From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

When Yan Rugo returned to her residence, her heart was pounding like a rabbit's.

Mei Xiang, that's a ruthless character. Did the original owner have a grudge against her?

She tried hard to recall the plot, but had no clue.

No, we have to be careful. If we accidentally offend her, we won't even know how we died.

Just then, Zhang Mama walked in with a sullen face and a cold tone: "Yan Rugo, Madam wants you to go to her courtyard and deliver these pastries."

Yan Rugo took the food box, her heart skipped a beat. Meixiang was serving the lady right next to her. Could this be a trap?

But she dared not ask any more questions and could only follow Zhang Mama to the Madam's courtyard with her head bowed and eyes lowered.

The path leading to the lady's courtyard seemed exceptionally long, with the shadows of the trees on both sides swaying in the wind like menacing ghosts, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Yan Rugo took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm.

When they arrived at the madam's courtyard, Meixiang was indeed waiting there, with a half-smile on her lips that was hard to decipher.

"Hey, isn't this our kitchen's newest star? What, are you trying to climb the social ladder?"

Yan Rugo didn't reply, but respectfully bowed and said, "Sister Meixiang, Madam asked me to bring some snacks over."

Meixiang took the food box, but did not let Yan Rugo leave. Instead, she looked her up and down and said in a contemptuous tone, "Since you're here, don't just sit around. Go sweep up the fallen leaves in the yard and water all the flowers."

Yan Rugo cursed inwardly, this was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult, but she remained outwardly calm and silently picked up the broom to start working.

The maids around them hid to the side, peeking and whispering, as if watching a good show.

Meixiang sat to the side, leisurely munching on sunflower seeds, occasionally offering a few sarcastic remarks: "Is this how you sweep the floor? Hurry up! Are you trying to slack off by dawdling like this?"

Yan Rugo gritted her teeth, suppressing her anger, and quickened her pace.

Just then, Meixiang suddenly stood up, walked up to her, and abruptly splashed the teacup in her hand onto her...

"Oh dear," Meixiang covered her mouth in feigned surprise, "I'm so sorry, my hand slipped."

Tea slid down Yan Rugo's cheeks, soaking her clothes, and a chill instantly spread throughout her body.

The surrounding maids all gasped, not daring to utter a sound.

"Plum Fragrance"

Meixiang was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Yan Rugo to react this way. She originally thought that Yan Rugo would be like the other maids, trembling with fear and crying for mercy.

Yan Rugo glanced around at the maids watching the commotion, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Sister Meixiang asked me to sweep fallen leaves and water the flowers, and I had no complaints. After all, I am also a maid in this manor, and doing these things is my duty. But these flowers in the courtyard are all different varieties, and the methods and amounts of watering are also different. Sister, isn't it asking too much of me to do it all by myself? What if I ruin one of the precious flowers? Can you bear the responsibility?"

Mei Xiang's face immediately turned somewhat ugly. She hadn't expected Yan Rugo to point out the unreasonable aspects of her arrangements in front of so many people, making her feel embarrassed.

Just then, the lady came out of the house and, seeing this scene, frowned slightly: "What's going on?"

Meixiang quickly explained, "Madam, I was careless..."

“It wasn’t an accident. Sister Meixiang asked me to water all the flowers in the yard. I was afraid of ruining them, so…” Yan Rugo said first, her tone calm but with a hint of grievance.

The lady glanced at Yan Rugo, then at Meixiang, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Meixiang, you're an old hand in this household. How can you not even handle such a small matter? You should know better than anyone how to water all kinds of flowers. How can you let a new maid do it? If you really ruin some precious flowers or plants, can you take the responsibility?"

Meixiang lowered her head, not daring to refute, and could only admit her mistake in a low voice: "It is my fault, please punish me, Madam."

The lady waved her hand: "Alright, go down. Think more before you act in the future."

Mei Xiang glared at Yan Rugo fiercely, then turned and left.

The way the maids around Yan Rugo looked at her also changed subtly. Their original contempt and mockery gradually turned into awe and curiosity.

Yan Rugo silently put the broom back in its place and prepared to leave.

Just as she reached the door, a timid voice called out to her, "Sister Yan, wait for me..."

It was Xiao Cui, the one who helped out in the kitchen.

Yan Rugo stopped and turned to look at Xiao Cui, who was carrying a tray with a bowl on it...

chicken soup?

Just as Yan Rugo was about to leave, she heard an exaggerated scream. Then, Xiao Cui seemed to be pushed away by something and fell straight forward, smashing the tray in her hand to the ground and splashing the chicken soup in the bowl all over the floor.

She scrambled to her feet with lightning speed, pointing at Yan Rugo with a terrified expression: "Sister Yan, you...you pushed me!"

The surrounding maids immediately stirred, casting suspicious and disdainful glances at Yan Rugo as if she had really done something terribly wrong.

Yan Rugo was burning with anger, but she did not explode immediately. Instead, she calmly looked around and suddenly noticed a small pebble hidden in a corner, which had obviously been deliberately placed there.

She bent down to pick up the pebble, wiped the dirt off it, and then calmly looked at Xiao Cui: "Little Cui, did you trip over this pebble?"

Xiao Cui's face turned pale instantly, and she frantically protested, "No, no, Sister Yan, you really pushed me!"

Yan Rugo gently shook the pebble in her hand, her tone calm: "Sister Meixiang just asked me to sweep the yard. If Little Cui really tripped over this pebble, doesn't that mean there's a big safety hazard here? We should thank Yan Rugo for discovering this problem, shouldn't we?"

The maids around them exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a mixture of awe and respect.

Meixiang listened from afar, her lips twitching slightly, but she dared not utter another sound.

The lady came out of the house, her gaze sweeping between Xiao Cui and Yan Rugo, and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Cui, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Cui lowered her head, not daring to meet the lady's gaze, and could only explain softly, "It was...it was my fault..."

The lady nodded, but did not pursue the matter further. She merely gave Xiao Cui a few warnings and told her to go and reflect on her actions.

The surrounding maids all withdrew, and Yan Rugo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, a mysterious voice called out to her, "Sister Yan, I heard that Young Master Xu is coming to the manor as a guest tonight. You'd better be careful..."

Yan Rugo's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at the darkening sky, a strange mix of tension and curiosity welling up inside her.

She lowered her head slightly, took firm steps, and walked towards the unknown future, facing the evening breeze.