Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The ingredients I had purchased so enthusiastically had now become a burden.

Qingshan and I were silent the whole way back, the joy we felt when we first arrived completely vanished.

My mind was filled with Cui Shao’s words about “serving others with one’s beauty.” How could someone as cold and aloof as him accept all of this?

Once we reached home, Qingshan set down the basket, and I immediately began busying myself with cooking. In my distraction, I accidentally sliced my finger.

Qingshan was startled and quickly brought over fresh water to help me rinse the wound.

The kitchen knife was a bit rusty and dull, but fortunately, I had sharpened it before, so there wasn’t much rust to worry about.

I waved him off. Back when I was with the Chen Family, I had done every kind of chore imaginable. I had even spent a year as a kitchen hand, which was where I developed my culinary skills.

“The cook wasn’t willing to teach me, so I had to learn on my own. Over that year, I don’t know how many times I cut my fingers before I finally got it right. A little scratch like this is nothing. In the end, I managed to learn eighty or ninety percent of that cook’s skills.”

I tried to comfort Qingshan, as he looked even more anxious than I was, but he refused to listen and insisted on helping me rinse the cut.

“That must have been very painful. I cut myself once before, and it hurt far more than being punched… By the way, Madam, why were you so determined to learn how to cook? Your skills are already better than the chefs in the restaurants.”

Qingshan couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time I had seen him smile from the heart.

They say a servant takes after their master. Although Qingshan was only twenty, he had been by Cui Shao’s side for so long that he was incredibly steady and serious. Every time we spoke, it was always about Cui Shao or Cui Zishu; he rarely spoke about himself and never made jokes.

I was amused by him. “Because back then, my dream was to return to my mother’s hometown and open a small shop. Even though I knew it was impossible, it was good to have something to hope for.”

“Now that Madam has left the Chen Family… do you still plan to leave in the future?”

My smile faded, and I pulled my hand back. “Did Cui Shao tell you to say that?”