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Chapter 21

After settling everything, the three of them stood in the study.

Li Xia looked at Qiu Kui and asked, "Tell me, what happened?" Li Xia only asked Qiu Kui to make some pulled noodles, but he didn\'t expect to lose money and bring Lame Auntie back.

Qiu Kui explained what happened and took the written recipe to the kitchen. Cook Lady Bai had never made it before, but it wasn\'t difficult to understand the recipe described by Qiu Kui. Since the kitchen wasn\'t busy, they gave it a try while Lame Auntie boiled water.

The three of them tried a few batches. The first batch of pulled noodles was too thick and not fully cooked, the second batch was too thin and turned into noodle soup when boiled. The third batch was better, but it lacked enough oil to bring out the fragrance.

The three of them managed to eat their portions, and Cook Lady Bai had Lame Auntie take away the uneaten portions. Unexpectedly, Li Shan happened to walk in and saw Lame Auntie pouring away the noodles, suspecting that the three of them were stealing and eating the master\'s food.

"Wow, you dare to steal food from the house!" Li Shan exclaimed.

"Third Miss, my lady wanted to eat pulled noodles, so she asked Cook Lady Bai to make them. Because..." Qiu Kui tried to explain but was interrupted by Li Shan waving her hand.

"I don\'t care about your pulled noodles. After mealtime, you are not allowed to move around at will." Seeing Qiu Kui, it seemed like she was seeing Li Xia. Li Shan waved her hand as if swatting a fly. She hit Lame Auntie, who couldn\'t stand steadily due to her bad legs, and she stumbled and knocked over the oil barrel.

The oil spilled onto Li Shan\'s shoes. Li Shan saw her dirty shoes and immediately screamed, "My shoes! You lowly servant, how dare you dirty my shoes!"

Saying that, Li Shan kicked Lame Auntie. Qiu Kui and Cook Lady Bai wanted to intervene, but Li Shan didn\'t kick them. However, during the process, her shoe flew off and landed on the stove.

The burning charcoal in the stove caught fire when it came into contact with the shoe and the oil on it.

"Ah, it\'s on fire!" Li Shan shouted, pushed the three of them aside, and ran out in fear.

Cook Lady Bai, who was pushed onto the table, saw a rolling pin on the table. She picked it up, opened the shoe, and threw it into the stove. Qiu Kui also helped Lame Auntie away from the stove.

Hua Qiao, who brought people to the kitchen, saw the three people in the kitchen looking confused. Li Shan, who changed her clothes and rushed over, blamed everything on Li Xia. She took people and went to Lu\'s place to file a complaint.

"It was all Third Miss\'s doing, but she blames it on Miss." Qiu Kui, who usually had a mild temperament, became angrier as she spoke. She had never seen such a master who could distort right and wrong. She also felt dissatisfied with the punishment given by Lu\'s family. Clearly, Li Shan was the one who did something wrong, but it was her own lady, Lame Auntie, and Cook Lady Bai who were being punished.

"No matter what, I was the one who started this, so it stops here." Li Xia\'s indifference made Qiu Shui and Qiu Kui feel that their mistress was not valued. However, since Li Xia didn\'t mind, the two of them couldn\'t say much.

"Lame Auntie, what is your real name?" Li Xia stopped talking about these matters and looked at Lame Auntie.

Lame Auntie whispered, "My maiden family name is Wu."

"Qiu Shui, Qiu Kui, remember to let everyone in the courtyard know that from now on, there is only Wu Auntie and no Lame Auntie," Li Xia\'s words made Lame Auntie suddenly look up at Li Xia, tears welling up in her eyes.

Qiu Shui and Qiu Kui should comply.

"Qiu Kui, from now on, you will work with Wu Auntie in the tea room," Li Xia instructed Qiu Kui again.

"Alright, I have an assistant now," Qiu Kui\'s welcoming response made Wu Auntie\'s tears flow.

The benefits of Wu Auntie working in the tea room quickly became evident. Li Xia looked at the bowl of pulled noodles that was brought over and glanced at Qiu Kui, saying, "Made by Wu Auntie."

Qiu Kui nodded continuously, urging Li Xia to quickly taste it, saying, "Wu Auntie is skilled with her hands and makes delicious pulled noodles. Miss, please have a taste."

Li Xia picked up a noodle and took a bite. The noodles were chewy, and they paired well with the refreshing side dishes. It was delicious, and Li Xia quickly finished a bowl of pulled noodles, saying, "It\'s good. Send a bowl to Auntie."

"Qiu Shui has already taken one to the Plum Courtyard," Qiu Kui tidied up the bowl and chopsticks.

"Wait," Li Xia called out to Qiu Kui, got up, and went to the dressing table. She opened a drawer and grabbed a handful of copper coins, stuffing them into Qiu Kui\'s waist pouch.

Qiu Kui carried the tray back to the tea room, where Wu Auntie was tidying up. Although it was called a tea room, it was now similar to a kitchen. On the shelf against the wall, there were not only rice, flour, oil, and salt but also various seasonings. The kitchen cabinet next to the shelf held different bowls and plates.

When Qiu Kui entered, Wu Auntie didn\'t say anything, but her eyes were fixed on Qiu Kui, waiting for her to speak. Qiu Kui put down the tray and took off her pouch, pouring the copper coins onto the table and pushing them toward Wu Auntie.

Wu Auntie hurriedly waved her hand, refusing, "It\'s enough that Miss likes it. I can\'t accept money." Wu Auntie was very grateful that Li Xia had taken her in.

"Just take what Miss gave you," Qiu Kui said, pushing the coins forward. "Don\'t you still need money to buy Mao Mao a longevity lamp? Without money, you can\'t buy it." Hearing Qiu Kui\'s words, Wu Auntie looked at the coins in her hand and said, "Thank you, Qiu Kui."

"Wu Auntie, there\'s no need to be so polite. Once you\'ve been in Miss\'s courtyard for a while, you\'ll understand. Our Miss is extremely generous. As long as you do your duties well, she won\'t inquire about what you do in your spare time," Qiu Kui\'s words left a lasting impression on Wu Auntie.

Auntie Mei already knew about Li Xia being punished by having her monthly allowance reduced. Feeling sorry for her daughter, Auntie Mei took out two silver ingots from a box intending to give them to Li Xia. However, seeing that the money box was half empty, Auntie Mei put one back. She took one silver ingot and gave it to Qiu Shui, saying, "Give it to Xia\'er."

Watching Auntie Mei\'s pained expression, Qiu Shui felt a sense of déjà vu. Back at Lan Yuan, Qiu Shui handed over the money to Li Xia. Seeing the joyful expression on Li Xia\'s face, it instantly became clear why Auntie Mei\'s expression seemed familiar. Auntie Mei\'s expression of concern for the money was just like Li Xia\'s expression when she handed over the money. They truly were a mother-daughter pair.

After finishing reading two travelogues, Li Xia took the books and went to Song Tao Yuan to return them, planning to borrow two more. As she returned to Lan Yuan with the books in her arms, she was stopped by Auntie Mei at the doorstep.

"What\'s the matter, Auntie Mei?" Li Xia looked at Auntie Mei\'s stern face and tried to recall if she had done anything wrong recently.

"What are you carrying in your hands?" Auntie Mei suppressed her anger and asked, looking at the books in Li Xia\'s hands.

"They are travelogues borrowed from Song Tao Yuan," Li Xia replied, following Auntie Mei\'s gaze to the books in her hands. "Auntie Mei, I just went to ask Big Brother to borrow two books."