Chapter 12: Tea Brewing Skills
She was enveloped in darkness as blood oozed out of the broken legs, being tormented day after day. . .
Li Wei Yang awoken from the nightmare, drenched in cold sweats. Even her clothes and blankets were drenched in cold sweats.
She was panting until Bai Zhi lifted up the aqua blue curtains and asked in a low voice, “San xiaojie, are you alright?”
Li Wei Yang instinctively glanced at the bed with its paisley design. She had only been dreaming. She was still alive. Shrouded in the dark, Li Wei Yang had a vague expression on her face. A few strands of hair drenched in sweats had matted to her forehead.
“San xiaojie, did you have nightmares again?” Bai Zhi asked cautiously. “Do you want to drink some water?”
Li Wei Yang shook her head.
Right then, Mo Zhu came in and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you feeling unwell, San xiaojie?”
Mo Zhu and Bai Zhi were on the night watch today. Li Wei Yang briefly glanced at Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi immediately said, “No, it’s just the blanket is too thick causing the sweats!”
Bai Zhi was a smart servant. Li Wei Yang thought to herself, that year, the Li’s in Ping Cheng had also gifted Bai Zhi and Zi Yan to her. Unfortunately, she had pitied the two of them, feeling sorry that they had to suffer with her, so she had never gotten close to the two of them. She had listened to Da furen’s advice by allowing them to leave and start their own family. Right now, she needed some help and these two servants also needed to be tested once more.
Mo Zhu was Lao furen, Meng shi’s, second rank servant. She was then promoted to a first rank servant when she was ordered to serve San xiaojie.
After listening to Bai Zhi’s explanation, Mo Zhu turned around and stepped out to retrieve the warm water that was being boiled on the stove. Returning with the warm water, she said, “Nubi will help xiaojie bathe.”
Li Wei Yang nodded.
Mo Zhi was quick. She poured the boiled water into a tub then she took out a handkerchief made out of burlap and scented with fragrance. She dipped it into the water then assisted Bai Zhi in bathing and changing Li Wei Yang’s clothes.
After changing out of the moist clothes, Wei Yang’s mood was better and she felt calmer. She looked at the two servants and smiled. “There’s nothing else to be done. The two of you should go rest. Should I need anything, I will call you.”
The following afternoon, Zi Yan brought over a small green ceramic bowl.
She said, “San xiaojie, this was delivered from the kitchen. They said Laoye had invited over some guests today so they haven’t been able to prepare lunch. You should drink the chicken soup first.”
Wei Yang was not like Zhang Le who had her own private kitchen. Instead she had to eat with everyone else. Listening to Zi Yan, Li Wei Yang simply smiled and said, “Okay.” She opened the lid and with a brief glance, she realized the chicken soup was watered down. There was only four pieces of chicken meat in the soup, composed of the head, neck, butt and breast. They were mostly bones, however. Nothing was edible.
Li Wei Yang could only smile.
There were rules to be followed in Li jia. On the surface, the way they treated the concubine’s children seemed to be fair and void of favouritism. The decors were all expensive and luxurious items. From appearance, it seemed as if Da furen was an extremely fair person. However, all of these expensive items have been recorded and tracked down. It could not be thrown away or damaged; otherwise one would have to compensate for it. In total, she only had two set of clothings that were presentable in front of guests. She had already been here for a month. Despite Da furen often sending people over to take measurements for the new tailored clothings, those new clothings haven’t actually materialized.
In the past lifetime, Jiang shi hadn’t reacted this way. She hadn’t been so obvious and had maintained her good image of a benevelant and kind stepmother. Unfortunately, it seems as if she was holding a grudge from the last time Wei Yang had caused her precious daughter, Li Zhang Le, to be drenched from head to toe. Consequently, Zhang Le had the coughs for two days.
It seems like even the servants were starting to look down on her. Li Wei Yang looked at the soup with a ghost of a smile on her face.
Zi Yan’s eyes reddened. “San xiaojie, I had argued with the kitchen staff, but they said it was the rules that even the other xiaojies had to follow yet San xiaojie was the one being picky about the food. They also said when the other xiaojies wanted to eat something in particular, they would pay extra for it. San xiaojie could do the same.”
Pay extra? Li Wei Yang shook her head, laughing. She was infamous for being the unloved concubine’s daughter. She had no money to give the servants and staff. Da furen was sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside. She had gifted Wei Yang a lot of things but there was no money which could be used for practical things. Even worse, she