Chapter 10: Out There

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

At this moment, countless thoughts were running through Yun Dai’s mind, but she didn’t show any of it on her face. She followed Mo Chun to the small kitchen.

The small kitchen was in a little courtyard that stood independently from the rest of the East Palace. It wasn’t very large, but it had everything a kitchen ought to have, and both the inside and the outside were extremely clean.

There were already four or five maids busying themselves inside. Two of them were old women, and three of them were younger.

Yun Dai looked around at the area and discovered that there was also a small vegetable patch surrounded by a fence with a few chickens inside it as well. Several winter jasmine plants had been planted around the fence, and their sweet yellow flowers were all in bloom.

A peaceful scene of the countryside actually existed within the high walls of this opulent palace.

Yun Dai hadn’t expected something like this at all.

Mo Chun saw her sizing up the place, and she explained, “His Highness has always been sickly, so we have to use only the freshest fruits and vegetables. Because of this, we decided to maintain our own little vegetable garden so that we can pick whatever we want directly from here. It’s both fresher and cleaner than the things we get from the royal kitchen.”

Yun Dai nodded, but she sneered to herself, “This bloody despicable Crown Prince really gets to enjoy life.”

Mo Chun walked into the kitchen and addressed the women inside, “We have a new worker, Miss Yun, with us today, and she’s an excellent Red Counter. Do get along well with her, and don’t make any trouble here. I will not let any troublemakers off lightly.”

Red Counter and White Counter were terms for the cooks. Red Counter referred to those who specialized in meat dishes, while White Counter referred to those who specialized in items made from wheat flour.

Actually, Yun Dai preferred to make little snacks, so she was really an excellent White Counter. But since Mo Chun had already introduced her this way, she didn’t raise any objections.

She just accepted this description.

After all, she was just here to earn a living.

The rest of the women in the kitchen said hello to her. The two old women seemed to be friendly, but one of the younger ones looked at Yun Dai as if Yun Dai was her enemy.

Initially, Yun Dai didn’t understand why, but when it was time to start preparing dinner, she found out that this maid named Yun Dou was in charge of preparing meat dishes in the kitchen.

And she was also favored by Consort Chen.

No wonder Yun Dou saw her as an enemy.

Yun Dou was afraid that she might steal her spotlight.

Yun Dai ignored her and just followed Mo Chun’s instructions. She carried a bowl of green peas and sat at the kitchen door to remove the peas from their pods.

The rest of the women also started to get busy with their own work.

Some of them were in charge of cooking the rice, some were in charge of chopping up the vegetables, and some were in charge of steaming buns and mandarin rolls.

Yun Dou was cooking fish and beef.

She’d noticed that Mo Chun had still allocated Red Counter work to her, while Yun Dai was doing the menial work of shelling peas, so she felt very smug inside.

After Mo Chun left the kitchen, the women started talking.

The two old women started chatting with Yun Dai, saying, “I heard you were recommended by the Chen family.”

Yun Dou immediately pricked her ears up.

Duke Chen’s residence was the family of Consort Chen.

Yun Dai smiled and replied, “I wasn’t really recommended. Actually, I just started working at the Duke’s residence.”

Hong Dou was steaming the buns, and she smiled and said, “I heard that His Highness ate some braised meat made by Miss Yun, and it was him that specially hired her from the Duke’s residence.”

“My goodness, what a wonderful opportunity,” said Nanny Bai with a smile.

Yun Dai smiled and replied, “You can just call me Yun.”

Yun Dou made a face. “His Highness just happened to eat something new. I highly doubt he really liked it. All the food out there is of such poor quality…”

Mo Chun happened to come back to the kitchen at this time and heard what Yun Dou had said. Her expression immediately darkened. “What nonsense are you spouting? If Consort Chen heard you say that, you wouldn’t be able to keep your head on.”

Yun Dou’s face got pale instantly, and she quickly replied, “I didn’t think before speaking. Please forgive me, Auntie Chun.”

If the food at the Duke’s residence had been poorly made, then did that mean that the food that Consort Chen had grown up with was also poorly made?

Mo Chun glared hard at her and said, “The Crown Prince has called for dinner already, so all of you had better work more quickly.”

A short while later, two pretty maids in elegant dresses came in to collect the food.

These were the highest-ranking maids who served the Crown Prince. Nobody in the kitchen was fit to take food to the Crown Prince’s room.

Yun Dou looked at them with envy written all over her face as she said, “If only we could look as nice as they do.”