The stout woman watched Mu Anxiao beam with smiles, acting obsequiously. Then, glancing behind her, she asked, "When did you come in?" She turned to look at Mu Anxiao, her face now showing a touch of arrogance.
Mu Anxiao, observing the woman's smug demeanor and considering her own current status as a servant, maintained her guise of simple-mindedness. "Just a moment ago. May I ask, is this..." She peeked behind the stout woman, "Is this the kitchen?" she said, immediately shifting her gaze away from the woman's back to look at the stout woman herself.
The stout woman eyed the frail and small Mu Anxiao, her eyes naturally filling with disdain. "It is the kitchen. What of it?" She intentionally moved to completely block Mu Anxiao's view inside. "Do you want to go in?"
"Mm," Mu Anxiao feigned excitement, her eyes lighting up. "Sister, I haven't eaten anything all day either. If it's possible, could you reward me with a pastry? I'm terribly hungry." As she spoke, she touched her stomach, which was not at all hungry.
Immediately, the stout woman looked at Mu Anxiao with contempt, a smirk playing on her lips. "A mere servant, wanting to eat the General's mansion's pastries. How dare you even bring that up," she said, crossing her arms over her ample flesh. "You truly are a country bumpkin who's never seen the world."
"I may be poor, but my spirit is not," Mu Anxiao retorted, her gaze hardening. "I only wanted to ask for a pastry. Do you have to insult me with words like that? And look at your eyes. We're both servants, you don't need to look down on people like this." As she spoke, she straightened her back, deliberately projecting an air of defiance towards the stout woman.
"Both servants," the stout woman sneered. "Young man, people are divided into classes, and servants are no different. Of course, I see you're new, so I won't bother with you, lest it seem like I'm bullying you. Go on, I don't have time to waste arguing with you here." She waved her hand dismissively.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao became insistent. "What's wrong with me wanting a pastry? Do you have to look down on people like this?" As she spoke, she deliberately began to provoke the stout woman in her own way. "Also, seeing how fat you are, and still lingering in this kitchen, you must have stolen and eaten quite a lot, haven't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so plump." As she said this, she took half a step back, as if afraid the stout woman might swat her dead with a single blow.
The stout woman saw Mu Anxiao's blatant escalation and instead of getting angry, she chuckled. "You think your taunts are very effective, right? Well, let me tell you, I'm not angry. Now," she said, though her teeth were clenched, "I'll tell you, a newcomer, about our kitchen rules. You..."
"This mansion belongs to the General. What right do you have to set rules?" Mu Anxiao deliberately provoked.
Upon hearing this, the stout woman's eyes flashed with annoyance. "The kitchen is a restricted area, not everyone can enter," she said, observing Mu Anxiao's unconvinced expression and composing herself. "Let me put it this way: what if you go in and poison the pastries, harming the General? Who would be responsible then? Boy, I advise you not to loiter around here anymore, or I'll really deal with you using the kitchen's rules." She pointed at Mu Anxiao.
However, Mu Anxiao's goal was precisely the kitchen's rules. She mused that a beating in exchange for the trust of an enemy was worth it. With this thought, she let out a soft laugh.
The stout woman frowned even deeper. "You brat, what are you laughing at?"
"Rules," Mu Anxiao said, looking up and down the stout woman. "You're just a kitchen supervisor. What right do you have to set rules for the kitchen? I see, it's just you in this kitchen. Are you planning to beat me up?"
The stout woman's eyes widened in anger. "You brat, are you intentionally trying to infuriate me?" She glared fiercely at Mu Anxiao.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao shrugged her shoulders, a mocking smile appearing. "Intentionally? Not really. I have a quirk," she smiled down, "If I want something to eat and can't get it, I become restless all over. If you don't let me have a pastry, I'll pester you, keep pestering you. See what you can do to me. Anyway, it's just the two of us here. I don't like hitting women, so we'll just stall."
"You brat, being difficult won't work with me. And," the stout woman sneered, "You're out of luck. I'm not the only one here. Now, just wait to be punished." With that, she stepped aside.
Mu Anxiao, having achieved her objective, smiled down and deliberately said, "It's so quiet here, how could there be anyone else? Just keep trying to scare me." As she spoke, she followed the stout woman's gaze inside and saw several burly men emerging from the kitchen area. Looking at them, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but swallow a few times, thinking, this beating is going to hurt terribly.
Immediately, the leading burly man walked up to the stout woman, looking directly at Mu Anxiao. "After all this time, just a skinny monkey," he said, fiddling with a wooden stick in his hand.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the wooden stick, then gave the leading burly man a silly smile. "Big brother..." She glanced again at the other burly men behind him, forcing a smile. "Big brothers, I'm listening."
The second burly man hugged the wooden stick to his chest. "Of course. If I spoke, wouldn't you run away?"
"You... you're waiting for me?" Mu Anxiao said, a shy expression appearing on her face. "Really, so many big brothers waiting for me makes me quite embarrassed." As she spoke, she glanced at the stout woman, who was sneering at her, and felt awkward.
Then, the stout woman said, "I gave you a chance, you brat, but you didn't seize it. Since that's the case, let's proceed with the punishment." She looked at the two burly men who weren't holding sticks and commanded, "Take him inside."
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao deliberately took a step back. "I just want a pastry, there's no need for this, is there? I won't poison anyone. If you ask me, you're all just too nervous." As she spoke, she put on a playful smile, trying to appease them and subtly hint for them to go easy. Although she didn't know if this method would work, it was worth a try.
This time, the stout woman ignored Mu Anxiao, instead giving the burly men a look and stepping aside.
The next moment, Mu Anxiao was flanked by the third and fourth burly men and taken to a wooden bench in the kitchen's backyard, stopping there.
Mu Anxiao looked down at the old, dilapidated bench, then thought of the two burly men holding wooden sticks. She immediately regretted her actions. "Big sister, I'll leave. Can you please not hit me?" she said, looking at the stout woman.
The stout woman smiled at Mu Anxiao. "You think too highly of yourself," she said. After that, she put on a stern face, gave the two burly men a look each, and turned to leave.
Mu Anxiao froze.