She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Ye Xinyan answered without any burden, replying very calmly, "Oh, this is spoiled cheese. It is also part of Steward Zhang’s daily routine to check the fermentation of the cheese, and if there is any that has spoiled, it needs to be promptly cleared out."

Zhang Baokui, who was following behind, felt somewhat embarrassed, as every few days there would be one or two pieces of cheese that spoiled, which for him was a significant number. After production, it would become a very precious ingredient, and to just throw it away because it spoiled, that was a huge loss. As the steward in charge of cheese production, he had an undeniable responsibility.

Jinrong glanced at Zhang Baokui and asked, "Does this happen often? Do you know what’s causing it?"

Ye Xinyan shook her head and said, "The specific reasons are still being explored, but it usually comes down to inadequate dehydration, insufficient pressing when molding, leftover voids inside, or contamination during the cheese maturing process. Steward Zhang is strictly demanding a more precise production process to minimize conditions that could lead to spoilage. This kind of situation has been getting less and less frequent, and these two pieces are all that have been found in the last twelve days."

Jinrong nodded at Zhang Baokui and asked with a smile, "Since it’s already improving, why that expression, Zhang Baokui? You look as if you can’t bear the shame, as though you have done something wrong."

Ye Xinyan also glanced aside, casually saying, "Every time the spoiled cheese is cleared out, Steward Zhang blames himself for a long while. But in fact, Steward Zhang and the servants below have already been very diligent. After all, we are trying this method for the first time, and production time is short without accumulated experience, so some spoilage is inevitable. The important thing is that we are making progress. What’s worrisome is getting worse, being lazy, and yet not finding the cause."

"Oh?" Jinrong looked at Ye Xinyan with a different gaze, hearing her speak so leniently toward workers, her view was quite different from that of the petty officials and Qi Younian.

"Is there a problem? Does Sixth Master think what the little woman said is not right, that I’m making excuses for myself?" Ye Xinyan met Jinrong’s gaze, raising an eyebrow as she asked.