Chapter 82 The courtyard is deep and full of disputes

  She led Zhen'er to Zhou's residence, and suddenly, without knowing whether it was because of her usual frustration or today's bad mood, she poured out all the grievances in her heart, "Miss is going to get married, and everyone says that we, as senior maidservants, will definitely be chosen as attendants, and then we can climb up the social ladder and enjoy good fortune. But it's not that easy! Not only is Miss's husband from a prominent family in Beijing with even stricter rules than ours, but also because Miss is marrying up, and who knows what kind of situation she'll face after marriage? Just yesterday, Madame called me over and told me to acknowledge Xia Mama as my godmother, and said that I would have to take care of her in the future. And then she said that after Miss gets married, she will return our contracts to us...I mean, what is Madame thinking?"

  She wasn't asking for Zhen'er's opinion, she was just venting. Before Zhen'er could even react, she continued: "And this morning, the master left the mistress' room with a dark face, and soon after, one of the young maids in the mistress' room was beaten and sold because she broke something. But people in the mistress' courtyard said that the maid only broke a cheap vase, yet she was severely punished... The mistress was in a bad mood, even Miss was scolded when she came to pay her respects this morning... Just now in the garden, that woman suddenly bumped into me, my butt still hurts... I'm not unwilling to see you, but today is busy in the mansion and the masters are in a bad mood, we maids have to be careful... Luckily Miss knew you were here and told me to hurry and bring you back, fortunately I ran fast.

  All the way chattering, didn't give Zhen'er a chance to interrupt, until they reached the entrance of Wutongyuan, then stopped talking, reminding Zhen'er and others to wait in the ear house, she went in to report.

  Miss Zhou sat by the window. Next to her was an embroidery frame. The peony on it had only been embroidered halfway, the color matching was good, but the embroidery work was average.

  After exchanging greetings, Miss Zhou said nonchalantly: "I've been in the mansion all day and don't know what's going on outside. It wasn't until my mother took me to a banquet a few days ago that I found out I had another acquaintance outside," she said, staring straight at Zhen'er. "But how come I didn't know I had such a friend? Do you know?"

  Large households strictly restrain their own servants, fearing that they will pretend to be mighty outside and damage the family's reputation. They are like this towards their own servants, let alone Qi Zhen'er, an outsider with no relation at all.

  Zhen'er slowly lowered her head under the pressure of her gaze. She also knew that this matter couldn't be hidden for long, but she didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly. It seems that the person who made a move on Yejia Ancestral Hall has great power and influence, and even got the news to the county magistrate's wife.

  "Miss Zhou, I was wrong about this. I shouldn't have casually used your name, but I had a good reason for it." Seeing that Miss Zhou didn't interrupt her, Zhen'er looked straight at her with clear eyes and calmly told the story of what happened at the ancestral hall that day. "They were clearly up to no good, not only did they smash the ancestral hall, but also injured my grandfather. I was worried about my grandfather, so in a moment of recklessness, I used your name. You don't know, Miss, but when those people heard the county magistrate's name, they were scared out of their wits and ran away with their tails between their legs. The ancestral hall was only saved because of that. Everyone in our village says that the county magistrate is a just and fair official, a good parent to the common people."

  Miss Zhou listened with a pursed smile, but the little maid next to her couldn't help but let out a "heh" and burst into laughter. Seeing Xia Ayi glare at her, she quickly stopped laughing, but the corners of her mouth were still raised. Maybe it was because that phrase "scared shitless" was too vivid.

  Miss Zhou's smile, the depression in her heart had dissipated, and with Xia Mama's persuasion, she said sternly: "This time it was those people who were wrong. You borrowed my father's and my name to protect the ancestral hall, and I appreciate your filial piety. This time I won't hold it against you. But in the future, don't do this again. If I find out that you're using my or my father's name to do evil outside, I won't let you off like this."

  Miss Zhou meant she passed, Zhen'er hastily thanked her.

  Madam Xia saw that her own young lady was both kind and strict, and Zhen'er also looked grateful. In her heart, she felt very relieved. For people like them, it's not difficult to deal with someone like Zhen'er with just one word. Fortunately, Zhen'er didn't do anything bad, so they could let them off easily and still gain a good reputation.

  After entering the house, Hu Zi felt a bit constrained. At this moment, Xia Popo saw that Miss had said enough and carried a plate of osmanthus cake, smiling at Hu Zi: "Come try some pastries, they were just sent from the kitchen, still hot."

  Hutou sniffed the fragrance emitted by the pastries, and couldn't help but smack his lips. However, he first looked at his sister, Jing'er nodded, and then carefully took one, politely saying thank you.

  When Xia heard the thank you, she was even more satisfied with Zhen'er and her brother. She had served many children as big as Hu Zi, not to mention that they didn't even call her by name, let alone say please or thank you. They just treated her like a servant. This young master and mistress were different, at least they had some manners, it was worth her speaking up for them in front of the missus.

  Zhen'er saw Miss Zhou finish scolding her, and also gave her a tiger-shaped pastry. She was not bad to them either, knowing that she didn't blame them for what happened. So she lifted the cloth on the basket and held up the basket, saying: "Miss Zhou, these are strawberries from our own garden. They just ripened in the past few days, so I picked some to let you try."

  Miss Zhou looked at that basket of strawberries, her eyes shining brightly. She knew what strawberries were, but weren't these a tribute?

  Zhen'er also thought of this and explained: "I heard that this was a tribute from a foreign country, it was very precious in the past few years, but in recent years, it seems that the seeds have been passed on, and there are people who have planted them in Lin'an Prefecture. Our family also obtained some seeds by chance and planted them. We didn't expect to have a harvest, but unexpectedly, they grew quite well recently. My grandfather said that we should thank Lord Zhou and the young lady for what happened last time, so I'll send some over for you to try."

  Miss Zhou felt very pleased when she heard their gratitude, and the precious strawberries made her even happier. She had Xiang'er wash a plate and send it to her mother, and also sent a portion to Mr. Zhou who was receiving guests in the study. Both Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou thought they were great, especially since Mr. Zhou's guest couldn't stop praising the strawberries. When Mrs. Zhou found out, she was delighted and had someone reward Xiang'er and her siblings with four silver coins.

  Miss Zhou learned that her father and the guests who came to eat the strawberries were full of praise, and also praised Mrs. Zhou, saying that she was kind to others and had a good relationship with them. She was delighted and rewarded Zhen'er with two silver ingots. She also gave a plate of osmanthus cake to Hu Zi to eat, and let Pan Er send them out of the Zhou Mansion.

  All the way, Zhen'er kept playing with the silver coins. She had seen them before, but what she couldn't understand was that last time she gave some worthless wild fruit and got a few taels of silver as reward, how come this time when she came to the county magistrate's wife, only such precious things could get her just a few silver coins? She wasn't greedy for those few taels of silver, it was all about repaying kindness. But accidentally breaking something would result in being beaten and sold, the punishment seemed too harsh. And there was also Miss Zhou's scolding earlier, no matter how she thought about it, it felt strange.

  The young lady's mood improved, and Xiang'er's mood also improved. Along the way, she no longer complained about her troubles, but instead gave Zhen'er advice on the layout of the mansion, such as which tree in the garden was the most valuable, where it came from, and how much Miss liked the golden fish in the pool. She talked for a long time without getting any response, and when she looked at Zhen'er, she saw that her brow was furrowed and she had a sorrowful expression, still staring at the silver ingot. Thinking that she was uneasy because of the money, she comforted her: "This is what the mistress and young lady gave you, so just take it with peace of mind. Didn't you also get some last time?"

  "Last time we got a few silver coins." Zhen'er muttered, her voice accidentally louder than usual. Xiang'er heard it and knocked on the door, saying: "It's already good to have some silver coins, but you're still greedy for more money. The mistress has always been very particular about money when teaching the young ladies how to manage the household. The first thing she teaches is to be frugal with money. Miss has been scolded several times for being too generous with her rewards. You think Miss can't remember that? Besides, you were lucky last time. It just so happened that it was the day of changing the auspicious letter, and Miss's marriage was settled, and she was marrying up, so she was more generous than usual. Normally, there's Xia Mama... oh, I mean, the nanny is in charge of the money, and we only get a few coins."

  Hearing what Wan'er said, Zhen'er's heart slightly relaxed. She thought that this Miss Zhou was taking her for a ride, using her to practice how to control people. It turned out that she had been worried about the matter all along, and County Magistrate Zheng was still blaming them.

  Walking out of Fugui Alley, Zhen Er vigorously wiped her forehead with her hand, shaking off the non-existent sweat beads, and relaxed her tense body.

  How deep is the courtyard? This big family has a lot of rules, even after living in the Qi Mansion for a few years, she still can't get used to it. After entering the Zhou Mansion, her nerves were all tense, and her body seemed to be not her own. She didn't dare speak casually, nor did she dare look around randomly. Every word and every expression had to be calculated carefully, fearing that she would attract attention somewhere. The words Pan'er said, she also forced herself to ignore, afraid of hearing them and bringing unnecessary trouble to herself. Looking at Miss Zhou, she was also being restrained, with a elegant ladylike demeanor. Even when interacting with her, she had to be constantly mindful, wasn't it tiring? It seems that she is still not compatible with such aristocratic families, so it's better to have less contact with them in the future.

  But thinking about it, there's nothing to it. People from families like theirs must have been used to getting what they want without having to lift a finger. They probably only bothered talking to her because she was obedient and amusing.

  They have different paths and shouldn't be together, they were never meant to be on the same road anyway. Why is she so entangled? In any case, her goal is to make more money to support her son's education, if he has the ability and willingness to take the imperial examination, she will support him, if not, he can do some small business or buy land in the countryside and be a landlord, it's all up to him. As for herself, what she wants most is to be a leisurely lady in the countryside, living a carefree life under the east fence, picking chrysanthemums.