Reborn as a Maid in Ancient Times

After meeting with Manager Qiao, Zhang You went to Chef Chen and told him about the matter, also mentioning that she wanted to raise some money for her.

Chef Chen readily took ten taels of silver, and then went to find a few more people to raise the money.

Zhang You wasn't idle either. She went back to her room and took out her savings from the past two months. Because she had been particularly greedy during those two months, she had naturally received quite a few tips. In addition to her monthly salary, after deducting all her expenses, she had eighty coins in savings. She took out sixty coins and put them into her purse.

She approached Xiuer again, wanting to ask if she could donate money, but then she thought that Xiuer was also new and had no obligation to donate, so she changed her mind and asked to borrow money instead.

She borrowed one hundred coins from Xiuer.

She wanted to find Hua'er and the others, but only saw Yang'er. She then took the opportunity to ask for money, and Yang'er readily lent her one hundred coins.

She couldn't find anyone else who could lend her money.

Thinking that she couldn't keep the older sister waiting, Zhang You went back to meet up with Chef Chen and put all the money she had transferred into a bundle.

When Zhang You saw her after leaving the mansion, she was sitting by the wall, too tired to move and had fallen asleep.

Zhang You went over and shook her awake.

"Ah, young lady." She stood up hurriedly after regaining her senses.

“Sister, I happened to run into another manager when I went in, and I found out your parents’ whereabouts from her.”

He said your parents went back to Niujia Village. Your father's original name was Niu Shu. You should look for him using that name.

And in this bundle are the luggage we've prepared for you; take it with you, you might need it on the road.

"How could I possibly accept this?" she said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Sister, please accept this. You've had a long and arduous journey. Unfortunately, there are rules in our household that prevent us from keeping you here. This is just a small token of our appreciation."

Besides, there's still a distance to go, and my sister will need it eventually. It's almost noon; there should be some buses going back to Niujia Village from the West Market. Sister, why don't you go and check? You might run into someone from the village.”

"Thank you so much." The woman took the bundle, carried the child on her back, and bowed several times with great emotion.

After thanking her, she turned around with her child on her back and hurriedly embarked on her journey again.

I just don't know how devastated she will be when she finds out the truth.

Zhang You couldn't resist and pulled her aside, saying one more thing.

"Sister, always look forward. You're still young, and your parents also hope that you can live a happy life!"

The woman assumed that she was only pitying her for being divorced at such a young age and having a child with her.

She turned around, her eyes slightly moist.

"Okay, thank you, little sister. Take care, little sister."

"Take care, sister."

Only after watching their figures gradually disappear into the distance did Zhang You turn around and return to her residence, silently wishing them well in her heart.

……

A few days later, Zhang You found herself in another problem.

Overwhelmed with sympathy, I thought only of how pitiful that woman was, and in a fit of anger, I lent her two hundred coins.

However, she hasn't been as diligent as before lately, so naturally she earns less. All things considered, even with her frugal lifestyle, she only manages to earn a meager forty coins a month.

During this time, Xiuer kept urging her to repay the money, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Especially seeing that she wasn't working as hard as before, he wondered if Zhang You didn't want to pay back the money.

Annoyed by the questions, Zhang You confidently declared that she would definitely pay it off by the end of the year.

But how am I going to earn back those two hundred coins?

When Granny Chang returned to the mansion, she saw Zhang You busy working again.

"Hey! Er Ya, come here."

"Granny Chang? You're back?" Zhang You put down her work, said goodbye to her colleagues, and then followed Granny Chang.

"Did you call me here because of something, Granny?"

Although Zhang You was also curious about what happened to that woman later, she understood that words without any real help would only add to the tragedy, twisting the wounds of others and providing fodder for gossip.

Therefore, compared to vague sympathy, some questions are better left unasked.

During her time in Niujia Village, Granny Chang helped Granny Ping bury Qiao Shu, and later watched in grief as Granny Ping smashed her head against the tombstone and died.

Following Ping's instructions, Granny Chang buried the two of them together.

Beside their tombstone is an old grave, erected two years ago for their son, Qiaomu.

Looking at the family of three, and recalling all that had happened in the past, Granny Chang couldn't help but cry for a long time in front of their graves.

Before Granny Chang could even prepare to return to the manor, she ran into Ping'er, who had come looking for her...

Granny Chang guessed from Ping's words that Zhang You had done those things out of kindness.

If at first she only liked the girl because she was sensible and kind to her, now she genuinely likes this girl from the bottom of her heart.

When Granny Chang returned, she saw how busy she was and felt a little sorry for her.

I heard you owe money.

"Ah, is this what the old lady called me for? I've been working hard these past few days to save money."

Zhang You was somewhat embarrassed when her secret was exposed.

She has never liked owing others anything.

Seeing her like that, Granny Chang's tone softened.

"I'm not trying to criticize you. It's just that if you keep working day and night like this, how long are you going to save up?"

Zhang You sensed that Granny Chang wanted to help her, and quickly asked, "Does Granny Chang have a way?"

"The servants in the manor all work for masters like the Princess Consort. The money you earn is just what the stewards take away. So why can't you earn money directly from those masters?"

In our manor, the majority of the servants are the concubines and mistresses in the north courtyard. What they lack most is nothing more than cosmetics. You can pick out some good ones outside and resell them..."

Zhang You felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Granny, that's a great idea!"

Zhang You had seen the cosmetics purchased from the manor before when she was making purchases, and they were all very simple.

If modern lipsticks and lip glosses were sold here, they would definitely make a fortune!

"Thank you, Mammy!"

After thanking Granny Chang, Zhang You began preparing the materials for making lip rouge.

Fortunately, although the items were hard to find, they were still within Zhang You's budget.

That evening, she finally gathered all the materials and happily returned to her room, only to be blocked by Xiuer and Yanger.

"Er Ya, it's been a month already, when are you going to pay me back?"

Xiuer spoke first, while Yang'er remained silent. However, seeing the two of them standing together questioning Zhang You, it was clear that they had come to demand an explanation.

"Didn't we agree before that I would definitely pay you back before the end of the year? I've been busy making money lately, but I haven't..."

Zhang You saw Yang'er secretly nudge Xiu'er, and Xiu'er interrupted her, saying, "But I've noticed you haven't been in the manor these past few days. Are you planning to run away?"

"How could that be? I just wanted to earn money as quickly as possible, so I did the hard labor for the manager. Look at me, I come back so late every day, and I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down on the bed. Do you think I'm going to run away?"

Zhang You didn't understand why they suddenly came to question her.

She had repeatedly emphasized that she would repay the money on time...

It wasn't that she was overly suspicious, but one should always be wary of others.

Even though she felt that she got along very well with Xiuer and the others during this time.

But she couldn't trust people's hearts...

If we rashly tell them what she is doing, it might arouse the suspicion of those with ulterior motives.