Chapter 50 Being a Servant

Xie Tingzhou ignored her. Xie Yunyun, feeling foolish, snorted, stomped her foot, and ran out to play.

Inside the room, the thin young man clutched the blood-stained handkerchief tightly, his gaze fixed on his pillow.

Hidden underneath was a flat purse containing a thousand taels of silver notes.

He didn't want to use that money unless absolutely necessary.

Xiao Mansion, Orchid Pavilion.

After resting for a while, Xiao Yuxuan immediately went to the residence of the imperial physician to visit Doctor Pei.

As soon as I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, I heard an argument coming from inside.

"You brat, I'm perfectly fine! If we hadn't gone up the mountain that day, how could we have found such good Scrophularia and Gastrodia?!"

"What do you mean, sell it for money?! You're not allowed to sell it! If it were used in medicine, it could save countless lives. Are you obsessed with money, you brat? Why do you keep talking about money, money, money!"

It was Doctor Pei's voice, and it sounded quite strong. Xiao Yuxuan was slightly relieved and continued walking in, only to hear Pei Xing'er's tearful complaint:

"You old geezer, do you know how dangerous last night was? I almost died! And you still won't let me sell them? If you don't sell them, where will you get the money to buy medicine?!"

"My parents didn't leave me much dowry to begin with. If you don't sell it, I'll use my future dowry to buy medicine, and if I can't get married in the future, I'll cling to you every day!"

This sharp-tongued voice is completely unrelated to the little girl who cried her eyes out last night.

Bihui, who was by his side, was also happy that Doctor Pei had woken up:

"I didn't realize that Miss Pei Xing'er was such a sentimental person."

Doctor Pei shouted angrily:

"You disrespectful brat! What do you mean by getting married? Don't you know any shame? You're just thinking I can't get out of bed and can't reach you!"

Just then, Bihui suddenly announced loudly from outside that the Fifth Miss had arrived, and the grandfather and granddaughter finally quieted down.

Pei Xing'er glared at Doctor Pei on the bed, then put on a smile and quickly walked to the door and lifted the curtain.

"Xing'er greets Fifth Miss!"

She bowed nimbly, and although her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying all night, she looked energetic and her voice was much more lively.

After Xiao Yuxuan told her to get up quickly and they went inside, Pei Xing'er lifted her skirt and knelt down firmly, saying gratefully:

"Pei Xing'er thanks Miss Xiao Wu for saving her life. From now on, whenever Miss Xiao Wu needs her, Pei Xing'er will serve her like a slave!"

As she spoke, she kowtowed three times with a loud thud. Just listening to her made Bi Sui's forehead ache.

When Pei Xing'er raised her head again, her face was indeed covered in tears, but she smiled and looked at Xiao Yuxuan as if she were looking at a living bodhisattva.

Doctor Pei is still unable to get out of bed, but upon hearing the noise, he expressed his gratitude.

Old Master Xiao had been kind to him before, and this time, Fifth Miss Xiao had truly saved his life. It's just a pity that he's already so old and doesn't know what he can do to repay this life-saving grace.

Xiao Yuxuan personally helped Pei Xing'er up and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

There were no outsiders here, so she got straight to the point:

“Xing’er, you’ve always been kind to me. This time, I saved Doctor Pei not only because I couldn’t bear to see him pass away, but also to repay your kindness. Of course, besides that, I also want to ask you for a favor…”

After hearing Xiao Yuxuan's words, Pei Xing'er waved her hands repeatedly and said urgently:

"No, that won't do. Even if I did ten or eight years of work for you, it wouldn't be enough to repay this life-saving debt. How could I possibly accept your money?!"

Xiao Wu Guniang meant that once she had taken good care of her grandfather, she would go and help Xiao Wu Guniang. There would be no indenture, only an equal exchange, and she would receive two taels of silver every month for five years.

Such a good job is hard to find even with a lantern, let alone the fact that she owes Miss Xiao Wu such a huge favor!

She's not the kind of ungrateful person who would never agree!

Seeing her resolute refusal, Xiao Yuxuan smiled:

“Xing’er, you only see how easy it is to get this money, but what I want you to do may be far less worth this amount of money.”

Her words were ambiguous, leaving both Bi Sui and Pei Xing'er somewhat bewildered.

Pei Xing'er is only twelve years old, what can she do?

Bi Sui's monthly allowance was only half a string of cash, or two taels of silver, which was enough to hire an experienced steward.

Doctor Pei, who was lying on the bed, understood what was going on.

He knew that none of the younger generation in the Xiao family were easy to deal with.

Doctor Pei closed his eyes wearily; it seemed that his carefree days were gone forever.

An aged voice came from the bed in the inner room:

"Xing'er, forget it, just agree."

Pei Xing'er looked over, puzzled:

"Old geezer?"

Doctor Pei jumped up and down:

"You brat, Miss Xiao is still here, and you dare to be so rude!"

Pei Xing'er lowered her head and muttered somewhat shyly:

"Miss Xiao wouldn't mind these things at all..."

Then he turned to Xiao Yuxuan and said:

"Miss Xiao, I certainly agree to your request, but two taels of silver is too much for me. I feel ashamed to accept it. Once my grandfather is able to get out of bed and move around freely, I will go and work for you."

"No rush. Doctor Pei's illness is quite severe. He needs to rest for a while. Come back when you are fully recovered."

After comforting the Pei family for a while, Xiao Yuxuan left the courtyard where the physician lived, amidst Pei Xing'er's tearful gratitude, and headed towards Madam Xiao's main courtyard.

In the bedroom, Madam Xiao, wearing a headband, was drinking a calming soup while being served by Xiao Yuyao.

When Li's mother saw her arrive, she gave her a complicated look, and Xiao Yuxuan immediately understood.

She lowered her eyes, quickly wiped away a tear, and gently bowed:

"Your unfilial daughter, Yu Xuan, greets her mother and fourth sister—"

Madam Xiao was already troubled by what the Princess had said about breakfast that morning, and after hearing the whole story of the writing set, she couldn't help but feel depressed and annoyed.

As for the Eldest Princess, that's another story. After all, she's a powerful figure that the Xiao family can't afford to offend. It's Xiao Yuxuan's ability to build a good relationship with the Eldest Princess is her own skill, and she might even be able to help the Xiao family rise to a higher level.

However, he engraved his name on the items he gave away without informing her beforehand, causing Yuyao to embarrass herself in public. This made people think that the Xiao family had fallen so low that the older sister had to use her younger sister's writing materials.

Seeing Xiao Yuxuan apologize as soon as she came in, the anger in his chest dissipated a bit.

Overall, the youngest daughter's attitude was much softer than when she first entered the household. She knew how to bow her head and admit her mistakes, and was no longer the stubborn and unyielding person she once was.

What she hated seeing most was her youngest daughter's stubborn and unyielding demeanor a month ago, like a stubborn country bumpkin, lacking any of the delicate beauty of a young lady.

"Now that you know about this and recognize your mistake, get up and sit next to me."