Chapter 158 Who Took the Bird’s Nest First?
“Lady, do you still remember the source of the bird’s nest?” Qing Yue asked.
Unknowing why Qing Yue would ask this, Qin Wanru answered questioningly, “Our mansion newly bought the bird’s nest for mother in order to build up her health. She particularly asked her servants to prepare an extra bowl of bird’s nest for me when cooking porridge!”
“Yes! There is not only one bowl but four!” said Qing Yue indignantly. Thinking of that scene that four bowls of bird’s nest porridge were in the kitchen, she vented her fury and said, “It is Madam Shui’s healthy bird’s nest porridge and Old Grandma used her own money to let Madam Shui build up her health with that! However, why would everyone be able to enjoy the bird’s nest now?”
“Did you ask about that?” asked Qin Wanru with her eyelashes batting.
“Yes, I did. I asked them who could have these bowls of bird’s nest porridge and the supervisor of the kitchen told me that they were Madam Di’s and Young Lady’s. Why could they have them? It is Madam Shui’s bird’s nest! It is Old Grandma who spent her own money on it! You could have it because Madam Shui herself agreed to give you some in private! She even lied to you that she doesn’t like bird’s nest but likes its porridge so that there would be more bird’s nest left!”
The more Qing Yue thought about it, the angrier she felt! The scene that the old maidservant took that bowl of bird’s nest nearly made her blood boil!
“Qing Yue, did you get mad at that time?” Qin Wanru suddenly smiled and blinked her eyes.
“Absolutely! It is the bird’s nest porridge which Madam Shui saved for you particularly! Why would they take advantage of it again?” said Qing Yue unwillingly.
“But if they don’t?” Qin Wanru smiled with her crystal-clear eyes which looked like there was a lake in.
“What do you mean?” Qing Yue didn’t understand.
Yujie who stood beside understood it immediately and asked, “Would Madam Di and Young Lady buy it themselves and ask the kitchen to cook?”
Her answer made Qing Yue’s eyes almost pop out. She couldn’t believe and asked, “Would Madam Di spend her money on it? Really?”
“Everything is possible. Why would this be impossible?” Hearing Qing Yue’s words, Qin Wanru chuckled. She smiled lightly and said, “It was impossible in the past but it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be possible now!”
Qing Yue was shocked. Biting her lips, she felt anxious and said, “Lady, I almost got mad and tried to knock over their bowls deliberately.”
“Fortunately, you didn’t. They might want to irritate you!” Qin Wanru warned, smiling lightly.
Her words suddenly reminded Qing Yue of the scene in the kitchen. She frowned and said hesitantly, “Lady, it, it seems so. When the old maidservant took those bowls of bird’s nest porridge, she kept looking at me and chuckled, looking very proud of herself. Subsequently, she gave the old maid of the kitchen a small purse. Although they tried to be stealthy, I saw them!”
At first, Qin Wanru only made a guess at it but now she looked serious.
“Who took the bird’s nest porridge first?” Qin Wanru’s smile looked very deep.
“It was me. I saw that old maid tried to go upstairs to the attic so I stopped her. She said she was going to kitchen and now she got lost. I thought that the cooking of bird’s nest porridge might finish so I went to kitchen with her in case she would come back and find out that you were in the attic. Before we reached the kitchen, she didn’t know who I am.”
Qing Yue also felt strange when recalling the memory of heading to the kitchen with that person. “At first, the old maidservant only dare steal a glance at me and asked for some normal desserts. However, when I took the bird’s nest porridge, she looked at me and smiled very proudly. Then she said she also wanted the bird’s nest porridge.”
“It was after hearing her words that I noticed that there were the same four bowls of bird’s nest porridge.”
“I also saw the old maid give the supervisor a small purse subsequently. Thus, I thought that Madam Di bribed the supervisor of the kitchen so the supervisor quartered Madam Shui’s bird’s nest porridge which should be halved originally.”
Qing Yue almost burst out exasperatedly when thinking of this. If she hadn’t been worried about Qin Wanru who was still in the attic, she would have been unable to bear it any more for she might expose her lady’s location.
Reconsidering the thing, she thought, “What a close call! The old maid acted deliberately and tried to let me get mad when she knew who I am! What a cunning old woman!”
After telling Qin Wanru the whole story completely, Qing Yue understood it very clearly. She asked anxiously, “Lady! What should I do now? When I left, the old maid was still there. However, I met Qionghua in the halfway!”
Qionghua must take the bird’s nest porridge for Madam Shui.
“Where?” The smile on Qin Wanru’s face vanished and her eyes looked very cold. She put the spoon in the bowl and wiped her mouth lightly with her handkerchief.
“She now should be in the kitchen!” Qing Yue’s face turned pale and said, “Should I now get to her?”
“It is too late!” answered Qin Wanru lightly. A hint of darkness flashed upon her eyes. “How restless Madam Di is! She always tries to get rid of my mother’s unborn baby! Her plan A just failed and then she has plan B now!”
“However, it wouldn’t be her last resort. She is still sounding us out…”
“What should we do now? If Qionghua has the same thought with me in this event and screws Madam Di’s and Young Lady’s bird’s nest up madly, Madam Shui must be scolded!” Qing Yue now was extremely worried. She almost did it madly. If Qionghua was thinking the same thing, she would definitely do it.
“No matter they try to irritate me or servants around Madam Shui, Madam Di and Young Lady would be innocent at least when something does happen. If they do pay for the bird’s nest, Madam Shui would be unable to explain.”
“Even though Madam Shui is pregnant now, she would absolutely be scolded.”
“Madam Shui now is having a baby. If she is scolded and something bad really happens to her, things would be definitely trouble!”
“Lady, what should I do? What should we do?” Qing Yue looked really anxious and seemed like a cat on hot bricks. She kept looking at Qin Wanru and hoped to know the next step from her.
“Lady, I run faster and let me find her. Qionghua might be much calmer and she might not do it yet!” Yujie also got anxious.
“No. It is too late!” said Qin Wanru again. She then analyzed patiently, “The old maid reached there earlier than you but she didn’t leave after she gave the purse to that person. Everything she did only means that she has decided to wait for Qionghua. She is very cunning. She knows the words that Qionghua doesn’t like to hear. Thus, she might provoke her deliberately. If there are no other people hearing their talk and most people only see the final result, Qionghua must be the wrong one!”
“Then, then, how could we help her?” Qing Yue was so shocked and anxious that there was cold sweat on her forehead. Everyone knew that Qionghua was Madam Shui’s right hand, which meant that Qionghua’s behavior was on behalf of Madam Shui.
“Go and find out the source of Madam Di’s bird’s nest and the reason why they want the same bird’s nest porridge like us. Madam Di used to like drinking the bird’s nest thick soup but why she would want the porridge this time just like my mother!” Qin Wanru stared in the direction of Yulan Pavilion through window and said calmly.
Now all purchase was under the unified management of Qin’s Mansion. If Madam Di did want something privately, she had to give the buyers money first and let the purchasing staff bring her goods into the mansion.
In order to gain better evidence, Madam Di would definitely not use the bird’s nest she had before or those others sent to her. She must buy the bird’s nest from an official shop.
However, there was a bug. When Madam Di came back from the Duke Yong’s Mansion, she brought some presents in return. It was said that there were bird’s nests in them. When she showed her presents given by Duke Yong’s Mansion to Old Grandma, she looked really proud and arrogant. Qin Wanru gave a glance at the bird’s nest at that time.
There were a lot of bird’s nests and Madam Di had them all.
Madam Di and Qin Yuru enjoyed the same hobby that they liked bird’s nest thick soup. All the people who had worked in the mansion for a long time knew this!
“There was only a little left then. Why would they fill the same four bowls with that porridge? How could they recognize which belong to Madam Di and her daughter’s and which belong to mother’s and mine?”
“Let me get to the purchasing staff!” Hearing Qin Wanru’s analysis clearly, Qing Yue turned around and rushed out after she said to her lady.
“The purchasing staff of the outer court!” Qin Wanru added.
Qing Yue tried to ask more but there was no time left. Moreover, she now very trusted Qin Wanru so she ran out directly without asking why she needed to find the purchasing staff of the outer court.
“Then I go to the kitchen and see what is going on there. Qionghua might not get mad now!” Yujie thought that it would be better for her to go to the kitchen. No matter what happened in the kitchen, lady still knew nothing. Moreover, she ran faster!
When they made their tasks clear, they left in a hurry. Qin Wanru took the spoon and sipped. Then she put it down and her eyes looked deep.
Madam Di always acted quickly. Now it seemed that she decided to implement her plan slowly. But it would be better if something happened periodically.
It seemed that Duke Yong’s Mansion not only sent her servants but offered advice to her!
Qing Yue returned quickly. Purchasing staff was divided into two groups, inner court and outer court. The purchasing staff of the inner court was under the management of Shui Ruolan while that of outer court was monitored by Qin Huaiyong.
Qing Yue went to the staff of the outer court directly. Fortunately, he was there. Knowing that she came for asking about the bird’s nest, he checked the account and told Qing Yue that it was true. Madam Di told him that Young Lady and Madam Di wanted to have bird’s nest and let him buy some back. Then he could find Madam Di to receive money. She didn’t use the public funds.
It would not be a big deal in any mansion. Those masters had their own money. If some of them wanted something that they wanted to eat or use, they just need to spend their own money on those goods as long as they didn’t use the public funds.
Qing Yue became wiser and asked him when Madam Di asked him to do this. The supervisor of purchasing told her that it was at that night that Shui Ruolan was found out being pregnant and Old Grandma wanted to buy some bird’s nests for her with her own money. It was at the same night that not only Shui Ruolan and Qin Wanru had the bird’s porridge but also Madam Di and Qin Yuru!
Madam Di’s purchasing order just followed Old Grandma’s! It was on the same day!
Now Qin Wanru understood the whole story. The idea of this bird’s nest porridge was not a provisional decision! It occurred when her mother was found out being pregnant! A hint of rigor flashed upon Qin Wanru’s eyes!
When she tried to stand up with her hands on the table, there came a servant girl’s voice. “Second Lady! Be quick! Quickly! Things totally go wrong! Come and see! People in the kitchen are having a fight now! Many things are screwed up!”