Chapter 6 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Right then, Chu Yue was short on money. If she could earn even a little, she would take it.

Eunuch Feng did not expect that she would want money, but that was fine. If she could serve his master well, a bit of money was nothing. He brought out a handful of silver from his pocket. There were ten taels of silver there.

Chu Yue took the silver and said, “Sir, I have to tell you that I will only make three meals a day. I might not be on the mountain at other moments. I have to go back to stay at Shangqing Temple; otherwise, my reputation will be ruined.”

‘Do you actually think that Shangqing Temple doesn’t know who you are?’

But he did not say anything. He had given her the chance, and now, she had to rely on her own abilities to get his master’s favor.

Of course, it would be great if she became favored, but even if she ended up frustrating his master, Eunuch Feng did not fear the consequences.

He had only employed a chef. It was the chef who did not know her place, so even if he was blamed for it, he would not be punished too heavily for it.

Chu Yue wanted to go back after staying for a while.

Eunuch Feng called out to her and said, “Make lunch for the mast… for Master Dao Yuan first.”

Chu Yue heard the word Eunuch Feng did not finish, but she thought that he was just talking about the master abbot. ‘I knew it, the monk is the abbot of Longan Temple.’

Chu Yue was in an incredibly good mood. She made plain stir-fried bean sprouts, smoked tofu, and stir-fried mushroom with potato strips.

Even though there were only three dishes, their aroma was incredibly great. When the dishes were brought to the monk, he cast a sideways glance at Eunuch Feng.

“This wasn’t made by the same chef,” he said.

“Master, please taste it,” Eunuch Feng said with a smile.

The monk used his chopsticks. He had gotten used to the bland food in Longan Temple, but the vegetarian food before him was clearly extraordinary.

The three dishes were accompanied by white rice. Even after the monk finished, he had not had his fill yet and wanted more.

It was still vegetarian food, but it was incredibly fragrant.

“Next time, I’ll have the chef make more,” Eunuch Feng said.

The monk did not say anything. The food did suit his tastes, and he was very satisfied with it. “Did you ask the palace to cook this?”

“No, I hired a new chef. But don’t worry, Master. The chef has a clean background and is a pitiful person. She is very grateful to have been able to get this job,” Eunuch Feng said to get the monk ready for the reveal later.

The monk nodded. The unfamiliar person was just a chef, so he would naturally not mind it. He approved of the reports written in the books in his hands and had Eunuch Feng send them back to the palace.

*****

Chu Yue, in the meantime, was trying to convince Hupo to let her go.

She certainly had to tell Hupo about what was going on. She was going to be leaving three times every day, so there was no way Hupo would not notice it.

But Hupo refused to agree to it.

“Milady, we’ll be able to manage if I just work overnight for a few days and embroider a few more handkerchiefs. There is no need for you to become a chef to earn money. Even if I die, I cannot let you be ordered around like a servant,” Hupo said while crying.

“Silly girl, I’m not being ordered around like a servant. I’m relying on my own abilities to earn money. I’m not stealing, so what’s wrong with it? I’ll be getting ten taels of silver a month. How many handkerchiefs would that be?” Chu Yue asked.

One embroidered item sold for just two or three hundred cash coins. Hupo needed at least five days to embroider one handkerchief, and she had to work overtime to finish them.

So how much would she be able to earn a month?

Of course, that amount of money would be a lot for a farmer’s family, but the things Hupo bought for her mistress were good stuff. Even if she embroidered handkerchiefs to add to their allowance, they were still spending more than they earned.

Hupo wept. “I’m useless. It’s my fault that I cannot take care of you well.”

She cried to the point that she looked grief-stricken.