Chapter 5. Didn't you just submit to her?

Shanlai carried a tent, Ruhui took two pillows and a quilt, and a girl named Lanying carried a sheet and a quilt. The three of them walked slowly down the passageway.

Shanlai lived in a lower room of Biwutang. Biwutang was very close to Fuzetang. Liu Min lived in the warm pavilion of Fuzetang when he was a child, and moved to Biwutang when he was eight years old.

Lan Ying was the daughter of one of the old women. She was thirteen years old and did some cleaning and chores in the mansion. When Ru Hui and Shan Lai were about to leave, her mother insisted that her daughter help carry their things, holding them back until they finally arrived. Ru Hui didn't say anything about it. She just sat with Shan Lai and chatted with the old women. Of course, the old women did most of the talking, and she listened. As for Shan Lai, she didn't say a word from beginning to end, only nodding and shaking her head.

Lan Ying seemed to like Ru Hui very much, sticking close to her and talking to her constantly. Ru Hui was also quite enthusiastic towards her, answering every question and showering her with compliments. Lan Ying also showed considerable interest in Shan Lai. Although she didn't talk to Shan Lai, her eyes would frequently glance at him when she spoke to Ru Hui.

When they arrived at the room, Lan Ying was about to help make the bed and fold the blankets when Ru Hui stopped her.

"No, you should hurry back. Don't let this interfere with your work. Aunt Sun has a bad temper, and you'll inevitably suffer under her. To put it nicely, she's ruthless. Even if you make a mistake, she won't forgive you just because of your mother. How could we feel if you got scolded because of her? Go back quickly, and when you see your mother later, please thank her for us."

Lan Ying readily agreed, but lingered for a while before leaving. Ru Hui watched her with a smile the whole time, and even saw her off a few steps at the end.

After Lan Ying left, Ru Hui led Shan Lai to make the bed. She didn't speak, and Shan Lai had nothing to say either. The two of them remained silent, simply burying themselves in their work.

Suddenly, Ru Hui spoke up: "The people I introduced you to today are all old servants of the manor. It's not that they're bad, but the old lady has been focusing all her attention on Lian Si all these years and hasn't been paying much attention to the affairs of the manor. As a result, they've become arrogant. I'm telling you this just to tell you to be careful in your dealings. They are people you can't afford to offend."

This older sister is a good person, Shan Lai thought, her heart filled with gratitude for the person in front of her. A feeling of closeness arose, and she was about to speak when Ru Hui said again, "Fu Ze Tang is a good place, and Lian Si is even more sought after. Everyone wants to get some benefits, so their eyes are always on this place, wishing they could bite people to death... Take Lan Ying for example, why did her mother insist that she help you deliver things? Sister, you must be more careful. The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. You are the first one, so don't give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of you."

The words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat; I couldn't speak them or swallow them down. My heart sank, and I didn't know where it would sink to.

Shanlai believed Ru Hui's words. This was the hardship of being human. Once you're in a crowded place, you can't escape. Home is good, but you can't go back.

I wonder how my father is doing now? Will the old lady keep her promise? Will the doctor surnamed Wang be able to come home today? She can't go home again, afraid that if she goes back, she won't be able to get out again. Her father will not agree to her selling herself, she is very certain of that, so she doesn't want to go back. She wants her father to live. If her father is gone, she doesn't know how she will continue to live. Will she raise chickens and ducks alone in the mountains?

As long as her father is alive, she will be happy even if he has a new wife and new children.

The room was quiet except for the creaking sounds of Ru Hui moving around.

It's so quiet. There's never a moment this quiet at home. Chickens and ducks are always clucking at all hours, and the sounds of wild animals often come from the mountains. At night, mice scurry along the roof beams, squeaking, and occasionally kick things over...

Once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep, uncharted sea.

Seven words suddenly came to mind, causing immediate heartache and mental distraction.

It's as deep as the sea.

At this moment, Chunyan, who had already left, quietly entered the room carrying a food box. Ruhui stopped what she was doing, turned around, and looked at her with a smile.

Chunyan looked at Ruhui first, her smile a little awkward. She pointed at Shanlai and said, "I've come to see her."

Ru Hui said, "Of course, you are from the same hometown." She then said, "You two talk, the matter is almost settled, I will go and report back to the old lady." After saying that, she was about to leave.

Shanlai understood that this allowed her to speak with Chunyan alone. She was new to the place, and Chunyan was the only person in the entire Liu family who was close to her. If they could exchange a few words, she would feel more at ease.

Sister Ru Hui is so thoughtful; she's such a good person.

Shanlai said this again.

Seeing that Ru Hui was about to leave, Chunyan quickly raised the food box in her hand and said, "I dare not delay your business, but eat some, it won't take much effort." As she spoke, she opened the food box and placed the several plates of pastries inside on the table.

Ru Hui refused to eat, waving her hand and saying, "It's greasy, it'll get my hands dirty and hard to wash. I still have to see the old lady." As she spoke, she had already reached the door.

Chunyan didn't say anything more, but Shanlai chased after her to the door. Although he didn't say anything either, he at least saw her off.

She was indeed not a talkative person, and Ru Hui already knew that. So even though she didn't say anything, Ru Hui already knew her feelings. She smiled and said to her, "Don't see me off. Go back and rest. Who knows what might happen later."

Ru Hui walked quite a distance, but Shan Lai was still standing at the door, watching her go.

Chunyan came out of the house and, seeing the situation, said, "You and she seem quite close."

Shan Lai nodded earnestly, "Sister Ru Hui is a good person." His words were filled with deep affection.

Chunyan simply said, "Come in and eat some cake, it's getting cold, and it won't taste good when it's cold."

The two went inside, and before they could even sit down, Chunyan had already picked up a piece of mung bean cake and started eating it. As she ate, she said with a hint of pride, "They gave this to me because I love to eat it."

Shanlai remained still, simply watching the swallows eat.

Chunyan pushed the bowl towards Shanlai again, "Eat up, aren't you hungry?"

Her reminder made Shanlai suddenly realize he was hungry.

She should have been hungry long ago. All day long, she only ate half a bun that Chunyan bought at the city gate when she entered the city this morning. I bought her two buns, but she tried her best to eat them and only managed to eat half.

Before him were all sorts of cakes, none of which Shanlai had ever seen before and whose names he did not know. Each one was incredibly fragrant, with the aroma of oil, flowers, rice, and beans, almost making him dizzy with the fragrance. Shanlai stretched out his hand, not knowing which one to eat, because he wanted to eat them all.

Seeing that she was hesitating to eat, Chunyan became a little anxious. "Eat it! This was specially made for you by Aunt Li. You have to eat it! If you don't eat it, I won't be able to explain it to her! I've already eaten half of this mung bean cake!"

Chunyan was a kitchen helper in the Liu family, while Aunt Li was a cook in the Liu family, in charge of pastry dishes.

Shanlai was very hungry, but after hearing Chunyan's words, she dared not eat no matter how hungry she was.

Ru Hui had reminded her that she must not let anyone find fault with her.

When Chunyan saw that she not only didn't take it, but even withdrew her hand, she became even more anxious, "What's wrong with you?"

Before Shanlai could even tell Chunyan, Chunyan's expression changed. Her brows furrowed and her eyes widened. "What? You're hiding this from me? You've only just landed on this branch, and you've already forgotten me?"

He couldn't care less about anything else at that moment and immediately told Chunyan everything.

"Sister, I'm so nervous. I'm afraid I'll do something wrong. I don't even know what to do with my hands and feet right now."

Chunyan scoffed and asked, "What are you afraid of? Are you going to be eaten?"

Shanlai received no comfort whatsoever. Once she became a slave, she was like meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. What if they actually ate her? Even if she wasn't eaten, she would likely suffer a tragic end. How could this not make people panic and fear?

"Don't be afraid, she's just scaring you. If I wasn't in such a hurry to eat the cake, I would have told you already..." Chunyan suddenly stopped, glancing towards the door. She didn't see anything suspicious, but even so, she was still uneasy. She quietly walked to the door, looked left and right to make sure no one was there, and then went back inside to sit down. With no one outside, she felt relieved, but when she spoke again, her voice was much lower: "That Ru Hui, she seems like a good person, but she's actually very wicked! In my opinion, she deliberately scared you. She said those things to you to curry favor and make you trust her. You see, you fell into her trap, thought she was a good person, believed her, and didn't even dare to eat a cake!"

Shan Lai was almost stunned. "...How could this be?"

"Of course I would!" Chunyan said sternly, sitting up straighter. "You've just arrived, so of course you don't know anything. I'm different. I've been here for several years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'm very knowledgeable. My dear sister, I'm counting on you. Would I ever harm you?"

"This Ru Hui, on the surface she's virtuous, but she's not a good person at all! When I first came here, there was a maid in the manor named Yue'e. She was bought in around the same time as me, two years older than me, thirteen. Her mother was originally from the southwest, and she was very skilled at needlework. Her father was from here, a tea merchant. He went to the southwest to do business, met her mother once, and fell in love with her, so he married her. Everything was fine until her father became addicted to gambling. He stopped doing business, lost all his family property, and later died from drinking. Her mother supported the family by embroidering for others, ruining her eyesight, and it seemed like her only way out was to die." Her mother had no choice but to sell her… She was the eldest in the family and had helped her mother with chores since she was little. She had learned all of her mother's skills. The old lady heard that she was good at needlework, so she asked her to make clothes for the young master. She was truly skilled, and the young master liked what she made. Of course, the old lady liked it too. She rewarded him with gifts and increased his monthly allowance. She was very well-off. But later, she was careless. When she was making clothes for the young master, she didn't tidy up properly, and a needle got stuck in the clothes. When the young master wore the clothes, it pricked into his flesh two or three inches deep! The old lady was furious and kicked her out. No one knows where the slave trader took her in the end…

"The first time I met Yue'e was when she came to the kitchen to steal food. She was always very hungry and ate a lot, maybe because she was afraid of being hungry at home... Before she was taken away, I went to see her. She cried a lot, and I cried too. I blamed her for being useless and not working properly, which led to this end. Who was to blame? She said that she finally had a good life and was cherishing it. How could she not work properly? She didn't know what happened."

"She just left without any explanation. Later, one time, I was being lazy and fell asleep by the big rock under the pavilion by the water. I was woken up by crying. In my drowsy state, I heard the person crying and saying something like, 'I did help you with Yue'e's matter, after all...' I was so scared that I didn't dare to move. I waited until they were far away before I went out and took a look from a distance. It was her and Qingrong. You won't have a chance to meet Qingrong. She made a mistake a couple of years ago and had an affair with another man. It is said that the old lady was furious, but in the end, nothing serious happened. She was allowed to get married outside."

"Don't think I'm wronging her. I thought about it later. Before Yue'e came, Ru Hui was the one who made the young master's clothes. Yue'e stole her thunder, so she colluded with Qing Rong to drive Yue'e away. Sure enough, after Yue'e left, she was the one who made the young master's clothes again. If you ask me, she might have been involved in Qing Rong's affairs too!"

"Good sister, don't disbelieve me. I haven't had a chance to tell you many things yet. As for Ru Hui, I'll just say one thing: for the past two years, she's been secretly vying with Yun Ping, the young master's head maid. Yun Ping has a bad temper, and now that you've come along, she'll definitely use you as a pawn. Just wait and see! I'm telling you this so you can be on your guard. Don't end up being sold out and still counting the money for her. Are you stupid? You're definitely not stupid. It's just that you've only just arrived here, and you don't know anyone. You're bound to be scared. If she uses a little trick, won't you stop submitting to her? Don't you think so?"

A note from the author: