"Second Miss, you can't do this!" Man Xi was really scared, and she crawled forward two steps, wanting to hug Feng Yu Huan's leg. However, as soon as her hands were raised, she remembered the eczema on her fingers, and they froze in mid-air, unable to move up or down.
Feng Yu Huan suddenly changed his attitude and grasped Man Xi's two hands, then lifted them to his face.
"Second Miss." Man Xi wanted to pull her hand back, but found it couldn't be pulled back.
"Don't move, let me take a look."
She was overjoyed, yet ashamed and afraid. Her fingernails had been like this for more than half a year now. To prevent others from discovering them, she would get up in the middle of the night every day to apply vermilion. During the day, she also chose some water-free and light work, which was how she managed to keep it hidden for so long. Now...
"Full of joy." Feng Yu Huan studied her fingernails, "You know what my maternal grandfather used to do, right?"
Man Xi was taken aback and subconsciously nodded, "I've heard, I've heard." The whole Feng Mansion knew about the Yao family's affairs.
"Well, I've been close to my maternal grandfather since childhood and have read many medical books with him. I also learned a lot of medical knowledge from him. At that time, I was young and curious, and I collected many kinds of folk remedies and rare medicinal materials. If I say I can cure your ringworm, would you believe me?"
Man Xi's face froze in an instant, sometimes happiness comes too suddenly and it's hard to bear. This little girl opened her big mouth, her upper and lower lips opening and closing for half a day, but she didn't make a single sound.
Feng Yu Jing slapped her shoulder hard, finally waking her up. Then she heard Man Xi exclaim in surprise: "Really?"
"Fake." She threw her hands open and leaned back against the chair, "Where were we? Oh right, I was going to go report to my mom and grandma."
"Second Miss!" Man Xi's heart was overjoyed, suddenly rising and falling, one moment sinking back into her stomach, the next soaring to her throat, "Second Miss, please spare my life! I beg of you, Second Miss, save me, save me!"
Feng Yu shook her head, "You are a first-class maid by your mother's side, even if you want to save your life, you have to ask your mother to save you. I'm just an unwelcome concubine-born daughter, how can I save you?"
Man Xi was also clever, and she understood Feng Yu Heng's words. To preserve her status, position, and life, she had to recognize the situation in front of her. The main wife was indeed the master, but she wasn't a stable one. Even as a top-ranking maid, she would occasionally receive punishment. Lightly, it would be deductions from her monthly allowance, and severely, it would be flogging. If there was a choice, no one wanted to follow such a master. Moreover, now that Feng Yu Heng had this handle on her, if she didn't quickly show her attitude, she feared that tonight, she would be driven out of the Feng manor.
With this in mind, Man Xi no longer hesitated and took two steps back to kneel down again. She knocked her head against Feng Yu Huang's feet with a sincere expression: "I acknowledge my master, for one reason is that it was assigned by the household, there is no other choice. The second reason is that you have shown kindness to me, this is my own choice as a slave. As long as Second Miss can cure my eczema, I am willing to obey Second Miss's orders."
Very good. Feng Yu nodded, "Lift your head up." She met his joyful eyes, their four eyes locked together.
Man Xi only felt that the second miss's eyes were full of inquiry, as if she wanted to see through people, and even a little bit of her subtle thoughts couldn't escape the other person's eyes.
After a while, Feng Yu Heng withdrew her inquiring gaze and asked Man Xi: "Is there anything else you want to say? Just say it all at once."
Yes, Manxi still had something on her mind, she saw it. When people lie and think, the contraction of their pupils presents a special frequency, the skills learned by following officers in the Marine Corps are not given for nothing.
Man Xi was also a straightforward person, and upon hearing her ask, she spoke up saying: "Please, Second Miss, save my mother too."
"Your mother?" Feng Yuexiang understood, "Your mother also had eczema."
"Yes." Man Xi sobbed: "My mother's illness is even more severe than mine, it has been over three years already. Not only her hands but also her feet are affected. She was originally a servant in the mansion too, but after she contracted this strange disease and was discovered by the steward, she was driven out. Please, Second Miss, save my mother as well."
It was like this all along.
"I can help you treat this ringworm, but this disease is not something that will show results in just one or two days."
"I understand." Man Xi wiped away her tears, "From now on, Second Miss only needs to give orders, I absolutely won't reveal any flaws in front of people, and news from Madame's side will also be transmitted over in a timely manner.
Joke, even if Second Miss doesn't give her treatment, others will still discover this bad habit of hers. Not listening to advice is not acceptable, is it?
"Alright." She nodded to Man Xi to get up, then glanced at her fingernails and reached into her sleeve, pulling out a small bottle of nail polish from the drawer in the medicine room. "Come sit down, I'll first help you muddle through these two days, and once I've settled my footing in Feng Fu, I'll think about treating your illness."
It doesn't matter if it cures the disease or not, Man Xi felt that just this thing that Second Miss applied on her was much better than her own rouge! Second Miss also said that this thing wasn't afraid of water, applying once could last at least seven days, and the color looked even better than rouge. With this, she wouldn't have to sneak up every midnight anymore.
So, it's not necessarily about using money to buy people's hearts. To win someone over, the most important thing is to know what they need most.
The varnish was applied, and Feng Yu called in Sun Auntie to change the water in the bathtub. Man Xi remembered that she had previously used her hand to test the water temperature, and now Second Miss was being so cautious, thinking that this illness must be contagious. The more Man Xi thought about it, the more frightened she became, hoping that her strange illness would recover soon.
She didn't let Man Xi serve her, and instead had Feng Yu Hu herself take a bath, leaving only Man Xi by her side to tell her the purpose of Shen Shi sending the three of them over, as well as some secrets about the Feng manor that she knew.
As expected, the Feng family indeed wanted to get rid of her halfway and replace the position of the Ninth Prince's consort with Feng Chenyu. This morning, Feng Jiyuan suddenly changed his mind, which made Shen Shi start to panic. However, there was no breakthrough in Feng Jiyuan's place, so Shen Shi could only supervise the side of Liu Yuan to ensure her daughter's interests.
After washing up, Man Xi brought over a set of new clothes.
"This was sent by the people from the mansion, each of the three masters has a set. There are also inner clothes, it's late, Miss can just change into the inner clothes directly." Manxi said while opening the inner clothes to prepare for Feng Yuhuan to wear.
Feng Yu Huan put on her undergarments and went to look at another silk skirt. The water-red fabric looked good, but as soon as she touched it, it felt hard like a knife blade, and the material was rough like sandpaper. Wearing such a skirt would be strange if her skin didn't get scratched.
"Who brought the clothes?" she asked.
Man Xi replied, "It's Li Nian, we servants only need to take care of the second young lady, and it's Li Nian who handles matters with the master." As she spoke, she also touched the silk skirt, and immediately furrowed her brow, "Why is it so stiff?"
"An old servant like her, even if she was Shen's wet nurse, didn't have the right to act on her own accord. It's clear that Shen is giving me a hard time."
Man Xi frowned anxiously: "What can I do? If I go to the public again and spend more, I will definitely be discovered by Madam."
She waved her hand, "It's nothing, don't tell others for now, I have a plan for this matter."
Man Xi nodded and carried an empty basin to pour out the used bath water.
Until this girl finished making trouble, Feng Yu Heng finally had some time alone.
Even with her 21st-century survival experience, she couldn't help but admit that the amount of information she received on this day when she returned to Feng Manor was overwhelming.
The intricate and complex interpersonal relationships in this mansion, as well as the various so-called relatives, have broadened her horizons. Although she has taken in a young maid named Man Xi, the words "safety" are still far from her reach. In a place like this, there is no such thing as open conflict; apart from the brainless Feng Pian Dai, everyone else is a master of underhanded tactics.
She thought she had never been afraid of open swords, but hidden arrows hadn't been practiced for many years.
It seems that she needs to temper her fist and prepare for a good fight, but there is one thing in her heart that she can't let go of. Suddenly, Feng Jin Yuan changed his mind, what was the reason?
Gazing out of the window, it seems that when night falls and people are quiet, I will have to take a stroll around this mansion.
The fact that I was able to sneak into Feng Fu at night is really thanks to the old clothes sent by Feng Pian Dai.
Although the clothes from a few years ago have shrunk, fortunately, she hasn't eaten well in the mountain village these past few years and her nutrition has been lacking, so this small frame of hers hasn't grown too noticeably. She can still squeeze into them, which is better than those sandpapery skirts. She also doesn't want to put on the dirty clothes from daytime right after taking a bath.
Feng Yu Huan decided that tomorrow, she would wear her old clothes and sneak around the mansion. She couldn't always let others come to her and cause trouble; she also needed to take the initiative and give those idle people some unpleasantness.
At the third watch, a thin figure fluttered out of the willow garden.
Relying on daytime memories, follow the original path and first feel your way back to the main hall set up in Peony Courtyard.
The Feng Mansion was quiet at midnight, devoid of the daytime bustle. Except for the soft rustling sound of the late summer breeze blowing through the leaves, everything was cold and still.
Her target was Feng Jin Yuan's study, but she wasn't familiar with the Feng manor, and her legs were short, so by the time she finally reached the study, she was panting heavily. Feng Yu Heng decided then and there to add exercising her physical strength to her daily schedule.
Feng Jin-yuan's study was located in Songyuan Garden, which indeed lived up to its name, with the faint scent of pine wafting everywhere. However, after getting to know Feng Jin-yuan's character, one couldn't help but feel that he didn't deserve such a noble tree. Planting rows of pines throughout the garden hadn't elevated his taste, but rather tainted the pine fragrance with greed.
As Feng Yu Heng entered the courtyard, she faintly saw that in the building surrounded by cypress and pine trees, candles were still lit, and from time to time, there were people moving about. She knew that she had gambled correctly.
Feng Jin had expected that he wouldn't be sleeping early tonight. The events of the day were extremely sudden, and the authenticity of the whispered matter needed to be further investigated. Back and forth like this, it was unlikely that any news would arrive too early either.
Didn't dare to easily enter the house again, a wealthy family's study is unlikely to have no defense at all, and entering rashly is not a wise move.
At the end of summer, the weather was changeable. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the moon. Feng Yu Heng hid behind a fake mountain under the cover of night.
Looking around, apart from dwarf pines, there are also many tall cypresses.
She weighed her physical condition, wanting to climb and shuttle like the previous life by relying on external forces, which was obviously unrealistic. Moreover, with Phoenix Feather Fan's vigilance, how could she have miscalculated those pieces of clothes that were vaguely visible between the tall cypresses?