High-class maid

Wang paused as she was eating porridge. She was all too familiar with that voice; even after all these years, it was still just as shrill.

She scoffed, not intending to go out to greet her. Shen Xing'er wasn't the kind of innocent girl who would do such a thing. You harmed my unborn brother, and you expect me to give you a friendly face? So the mother and daughter continued eating with their heads down, but they fell silent, lacking their usual ease and comfort.

"Mother, this is it. Go knock on the door." A male voice rang out, and if you listened carefully, it sounded similar to the female voice from before.

"Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Eldest daughter, I've come to see you!" Pang's loud voice rang out, making a lot of noise in the quiet alley. The door she was banging on was also very loud, which attracted the attention of many neighbors.

“Mother, please keep your voice down. Everyone is just getting up. If you make such a racket, you’ll disturb the neighbors,” Shen Zhiyuan said, stopping some neighbors who were already peeking out at them, as he was always concerned about his image.

"Yes, yes, that eldest son of the family is really something. Didn't they send her a letter a few days ago saying we'd arrive on the sixth? Not only did they not come to the city gate to pick us up, but now they've locked my mother-in-law and younger brother-in-law out..."

With just a few words, Pang shifted the blame to Wang, and Shen Zhiyuan stood aside without saying a word, tacitly agreeing with his mother's explanation.

Shen Xing'er grew angrier as she listened. Before she could finish speaking, she opened the door and said, "Who is it making such a racket so early in the morning? Can't a person get any sleep?"

"You, who are you? Xing'er?" Madam Pang was startled by Shen Xing'er's sudden opening of the door. She looked at the tall woman in front of her, dressed in a peach-red quilt and a cotton-padded jacket of the same color, with only a simple gold hairpin in her hair. She looked like a young lady from a wealthy family.

Shen Xing'er's eyes darted around as she looked Pang up and down. She saw that Pang was wearing black cotton trousers and a dark purple floral jacket, which was probably her best clothes. She had worn them specially to enter the city. Pang looked shrewd and not to be trifled with. When Pang saw Shen Xing'er's hairpin, she was even more shocked for a moment.

"Yes, grandma, who are you looking for?" Shen Xing'er smiled slightly, looking at her harmless appearance, and asked.

"Oh dear, it's your grandma! Quickly open the door wider and let us in. I'm exhausted after running around all day."

Madam Pang rubbed her lower back. Yesterday, when she came to the capital, she was afraid that her precious son would get tired, so she let him take the village's oxcart to the capital, while she and her daughter-in-law walked all the way to the capital to save money.

"You say you're my grandma, so you're my grandma? I haven't seen my grandma for over ten years. How am I supposed to know if you're a fraud? Besides, who comes to a relative's house empty-handed?" Shen Xing'er sized up the three people opposite her. Apart from the timid woman carrying a small package, the mother and daughter were empty-handed.

"This...Grandma was in such a hurry that she forgot to bring it for you! Why are you being so serious! Where's your mother? Call her out, she recognizes me!" Pang said in a fluster as more and more people came out of the alley to look at them.

It doesn't matter if she gets criticized, but her precious son is destined to become a scholar, so she absolutely cannot let these people point fingers at him.

"Hmph!" Shen Xing'er pouted, blocking the doorway as if about to unleash her power again, but Wang Shi, who had finished washing the dishes, came out. She gently tugged at Shen Xing'er, signaling her to stop, then glanced at the three people outside the door and said...

"come in."

Pang was so angry at her attitude that she was speechless, but thinking of the purpose of her trip, she held back and walked into the courtyard first, looking just like a fighting rooster.

"Was this courtyard bought or rented? It must have cost a lot of money, right? You two still don't know how to manage money. Wouldn't it be better to live in the servants' quarters provided by the mansion? Why waste all this money?"

As soon as Pang entered the courtyard, she began to look around, touching and looking at everything while muttering to herself.

Wang led the people to the kitchen, invited them to sit down, and remained silent with a dark expression.

Although Shen Zhiyuan didn't speak, his eyes darted around, wondering if his older brother's family was already living such a good life.

As if oblivious to her daughter-in-law's dark expression, Mrs. Pang sat down and began surveying the kitchen again.

"Why did you buy so much meat? This is such a waste. Is this salt? Or is it fine salt?"

"I wonder what brings you to my house today?" Madam Wang interrupted her impatiently, asking expressionlessly.

"Is this how you talk to your mother-in-law? Isn't your home my home? What's wrong with me going back to my own home?" Pang said shamelessly, acting like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water.

Wang was so angry she laughed. Pang's arrogant and unreasonable behavior reminded her of how she had been tormented by Pang in the countryside many years ago. Her lips trembled with anger, and she wanted to yell at her.

"Grandma!" Shen Xing'er held her mother down and sweetly called Pang Shi "Grandma." For some reason, Pang Shi felt a little scared when she saw her smiling face.

“Of course this is your home. We’re family. Blood is thicker than water. Why are you talking like that?” Shen Xing’er said.

Pang nodded in agreement, thinking to herself that she was quite sensible. However, Shen Xing'er's next sentence left her speechless with shock.

“Of course we rent this courtyard. We can’t afford the rent now, and the landlord wants to kick us out. Why don’t you give us some money to tide us over?” Shen Xing’er said, smiling as she looked at her and extending her hand.

"I, I, what silver could an old woman from the countryside have? I have none." Pang was caught off guard and panicked for a moment.

"And what about you?" Shen Xing'er turned around slightly and extended her hand towards Shen Zhiyuan.

"I, I... Humph, talking about money all the time is an insult to civility...!" Shen Zhiyuan said angrily.

"Oh~ so you've come to freeload!" Shen Xing'er said, drawing out her words with a playful expression.

Wang suppressed a laugh and said, "Xing'er, don't be rude."

“We’ve spoiled this girl. Don’t take it to heart. My uncle is a scholar; how could he be a freeloader? By the way, what are you all doing in the capital?” Madam Wang asked softly.

Shen Zhiyuan was taken aback by her words, and his expression became somewhat awkward. It was Pang Shi who picked up the conversation and said...

“It’s all because of your sister-in-law. She’s been married for three years and hasn’t gotten pregnant. I heard there are many skilled doctors in the capital, so I thought I’d bring her to see a doctor,” Pang said, pointing to the silent woman.

Shen Xing'er and Wang Shi then noticed her. She had her head down and didn't dare to raise her head even after being scolded by Pang Shi. She just kept playing with her fingers.