Chapter 12 Gossip

The breakfast service lasted longer this morning, and as a result, the kitchen staff and maids didn't get a break until almost noon.

Naturally, lunchtime was pushed back.

Mingmei still remembered the looks the players gave her as they passed by during breakfast.

Speechless, heartbroken, filled with question marks… they wore every imaginable expression.

And in the end, their gazes would always land on the box lunches she was handing out, making Mingmei feel a little guilty.

She wasn’t responsible for the flavor or effects of those box lunches!

Now all the players knew how the chives and chicken cutlet box lunches could "save their lives."

One bite, and your breath could stink to high heaven, enough to scare off ghosts and gods!

It would be a miracle if that *didn't* save your life.

Mu Chen and Zhen Po had single rooms, which was fine, but what about the other double rooms?

Did you want to get beaten to death by your roommate after eating that?

"Oh my, I heard from the maids cleaning the rooms that something big happened upstairs this morning!"

Mingmei was left in the kitchen, spacing out while picking vegetables and thinking about what to do next, when she heard Cook A and Cook B chattering away again.

Mingmei, always eager to hear gossip but keeping her expression neutral, asked, "What happened?"

"I heard the heirs upstairs are plotting against each other, and last night, they threw dung into someone's room while they were sleeping!"

Mingmei: "…?"

Where did this rumor come from?

Mingmei looked up at the two cooks, especially Cook A, who looked so sure of herself, as if she had been there herself.

Mingmei: If I hadn't seen it myself, I would have believed it!

Cook B: "Really? How could that happen?"

Cook A: "Of course it could! Otherwise, why do you think they were late for breakfast today? They were all busy cleaning up and taking showers! Think about the one from yesterday; he might have been killed by a plot!"

Cook B: "True, having one less competitor is beneficial to them all."

Mingmei, hearing this mixture of truth and lies, didn't know what expression to wear.

"If killing people is beneficial, why didn't they do it last night? Why just… throw dung?" Mingmei really didn't understand how anyone could believe such an obvious rumor.

Cook A didn't care about Mingmei's question and said, "You can't just kill people every day, can you? Of course, you have to switch things up and scare people!"

Mingmei: "…"

What she said almost made sense?

But if you thought about it carefully, it still didn't add up!

Before Mingmei could refute her, she was already continuing.

"The maids who cleaned up this morning said the smell upstairs was awful! Especially in young Master Po's room in the west wing, oh my, he must be hated! The smell was terrible! They had to ventilate the room for over an hour!"

The "source of all evil" had become an innocent victim; these rumors were…

"Yes, I think young Master Po is tall and mighty, and he can eat and drink a lot. He's very similar to the Duke. I even saw the Duke praise young Master Po last time!" Cook B also talked about what she had seen.

Mingmei couldn't help but prick up her ears.

Was the butler very fond of Zhen Po?

Just then, Cook C, who didn't get along with Mingmei, finally spoke up, her tone as sarcastic as ever: "Who told you young Master Po is the most likely to become the heir? Just because he's big and burly doesn't mean he'll be chosen!"

Yesterday, Mingmei didn't put up with her, and the other two cooks wouldn't let her get away with it today either. They immediately retorted: "You think you know everything? Look at yourself, you're just as big and burly."

"I'm just plump! I just have a big frame!"

Cook C immediately stood up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and then glared at Mingmei.

Mingmei: ?

Why was she getting angry at her again?

Cook A snorted, her face full of disdain, not afraid of angering her at all.

Even Cook B took the opportunity to put another basket of vegetables in front of her, telling her to go wash them outside.

Cook C, who had just argued and glared at her, was now obedient.

She resentfully took the vegetable basket and left without saying a harsh word, which confused Mingmei.

"Aren't you afraid of making her angry?" Mingmei asked curiously.

"We're not afraid. That woman… she's always dreaming! Do you think the butler would like someone like her?"

And there it was, another big piece of gossip from Cook A's mouth.

"Ah?" Mingmei opened her mouth in surprise. "Her and the butler?"

"It's all one-sided on her part. She's always trying to curry favor with the butler, and he just hasn't chased her away because she keeps pestering him, which has made her have these fantasies."

"Then… how do you know the butler doesn't like her?"

"Can you tell me what the butler would like about her? Is it because she's ugly? Her personality isn't good, and she's not very smart. She has nothing going for her and yet she's so ambitious. What do you think the butler sees in her?"

Mingmei: "…"

How would I know if you're asking me?

After Cook A finished speaking, she looked at Mingmei's clueless expression and shook her head, saying that Mingmei was still too young. She added, "Although I don't know why the butler is doing this, he definitely doesn't like her. Next time she's sarcastic to you, just tell her off."

"Oh, okay~" Ming nodded as if she understood, and her attention to Cook C definitely increased.

After helping to pick the vegetables, Mingmei went outside. She felt like she was the one who encountered the most plot points or heard the strangest information, apart from the players.

She had just been talking about Cook C and the butler, and now she had run into them.

In a small forest behind the castle, Mingmei hid behind a big tree and watched.

She saw the butler secretly hand a package of something to Cook C.

Instinctively, Mingmei felt that it wasn't anything good.

But when she looked again, she saw Cook C accepting the package with a look of joy in her eyes.

Because the butler had his back to Mingmei, she didn't know what he was saying, but she saw the expression on Cook C's face quickly turn ugly.

In the end, she was still resentfully saying something.

Unfortunately, it was too far away, and Mingmei couldn't directly hear what they were saying. Seeing that they were almost done talking, Mingmei decided to leave.

[Host, are you going to tell someone about this?]

Gui Gui suddenly spoke up, but Mingmei shook her head. [I'm just a mysterious merchant. Unless someone buys me box lunches to make me happy, I won't share this kind of news~]

Mingmei quietly repeated her principles, but before she could take two steps, she was stopped by Mu Chen.

"You?"

"Shhh—" Mu Chen made a gesture of silence, then grabbed Mingmei's hand and hid behind a tree again.

In less than half a minute, a series of footsteps came toward them, making Mingmei's heart jump into her throat.

Was she going to have to kill a fellow NPC in self-defense?

But that was just her simple and violent thought. Soon, the footsteps faded away.

Almost caught because she didn't leave in time, Mingmei waited until the footsteps were far away before looking up to glare at the "culprit"!

But unexpectedly, because the two were so close, Mingmei's headbutt landed directly on his chin…