Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 10 Coincidentally

"The old lady has taken several young ladies from the manor to watch the dragon boat races. I will first lead you to the main courtyard to kowtow, and then arrange your accommodations."

Shi Liu had a round face and looked very amiable. She first looked at Dunzi and couldn't help but laugh.

Dunzi was also secretly observing her, thinking to himself that she was someone like him. She must also be someone who could gain weight even from drinking water, and she looked incredibly familiar.

Shiliu led the way and introduced in a low voice that the old lady's residence was called Fu'an Residence, which occupied the best location in the mansion. There was an artificial lake in front and a garden that bloomed all year round in the back. There were dozens of people serving in Fu'an Residence alone.

Upon arriving at the main courtyard gate, the three of them respectfully kowtowed according to the rules. When they stood up, they saw a very well-mannered head maid looking them over.

"Did all of these come from Zheng Shan's family? They seem quite honest."

Shi Liu smiled innocently and replied, "In response to Sister Suwen's question, Sister Zheng came from our old lady's place, and Madam An has also been freed from slavery and is working in Jinan County. Steward Wu from the inner courtyard said that she had approved all of these people, so there shouldn't be any mistakes."

Suwen was a first-class maid at Fu'an Residence, in charge of the old lady's dowry and private treasury. She was one of the old lady's most trusted people.

Hearing this, she nodded and instructed Shiliu:

"It's just in time that you've arrived. I was just about to send someone to the small kitchen to tell you that the old lady must be tired since this is her first time leaving the mansion this year. Please have An Mama prepare something easy to eat for tonight's dinner. The old lady said she liked the vegetarian three-delicacy meatball soup last time, and asked An Mama to keep an eye on it."

“I will definitely convey this message, Sister Suwen, please rest assured.”

Shiliu had a very good relationship with the old lady's several head maids, so passing on a message was just part of her job.

Dunzi was overwhelmed by the wealth and luxury. After the rooms were assigned, she tidied up the beds. The four-person room was spacious enough for three people. The other two roommates were the same two girls who had come with her. One was called Da Niu and the other Gui Yuan.

Shortly after noon, someone came to say that Mother An had some free time and wanted to meet the newlyweds.

“Since you’re from Zheng Shan’s family, I feel safe using my small kitchen. In a little while, I’ll have Zisu take you to collect your allowance for clothes and shoes. You’ve just arrived and are barely considered third-class maids in the kitchen, with a monthly allowance of three hundred cash, paid at the end of each month.”

Mrs. An was slightly plump, wearing a worn light blue silk dress, and spoke crisply and clearly.

The maids working in the small kitchen were usually given names related to food. Because Da Niu always blushed, Mama An decided to change her name to Hong Dou (Red Bean). Gui Yuan (Longan) didn't need to be renamed. When they got to Dunzi's side, Mama An suddenly asked a question.

"An'er wrote that you have some talent for embroidery, and if you study hard, you'll definitely amount to something someday. Has the little girl who's good at embroidery alongside you been assigned to the sewing room?"

Upon hearing that An Niangzi had made a recommendation, Dunzi's joy was written all over his face.

After she curtsied, she reported the truth. Mother An frowned after listening. The Ju Chang family had not been peaceful these past few days, and there had been a lot of rumors circulating in the courtyard.

Finally, they named Dunzi "Winter Melon" and sent Zisu, who was beside them, to take them downstairs.

Others may not know, but An Mama is an old lady of the Tang family. A few years ago, the master sent Zheng Shan's family to Jinan County to handle affairs. Since her son-in-law had a deep friendship with Zheng Shan, she asked the old lady for permission to let her only daughter, An Niang, go with her son-in-law.

A letter arrived recently, in which Anniang mentioned these two girls.

Firstly, regarding Meng Shu, at the beginning of the year, the old lady of the mansion said that she would select personal maids for the young ladies. In reality, the young ladies were growing up, and the personal maids would be trained as dowry maids in the future.

Anniang mentioned that Zheng Shan's wife said Meng Shu was beautiful, had good embroidery skills, was clever, and even more rare was that she was literate, making her the best candidate. She was thinking of asking Anniang's mother to give her some advice so that they could be brought together.

Secondly, Dunzi does have some talent in the art of cooking, so I asked my mother to give him some extra care.

After a moment of contemplation, Madam An realized that Meng Shu's situation was likely dire. However, she needed to reconsider whether to expose the matter. Although Ju Chang was a widow, she was a servant born into the Tang family and held some position among the stewards of the inner courtyard. The relationships involved were complex and multifaceted.

Coincidentally, Zheng Dongjia's letter and An Niangzi's letter arrived at the Tang residence together and are now in Suwen's hands.

Meng Shu was completely unaware of all this. At this moment, she was filled with sorrow and staring blankly at the water in the basin. She had drawn her dagger and placed it on the ground beside her.

Even if her face were ruined and she ended up like Ying Chun, it would be better than being a prostitute at Chunfeng Tower. But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it. A bright little face was reflected in the water, bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to her mother.

This continued until late afternoon when Wei's mother came to the backyard.

Although Madam Wei was nearing forty, her age was still evident despite the makeup, though glimpses of her youthful beauty could still be seen in her eyes and brows. Her attire was not particularly shabby; she wore a light blue silk robe over a dark green brocade vest, and a silk skirt with cloud-patterned embroidery. A gold hairpin inlaid with emeralds adorned her glossy black hair.

Behind her followed seven or eight young women from the building, all adorned with jewels. The group chattered and joked with each other, talking about the dragon boat race they had witnessed that day.

Just as the zongzi were cooked, not long after, all the girls in Chunfeng Tower gathered in the backyard. Meng Shu looked around and saw that there were as many as thirty or forty people.

Madam Wei didn't linger. After giving a few instructions, she sent someone to fetch Meng Shu and then led her to a courtyard. The others looked at Meng Shu with varying degrees of surprise. One of the women, a beautiful woman, sighed silently, unnoticed by anyone.

Meng Shu lowered her head and followed into the neighboring courtyard.

The courtyard was separated from the kitchen by a wall, and Meng Shu saw that it was very desolate when she passed by in the morning.

It wasn't until they entered the interior that they belatedly realized that the courtyard was devoid of flowers and grass, and the three bedrooms in the front, along with the two side bedrooms, were covered in a layer of dust, all appearing to be neglected.

Mother Wei stood in front of the door, and the servants behind her opened the door and went in to clean.

"You should know that once you enter my Spring Breeze Pavilion, unless someone pays a high price to redeem you, you can forget about leaving." She sat upright in the grand chair in the main hall, the afternoon sun shining through the window lattice, casting hazy dust spots.

With those words, Meng Shu stepped into the room. Even without looking specifically, the various instruments of torture displayed on both sides of the hall came into view. Meng Shu felt a chill run through her body. She dared not look directly at Wei Mama at the head of the table. Her hands clenched into fists, and a wave of sorrow washed over her.

Mother Wei slowly rose and gracefully walked to the torture instruments on the left. Seemingly casually, she picked up a roll of needles and ran her fingers back and forth over it. Without saying a word, two burly old women behind her stepped forward, covered Meng Shu's mouth, and began to search her body.