How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

"Alright, stop wailing."

The little thing growled impatiently, "I've had enough of the excitement, it's time to get to work."

Yanru couldn't stop her tears, ignoring her words and only wanting to vent her emotions.

The little girl looked dejected as she went downstairs and brought her a few pieces of clothing. "Here, you can wear this from now on."

Without even glancing at her, Yan Ru wiped away her tears with both hands. "I don't need it. I have my own clothes."

She had just cried, and her voice still had a strong nasal tone.

"Tsk~ What a pity, you shouldn't have shown me such an adorable look."

Hearing her frivolous words, Yanru no longer wanted to pay attention to her.

"Is Xiao Fang there?"

An old woman's voice came from downstairs.

"Hey, here I am, Grandma, come up here quickly."

The little thing's original name was Xiao Fang, Yanru remembered.

Turning his head to look back, he couldn't understand who had made the arrogant Xiao Fang so excited.

Before long, the little thing diligently helped an old woman into the room. The old woman was about sixty years old, with a square face, and she didn't look unpleasant.

He wore a pair of wide-sleeved, brown-black trousers, made of a material that wasn't silk, but was better than the one worn by the old woman who had just carried water.

"Grandma, please be careful." The little thing said ingratiatingly, and the old woman just smiled and didn't say anything.

The little thing led her to the front of the banquet. The old woman squatted down, carefully examined the person in front of her, and reached out to help her up.

“Oh my good girl, the ground is cold. Women can’t stand the cold, or they will suffer in the future.”

“Yes, yes, get up quickly, don’t trouble Grandma to help you.” The little one quickly chimed in.

Yan Ru had already composed herself by this time. She stood up naturally, crossed her arms over her chest, but couldn't hide her cleavage, and felt extremely embarrassed.

The old woman noticed and said, "Xiao Fang, go and make a cup of hot tea. I don't know how long you've been sitting on the ground, and your face is all stained with tears. You must be suffering."

The little one paused for a moment, looked at Yanru, and realized that her mother-in-law must have something to say, so she readily agreed.

"Hey, I'll come."

Yanru lowered her head and remained silent, unsure how to answer. Fortunately, the old woman did not press her for details.

The old woman took out a large bath towel and carefully wrapped it around Yanru. Seeing some red marks on her body, she sighed.

"Sigh... Did she bully you? Don't be afraid. Once you establish yourself here, she'll be more obedient than anyone else."

Looking at her kind mother-in-law, Yan Ru couldn't help but feel her eyes redden again. She tried her best to hold back and said, "Yes," then choked back tears, "Thank you, Mother-in-law. I was just thinking of my family, and I couldn't help myself..."

"Shh~," the old woman said, pointing her finger to him. "Be careful, walls have ears. Don't do that again next time. I heard you came here as a refugee. Sigh, you're pitiful, but it's best not to cry too much in someone else's home."

After all, the homeowner saw it; how would you explain that? Even though it's the Republic of China era, some old customs still apply. Some petty people might accuse you of intentionally cursing them.

Yan Ru hadn't thought of that and felt somewhat ashamed. "I...I didn't mean that."

The mother-in-law gently rubbed the red marks on her face. "It's alright. You're lucky to have met me today. I'm not a gossip. And don't worry about the little one; she's afraid of me." The mother-in-law comforted her with a smile.

Yan Ru felt a little more at ease. "Hmm, I still don't know how to address my mother-in-law."

The old woman waved her hand, "What's with all the formalities? Everyone in this mansion calls me Grandma Dun, Dun as in 'honest and kind.' I'm an orphan, without a name or surname. I was taken in by the late patriarch of the Song family, which is why I have the name Dun. So, let's just call me Song for now."

Yan Ru nodded. She felt a sense of goodwill towards the old woman. Seeing her was like seeing her own old lady. She wondered where the Lü family had gone after their downfall.

As sadness welled up, my eyes reddened again.

Grandma Dun patted her back, "Don't think about those things. Come on, lie down. Let me check if you have any injuries, then you can take a good bath and sleep well."

Yan Ru covered herself with a bath towel, her face flushed with embarrassment. "No need, Mother-in-law, I'm not hurt."

“Good girl, you’re not right. Some injuries look minor but are actually serious, while others look moderate but are actually minor. I know Xiao Fang well; she used to be a handyman and is very strong. I’m just afraid she might accidentally press the wrong acupoint without knowing her own strength.”

As she spoke, Grandma Dun helped Yanru sit down on the edge of the bed.

Just as she was about to undress Yanru, she was startled and quickly pulled the bath towel tighter. "Granny, what are you doing...?"

The old woman patiently comforted her, smiling, "Don't be afraid. I have a daughter who's about your age. I've bathed her countless times. Are you still ashamed?"

Yanru remained embarrassed and annoyed, but Grandma Dun was not in a hurry. She gently massaged Yanru and told her many funny stories about her children. In the end, Yanru reluctantly took off her clothes and took a bath.

Grandma Dun observed her discreetly, while poor Yanru remained unaware that she was being examined like a piece of merchandise.

Yanru was shy and hesitant, but Grandma Dun was not annoyed. She wiped Yanru's back and applied some fragrant ointment before taking her leave.

“Young lady, this old woman will go down now. You can soak a little longer. I’ll tell someone to add more charcoal for you.”

“Grandma…” Yanru stood up to see her off, “Ah!” She quickly fell back into the water, clutching her chest, “Grandma, I… I should have seen you off, but…”

"Oh~" Grandma Dun waved her hand, "No need for those formalities. We'll have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future. You should rest well."

“Mmm,” Yan Ru replied softly.

Grandma Dun saw her shy appearance and felt a lot of pity for her. Satisfied, she turned around and went downstairs.

In the side hall downstairs, the little one was sitting with his legs crossed, eating sunflower seeds. When he saw Grandma Dun coming down, he quickly dropped the seeds, dusted off his hands, and prepared to run over to help her.

Seeing that she indeed did not go to brew tea, Granny Dun was slightly displeased.

I had heard that the little thing was very unruly, lazy and domineering, because he relied on his father's influence with the steward. That's why he was assigned to this secluded courtyard.

She must have been used to being at ease in this secluded courtyard, and when a master suddenly came and asked her to serve him, she was bound to be unwilling. Moreover, upon hearing that the master was an orphan, she developed the idea of ​​bullying him.

Grandma Dun didn't show it on her face, but she wasn't particularly warm either. She simply folded her hands together and said, "It's not good to trouble you."

Fearing that she might offend the master, she advised, "Xiao Fang, the people upstairs are likely to be your future masters. You should at least keep an eye on them, lest they gain power and sell you off with a single word."

The little one's face was almost stiff from laughing, and she didn't seem to take it to heart. "How could that be? Grandma misunderstood. I was just a bit stronger and accidentally pushed her a few times. I didn't expect Miss Lü to be so delicate with such tender skin, which is why she has red marks."

Granny Dun sneered inwardly, thinking that this humiliation was probably due to her contempt. "I don't care about your manners, there's only one thing..."

Granny Dun straightened her face and said, "Do you know why I came to this courtyard? Every concubine has been verified by me before the master came. For that reason alone, you shouldn't cause trouble at this critical moment. What good will it do you to offend her? Why make enemies?"

The little thing grinned, "That makes sense, but our family came from the Madam's side, and we only learned how the mistress dealt with the concubines. That's why we've picked up some of those skills. Besides, nothing's even started yet. We've only just entered the manor; who knows who might have a great destiny?"

Grandma Dun then took a proper look at the little one. It turned out that she considered herself a servant brought by the First Madam and had never taken the concubines seriously.

However, there were some secrets in her heart that she couldn't say out loud, so Grandma Dun only rejected this person in her heart.

"Your parents can teach you what you want to do, I can't control that, just make sure you don't offend the master."

"Yes, yes, I do have some discernment."

Although Grandma Dun was proud of her status and did not accept the little thing's flattery, the little thing seemed not to see it and continued to carefully fawn over her.

"Grandma, lift your foot here." "Grandma, watch your step." "Grandma, walk this way."...

Grandma Dun was so annoyed that she couldn't help but say, "Xiao Fang, just tell me the truth. Is there something you want from me? Why did you follow me all the way here? We're already outside the courtyard gate."

The little thing chuckled sheepishly, brushing a strand of hair behind its ear, looking rather embarrassed.

"Nothing else... it's just... it's just..." For the first time ever, the little one covered her face in embarrassment, "Oh dear, how can I put this?"

Grandma Dun didn't respond; she just stared at her.

After a while, the little one couldn't take it anymore and stammered through gritted teeth, "Grandma, what do you think of my aptitude?"

Grandma Dun, unaware of what was going on, frowned, wondering if she had anything else to say.

The little girl twirled her braid in her hand and said, "Look at my looks, how do I compare to Miss Lü? How do I compare to the concubines?"

Grandma Dun's eyes widened; so that was what she was planning. It wasn't that Grandma Dun was old and slow-witted, but rather... it was something that was truly hard to imagine.

"Grandma?" The little thing shook Grandma Dun's hand when she didn't answer.

Grandma Dun snapped out of her daze, blinked, and naturally, she couldn't bring herself to say anything hurtful, being used to being a kind-hearted person.

He forced an awkward smile and said, "You're still young and in the prime of your life, so I can't really guess what the master likes."

The little one protested, "How could Grandma not know Master's preferences? You are his wet nurse."

Grandma Dun shook off the little thing's hand. "When Master was a child, I wasn't the only wet nurse. If I knew Master's preferences, would I be an old nanny now? Look at Granny Zhang and Granny Liu, one manages the outer courtyard and the other manages the kitchen. They are the ones who please Master."

Upon hearing this, the little one's enthusiasm for Granny Dun's attempt to win her over waned somewhat. She pouted and asked, "Hmm, Granny, do you think I have any hope?"

Grandma Dun didn't want to get involved with her here; she had to go back and report, so she gave her a few perfunctory words.

"Oh dear, that's hard to say. Everyone has their own destiny. It's getting late, I need to hurry and report back to the master. You can wait here in the courtyard."

When the little girl heard Grandma Dun bring up the master as an excuse, and when she heard that Grandma Dun's tone didn't seem to completely deny her, her desire intensified.

With a smile, he said to Granny Dun, "I wouldn't dare stop you, please hurry up. I'll treat you to some wine later."

Grandma Dun smiled but didn't answer, and hurried away.

Watching Grandma Dun walk away, the little thing stopped pretending and said, "Pah, old woman, you're still quite nimble."

He thought to himself, "It seems I need to win over Granny Zhang and Granny Liu. I can't count on the concubines. They have their own maids to promote, so I have to rely on these old women."

At least the master still has some affection for them. Those little hussies only know how to please the second concubine. They're not as smart as me. Why waste money trying to please a few old women…”

For a moment, her mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. She felt that she was a little smarter than others, but then she felt that she was born to enjoy a life of luxury. "I have never suffered any grievances since I was born. I should be a concubine and live a life of glory."

While the little one was having a sweet dream, Grandma Dun had already arrived in front of the master.