High-class maid

“Over the years you have treated the Second Miss as your own daughter. Although you two are not related by blood, you are already closer than mother and daughter. It is not surprising that the Second Miss is willing to follow you to the capital,” Ban Jian said.

The servants had seen clearly how the Second Madam had treated the Second Miss over the years.

"Half-sighted is right, Mother. Are you perhaps tired of me and don't want to take me with you?"

Xiao Luoyu had been listening to the conversation between the mistress and servant at the door for an unknown amount of time. She lifted the curtain and walked in on her own, saying...

Ban Jian was about to scold the gatekeeper woman on his first instinct, but Xiao Luoyu stopped him.

"Sister Banjian, please don't blame them. I told them not to spread the word."

"Why do you want to come to Jinling with me, child? You should know that if nothing major happens in the capital, I will not be coming back." The Second Madam said, looking at the girl in front of her who looked so much like the Second Master.

If she initially raised her only out of necessity, as she was the legal mother and her mother had died in childbirth, then gradually, the second wife began to regard her as her own child.

Moreover, Xiao Luoyu's deliberate attempts to please and her unpleasant flattery over the years have gradually won over the Second Madam's heart. Now, the Second Madam actually hopes that she will stay in the capital.

“Mother, when I was five years old, I had a high fever. You stayed by my bedside day and night to take good care of me. When I was ten, I went with you to visit other mansions. Others mocked me for being born out of wedlock. You would rather offend them than let me suffer. After I was born, you took me to all kinds of banquets.”

As Xiao Luoyu spoke, her eyes reddened. She paused, looked at the Second Madam, and continued...

“I have long known that you have endured humiliation and hardship all these years. Now that my brother is engaged and holds an official position in the court, with my uncle by his side, he can’t bear any grievances. Since you want to go far away, how can I bear to let you go alone and miserable?”

Xiao Luoyu's heartfelt words brought tears to the eyes of the Second Madam.

She held Xiao Luoyu in her arms and said...

“Good child, everyone says that daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, how lucky I am to have such a good girl. Alright, since you are willing to go to Jinling, I will not stop you. We will set off the day after tomorrow.”

"Yes!" Xiao Luoyu said loudly.

The mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled, creating a heartwarming scene.

The second master outside the door withdrew his hand from the curtain, turned around, and left dejectedly.

"Am I really that bad? My son is estranged from me, my daughter doesn't want me, and my wife is leaving me too. What did I do wrong?"

In the afternoon, the second madam took Xiao Luoyu to the old lady's courtyard. Surprisingly, the old lady did not stop them this time.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t stop you. There’s no one living in the old house anyway, so you can renovate it and move into the main courtyard.”

The old lady wasn't the kind of person to be stingy. Since her second daughter-in-law had decided to return to Jinling, she didn't plan to let her stay in another room. The old house was just sitting empty anyway, so she decided to let her second daughter-in-law stay in the main courtyard.

"Mother, is something amiss?"

The second wife was shocked, but even more so moved. Her family only needed a small courtyard; how could they possibly live in the main courtyard?

"It's alright, this is also your eldest brother's idea. You've suffered a lot these years following the second brother. But there's one thing: you still need to come back to preside over the wedding a month before Zhou'er's wedding."

“That’s natural. After the two get married, my daughter-in-law will stay in the capital for a few months. Once Yizhou’s family has settled down, she will return to Jinling,” the second wife said.

No matter how ruthless she was, she still had to consider her own son's feelings. If they got married, and she, as his mother, was not in the capital, she would inevitably be looked down upon by others.

"That's good. You can set off with peace of mind. Please keep an eye on Yu'er's marriage." The old lady instructed the second wife.

Xiao Luoyu's face flushed red. She lowered her head and listened to her grandmother and mother talking.

"Mother, rest assured, your daughter-in-law will definitely find her a suitable husband from a wealthy and virtuous family," the second wife nodded affirmatively.

Now that her son's marriage is settled, only Yu'er's marriage remains to be arranged. The Second Madam plans to find a match for her once she returns to Jinling.

"Alright, you can go back now. Keep these five hundred taels of silver notes as your personal savings." The old lady said this to Xiao Luoyu.

“This…” Xiao Luoyu glanced at the Second Madam uneasily, unsure of what to do.

“This is your grandmother’s gift, so please accept it,” the second wife said.

Xiao Luoyu then accepted the silver note from the old lady, bowed deeply to her, and said...

"Granddaughter thanks Grandmother for thinking of her. In the future, I will not be able to be filial to Grandmother. I hope Grandmother will take care of her health and take good care of herself."

"Alright, enough with the formalities. Go back and pack your bags. You've lived here for over ten years and you're moving. There's a lot to pack."

The old lady waved her hand, signaling them to leave.

She didn't have much affection for this adopted granddaughter, but having lived in a wealthy family herself, she knew how difficult things were for her. Since the girl was well-behaved, she was happy to give her some respect.

The second wife took Xiao Luoyu to the main house again the next day. The first wife looked at her sister-in-law and was filled with emotion.

Once upon a time, there was light in her eyes, but the second master had repeatedly broken her heart, leaving her now like a walking corpse, worn down by his cruelty. She sighed and said...

"Take good care of yourself over there and don't think about those unhappy things. If anything happens to Zhou'er, I will write to you."

"Yes, Zhou'er is in your care, sister-in-law." The second madam stood up and respectfully bowed deeply. The first madam did not stop her; perhaps she would feel at ease only after the first madam had performed the ceremony.

Before she knew it, the day to leave for Jinling arrived. The Second Madam looked at the people who came to see her off, and her face showed no reluctance, but rather a sense of relief.

"Sister, take good care of Mother. Remember to write to me if anything happens," Xiao Yizhou instructed.

He didn't object much to his mother going to Nanjing; in fact, he supported her more than he objected. He knew all the embarrassing things his father had done and all the grievances his mother had suffered.

He only regretted his own incompetence. If he had been capable, it wouldn't be his mother who went to Jinling now; he would have abandoned his father there and never returned to the capital.

Xiao Luoyu nodded, clutching the secret stash of money her brother had given her. She had nothing to be reluctant about in the capital, except for her brother.

"Alright, go back now. Your mother will be back before your wedding." After saying this, the second madam turned and gracefully got into the carriage.

The second master, hiding behind the door, watched as his wife resolutely boarded the carriage. His daughter, too, didn't even ask her own father's name. What a failure!

Xiao Luoyu waved to her older brothers and sisters, then followed them onto the carriage, glancing back every few steps.