Second Aunt Wei Hong

In these times, eating meat was a luxury; being able to have broth with a hint of grease already put one well above the average well-off household.

"The braised pork with radish is almost ready, Brother Wei. Have a taste and see if it's salty enough."

The stove fire blazed fiercely. Wei Tu shifted the stool beneath him, scooting back a few steps and stopping his feeding of the firewood.

Just then, the kitchen maid Xinghua looked at Wei Tu with a beaming smile, ladled out a bowl's worth from the bottom of the pot, and handed it over to him.

As the saying goes—

A cook who doesn't steal won't reap a full meal.

A kitchen maid who cooked couldn't help but sneak bites; there was no stopping it. When Xinghua stole food, the First Mistress of the Li Residence turned a blind eye.

After all, she couldn't steal much.

"Alright." Staring at the few chunks of cooked pork in the bottom of the bowl, Wei Tu's throat bobbed a few times. He quickly glanced out the window, and seeing no one, began wolfing it down.

In just a short moment.

The radish and meat at the bottom of the bowl were licked clean by Wei Tu.

"What's the occasion today? Why are we having braised pork with radish?" Wei Tu set the bowl on the counter and asked the kitchen maid Xinghua curiously.

The main family of the Li Residence didn't eat much meat either—twice a month, meaning once every five days.

And it had only been two days since Xinghua last made a meat dish.

Eating meat every day wasn't beyond the Li family's means, but doing such a thing would be seen by wealthy households as squandering the family estate, inviting ancestral reproach after death.

The Li family had only risen to wealth about a hundred years ago, built up step by step by their ancestor, who worked as an itinerant merchant.

"The Eldest Young Master has returned from his study tour in the Prefectural City. The First Mistress was so pleased she had me go to the butcher's yesterday and cut two catties of meat."

The kitchen maid Xinghua replied.

"The Eldest Young Master?" Wei Tu's heart stirred as he recalled that childhood playmate.

A pity.

Times had changed.

The boundary between master and servant had grown clear.

Even if there was old friendship between them, when he saw the Eldest Young Master, he still had to address him as "Young Master," to distinguish master from servant.

"Could you help me ask the First Mistress for leave later? I have something to attend to outside."

Wei Tu added a piece of firewood, then stood up and brushed the ash off his clothes as he spoke.

Though the First Mistress Li ran the household strictly, as long as one finished the tasks within their duties, stealing a moment of leisure wasn't a big deal.

When Wei Tu said "ask for leave," it was really just giving the main family a heads-up.

"No problem..." The kitchen maid Xinghua acknowledged, iron ladle in hand as she began stir-frying the next dish.

But no sooner had she spoken than she let out an "Ouch!" Her face flushed bright red as she glared at Wei Tu, who was already stepping out of the kitchen.

Just now, Wei Tu had pinched her bottom.

Country folk—what did they care for propriety and shame? She and Wei Tu had been "exchanging glances of affection" for years now, only waiting for the First Mistress's approval to marry and settle down.

Leaving the Li Residence, Wei Tu didn't rush straight to the Huang Residence. Instead, he took out the wages he'd saved over the years and headed to the rouge shop.

In the first few years after Second Aunt Wei Hong married into the Huang family, she still kept close ties with his household, returning home to visit every so often.

But over the last decade or so, the visits had grown fewer and fewer. After their grandparents passed away four years ago, she'd only returned to the Wei family twice.

One of those times was for the funeral.

This time, seeking a favor from Second Aunt Wei Hong, Wei Tu didn't want to be looked down upon. Bringing a gift was far better than showing up empty-handed.

The Huang Residence lacked neither grain nor cloth.

The only thing he could give was rouge and powder for women.

"Shopkeeper, what cheap rouge and powder do you have..."

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Tu gritted his teeth and stepped into the rouge shop, asking about the prices.

Rouge and powder had never been cheap. With the money he had saved, he didn't even dare touch the high-end ones.

"Cheap ones?" The shopkeeper sized Wei Tu up. Seeing his patched, coarse gray clothes, he immediately understood.

He took a brocade box from the shelf and said, "This is Golden Swallow Rouge. One box costs Five Qian, enough for two months."

"If you, young sir, are preparing a gift, this Golden Swallow Rouge would be quite suitable."

The shopkeeper paused, then added, "This shop also has cheaper rouge, such as Purple Cloud Rouge, at three qian a box. But giving that as a gift might not be quite proper..."

"I'll take the Golden Swallow Rouge." Wei Tu thought it over for a moment, nodded, and pulled out five Thousand-Cash Coins, placing them on the counter.

Second Aunt Wei Hong was a noblewoman of the Huang Residence; she visited the rouge shop far more often than he did. If he gave her Purple Cloud Rouge, even if Wei Hong said nothing openly, she would be displeased inside.

A weighty gift meant weighty sentiment!

Besides, since Purple Cloud Rouge was the cheapest rouge in the shop, given Wei Hong's status, the chances of her using it were very low.

The Purple Cloud Rouge she was given would also be shelved and forgotten.

As for bargaining...

Everyone here was from the same village or town—if the Rouge Shop cheated its customers, business wouldn't last long.

Coming to this ancient era, the one thing Wei Tu truly appreciated was the trust-based environment. Aside from despicable outsiders, locals rarely engaged in fraud.

Such large establishments also seldom allowed customers to haggle; everything was clearly marked with a price.

Wei Tu was short on money, but not so desperate that he'd waste time over a few copper coins.

"I'll pack this up for you right away," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

Before long, Wei Tu, carrying a gift box, arrived at a street lined with official residences.

Compared to the Li Residence, Master Huang of the Huang Residence was wealthier and more prosperous. The Shengye Ward where it stood was home to Qingmu County's high officials and nobles.

Finding the mansion bearing the plaque "Huang," Wei Tu knocked on the side door and stated his purpose to the gatekeeper.

"Family of the Second Mistress? Wait in the sedan chair hall first. I'll send word to the maidservants in the inner courtyard."

The gatekeeper stepped aside, letting Wei Tu sit in the sedan chair hall, then headed toward the inner courtyard of the Huang Residence.

The sedan chair hall was where wealthy households stored their sedan chairs, always located in the front courtyard.

After a short wait, Wei Tu was led by a maidservant named Qing He to a side room in the front courtyard, where he waited for his Second Aunt, Wei Hong.

The rules of great families were strict; outsiders, especially men, were not allowed into the inner courtyard.

After about half an hour, a beautiful woman with a radiant face and skin like lard pushed open the wooden door of the side room and walked in.

Behind her followed two maidservants, one of whom was Qing He, who had guided him earlier.

"Wei Tu, why have you come looking for your Second Aunt? Has something happened at home?" Wei Hong sat down on a stool by the table in the side room, took a sip of tea poured by a maidservant, and asked with a smile.

"Nothing has happened at home." Wei Tu stood up, did not sit back down, and bowed slightly. "This time I've come to ask a favor of you, Second Aunt."

Although he had been sold by Wei Bao to the Li Residence, his ties with his family had not been severed.

Wei Bao had sold him out of necessity.

Six years ago, during the Red Dragon Turnover, Qing Feng Prefecture suffered a great drought, with nearly no harvest. Begging for food at the Li Residence was better than starving to death at home.

Wei Hong's smile froze. She set her teacup on the table and fixed Wei Tu with a sharp gaze. Though she spoke no harsh words, her attitude said it all.

If Wei Bao had a problem, she, as his sister, could still help a little, out of sibling affection.

But a nephew...

"This is rouge your nephew bought. Please accept it, Second Aunt..."

Wei Tu took out the gift box, placed it on the Eight Immortals Table, and pushed it toward Wei Hong.

Seeing the gift, Wei Hong's expression softened slightly. She realized Wei Tu was not someone without shame or manners.

Having married into the Huang family years ago, she was now a wife of the Huang family, not a member of the Wei family.

"What is it?"

"If I can help, Second Aunt will do her best for you. If I can't..."

Wei Hong shook her head and said no more.