Page 35

The companions she'd originally imagined were supposed to be the kind without any emotional or material ties, weren't they?

But the way Xiang Changge described them, all three seemed useful, as though they could fit into every little corner of her life.

Yu Qing lifted her eyes and looked at Xiang Changge beside her.

So she really had given these three bright-eyed college students careful consideration and hired them specifically for herself—not for Yu Qing?

After the introductions, Yu Qing showed no sign of wanting to say anything. She merely glanced at Xiang Changge, who immediately understood what she meant.

—Yu Qing: The introductions are over. Can she leave now?

Of course she couldn't.

Xiang Changge put on a polite smile that was all technique and no feeling. "Miss, you haven't been sleeping well lately, so I prepared some ingredients in the greenhouse that might help you sleep. We haven't settled on the fragrances yet, but you can go over now and make a scent you like."

Make a fragrance?

Yu Qing searched her memories. She'd never done anything like that before, but what was so fun about it? She'd rather go back and lie down.

"Let the three of them accompany you," Xiang Changge said. "It's their first time making fragrances, too, but don't worry. A master perfumer is already waiting there."

Yu Qing opened her mouth, wanting to refuse.

Hadn't she only come down to interview the three of them? Why had a fragrance-making activity suddenly been added?

Who was the employer here? Yu Qing wasn't her student. She didn't have to attend whatever "lessons" Xiang Changge had planned.

Just as the thought crossed Yu Qing's mind, a sunny, cheerful-looking girl with a little tiger tooth showing when she smiled took a few steps toward her.

"Making fragrances? I've got a little experience. I made seasonings for cooking in one of my classes. Let's go, Miss Yu. If you like, I can even make a fragrance that smells like one of your favorite dishes."

Yu Qing: "..."

Looking at this overly enthusiastic girl, who was so familiar she was practically ready to grab her, Yu Qing blinked. Her refusal caught in her throat.

What was her name again? Ge Bufan, maybe?

After Ge Bufan spoke, the gentle-looking Yao Ningran stepped forward, too. "That sounds fun. What kind of fragrance do you like, Miss Yu? I like jasmine. I wonder if they have that scent."

Chu Keke understood that it was already work time, so she promptly chimed in, like an enthusiastic audience member. "Then let's go! I'm excited, too."

Seeing that she was about to be "forced into it," Yu Qing, who had never faced this sort of situation before, instinctively looked up and reached for Xiang Changge's sleeve.

"We're going? You're not coming?"

She looked up at Xiang Changge, her gaze rising from below. She seemed like a little girl about to be carried off by a monster, her clear black-and-white eyes reflecting Xiang Changge's face.

So pitiful. Xiang Changge nearly softened.

"It's lunchtime, Miss. I need to go eat first," Xiang Changge said firmly.

As she spoke, she held the hem of her sleeve between two fingers like a crab's pincers and tugged it free from Yu Qing's grasp.

Yu Qing: "..."

She looked at the three girls, who gazed back at her with bright eyes and eager anticipation, then at Xiang Changge, who was coldly preparing to abandon her. She reached out again and grabbed the sleeve Xiang Changge had just pulled away.

"I haven't eaten lunch either. I want to go eat, too."

"Ding—"

"Detected the female lead making her first request to 'eat.' New task issued—"

"Task Two: Ensure the female lead eats three meals a day on time."

"Food is the body's main source of energy. A healthy body and a vigorous state of mind depend on a normal, healthy diet. Please guide the female lead, Yu Qing, to eat on time and lay the foundation for a healthy body."

"Task duration: three months; task reward: 500 points (Note: points can be exchanged for money at a rate of 1:1000 or used to purchase various items in the system shop)."

"Task failure: The host will be struck by a meteor once."

Xiang Changge, who had suddenly received yet another task: "..."

After hearing the system's words in her mind, she looked down at Yu Qing with a complicated expression.

She even felt a little sorry for her.

For the next three months, Yu Qing would eat three meals a day. Whether she wanted to or not, Xiang Changge would make sure she ate.

Yu Qing's voice wasn't loud, but the mahjong room wasn't big, either. The other three had heard her talking to Xiang Changge.

Listening quietly, Chu Keke secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She'd thought her future boss would be the difficult-to-approach, hard-to-get-along-with sort. But watching her interact with Steward Xiang, how was this some aloof heiress? She was clearly a shy, introverted, delicate beauty in poor health.

Her cold, unapproachable exterior was just a protective shell.

Chu Keke suddenly thought of candied hawthorn.

It looked hard, but once you got past the candy coating, the hawthorn inside was sweet and sour.

Hmm... Or maybe a strawberry.

Why a strawberry? Because strawberries seemed a little cuter.

So Yu Qing was a delicate young heiress, like a strawberry wrapped in a candied hawthorn shell, who might get hurt if you weren't careful.

With the task hanging over her head, and Yu Qing having skipped not just lunch but breakfast, they put off making fragrances and went to eat first.

She'd eaten only two spoonfuls of oatmeal from the breakfast sent to her room. Xiang Changge suspected those two spoonfuls had been digested before they'd even reached her stomach.

Xiang Changge had planned to take the three girls to the staff dining room in the side building. But when they went downstairs and saw the luxurious, empty marble table in the dining room, she imagined how desolate and lonely Yu Qing would feel eating all alone.

Besides, the sisters she'd brought in to make Yu Qing feel warm and cared for were all here. There was no reason to make Yu Qing eat by herself.

In the end, five people sat at the marble table, which hadn't seen a lively meal in a long time.

Yu Qing sat at the head. Xiang Changge sat to her left, while Ge Bufan, ever so naturally, took the seat to Yu Qing's right.

Chu Keke thought it over and eventually sat beside Xiang Changge.

The table was long and wide, with plenty of space between each person.

It was Xiang Changge's first time sharing a meal with Yu Qing.

She hadn't planned to sit down, but the moment she moved, Yu Qing looked at her with the gaze of a little white rabbit who'd wandered into a pack of wolves.

Besides... she had to admit, the ingredients used in the main house's kitchen and the dishes they made were far better than what they served in the staff dining room.

Xiang Changge found herself unable to leave.

After Yu Qing picked up her chopsticks, the others started eating, too.

Yu Qing had just picked up a piece of tofu from the vegetable-and-tofu casserole in front of her and taken a couple of bites when Ge Bufan exclaimed beside her, "Oh my gosh, this scallion oil chicken is amazing! The meat is so tender, and the scallion aroma is so rich..."

"I've made it before, but it always tasted a little gamey, or the meat wasn't tender enough. This is even better than what my instructor makes!"

Hearing that, Yao Ningran said, "Then I have to try some, too," and picked up a piece.

Chu Keke looked at Ge Bufan with admiration. "Wow, you know how to make this dish, too?"

Ge Bufan chuckled, her smile brimming with confidence and cheerful energy. "Of course. You should know what I'm studying."

Then she picked up a chicken wing with the serving chopsticks and placed it on Yu Qing's plate. "I'll save a piece for Miss Yu before I gobble it all up."

Yu Qing, who had just swallowed her tofu: "...Thank you."

Looking at the beautifully colored chicken wing in front of her, Yu Qing felt so unaccustomed to this that she glanced to the other side.

While the three lively young women chatted and laughed, not forgetting to serve her food, the housekeeper who was supposed to take care of that was silently—burying himself in his meal.

Xiang Changge: What are they chattering on about? These garlic-butter shrimp are incredible.

Nom, nom, nom. Who came up with this dish? What a genius.

And this Eight Treasure Duck, too.

It was a dish she'd only seen mentioned in the original story and hadn't yet had the chance to try.

She'd read that part so many times she even remembered how the author had described it: take a whole duck and remove the bones without breaking the skin. Then stir-fry glutinous rice, mushrooms, Chinese sausage, chestnuts, lotus seeds, red dates... or ingredients like dried scallops and abalone, and stuff them into the duck. Sew it up and steam it, then brush it with sauce and roast it until the skin turns golden.

It was a complicated dish that took a long time and a lot of effort to make, with an incredibly rich flavor.

The dish only appeared on Yu Qing's table once in a while, but Yu Qing never ate it, to show how little she liked food.

In other words, the dish was only there to pad out the word count!

Every time Xiang Changge read that part, she wondered where the uneaten food ended up. Couldn't they give her that Eight Treasure Duck?