147 Wash Paws, Make Soup (2/2)

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I looked at him. Then I scooped up a bit of fish and had a bite of it. Although the fish wasn't as good as I thought it would be, it was still passable even though the taste was a bit too strong and peculiar. It should be okay. At least it wasn't as bad as when Bi Qing-shenjun tried cooking for the first time.

Yin Zi suggested again, ”You put in too many strange ingredients... you should get someone else to try the food...what if eating the food hurts someone?

”I ate it without any problems!” I despised the way Yin Zi looked down on cats.

”Are you not scared of poisoning Xiang Qing? He is a mortal. You tossed in so many medicinal herbs. What if the combined effects of those herbs are poisonous? If that happens, he'll die!” Yin Zi yelled out of concern. His face was completely lacking in confidence in me.

But his words had some logic. Maybe a mortal's taste wasn't the same as mine. Xiang Qing and mother-in-law might not enjoy eating the same food as me. It would be better to try feeding this food to a mortal.

Isn't there a poem that said?

Spend three days in the kitchen,

Wash paws, make soup,

Don't register mother-in-law's habits,

First, ask a passersby to taste instead.

(T/N: The above poem sounds weird because Miao Miao only remembered the first line correctly. The real poem should be this instead.

Spend three days in the kitchen,

Wash hands, make soup,

Don't know mother-in-law's eating habits yet,

First, ask younger sister-in-law to try.

The poem is called 'Bride' and its about how a newly married wife has to show dedication and be careful of her mother-in-law.)

--

And so, I carried a bowl of fish soup to look for a person to taste it. At this time, it was still afternoon. My sister-in-law was watering the plants in the vegetable garden. Mother-in-law was feeding chickens. Other people were probably working too. I didn't dare ask the neighbors to taste the soup. It would be a small matter if they got sick. But if Xiang Qing found out that he wasn't the first person to eat my cooking, that would be the worst.

So Yin Zi and I went outside the village to look. Luckily, we found a green robed girl sleeping on the roadside. Her body was covered in mud. She looked battered and exhausted. She was carrying a small bundle that was torn. The torn parts revealed clothes.

When I saw that she was sleeping soundly, I didn't want to bother her. As I was about to leave to look for another person, the girl suddenly woke up. Her hand reached out to grab the hem of my skirt.

She weakly said, ”Help...”

Yin Zi walked forward and turned her over. Surprised, he said, ”Miao Miao, this girl looks somewhat similar to you.”

I leaned down and seriously looked. Yin Zi was right, but it wasn't a big deal.

Yin Zi gently picked up the girl and put her down near a tree. He took the fish soup from me.

He whispered, ”She's dizzy from hunger. It'll be just right for her to taste your cooking.”

When the girl saw that there was food, her gaze was like a wolf's. She grabbed the fish soup from Yin Zi. She hurriedly started eating and finished the soup in a few moments. She almost choked while eating. I happily watched her eat.

After she finished eating and then hiccuping, she said, ”Thank you for helping me. I was robbed of all my money in a nearby village's teashop. Then I became lost in the mountains and almost died.”

”How did the soup taste? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” I hastily asked her.

The girl was somewhat perplexed. A moment later, she embarrassedly replied, ”I didn't taste the soup before swallowing it...”

This translation belongs to FuyuNeko. Meow. Please use an adblock extension if you're reading this.

I was disappointed after hearing her words. I stood up to leave.

But the girl grabbed onto the hem of skirt. She desperately said, ”I don't have any food to eat or a place to go. I need to find a place to earn money. Does your family need a servant?”

Without thinking, I replied, ”No need.” It already takes Xiang Qing a lot of effort to support Yin Zi and me. How could I add another person?

The girl grabbed my hand wouldn't let go. She continued to ask, ”Then, do you know if there's any place that's hiring? Any place is okay. Even a brothel is okay. If I continue like this, I'll definitely die.”

”There isn't a brothel in this village. You would need to travel 20 li (T/N: approximately 10 kilometers) to reach a village that has a brothel.

”But... but I don't have the energy to travel 20 li.” The girl's face turned ugly and also tired. She endured it and pitifully said, ”Please help me.”

Yin Zi coldly said, ”The quality of your clothes is very good. You should be a rich family's daughter that has servants following you. How is it possible for something bad to happen to you? You're a shady person. Perhaps, it would be safer to deliver you to the officials.”

”No...” The girl's face became more ugly. She quickly defended herself, ”It was my family... they wanted to kill me... I ran away. I wanted to go to the capital to start a business, but I was robbed. I beg you. Please help me... My stomach hurts.”

Soon after, the girl held her stomach and fell over. Her entire body twitched and she started to vomit.

Could it be... my fish soup caused this?

What... what should I do? Was it really poisonous?

Yin Zi quickly crouched down to check the girl's pulse. After checking, with an unhappy face, he confirmed that the poisoning was due to the soup...

For lack of better options, I could only take responsibility for the girl. I had to carry the girl back for treatment so that she wouldn't die by the road. I didn't want Xiang Qing to scold me.