Chapter 135: Chapter 135
Chapter 135
"Hmm, you’re right. I do love deceiving everyone," Yueqian sighed. Eldest Young Miss Tang, upon hearing this, was taken aback.
"You! You’re doing it again! Don’t put on this act with me. I don’t believe that you... I don’t believe you’ve changed this much," Tang Mujin said, not only speaking but also shedding tears.
Seeing the girl showing such vulnerability, Yueqian felt at a loss. Tang Mujin was two years younger than her, only sixteen years old now. Having just gone through the hairpin ceremony, she wasn’t married yet, despite many matchmakers approaching her due to the esteemed status of the Tang family.
However, Tang Mujin insisted she wouldn’t marry anyone. Since her falling out with Yueqian, she had become reclusive and withdrawn into herself. Even on the day of her hairpin ceremony, when she received gifts from the Emperor, she showed no joy. How could her parents pressure her into marriage under such circumstances?
"Don’t cry in my manor on your first day here. Otherwise, my home will be filled with bad luck, plagued with tears every day," Yueqian scolded Tang Mujin sternly, hands on her hips.
The crying girl paused for a moment. She had heard that Yueqian had just bought this manor yesterday. After rushing to find her at the Qin household without success, Tang Mujin had planned to cause trouble today. She had forgotten that Yueqian, having just bought the manor, would want to start off with good fortune.
The woman who had been arguing since she entered the house, who had declared the end of their friendship, quickly wiped her own tears as if she was afraid they would fall to the ground of Yueqian’s manor.
Seeing her actions, Yueqian could only shake her head. Did this behavior really look like someone who hated her deeply? The other person remained the same as ever, even though she pretended to despise her. In the end, she was still her good child through and through.
"Today, I’ll be the host. Since it’s your first time visiting my manor, I’ll take good care of you. You should help me with the work too, not just wait to eat. Because you’re here, I’ll have to increase the amount of food I prepared," Yueqian beckoned. Tang Mujin, who had come intending to start a quarrel, followed her.
"You said you’re cooking? Are you cooking yourself?" Because cooking in the kitchen was mostly the servants’ job. She had never seen Yueqian cook herself before, so this was quite surprising to her.
"Yes, I married a commoner, not a nobleman. Of course, I have to cook for myself," Yueqian said frankly. Tang Mujin paused a little. She looked at her friend’s slender back, her eyes tearing up again.
"Hmph! So you must have had a hard time," though her tone sounded disdainful, Yueqian could feel the concern hidden within it. The beautiful woman laughed softly.
"Do you really think I’m having a hard time?" Yueqian didn’t wait for an answer. She led the way to the kitchen and called for Qu Yi to bring the beaten eggs.
Her slender hands moved skillfully, handling the oddly shaped pan with ease for a moment. She lightly spread some oil around it before pouring the eggs all around the pan.
She didn’t say a word upon arrival, but her actions were swift as if she were dancing. At first, Tang Mujin felt quite sorry for her friend, thinking she must be living a difficult life, even having to cook her own food without any servants to help. However, remembering Yueqian’s words from that day, she could only shake her head.
"Tang Mujin, believe me, I really mean what I said."
"How could you possibly want this? You’re lying to me! How could you want to leave the capital, leave Young General whom you love? You must be crazy." her voice rose along with her tears.
"I’m not crazy. I’m telling you again, this is my choice. You don’t need to interfere with my plans."
"You! You!"
"Just go. You shouldn’t stay here too long."
"Yueqian, are you kicking me out? How could you change like this? Aren’t I your friend anymore? Didn’t you say that friends should help each other? But when I try to help you, you tell me not to interfere. What does that mean? Do you not see me a friend at all?"
"Of course not, you are my friend. That’s why I called you here today to let you know my decision."
"Hmph! Yueqian, you must think I’m a fool to say that. You’ve never seen me as a friend, have you? From now on, I won’t meddle in your affairs. I won’t be your friend anymore. Today you say it’s your choice, but if you come running back to the capital in the future, I’ll be the first to laugh at you!" Tang Mujin shouted fiercely before running off. She couldn’t believe that Yueqian had called her just to tell her to stop bothering her father.
Even though all this time, Yueqian had helped her with everything, when it came to her own matters, she told her not to interfere! Not to interfere? Didn’t that mean that Yueqian didn’t want to accept her goodwill?
Even if she claimed it was her choice, what sane person would choose that? Just the other day, she heard rumors that Yueqian had shouted loudly in the manor that she refused to get married. That time, she felt deeply sorry for her friend and even protested by not eating to get her father to help. But why, in front of her, did Yueqian say such things?!
The memories of the events that led to their falling out replayed in her mind. Tang Mujin tried to hold back her tears again. Nonetheless, her feet still followed Yueqian into the kitchen, even standing beside her to see what her former friend was doing.
"This is called tamagoyaki. It’s easy to make and delicious. You like sweets, so you’ll probably enjoy it. I’ll make some extra for you," Yueqian said. She even served Tang Mujin a small plate, about the size of a palm, with a piece of tamagoyaki. This was a special treat, as no one in her own family had tasted it yet.
Tang Mujin picked up the piece of omelet and examined it. She couldn’t believe that Yueqian actually had cooking skills. She could see from the way Yueqian expertly layered the omelet in the pan. It seemed that she was not like someone who had just started learning to cook it. Also, it didn’t seem like a skill learned in just a few months.
What did this mean? Did Yueqian have other talents she was unaware of? During all the times she visited the Qin family’s manor, she never knew Yueqian could cook.
Part of her felt upset for not knowing this about her friend, but her curiosity was even greater. So, after picking up the piece, she steeled herself and took a bite.
The sweetness and soft texture made Tang Mujin’s eyes widen. What was this delicious, dessert-like taste? No! It was even better than any dessert she had ever had. It was a flavor she had never experienced, but it was so good that she closed her eyes to savor the taste as much as possible.
"Yueqian, it’s delicious. This is really delicious." Soon, an excited and happy expression appeared on Tang Mujin’s face. The soldiers from the Tang family, who had accompanied her, exchanged glances. Her close maid sighed in relief, thinking that her young miss’s previous demeanor was due to feeling slighted by Miss Qin.
Today, they had hurried over early in the morning, actually starting their journey since yesterday, just to see her friend. She wanted to check on Eldest Young Miss Qin’s condition, didn’t she?
Initially, she thought there might be a lot of arguing, but she didn’t expect the depth of their friendship to be so profound. Not only did Eldest Young Miss Qin understand what’s wrong with her young miss, but she also knew how to cook something that would lure her Young Miss Tang into a trap. In the end, it seemed that all traces of resentment had vanished.
"It has to be delicious because I made it myself," Yueqian nodded, straightforwardly boasting about her cooking skills. Certainly, Tang Mujin secretly nodded as well.
"But I never knew you could cook," her voice tinged with sadness.
"How could you know? I didn’t even know I had such a talent. No wonder! Studying anything else was always fruitless—learning to play the guzheng, singing, dancing! I never did well in those because I’m talented at cooking," Yueqian laughed heartily, thinking of her own excuse.
"So that’s how it is. I always knew you had some talent." Upon hearing her friend’s words, Tang Mujin didn’t doubt it for a moment. Since Yueqian said she had just discovered that she was good at cooking, Tang Mujin was ready to believe it.
After all, her friend was truly talented. It was just that others didn’t know anything! Look, now none of them had tasted Yueqian’s delicious cooking. The people in the capital were foolish, and now only she got to taste it!!
When Yueqian saw Tang Mujin’s usual demeanor, she wanted to laugh. This dear friend was truly a good friend. She would believe anything she was told, without even thinking twice about whether or not she was lying. Why had she raised her voice earlier, calling her a liar?
"Please place it over there. Once all the food is ready, we can eat together. I’ll fry some salted fish next. Just this won’t be enough to feed you," Yueqian instructed, pointing her finger. Despite never having done it before, Tang Mujin complied without hesitation.
Acting like a docile dog with Yueqian was was something Tang Mujin was used to doing. So her body moved easily, allowing Yueqian to focus on slicing the fish.
The beautiful woman took a fish from the bucket, which she claimed was full of fish, even though it was actually mackerel that needed to be kept in seawater. But no one there knew, and Yueqian had no need to tell them.
Right now, she was making salted mackerel, a very popular dish. Despite its high price, people ate it every day. Paired with hot soup, it was even more irresistible. Yueqian had already prepared the soup. Whether it was chicken bone soup or something else, it didn’t matter. She also had the tamagoyaki to balance the saltiness. So, this fish dish was sure to be a hit with everyone.
It didn’t take long to prepare, and soon it was finish. Now, it seemed like Tang Mujin had become Yueqian’s assistant. The two coordinated well, with one giving order and the other following them smoothly, like a well-matched pair.
"Qian’er, is the food ready? Should I and the kids help carry it?" Mu Heng, who had been busy arranging the surroundings and helping the children fetch water, finally returned. They entered from another side of the kitchen, so they saw Yueqian before the Tang family soldiers.As soon as he finished asking, he noticed the many soldiers standing around. His narrow eyes darkened again, but seeing that his wife was happy and accompanied by a young lady who was also looking at him thoughtfully, the young man could only raise an eyebrow.
