Full House Spring

Chapter 4: Third-class Maid
Nanny Xie led the two maids through the corridor. Xia Li looked up and saw a plum tree with colorful flowers and emerald green leaves standing quietly in the courtyard.

As if she noticed Xia Li's gaze, Madam Xie said slowly, "This tree was planted by the Duke himself when he was young. The old lady is kind and will give some of the fruit to the servants. If you are greedy, you can come and pick it in a while."

Xia Li said shyly, "Grandma, you misunderstood me. I just think that this dense tree canopy is like a green umbrella. It looks full of vitality and is very pleasing to the eye."

Madam Xie looked back at Li Zishu with an unfathomable look in her eyes. She said in a dull tone, "If you like it, you can come and play when you are not on duty. But I have to remind you two that when serving the master, don't be so unruly. A servant is a servant, and you must not forget the rules."

These words made Xia Li's heart tremble. No matter how much she didn't want to admit that she was inferior to others, reality kept suppressing her.

She opened her mouth and said in a dry voice: "I will remember your teachings."

Qiao He had not yet recovered from the beautiful plum tree, and instinctively followed Xia Li and said, "I will also remember your teachings."

Seeing Xia Li lowering his head obediently, Aunt Xie continued:

"Qiaohe will go to the small kitchen to work later. First, follow Madam Lu to be a fire-making girl, and then you can take your time."

Qiao He had no complaints and happily agreed. It was work no matter where she went anyway. Compared to Jiang Yapo's side, the Duke's Mansion at least would not sell them out at will. Working in a large mansion was always a respectable thing.

As they were talking, the three of them had already arrived at the small kitchen. Madam Lu, who was wearing a tube top with a short shirt, a pleated skirt, and a headscarf, was leaning against the door, cracking melon seeds while directing the servant to pluck chicken feathers.

"You have to clean the hair on the wings. If the master eats a mouthful of hair, watch out for your skin..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and saw Aunt Xie standing there. She immediately threw away the melon seeds in her hand and walked over to her, smiling flatteringly:
"Madam, why did you come here in person? What did the old lady want? You can just send a maid to run errands. It's so hot, why bother coming here in person?"

Madam Xie did not take Qiao seriously and said to her, "I came here for two things. You are in need of a fire-making maid, so I brought her to you. This is Qiao He. She will stay in the small kitchen and you can use her as you like."

Upon hearing this, Madam Lu squinted her eyes and looked at Qiao He, saying with a hint of disdain:

"This is a hairless girl, what use can she be? Why don't you find me a grown-up girl?"

Madam Xie smiled and said, "It's not like a little girl doesn't know how to make a fire, so why do you have so many opinions? If you don't want it, someone else will."

How could Madam Lu dare to displease Madam Xie? She hurriedly said with a smile:

"Look at what Madam said. I'm in need of help here, so why not? Give me both of these girls."

She saw that Xia Li's eyes were lively and seemed to be more capable than Qiao He. Madam Xie said indifferently:

"Don't even think about it, Xia Li. She will fill the vacancy of the third-class maid in the courtyard. Bai Shao and Shi Mi are getting older. If the little maids below are not replaced in time, there will be a lack of successors in the future."

When Madam Lu heard what she said, she looked at Xia Li with an unfriendly look and raised her eyelids.

"Whose girl is this Xia Li? Why haven't I seen her in the servants' quarters?"

Madam Xie raised her eyebrows. "I bought these two girls from outside. I have never seen any outstanding girls among the children in my family. Xiali can read and do needlework. If we raise them for a few more years, they will be just right for use."

Madam Lu's expression was very exaggerated. She leaned in and whispered to her, "Madam, how dare you hire someone from the outside whose background you don't know? If she is someone with evil intentions, there will be chaos if she is brought back to the mansion."

Madam Xie's expression was slightly restrained, and she reprimanded in a low voice: "The maid was ordered by the old lady to go out to buy things. The eldest wife is really busy managing the household, and the old lady doesn't want to make her worry, so she acted like this. What can this little girl who is so weak as to not even tie a chicken have in mind?"

Although Madam Lu was not convinced, she did not dare to argue with her. Madam Xie was the old lady's confidant, and even the masters in the mansion had to show her respect. She did not dare to confront her head-on.

Madam Lu smiled shamelessly and said, "It turns out that the old lady is considerate of the first lady. I was too talkative and I deserve to be beaten."

She pretended to slap her cheeks twice. Aunt Xie's eyes flashed with sarcasm, and she said in a calm voice: "The old lady has a poor appetite. You can make some curly fish and prepare some basil drink. I will get it later."

Madam Lu bowed and responded quickly. After Madam Xie finished speaking, she turned to Qiao He and said,
"You must follow Madam Lu and work hard. Don't cause any trouble. If I find out that you don't follow the rules of the mansion, I will ask the traffickers to sell you out again."

Qiaohe knew that Nanny Xie was trying to scare her, but she was not afraid and knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.

"I will follow Madam's instructions!"

Qiao He was settled, so Madam Xie took Xia Li away. After the two of them left, Madam Lu pointed at Qiao He and said arrogantly, "What are you still standing there for? Come over here and get some water to knead the dough."

Qiao He was a little surprised and said timidly: "Grandma asked me to be the fire-making girl..."

Madam Lu crossed her arms and sneered, "What's wrong with being a fire-making girl? I have the final say in this small kitchen. You have to do whatever I tell you to do. You're just a servant girl, why are you so pretentious?" Qiao He didn't dare to say a word after being scolded. She rolled up her sleeves with a pale face and went into the kitchen to work. Madam Lu followed her closely with her eyes and spat on the ground with disgust.

Xia Li saw that Madam Lu was not easy to get along with, so she left the small kitchen and looked back with some concern. Madam Xie caught a glimpse of her movements and said in a calm voice:
"Everyone has his own destiny. If you have the energy to spare, you might as well worry more about yourself."

Xia Li was slightly stunned when she heard this. She was not a saintly woman. She just had some affection for Qiao He after spending some time with him. She lowered her head and said, "Grandma is right."

Madam Xie tilted her head and glanced at her. "I know you are a little clever, but you have to use your cleverness in the right place. If you dare to stir up trouble in Leshou Hall, I will not let you off easily."

Xia Li looked innocent, and she said softly, "Grandma, you worry too much. I have always been a law-abiding servant. I did that in front of Grandma Jiang just to protect myself."

Nanny Xie did not comment and continued walking with Xia Li, until they saw Aunt Wu, and then they stopped.

When Mrs. Wu saw her, she walked towards her with a slow pace and a slightly hunched body. She first looked at Xia Li curiously, and then said cheerfully, "Old sister, where are you from?"

Mrs. Wu had gray hair and looked older than Madam Xie. Madam Xie smiled faintly on her dull face and said familiarly:
"I'm here to send someone off for my elder sister. This is the newly bought girl. You need to teach her the rules, assign her tasks, and train her well."

Mrs. Wu's lips curled up into a teasing smile, "You have so many families who don't need to give birth to children, this one must be extraordinary. Don't worry, I will train her well."

Aunt Xie nodded slightly. She didn't look at Xia Li and said calmly, "Then I'll go and serve the old lady. You can make the arrangements."

Nanny Xie walked away with her back straight and steady steps. Xia Li looked at her back, feeling a little confused.

Mrs. Wu restrained her expression and looked at Xia Li from top to bottom. Her eyes were cloudy and she said with a hint of disdain, "Where did you come from? You are so dirty. You don't have lice. Come with me and wash yourself clean."

Xia Li was not embarrassed or annoyed by her words. She lowered her head to look at her clothes, which looked tattered and shabby and indeed out of place in the mansion. She raised her sleeve to smell the scent, pursed her lips and smiled:
"Don't worry, mother-in-law. My clothes are tattered but I wash them frequently so they are not dirty, and I don't have any lice on my body."

Mrs. Wu didn't believe her and said with a fierce face:

"We are the Duke's Mansion, not a place where any random person can come. Even a servant cannot bring shame to the mansion. You are so skinny, I wonder if you have clothes to wear."

Xia Li hurriedly said obediently: "It doesn't matter if the clothes are too big. I am still growing up, so they will fit me after a few tries."

Mrs. Wu nodded when she heard this. She first led Xia Li into the servants' room and showed her the big bunk bed where the maids slept.

Although there were seven or eight maids living in one room, it was more spacious than that of Mrs. Jiang. Mrs. Wu pointed to the wall and said with full energy:

"You can live over there, and don't complain about being crowded. We all got here this way. Our old lady likes girls with neat looks. If you can make your skin fairer and more tender, you might even be pleasing to the old lady."

Xia Li is still young. If she can climb up to the position of the old lady's maid, it will not be conspicuous and she can save enough money to redeem herself. It is indeed a good choice.

No matter how rich and powerful the Duke's Mansion is, it has nothing to do with her. Her goal is to escape from slavery and live a free life.

Xia Lixinzi is an adult in her early thirties who has learned Suzhou embroidery from her grandmother since childhood.

In order to shoot short videos, she also learned various intangible cultural heritage handicrafts. She has been fighting on the Internet for many years and is well versed in the ways of survival. This strength is enough to gain a foothold in the Duke's Mansion.

Xia Li said with moderation: "Mother-in-law, please stop joking. The sisters in the mansion are both talented and beautiful. I am far inferior to them."

Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "Okay, stop being polite and go wash yourself."

Xia Li did not refuse, as she indeed hadn't had a good bath for a long time.

Mother Wu ordered two strong maids to help get hot water, and when Xia Li was naked and smooth, she started to wash him herself.

No matter how strong Xia Li was, she had never experienced such a scene before. She was panicked and shouted:
"Good mother-in-law, please let me wash it myself. I will make sure it is clean."

Mrs. Wu rubbed her thin arms vigorously without giving in, panting and saying:
"If you don't want to get beaten, just shut up. Look at the mud on your body. It's rolled into strips without much effort. It's true that people from outside are not clean."

Xia Li blushed when she heard this. It was difficult to use water at Jiang Yapo's place, and she was not allowed to take a bath every day. It was already the limit for her to maintain basic decency.

Mrs. Wu's movements became more and more rough. There were thick calluses on her fingertips, and it was really uncomfortable when they scratched Xia Li's delicate skin. Xia Li cried out in pain.

(End of this chapter)