But now that her master had gone out, she felt she was still a person of principle, and it was up to her to take on these matters herself. She couldn't let the just-recovered Mistress tire herself out—after all, she wasn't really a child anymore.

Although she had never cooked in either of her two lives, it wasn't too late to learn now.

“Nonsense, you're still so young. With your master away, of course Mistress will cook for you.” Sarah reached out her fair finger and gently tapped Emily Bennett's nose. “Your master used to spoil you, and now Mistress will spoil you just the same. Come on, what do you want for dinner? How about some braised pork with rock sugar?”

Emily Bennett swallowed hard. She was at the age of growing, especially craving meat, so she instantly abandoned the principles she had just set for herself. “Eat... I'll eat it. Who doesn't love braised pork with rock sugar?”

The two of them walked home arm in arm. The sky was covered with layers of rosy clouds, densely packed like fish scales, the sunset glow brilliant as if an immortal had passed by. Such beautiful clouds, Emily Bennett had only seen once in her memory—the day her master came to Yuan Family Village to fetch her.

Chapter 6

There was a loud knocking at the front gate of the courtyard.

“Coming, coming.” Emily Bennett ran from under the parasol tree in the yard, opened the gate, and poked her head out.

Outside stood a grand procession, with colorful glazed carriages and many attendants. The owner of the carriage wore a round-collared brocade robe and a light gauze hat, clearly a young man from a wealthy family. Yet he set aside his status, leaving all his servants behind, and came to knock on the door himself.

“Excuse me, is Mr. Ziran at home?” The guest clasped his hands in greeting and spoke respectfully. He looked very young and had decent features, except for a large bruise around his left eye, as if someone had punched him hard, making him look rather comical.

Another person had come from afar to seek her master's help.

Emily Bennett: “My master has gone far away and hasn't returned for many years.”

“Master isn't home? Oh dear, what should I do?” The guest rubbed his hands anxiously and asked, “Do you know when he will return?”

Emily Bennett shook her head.

Ever since her master suddenly disappeared that year, seven years had passed. Emily Bennett had grown from a tiny child into a girl of sixteen or seventeen, but had never seen her master again. Even though so much time had passed, there were still people who, unaware of the situation, would travel long distances to seek her master's help. Unfortunately, they were destined to leave disappointed.

As Emily Bennett was about to close the door and see the guest off, she saw from afar Mistress returning from the market, arm in arm with the aunt from the Chen family across the way. She quickly opened the door wider to welcome Mistress inside.

“I saw some chicks for sale at the market today, they were so cute that I bought two more.” Sarah lifted a corner of the floral cloth covering the basket, revealing two little yellow balls of fluff gently moving. “Shall we raise them in the courtyard?”

When her master had just left, all the spirits living in the courtyard disappeared at the same time. The sudden silence was hard to get used to. Perhaps Mistress felt it too, so she raised many cats, dogs, chicks, and ducklings in the yard, finally making the once-empty courtyard lively and noisy again.

Aunt Chen, seeing Emily Bennett come out to open the door, hurried over and warmly took Emily's hand, looking her up and down. This little apprentice from Mr. Yu's family had seemed quite ordinary as a child, but perhaps she had picked up some immortal aura living in the master's house, growing prettier every year. She was also cheerful and capable, so likable that even Aunt Chen herself was fond of her. No wonder her eldest son, Tieniu, always had her on his mind.

So she patted Emily Bennett's hand warmly and said, “Oh, good Emily, I was just telling your Mistress that a good girl like you shouldn't be married off to some random boy from a family we don't know. It's best to find a good family nearby, so you can also take care of your Mistress in the future.”

Emily Bennett smiled openly at her and went inside, arm in arm with Mistress.

The guest who was about to leave caught sight of Sarah, looked at her in confusion for a moment, then strode back over. “Is this Sarahzi? I am Samuel Jones. Do you remember me, madam? Fifteen years ago, you and your husband passed by Dongting Lake and saved my life.”

Sarah looked at him, thought for a while, and then suddenly remembered. Covering her mouth with her sleeve in surprise, she said, “So it's you! Back then, you were just a child, not even ten years old. I can't believe you've grown so much.”

Samuel Jones bowed repeatedly. “Madam, you haven't changed a bit. I didn't expect you to remember me. Back then, thanks to your husband's extraordinary skills, my life was saved. All these years, I have always remembered his kindness and never dared forget. After much effort, I finally found your immortal residence and came specially to pay my respects.”

Sarah invited him into the courtyard, but instead of going inside, they sat at the stone table under the parasol tree.

Samuel Jones was very reserved in front of Sarah, treating himself as a junior and not daring to sit as an equal, only standing to reply.

The two of them talked about the past, and Emily Bennett listened on the side, learning that this man named Samuel Jones had suffered a serious illness as a child. His parents had sought out famous doctors to no avail and were preparing for his funeral. Fortunately, Mr. Ziran and his wife passed by while traveling and saved him, sparing him from disaster.