Full House Spring

Chapter 5 The human heart is sinister
Mrs. Wu patted her on the back without mercy and said impatiently:

"Why are you yelling? If you don't scrub it clean, the smell will be so bad that it will bother the master. Can you bear it?"

The grievances Xia Li had suffered for days exploded at this moment. Her eyes were sore and she bit her lower lip tightly to endure it.

No matter how capable she was, she was just the lowest-ranking maid in the mansion at the moment. She was thin and weak, and could not compete with Mrs. Wu.

Seeing Xia Li lowering her head and keeping silent, Mrs. Wu curled her lips slightly, raised her hand and pushed her into the water unexpectedly, her eyes full of malice, grinning and saying:
"This hair is greasy and sticky, and looks dirty. Who would believe that there is no lice?"

Xia Li's mouth and nose were choked with water, and her chest was stuffy. No matter how she struggled, it was of no use. When Mrs. Wu had had enough of her trouble, she happily poured soap nuts on her hands, then rubbed them heavily on her head, and grabbed the roots of her hair with her fingernails.

Xia Li only felt her scalp aching, with anger rising in her heart. She endured the pain and let Mrs. Wu scrub her without saying a word. After her body was clean, Mrs. Wu could no longer toss and turn, and she stopped.

Xia Li survived the disaster. When she climbed out of the tub, her skin was red like a cooked crab and she was shaky. She looked down and saw a wooden stick at her feet. She squinted dangerously and looked at the bottom of the tub.

Mrs. Wu was wiping her hands with a towel with her back to her, mumbling to herself:
"Thank you Madam for letting me teach you the rules, and that is my duty. You were bought from outside, and you have no relatives to take care of you. From now on, you will have to pay me 200 coins out of your monthly allowance of 500 coins. You are a child and you have to keep too much money on you, and it will be unsafe."

Xia Li's pupils shrank slightly, and a sharp cold light flashed in her eyes. She put on the clothes that didn't fit her well, and said timidly: "I'm afraid this won't work. Grandma Xie has already made an agreement with me. From now on, my monthly allowance will be kept by her."

Mrs. Wu was a little surprised. She turned around and looked at her, looking suspicious:

"Xie Lan wants to take your monthly allowance? She is usually very noble, but now she wants to go along with us. Are you deceiving me?"

Xia Li shrank his neck and said, "Grandma is getting older, she wants to have a caring girl to serve her..."

Mrs. Wu sat down on the small stool next to the bathtub and sneered:

"Xie Lan never married and claimed to be loyal to the old lady. Now she is alone in her old age and knows how to plan for herself. Since she said so, I, an old woman, will not argue. You are lucky to be favored by Xie Lan."

Xia Li rolled up his sleeves and said expressionlessly, "Grandma bought me back home, which is a great favor. I will definitely be filial to her in the future."

Mrs. Wu felt that it was boring, and said indifferently: "You are good at flattering others. Just pour out the bath water yourself. I don't think you need the help of the maids."

Xia Li lowered his eyes and pleaded pitifully, "There's too much water. Grandma, please call for help."

Mrs. Wu chuckled and crossed her legs, looking very proud.

"To put it bluntly, you are Xie Lan's man. If you have the ability, ask her to call for help. You shouldn't ask me for this matter."

Xia Li said helplessly: "Grandma has no time to serve the old lady, I'd better do it myself."

She pretended to take the gourd ladle, but Mrs. Wu didn't even look at her and directly took out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe her face.

Xia Li took advantage of her unpreparedness, picked up a wooden stick from the ground, found the fulcrum at the bottom of the bathtub, and pried it up with quick, accurate and ruthless force. In an instant, the heavy wooden tub fell towards Mrs. Wu and pressed on her legs, making her unable to move.

She lay on the ground, shouting at the top of her lungs: "You little bastard, you are so blind and dare to do such harm to me. Move the barrel away quickly. Ouch! It hurts so much..."

Xia Li quickly threw away the stick, and stood there as if he was frightened and stammered:

"Mother-in-law, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm here to help you..."

She had an anxious look on her face, but she moved slowly to Mrs. Wu. It seemed that she was bending over to move the wooden barrel, but in fact her body was pressing hard on the barrel, and only her expression showed the effort.

"Oh my! This barrel is too heavy. My thin arms can't even lift it."

Mrs. Wu's legs were hurt by the pressure. Her face turned pale and she said with trembling lips, "Hurry up and find the maid who just carried the water. Let them carry it..."

Xia Li's body was still pressed against the wooden barrel. She blinked and said, "If I go and call for help, will mother-in-law blame me afterwards? I really didn't mean it..."

The situation was stronger than the person, and Mrs. Wu no longer had the arrogance she had before. Her wrinkled old face was covered with an ugly smile, and she said submissively: "No, I don't blame you, you just wanted to pour the water, it was just an accident."

Xia Li vented her anger and stood up, saying with a half-smile, "Mother-in-law, you must keep your word. You can't go back on your word. I'll call someone for you right away."

Watching Xia Li go out, Mrs. Wu felt a little hope in her heart. She didn't expect Xia Li to be so cruel and ruthless. He looked evil no matter how she looked at him.

Mrs. Wu suffered a loss once, so even if she wanted to take revenge, she didn't dare to act rashly.

Xia Li walked in the sun with wet hair, and she felt much better when she thought of how miserable Mrs. Wu was. Her scalp and waist ached slightly, probably because she had been rubbed.

The maids who were carrying water were chopping wood. Their expressions were numb, as if they could not feel the heat. Xia Li approached them and pretended to be extremely frightened. She said anxiously:

"Aunts, go help grandma. A wooden barrel fell over in the house and her leg was injured. She is now pinned to the ground and can't get up."

The maids had some friendship with Mrs. Wu, and were afraid that something might happen to her, so they ran into the house without asking any questions. Xia Li turned his head to watch them walk away, then he restrained his expression and staggered towards the previous room.

There was still no one in the room. Xia Li closed the door, sat cross-legged on the big bunk, and lifted up his clothes to check.

Sure enough, a piece of skin fell off the side of his waist and the wound was bleeding slightly. Xia Li frowned, fearing that it would hurt even more as he sweated while working.

She looked up and found a tattered desk next to the window frame, with some sundries on it and a small porcelain bottle that looked like ointment. Xia Li didn't know its efficacy and didn't dare to use it carelessly.

Looking down at the wound on her waist, she felt a little embarrassed. She twisted her waist slightly and found a thumb-sized crescent-shaped birthmark on the back of her waist. This birthmark looked like a tattoo and looked quite beautiful.

Xia Li touched the small crescent moon and didn't feel any roughness, so she felt relieved and didn't care about it anymore. She got up and folded the clothes that Mrs. Wu had given her, opened the closet and put the clothes in the empty compartment. Just as she was about to take the medicine on the table, someone knocked on the door.

"Which girl is in there? I'm Shi Mi, come and open the door."

Xia Li's eyes flickered slightly. Although she had just entered the mansion, she had not missed any useful information. Shi Mi was the most useful maidservant beside the old lady. She didn't know why she came here. Xia Li raised her voice and said, "Sister, wait a moment. I will open the door right away."

As he spoke, Xia Li rubbed his eyes, gathered his emotions, and then opened the door.

Shi Mi's face was like a jade plate, and her skin was delicate. She stood at the door with a smile on her face. Seeing Xia Li, she said kindly, "You are Xia Li that Mammy brought back today, right? You look really well-behaved."

Xia Li smiled shyly, bowed towards her and said, "Hello, Sister Shi Mi, I'm Xia Li."

Shi Mi hurriedly helped her up and looked at her with a smile on her face.

"This dress is a little too big for you. How about I help you tighten your waist?"

Xia Li blinked, a little surprised. It was the first time she felt kindness since arriving in this land. She said softly:
"Thank you for your concern, sister. I can do needlework myself and will do it later. I wonder if you have any instructions for me when you come here."

Shi Mi didn't expect her to be so sensible at such a young age, so she took her hand and said:
"I originally came here to look for the maids to water the flowers and plants in the yard, but since they are not there, forget it."

Xia Li always kept in mind her current status. She said politely, "Since the other sisters are not here, I will go. It's my first time on duty, so please don't blame me if I don't do well."

Shi Mi liked girls who were diligent and sensible. She smiled and said, "Watering the flowers and plants is not difficult. You can definitely do it. I see your hair is dry. How about I help you put a bun on it first?"

Xia Li nodded in agreement, flattered. Shi Mi turned around and found the comb on the table with ease. She motioned Xia Li to sit down and then helped her comb her hair. But as soon as the comb touched her scalp, Xia Li cried out in pain.

Shi Mi was startled and stopped what she was doing. She said anxiously, "What happened? I didn't use any force."

Xia Li cried in pain and said in a choked voice, "It's nothing. Maybe Granny Wu scratched my scalp when she washed my hair just now."

Shi Mi hurriedly moved closer to take a look, and indeed saw bloodstains on the scalp. She said with displeasure, "This old woman Shi is too cruel. You are only a young man, but she didn't know how to control the severity of your attack. Do you have any other wounds on your body?"

Xia Li lifted up her skirt to reveal the wound on her waist. Shi Mi's eyes were red when she saw it. She usually felt most sympathetic towards the little girl. In this mansion, people flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. She wanted to do something but was powerless.

Shi Mi suppressed her disgust for Mrs. Wu and said coldly, "If she bullies you again in the future, you can run to me. I want to see if she dares to act presumptuously in front of the old lady."

Xia Li was a little surprised. Shi Mi could be the head maid beside the old lady and had worked in the mansion for many years, but she was still so kind. She was really a good girl.

She smiled and whispered softly, "Thank you for your protection, sister. I don't think mother-in-law did it on purpose. Please help me comb my hair. The flowers and plants in the mansion are delicate. You have to water them quickly, otherwise they will be sunburned to death and you will be punished."

Shi Mi scolded, "The old lady is kind-hearted, she would never punish a servant casually. There is no need to rush. I will apply some medicine on you first."

Seeing her take out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, Xia Li couldn't refuse, so he had to let her do it. She dipped some ointment on her slender fingertips and gently applied it on Xia Li's body.

Shi Mi was very careful, afraid of hurting her. After applying the lotion on her body, she motioned Xia Li to lower her head. Xia Li said in a sullen voice, "Sister, forget about the scalp. It would be a waste to apply it on the roots of your hair as well."

Shi Mi's hands kept moving. She said slowly:
"How can it be wasted? Applying it on your scalp will help it heal faster. This medicine was given by the old lady. It is a good thing that cannot be bought outside."

Xia Li pursed her lips and smiled, not wanting to refuse. After Shi Mi helped her apply the medicine, she considerately combed her hair for her and then took her to work.

Xia Li was very nimble and efficient at her work, and she didn't need any instructions at all. Although the sun was scorching, she did her work very decisively. Shi Mi liked her more and more after watching her for a long time.

This is Xia Li's style of doing things, she either doesn't do it, or she does it to the best of her ability. Joining the Duke's Mansion was her own choice, and starting from the lowest maid, she had to be prepared to endure hardships. In modern times, people work like beasts of burden, so how could she not be a good servant in ancient times?

When Shi Mi came back, Nanny Xie and Bai Shao were serving the old lady dinner. As soon as she entered the inner room, she could feel the coolness brought by the ice basin. The old lady with a head full of white hair and wearing a dark red robe was sitting at a low table.

Shi Mi bowed to the old lady first. When the old lady saw her coming back, she signaled the maids to clear the table. Then she looked at her with kind and deep eyes and said, "Why did you take so long? Did you see the maid that Aunt Xie brought back?"

Shi Mi had served the old lady for many years, so she was not shy. She said gently:

"When I went there, the girl happened to be in the servants' room. She had several broken skins on her body and blood was oozing out of the wounds. She said it was caused by Wu Po when she was giving her a bath."

After these words came out, the room was silent for a moment. Shi Mi would not hide anything from the old lady. The old lady's face was deeply wrinkled. She looked at Aunt Xie and said, "Didn't you personally send the person over? How dare she complain?"

Aunt Xie subconsciously felt that Xia Li also had a problem, and said respectfully:

"Those two girls had a very hard life in the care of the matchmaker. When they entered the mansion, they were wearing shabby clothes. I think Mrs. Wu was afraid that they would dirty the floor of our Leshou Hall, so she might have used too much force when scrubbing."

Everyone in this room is the old lady's confidant, so Shi Mi doesn't have to worry too much. She frowned and said, "Madam, don't make excuses for her. If the injuries on her body were caused by an accident, there are still traces of scratches on the girl's scalp from her nails. This is too cruel. If it gets out, I'm afraid that the old lady will also be criticized."

The dignity of the Duke's Mansion is more important than anything else. The old lady slowly turned the Buddhist beads in her hand, with an unfathomable look on her face. Aunt Xie glanced at the old lady and said in a calm tone:
"Even if Mrs. Wu has no merit, she has worked hard. She is old and her mind is a bit muddled. Xia Li knows her limits and will not speak nonsense."

Shi Mi didn't understand the old lady's thoughts as well as Aunt Xie. She said dissatisfiedly: "This is not the first time it has happened. Many little girls have suffered from it. If we keep exposing it lightly, what will happen if it causes a big disaster in the future?"

Bai Shao pulled Shi Mi's skirt and stepped out to smooth things over:

"After all, Granny Wu was married to the old lady. Her children have passed away one after another and now she is alone and helpless. It's normal for her to have some bad thoughts at her age. The old lady might as well give her a few words of warning. She is a smart person and will not make the same mistake again."

The old lady said calmly, "I know what's going on. Tell me about the girl first."

Shi Mi knew her limits and understood that too much is as bad as too little. She smiled and said loudly:

"I can't tell from other things for now, but he works very hard and carefully, and his temperament is also very good. Madam is really good at choosing people."

Madam Xie said modestly, "We have only just started. She has just entered the mansion and we have not gotten to know her well enough. Let her do some rough work first to calm her down. There is still a long way to go."

　Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my dears! May you be reunited with your loved ones by your side!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)