tallest building

Chapter 190 Solving an Immediate Problem

The other maids and servants rushed forward to stop her, saying repeatedly, "No, this is not right. The eldest mistress is pregnant."

The more she said that, the angrier Zhou Jingsan became, cursing, "You shameless whore! Just wait and see when I'll skin you alive!"

It was Zhao's mother who rushed over and said, "Young Master has drunk too much and must have been injured. Quickly help him out so he can rest properly!"

Zhou Jingsan was indeed drunk and unsteady on his feet, so he was pushed out by the maids and servants.

Even so, he was still muttering curses, but by the end his words were slurred and unclear.

When Zhao's mother went back into the room, only Liu Cuiyi was sitting there, covering her face.

"Girl, let me see, you went too far," said Zhao's mother, both distressed and worried. "Did you hurt the baby?"

Liu Cuiyi remained silent, seemingly lost in thought, as if her soul had left her body.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Ma couldn't help but sigh and silently shed tears.

After a long while, when the tallow candle on the table had burned down to half its original size, Liu Cuiyi finally spoke.

“Aunt Zhao, it really comes down to what Sister Wen said, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.” Liu Cuiyi said with a somewhat blank look in her eyes, “We can’t wait any longer, we have to make our move first.”

Zhao's mother was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Has the young lady thought about what to do?"

“I’ve made up my mind,” Liu Cuiyi said very slowly, as if each word required a great deal of effort, yet she was absolutely determined. “Tomorrow morning, take the money out and buy a beautiful and plump maid. Remember, be willing to spend the money, don’t be stingy.”

“Okay, I’ll go when the market opens tomorrow morning,” said Zhao’s mother.

“Zhou Jingsan must have heard something to come back and treat me like this. But I doubt he has any real evidence, so he won’t really do anything to me in the next few days. We must seize this opportunity and not be soft-hearted or ambiguous.” The left side of her face was swollen from Zhou Jingsan’s beatings. This wasn’t the first time she had been beaten like this.

In the past, she would always cry and wallow in self-pity. Now, however, she doesn't shed a single tear.

The flickering candlelight made her eyes appear even darker yet brighter.

"Then the girl should rest early! I'll be outside, call me if you need anything." Zhao Ma didn't say anything more; she knew that she no longer needed to comfort and console her as she had before.

The next morning, Zhao's mother got up and went out.

Zhou Jingsan got completely drunk last night and probably won't get up until noon.

This gap is enough time for her to get things done.

In today's market, you could buy a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old for no more than two hundred taels of silver. And she would have to be pretty and good at needlework.

However, Zhao's mother spent seven hundred taels to buy a girl from Wujiang. This girl originally came from a middle-class family, but her family later fell into decline and she had no choice but to wander to the capital.

Her needlework skills were mediocre, but she could sing folk songs and play the pipa. She had fair skin and a charming demeanor in every corner of her eyes and brows.

At a glance, Zhao's mother guessed that she was no longer a virgin and estimated that her past was not necessarily clean.

But none of that matters. What matters is getting her to solve our immediate problem.

Bring the girl to Liu Cuiyi, who looked at her with satisfaction and said, "You are very well-behaved, so I will name you Ruyi! To tell you the truth, I didn't buy you into the manor to do chores. You just need to serve the young master well. I have a few newly made clothes that I haven't worn yet, so I'll give you two as a reward!"

The girl naturally guessed what was going on, and seeing Liu Cuiyi's kind face and gentle tone, she was quite pleased.

Liu Cuiyi added, "I just don't know if the eldest young master will be able to take a liking to you. Let's wait until he sees you before we talk about it! Madam and Grand Madam haven't been feeling well these days, so don't go to pay your respects yet. Let's talk about it in a few days." Zhou Jingsan woke up groggily. He had stayed in Aunt Zheng's room last night.

The concubines of the Zhou family were not very respectful to Liu Cuiyi in normal times, and now that she was pregnant, they were even more jealous.

Then Aunt Zheng added fuel to the fire, saying, "The eldest mistress is becoming more and more pampered these days. We got up early to pay our respects to the madam, but she didn't go. I heard she hasn't even gotten up yet; she probably didn't sleep well last night!"

Although she didn't know exactly what was going on, she felt that the atmosphere in the Zhou family had been quite subtle lately.

"That bitch!" Zhou Jingsan sat up angrily. "Who is Qiao Zhang Zuozhi putting on this act for?"

As he spoke, he put on his clothes and went to Liu Cuiyi's room. Now that he was awake, he wanted to question her.

Who would have thought that he would run into a beautiful maid as soon as he entered the door, and Zhou Jingsan was immediately unable to move his feet.

The girl's bright eyes stole a glance at him before she lowered her head in embarrassment, her chin close to her chest, her breasts so high they seemed about to burst through her clothes.

Zhou Jingsan had hardly ever lived in the area, and had even forgotten his own surname, so how could he possibly remember to settle accounts with Liu Cuiyi?

He simply asked the girl, "Are you new here? What's your name?"

"Young Master, my name is Ruyi." Ruyi's voice was soft, like the gentle spring waters of Jiangnan.

"That's a good name," Zhou Jingsan grinned. "Are you from the Wu region?"

“Young Master is truly exceptionally intelligent. This servant is indeed from Wu.” As Ruyi spoke, she gently swayed her hips.

"Ruyi asked you to bring something, why haven't you brought it in yet?" Zhao's mother asked loudly from the inner room.

"Oh, they're here!" Ruyi blushed, quickly grabbed her things, and went back inside, saying, "It's the young master."

Zhou Jingsan coughed twice and went inside.

The swelling on Liu Cuiyi's face has subsided, but traces can still be seen upon closer inspection.

Zhou Jingsan glanced at her face but didn't say anything.

He originally came here to vent his anger, but who would have thought that there was a beautiful woman hiding in the house.

Zhou Jingsan's greatest love in this world is beauty; with beauty before him, he naturally cannot care about anything else.

"Young Master, what do you think of this girl?" Liu Cuiyi asked, taking a sip of tea.

"Not bad at all." Zhou Jingsan still maintained a somewhat reserved demeanor.

"I'm pregnant now and often feel weak, so I can't serve you anymore. I might as well buy this girl. If the young master is satisfied, then take her as his concubine!" Liu Cuiyi said directly, without beating around the bush.

These words were exactly what Zhou Jingsan wanted to hear. He had long been determined to take this girl under his wing, but he didn't expect Liu Cuiyi to agree so readily. It was good that she knew what was good for her.

So he said, "Since it's your kind intention, I can't refuse you. Let her stay in the warm pavilion on the west side for now! We can find another place to stay when the weather gets better."

For the next few days, Zhou Jingsan spent every day with Ruyi in the room, and no one else could see her.

Zhou Jingsan was enjoying his newfound pleasures, but his concubines were not happy about it and harbored a great deal of resentment towards Liu Cuiyi.