High-class maid

The girl had no intention of letting Shen Xing'er go; she still held tightly to Shen Xing'er's arm, which made Shen Qing extremely excited.

“Girl, I sympathize with you, but we are just two unmarried women. How can we possibly afford to use you?” Shan Tao saw Shen Xing’er being dragged along and went over to help her good friend out of the predicament.

The girl shook her head, looking at Shen Xing'er with tears in her eyes. Shen Xing'er looked closely and realized that this person was the woman she had saved that day.

It turned out that on the day the soldiers were chasing Duan Laohu, the girl playing the pipa was so frightened that she cried. Duan Laohu wanted to use her as a scapegoat, but Shen Xing'er saved her while he was talking to someone else.

Shen Xing'er had long forgotten about this matter, but she didn't expect that this girl still remembered it, and didn't even know what had happened to end up in such a state.

"Young ladies, you can buy her and take her home to do laundry and boil water. The price is negotiable. How about two taels of silver? I have a contract of indenture."

Seeing Shen Xing'er in a daze, the trafficker assumed she wanted to buy it and hurriedly spoke up.

“Uncle, we’re still servants, how could we possibly buy someone to serve us?” Shan Tao scoffed.

"If it's cheaper, I'll take her. If it's too expensive, my dad will definitely beat me to death." Shen Xing'er pinched her purse, pretending not to know the woman, and said in a feigned embarrassment.

"Xing'er! You're confused." Shan Tao tugged at Shen Xing'er's sleeve, looking at her in shock.

Shen Xing'er gave her a reassuring look, signaling her to stop talking. Shan Tao shut her mouth, wanting to see what Shen Xing'er would do.

"Girl, name your price. If it's too low, I won't be able to sell it," the uncle said.

"Eight hundred coins, I'll take it if you agree, otherwise I'll make her let go of my hand." Shen Xing'er pretended to be indifferent, acting as if she was in a hurry to get going.

"What? That's too low. Miss, please raise the price a bit more. You can't expect me to make a losing deal," the uncle said.

"No, Shantao, let's go." Shen Xing'er turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, add a little more!" the uncle said, stopping her.

“Uncle, you can’t force us to buy. We’re just young girls, where would we get so much money to buy people? This just means we’ll have one more person to feed,” Shan Tao said.

The man lowered his head and thought for a moment. This woman was too fierce; she would bite anyone who approached her. She had been in his possession for a month and he still hadn't sold her. Besides, she had scars on her face, so she couldn't fetch a good price. Now, finally, someone was willing to take her…

"Alright, alright, eight hundred coins it is, but we have an agreement, you can't say outside that it was bought for this price, otherwise I'll offend my old customers," the uncle said.

Shen Xing'er didn't waste any words. She took out eight hundred coins from her purse. The man smiled and was about to take the money, but Shen Xing'er didn't rush to give it to him. Instead, she held out her hand to him and said...

"What about the indenture?"

The uncle's smile faltered. He thought to himself that this girl was cunning. He had originally intended to take the eight hundred coins and then ask her for another two hundred, but who knew that this girl had foresight.

"Wait, I'll go get it for you. Oh, what a mess! I'll never take in people like this again. They ate my food for a month for free and even lost money selling them."

The middle-aged man muttered to himself as he turned to look for her indenture.

Holding the indenture in one hand and leading the girl by the other, Shen Xing'er walked towards a secluded spot. In the bustling street, they attracted a lot of attention, with some praising her, some mocking her, and others saying that Shen Xing'er was overestimating herself.

Their movements had already been noticed by Song Wenyang and the Second Prince, who were standing on higher ground. Song Wenyang couldn't help but smile, and the Second Prince also teased them.

"I never would have guessed that this Miss Shen is such a chivalrous woman, always ready to lend a helping hand when she sees injustice."

Song Wenyang said, seemingly out of the blue, "Yes, she has always been very gentle, kind-hearted, and righteous. I didn't misjudge her."

The second prince rubbed the goosebumps on his body, grinned at him, and said, "I never would have guessed, Brother Song, that you could be such a sentimental person. So gentle, so righteous, so kind-hearted..."

Song Wenyang ignored the Second Prince's teasing. He turned around and returned to his seat, poured himself a cup of tea, and gently recalled the scene just now.

Seeing his infatuation, the Second Prince shook his head. He never expected that Song Wenyang, who only knew how to keep a stern face, would actually have something to hide.

Meanwhile, Shen Xing'er pulled the girl behind a secluded tree and continued...

"You know me" is not a question, but an affirmative statement.

The girl nodded, looking at Shen Xing'er cautiously, as if afraid that she would throw her away.

"Then why are you here? Weren't you playing the pipa at the restaurant?" Shen Xing'er asked again.

The girl kept her head down, only shedding tears and not saying a word.

In the instant she looked down, Shen Xing'er saw the scar under her forehead. It must have been from the explosion that day. Boat girls are judged by their appearance, and now that her face is disfigured, she might be kicked out.

Shen Xing'er sighed and said, "Well, it's fate. Here's your indenture. Take it; it'll be a relief."

Shen Xing'er handed the girl her indenture and turned to leave.

The girl grabbed her arm, shook her head, and tears streamed down her face again.

“Miss, I am also a servant girl, working in the manor year-round. I don’t need anyone to wait on me. Besides, I’m not from Jinling. I’ll be returning to my hometown in the future. Are you really going to leave your home for me?” Shen Xing’er asked.

To everyone's surprise, the girl nodded, her expression both resolute and pitiful, which made Shan Tao feel unbearable pity.

Shan Tao didn't rush to ask Shen Xing'er why, but instead said, "Xing'er, let's talk this out. I'll go buy this young lady a meat bun."

Shen Xing'er wasn't a heartless person; she nodded and let Shan Tao go.

"Were you born unable to speak? Or were you frightened that day? You must have been frightened." Shen Xing'er recalled the girl's crying that day and figured she must have been frightened.

The girl nodded, confirming Shen Xing'er's question.

"What's your name? Never mind. I'd rather see the contract of servitude."

“Zhang Yuzhu is from the capital. Are you from the capital too?” Shen Xing’er asked.

Zhang Yuzhu nodded again.

"Judging from your name, you should be someone who is loved and cherished. How did you end up like this?" Shen Xing'er murmured to herself.

Upon hearing this, the girl burst into tears again. Shen Xing'er, realizing she had touched on a sore spot, apologized repeatedly and shut her mouth.

"Alright, since we're so destined to be together, then you can come with me later. We can talk about the rest after we meet my parents," Shen Xing'er said.

Seeing that she was finally willing to take her in, Zhang Yuzhu finally showed her first smile in a month, and then handed the indenture to Shen Xing'er.

Helpless, Shen Xing'er put it in her purse first.

At this moment, Shan Tao returned with the meat buns. Zhang Yuzhu smiled and nodded at her, then, without any hesitation, began to wolf down the buns.