High-class maid

"Why don't we sell this one first and see what happens? What if the people of Jinling don't like such fancy things?" Shan Tao was an impatient person, and she couldn't wait to sell it as soon as she finished embroidering it.

After a moment's thought, Shen Xing'er realized that what she said made some sense. If no one bought them, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to embroider.

“But we can’t leave the manor. Our masters didn’t return yesterday either. We don’t know what happened,” Shen Xing’er said.

“Yes, what do you think? How about we get someone else to take them out and sell them for us?” Shan Tao said, suddenly having a bright idea.

"No, it's best to keep this low-key. Although there are maids in the manor who make some embroidery to sell, they are all in leisurely positions. We are from the old lady's courtyard, so it's best not to let too many people know about us."

"You've thought things through perfectly. What should we do?" Shan Tao said. It was more painful than not being able to earn the money she had in her hands.

“Let’s keep embroidering. There will come a day when we can leave the manor. If the shopkeeper offers a low price, we can take it to the capital to sell. It’s the same thing,” Shen Xing’er said.

"This is the only way now."

Inside the manor outside the city, the second wife and her entourage were wandering around.

"Madam, the air outside the city is so fresh. I heard the kitchen is going to roast suckling pig tonight," said Qin, the Second Madam's personal maid.

Speaking of Granny Qin, she brought two personal nannies with her when she got married. However, the other nanny was foolish and plotted to get her daughter into the second master's bed. It was because of her daughter that the master and madam became estranged.

Therefore, the madam found an excuse to send her back to her hometown. From then on, the second madam only had this one personal nanny by her side. As the highest-ranking servant in the second wife's household, Nanny Qin was very powerful.

"Really? Then I'm in for a treat today." The second wife replied listlessly, seemingly uninterested.

Seeing that she hadn't flattered him well, Granny Qin rolled her eyes and said, "Madam, during the few months we've stayed in Jinling, Master has sent several letters, which shows how much he misses you."

"Hmph!" The second madam sneered, not responding to her words. In her mind, no matter what Xiao Jiushan did, he would make her a laughing stock. This was what they meant by "once bitten by a snake, twice shy."

Seeing that her flattery had backfired again, Granny Qin scratched her head in a panic, disregarding her image, and said, "Madam, judging from the days, Master should have set off from the capital. It shouldn't be long before you two meet."

"Is it really time to leave? Time flies." The second wife looked up at the sky and asked absentmindedly.

Seeing that she was finally willing to talk to her, Granny Qin nodded vigorously and replied, "Yes, it's so fast. It's been almost two months since we came to Jinling."

"This Jinling is wonderful. There's no scheming, no complicated rules, and most importantly, no annoying men," the Second Madam remarked, looking at the fish at her feet.

"This..." Granny Qin didn't know how to respond for a moment. Her mistress couldn't be like this either. If she didn't please her husband, how would she survive in the inner quarters in the future?

"Madam, I suppose the master meant well, otherwise he wouldn't have come with the escort agency to pick you up," Granny Qin tried to make amends for the second master.

"Granny," the second madam interrupted her, saying, "I understand what you mean, but you must not mention him again in the future. I don't want to be hurt by the same person a second time."

"Yes, Miss." Granny Qin thought of her mistress, how happy she was before she got married, and how she was now trapped in the inner quarters, living out her life. Her eyes reddened, and she couldn't bear to call the Second Madam "Miss".

The second madam turned her head, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, "Granny, you don't need to feel sorry for me. After Yizhou and Luoyu get married, I will bring you to Jinling, okay?"

"Alright, Miss, I'll follow you wherever you go," said Granny Qin.

“And this servant girl, she’ll be with you too,” Ban Jian said as he stepped forward.

"Silly girl, you can't come with me. You still have to get married," the second wife teased.

Banjian blushed immediately and said, "This servant doesn't want to get married. This servant wants to stay with Madam forever."

The second wife pointed at the half-finished house and said, "Look, look, this girl is afraid to get married because she sees that I'm not doing well."

"That's not what I meant, I just..." Banjian blushed with anxiety, trying to explain.

"Alright, let's go back to our room," the second mistress said, no longer teasing her.

"Is Madam no longer going to stroll around? Did this old servant say something wrong? This old servant will never mention it again," said Granny Qin.

"Silly nanny, go and get the account books sent from the capital. I need to check the accounts and make plans to transfer some of the shops in the capital to Jinling in the future."

When Granny Qin saw that her mistress was in charge of the shop, she immediately perked up and said, "Yes, this old servant will go and get it right away."

"You're old and frail, you should let the maids do this kind of thing," the second madam teased.

"Madam, you must not be careless. What if someone with ulterior motives sees us?" Granny Qin said sternly.

The second wife was amused by her appearance. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, if you want to go, then go. It'll just be a little slow on the way."

"Hey!" After saying that, Granny Qin left like a gust of wind.

The maids behind her were covering their mouths and snickering. The second madam teased, "You mustn't imitate him. He's old and still so unrefined."

Meanwhile, in the small kitchen inside the manor, Granny Zhou was also going through a "fierce battle".

"Old Zhou, this is too dirty. Why don't we tell Madam to throw it all away?" Chen Shan's wife complained as she cleaned the various utensils.

When they first arrived in the kitchen, they were stunned by what they saw. Apart from the usual pots and pans, the teapots, medicine pots, and other utensils in the cabinets were covered in dust, some of which had not been cleaned and had even become moldy.

In order not to cause trouble for their masters, they had no choice but to scald the pots and pans with hot water first, and wanted to save the rest to wash slowly. However, there were only Chen Shan's wife and Granny Zhou left in the small kitchen, so the workload seemed a bit heavy.

“That’s feasible. The masters were busy yesterday, so they should have time to handle these matters today. I’ll go and inform the First Madam.” After a moment’s thought, Granny Zhou set off to find the First Madam.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shan's wife simply stopped washing the dishes. She tossed the rag aside, took off her apron, and started cooking, complaining as she did so.

"What a mess we've made! We thought we were here to broaden our horizons and have some fun, but now we've become laborers. There are only the two of us in this huge estate. I'm exhausted."

While talking, his hands didn't stop moving, and he skillfully steamed all the buns.

After a while, Zhou Mama returned and comforted her, "Sister, don't complain anymore. The Madam has arranged tasks for us."

"What? What other errands are there?" Chen Shan's wife looked at the steamed buns in the pot and felt her head was about to explode.