Everyone could rest, for a little while

Bai Yu trembled with excitement. She would finally get enough to eat!

"We have so much food." Her little sister smiled through her tears, turning to give Bai Yu a grubby grin. "It's almost our turn."

Feeling her sister's little hand tighten around hers, Bai Yu's gaze grew resolute. If she died, those bastards would surely violate her timid little sister, who would then die in some cold, dark corner.

I have to survive!

"No grabbing, and don't reach for anything yourselves. Your filthy hands will ruin the porridge." The villager serving the food cursed and waved the stick in his hand, while his right hand ladled a scoop of porridge from an earthenware vat. The wheat grains were so sparse that even a dog would have found it pitiful.

"It smells so good! There's so much wheat!" Hei Yu's eyes widened, and she willingly let go of her sister's hand. Porridge this thick was something they only got at New Year.

Then the villager took a piece of black bread the size of an adult's fist from the wooden basket beside him and shoved it at Hei Yu impatiently.

"It's still warm!" Hei Yu swallowed and started to leave with the bread.

"Wait." Sparrow stopped Hei Yu, took another loaf from the basket, and tucked it into her arms with a sympathetic smile. "You're one short. You'll go hungry tonight without it."

The villager, who had deliberately shortchanged her, was displeased. "She's just a useless little brat. There's no need to give her two loaves. One will feed her for three days."

If there was enough food left over, they could steal some while the maid wasn't looking.

Sparrow knew what they were thinking. She immediately folded her arms across her chest and turned her face away. "These are Lord Field's orders. His lordship said every slave gets two loaves of bread and one serving of wheat porridge."

"Fine. Even in the wealthy Bull Territory, adult slaves should only get one loaf every two days, and children one every three or four days," the villager said snidely.

"But this is the Nightfall Territory! Everything here is new!" Sparrow was genuinely getting angry. Borrowing Field's favorite phrase, she forcefully repeated, "Everything. Is. New!"

A guard maintaining order nearby frowned. The mention of the Bull Territory always struck a nerve with them, since Lord Field had suffered humiliation there. He immediately shot the villager a lethally "friendly" look.

Cold sweat poured off the villager. He hunched his shoulders and said, "You're right. That was my mistake."

Bai Yu felt immensely vindicated, but she did not dare cheer aloud. All she could do was beam and cast Sparrow a grateful look.

To her surprise, Sparrow smiled back at her.

Did I see that right?

Such an elegant, clean woman actually smiled at me?

Feeling dazed, Bai Yu pulled her sister over to an empty corner and sat down. Without another word, she wolfed down a loaf of bread, then licked up every last trace of the wheat porridge she had dipped it in. The wooden bowl could have been taken straight back and used again, since she had licked it until it shone.

For once, the little girl felt full. Her belly, gaunt from years of malnutrition, had actually rounded out a little.

"Ahh~ So yummy~"

Her little sister was drooling, her mouth open as she prepared to bite into the second loaf. Startled, Bai Yu quickly slapped the back of her hand.

"No more eating. We have to hide this one," Bai Yu said sternly.

"Mm..." Feeling the sting on the back of her hand, her sister's mouth crumpled, and tears immediately spilled down her cheeks.

"Don't cry." Bai Yu rubbed her sister's head and softened her tone. "Good days like this won't last. If we eat all our food and something happens, we'll starve to death. So be good. Let's hide the bread and eat it when we're about to starve."

"Okay." Hei Yu handed the bread to her sister and pouted, speaking in her childish little voice. "Don't eat it behind my back."

Bai Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Her little sister was pretty clever after all. She pinched her nose and said fondly, "All right, all right. I'll make sure to call you when it's time to eat."

The sisters were not the only ones doing this. Most of the slaves hid their bread. To them, it was not merely bread, but a way to stay alive. Who knew what orders the noble lord would give tomorrow? Even if the lord was not a bad man and was willing to feed everyone, those carrying out his orders might not do so. The villager's behavior today was proof.

"Sis, what do you think his lordship looks like?" Hei Yu hugged her knees.

"Uh, probably some puffed-up man with a beer belly and a mouthful of rotten teeth." Bai Yu answered sourly, basing her guess on the figures in her memory. Then she glanced warily around. "Or some scruffy drunk. Hmph, maybe he was so hungover he forgot to change his orders."

Still drooling as she savored the memory of the food, Hei Yu said, "Don't say that. Anyone who gives us bread is a good person."

"Lunch is over. Get back to work!" the guards shouted, driving the slaves back to the fields.

Sparrow was a little tired, but working for his lordship made her happy. Humming a tune, she returned to the Grand Winery's kitchen. She wanted her lunch too.

"What are you all gathered around for?" Seeing several of her coworkers sitting at the table with solemn expressions, Sparrow immediately went over.

The maids all loved gossip.

"Sparrow, this is the lunch his lordship bestowed on us. It's called dry-pot beef. It's very unusual. Before, we only got what his lordship left over, but this time he set some aside for us directly."

One major reason the servants liked Field was that he was a very picky eater. He would take at most a single bite of many of the delicious dishes the cook made, such as a stew of fruit, smoked fish, and nuts, and then the servants could thoroughly enjoy the rest.

Of course, there were also steaks, sheep's milk, and even the most delicious venison. A single bite was enough to keep them happy for an entire month.

By the same token, the servants could not warm to Ashina at all, because she never left any food.

Ashina always polished off every last bit with a cheerful smile, in stark contrast to their beloved lord.

And she never even got fat!

"Uh, why does it look like that? It looks like dried-out, burnt dung. A bit like my aunt after that fire burned her into a dried corpse, too," Scissors said bluntly. "And there's no fruit or sauce. How could it taste good?"

Just as Field had reacted to their culinary abominations, it was now the servants' turn to break into a sweat. They had never seen or heard of a dish like this, and likewise thought it was some culinary abomination Field had thrown together on a whim.

Clay Pot glanced at Scissors, already planning to tattle on her.

"Scissors, watch what you say!" Sparrow jabbed her with an elbow, fuming. "You're insulting his lordship's gift."

"Oh, oh, sorry. You know what I mean. No one respects Lord Field more than I do." Scissors hurriedly gave everyone an apologetic smile. If the lord heard about this, he might marry her off to some ugly, perverted old man. "I'll clean your rooms for you next time, too. Forgive my slip of the tongue."

"At least it smells good."