Draft: Li Yue'er came from a poor family. For five taels of silver, her family sold her to a wealthy household to become a concubine.
This household was very peculiar; only the mistress m...
Chapter 63: Unconsciously and Actively Accommodating.
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Afterwards, when the two were embracing and whispering tenderly, Li Yue'er noticed that her mistress's long hair on her side was also missing a section.
Li Yue'er laughed, "Why did you cut your own hair?"
She reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on the mistress's shoulder. "Just cut mine."
Li Yue'er intended to cut off her hair, thinking that the mistress's hair would naturally untangle without being tangled and bound. Who would have thought that the mistress would have such poor patience and cut off all of them indiscriminately.
Li Yue'er instantly felt at peace, not only because of her hair but also because of what happened last night.
Although the mistress didn't love her, she didn't just bully her alone. Wasn't this a fair way of cutting off both of their hair?
Qu Rong, "..."
Qu Rong paused for a moment, then looked down at Li Yue'er, "Have you really studied?"
Who is the one who is truly clueless about romance?
Indeed, if Li Yue'er had understood, she wouldn't have been so aggrieved last night, and when she hugged her from behind, tears would have streamed down her face.
Qu Rong tried to explain to her, but felt it was too troublesome to say, and didn't know where to start or which sentence to begin with.
She disliked dissecting her thoughts and emotions in such detail, so she simply kept quiet, finding peace and quiet in both her mind and ears.
She and Li Yue'er are fine maintaining their current relationship and way of getting along.
Why bother defining this relationship, and why bother asking what she's thinking?
Qu Rong, still in a reclining position, reached out and grasped Li Yue'er's fingers, tucking her smooth, jade-like forearm into the blankets.
Although the bed was almost cold after all the commotion, it was still warmer inside than outside.
Qu Rong looked away from Li Yue'er's words, still not intending to reply, nor did she want to explain where the two strands of hair had gone. She simply said, "Get ready and get up. Wu Mama, who serves the old lady, is here."
Li Yue'er's attention was instantly diverted, and she looked up, asking, "When did you arrive?"
She leaned out and lifted the curtain to look outside; it was already daylight.
Qu Rong slowly lowered her eyes, "Guess."
Li Yue'er, "..."
It couldn't be when she was screaming the loudest while she was delirious!
Seeing Li Yue'er's face turn as red as a shrimp in a hot pot, Qu Rong smiled and whispered in her ear, "She arrived before I put it in."
She was also woken up at that time.
Dansha knocked gently on the door, and when she answered, he stopped knocking.
When Dansha came in to speak, even though they were separated by the curtain, Qu Rong still reached back and covered Li Yue'er's head with the quilt.
Upon learning that Madam Wu had arrived early in the morning, she instructed Dansha to take Madam Wu to sit in the main hall, and to wait until she had gotten up and tidied herself before going over.
The people asking for favors are the old lady and Aunt Wu, not her, so why should she be in such a hurry?
But it seems we have to go back today. Qu Rong wanted to wake Li Yue'er up so she could pack her things.
To everyone's surprise, when the blankets were pulled back, Li Yue'er was fast asleep, her long hair spread out on the bright red embroidered pillow, her face flushed and radiating heat. It was hard to breathe under the covers, so her lips were slightly parted and her delicate brows were furrowed.
Qu Rong glanced at him, then glanced at him again, and then woke him up.
She didn't mean it that way; she just wanted to tease her.
But Li Yue'er, half asleep and half awake, unconsciously wrapped her arms around Qu Rong's neck and took the initiative to respond, and Qu Rong couldn't stop herself.
After the two of them had been fussing for almost half an hour, and their heartbeats had both calmed down, she told Li Yue'er that Aunt Wu had arrived.
Li Yue'er silently looked up at the mistress, then grabbed her sleeve and asked, "Are you only telling me now because you're afraid of ending things prematurely?"
If she had known that Madam Wu was coming, she wouldn't have wrapped her legs around the mistress's waist like that, and she certainly wouldn't have taken advantage of the most relaxed and comfortable time of morning to have so much fun with the mistress.
The mistress changed the subject again, "Get up quickly, or Aunt Wu will overthink it."
She was worried about whether Mrs. Wu would overthink things. Even if Mrs. Wu was standing outside listening, she would cover her mouth and keep quiet until the very end.
Li Yue'er mimicked her, speaking in a sarcastic tone, "Then I'll have to blame Mama Wu. The mistress is calm and composed. Getting up so late must be because I'm too clingy."
Qu Rong, "..."
Qu Rong pretended not to hear, got out of bed to wash her hands, go to the toilet, and pick out clothes. Only after Li Yue'er was also clean and dressed did she let the maids come in to serve her.
Inside the main hall, Wu Mama sat there for almost an hour, but the mistress of the house was nowhere to be seen.
It was one thing for the mistress to put on airs with her, but that lowly maid Li Yue'er didn't even come over to pay her respects.
Putting aside the fact that she represented the old lady when she went out, Li Yue'er learned housekeeping from her at the Qu residence, so the two could be considered master and apprentice.
During the New Year holidays, Li Yue'er didn't say a word and followed the mistress out of the house to the estate to have fun, showing no regard for her teacher.
She could understand if they left in a hurry, but now that her own people were sitting in the manor, Li Yue'er didn't come over to serve them or offer any New Year's gifts.
On such a cold day, with light snow falling outside, she came out just as the city gates opened before dawn.
At her age, she was exhausted from the long journey. When she arrived, she couldn't see the mistress or Li Yue'er. Only a maid brought her a cup of hot tea and told her to wait there.
Even after waiting for a long time, there is still no concrete news.
Madam Wu was no pushover; in Shouhe Hall, which servant would dare to treat her like this?
As for the mistress of the house, she could punish Li Yue'er with a few words; she still had that much authority and power.
Mother Wu placed the teacup heavily on the tea table, the bottom of the cup making a sound against the table, which attracted the maid at the door.
Hearing the commotion, the maidservant hurried in and curtsied, "Does Madam have something to instruct you on?"
Mrs. Wu crossed her right leg over her left, placed her hands on her knees, and chuckled.
"Look at what you're saying. How could I dare to give any orders? I'm just an old maidservant by the old lady's side. When I come to the estate, I naturally have to listen to the mistress. I'll wait as long as she tells me to, without the slightest complaint, let alone giving any orders."
"Oh, where is Aunt Li? It's fine if the mistress doesn't come, but where is she?"
The Moon Maiden...
The maid looked distressed and was about to explain when she caught a glimpse of a crimson dress standing beside her.
The maidservant peeked over.
She is Cinnabar Girl.
She breathed a sigh of relief, quickly turned around to greet Dan Sha, and then whispered, "Mother Wu is getting a little unhappy after waiting for so long, and is throwing a tantrum, insisting on seeing Yue'er."
Dansha nodded, signaling the maid to leave, and said she would serve Mama Wu.
The maid couldn't handle Madam Wu; she was senior, older, and a close associate of the old lady, so the maid dared not offend her. Now that she had received the cinnabar, she left without hesitation.
Dan Sha paid his respects to Madam Wu.
As the head maidservant of the mistress, slapping her is tantamount to slapping the mistress's face.
Besides, Wu Mama came this time to "take" the mistress back. If she ruined the old lady's plans by showing dissatisfaction and giving her a hard time, then she would be the one who messed up the important matter.
Mother Wu lowered her legs again, flexible and adaptable, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress, and a smile appeared on her face. "Has the mistress gotten up?"
Cinnabar, "No."
Mrs. Wu, "..."
Mrs. Wu pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "Young people really can sleep."
These were the same words the mistress used to criticize the old lady when she went to Shouhe Hall to support Li Yue'er last time.
At this moment, Wu's mother wanted to retaliate and vent her anger on behalf of the old lady.
But she didn't dare.
So she took her anger out on Li Yue'er, asking, "What about Aunt Li?"
With a forced smile, Wu Mama said, "The mistress is the master, so it's one thing for her to sleep in, but surely a lowly maid like Li Ma is still not up at this hour?"
Dansha glanced at Wu's mother, then lowered her eyes, her tone still indifferent, "She's not up yet."
Mother Wu immediately erupted, "Who does she think she is? She's still not up at this hour! Go and drag her out of bed! It's your business if you spoil her, but I, her master, won't!"
She deliberately adopted her status as the master, implying that her teaching of Li Yue'er had nothing to do with the old lady or the mistress, and was purely a matter between the master and disciple, in order to prevent anyone from protecting their own and obstructing her.
Dansha hesitated for a moment, a look of doubt on her face, "Is the master-disciple relationship between you and Miss Yue'er the same as the master-disciple relationship between Miss Yue'er and Sister Su?"
Mrs. Wu didn't know why she was asking this, so she picked up her teacup and said matter-of-factly, "Of course."
Dansha, "You're in a hurry to see her, so you've given her a gift like Sister Su did?"
Mrs. Wu looked bewildered. "What gift?"
She was filled with confusion. This was outrageous! It was more like Li Yue'er, that little hussy, was being filial to her; she was the one eagerly giving Li Yue'er gifts.
Dansha was even more puzzled than her, and frowned as she asked, "But yesterday, Sister Su gave Miss Yue'er an agate bracelet. The mistress said it was worth about 180 taels of silver. I thought you were in a hurry to see Miss Yue'er today, so you brought her a red envelope of the same value."
Dansha said with a blank face, "After all, you and Sister Su are both Yue'er's teachers, so naturally you will send the same amount of gifts."
Mrs. Wu almost spat out her tea. Now it was in her mouth, and she couldn't spit it out, nor could she swallow it down.
One hundred and eighty taels!
Even if you smashed Li Yue'er's bones and sold them by weight, she wouldn't be worth 180 taels!
The concubine who was bought into the mansion for five taels of silver dared to accept such an expensive bracelet from Miss Su. She really gave her too much face.
Mrs. Wu lost her appetite for tea. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, muttered, "Where is she? Tell her to come over."
What bracelet? One hundred and eighty taels!
Li Yue'er really dared to accept it; did she even understand the implications of accepting it?
Mother Wu's heart was bleeding. She wished that Li Yue'er would be sensible and give her the bracelet directly as a sign of filial piety, so that she could keep it and use it to find a wife for her grandson in the future.
This bracelet sounds impressive to others; it was given to me by Miss Su, the legitimate daughter of the former Minister of the Capital.
Goods from the Minister's residence are naturally of high quality; besides being valuable, they also exude prestige.
Mrs. Wu's thoughts were practically written all over her face.
Dansha glanced at her. "Miss Yue'er is in the mistress's room."
Mrs. Wu, "..."
Dansha said, "As long as Mother speaks, I will go in, drag her out, and bring her to you, Mother."
Mrs. Wu, "…………"
The affair between Li Yue'er and Qu Rong, which is essentially a concubine and the mistress of the household sleeping together, is something that the servants probably all know, but they just don't dare to mention it openly.
So when Wu's mother heard Dansha say it so bluntly, her expression changed several times. She wanted to say something, but then she held back.
Of the two head maids serving Qu Rong, Dan Sha was most like her mistress in temperament. When she spoke, she always wore that expressionless, deadpan face, with a lukewarm attitude and a lukewarm tone. Just like her mistress, she was an annoying person.
Wu's mother forced a smile and tried to make amends for the two of them living in the same room, saying, "Since Aunt Li is serving the mistress, then, then let it be."
Li Yue'er lives with the mistress because, as a concubine, she must serve the mistress well. It must not be for any other reason. Otherwise, if this were to spread, it wouldn't matter between the two of them, but outsiders would only think that Master Qu Ming is useless.
If he weren't impotent, how could the two women in his backyard have gotten together?
The master is the old lady's lifeline, so naturally, Mrs. Wu has to protect his reputation and face.
Seeing that Wu Mama had finally shut up and behaved herself, Dansha nodded, gave a curtsy, and left.
Originally, Wu Mama had been waiting for a long time, and the maids, fearing she would be unhappy, would come in from time to time to refill her hot tea. Now, perhaps even freshly baked hot cakes and fruits have been brought over.
But after Wu's mother made such a fuss, not only were there no pastries or fruits, but even hot tea was gone.
The cup of tea she had been holding was almost cold when the mistress finally arrived.
Only the mistress of the house came; the concubine, Li Yue'er, didn't even show her face.
Mrs. Wu, "..."
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Mrs. Wu: If I had known, when I was young, I would have...done that way too...
old lady:……
Ahhh, I don't really care about holidays since I don't go out much, but I still want to join in the festive atmosphere (Eastern or Western, it doesn't matter), so I'll be giving out red envelopes in the comments section of this chapter too~