She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Having learned where her young mistress was, Bizhu walked along the wall toward the west wing.

"Bizhu, wait for me! Why don't we just go straight through the middle? Why do we have to take a detour!"

Ziyao complained inwardly. She had been starving in the woodshed all day, constantly worried about being sold to such a filthy place, and dared not fall asleep, hoping to escape at the first opportunity.

Later, the master gave them time to wash up and get ready, and they also ate a meal, but they still felt weak and powerless.

She just wanted to find a place to get a good night's sleep and didn't want to walk any further.

Ziyao was pulled to the wall by Bizhu, and almost kicked over a clay pot.

She patted her newly embroidered shoes, afraid they would get dusty and difficult to clean.

"Bizhu, why are you being so rude!"

Bizhu frowned, looked her up and down, and questioned, "Miss just married into the Gao family today. The people sitting in the courtyard are all relatives of Miss's husband. Don't forget your place!"

After saying that, he left Ziyao behind and walked towards the two guards.

Zi Yao stomped her foot, only daring to mutter to herself: You and I are both people around Miss, why are you lecturing me like this!

Worried that Bizhu might say something unpleasant to her mistress, she still jogged after her.

Bizhu greeted the guards and was about to go find Lu Huan when a man dressed in a bright red wedding robe walked towards her.

One glance was enough to leave a deep impression on Bizhu.

His face was sharply defined, with thick, sword-like eyebrows, but his eyes were as innocent as a deer's. His skin was a healthy light wheat color, not particularly fair. Compared to Gao Zhongbao's frail appearance, he seemed much more robust.

Bizhu instantly guessed the man's identity, lowered her eyes, and curtsied: "Are you the eldest son of the Gao family? We are the eldest young lady's maids. My name is Bizhu."

Gao Yan subconsciously scratched the back of his head: "Don't call me Young Master, I'm not some Young Master. Huan'er is inside, you guys go in!"

Zi Yao noticed the bowl in Gao Yan's hand and exclaimed, "You're not going to give that to our young lady, are you?!"

Bizhu's face immediately hardened. She knocked on the door a few times before pushing Ziyao inside.

She turned around and smiled, trying to smooth things over: "I'm so sorry, my young lady doesn't usually eat this much. That maid was just too surprised and behaved inappropriately, disturbing everyone."

"Oh, I see!" Everyone suddenly realized, and then they started laughing and joking again. "How can you eat so little? You need to eat more so you can have more babies!"

"Yeah, hahaha!"

Seeing the atmosphere become lively again, Bizhu breathed a sigh of relief, took the bowl from Gao Yan's hand, whispered an apology, and followed him into the house.

Gao Yan's hand was suspended in mid-air, and he didn't react for a moment. The door slammed shut with a bang, as if it had been bolted shut by the maid.

"Hahaha! I think Yan is eager to consummate his marriage, but I'm afraid he'll have to wait a while. Don't you all agree?"

"Exactly! Hahahaha!"

The door kept out all the lewd talk that was about to unfold.

Inside the room, Lu Huan sat on the canopy bed with a cold face, Bi Zhu stood beside her, while Zi Yao knelt on the ground.

Lu Huan buried her face in Bi Zhu's waist, forcefully suppressing the tears in her eyes.

In her past life, Bizhu and Ziyao fled with her. Bizhu died on the way to protect her. Ziyao, however, climbed into Gao Zhongbao's bed just after she was diagnosed with pregnancy.

Since Ziyao was not a slave, Lu Huan had no choice but to accept her tea ceremony. He was just waiting for her to become pregnant with a child before he would formally take her in as a concubine.

Lu Huan finally managed to suppress the surging emotions in her heart and squeezed Bi Zhu's hand: "Bring over the food that your son-in-law sent over."

"Girl, are you really going to eat this?" Zi Yao's eyes widened.

Lu Huan calmly stuffed a large mouthful of food into her mouth, swallowed it, and then said, "Why aren't you eating? The Gao family's usual meals might not even be as good as today's!"

Zi Yao's pupils dilated in shock. Could her young mistress be deliberately trying to scare her? Could her young mistress really endure such hardship?

Lu Huan knew that Zi Yao didn't believe him.

In her past life, she was the same way, always believing that Lu Huan still had connections or money, and dared not act rashly. It was only after repeated tests that she dared to take action against Gao Zhongbao, and then struck successfully.

In this life, however, Lu Huan has no intention of tolerating it again—she has already endured it once, and if it happens again, she is afraid she will not be able to tolerate it at all.

She ate most of the bowl of rice in one go, and handed the remaining half to Ziyao, saying, "I can't eat anymore, you can have it."

A reward? Are you sure this isn't a punishment?

Zi Yao's lips stiffened: "Miss, I'm not hungry yet. How about I eat later, later."

"And you?" Lu Huan's raised hand did not move an inch.

Bizhu took the bowl and fed the rest of the food into her mouth.

It's true that the food isn't as good as the Lu family's, but even the young lady can eat it, so what right does she, as a maid, have to complain?

"Ziyao, how many years have you been by my side?"

Zi Yao was filled with trepidation, her eyes darting around, unable to look Lu Huan in the eye.

"It's been about ten years."

“Yes, it’s been ten years. You should have developed feelings for a dog by now,” Lu Huan said quietly. “You’ve all seen what the Gao family is like now.”

I can't bear to see you suffer with me, so I want to give you a blessing.

My mother has already released you from your status as servants; in fact, you're no longer slaves. It was alright when you were with the Lu family; keeping you wasn't a problem..."

Bizhu immediately pledged her loyalty: "Miss, I can support myself!"

A hint of a smile finally appeared in Lu Huan's eyes. He gently tickled her palm. How naughty!

But when he looked at Zi Yao, he became much colder.

"But as you've all seen, the Gao family doesn't support idlers. Even I will likely have to personally serve my parents-in-law in the future. You've been with me all this time, so if you want to leave, now is a good opportunity."

Noticing that Bizhu was about to speak, Lu Huan squeezed her fingers again, signaling her not to express her opinion.

"What if you want to stay?" Zi Yao asked softly.

"You are getting old, and it's inevitable that you'll be suspected of impropriety. The Gao family will not allow you to remain in the Gao family as ordinary citizens, thus tarnishing Gao Zhongbao's reputation."

"But if you sign a new contract of servitude, you'll be my servants, then there's no problem!"

"What..." Zi Yao could no longer kneel, and collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained.

Her cherry-like lips were slightly parted, and her round, oval face was filled with disbelief.

She shook her head slightly and murmured softly, "No...I won't..."

“In that case, you should go back to your parents! You can take with you everything I gave you before, as this will fulfill our bond as master and servant.”

Zi Yao looked up at Lu Huan, who hadn't received a single penny for severance pay.

"Back then, the Cheng family dismissed their servants and gave your parents a lot of money. Over the years, they have worked hard to build their business, and their lives are probably no worse than the Lu family's. As you can see, the Gao family needs money everywhere these days, and I hope you understand my difficulties."

Zi Yao snapped out of her shock, tidied up the stray hairs that weren't actually there at her temples, and slowly stood up from the ground.

Bizhu frowned slightly: "Ziyao, Miss hasn't given you permission to stand up yet!"

Zi Yao sneered, "I'm about to leave, what kind of young lady is she anyway!"

"You—" Bizhu was almost driven mad by Ziyao.

But Lu Huan kept picking at her palm, and she couldn't take it anymore!