Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Jiu'er followed her all the way to a courtyard deep inside the Prince's Mansion, which was Mr. Hua's residence in the mansion.

After dismissing the maid who served tea, Mei'er carefully examined Jiu'er's face and asked with some suspicion.

"Are you Jiu'er?"

"Yes, that's right. My name is Jiu'er." Jiu'er nodded readily in acknowledgment. Then she continued...

"Sister is so lucky to have landed such a good place, unlike me who is still working as a maid for someone else."

Jiu'er's words struck Mei'er's heart like a hammer blow. She had hoped she had mistaken someone for someone else, but hearing her words now, the Jiu'er before her was clearly the same Jiu'er who had been bought by Madam Mei of the Red Pavilion years ago. But hadn't she run away back then? How could she be here again today?

"Didn't you run away back then? How come you're now working as a maid for Madam Wang?"

"Oh, I didn't escape. They just arrested the wrong person and took me with them." Jiu'er sighed helplessly and sat down on the chair next to her without any ceremony.

"My godmother was so good to me back then. She gave me new clothes and made sure I had enough to eat. With my limited understanding at the time, how could I possibly have run away!"

Mei'er carefully observed her expression, trying to discern whether her words were sincere. But after a while, she couldn't tell anything and gave up.

"Then how did you get to be by Madam Wang's side?"

"The people who took me out realized they had the wrong person, so they abandoned me by the roadside. I wanted to go back to the Red Pavilion to find my godmother, but I couldn't find the way. In the end, my wife picked me up by the roadside and took me back, which is how I managed to save my life." Jiu'er made up a story with a straight face, her round eyes wide open.

Hearing that what she said seemed reasonable, Mei'er fell silent, only lowering her head as if lost in thought.

"Sister Mei'er, how did you get here? And you even became Mr. Hua's concubine. I saw that even the Princess Consort treated you very politely. You're really living a glamorous life!" Jiu'er's face was full of envy.

Mei'er smiled slightly when she heard her words, but did not talk about her own experience. Instead, she asked about Liu'er, who had disappeared with Jiu'er at that time.

"Liu'er disappeared with you. What happened to her?"

"I don't know. Those people were after her. I was drugged and taken away because I couldn't sleep at night and went to talk to her. But judging from what they were saying, that Liu'er must have quite a background."

"Oh..." Mei'er fell silent after hearing her words. She held the tea but didn't bring it to her lips. She just stared blankly at one spot, as if she was thinking of something.

Jiu'er wasn't in a hurry. She looked around the small flower hall and then at the direction she had come from, silently memorizing it. The courtyard was in a very secluded and hidden location; it would be difficult to find the right place without someone specifically leading the way. It seemed that Prince Ding'an was very concerned about Mr. Hua's safety! Jiu'er thought to herself.

"Jiu'er," Mei'er suddenly called out to her.

"Ok?"

"I hope you won't tell anyone about what happened at the Red Pavilion," Mei'er said, putting down her cup and looking at Jiu'er's round face.

"Um, why? Is it a shameful thing to do in the Red Pavilion?" Jiu'er looked confused, as if she didn't understand.

"You haven't been in the Red Pavilion for very long, so you don't know what's going on inside. Just listen to me and don't tell anyone. And don't talk about what happened there yourself; it'll damage your reputation," Mei'er explained impatiently. Jiu'er only stayed there for a few days before being kicked out. There were things she hadn't even experienced. If she had stayed longer, she would have known how despicable it was. Wearing gold and silver, and being skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were just superficial talents; most of what they learned was how to seduce men and their skills in bed. Otherwise, why would Mr. Hua dote on her so much?

"Oh, I see. If you don't want me to say it, I won't. Sister Mei'er, do you have anything else to say? If not, I'll head back. Madam should be leaving soon." As if sensing Mei'er's impatience, Jiu'er shrank back and said softly.

Seeing that she was still quite well-behaved, Mei'er felt a little embarrassed. Besides worrying that Jiu'er would tell everyone about what happened at the Red Pavilion, she was also quite happy to see her again. After all, it would be a pity if no old friends saw her in her current glorious state. Hearing that she was leaving, she quickly asked her to stay for dinner.

"The maid has already gone to bring the food. Eat here before you go back. Anyway, your mistress is having dinner with the concubine right now, so you'll just be waiting when you go back."

"Isn't your husband coming home for lunch?" Jiu'er asked hesitantly.

“He always dines with the Prince at noon, and only comes back to sleep at night.” Mei’er was in a good mood after hearing her say “your husband”, and waved her hand as she said this, acting like a head wife.

"Alright then, Jiu'er will respectfully accept your offer. I'm very happy to see you here, sister."

"Yes, me too. I'm very happy to see you."

As they were talking, the girl who had gone to the kitchen to fetch food returned. Two food boxes filled the entire table with dishes.

Jiu'er looked at the four vegetarian dishes, four meat dishes, two staple foods, and a bowl of soup on the table, and her mouth was practically watering. Seeing her like this, Mei'er chuckled and warmly invited Jiu'er to start eating.

Jiu'er swallowed hard.

"Sister Mei'er, you always eat so well! I thought I was living the high life by following Madam's side, but compared to you, I look like a beggar. This is too lavish!" After saying that, she looked up at Mei'er, her eyes filled with barely suppressed envy.

"Sister, the master is so good to you, you've really fallen into a lucky hole."

Mei'er looked somewhat smug, but pretended to be humble.

"This is more lavish than usual. The maid who brought the food must have told me I had guests, so the kitchen added a few dishes. You should try this sweet and sour pork with pineapple; it's sweet and sour, just my favorite."

"Mmm," Jiu'er nodded heavily, then took the food that Mei'er had put on her plate and ate it in one bite, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"It's so delicious! How can it be so delicious? I want to swallow my own tongue!" Jiu'er exclaimed exaggeratedly. Although her actions were exaggerated, they successfully pleased Mei'er.

"Eat as much as you like. If you want to eat it again in the future, just come to the Prince's Mansion and I'll have the kitchen make it for you." Mei'er was in a very good mood at the moment and made the promise.

"I'd rather not. The courtyard where my sister lives is too secluded, and it's inconvenient to come and go. If the people in the manor find out that I always run to my sister's place because of my gluttony, they'll definitely laugh at me. It doesn't matter if they laugh at me, but they'll laugh at my mistress too."

Mei'er smiled as she heard her say that.

"You're truly loyal to your wife."

"Of course, I would have starved to death long ago if it weren't for you, Madam." Jiu'er picked up another bite of food, her little mouth stuffed full, looking like a little squirrel.

After swallowing the food in her mouth, she suddenly leaned closer to Mei'er and asked her in a mysterious whisper.

"Sister, does Mr. Hua really like you?"

Hearing her ask that, Mei'er blushed and gave a shy "Mmm".

"Sister is so lucky, she'll be an official's wife in the future. I don't know what will happen to me!" Jiu'er muttered, biting her chopsticks.

Hearing Jiu'er's words, Mei'er's eyes darted around, and she asked her...

"Jiu'er, why don't you come and stay with me? Just say we're long-lost sisters. I'll buy you with money, and I'm sure Madam Wang won't stop me."