High-class maid

"Mother, you're so good." Shen Xing'er hugged Wang Shi and rubbed her face against her cheek affectionately.

"Your father and I have been slaves for so many years, without any goals. We only knew how to serve our masters well and do our jobs well. But you have made your father and me find the meaning of life. I realized that it is such a fulfilling thing to work hard for the next generation and build up a family fortune for our children." Wang Shi thought of her muddled first half of life and couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.

"Mother, your previous thoughts were not wrong. It was because you and Father love me that you were willing to change for me. As a family, we are all working together, so we are not afraid of not being able to make a good life." Shen Xing'er nestled against Wang Shi and comforted her.

“You are a blessing to your father and mother. You bought this shop entirely through your own ability. When your father and mother get old, please don’t blame us for holding you back.” Wang said to her daughter, her nose red.

Shen Xing'er rarely saw Wang Shi in such a vulnerable state, and she also blushed, saying, "Mother, what are you saying! Isn't what's mine yours? If it weren't for you and Father mediating, how could this shop have been bought so smoothly?"

"Alright, alright, you flatterer, all you do is try to coax your mother. Go back to your room and sleep. We have to get up early to go back to the manor tomorrow." Madam Wang patted Shen Xing'er with a smile. Although she complained about her daughter, she was clearly swayed by her daughter's flattery.

"Hehe." Shen Xing'er smiled slightly, opened the door to the hall and walked out.

"Wow! Mom, it's snowing!" Shen Xing'er was stunned by the white expanse before her eyes. As a southerner in her previous life, she had never seen snow before, and she shouted excitedly.

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't disturb the neighbors." Wang came out and gently closed the door to keep the cold air out of the house.

"These snowflakes are huge! I knew it had been unusually cold these past few days, and now it's finally snowing."

Shen Xing'er reached out and caught a snowflake. The coldness of the snowflake didn't bother her much. Her warm, fair hand collided with the icy snowflake, and soon the snowflake melted into a small puddle of water.

"When your father came back, it hadn't snowed yet. It's only been a short while, and the snow has covered the roads. I hope it doesn't snow anymore, otherwise how will we get back to the manor tomorrow?" Unlike Shen Xing'er's excitement and joy, Madam Wang was filled with worry.

"It's alright, Mom. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Snow is so much fun!" Shen Xing'er said with a grin, catching snowflakes in her hands.

"You silly girl, why have you suddenly changed your ways? Didn't you used to hate snow the most?" Wang looked at Shen Xing'er's smug appearance with great confusion.

"Well... I used to sweep the yard, so of course I didn't like snow. You should go back inside, Mother. I'm going to bed now." Shen Xing'er said, and quickly slipped away. She was afraid that the longer she stayed, the more clues she would reveal.

Wang shook her head and muttered, "I don't know who it resembles." Then she closed the door and went back to her room to sleep.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Wang got up to sweep the snow. Shen Xing'er was awakened by the sound of sweeping snow in the yard, and hurriedly got dressed and went out to help.

"Wow, the snow is so thick!" Shen Xing'er looked at the half-foot-thick snow and began to worry. She took back what she had said last night; how was she going to get back to the manor with this much snow?!

"Xing'er, stop sweeping and hurry up and pack your bags. We'll set off after we finish sweeping the snow," Wang said, turning around. She couldn't bear to let her precious daughter sweep the snow.

By the time Shen Kun and his family of three arrived at the Minister's residence, it was already broad daylight.

"This snow is so annoying! My shoes are already wet after just a few steps," Shen Xing'er complained as she took off her shoes.

"I don't know how many days it will take to melt, I hope it won't affect the young master's engagement." Shan Tao said, taking off her wet shoes.

"Oh right, the young master is getting engaged soon, which is a great joy for our household! I wonder what Miss Qianying thinks about it," Shen Xing'er said, unusually gossipy.

If Shen Xing'er remembered correctly, there were only two major events before the end of this year in the original book: the young master's engagement and the emperor's bestowal of gifts upon the second prince. The book emphasized these two events because they were turning points for the Minister's family.

At this moment, the delicate young lady they were talking about was doing embroidery in her small house. She rubbed her cold, red hands together, blowing on them to warm them, and muttered, "These servants who judge me by my appearance! Do they think they can fool me by treating me like this charcoal? Cough cough."

After saying that, she was choked by the black smoke coming from the charcoal. The more Qianying thought about it, the angrier she became. She threw the embroidery on the bed, wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, and prepared to go out and argue with them.

"No, I can't do that." She had just stepped out of the door when she pulled her foot back in.

"Madam always says I'm petty, I can't argue with the servants anymore. Let's talk about it when I see the young master. I'll allow you to run wild for a few more days." After saying that, she angrily lowered the curtain and picked up the embroidery on the bed and began to embroider again unwillingly.

She embroidered for a while, then looked up at the sky outside the window and said, "It's already noon. Time flies when you're embroidering."

She put on the hairpin that her mistress had given her some time ago, then, dissatisfied with the lipstick on her lips for not being red enough, she applied it with her hand, and then went out like a proud peacock.

"Oh, Miss Qianying, your meal has been served for a long time, it's over there." The old woman in the kitchen said warmly, but with a disdainful look on her face.

Qianying didn't say anything, but picked up the food on the table and started to put it into the food box.

"Granny, why is it tofu again? We had tofu for breakfast this morning, is there no other vegetables?" Qianying looked at her meal: a plate of tofu with scallions and a plate of stir-fried cabbage with meat. If she wasn't mistaken, there were only three slices of meat on top.

“Please make do with this, young lady. There’s a happy occasion coming up in the manor soon, and we need money right now. Shouldn’t we servants cut back on expenses?” said the kitchen nanny.

"That's no excuse for taking advantage of others every day! If word gets out, won't outsiders laugh at our Minister's family?"

Qianying wasn't one to mince words, and she retorted defiantly.

“Miss, since you are a member of the young master’s household, you should be more considerate of him. Now that the young master’s engagement is imminent, you should refrain from causing trouble!” The nanny said, waiting for her reaction.

"What? Engaged? That's too fast!" Qianying immediately lost her fighting spirit and stood there muttering.

The kitchen maid watched her reaction with satisfaction, chuckled, and walked out.

She didn't know how Qianying got back to her room; she only knew that the maids on the way pointed and whispered about her. It was the first time she had lost her composure in front of so many people.

"Why? Why can I only be a concubine? Why was I born to be inferior to others? In what way am I inferior to the young lady of Yongchang Prefecture?" Qianying sat on the bed, tears streaming down her face. The room was dark, a stark contrast to the bright sun outside.