tallest building

Chapter 7 Little Diao slave

In the blink of an eye, Wen Mingqian and his mother had been staying at Yunfengzhai for several days.

Song fell ill the day after they returned and they haven't seen each other since.

Gong Xu avoided seeing her altogether, treating his first wife as worthless.

However, Wen Mingqian seemed quite relaxed, without the slightest discomfort.

That morning, Zhang Ma complained, "This house hasn't been lived in for a long time, and it has a filthy smell. We've been burning incense for several days, but it still doesn't smell clear."

As they spoke, they took out an incense burner to burn incense. Gong Chang'an and Wen Mingqian played chess by the window, with Wen Mingqian playing white and Gong Chang'an playing black.

After burning incense, Zhang Ma turned around and, finding no one there, said, "These two maids who were assigned here are really lazy. Not only do they dawdle when they do their work, but they also disappear all the time."

“I think they’re both quite clever, but they’re just lazy in this courtyard,” Wen Mingqian smiled. “They probably assume I won’t be staying here for long, which is why they’re so lazy in serving me.”

"Hmph, the root of the problem lies with Madam Song." Zhang Ma sneered. "She hid in her room pretending to be sick, partly to protect her own peace and quiet, and partly to deliberately let these servants break the rules."

“I was thinking the same thing. We’ve been back for several days now and have had a good rest.” Wen Mingqian slowly turned the teacup in his hand, watching the amber tea reflect the spring light outside the window. “The manor has been too quiet for so many years, it’s quite boring.”

"Then, as the young lady wishes, let's make it lively." Zhang Ma smiled knowingly.

"We didn't come back to live a peaceful life," Wen Mingqian said sarcastically. "How can we rest until we've turned the world upside down?"

In these seven years, Wen Mingqian has gone through countless hardships.

The calm and serene demeanor we enjoy today is the result of countless heart-wrenching griefs and sleepless nights of torment.

A short while later, the maid Zhui Zi came in from outside, carrying a tracing of shoe patterns in her hand. This was the reason why she had been missing for so long.

Zhang Ma went to the outer room and called her name, saying, "Hongxing went to urge them to have breakfast, but she hasn't come back yet. Go and check on her. Tell her to hurry up, Madam and Fourth Young Master are up early."

Zhui Zi rolled her eyes discreetly upon hearing this, but readily agreed, "I know, I'll go right away."

She dawdled as she entered the kitchen, where she saw Hongxing chatting and eating melon seeds with a few people working in the kitchen. Of course, they couldn't be talking about anyone else, so it could only be Wen Mingqian.

"I'm urging you to go back quickly! Is your foot tied up?" Zhui Zi walked in, teasingly, and casually pinched Hong Xing's slender waist.

Hongxing turned around and gave her a push, saying, "My feet are tied up, so hurry up and take yours back! Here, breakfast is here, go take it back!"

The two of them joked with each other, clearly not taking Wen Mingqian and his mother seriously.

Not only them, but everyone in the mansion with ears knew about it.

The master disliked his wife very much, refusing to even see her and forbidding her and her son from moving around freely.

In the future, it is highly likely that she will be sent back to Shuangxi. Who will care about this mistress in name only?

Besides, they also need to take this opportunity to show their loyalty to the young mistress!
Zhui Zi grabbed a handful of pumpkin seeds from the basket and cracked them open as he said, "That old hag Zhang Ma has a sullen face; she's probably about to yell at someone."

Hongxing snorted, turned her head, and said, "She's just a country bumpkin. What's so great about her being able to curse a few times? She was indeed arrogant when she first came, but she's quieted down these days."

"After all, she's going to stay in this mansion. If she keeps acting like a herd of mules, who's going to put up with her?!" The cook said, "Only the young mistress spoils them. Now she's made the young mistress sick. Who are they going to put on airs with now?" He added, "These days you've been serving them our food, and they haven't even bared their teeth."

"Hehe, that's because they've never seen the world. How would they know what their masters should eat? They think our food is a delicacy just because they've seen it before." Hongxing laughed so hard she bent over.

“But Zhang Ma ate most of the meals by herself, while the other two ate things they made themselves,” Zhui Zi said. “They brought a big vat with a charcoal fire burning inside, which never went out. There were several earthenware pots stewing in it, with both meat and vegetables.”

"Could it be that they brought beggar's things into the mansion?" the kitchen manager frowned. "Oh dear, this is truly disgraceful!"

"You know what, that stuff smells really strange," Hongxing said, swallowing hard. "I don't know what it is, and I haven't seen them ask the kitchen for any vegetables."

After finishing the melon seeds in her hand, Zhui Zi felt that it had been too long, so she couldn't help but urge Hong Xing again: "That's enough, you've been out for almost half an hour, don't look too out of place."

Hongxing knew she had been waiting for quite a while, so she stood up, picked up the food box, and went out with Zhuizi.

The two of them couldn't help but chatter on the way.

"Who would have thought this unfortunate task would fall on our shoulders? Now everyone laughs at me," Hongxing said dejectedly.

“That’s true, who knows when this will end?” Zhui Zi sighed as well.

“In my opinion, we shouldn’t serve them so well.” Hongxing tugged at the pendant, making her walk slower, “so that the young mistress knows that our hearts are with her.”

"Is this feasible?" Zhui Zi hesitated. "She is, after all, a lady of the house..."

"You're such a blockhead!" Hongxing poked her head. "I heard that this lady was sent back to her hometown because she did something shameful back then. Someone like her will never be able to turn her life around. Why are you afraid of her?"

"What shameful thing?" Zhui Zi asked hastily.

“I’m not sure about that,” Hongxing said, pursing her lips and shaking her head. “It’s either infidelity or filial impiety; it’s definitely not some minor problem.”

"Then..." Zhui Zi wanted to ask more questions.

Hongxing said, "Don't ask anymore, and don't tell anyone else. Just keep it to yourself. The important thing is to let the young mistress know how we feel."

At this time, Wen Mingqian had already eaten breakfast with his son.

Only Zhang Ma was still hungry.

"Zhang Ma, are you hungry?" Gong Chang'an touched Zhang Ma's big belly.

"Your breakfast is destined to be late today," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

Zhang Ma has a huge appetite; she can eat the equivalent of several people's meals by herself.

The sounds of laughter and chatter could be heard outside; Hongxing and Zhuizi had returned.

"These two girls are clearly playing favorites," said Zhang Ma. "Girl, do you think today's punishment should be a small one or a big one?"

Wen Mingqian put the last chess piece back into the chess jar: "Let's make them all at once while the fire is still hot! It'll save us from grinding our teeth over such trivial matters later."

(End of this chapter)