23 - Crazy! Criticizing the Prime Minister for Being a Servant

# Chapter 16: How About Plucking Feathers Instead Ran Fanyin stared at the unidentified lump in front of her, her mouth twitching slightly. Delicately tapping it with her slender finger, she asked, "You call this Laba Congee?" She picked up a pair of chopsticks and gently poked it. The semi-solid substance wobbled briefly before quickly returning to its original state. Lifting the bowl, she tilted it slightly, but the thing didn't budge, clinging stubbornly to the bowl's edge, showing no intentions of sliding downward. Congee? Not even Qin Siyue, known for concocting deadly elixirs, could manage to produce such an odd creation. Ran Fanyin rarely found herself speechless, but she sank into brief silence, leaning back comfortably and watching the blushing young girl in front of her. The little girl gripped the apron edge tightly, mumbling incoherently. After a long moment, she finally murmured, "It's... it's just... I'm not good at cooking..." [Waaaah, I'm a college student, a certified 24k waste of a person.] [I've seen people knead dough into a non-Newtonian fluid, but cooking congee into this... this isn't even a non-Newtonian fluid!] Is there anyone who can knead dough like this?! Ran Fanyin's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembled. Hadn't she heard her apprentice pondering over matters of love the past few days? Otherwise, she'd have suspected this little girl of trying to poison her. ...Well, it's not entirely impossible, huh? She finally put down her chopsticks and beckoned Ning Songwu over. Gently pressing the girl's cheek, she uttered the most heartless words— "You've done well. Next time, don't do it." "We have spiritual beings on our peak responsible for cooking; you won't go hungry. There's no need to trouble yourself learning this." At this, even Ning Songwu's normally busy thoughts fell silent. Her eyes filled with a thin mist, making Ran Fanyin's heart soften. Still, for her apprentice's safety, some things were best left untouched. After a long silence, the little girl finally nodded. Her usually active inner voice resumed. [Even this doesn't work. What else can I do?] Elder Ran's heart stirred slightly, "So, Little Ning'er, why do you want to do these things?" "Huh? No... nothing, just wanted to learn." Ning Songwu stammered, fearing that this person in front of her might catch on to something unusual. She hugged the bowl, bowed slightly, and ran off. She almost tripped at the door. [No way could I tell her this is all for preparing a gift for her, right? Such gifts... hehe, Master would laugh at me.] [Now, only one option remains...] [Pluck Luo Sheng's feathers!] Elder Ran couldn't help but laugh, leaning on the table with a helpless shake of her head. Ah, children these days. Back then, no one thought of plucking He Lan's feathers, right? How did these kids grow up to be like this? Ran Fanyin hurriedly called after the young girl, lest she really went to pluck Luo Sheng's feathers. If she did, He Lan would surely chase her for a long time. A little cat, if truly angered, could scratch rather painfully. * "So, this route won't work either." Liu Ruoying propped her chin up, helplessly watching a certain someone who looked intelligent but was utterly clueless about cooking. Luo Sheng swallowed a piece of pastry before speaking, "Everyone has things they're not good at. Ning Songwu, don't feel bad. Maybe you're good at something else?" "Call me senior sister, and I won't feel bad." Luo Sheng glanced at her and silently stuffed another piece of pastry into his mouth, shaking his head. The young girl sighed once more. Back in modern times, she had never worried about such things; suitable gifts were always purchasable. Now, here, she couldn't think of anything Ran Fanyin might lack or need. All she could do was try small, simple things, but she was too incompetent to even manage those. She couldn't exactly steal the work of the spiritual beings, doing chores wouldn't constitute a gift, right? Ning Songwu scratched her head, experiencing for the first time the regret of not having more practical skills to rely on. She wished she had listened to her mother and learned to cook instead of lazing around in bed, playing on her phone. Liu Ruoying was curious and asked, "Why do you always want to give Elder Ran gifts?" Ning Songwu was taken aback, stammering, "To celebrate her birthday. Don't you celebrate your master's birthday?" The other two shook their heads. Luo Sheng said, "How do you know Elder Ran's birthday? I don't even know my master's birthday." Just as Ning Songwu was about to explain, a long-silent subtitle flickered in her mind, displaying a series of digits—June 5th. It was the first time external comments had triggered the subtitle, but following her anticipation, it went silent again, leaving her feeling useless. The two sides of her mind were still curiously watching her. Gritting her teeth, she calmly said, "Just happens I know. I also know that Elder He Lan's birthday is on June 5th. Remember that, Ah Sheng." Luo Sheng nodded, silently noting the date. Liu Ruoying asked, "How do you know that? Do you know my master's birthday?" The subtitle remained unmoved, and Ning Songwu could only shake her head helplessly. Liu Ruoying pouted, "Oh." Suddenly, a mocking laugh echoed from behind, followed by a familiar sneer, "Instead of focusing on cultivation, you're scheming on how to curry favor with the elders?" Ning Songwu turned around to see Lin Yuxue standing with arms crossed. Seeing her turn, Lin Yuxue let out another scornful laugh, "Isn't this supposed to be cultivation time? How can you laze around here, neglecting Elder Ran?" The person called out raised her hand to stop the other two and took a step forward. With gold threads reflecting a faint light on her white gown, she adjusted her stance slightly to ensure this bothersome person saw the insignia embroidered on her shoulder's waistband. Despite repeatedly avoiding confrontation, hoping to alter her grim fate, if others sought her out, she wasn't that initially timid young beast with no ability to resist. Having a good meal disrupted and being eavesdropped on—uncle can bear it, but aunt cannot!! Besides, in the original work, this scene wasn't planned. Life and death now hinged on her present strategies. While fighting was out of the question, there were other ways to irk Lin Yuxue. At this moment, using her attire to remind Lin Yuxue of her status as Ran Fanyin’s disciple could hopefully dissuade her from further aggravation. “If it’s truly cultivation time, why are you here, junior sister?” Ning Songwu smiled, slightly adjusting her angle. A forty-five-degree angle is the most stylish, she recalled. Lin Yuxue was momentarily choked, “I came to buy something useful. But you, spouting nonsense instead of cultivating?” “Currying favor with the elders? We’re just eating. You overheard two random sentences and assumed the worst? Or were you eavesdropping the whole time?” Ning Songwu’s hand moved slightly behind her back; Liu Ruoying instantly picked up the hint, smilingly saying, “Look what I've discovered; some people love eavesdropping.” Luo Sheng nodded, munching on his noodles, “Indeed. Any proof to support your claim?” Ning Songwu discreetly gave them both a thumbs-up. Honestly, her argument wasn't foolproof and could be easily refuted. She gambled that Lin Yuxue wouldn’t admit to eavesdropping to save face. Sure enough, Lin Yuxue coldly scoffed and turned to leave. After all, she’s still a child, even with that inexplicable animosity. Ning Songwu viewed her like one of her past tutoring kids—clumsy. She exhaled in relief, feeling slightly more confident in facing Lin Yuxue in the future. One can’t always rely on the protection of elders. Behind her, Liu Ruoying gently clapped, “Senior sister, you’re as impressive as my cousin!” “Cousin?” Ning Songwu arched an eyebrow. Liu Ruoying nodded, “My second house cousin when I was young. She was very articulate. Sadly, she got married after turning fifteen, and later died in childbirth... I didn’t want that fate, so I ran away, came to the immortal mountain, and worked in the outer sect.” Luo Sheng: “Senior sister is amazing.” Ning Songwu: “Very brave, you did the right thing.” “Did the right thing?” Liu Ruoying’s eyes widened, “Don’t you find me rebellious?” Both shook their heads, making little Liu feel awkward, scratching her head, “Well, okay then.” These two, one an orphan growing up in the outer sect, the other a wandering half-blood, likely didn't care much about such norms. Together, the three of them couldn’t even form a complete family. * As soon as Ning Songwu returned to the peak, Ran Fanyin called her into the study, where a few papers lay on the table. Seeing her, Elder Ran gently pushed several papers in her direction, saying in a warm voice, “These are background checks on this year's disciples. I thought you might be interested in some of them. Have a look.” Obediently, she sat down, picking up the briefs, with Lin Yuxue’s background on top. “A rich merchant’s daughter...” The investigation revealed Lin Yuxue as the daughter of a lesser wife of a wealthy merchant, unloved and discarded along with her mother, leading her to seek refuge in the immortal sect to pursue enlightenment. [That’s odd. Why do I remember her being a farmer's daughter?] Ran Fanyin smiled slightly, producing another paper and handed it over, “We uncovered another background regarding her.” "Another one? Why would there be two?" Ran Fanyin leaned back slightly, her expression calm yet carrying a hint of amusement. "People sometimes have... more than one story, depending on who's telling it and what they wish to hide or reveal." Ning Songwu took the additional paper, curiosity piqued. Indeed, as she scanned through it, she found details that contradicted the first report.