High-class maid

Shen Xing'er and Zhang Yuzhu put on their cloaks and went out side by side. Watching their retreating figures, Madam Wang said...

“If we had given Xing’er a younger brother or sister back then, she wouldn’t have been lonely all these years. Look, it’s so nice to have two children to keep each other company.”

Shen Kun put his arm around Wang Shi and said, "Alright, we haven't wronged Xing'er. I've already taken you away from that house, so don't think about the sad things from the past anymore."

Wang nodded, two lines of tears streaming down her face. She thought of the poor child who had died in her womb.

"We're doing better and better now. If they dare to come looking for you, throw them out! If you're willing to forgive them for me, then we'll get a divorce!"

"Alright, alright, isn't your child also my child? Don't worry, I won't." Shen Kun hugged her tighter and comforted her.

"Yuzhu, this shop sells pastries called Thousand Mountains Pastry. Although it's expensive, it's really delicious. Would you like to try some?"

Shen Xing'er led Zhang Yuzhu to Chang'an Street, introducing each shop one by one, hoping to help Zhang Yuzhu remember something.

"No, thank you, thank you," Zhang Yuzhu politely declined. Such expensive pastries—who knows how long her benefactor would have to earn the money? She had no intention of trying them.

"It's alright, there aren't many people in line today. I'll go buy some osmanthus cakes, you can try some too." Shen Xing'er said, pulling Zhang Yuzhu to join the queue.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Zhang Yuzhu simply stayed close to Shen Xing'er, so as not to get lost and cause trouble for her benefactor.

At this moment, the shopkeeper in front said, "Everyone, please go back now. Our pastries have all been bought up by the girl in front. Please come back tomorrow." After saying that, he prepared to close the shop.

“We’ve been queuing for so long, and I’m next. How did you manage to buy it all at once? Can you even finish it?” said a young man who had been queuing for a long time.

"Yeah, can you even finish all of this? Why buy so much?" The person behind him also complained bitterly.

The young woman smiled and ignored the crowd's chatter. She led the way, and the shopkeeper instructed the waiter to load the pastries onto the carriage, which was quite impressive.

"Yuzhu, let's go. It seems we won't get to enjoy Qianshansu pastries today."

Shen Xing'er didn't complain along with the others. Only the rich and powerful could afford to buy all the Qianshan pastries in one go. She wasn't going to cause trouble; she still needed to buy medicine for Granny Zhou.

Zhang Yuzhu nodded, gripped Shen Xing'er's sleeve tightly, and slowly followed Shen Xing'er out.

Inside the carriage sat an old woman. Her eyes, which had been resting, opened when she heard the complaints and she asked the girl from before...

What are outsiders talking about?

"Your Highness, I've sold out of all the pastries. Many people were queuing up but couldn't get any, and they're complaining a lot." It turns out that the girl selling pastries was the old woman's personal maid; anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was some rich young lady.

"This Qianshan Pastry business is always good. Next time, don't queue up. Just have them make it and deliver it to your residence. Otherwise, people will gossip about it, and we can't afford to offend them." The old woman lifted the curtain of the carriage, wanting to see just how good the business was.

That one glance was enough. She saw a girl in the crowd who looked exactly like her beloved granddaughter. Every smile, every gesture was exactly like her lost granddaughter.

"Quick, go follow that girl, quick!" The old woman pointed at Zhang Yuzhu. Although the maid didn't understand, she still hurriedly got off the carriage and chased after her.

"Quick! You follow too!" the princess ordered the coachman from inside the carriage. The coachman nodded and drove the carriage after them. Although there were many people on the street, his skillful driving prevented him from hitting a single pedestrian.

"Ladies, wait a minute!" Just as Shen Xing'er and Zhang Yuzhu stepped out of the crowd, the girl who had bought the pastries called out to them.

"Are you calling us?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"Indeed, may I ask where the two young ladies are headed?" After the maid finished speaking, she turned around and looked behind her, wondering why her mistress hadn't followed yet.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sister?" Shen Xing'er asked. Luckily, they were on the street, and there were many people around today, otherwise Shen Xing'er would have suspected that the other person was a womanizer.

"There are too many people here. Why don't you two ladies come with me to the alley to have a few words?" the maid said with a smile.

"No need, sister, please say what you need to say here. We have urgent business to attend to." Shen Xing'er politely declined her offer and pulled Zhang Yuzhu behind her.

Just as she was at her wits' end, fearing that the two young ladies would leave, her master's carriage finally arrived. Before the carriage had even stopped, her master's voice came from inside.

"Zhu'er, my dear granddaughter, Zhu'er." With a heart-wrenching cry, an elderly man dressed in magnificent attire stepped down from the carriage. His clothes were even more luxurious than those of the old lady in his own household, indicating that he was someone not to be trifled with.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Yuzhu was startled, then tears filled her eyes as she silently sobbed and burrowed behind Shen Xing'er, a sight that broke Shen Xing'er's heart.

The old woman slowly walked towards Zhang Yuzhu. Looking at Zhang Yuzhu's timid and weak appearance, she couldn't believe it. She opened her arms, wanting to hug the girl in front of her, but was afraid of scaring her.

“My lady, why don’t we talk in the carriage?” the maid said.

Passersby on the street stared at them and whispered among themselves. Shen Xing'er guessed that this person's relationship with Zhang Yuzhu was not simple, so she gently stroked Zhang Yuzhu's hand to comfort her.

"Yuzhu, shall we go up? If you're scared, we can go another day." Shen Xing'er asked, worried that Zhang Yuzhu might not be able to handle too much stimulation.

When the old woman heard Shen Xing'er call her Yuzhu, her tears flowed even more fiercely. When had the maid ever seen her mistress like this? She looked at Zhang Yuzhu pleadingly.

Under their gazes, Zhang Yuzhu nodded slightly, and the group boarded the carriage together.

"Pearl, do you know who I am? Do you still remember me?" the old woman asked, looking at her solicitously.

Zhang Yuzhu felt a sharp pain in her head. Of course, she knew who this person was, but the bandit's words still echoed in her ears: "I didn't kidnap you, your family doesn't want you anymore, they don't want you anymore, they don't want you anymore..."

Zhang Yuzhu nodded again under her expectant gaze.

The old woman finally couldn't hold back anymore and hugged Zhang Yuzhu, bursting into tears.

"My dear grandson! Do you know how long your grandmother has been looking for you? Do you know how much your grandmother misses you? Do you know how your grandmother spends her nights?"

Zhang Yuzhu went from silently shedding tears at the beginning to finally bursting into loud sobs. The grief of the grandmother and granddaughter infected Shen Xing'er, who also began to wipe away tears.