Full House Spring

Chapter 13: Death of Mrs. Wu

Ever since the Duke inherited the title, the power of housekeeping has been handed over to the first wife. Mrs. Song is smart and capable, and is strict with the rules. She has never made any mistakes in her many years of managing the household.

After Lu Qinghe beat the maid to death with a stick, she acted promptly and dealt with all those who knew about it.

Nanny Wang said in a low voice, "Madam, your actions were absolutely foolproof. Let's just forget about it. Just pretend that nothing happened. Don't do this again in the future."

Lu Qinghe said with a gloomy face: "Next time I will keep my temper, even if I punish the servants again, I will do it quietly. I just don't know who leaked the news. Grandmother stayed in Leshou Hall all day chanting scriptures and worshiping Buddha. If no one gossiped in front of her, how could she know."

Nanny Wang's eyes were deep and her tone was calm as she said, "The eldest wife was able to run the household smoothly thanks to the support of the old lady. It seems that the eldest wife is the one in charge of the household, but in fact, nothing can be hidden from the old lady."

Lu Qinghe's voice trembled as he asked, "You mean... Grandmother has placed people in each courtyard?"

Nanny Wang neither admitted nor denied it. She said slowly:

"Girl, if you have time, you might as well spend more time with the old lady. It would be good to learn some self-cultivation skills from her."

Although the grandchildren in the mansion came to pay their respects frequently, none of them won the old lady's favor. Lu Qinghe said reluctantly: "I know what's going on. You don't have to worry about it. When I go back later, how will mother deal with it?"

Nanny Wang's entire reputation rested on the eldest girl, so she naturally had to find ways to help her solve her problems. She spoke in a low voice about the strategies she was going to use, while Xia Li, who was squatting in the rockery cave, dared not even breathe.

Xia Li had long realized that in this world, the lives of people at the bottom of society were worthless, but she had not expected that the reality would be far more cruel than she had imagined. It was so easy for such a young girl to kill a person.

Xia Li's face turned pale, and she couldn't calm down for a long time. What was the difference between her and the maid who was beaten to death? She had no freedom and human rights. This indenture was like a death warrant, which made her unable to rest in peace.

She had no intention of spying on this life-threatening matter, and she didn't know how the other servants who knew about it were kept silent. She must not reveal her whereabouts at this moment, but after squatting for so long, Xia Li's legs and feet were numb, but the master and servants were reluctant to leave.

Xia Li couldn't bear it any longer, so she quietly moved her feet. Without noticing, her toes hit a stone, which rolled into the pond with a thud as she moved.

Nanny Wang, who was speaking, shouted, "Who is hiding in the dark?"

After the words fell, there was a dead silence and no one answered. Xia Li covered her mouth tightly, afraid of making any sound. Lu Qinghe gritted her teeth and said, "If you don't come out yourself, I will have people search the rockery. If they find you, I will let my grandmother beat you to death."

Xia Li's heart tightened when she heard the words "beaten to death". If she was really caught, she was not sure whether her grandma could save her. Hearing the footsteps approaching, Xia Li's heart beat in her throat.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded, and Mrs. Wu flattered: "Don't be upset, young lady. I am the old lady's companion. You should have seen me..."

Xia Li frowned slightly. She was sure that she did not see Mrs. Wu when she came here just now, and she didn't know when she came. Xia Li pricked up her ears and continued to listen to her.

Lu Qinghe said in a bad tone: "You cunning woman, why don't you go to work and hide in the dark to eavesdrop? What is your intention?"

Mother Wu knelt down and begged for mercy, "Miss, you have misunderstood. I am not very mobile and wanted to find a place to rest after finishing my work. I accidentally fell asleep and just woke up when I heard the noise."

How could Lu Qinghe believe her words? She said sinisterly, "In that case, come with me to explain to the first wife. If my mother believes you, then let it go."

Although Wu Pozi had some face in Le Shou Tang, she did not dare to act rashly in front of the eldest wife. She pleaded with a shameless face: "Young lady, why do you have to mobilize so many people? I am a servant in Le Shou Tang. This matter should be left to the old lady to deal with."

Nanny Wang smiled and said, "You are not right, old sister. The eldest wife is the head of the household. She should be in charge of all matters in the mansion. You are just a servant. Why should you bother the old lady?"

Mrs. Wu's face froze, and she said sternly, "Don't you dare touch me? I am the old lady's companion, and I have made contributions to her. If you punish me at will, it would be disrespectful, and the old lady will not forgive me easily."

Lu Qinghe sneered, "Could it be that a servant like you is more valuable than me?"

Mrs. Wu's lips trembled and she couldn't speak. She knew that she had hit a wall this time. Lu Qinghe didn't have the patience to continue arguing with her. He said mercilessly: "Hurry up and gag her. Tie her up and send her to my mother. Don't disturb the old lady."

Nanny Wang took the order and took two maids to do it herself. Mrs. Wu was so frightened that her heart and liver broke. She shouted loudly: "When beating a dog, you have to look at the owner first. The girl doesn't even care about the people who serve her own grandmother. She has no respect for her elders..."

Before she could finish her words, Nanny Wang slapped her in the face and then covered her mouth. Xia Li could only hear dragging and whimpering sounds, and soon everyone left.

Xia Li endured the numbness in her legs and waited for a while. When she was sure that there was no movement, she got up carefully and left. She did not go back to Nanny Xie's room, but turned around and went back to her own room.

At this hour, everyone else was on duty and not in the house. Xia Li calmed herself down and regained her senses, but she felt a little worried again. She never wandered around the mansion on weekdays and didn't know much about the other masters.

But the eldest girl had seen it. She was the eldest daughter of the Duke and the First Lady, and her status was extremely noble. It was unknown whether it was good or bad for Mrs. Wu to be taken away by her, and it was not convenient to tell outsiders about this matter, so they could only wait and see what happened.

The whole day was no different from Xia Li's usual routine. He worked diligently when he was supposed to, and did his own things when he was free. Everything in Leshou Hall was peaceful and quiet, and no one seemed to know that Mrs. Wu had left.

At night, she went to take a look at Mrs. Wu's room. It was dark inside and there was no light. Obviously, Mrs. Wu had not come back yet. Xia Li's eyelids were twitching, and she felt that this was not a good sign.

When she returned to the room, the others had already washed up. Xiangru was carrying a basin of water and seeing her, he asked, "Where are you from? Why do you look so absent-minded?"

Xia Li came back to his senses and smiled, saying perfunctorily: "I ate a lot for dinner, I'm going out for a walk to digest it. Do you still want to learn to read today?"

Mai Dong, who was sitting on the big bunk and eating meat jerky, waved her hands quickly when she heard this. She said with a bitter face:

"Forget about it today. I haven't memorized the few words I learned yesterday yet. I'm afraid I won't be able to learn new ones."

Xiangru said with a displeased look on his face: "I only learned five characters yesterday, how come you can't remember them? I see that you are concentrating on eating. Next time I will complain to my uncle. You don't know how to improve yourself at all."

Mai Dong didn't mind being scolded by her. She took a bite of the jerky and said happily:

"It's already a great achievement for me to know a few words. My father doesn't expect me to pass the imperial examination, so why should I work so hard?" Xiangru grew up with her, so he knew her personality. He said helplessly, "Forget it for today. Let's all go to bed early."

Xia Li was already worried, so she was just hoping for it. She tossed and turned all night. Although Mrs. Wu was not easy to get along with, she was not guilty of a heinous crime. She was taken away by the eldest girl's men, and she didn't know if there was any news from the old lady.

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was in a mess, and she barely fell asleep until the second half of the night. When it was dawn, Xiangru and the others got up and put on their clothes. Xia Li was awakened by the rustling sound of clothes, so she got up as well.

The flowers and plants in the courtyard had grown very lush these days, and the housekeeper told her to trim them when she had time. Xia Li finished the job early in the morning while it was cool.

Zi Fu also came back to work. She became much more well-behaved. Although she still disliked Xia Li, she didn't dare to confront her head-on. When they arrived at the courtyard, Zi Fu and Man Qing fetched water together, while Xia Li rolled up her sleeves and trimmed branches.

A pot of flowers had not been trimmed yet when she suddenly heard Zi Fu's terrified scream. Xia Li's heart skipped a beat and she quickly dropped her tools to go and check. Upon hearing the noise, Elsholtzia and Ophiopogon also ran over.

Manqing and Zifu hugged each other and trembled. Xia Li asked solemnly, "What happened?"

Man Qing's face turned pale. She pointed to the well and trembled, saying, "Granny Wu... is in the well..."

As soon as these words came out, the maids were horrified. Xia Li bravely walked towards the well. As she stretched her neck to look into the well, she happened to meet the pair of eyes of Mrs. Wu who were still open in death. Xia Li was strongly shocked. She opened her mouth and said in a trembling voice: "Go find the housekeeper..."

Death in a large mansion is not uncommon, but everyone knows that Mrs. Wu is the old lady's confidant and companion. Her unclear death in the well of Leshou Hall is tantamount to a provocation to the old lady.

Nanny Xie was the first to arrive at the scene. She inquired in detail about how the body was discovered, and then ordered the servants in the outer courtyard to drag the body away. She ordered the maids not to talk nonsense everywhere. The air in Leshou Hall was filled with the smell of impending storm.

Xia Li was locked in the room with Xiang Ru and the others, and they were not allowed to go out without permission. The girls hadn't eaten for the whole morning. Zi Fu was so hungry that she felt dizzy and said irritably:
"Granny Wu's death has nothing to do with us, so why are you locking us up here?"

Man Qing was also feeling uncomfortable. She stood up and took out a small bag of dried sweet potatoes from the closet. She said weakly, "Eat a few slices of dried sweet potatoes to fill your stomach first. The death of Mrs. Wu must be serious. It may be related to some major incident. We are all implicated. We should be released soon."

Maidong was lying on the big bunk bed in a listless state, Xiangru also had a bitter and resentful look on his face, only Xiali was standing in front of the window, not knowing what to think. Manqing saw her like this, walked up to her, frowned and asked in a low voice: "You often go to Madam Xie's place, didn't you hear any rumors?"

Xia Li looked at her expressionlessly and said calmly, "When I go to grandma's room, I either do embroidery or practice calligraphy. I never try to attract attention on purpose, so how can I hear any news?"

Man Qing had a certain understanding of Xia Li's character and knew that she was telling the truth. She said solemnly, "Will we be silenced? What if something serious really happens..."

Before she finished speaking, Xia Li said coldly:

"Don't scare yourself. Someone will find Mrs. Wu's body eventually. We are just the lowest-ranking maids. What can we know? It's not our turn to keep our mouths shut. I seem to smell the scent of incense. I think the old lady must have invited a monk to perform a ritual in the courtyard. She should let us out soon."

After hearing what she said, Man Qing breathed a sigh of relief, calmed down and waited patiently. She waited until sunset before someone finally let them out.

Xia Li stepped out of the house and without bothering to find food to fill her stomach, she hurriedly ran to find Nanny Xie. When she ran to Nanny Xie, she saw her walking back with unsteady steps, so Xia Li quickly stepped forward and supported her.

Aunt Xie said in a hoarse voice, "You're out now, but you haven't eaten yet, right? I just had a few dishes delivered. Please eat with me."

Xia Li agreed obediently. The busiest person in Le Shou Tang was Madam Xie. She had to take care of everything and was always on duty at the request of the old lady. She was also an elderly person and could not bear such hard work.

As soon as she entered the room, Xia Li saw hot food on the low table. Her stomach made a noise at the right time. Nanny Xie glanced at her and motioned for her to sit down.

"I was too busy today to take care of you. You must be scared."

Xia Li sat down to the right of Aunt Xie and said calmly, "I was a little scared, but I've calmed down now. Aunt, is the old lady angry?"

Aunt Xie took a bite of the food and said calmly:
"I'm not angry. Mrs. Wu has offended too many people. This ending is inevitable. This matter has brought shame to the old lady, so I must investigate it thoroughly."

Xia Li ate the food without any taste. She didn't know whether what she heard yesterday could be considered as evidence. After all, human life was at stake, and Xia Li always felt that it was not appropriate to keep it secret.

She hesitated again and again, and finally said:

"Grandma, I met Granny Wu yesterday. She had a misunderstanding with the eldest girl, and was finally taken away by Nanny Wang who was with the eldest girl."

Aunt Xie said seriously, "Tell me in detail what happened."

Since Xia Li chose to tell her grandma, she would not keep it half-hearted. She put down her chopsticks and told her everything she heard.

After that, Xia Li said in a heavy tone: "Grandma, do you think that Mrs. Wu was killed by the eldest girl?"

Aunt Xie shook her head and said indifferently:

"The eldest girl was just scolded by the old lady. She won't make the same mistake again in a short period of time. The eldest lady is not a fool. I'm afraid there are things we don't know about this."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Xia Li with deep eyes and said in a cold tone: "If it weren't for Granny Wu to stop the disaster this time, I'm afraid you would have fallen into the well and died."

Xia Li's breathing stagnated, and he said in a tense voice, "The eldest lady has already dealt with the matter of the eldest lady beating the servant to death. Even if I knew about it, it wouldn't cause any trouble. That person attacked Granny Wu directly, probably with the purpose of provoking a conflict between the old lady and the eldest lady. I'm afraid it wouldn't be as effective as Granny Wu if I were to do it."

Aunt Xie's expression was intriguing. She said slowly:
"Whether you are Mrs. Wu or not, there is not much difference. You are all the old lady's people in essence. This mansion looks prosperous, but it is actually full of undercurrents. Don't come out and wander around casually in the future."

Xia Li nodded in agreement. After this incident, she had a deeper understanding of the mansion. In order to escape slavery alive, she had to be extra careful in everything she did in the future.

(End of this chapter)