Chapter 226: Enough to Eat Six Chickens
A short while later, in the west wing of the old manor house.
Jian Xingxia was propping up Ruan Xiang against the bed and feeding her water, while simultaneously glaring at Da Hei outside the door. “If you keep being this clumsy and reckless, no meat for you next time! You’ll get nothing but sweet potatoes!”
Da Hei scratched his head.
No meat? Nothing but sweet potatoes?
That didn’t exactly sound like a punishment.
Back when he was a Kunlun slave in the Dayu Dynasty, let alone meat, even sweet potatoes were considered a grand reward. He couldn’t even consistently fill his stomach with the spoiled, sour rice he was usually given!
Da Hei grinned sheepishly. Master was truly wonderful; even when he did something wrong, she still gave him sweet potatoes to eat.
And it was only for “next time.”
Looking at the sillily grinning Da Hei, Jian Xingxia felt both exasperated and amused. “Alright, go back to your farming. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat. Remember, the next time you see someone, don’t be so rough!”
Da Hei nodded and obediently shuffled off.
Ruan Xiang, who was resting against Jian Xingxia, let out a sudden, massive sigh of relief.
Though she had reached the point where she didn’t even fear death, seeing a wild, mountain-like giant like Da Hei was still terrifying.
Sensing Ruan Xiang relaxation, Jian Xingxia smiled and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. Da Hei is a very good person; he’s just incredibly strong and doesn’t quite know how to control his own power.”
Ruan Xiang nodded and said softly, “I know. He wrapped me in the straw mat because he was afraid of hurting me…”
Even from the terrifying Da Hei, she could sense a core of goodwill.
To say nothing of Jian Xingxia and Lin Sanniang, who had carried her inside.
Ruan Xiang found it hard to believe, and a wave of regret washed over her. “So Shaoyin wasn’t making sport of me… She was trying to help me, yet I spoke such harsh words to her.”
Jian Xingxia gently set the water cup down. “Don’t worry, Shaoyin will understand. Besides, she must have thought very highly of you to guide you here.”
Yesterday, while Shaoyin was at the manor, Jian Xingxia and Lin Sanniang had instructed her in meticulous detail.
First, any items she carried back could not be revealed rashly, lest possessing such treasures draw unwanted trouble and danger.
Second, regarding the lawsuit, she had to use a few tactics. They might be considered a bit underhanded, but against wicked people, no amount of thunderous, unyielding measures was uncalled for.
Third, when Shaoyin mentioned that there were still many sisters suffering in Feiyue Pavilion whose lives were a living hell, Jian Xingxia had provided her with a method—
Ordinary hardships might not suffice, but if someone reached an absolute dead end, it would surely work.
If there was someone who truly couldn’t find a way to survive, Shaoyin could tell her to seek help while remaining determined to stand on her own feet. Jian Xingxia would coordinate from her end by posting job listings, which might allow her to summon them over.
Shaoyin hadn’t understood how any of it worked, but she had committed it to memory.
Still, Shaoyin had harbored a lingering doubt. She had asked Jian Xingxia, “Benefactor Sister, if I choose the wrong person, will it harm the manor?”
The manor was such a wonderful place; Shaoyin didn’t want to bring trouble to it because of her own actions.
But her benefactor sister had smiled and told her, “It doesn’t matter. You are the first filter, but I have other methods. If someone is truly wicked, they won’t be able to step foot into my manor.”
Even if they did manage to come, she, as a modern person, possessed an abundance of ways to handle ancient villains.
Only then had Shaoyin put her heart at rest.
Thus, when Ruan Xiang appeared and met all the conditions, Shaoyin had given her the instructions.
Jian Xingxia and Lin Sanniang could tell at a single glance that Ruan Xiang, like Shaoyin, was from Feiyue Pavilion.
Her beautiful face, her slender, elegant figure, and… the unmistakable marks of torment, the countless injuries over her body, and that look of absolute despair—they were cut from the exact same cloth.
Lin Sanniang brought over warm water and a clean towel, helping to clean Ruan Xiang’s wounds.
Looking at the injuries on Ruan Xiang’s body, her heart ached terribly.
“Look at you girls, how did you all end up battered like this? That wine house manager and those black-hearted merchants are truly worse than beasts!”
Ruan Xiang’s expression turned slightly awkward.
She shrank back a little and murmured in a tiny voice, “Apart from the injuries from the heavy board, and those old scars… these fresh wounds were all inflicted by my own hand.”
“Uh…”
Lin Sanniang fell silent instantly, her movements becoming even more gentle and cautious as she wiped Ruan Xiang’s wounds.
She didn’t ask Ruan Xiang why she had resorted to self-mutilation, because she knew that if it weren’t for an ordeal far more cruel and terrifying than physical pain, no one could bear to lay such a heavy hand upon themselves.
Auntie Pang walked in carrying a large bowl of chicken soup. Overhearing those words just as she entered, she hurriedly swallowed the torrent of curses that was about to fly out of her mouth.
“Phew—thank goodness I didn’t blurt that out, otherwise I would have made her sad again.”
Auntie Pang still remembered the time she had accidentally struck a nerve with Auntie Chunhui. Back then, she had resolved to keep her mouth shut, but her tongue just had a habit of running away from her.
Auntie Pang set the chicken soup down. “Miss Ruan Xiang, eat up. I’ll make you plenty of delicious dishes over these next few days. You just rest and recover slowly; there’s no rush.”
Ruan Xiang hurriedly made an effort to sit up and thank her.
She looked at the massive soup bowl Auntie Pang had brought over. Inside was a whole chicken, chopped into pieces and stewed. The broth was a rich, golden hue, with an enticing layer of chicken oil floating on top. Two large chicken drums remained whole, conspicuously occupying more than half the surface area of the bowl.
“This is far too precious… I-I cannot accept this.”
Ruan Xiang grew anxious. A chicken like this would easily sell for several hundred copper coins, and since this one looked so large and the chicken fat was so beautiful, it was likely even more expensive.
Auntie Pang, however, merely pointed a casual finger outward. “Don’t tell me, tell the Manor Owner! The Manor Owner is the one who ordered me to stew it!”
Auntie Pang couldn’t help but complain the moment she found an audience. “She even said it would be best if everyone ate a whole chicken every single day!”
What Jian Xingxia had actually said was half a chicken per meal—modern, standardized white-feather chickens or three-yellow chickens only cost around twenty yuan each, which wasn’t expensive at all.
There were only a handful of people at the manor; if she couldn’t afford grand wages, she could at least ensure they had plenty of meat to eat.
Ruan Xiang looked over in astonishment, leaving Jian Xingxia looking rather sheepish.
Alright, judging by everyone’s reactions, she really had let a tiny bit of pocket change get to her head.
Jian Xingxia hurriedly ladled a bowl of chicken soup into a smaller dish, presenting it to Ruan Xiang to drink first, while placing a large chicken drum into her bowl.
“You’re an injured patient. Eating a chicken a day is exactly what you need.”
“Don’t just drink the soup, eat the meat too. The soup is easier to digest, but the core nutrition is in the meat.”
Jian Xingxia instructed thoughtfully.
Yet Ruan Xiang hesitated to take a bite—the massive chicken drum, with its golden-yellow skin, looked incredibly enticing.
But…
She asked timidly, “How much does this cost… I don’t have any money right now. My face is ruined and I can’t dance anymore; I can only do odd jobs. It might take me a very long time to pay this back…”
The chicken had already been stewed into soup, so she couldn’t ask Jian Xingxia and Auntie Pang to take it back.
She could only ask about the price hesitantly, wondering if she could do enough labor to offset the cost.
She was already prepared to die, but she didn’t want to die saddled with debt.
Jian Xingxia said with a laugh, “This isn’t expensive. A premium fat hen is twenty-nine yuan and ninety cents. Just like Shaoyin, you are a professional expert. An hour’s wage is twenty to thirty yuan, which is more than enough to eat chicken.”
Ruan Xiang was completely bewildered. “Wage? Professional? Expert? Hour?”
Jian Xingxia said with a bright smile, “That’s right. I told Shaoyin yesterday that I’ll post a job listing every half hour. If there are suitable people who want to work, I’ll have her recommend them over.”
“So, don’t you worry. Even if you only came to work at my manor for six hours today, it’s enough for you to eat six chickens.”
“But let’s not waste time,” Jian Xingxia guided Ruan Xiang’s hand to pick up the chicken drum. “Eat up quickly. Once it cools down, it’ll get greasy.”
Ruan Xiang froze in place.
