Full House Spring

Chapter 48 Night Talk
Compared with the freshness of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Lu's face has become sallow and she has fine lines at the corners of her eyes due to years of hard work in the kitchen. She no longer has the radiance of the past.

If she were a dozen years younger and had Zhao Xiaohui as her capital, she would be willing to give it a try.

Although Zhao Xiaohui had hurt her heart, she had matured and become more sensible over the years. She could now understand her difficulties and would stand by her side when things happened at home. That was enough.

Madam Lu turned around and saw that Dong Ge'er had finished the food in his bowl. She said gently, "I'm going to talk to your aunt for a while. Go out and play for a while and come back."

Dong Ge'er showed a huge smile on his face. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and ran out impatiently. Madam Lu withdrew her gaze only when she could no longer see him.

Seeing that no one responded to her crying for a long time, Mrs. Zhao went back to her room cursing. The hall suddenly became quiet. Mrs. Lu looked at Zhao Xiaohui and said:

"Are you determined to become a concubine?"

Zhao Xiaohui said calmly, "Second Madam chose me to serve Fourth Miss. Isn't it to prepare for the future son-in-law? This is the rule of the rich and powerful families. I just go with the flow."

Madam Lu frowned slightly and said, "The fourth lady is not a fool. You may not be able to get anything good from her."

Zhao Xiaohui took a bite of rice and said nonchalantly, "She is smart but she can't stand the man's love of cheating. After all, she holds my indenture contract and I am her personal maid. I am on the same page with her."

Madam Lu had never served her master closely, so she was not very clear about the twists and turns here. She tried to persuade him:

"If you ask me, you might as well stay in the mansion and choose a capable man in the future. Life here will be better than living outside."

Zhao Xiaohui said unwillingly, "I don't want to stay in the Duke's Mansion for the rest of my life, and the son-in-law chosen by the Second Madam for the Fourth Miss will definitely not be bad, and I have good days ahead of me."

Madam Lu sighed and said no more. Her sister-in-law was a person with a strong will, and even her mother couldn't control her. As the sister-in-law, she only needed to give her a few words of kindness and there was no need to say anything else.

Madam Lu stood up and took away the empty bowls that she and Dong Ge'er had eaten. Zhao Xiaohui suddenly looked up and asked, "Sister-in-law, is Fang Xiali still valued by the old lady in Leshou Hall?"

Madam Lu hummed and said naturally:
"She is the best among the maids. She is not only smart but also has a pair of dexterous hands. It is natural for the old lady to value her. Why did you have a quarrel with her?"

Zhao Xiaohui said with a gloomy look, "If she hadn't been blocking the way, I would have been able to gain some face in front of the old lady."

Madam Lu said indifferently, "You are now the head maidservant of the Fourth Miss, so why bother about so much? Xia Li is not a bad person, so you should relax a little."

Zhao Xiaohui did not take her sister-in-law's words to heart. Instead, she continued to ask, "Who does Xia Li have the worst relationship with now? I don't believe that everyone in Le Shou Tang likes her."

Madam Lu frowned and said, "I really haven't heard of anyone who doesn't get along with her. Qiao He mentioned it to me when we were chatting casually, saying that Chan Yi and Xia Li's words were a bit unpleasant to the ear, so maybe they don't get along well."

Zhao Xiaohui rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "Chan Yi has more experience than her, but she is still only a second-class maid. It is inevitable that she has some opinions about her. If she doesn't restrain herself, something bad will happen sooner or later."

Madam Lu said indifferently, "If anything happens to her, Madam Xie will cover her up. You don't need to worry about it. Bring the dishes over after you finish eating. Don't dawdle."

Zhao Xiaohui agreed, lowered her head and quickened her pace in eating. What she was thinking about, Madam Lu had no idea.

Time slipped through your fingers like fine sand. After two or three busy days in Xia Li, he finally finished making the Tongcao peony.

She had been busy these days and had not gone to serve the old lady. After the eldest wife sent someone to move the peony away, she turned around and went to the old lady.

As a result, they met Chan Yi on the road. She raised her chin and still looked disinterested. Xia Li greeted her with a smile.

"Where are you going?"

Chan Yi rolled her eyes at her and said unhappily, "I came to find you on purpose to tell you something."

Xia Li said calmly, "Then let's go to my room and talk?"

Chan Yi waved her hand, "It's just two or three sentences, no need to bother, just say it and leave."

Xia Li knew that she had this temper, so he said softly, "Then go ahead and talk. I'm listening."

Chan Yi didn't keep the secret and said directly: "When did you provoke Zhao Xiaohui?"

Xia Li was stunned when he heard this, and said with a smile: "I met her once at the second girl's place a few days ago, and I didn't provoke her. What is she doing now?"

Chan Yi said calmly: "She came to me to sow discord, and wanted to use me as a pawn to deal with you."

Xia Li's eyes flickered as he said, "It's a pity that she found the wrong person. We are not really at odds with each other."

Chan Yi reminded, "It's useless for her to tell me. I'm afraid she will go and complain to other people. Sometimes you really make people jealous. Be more careful in the future."

Xia Li smiled and said, "I know. Thank you for reminding me."

Chan Yi yawned, eyes moistened as she said, "I was on duty last night, and the old lady caught a cold again. She didn't sleep all night, so I'm going back to rest first."

Xia Li's expression was slightly restrained. "Then you should go back and have a rest. I'll go see the old lady."

The old lady is old and her physical condition is not as good as before. Every time she has a headache or fever, she has to suffer for several days. No wonder grandma didn't come to see her in the past few days.

Xia Li had no time to care about what Zhao Xiaohui was going to do. She had to go and see the old lady and grandma quickly. The old lady was kind to her. Apart from the master-servant relationship between them, she was just an old person who was about to die.

When Xia Li went over, he saw Aunt Xie standing by the bed. The old lady was asleep with her eyes closed.

Xia Li stepped forward lightly and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, how is the old lady?"

Aunt Xie turned around when she heard the noise and said in a slightly tired voice:

"Last night the old lady had a high fever, but I was afraid that she couldn't handle it, so I didn't prescribe any strong medicine. The fever subsided in the morning. I just fed her some bird's nest porridge, and she fell asleep after eating it."

Xia Li nodded slightly, and said with a little heartache: "Grandma, you have worked hard. You are so thin that your eyeballs are almost sunken. Did you not sleep at night? I will take care of the old lady, you go back and rest."

Aunt Xie said in a hoarse voice: "You have been busy these days and have not had a good rest. Why don't you take a rest before coming? Anyway, there is Shi Mi, she will be here soon." Xia Li shook his head and chuckled: "Don't worry, Aunt, I am young and strong and I am not afraid of being tired. If you fall down, who will accompany the old lady? Go back quickly."

Others did not dare to do anything to Aunt Xie, but Xia Li had no scruples, so Aunt Xie had no choice but to listen to her. Before leaving, she reminded her:
"The old lady doesn't allow the ladies to come to take care of the patient. If they come, you have to persuade them to go back. If the fever gets higher, you have to ask the prince to go to the palace to invite the imperial physician. You have to be more alert."

Xia Li nodded patiently and said in a soothing voice, "I've remembered everything. Go back and rest first. I'll have the maid call you if anything happens."

Only then did Aunt Xie feel at ease to leave. After she left, Xia Li sat beside the old lady to take care of her, fearing that her condition would get worse if she was not careful. After a while, Shi Mi also came in from outside.

Seeing Xia Li, she asked briskly, "Have you finished your work?"

Xia Li nodded and whispered, "The tongcao peony has been delivered to the warehouse in the mansion. The rest is the eldest wife's business. I don't need to worry about anything. Grandma is old, and I'm afraid she will get sick from fatigue, so I let her go back and rest. I will work with you today."

There are only three maids now. The old lady gave Bai Shao a favor and let her go home to wait for marriage. When she returns to the mansion, she will be a daughter-in-law. In addition, it is inevitable that it will be more difficult for Xia Li to make Tongcao Mudan, Shimi and Qiancao.

Shi Mi leaned over and felt the old lady's forehead first. She felt relieved when she found that there was nothing unusual. She smiled and said:
"It was Mammy and Qiancao who were watching over the place last night. I came to persuade Mammy to go back and rest, but she refused to go. It seems that your words are still effective."

Xia Li chuckled and said, "Grandma is worried about the old lady, and she's afraid that I'll nag her. She's not in good health, so how can she continue to endure it? You go and rest at night, and I'll keep watch over her."

Shi Mi did not fight with her for the position, and said softly, "You can do the night duty, but you have to ask a maid to accompany you. Otherwise, ask Xiangru to come. The old lady intends to promote another one, but Chanyi is old, which is a bit of a pity. I think Xiangru has a better chance."

Xia Li frowned slightly and said, "Sister Chan Yi has served the old lady for so many years. It would be a pity if she surpassed her because of age. It would sound better to the outside world if we give her a promotion."

After hearing this, Shi Mi lowered her voice and said, "It depends on the old lady's opinion. Xiangru is softer than her and is more pleasing to the old lady. Her only disadvantage is that she is too stubborn."

Xia Li's mouth corners slightly raised. She wet a towel and wiped the sweat off the old lady's forehead before she said calmly:

"Chan Yi has her own lovely qualities, but she has an open-minded personality and I don't think she would mind this matter. I just mentioned it briefly, and the old lady still has the final say."

Shi Mi nodded slightly. Seeing Xia Li working seriously, she smiled and said:

"During the past few days when you were away, the old lady often mentioned you. When the Duke came to pay his respects, the old lady criticized him, saying that he shouldn't have enslaved you."

Xia Li put the handkerchief back into the copper basin and rubbed it, then said in a low voice:
"After all, the old lady looked after me as I grew up. She loves me and you too. She was even worried about your lifelong affairs some time ago."

When Shi Mi was mentioned, she couldn't hold on to her smile. She said bitterly, "I don't want to get married in this life. I just want to serve the old lady well. My husband's family is not a good place to go. I get a monthly salary as a servant for the old lady, and I can get some rewards from time to time. It's more than enough to support myself. I don't know how good my life is. Why should I go out and suffer?"

Shi Mi was the oldest among the maids, so it was no wonder that the old lady was worried about her. Xia Li did not urge her to get married, but just said patiently:
"What's your parents' attitude? Can you handle their scolding?"

Shi Mi said solemnly: "My father has a tough attitude, and my mother wants to take me to see him every day, so I don't dare to go back."

Xia Li joked, "They are most anxious now. When you are really past the marriageable age, they will be more open-minded. So you should try your best to bear the pressure. No matter what, you are living your life. You don't have to change your original intention because of other people's opinions."

Shi Mi thought this made sense. She sighed and said, "I get a headache when I think about getting married and having children, and managing all those trivial matters. It's most comfortable for me to stay with the old lady and work for her."

Perhaps because of the example of Nanny Xie, Shi Mi was not very worried about the future. Chatting with Xia Li, she felt a lot more relaxed.

The two men stayed by the old lady's side all the time until lunch time when she woke up. They fed her some easily digestible porridge, took her medicine, and talked with her for a while. She felt much better.

At ten o'clock in the night, Xia Li and Xiangru stayed to serve. They wiped the old lady's body clean and changed her clothes. Just as they helped her lie down to sleep, the prince came to visit.

The maid guarding outside the door did not stop him, and Lu Lingchuan walked into the inner room. Xia Li and Xiangru greeted him. Lu Lingchuan raised his hand to signal them to stand up, and then walked to the old lady's bed and looked at her.

The old lady's complexion has recovered a little. She should be fine after two more days of rest. Lu Lingchuan was relieved. He turned around and said in a low voice: "Thank you for taking care of me these days. When grandma is better, I will reward you handsomely."

Lu Lingchuan was looking at what Xia Li said, but Xiangru said first: "You don't have to be polite, my lord. It is a blessing for us servants to be able to take care of the old lady."

Xia Li smiled and nodded. Lu Lingchuan glanced at the old lady again. Not wanting to wake her up, he looked up and said to Xia Li, "Come with me. I have something to ask you."

Xiangru's eyes flickered slightly, she lowered her head and remained silent.

Xia Li just thought that the prince wanted to ask about the old lady's condition, so he didn't think much about it and followed him out. The two of them walked out of the house and stood under the eaves. Looking up, they could still see the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Xia Li only felt the coldness of the winter night, and did not bother to appreciate the night view. She directly said, "I wonder what the prince wants to ask me?"

Seeing her nose turn red from the cold air, Lu Lingchuan felt that she was pitiful and cute. He said in a gentle voice, "I haven't had time to ask you why King Hui wanted to see you that day?"

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, thinking that the matter was already settled, and he couldn't possibly betray himself, so he simply said openly:

"Because on that day at the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion, the prince had not yet been knocked unconscious by the drug when he entered the room, and I hit him with the inkstone."

Lu Lingchuan took a deep breath and said in disbelief, "You two girls are really brave. If the prince recognizes you, let's see how you will end up."

Xia Li curled the corners of her mouth. She was also forced into a dilemma.

"I guess the prince was too confused to distinguish reality at that time, otherwise I really can't explain it."

Lu Lingchuan still felt a little scared when he thought about it now. He said solemnly:

"You must not play around with the girls anymore. I heard Qing He was talking nonsense to you again?"

Xia Li nodded slightly, and Lu Lingchuan said helplessly:

"She is unruly and hard to tame. Don't take her words to heart. My mother has already chosen a husband for her. I'm sure there will be good news after the New Year."

Xia Li was a little surprised and couldn't help but remind him:
"The eldest girl has a hot temper. If we force her to agree, it will probably backfire. It would be better to wait until the Third Prince's consort is chosen."

(End of this chapter)