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Yu Qing hadn't finished the little fried dough stick. She'd left a bite.

She didn't have much of an appetite, but perhaps eating something had whetted it. Suddenly, she wanted to try a little more of the other dishes.

She picked up a steamed dumpling filled with shepherd's purse and pork. She didn't know how they'd made it, but there was even juice inside. It was delicious.

After eating one dumpling, Yu Qing pressed a hand to her slightly distended stomach. Tasting the salty flavor still in her mouth, her gaze fell once more on the bowl of sweet potato and millet porridge.

Telling herself it was just to savor the taste, Yu Qing picked up her spoon and took a spoonful.

It was mildly sweet, with the distinctive flavor of sweet potato and millet.

Yu Qing had another spoonful.

When she finally set down her chopsticks and gave a little burp, she looked at what was left on the table and frowned.

Why was there still so much?

If that person saw how much she'd left, would she really buy her a pig to raise?

Without thinking, a scene sprang into Yu Qing's mind--

She was sitting at the dining table, eating. She'd only had a couple of bites before she was full. Before long, that person came over, leading a big white pig that was snorting and grunting. She drove it up to the table and had it snort up all the food she'd left...

Yu Qing hurriedly shook her head, banishing the ridiculous image from her mind.

Even if that person really wanted to find something to eat her leftovers, then... then she'd still choose a dog.

-

At noon, after she'd just had the kitchen make her a special meal—crab roe noodles with almost more crab roe than noodles—Aunt Yang found Xiang Changge looking thoroughly satisfied.

"Steward, your method really worked! The breakfast you had me put in the young lady's room this morning—she ate quite a bit of it."

"Oh?"

Xiang Changge set down her glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice and wiped her mouth. Somewhat surprised, she asked, "How much did she eat?"

Aunt Yang said, "More than half a fried dough stick, two sips of soy milk, two spoonfuls of porridge, and a steamed dumpling!"

Xiang Changge: "..."

It did sound like quite a lot, but Xiang Changge knew perfectly well that the entire fried dough stick was only about the size of a lighter.

"Even a mouse eats more than that," Xiang Changge muttered to herself.

Then she put on a calm smile, as if everything was under control. "That's good."

"Everyone should do as I said. The young lady might not eat, but we still have to provide the service."

Aunt Yang nodded in wholehearted agreement.

Before Xiang Changge arrived, everyone had to work according to Yu Qing's moods. They knew she didn't like eating or going out, so although the kitchen prepared meals three times a day, they didn't make food for Yu Qing.

The servants had all grown lax, only starting work when Yu Qing asked for something.

Even the gardener had found a way to slack off—she only trimmed the plants visible from Yu Qing's room and the places where she often spent time, like the music room and art studio. She skipped the rest.

Now that Xiang Changge had arrived, everyone who'd been slacking off had been dismissed. In just two days, the atmosphere in the house already felt different.

Xiang Changge said, "From now on, meals must be prepared on time, three times a day. If the young lady doesn't come downstairs to eat, take the food to her."

Aunt Yang quickly agreed.

Xiang Changge still had plenty to do. Besides, she'd lost to Yu Qing at Gomoku that morning, so she hadn't gone looking for her again.

Aunt Yang brought Yu Qing lunch. At that moment, Yu Qing was lying lazily on her bed, not moving.

She hadn't slept well the night before, and her body felt limp. She didn't want to do anything.

When she saw Aunt Yang bring in lunch, she furrowed her brows.

She'd eaten something that morning and hadn't done anything strenuous. She still wasn't hungry.

"Take it away. I don't want to eat," Yu Qing said, not even looking up from her tablet.

Aunt Yang instinctively started to agree. The word was already on her tongue when she suddenly remembered something and swallowed it back.

"I can't, miss. The steward said I have to bring your lunch to you even if you don't eat."

Even if Yu Qing really didn't want to eat, Aunt Yang would have to wait until the food had gone cold and hard before taking it away.

At the word "steward," Yu Qing, who'd been searching online for how to raise a dog, looked up from her tablet. She glanced at Aunt Yang, who was avoiding her gaze, and asked in confusion, "Aunt Yang, do you listen to her or me?"

The steward had asked her to bring lunch to Yu Qing. Now that she'd brought it, and Yu Qing didn't want to eat and had asked her to take it away, what was the problem?

Aunt Yang had already done her job, hadn't she? Why was she still looking for an excuse to refuse?

Yu Qing couldn't understand.

Aunt Yang had high emotional intelligence and had stayed by Yu Qing's side the longest. Her eyes shifted as she set down the food and stepped closer, her expression earnest and troubled. "Of course I listen to you, miss."

Yu Qing nodded and said calmly, "Don't worry. I don't care if she fires other people, but as long as I'm here, she won't fire you just like that." It was meant to reassure Aunt Yang.

Aunt Yang felt a little comforted. She gave Yu Qing an affectionate smile, then recalled something and leaned in with a conspiratorial, friendly air. "But, miss, you might not know this: the steward has more than just firing people up her sleeve. We—we're all scared of her now."

Aunt Yang's words truly piqued Yu Qing's interest.

She turned off her tablet, set it aside, and looked curiously at Aunt Yang. "Scared of her?"

Why were they scared of her?

Besides firing people, what else had she done to make everyone so afraid?

Aunt Yang nodded and crouched beside Yu Qing's bed, then glanced toward the door a few times. Once she was sure no one was there, she quietly shared the gossip she'd heard that day.

"I heard Steward Xiang is incredible. Not only is she a strongwoman, she knows martial arts, too."

A strongwoman?

Yu Qing remembered the arms that had lifted her out of bed that morning and unconsciously nodded.

Xiang Changge really was quite strong.

But what did martial arts have to do with it?

"She's so impressive. Yesterday morning..."

Aunt Yang began vividly describing how Xiang Changge had fought the tall, portly chef in the kitchen the previous morning, beating her until she was half-dead, bleeding everywhere, and wailing for mercy.

Aside from the time, place, and people involved, her story was only 0.01 percent accurate.

After finishing, Aunt Yang swallowed and went on to talk about that morning.

"Steward Xiang isn't just as strong as an ox and skilled in martial arts. She can eat a lot, too."

"She can eat a lot?"

Yu Qing played along automatically, though she was actually wondering if Aunt Yang had been watching too many martial arts movies lately.

Judging by her choice of words, she'd have needed to watch at least three.

Aunt Yang nodded. "Yes! According to the people who arrived early and ate breakfast in the dining room, Steward Xiang ate eighty meat buns and twenty sticky rice chicken wraps today. She almost ate everyone else's breakfast, and the two kitchen assistants couldn't make buns fast enough to keep up with her!"

Yu Qing: "..."

Yu Qing had already doubted Aunt Yang's story about Xiang Changge fighting the head chef. Now she didn't believe a word Aunt Yang said.

"...Do you think that's possible, Aunt Yang?" Yu Qing asked, her tone difficult to read.

It was the first time she'd realized the aunties in her household had so little discernment.

Aunt Yang caught the unspoken meaning in Yu Qing's tone. She stood up and gave an awkward chuckle. "I'm not sure whether to believe it either. It's just that several people said Steward Xiang really can eat a lot."

If just one or two people had said it, she might have doubted them. But several people had all said the steward could really eat, as if they'd seen it with their own eyes. How could she not believe them?

"..."

After Aunt Yang left, Yu Qing lowered her gaze to her hands.

She loosely made a fist, estimating the size of a bun with her palm, then used both hands to measure out the space eighty buns would take up.

Yu Qing remembered Xiang Changge coming to wake her that morning.

Her white shirt seemed to be fitted at the waist, and that waist—

Yu Qing slowly brought her hands, still measuring the space for the buns, closer together.

Then she looked down at herself.

It seemed only a little bigger than hers.

She didn't look like someone who could eat that much at all.

-

At that moment, Xiang Changge, still unaware that her reputation had been ruined, sat upright in the meeting room in the side building at the back, staring at the résumé in her hands, deep in thought.

The servants sometimes used this room for meetings. Today, Xiang Changge was using it as an interview room.

Quite a few people had been let go from the villa, and Xiang Changge was still choosing new people to bring some fresh energy into the household.

The Yu Family's job requirements were excellent. As soon as the listing went up, they received hundreds, even thousands, of résumés. Xiang Changge had even used the system to filter out many candidates before sending interview invitations to those who remained.

Aside from filling some positions the Yu Family already had, Xiang Changge planned to hire two or three kind, warm, and sincere young women. They wouldn't need to do anything except keep Yu Qing company.

The candidate she was interviewing now was applying for one of those positions.

Seeing Xiang Changge stare at her résumé without saying a word, the young woman seated across from her nervously tugged at her hem beneath the table.

She really wanted to get the job.

Thinking of the salary and benefits in the listing, Chu Keke tried to calm her racing heartbeat. She was just about to say something when the beautiful but decidedly cold-looking steward across from her softly read out her name.

"Chu... Keke?"