"You are so kind, ma'am."

Zhu Hong laughed sheepishly, half covering her mouth with her sleeve, revealing just the right amount of shyness. This trick works in front of men, and it's not offensive in front of women either.

Seeing that the time was almost right and Shen Ruoyan was in a good mood, Zhu Hong finally told him her purpose.

"Actually, I have an unwelcome request for you when I come to visit my wife this time." After saying this, Zhu Hong subconsciously looked at Shen Ruoyan's expression, thinking that she would see surprise or anger on her face, but there was nothing.

There was no surprise, no anger, not even a flicker of expression.

Shen Ruoyan acted as if he was listening to where the sun would rise today. It was so normal that he didn't even give him a superfluous glance.

She just sat there calmly, her expression unremarkable. "Oh? What's the matter?"

Zhu Hong subconsciously tensed her body and even retracted her feet. She was unsure of Shen Ruoyan's attitude, and suddenly she felt less confident.

"My hometown was hit by a disaster a while ago, and I was separated from my family. I thought we would never see each other again in this life, but unexpectedly, when I went out to buy rouge that day, I actually met my great aunt!"

When Zhu Hong mentioned this, her eyes couldn't help but turn red. "There was a famine at that time, and some of my family members died or were scattered. My aunt said that now, only my sister and she are left in my family..."

Great aunt?

Shen Ruoyan pondered in his heart, but his face was very calm, “That is indeed a great fate.”

During times of famine, exchanging children for food was common.

If what Zhuhong said is true, then she probably didn't get separated from her family, but was sold by her family.

But what is the background of this aunt?

"Yes, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, madam. When I was young, I wasn't valued by my family because of my female identity. Fortunately, I had this aunt at home who helped me and my sister from time to time. That's how I was able to survive in that situation."

Shen Ruoyan said: "So, this aunt has indeed been kind to you in raising you?"

Zhu Hong nodded in agreement, "I will never forget your kindness, aunt. Now that my sister and I have entered the Marquis's residence, and with a sensible mistress like Madam by our side, our lives are truly a world apart from before. Now that I see aunt all alone and helpless, I can't help but feel guilty."

Which is greater, the grace of giving birth or the grace of raising a child? This has been an unchanging question since ancient times.

If you give birth to a child but don’t raise him/her, you are not worthy of being a parent.

If you raise a child but don’t love him, you are not a good person.

She raised the emperor, worked hard for many years, and put in a lot of effort, but not only did she not receive a word of gratitude, but instead she was given a cup of poisoned wine, which sent her to her death.

The emperor still claims to the outside world that he had an acute illness, and even the imperial physician has kept silent.

Thinking about it now, I still feel a chill in my heart.

When Zhuhong mentioned her great-aunt now, even though she wasn't her biological mother, every word she spoke was filled with gratitude. Her words were filled with longing and gratitude for her.

If she hadn't pretended so well, Shen Ruoyan would have looked at her with a higher regard.

So she asked, "Do you want to bring her into the mansion?"

Although the Marquis's Mansion in Shengjing wasn't considered a first-class family, it was still a respectable one. If anyone knew that they had brought in a concubine's relative and were raising her as a dependent, they would probably be laughed at.

By then, Lu Jing's reputation of favoring his concubine over his wife can be revived.

Zhuhong thinks she will agree to such a thankless task?

"Madam, you've misunderstood. I'm just a lowly servant. Being able to live in the Marquis' Mansion is already a blessing from my good deeds in my past life. How could I dare to dream of anything else? It's just that my aunt is old. Although she has a lot of strength, she can't find any work outside."

Zhu Hong explained, "I just hope to find a job for my aunt so that she can have a place to make a living."

Her eyes were filled with pleading, and she was sincere. "Other than that, I have no other requests."

It was actually very easy to find a job in the Marquis's Mansion. Although he was old, he could still be assigned to the backyard chores such as sweeping, burning firewood, and fetching water.

Even the maids around the master, if they are smart, will introduce close relatives to come and find work.

What's more, she is the concubine in this mansion?

Zhu Hong's request was not excessive, and for Shen Ruoyan, it was just a matter of words.

But she still kept her status low and came to ask for instructions from Shen Ruoyan in a proper manner, or even to request, without any airs of a master.

After all, half a master is still a master!

Look at Fang Rou, isn’t she using this identity very well?

"Since you've come in person, there's no reason for me to refuse." Shen Ruoyan smiled and called Chun Xi over. "I'll leave this matter to you. Make sure to make proper arrangements for my aunt's grandmother."

Chun Xi replied, "It just so happens that Grandma Wan from the kitchen twisted her waist a few days ago and said she needs to rest at home for a long time, so she can't come. How about going to the kitchen to help?"

She faced Shen Ruoyan, not showing her back to Zhu Hong, and turned slightly to the side and said, "Although I'm in the kitchen, I'm only responsible for adding firewood and helping with cleaning. It's not hard work, so I think it should be no problem."

After Chunxi finished speaking, she stood there with her head down.

Everything is left to the masters to decide.

Shen Ruoyan did not speak, but looked at Zhu Hong. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled happily: "In that case, I will trouble Miss Chunxi."

After saying that, he stood up and bowed to Shen Ruoyan, "Thank you, Madam, for your help."

It's not that she hadn't considered asking Lu Jing directly, but firstly, this was a matter of the harem, and it was reasonable to ask the mistress's opinion. Secondly, Lu Jing had always been indifferent to such trivial matters, and if she asked rashly, she would probably just be dismissed with a few words.

So after much thought, Zhu Hong finally found Shen Ruoyan.

Unexpectedly, things went even more smoothly than she had imagined.

"Sister, what's going on?" Liu Lu rushed in impatiently upon seeing someone. Then she quickly ordered someone to close the door, took Zhu Hong's hand, and asked, "How is it? Did Madam agree?"

God knows how anxious she was waiting in the room alone!

I waited and waited but my sister didn’t come back. I wanted to rush to the mistress’s yard and ask her in person!

"You, why can't you change your impatient temper?" Zhu Hong pulled her to sit down and said softly, "It's done."

Not only did she succeed, but she was also assigned to the kitchen, a place she had never dared to think about before.

"Madam arranged for Auntie to go to the kitchen to take care of the fire and cleaning, which are all easy tasks." Zhu Hong smiled, but this time her smile was even more sincere: "I didn't expect that she would go directly into the kitchen. From now on, it will be convenient for us to do things."

Liu Lu was also surprised, and what followed was a surprise!

"Sister, you are truly far-sighted. This way, my aunt can legitimately stay in the Marquis' Mansion. From now on, we two sisters will completely rely on her!"

Liu Lu's joy infected Zhu Hong.

Thinking of the coming great-aunt, their stagnant souls seemed to be revitalized and began to flow.

Although this great aunt is indeed their biological aunt, her background is not simple at all!