Chapter 91: Twisted

  The sound of Doukou was not loud, but it could definitely be heard by Sheng Siyan and Mu Jin in front of her.

  Sheng Siyan hadn't spoken yet, but Mu Jin had already turned around and sternly glared at Dou Kou.

  Doukou lowered his head and obediently followed them out.

  Haitang waited in the inner room for a while, and seeing that no one had come in yet, she propped up her head from the couch and asked in surprise: "Where is everyone? Didn't they say Eldest Miss has arrived?"

  Xiaoliu'er stared blankly at the distant figures of Sheng Siyan and the others, then lowered the curtain and walked in to report to Haitang: "Sister Haitang, the young ladies have left."

  "Left?" Haitang sat up abruptly, adjusting her hair bun, "How could he just leave? Didn't he just arrive?"

  Xiaoliu'er remembered the words Doukou whispered as she was leaving and hesitated, saying: "Haitang sister, earlier Dagu came, shouldn't you go out to see her?"

  Lying in the house with a big attitude, no wonder the big girl doesn't come in?

  The peony lowered her head slightly, using her hand to tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear, and said in a low voice: "...... I'm recovering from my injuries, how can I go out?"

  Xiaoliu'er looked at her suspiciously, "Isn't it already better? Yesterday you were still walking around the yard."

  Haitang was somewhat annoyed by Xiaoliu's words and angrily said, "I say it's not good, it's not good. Are you done yet?!"

  Xiaoliang hurriedly closed his mouth and didn't dare speak again.

  Haitang gazed at her for a while, then begged: "Xiaoliu'er, it's just the New Year, can you let me go home for a trip? I'll go back and see my parents and come back..."

  Xiaoliu shook her head, "No way. I'm just a little gatekeeper, can't be the master."

  "How can't you make a decision? Let me sneak back once. After I'm done, I'll sneak back again, and no one will know. You won't say anything, and I won't say anything either. Who would find out?! You're just being stubborn! You don't want to help me with this!" Haitang angrily accused Xiaoliu'er.

  Xiaoliu stood up and said, "There are other maidservants in this courtyard, how could no one know? Besides, even if no one else knows, it's known to heaven and earth, you and I know. With your behavior, how can you face the mistress and the eldest miss who have treated you with kindness?"

  Indeed, madam, she is beyond reproach.

  But elder sister...

  "Hmph!" Hai Tang snorted, "It's fine if it were just you, madam... but Big Sister... this is what Big Sister owes me!"

  "You're a slave. As the eldest daughter's personal maid, isn't it your duty to save her? When did she ever owe you anything? Even if she did, this house, the clothes and jewelry on your body, and the rewards from the mistress, will all be enough for you to repay her when you leave and get married?" Little Liu was quite quick-witted and didn't budge at Hai Tang's words.

  Haitang opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute Xiaoliu's words, so he hummed and turned his head to look out the window at the sky.

  In her opinion, Sheng Siyan indeed owed her one. Because if it weren't for Sheng Siyan making her go to the Niu family's porridge shed, she wouldn't have been injured by the collapsed shed, completely forgetting that it was her own greed, wanting the golden hairpin that Niu Xiaoye gave her, and then daring to pretend to be a big girl who suffered from the fish in the pond.

  Moreover, because Wang didn't punish her, but instead elevated her to a high position. This made her even more convinced that all of this was what she deserved, the Sheng family. Especially Sheng Sihai's debt to her...

  Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone that on that day she didn't "save" Sheng Siyan, but rather pretended to be "Sheng Siyan" and was saved by Niu Xiaoye.

  These were the words of the Empress Dowager, and no one could change them.

  After Hai Tang understood this point, she felt at ease and enjoyed the special treatment given by Wang Shi.

  It has to be said that being a mistress is much better than being a maid.

  Sheng Siyan came and went, Hai Tang didn't put in the effort to ponder.

  For her, she is already a good family daughter who has escaped from being a servant girl. What she needs to do is to carefully consider with her natal family and find a good family to marry into as the legitimate wife.

  Maybe she can marry an official and become an official's wife in the future!

  Haitang got more and more excited, came out of the inner room to beg Xiao Liu'er, "You go tell Big Sister, just say it's New Year's Day, I miss my family. Ask Big Sister to consider our past relationship, let my parents and siblings come in and see me."

  She wanted them to see her wealth and status today. She was no longer that little servant girl...

  Xiaoliu couldn't outdo her and thought that it would be better to directly ask Sheng Siyan for mercy, rather than sneaking her family members in, so she agreed to go ask Sheng Siyan.

  Arriving at Sheng Siyan's Womei Xuan, Xiaoliu asked the old woman who was guarding the gate to let her in and pass on a message, saying that Haitang had sent her to discuss an urgent matter with Big Sister.

  The doorkeeper's wife hurried in to announce it.

  Sheng Siyan had just returned not long ago, and had just taken off her large cloak and Guanyin basket. She was wearing a pink tight-fitting silver fox fur jacket with a same-colored satin-faced fox fur-lined skirt, sitting slantingly on the kang, holding a small steamed bun to feed her little hedgehog A Cai.

  A Jai this winter often hibernates, but will also wake up frequently to eat.

  Today, Sheng Siyan is in a good mood, and unexpectedly, A Cai didn't hibernate during the day. It crawled out of its little nest and played with Sheng Siyan's feet.

  Sheng Siyan put it on the kang table, with a plate of water in front of her and another plate of crumbs for Ah Cai to eat. She herself was holding a small, crispy fried mantou wrapped in a piece of dough skin, eating it.

  A'cai smelled the fragrance of fried milk skin and kept leaning towards her hand, wanting to eat that fried dough.

  Sheng Siyan ate two mouthfuls and didn't want to eat anymore, just in time to feed Ah Cai.

  Mugwort went to the small kitchen to see how the mutton pot was prepared, and Doukou stood in the house waiting on and chatting with Sheng Siyan.

  "Big girl, that Haitang is too arrogant, looking at you, big girl, you went and didn't even come out to greet." Doukou still had a lingering resentment about what happened earlier.

  Sheng Siyan smiled and opened Yu Bai's palm, revealing several golden-yellow crispy milk skin buns.

  A'chai slowly crawled over, using his two front paws to pick up a piece of golden and silver rice cake, comfortably sat back, and fed it into his mouth, eating in small bites.

  Sheng Siyan smiled as she watched Ah Cai eating mantou. She said softly, "Haitang is now also a good family's daughter, and she's recovering from her injuries. It doesn't matter if she doesn't come out. Besides, I'll go visit her. As long as I know she's recovered, what's the need to go in?"

  There's nothing wrong with this statement.

  But no matter how I listen to Doukou, it always sounds awkward.

  But Doukou didn't say anything, she smiled and said: "The eldest girl is generous and broad-minded, I want to learn from the eldest girl."

  Sheng Siyan smiled and said: "What are you learning from me? I don't understand anything, Mu Jin sister is a reliable person, it's better to learn from her."

  Doukou's face turned red, and she said in a low voice: "Of course, Muxin sister is good, and big girl is even better. I'll learn from Muxin sister first, then learn from big girl."

  Sheng Siyan saw Doukou's embarrassment. With a smile, she changed the subject and asked Doukou where he was from and who was in his family.

  This suddenly opened up Doukou's chatterbox, and he immediately became loquacious.

  The old woman outside came in to pass on a message, and only then did she interrupt Doukou's words.

  "...... Haifeng wants to see her parents? But this is the inner courtyard, how can unrelated men come in?" Doukou went out to see that old woman and said with great surprise.

  "Doukou, you ask the big girl, okay? Xiao Liu is still waiting outside, don't let her freeze." The aunt who was watching the gate said anxiously.

  Doukou responded with a "yes". He came in and told Sheng Siyan what the old woman had said to Xiaoliu.

  Sheng Siyan sat sideways on the edge of the kang, watching Ah Cai devouring golden and silver mantou, and said casually: "Since it's New Year's, wanting to see family is also understandable. Let her mother come in for a visit." He then instructed Doukou, "Send half a pig and a whole sheep to Haitang's house. Also, take out two frozen fish from the ice cellar and send them over."

  At this time when even some aristocratic families were short of food due to the severe cold, these things were more precious than gold.

  Bean paste Zhang big mouth. "Big girl, you are really good to Haitang!"

  Sheng Siyan turned back, smiled and said: "She saved me, our whole family is grateful to her."

  Doukou went out to instruct, but Sheng Siyan had someone call in Xiaoliu'er to talk, and first had her eat some refreshments.

  Xiaoliu'er held a plate of taro sweet cake and ate with relish, finishing it off by licking her fingers several times.

  Sheng Siyan smiled and said: "There are many sweet potato cakes in the kitchen, you can bring a few more back next time."

  "Ah!" Little Liu responded crisply, then looked very embarrassed, "Let the servant take it away, what will Big Sister eat?"

  "I don't like sweets, and they can't be eaten after a long time anyway. You like them, so take them all back home. - Don't you have a three-year-old younger brother at home?" Sheng Siyan said with a faint smile.

  These days, she had nothing to do and was idle at home. She brought over the name list of the maidservants in the inner courtyard to take a look.

  She remembered that Xiao Liu was the youngest daughter of Liu Cheng, a big manager outside the institute. Liu Cheng's wife was one of the women who followed Wang Shi out of the house.

  With such parents backing her up, Xiaoliu would be able to work in Haitang's courtyard without being swayed by Haitang's petty favors.

  It turned out that such an arrangement was just right.

  Xiaoliu'er didn't bully others with her power, nor did she follow the crowd. She was upright and honest, and had a lively personality, unlike Doukou who was always trying to guess what was on everyone's mind, including those of the senior maids like Mugua, Ganzao, and Juxiang. It was all too deliberate, and Sheng Siyan couldn't help but feel tired just watching her.

  Xiao Liu'er saw Sheng Siyan say this, and hurriedly smiled: "Then the slave will not be polite. I'll go to the small kitchen and bring back a few more plates of taro sweet cake for my brother to eat. He loves eating it even more than me!"

  Sheng Siyan nodded and asked her a few more casual questions before saying, "As for Haitang's side, thank you for taking care of her. She is a sick person, so if there's anything unpleasant, please bear with it. Once she gives birth to the child, you'll be at ease."

  "Big sister, you really are too kind..."

  Sheng Siyan was taken aback, but looking at the serious expression of the 7 or 8 year old Xiao Liu, she couldn't help but find it amusing. She only held back her laughter because she didn't want Xiao Liu to feel embarrassed, and calmly said: "Isn't being good-natured okay? Do you want me to be stricter?"

  Xiao Liu'er hurriedly waved her hand again, making Sheng Siyan smile slightly.

  Xiaoliu'er walked out of Womei Xuan, carrying a food box and first returned to her own home, where she gave the taro sweet cake to her younger brother before hurrying back.

  When she went back, Haitang's mother had already come in.

  The mother and daughter were talking intimately in their inner chamber.

  Xiao Liu didn't go in, just waiting in the main room.

  Inside the room, Haitang Niang wiped away her tears and said: "You must have burned high incense in your previous life. Master, Madam, and even Big Miss treat you so well. Look at what you wear, what you eat, what you use... it's almost as good as Big Miss' side..."

  Haitang curved the corner of her mouth, "I also got this with my life." After thinking for a moment, she took out a gold ingot and handed it to her mother, "Mother, take this gold and exchange it for some dowry. The madam said that after I recover from my injury, she will help me get a divorce and marry me off as the legitimate wife of someone else."

  The girl's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the gold, and she asked with delight: "Where did you get this gold?"

  Haitang thought for a moment, "Big sister secretly gave it to me. Don't tell anyone else..."

  "No...no..." Haitang's daughter grasped the gold tightly in her hand, said a few more intimate words to Haitang, and then got up and left.

  Sheng Qiye and Wang Shi didn't return from the Dalisi Temple until it was almost time for dinner.

  Sheng Siyan ordered the small kitchen to prepare a refreshing shrimp oil mixed with angled gourd, bamboo shoots stir-fried with small eel fish threads, and a bowl of milk white crucian carp soup for Wang Shi. She ate hot mutton pot with Sheng Qiye together.

  Mutton is hot in nature, and Wang is pregnant, so it's best not to eat mutton pot.

  A family of three ate dinner while chatting casually.

  Sheng Siyan suddenly remembered that before the New Year, Sheng Qiye seemed to have found a medicinal herb that could replace the Gu Shan Feng poison. He asked: "Father, has the emperor taken that medicine yet?"

  Sheng Qiye sighed and shook his head: "No, the Empress Dowager does not agree."

  First update of 3,500 words. There will be more updates in the afternoon with rewards. Thank you everyone for yesterday's pink tickets and recommended votes. Is today Friday already? Hurry up and see if there are still any pink tickets left o(n_n)o ~~~

  。

  PS: Thank you, enigmayanxi alliance leader, for the reward of He Shi Bi yesterday. The He Shi Bi that enigmayanxi often flies around makes someone feel less lonely when typing in the middle of the night. o(n_n)o? Someone is very lucky to have so many loyal book friends who are willing to support them. Thank you everyone for your support, this book must be written to make everyone feel drunk and unable to extricate themselves. Clenched fists! Must work hard!