signaling her to be quiet.

Softsoft was not pleased. “Toiling in the fields under the scorching sun, every grain of rice is hard-earned. Who knows how much effort goes into the food on our plates? I've memorized that!”

When Softsoft finished, Tao Ming turned to the matriarch and said, “Grandmother, Softsoft is still little and doesn't know any better. Please forgive her nonsense.”

The matriarch gazed at Softsoft for a long moment before responding, “Who knows how much effort goes into the food on our plates—how true that is! After all these years, it’s clear the household needs some reform.”

She then gave an order, “Granny Li, go to the kitchen. From now on, meals will be cut in half.”

One of the madams protested, “Mother, that may not be appropriate…”

The matriarch’s voice rose. “Today, not a single scrap is to be left on any table. Everything must be eaten.”

The entire room was filled with silent resentment toward Tao Ming, sharp glances shooting her way like daggers.

Tao Ming ignored them and focused on finishing Softsoft’s leftovers.

At last, when the meal was over, everyone was uncomfortably full. No one dared bring up reducing the amount of food again.

The matriarch spoke, “Fifth son, I have something to ask you!”

The fifth uncle blanched and quickly replied, “Mother, please spare me some dignity.”

The matriarch snorted and said no more.

Then she summoned several of her grandchildren, sometimes praising, sometimes scolding. Tao Ming, distracted, barely listened, only wishing to leave quickly and escape the scrutiny that made her skin crawl.

“All right, that’s enough. Everyone can go,” the matriarch finally announced, and the crowd rose to leave.

“Fifth son, come to my chambers in an hour,” she called after him.

With a bitter face, the fifth uncle replied, “Yes, Mother, I understand.”

Once inside the matriarch’s quarters, Tao Ming took her old seat, each child perched on one of her legs.

The matriarch dismissed all the servants, then looked at Tao Ming and asked, “Why do these two little ones never leave your side?”

Tao Ming replied, “Grandmother, in the other world, there are those who kidnap children for money. If you take your eyes off them for a moment, you may never see them again.”

The matriarch sighed, “It seems that, no matter where you are, there are always heartless people in this world.”

Softsoft was already restless. “Mama, I want to play for a bit.”

The matriarch chuckled, “Great-grandmother wants to play too. Shall we play together?”

Softsoft eagerly hopped off Tao Ming’s lap. “Yes, yes! I’ll be the chef and you’ll be the guest.”

Tao Ming brought out a play table and some kitchen toys, then turned to Glutinous, “Do you want dolls?”

Glutinous replied, “I do.”

Tao Ming fetched several dolls.

The matriarch was delighted with these curious toys, asking questions about them, while Softsoft and Glutinous explained and arranged their playthings, soon engrossed in their make-believe game.

After a while, the matriarch rose and returned to her chair. “Mingming, tell me about the other world.”

Tao Ming watched the two children playing happily. “Grandmother, what would you like to know?”

“Tell me first how you managed over these past years.”

Tao Ming recounted as much as she could remember, up until her arrival at Weishui.

The matriarch was moved. “Banxia truly is remarkable. It couldn’t have been easy for her, raising you all these years.”

Tao Ming reached across the table and gently patted the matriarch’s arm. “My mother is well. She and my father get along very harmoniously.”

“Mother? Father?” the matriarch asked in confusion.

Tao Ming explained, “In the other world, parents are called ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ Grandmother, I call Banxia ‘Mom’—you’re not offended, are you?”

“Of course not. After all these years raising you, it’s only right,” the matriarch replied, still full of emotion.

Tao Ming thought to herself that her grandmother was truly an understanding woman.

The matriarch’s curiosity was piqued. “Earlier, you mentioned something called a phone and a television. What are those?”

Tao Ming grinned, took out her phone, and handed it over. “This is a phone, Grandmother. It has many uses.” She then explained how it worked.

The matriarch listened in amazement. “You can speak across a thousand miles? And even see the other person’s face? Mingming, when you have time, you must take me to see this other world—it sounds fascinating.”

Tao Ming thought of Su Nanxing and grew puzzled. “Grandmother, Softsoft’s birth father, Su Nanxing, should also be from Weishui. How could he have crossed into the other world?”

The matriarch tapped thoughtfully on the phone. “The Su family’s lineage stretches back generations, and they are most skilled in formations. If he is from the Su family, it’s no surprise he has such abilities.”

Tao Ming felt a wave of frustration.

“Grandmother, I’m not yet certain he belongs to the Su family. I only know his name is Su Nanxing. Whether that’s his real name or not, I can’t say.”

The matriarch looked at Tao Ming. “If he is indeed from the Su family, your journey to the imperial city will be much safer.”

Tao Ming was startled. “Why is that?”

At this point, Softsoft should still be relatively safe, since Weishui needs a Saintess, after all.

The matriarch spoke gravely, “For a thousand years, no sacred beast has appeared. This time, the sacred beast manifested in the remote Qiluo clan. The Heavenly Emperor has already traced the bloodlines thoroughly and knows the Saintess’s father comes from the Qin family. The Qin family is naturally pleased, and the royal family can accept it. But the Su family may not.”

“The journey to the imperial city is long. If the Su family wishes to pull any tricks, even with an escort, it’s hard to guard against all dangers. But now that there’s a link to the Su family, the attitudes of all three parties are bound to shift.”

“However, we must first confirm whether he truly is of the Su family.”