The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

However, I was lucky; I was bought by the Marquis's mansion, and later I had a stroke of good fortune to serve the Madam, living a life better than the young ladies from humble families.

This is Wenhua. She is usually a lively girl. It was only in the last year or two that the senior maids who served Lady Hou reached the age to get married, and the younger ones were promoted to Lady Hou's side. Only then did her lively nature gradually become more mature.

Shen just smiled; flattery is always pleasing to the ear.

She recalled how quiet the hall was when Hua Sirong first entered.

They say that if you want to be pretty, be filial.

Although Rongjie was wearing mourning clothes, once she entered the Marquis's mansion, she couldn't possibly be dressed entirely in white. However, she was dressed very simply, without any extra jewelry on her head or any powder on her face.

But that's precisely why you can see the girl's true nature.

Her slender fingers were like delicate scallion roots; her supple waist was so thin it could be grasped in one hand. Her alluring eyes held a hint of sorrow, her crimson lips parted to reveal pearly teeth, a hint of grief lingering in her expression. She approached with graceful steps, her figure elegant and captivating.

What a beautiful young woman from a merchant family!

Even though Madam Shen was used to seeing beauties, she still had to sigh and say that her niece was more beautiful than her third sister and more beautiful than most girls in the capital.

"Alright, she seems like a lucky one. Now that she's been brought into the manor, you all should serve her well." This was a warning to the maids; she had her own plans for Hua Sirong. These maids who served her closely had to be kept a close eye on her, at least to maintain appearances and prevent her from becoming an ungrateful wretch.

You should know that the servants in this mansion are masters of flattery and opportunism, and know how to treat people according to their status.

"Yes, we servants will keep an eye on things." Wenqin and Wenhua both made a note of it.

As Granny Zhang led Hua Sirong and her maid towards Qingwu Courtyard, they noticed that the path was becoming increasingly remote, and even Granny Wang couldn't help but secretly frown.

Hua Sirong didn't have any particular expression. However, the hardest thing she had suffered in the past sixteen years was losing her mother. Her father had never let her suffer any other hardships. At this moment, the soles of her feet were a little sore from the friction, and she could only continue forward thanks to Chunyan's support.

"Qingwu Courtyard is located in a rather remote area of ​​the manor, but Madam thinks that since the young lady will be observing three years of mourning for her father, it would be better for her to live in a quieter place."

Granny Zhang would never allow her cousin to object to her mistress's arrangements. The mistress's previous statement about changing courtyards if she didn't like the place was just a polite remark.

"Although Qingwu Courtyard is located in the northwest corner of the mansion, it is also next to the largest garden in the mansion. If Miss gets bored in the courtyard, she can take a stroll in the garden nearby and see the scenery of the mansion."

"Aunt, you're too kind. Please thank you for me, Granny Zhang." Hua Sirong actually quite liked the secluded nature of this courtyard, and her aunt seemed to have some genuine affection for her.

"Madam Hou cares so much for my young lady; it must be thanks to your kind words to her, Elder Sister. Please accept this small token of my appreciation for tea, and also please treat the young ladies who serve Madam to some snacks. Thank you so much for your help with my young lady's affairs these past few days." After saying this, Wang Mama subtly handed two purses to Zhang Mama.

Having already witnessed the young lady's generosity, Granny Zhang's smile became even more genuine as she held the purse.

Although she served the lady, she also had a family to support and wanted to find good jobs for her children. Besides opportunities, having more money in hand would also be more convenient.

No matter how far away Qingwuyuan is, there will be a time when you reach your destination.

Two rough-working women were assigned to the courtyard to do chores, and they managed to keep things in good order.

Granny Zhang had probably just received some money, and she called over two old women to give them a lecture, mainly to tell them to take good care of Miss Zhang.

Hua Sirong, grateful for the kindness shown to her, saw Granny Zhang off and rewarded the two old women with one tael of silver each before carefully examining her new residence.

The main house and the east and west wing rooms were all cleaned up, but Hua Sirong only chose to stay in the west wing room.

"You're the only master in this courtyard, so why doesn't the young lady live in the main room?" Wang Mama couldn't understand.

“If I were the proper mistress of this mansion, I would naturally be able to stay here. But I am merely a visiting cousin, occupying a courtyard all by myself. It is the Marquis’s way of treating guests.”

But as a guest, I can't be so impolite. There are only three of us, and we don't have much extra stuff. The west wing is spacious enough for our daily needs.

"The room on the left will be used as a bedroom for the three of us. A screen will be placed in the middle of the main hall to separate it. The outer room will be used to receive guests, and the inner room will be used as a dining room. The room on the right will be partitioned off to serve as a storeroom, and the outer room will be used for my daily reading and writing."

"Yes, I'll do as you say, Miss. I'll also set up a soft couch in the study for you, so you can lie down when you get tired of reading. The study on the right has a window that leads to the bamboo grove outside. It couldn't be more perfect, Miss."

"I'll go with Chunyan to tidy up and settle things in. Tomorrow I'll go ask the steward for two locks to lock the main house and the east wing." Mama Wang quickly instructed Chunyan to get to work. As for the two old women in the courtyard, they were newcomers and not easy to manage.

Fortunately, there weren't many things they had to do themselves. With Wang's mother's help, they quickly washed up, ate, and went to bed, and the night passed without incident.

The next day, the master and servants got ready early and were about to go out to pay their respects to the Lady of the Marquis when, unexpectedly, the Lady of the Marquis's maid, Wenhua, arrived first.

"Greetings, Miss Biao. I am Wenhua, a maid from Madam's courtyard. Miss Biao, you're up so early? Did you rest well last night? Did you eat well?" Wenhua was even more impressed to see that Miss Biao had chosen to stay in the west wing room. She was a beautiful woman who knew how to behave properly.

Besides, beautiful women, putting everything else aside, are pleasing to the eye.

Hua Sirong was delighted to answer all of the questions about the painting so sincerely, and Wang Mama also said some nice things to thank the family.

Both sides were very satisfied. Wen Hua then explained the purpose of her visit: "Madam sent me here firstly to check if Miss Biao is resting well, and secondly to inform Miss Biao that there is no need to rush to pay her respects today. Please have breakfast in the courtyard first, and then Madam will take you to see the Old Madam."

"It's all my fault for being so slow. I'm late, and Miss has already finished preparing everything. I wonder if Miss has eaten yet?"

"I ate two pastries," Hua Sirong said shyly, referring to the leftovers from last night.

Back when she lived with the Hua family, her meals were always exquisite; she would never eat leftovers from the previous day. But after her father died, she knew that those carefree and luxurious days would never come again.

I used to think that you couldn't eat leftovers. But now I can eat them without dying.

See? Humans are the most vulnerable, yet also the most powerful.

Wen Hua thought to herself, although her cousin's family was not as noble as the daughters of the Marquis's family, they were not short of money. As the only daughter in the family, she must have never suffered. But on her first day living under someone else's roof, she had to learn how to survive in a big mansion. It was pitiful.