Chapter 66: The Number One Maid's Fate is Different (Double Update)

  (Pink ticket, where are you? I miss you so much! Today is a day to stare at the new monthly ticket ranking with wide eyes, and the ranking is so tragic. Everyone, please save Xinghe!)

  Cui Lian saw her own daughter put away the white jade Guanyin, and only then did she let out a long sigh of relief in her heart. This thing was her daughter's most beloved object, no less precious than the golden qilin on her waist. If it were really given to Lin's family's cousin just for the sake of appearances, even if they returned home later, wouldn't the ladies still nag about it endlessly? The ones who would suffer would be none other than their own daughters.

  Xiangyun reluctantly put the jade pendant back into her bosom, and Rongze left her arms and was now lying in Daiyu's arms wiping away tears. Xiangyun covered up her true feelings with a playful rebuke: "Lin sister, little brother and little sister are really adorable." After speaking, she went forward to touch Rongze's small head. Rongze's chubby little arm hugged Daiyu tightly, leaving only his round little buttocks facing everyone.

  Everyone burst out laughing. Daiyu's gaze swept past, and she met Jia Baoyu's eyes, whose smiling mouth suddenly froze, and he nervously glanced at Daiyu before quickly lowering his head. In her heart, Daiyu felt helpless, only hoping that Baoyu would gradually come to understand and no longer be so stubborn.

  "Sister Lin, what are you thinking about?" Xichun gently pushed Daiyu, calling her back from her distraction.

  Xue Baochai, who had been quietly sitting to the side, said: "Shi Dai sister, have you forgotten? What did we just say at Old Madame's place? We came to Lin girl's house to pay respects and learn from her, but you were only chatting and laughing with your younger siblings." Xiangyun slapped her forehead and said: "Absolutely right, absolutely right! I almost forgot." She then moved closer to Baochai and said: "It's still better that sister Bao thinks of everything for me, Xiangyun."

  Xiangyun's intimate words made Xue Baochai feel extremely pleased, but Ying Chun, Tan Chun and Xi Chun felt uneasy in their hearts after hearing them.

  Xiangyun said to Daiyu, "Sister Lin, I heard from the old lady that you have a rich collection of books here, and some wonderful authentic paintings. Can you show us sisters something new?"

  Daiyu was in a dilemma. This wasn't the old house in Suzhou, and her own room was small, with the study and bedroom combined into one space. It wouldn't be a problem to invite Xiangyun and others in, but there was still Bao Yu following behind. Should she invite him up? It didn't seem right, and Granny Wang would probably not allow it either. If she didn't invite him up, her sisters would likely suspect something, especially since she had just offended Bao Yu two days ago. Now if she added insult to injury, Bao Yu might get seriously ill when he got back home, and even Grandmother Jia would have to intervene.

  At that time, Daiyu was worried in her heart, and suddenly heard a sound of "Tian Lai's Sound". Bao Yu's big girl, Zhai Ren, entered the house, saw the full house of girls, obviously somewhat stunned, and quickly piled up a smile on her face: "Give each of you a salute."

  Xiangyun and Qiaojie were the most familiar, she used to come to Jia's house, Qiaojie was always serving on the side, so she started joking: "Qiaojie, what are you doing here? Aige has been left behind by us, can't he just relax for a day and accompany us? Isn't that okay?" Xiangyun's words made Qiaojie blush all over her face, and she quickly explained: "What is Miss Shi saying? The young masters went out to play, could I, a small maid, possibly control them? In fact, the old master was in a hurry on the other side, calling Baoyu to go quickly."

  Baoyu was startled and asked, "What did you say, Zhirou? Why would Father call for me? I heard Mother say that today is the day of the banquet at the Prince of Nan'an's residence?"

  Qingwen subconsciously glanced at Daiyu, then slowly replied: "Master is in a good mood today, he wants to take Lin Dajie to our family's ancestral hall for a visit, and also asked you to accompany him. Hurry up, the servants are still waiting ahead."

  Several people who welcomed the spring frowned upon hearing this, and their expressions towards Baoyu became even colder. This girl, although favored by Lady Wang and Baoyu, seemed to have lost all sense of propriety in her speech. Why did she have to bring up Lin's family cousin when it was clear that Baoyu feared Grandfather?

  Baoyu didn't think that much, hearing Xiangyun say so, he hastily lowered his head to look at what he was wearing today. Jia Zheng most disliked Baoyu for paying attention to his appearance, the last time Xingchun made a pair of shoes for Baoyu, Jia Zheng saw them and frowned many times. Fortunately, today's outfit didn't have any taboos, barely meeting Jia Zheng's standards.

  Baoyu bid a reluctant farewell to his sisters and gazed deeply at Daiyu twice before turning to leave.

  Xiangyun naturally wanted to follow, but Xiangyun held her back and said, "Can't you manage without me for a while? We haven't seen each other for years, now you only think of loving your brother, and have forgotten about me." Baochai also chimed in on the side, teasingly insisting that Xiangyun stay behind.

  The three sisters of the Jia family and Daiyu smiled but did not speak, only sipping tea on one side.

  After Bao Yu left, Dai Yu no longer had any scruples and, added to Xiang Yun's frequent urging, she led them into the inner chamber. The senior maids of all the young ladies were waiting in the flower hall, and Yan Rong had already ordered someone to remove the leftover tea and set out new fruit to entertain Ru Hua, Si Qi, Shi Shu, and others. Bao Yu's maid, Zhen Ying, originally wanted to follow her mistress inside but seeing that these maids were only waiting outside, she hesitated with her footsteps, unsure whether or not to go in.

  Yan Rong sneered in her heart, did this Second Master's big girl really think she was a young mistress? But with a smile on her face, she said: "Sister Xiangyun, please sit down. We've long heard from Zi Juan that Sister Xiangyun is the first person to gain Second Master's favor, not only is your appearance elegant, but even your temperament is rarely seen in the mansion."

  The attendants and servants in the room were sipping fragrant tea, and when they heard Yurong's praise, they almost spat it out. The little maids looked at Zairen with strange expressions, then glanced at Yurong.

  It is said that Qiangjin's temperament was good in the past, and everyone still acknowledges it. Is it just saying that she is pretty?

  It's probably a far cry from the one who said it, Yan Rong. Zhen Baoyu is just a delicate beauty, and being older than Shi Xiangyun and Xiangling, she has a more mature and elegant demeanor. However, compared to someone of similar age like Yan Rong, Zhen Baoyu's looks are only mediocre.

  Qiaojie didn't have Xue Baochai's temperament and couldn't help but get angry when she heard Yuanyang's words. However, as soon as she saw Yuanyang's kind smile, she began to doubt whether Lin's maid was genuinely praising her.

  Several senior maids sat around the flower table, carefully tasting the Lin family's pastries. Although they had followed their masters and tasted fresh ones every day, which one was not a leftover that could be rewarded to them? Only Xiren had a fond Bao Yu, who often got her some good things to eat alone, but others in Bao Yu's place did not have this special case, even the most beautiful Qing Wen was no exception. People like Ru Hua would spend a few copper coins to ask the gatekeeper's wife to bring two or three pieces of hot pastry, but after all, they were not as good as those from the Jia Mansion.

  These are not what they usually eat. Shì shū is the clearest, her mother is helping in the kitchen, making some pastries that the ladies and girls in the house often eat. During the New Year's festival, they can also make some extra money, and these things at home are not lacking. However, Shì shū has never eaten these few dishes today, and she has a heart to ask for her mother, so she said: "Yàn róng sister, these are not made by our house, I have never eaten them before."

  Everyone was busy chatting and eating cake, but when the servant asked this question, they suddenly reacted and curiously looked at Yan Rong. Yan Rong smiled with a pursed mouth, "Of course not. You have a Chengjia old shop in the capital, don't you? They were all bought there."

  Everyone heard that it was the old shop of Cheng's family, and they subconsciously went to buy cakes again. This is not surprising, as Cheng's old shop has a very good reputation in Beijing. Every day at 6 o'clock, they sell only a few hundred pieces of each of the dozen or so types of fruit, until they are sold out. Because of its delicious taste and low price, it has really made a name for itself. The previous emperor once tasted it when he was traveling incognito, and he highly praised it. Later, he even bestowed upon them a plaque with the words "Cheng's Old Shop". Due to this plaque, no one in Beijing dared to bully them, and their business became more prosperous as a result. Many wealthy families sent their servants to line up early in the morning, but even so, they may not necessarily be able to buy any.

  The attendants, including Shu and Ru Hua, had heard of it before, but never had the chance to taste it. They each took a piece and found it indeed left a lingering fragrance in their mouths.

  Qingwen saw a plate of zongzi on the table and curiously asked, "Has Lin's family started making zongzi already? It's still some days before May 5th."

  Yu Xian smiled and said, "Sister Shaoren has forgotten that the Dragon Boat Festival is less than a month away? The steward of our mansion has already started preparing for the purchases. The young lady even joked that she would personally make zongzi for Old Madame, Madame, and the young ladies." Upon hearing this, Shaoren was not very pleased and threw the triangular zongzi back onto the table. She didn't even bother to look at Yu Xian and only asked Yan Rong, "Where is your Zi Juan? We came today and she took out her money but didn't come out to see us. Is she still waiting for us to find her?"

  Qingwen only asked Yanzhu, and threw Cuiluan to one side, which made the maid of the Shi family at a loss, opening her mouth, but not knowing what to say. Shishu tightly held onto Cuiluan's hand under the table, slightly shaking her head, indicating that she shouldn't say anything. Not long after, Bihong from Baoyu's courtyard came to find Qingwen, saying that something important of Er Ye's had gone missing. After Qingwen left, Yanzhu again made an excuse and went to the outer courtyard. Only then did Shishu and Ruhua say to Cuiluan: "Don't mind it, Qingwen is just like this."

  Xiangyun's heart was straightforward and her words were quick, seeing that she couldn't bear the sight of You Sanjie's face. "Hmph, what kind of temperament is this? When she was just a third-rate maid at Old Madame Wang's place, why wasn't she like this before? It's just because Baoyu dotes on her that she's become even more arrogant and has no servant's demeanor. Although I, Xiangyun, am also a lowly servant girl, I know what to do and what not to do." Xiangyun spoke louder and louder, scaring Yuhua into slapping her hand hard and rebuking her in a lowered voice: "What kind of place is this? You're speaking so loudly! Aren't you afraid the young ladies inside will hear? Moreover, there's also Yanqiu outside, if the Lin family finds out, we'll all lose face."

  Yu Xian sighed and said, "I used to serve the young lady with Qiu'er too. At that time, she seemed fine, her words and actions were rarely steady, the young lady liked her, even we, the people brought by the Shi family, had to yield to her. Who would have thought..."

  Xiangyun curled her lip in disdain, snorted and said: "What's so hard to guess? Now who doesn't know that the second lady is going to make Baoyu marry Xiren as his concubine? Of course it's not us servants who can compare. Only Li Mama and Qingwen can stand up to her at Baoyu's place, the rest are all trying to curry favor with her. Didn't you just see Bihong's attitude? She actually treated Xiren like a second mistress! Bah, what kind of thing is she?"

  Xiangqi's words made everyone fall into deep thought. Aunties, especially those from the Jia family, were they really that easy to deal with?

  PS: Tomorrow is Sunday, I hope the results will be better. Jinghe decided that if the pink votes can reach twenty, there will be two updates tomorrow, please help!