The maid's road to success

It has to be said that after seven years of getting along, Wen Niang understood Chen Luoxi's thoughts very well. After she brought Bihe through Linjing City safely, she immediately went to the human traffickers and bought two maids with death contracts, a pair of sisters who were skilled in martial arts.

They look very honest. It is said that they were sold by their masters because they caught young ladies having a tryst with men. In order to protect the reputation of their own girls, they were caught by their masters.

Bihe had seen all kinds of people in the Jiaofangsi, and could tell whether a person was good or bad at a glance. Although the sisters were strong, they looked honest and upright.

What's more, the indenture is held in the hands of two people, so there is no need to worry that they will dare to harm their master.

The Chen State had very strict management of slavery. Although the master could not execute his servants at will, as long as the matter was covered up a little, the government would not pursue it even if someone died. After all, if a death contract was bought, it was equivalent to handing over one's life to the master.

However, if a slave dared to harm his master, even if it was an accidental injury, he would be severely punished. More than ten years ago, there was a case where a servant was caught stealing jewelry from his master's house.

He was sent to the government and sentenced to ten years of hard labor in a mine. However, the consequences of property infringement are so serious, not to mention endangering the life and safety of the master's family, which is a big taboo.

Even if such a person escapes alive, he will be hunted down by the government.

A woman from a certain courtyard once said that this was too harsh.

Is it worth it to keep chasing a fugitive? The old lady in the yard explained the reason.

This is because it is to protect the rights of the upper-class families. If someone who harms the master can escape, countless servants will dare to rebel against the master. Who among the government officials does not have dozens of servants? They will cooperate in the strict management of slaves in order to protect their own rights.

It can also be regarded as a measure of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Once a servant harms the master, he will be held accountable to the end. This is the only way to ensure that the subordinates abide by the rules and do what they are told.

Before they were sold as children, these two girls were called Daya and Erya. Their previous owners gave them new names, but the meanings were not very good.

Bihe thought about it and gave them new names.

"From now on, your name is An Ning, your name is An Ping. I hope you can get rid of the bad things in the past and embrace a new life."

Wen Niang felt very warmed by Bihe's attentiveness. Seeing the two people's confused eyes, she walked forward to comfort them.

"We are sisters. We bought you for safety reasons. But don't worry, we are not the black-hearted master. As long as you treat us sincerely, we will not bully you."

An Ning and An Ping nodded. They were older and had been sold when they were four or five years old. They had been maids for more than ten years and had seen too many masters who seemed gentle and kind on the surface but actually did not treat their servants as human beings.

It's just that they are slaves, and they are naturally unable to control their own destiny. Since the master is willing to say these words to coax them, they just listen.

I lived too honestly in the past, which is why I suffer so much now.

Wen Niang knew that the two people had suffered too much hurt and would not easily trust others, so she did not force them.

Looking at the two men's patched clothes, because of the previous private actions of the master, both of them had injuries on their bodies and faces, and An Ning was even a little disfigured.

The human trafficker probably thought that the two sisters were old and not the kind of women with slim and graceful figures, so he thought they would be difficult to sell, so he did not give them clean clothes, but just picked up some rags that could still be considered clothes and threw them for them to wear.

Therefore, the first step is to treat the two people's injuries first, and then pack some luggage. Anyway, now they have transformed into other people's appearances, and the more cautious they are, the more strange it is.

Wen Niang and Bi He took the two people to the pharmacy in the town to check them out. Fortunately, they were external injuries and did not hurt the internal organs. It was just that the wound was delayed for a long time and there was some frostbite on the wound. They had to be carefully cared for and ointment had to be applied all the time.

They simply bought two sets of thick clothes for replacement, and then got on the carriage and set off.

Originally, Bihe thought that the two of them were not feeling well yet, so they took a rest first and drove the carriage herself.

But An Ning took over the reins directly, and An Ping also said that An Ning drove the carriage very steadily and had learned from the coachmen in the mansion, so their injuries were not serious.

Wen Niang and the others had no choice but to rush to deliver the goods. An Ning, who was outside the carriage, made a thick hat and hand guards to prevent her hands from getting frostbitten.

An Ning had a thick cotton hat on her head. Looking at the cotton sleeves that almost covered the reins in her hands, although it affected her flexibility a little, her heart and body were warm.

I couldn't help but recall that before, a girl wanted to collect snow water from the mountain, so she asked me to carry a clay pot to the top of the mountain to collect snow.

Without even a warm vest, I walked from the bottom of the mountain to the top in the freezing snow, holding the clay jar all the way back, and my hands were frozen.

He was also punished by being forced to kneel in the yard because his stiff hands prevented him from holding the jar and some of the liquid spilled out.

She had never thought that she could wear thick cotton clothes and warm hats while working. It turned out that there were still people who treated servants as human beings.

"Anping, tell us about your sisters. If there is anything that is inconvenient to talk about, please don't say it."

Anping felt that there was nothing inconvenient to say, because their lives could be foreseen at a glance.

Only then did Wen Niang realize that An Ning and An Ping were also a pair of miserable people. Because their mother was gone when they were born, they were regarded as nemesis and were not liked by their family since childhood.

Later, when a famine occurred, they were sold in exchange for half a bag of grain. The two girls had a miserable life. Because they were too young and not good-looking, they were never successfully chosen by anyone. They followed the human traffickers and were beaten and scolded for half a year and suffered a lot. When they could hardly bear it anymore, finally a lady from a family chose them.

I thought there was hope, but who knew that the young lady, who appeared to be a gentle and elegant lady, actually often took it out on others in the inner house.

But it's better than living with a human trafficker. At least I can have enough food to eat.

In order to protect the young lady's safety, the mansion wanted to let the personal maids learn some martial arts, but those delicate little maids didn't want to go and pushed the two of them out without anyone to protect them.

They did learn some pretty good martial arts, but because of that they became sturdy with big hands and feet, and were often looked down upon.

Except when the young lady needs the protection of two men when she goes out, she doesn't want two people to stay around her at other times.

As long as there is hard work, it belongs to the sisters.

But even so, the two had no complaints. Those who have never endured extreme hunger will not understand people's dependence on food.

As long as they have enough food to eat, they can endure it even if the cotton clothes they are given are replaced by old and worn ones, or even if the charcoal braziers they use for the winter are occupied by others.

However, they did not expect that the young lady would have a secret meeting with someone. When the lady asked, they just told the truth. They did not expect that they would be whipped and sold because of this.

The days went back to the time when they were hungry. If the two girls had not arrived in time, they would have planned to escape, have a full meal and then find a place to get away cleanly.

After hearing this, Wen Niang and Bi He felt even more distressed. Although they had suffered a lot in their past, at least they had been happy during those years in Fu Shou Tang.

The old ancestor was kind, the sisters were friendly, the old women treated them more like their own children, and even the servants in other courtyards did not dare to bully them.

At least there are moments in life that are worth remembering forever. Now, they may be suffering from great physical and mental damage, but at least they have enough money and a clean record to travel and live a better life in the future.

But An Ning and An Ping never had good memories in the past. From childhood to adulthood, they were not loved by their fathers, nor by their grandmothers. They were sold to others as maids, but they never met a good master who treated them well.

"If you don't mind, you can live with us in the future. Although we can't let you live a rich and luxurious life, we won't let you have only painful memories."

Anping felt awkward and didn't know what to do. They always believed that masters could treat servants like beasts of burden, after all, they had paid money to buy their lives.

But the two girls have been comforting their sisters. Could it be that there really are masters who treat servants as their own family members?

The carriage swayed all the way south, and when it arrived at the next town, a few people rented a room upstairs. Although it was not big enough for four people, it was safer to live together.

Wen Niang had heard about the managers who had gone out to purchase things and encountered black shops while staying in hotels, so she was very cautious. After all, they were all girls, and if something really happened, the consequences would be terrible.

"Don't worry, Master. This store is clean."

Wen Niang looked at An Ning, not understanding why she could tell that this store was not a black shop.

"My master Wu said that all black shops have their own characteristics. The waiter's eyes are erratic, and the perennial incense in the shop can also be traced. There are also decorations and plaques at the door that have certain signs. This shop has a clean and bright lobby, the waiter is smart and diligent, and the room also smells clean, so it is not a black shop. However, some inns are more deceptive and very expensive."

Wen Niang nodded. She was not afraid. They had the money and as long as they were safe, they didn’t care about anything else.

"That's good. Let's take a rest. We're tired after a long day. Let's all go to bed early."

There was only one bed in the room, so Wen Niang and Bi He slept on it. An Ning and An Shun put two tables together, spread thick mattresses on them, and slept soundly.

An Ning smelled the warm scent in the quilt, had a hot water bottle under her feet, and was wearing a comfortable and clean undershirt. She felt that her life seemed to be a little better.

The doors and windows were sealed tightly with something, and everyone slept soundly, listening to the biting cold wind whistling outside and the rustling of tree branches.

When the second cockcrowed, Anping opened her eyes. She had slept comfortably last night. For the first time, she realized that all she needed was warm bedding and a hot water bottle to avoid waking up from the cold in the middle of the night.

As long as the room is safe you won't be woken up in the middle of the night.

"Wake up, the girls are still asleep. Let's get some water and wash up first. We still have to serve the girls for a while."

An Ning just woke up. When they were maids, it was their habit to get up early and wait to be served.

When Wen Niang and the others woke up, An Ning and the others had even brought them food.

Looking at the two diligent people, Wen Niang and Bi He felt a little embarrassed. They all came from maidservant families, and the two of them were spoiled by the old ancestor so that they would not get up early except when they were on duty. Later, although the Duke of Huguo's Mansion was busy, the old ancestor wanted to compensate everyone and was even more indulgent.

Now she has lost all the diligence she had when she was a maid. It is true that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.