High-class maid

"When did Xiyun tell you?" Shen Xing'er asked.

“Just yesterday, she even came to the break room to ask me. It’s ridiculous. I don’t know her at all. I don’t know why she came to tell me this.”

Shan Tao replied while eating osmanthus cake.

"Thank you for not believing what others said. There's plenty of time; you'll eventually find out what kind of person I am," Shen Xing'er said.

Yamamoto smiled slightly at her, her mouth stuffed with pastries making her look like a little squirrel, which was extremely cute.

Xiyun is quite scheming. She only asked me last night if I was coming to the break room, and this afternoon she's already trying to sow discord between me and others.

She's been jealous of me for years, and now that she sees me doing better and better, it's not impossible that she might do something impulsive. Shen Xing'er thought to herself.

"By the way, Shantao, tell me what I need to do, I'm afraid I'll hold you back when I get busy," Shen Xing'er said.

"The hot water that the old lady needs is the responsibility of our tea room. In the morning, we have to move firewood and fetch water from the well."

"Don't we need to make the tea?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"There's a lot to it about brewing tea. Only the old lady's head maid knows how; nobody else does," Shan Tao said.

"Then where do we go to get firewood?"

“Every morning someone will deliver firewood to the small kitchen, which is right next to our tea room. Do you think it’s being carried over from the gate of the mansion?” Shan Tao joked.

Shen Xing'er smiled but didn't say anything. So the work in the tea room was so easy. No wonder Xiyun was jealous of her.

After finishing her sentence, Shan Tao continued, "Don't be too afraid. The old lady is very kind. I've never heard of her punishing anyone."

Shen Xing'er had a general idea of ​​what was going on, and she nodded and thanked Shan Tao.

After tidying up, the two went to the kitchen to get their food.

Today's breakfast consisted of a bowl of rice porridge, an egg for each person, and a dish of pickled vegetables. It was even better than what most people eat.

Unbeknownst to her, Shen Xing'er had already spent three days in the tea room, and now she and Shan Tao were as close as sisters.

Because Shan Tao's mother lived in the small kitchen, and Shen Xing'er had a good relationship with Shan Tao, no one ever made things difficult for her, and they got along quite well.

The two of them had endless gossip to hear every day. This afternoon, no one came to visit the old lady, so the tea room wasn't too busy. All they needed to do was keep the fire burning.

Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao sat bored at the doorway, listening to the aunties in the small kitchen talking.

"Hey, have you heard? The second master is going to take another concubine, and I heard it's the daughter of the second mistress's dowry maid!" said Granny Zhou, who was in charge of preparing the main dishes.

"Really? You can't just say things like that. Didn't the Second Master just take a concubine this spring? How come he's taking another one? And she's the daughter of the Second Madam's nanny. How did they meet?"

Shan Tao's mother, Chen Shanjia, felt her mind go blank and asked...

"How could that be false? My sister's daughter's cousin works in the Second Master's courtyard. I heard it from her; she said they're going to be carried into the mansion tomorrow. Ever since the old Minister got old, the Second Master has become increasingly arrogant. Doesn't the Old Madam do anything about it?" said Granny Zhou.

“How can the old lady manage him? If she’s too strict, outsiders will say that the legitimate wife can’t tolerate a son born of a concubine. If she doesn’t discipline him, he has no sense of propriety. Sigh…” Chen Shan’s wife said.

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking. We can't let these two little kids hear us. We shouldn't pollute their ears with such filthy and disgusting things," said Granny Zhou.

"So what? Since they work in the manor, they should know these things as soon as possible, so they won't be clueless when they encounter trouble later."

I know you two are eavesdropping, but you're not allowed to tell anyone, and you're not allowed to ask anyone else, otherwise you'll implicate our small kitchen and break room, understand?

Chen Shanjia suddenly turned his head and spoke to Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao, who were engrossed in eavesdropping.

So they'd been discovered. The two of them stuck out their tongues, nodded, and went back to the break room.