Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 45 Granny Gao's Quick Questions and Answers

Yunxi Courtyard.

Not long after the second young lady and her party arrived, several other young ladies from the manor also arrived, including the eldest young lady who was supposed to be under house arrest.

The head of the family, Tang Xian, has already arranged her marriage. It's not particularly good, but it's not bad either. I heard that he is the son of the county magistrate of Jinan County. He has been training in the army since he was a child and is now a cavalry captain.

After not seeing her for over a month, the young lady looked much more forlorn. Her once radiant face was now pale. Her former personal maid, Bitao, had been sent to the estate by the old lady, and she was now accompanied by two unfamiliar maids.

Meng Shu patted the trembling Green Willow. After what happened at the poetry gathering, she wasn't actually afraid of the eldest young lady's revenge, because the eldest young lady's gaze was calm and indifferent when she looked over, and the second young lady had already gracefully walked over to block that gaze.

Seeing this, the eldest young lady twitched her lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Second sister, you are overthinking it. It was just that I overestimated myself and had thoughts I shouldn't have had. It's no one else's fault."

"It's good that eldest sister understands." The second young lady said succinctly.

In the Second Miss's opinion, this marriage is actually quite good. Firstly, the county magistrate's family is small, and secondly, although the cavalry captain is only a minor official position in the army, second only to the centurion, he is still an official and may be promoted in the future. Moreover, Jinan County connects the north and south and guards the capital, so its location has been very important since ancient times.

The eldest young lady revealed a mocking smile, her eyes fixed on her. "Second sister, being the legitimate daughter, is naturally pampered and can live a carefree and unrestrained life."

The second young lady was annoyed by the behavior of the eldest young lady and Aunt Liu, and had no intention of responding at this moment, so she stepped into the flower hall first.

Not long after, the two nannies arrived together. Nanny Yuan was originally the tutor of the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion. She had long heard of the young ladies of the Tang family. This time, she came to give guidance on matters of the inner quarters. Therefore, her studies were not heavy, and most of the time, she was taught by Nanny Gao.

In terms of time allocation, Granny Yuan finished in one hour in the morning, but Granny Gao assigned the Second Miss and the Second Miss of the Marquis's Mansion to be taught separately.

As her name suggests, Granny Gao was tall and thin with a pale complexion, a long and thin face, and somewhat narrow features. She didn't look very friendly, so after the two sides exchanged greetings, the young ladies were quite relieved to hear that they didn't have to learn etiquette from Granny Gao.

Only the second and eldest daughters of the Marquis's mansion behaved differently. The former's face was mostly filled with excitement, and today she was like a gourd with its mouth shut, not daring to say a word. The latter, on the other hand, had an expression of "I knew it," a mixture of disappointment, jealousy, and resentment, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh.

Meng Shu stole a glance at her mistress and saw that beneath the second young lady's dignified exterior lay an indifferent attitude.

She always followed her family's arrangements. When her father told her to read more, she genuinely loved poetry and books. When her mother and grandmother told her to be a well-bred lady, she learned to be dignified and virtuous in public.

Meng Shu's mind wandered, wondering what her mistress was really like. As the legitimate daughter of a wealthy family, with a father who was extremely rich and a brother who was diligently studying for the imperial examinations, as well as a collateral relationship with a marquis's mansion in the capital, the second young lady certainly had the right to be unrestrained. However, she was very proper and rigid in the mansion and did not have the liveliness of a young girl in front of outsiders.

The eldest young lady, along with her three, four, five, and six younger sisters and Granny Yuan, left the flower hall and went to the backyard. Granny Gao's maid led the second young lady and the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion to a side room next to the flower hall, where all the furniture had been removed, leaving only a thick, bright red brocade carpet.

Meng Shu and her maids were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

The four maids from Cuihu Cuiqi's mansion looked eager to try, and were both nervous and excited.

Granny Gao sat at the head of the table, bypassing the maids of the Marquis's residence, and let Meng Shu and the others come forward to speak one by one.

Meng Shu watched coldly from behind. This scene was so similar to the selection of people at Zheng's brokerage. Her mind stirred slightly, and she seemed to guess some of the other party's intentions.

When Mengzhu and Ruizhu stepped forward, Granny Gao only asked a few questions about their daily duties before suddenly turning to Mengzhu and asking, "If Miss wants to cool off in the summer and has a few more drinks, what would you do?"

Mengzhu was familiar with this task, and she replied carefully, "Summer is hot and humid, and there are many ways to cool off. I will consider and guide you accordingly."

"If the sisters quarrel and argue, what will you do?"

Mengzhu wasn't familiar with this task, because no one was angry with the Second Miss. The Second Miss was best at making someone lose their temper with just one sentence, so she hesitated for a while before answering, "Mediate between them."

Granny Gao remained noncommittal and looked at Ruizhu.

Ruizhu hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Then... shall we inform Madam and the Old Madam?"

Granny Gao pointed to Meng Shu beside her, "What do you think we should do?"

Meng Shu lowered her head and replied, "Protect our master first, then retaliate according to reason and logic."

"You certainly have guts," Granny Gao said with amusement. "How do you plan to retaliate?"

Meng Shu said directly, "Explain with emotion and move with propriety."

"What if your master is in the wrong?"

"The second young lady is dignified and generous, treats people like a gentle breeze, and would never be rude."

These words even made the seasoned old nanny unable to hold back. She gave Meng Shu a meaningful look, and saw that she was standing properly, and at such a young age, she was as graceful as an orchid and a jade tree.

"If my servant makes a mistake, how should I deal with him?"

Meng Shu frowned slightly, which reminded her of Ju Chang. This question was clearly beyond the scope of a maid's thinking, so she pretended to ponder for a while before saying, "Those who repay kindness with favors and rely on their power should be dealt with according to the family rules."

"What about personal relationships outside of the rules?"

Meng Shu shook her head and said, "Without rules, there can be no order. No matter how big or small the mistake, as long as the reason is based on evidence, justice resides in the hearts of the people."

This pleased Granny Gao somewhat; she was loyal to her master and knew the law and rules.

Finally, she casually asked Ruizhu and Lvliu a few questions. Although Ruizhu was somewhat clever, she was too expressive, which displeased Granny Gao. Lvliu was rather timid. Therefore, Granny Gao pointed to Meng Shumengzhu, Cuihu, and Cuiqi.

"The four of you, along with the two young ladies, should learn etiquette and manners. You should encourage your master to think more, learn more, and be careful in your words and actions."

Meng Shu and the other three hurriedly bowed their heads and answered yes.

After Granny Gao entered the side room, Cuiqi stepped forward, took Meng Shu's hand, and, suppressing her excitement, whispered, "Granny Gao entered the palace at a young age and served there for decades, rising from a palace maid to a lady-in-waiting. After retiring, she was highly regarded by the mistresses of aristocratic families. In recent years, it has become fashionable in the capital to hire old palace maids to educate their daughters. Our Marquis's Mansion has always wanted to hire Granny Gao."

Although she was strict, she was well-versed in etiquette and rules, and she taught with care and effort. If we learn these rules from her, we won't be married off to servants or lowly men.

Although Meng Shu had already guessed some of it, she didn't really want to learn the rules. She knew that this was likely a sign that she was going to become a maidservant in her dowry.

But is this something she can resist? Honestly, she can't believe that a mere contract can so deeply bind her.

Moreover, whether it was the subtle hints from Steward Cao and Mother An after arriving at the Tang residence, or the meaningful glances she received from the old lady during their several meetings, especially since Meng Shu was hoping to find her uncle through the powerful business connections of the Tang family, she was extremely conflicted for a time, but she had no choice but to step into an even deeper abyss.

Upon entering the secondary room, Granny Gao had already explained the situation. The Second Miss was looking at Meng Shu and Meng Zhu with a relaxed smile. At this moment, Meng Shu felt that since the Second Miss treated her so well, it wouldn't be bad to follow her wholeheartedly.

No matter how intelligent Meng Shu was, at the age of ten, she could never have imagined that Tang Xian, with his scholarly demeanor, would have such great ambitions. The man his daughter was to marry would rise from humble beginnings to the most prominent position.