High-class maid

The cheers of the crowd made Qianying feel a little dazed. Once upon a time, she was one of them. The New Year and other festivals were her happiest times. The rewards from her masters and the delicious food made her feel that there was hope for the future. Now it has become a memory.

"Madam, Lady Qianying has arrived." Madam Wang told her to wait at the door while she went inside to inform her.

Qianying stood at the door for about fifteen minutes when an old woman came out. She recognized the old woman; she was in charge of managing the shops that were part of the lady's dowry. Now, the old woman came out with a happy face, which meant that she had done a good job and her master had rewarded her.

"Madam, the Lady requests your presence," said Madam Wang, lifting the curtain as she came out. Qianying adjusted her cloak, took a deep breath, and went inside.

"This servant greets Madam and wishes you good health." Qianying bowed her head and greeted the Madam in a low voice. She did not dare to look up at the Madam, but only looked down at the shoes on her feet. A small string of pearls hung from the front of the shoes. Although the pearls were small, they were of very good quality.

The temperature inside contrasted sharply with that outside, and the alternating hot and cold air made Qianying want to sneeze.

"Get up, Banxin, serve tea to your wife." After a long while, Madam Liu's voice came from above her head.

After Qianying was seated, Madam Liu said, "Young Master will be getting married after the New Year. The wedding date is set for the ninth day of the second month."

She rubbed her slender hands together nervously and said, "Then... then congratulations, young master."

"You don't need to say these insincere words. Now that a young mistress is coming to the manor, she comes from a better family than you, her dowry is more than yours, and most importantly, she is being married through proper channels. I don't believe you're not sad."

Qianying's face burned with embarrassment. Liu's words pierced her heart, as if tearing away the last veil of shame from her body in public.

"This servant...this servant truly hopes that the young master and young mistress can live happily ever after." Qianying's voice grew softer and softer until she could no longer hear herself.

"Alright, I didn't call you here today to upset you or upset you. I just have some things to tell you," Liu said, taking a sip of her tea.

"Please speak, Madam. I am all ears." Qianying looked at the pastries on the table. How long had it been since she had tasted such delicacies? Now that she was the young master's woman, she couldn't even afford to eat good pastries anymore.

"Once Yi'an gets married, you should stay quietly in your courtyard, don't cause trouble, and don't be too clever for your own good. We've forgiven you the first time, but we won't forgive you the second time. Of course, you'll still receive your due rewards in the future."

"So this is a show of force to intimidate me," Qianying thought to herself. However, she became even more respectful on the surface and said, "Don't worry, Madam, this servant will definitely behave herself."

"That's good. You wanted to become Yi'an's woman, and now your wish has come true. Your future mistress is not a petty person, and our household does not have the habit of favoring concubines over wives. In the future, if Yi'an thinks of you, you will serve him. If he doesn't think of you, then you should behave yourself and behave well."

"Yes," Qianying replied softly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Alright, don't look so gloomy during the New Year. Remember, you are now a member of Yi'an Courtyard. Every move you make represents him," Liu said, offering a combination of criticism and encouragement.

"That's right, I'm the young master's woman now, I can't embarrass him! No one can laugh at me!" Qianying thought to herself.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and resumed her arrogant demeanor from when she first arrived.

"Wang Mama, bring up Lady Qianying's reward." Seeing that she had regained her composure, Madam Liu ordered someone to bring out her reward, a practice she was used to.

"My lady, here is a basket of fruits, two bolts of cloth, and two pieces of jewelry," said Madam Wang, pointing to the gifts behind her.

Qianying finally showed her first smile of the day. She looked at the rewards, which, although not much, were enough to silence the gossips of the servants in the hospital.

"This servant thanks Madam for the reward. This servant will certainly behave herself!" Qianying said happily.

Liu didn't have time to entertain her and waved her away.

"Tell me, what's the point? My mother arranged a marriage for her, and although it was with an ordinary family, she was still the legal wife, but she looked down on him. Now she's giving up her perfectly good legal wife position and insisting on becoming a concubine. Look at her, she's overjoyed with just a little reward."

"People's moods can change. Now, I can only hope that she will behave herself," Madam Wang said with a smile as she poured a cup of tea for her mistress.

"I don't care about her anymore. It's her fate. I don't care how she struggles in the backyard. But if she disrupts the relationship between my son and daughter-in-law, I won't let her off the hook." This was the purpose of Liu summoning Qianying today.

As for Qianying, she walked back home with her head held high, and even took the initiative to talk to people she knew.

"Hey, Xiao Hong, carrying water again! Behind me is a reward from the Madam. It's just that my three younger sisters have to work hard and come with me." Qian Ying greeted Xiao Hong from afar.

The little red heart, who was inexplicably called out, said: "Speechless, why are you calling my name!"

Xiao Hong ignored her and continued carrying the water. Qian Ying snorted, not caring at all, as long as others could hear.

Two more days passed, and it was Lunar New Year's Eve.

"Xing'er, this is the New Year's money your father and I are giving you. Your father said that the three of us will get together again after the New Year." Madam Wang specially took the time to give Shen Xing'er a red envelope today. Although the three of us are not together, we still need to have the proper sense of ceremony.

"Dad, Mom, Happy New Year! This is a pair of purses that your daughter embroidered for you and Dad. Please take a look and see if you like them." Shen Xing'er took out the New Year's gift she had prepared and handed it to Wang Shi.

"This... what does it mean when my daughter embroiders two crows?" Wang looked at the purse in her hand. Well, the color scheme was quite nice, but she didn't know what the colorful crows meant.

Shan Tao covered her mouth and laughed, explaining, "Auntie, these are mandarin ducks embroidered by Xing'er!"

Looking at Shen Xing'er rolling her eyes, Madam Wang smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Mother is old and her eyesight is failing. The purse that my daughter embroidered is really beautiful. Let your father guess what it is later."

After saying that, he grabbed his purse and jogged away, clearly intending to leave this troublesome place.

"Shan Tao'er, is my embroidery really that abstract?" Shen Xing'er asked dejectedly.

"What does 'abstract' mean? I don't know if it's abstract or not, but it's... quite unique," Shan Tao said softly.

"I'm never doing embroidery again!!!" Shen Xing'er shouted angrily, disregarding her image.

Song Wenyang sneezed in the courtyard on Shangqiao Street. He touched the purse at his waist and remembered that the girl had promised to give him the purse but hadn't given it to him yet. Could it be that she had forgotten?