My name is Xinghua, also known as Xu Xinghua.

My first name was given to me by the First Madam. She chose it on the day she bought me back to the Xu family because when she saw me that day, I had an apricot blossom in my hair that my mother had given me.

The First Madam's personal maid said that when I came to the mansion, I was only a little over three years old. Because I had never been full, I couldn't even reach the stove. I didn't remember anything and just cried all day long. My face would be all wrinkled and red from crying. No young master or young lady wanted me to be their maid.

Only the usually quiet young lady chose me.

Only then could I move out of the servants' quarters and into the young lady's warm room.

As far back as I can remember, the young lady was not very talkative. There was no one else serving her except me. All I did was cry and eat. She usually didn't even have anyone to talk to.

I also find it strange that the young masters all like the second young lady, but not the eldest young lady who is more beautiful.

The master and his wife also rarely visited the eldest daughter's room, so the servants didn't pay any attention when cleaning it.

Food was often skimped on, so I was never full and was starving.

The young lady then gave me her share.

One winter, when the house was being repaired, no one added straw to the roof of the young lady's house.

The night the snow fell, the young lady and I were shivering from the cold. I had some extra fat to keep warm, but the young lady was so thin that she was skin and bones and couldn't bear any more of it.

In the dimly lit room, I vaguely heard her call to me: "Xinghua, I'm so cold."

I climbed into the young lady's bed.

We slept together all winter.

The young lady said that it was no use telling anyone about this, and even if she brought it up to the master, it would only incur the disgust of those wicked servants.

I often think that the young lady's life is really miserable. She has parents, but her life is more miserable than mine, who has no parents.

No one in the entire Xu family ever showed even the slightest concern for the eldest daughter.

Strangely, whether it was ancestor worship or attending private school, whenever it involved showing one's face in public, the eldest young lady always stood ahead of the second young lady.

In private, where no one can see her, she can only suffer injustice.

It's as if her existence is only for outsiders to see.

Before I could figure out the reason, the young lady and I were sent away.

We were sent to a nunnery.

Damn it, even if she's mistreated in the Xu family, she's still the eldest daughter. No one will make her do laundry, cook, or gather firewood.

I am a personal maid, only responsible for taking care of the young lady's daily life, so I have never done these rough jobs.

However, once we arrive at the nunnery, we have to do everything.

Even a chamber pot.

I was full of complaints, but the young lady remained silent.

She said, "Xinghua, I've finally left the Xu family."

I don't understand why she's so happy. What's wrong with being in the Xu family? They have enough to eat and wear, which is much better than this dilapidated nunnery.

Two years later, I was taken away.

These past two years haven't been too difficult. Although we had to work, the Xu family would still bring us food and clothes. In our spare time, we could also read scriptures and learn the characters on them.

If I could, I would still like to be with the young lady. We've grown up together since we were little and have never been apart.

But I was just a maid, and she was an unfavored young lady; neither of us could control our own fate.

Perhaps because I spent so much time in the nunnery, I became less talkative after returning from there, learned some characters, and became much more sensible.

Seeing my composure, the First Madam had me serve by her side.

To be honest, being by the First Madam's side was like living in paradise.

No need to wash chamber pots, no need to gather firewood, no need to wash clothes, and you can even eat meat.

I was so engrossed in my pleasure that I gradually forgot, just like everyone else, that the young lady was suffering in the nunnery.

When I was combing the First Madam's hair, I heard Hu Ma mention that the Eldest Miss's biological parents wanted to take her back.

The First Madam snorted coldly and said that the Eldest Miss must pray for the Second Miss in the nunnery until she dies of old age, and she would never be able to leave the nunnery for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, my hand trembled and I pulled out a lock of the First Madam's hair. The First Madam was very angry and ordered me to go and get ten slaps on the hand.

When I received the handprint, I cried my heart out.

The person who hit my hand was a chef from the kitchen. He's always been good to me and likes to give me bits of fried pork fat. He didn't actually hit me hard; it was just a loud thud.

Only I know that I'm not crying for my hands, I'm crying for the young lady.

The second young lady went abroad to study long ago. The master said that the devils of this country can't control the foreigners. He cut off the eldest young lady's food and clothing. I don't know how badly the eldest young lady will be bullied.

The First Madam, however, casually suggested that the Eldest Miss should pray for the Second Miss's well-being for the rest of her life.

No wonder the young lady never fights or competes, no wonder she was happy even when she went to the nunnery, no wonder she never likes to talk. It turns out she already knew she wasn't his biological daughter.

She had known all along that it was all unfair.

She likely knew that she would spend her entire life in a nunnery.

I started praying every day, hoping that the young lady could be brought back. I hoped that she could live a normal life, even if it meant becoming a maid like me, or at least leaving the nunnery.

Heaven took pity on her; four years later, when the young lady turned eighteen, she was brought back.

Because her childhood sweetheart has come looking for her.

The young lady has become even more beautiful, unbelievably so, as if she has become a completely different person. She talks more, and her eyes now hold an unassailable independence.

She stood beside the young marshal, their eyes radiating the same imposing aura; they were an unbelievable match.

The eldest young lady, dressed in a navy blue gown, stood next to the second young lady, who was dressed in Western clothes. To be honest, I was blind and actually thought the eldest young lady was the one who had truly studied abroad.

Her composure, confidence, magnanimity, and calmness are qualities that only someone who has seen the world possesses.

I've seen this kind of temperament in the second young master, in the master, and in the young marshal, but I've never seen it in any woman.

Later, we went to Xinhai City together, where we were looked down upon by the young marshal's family. Madam Cheng invited Su, a well-mannered old woman, to teach the young lady some manners.

The young lady said something that completely influenced me.

After that, I changed my name, followed Deputy Director Chen, joined our Party, and became an underground worker. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, I rose through the ranks and became an outstanding female worker.

It's all because of this sentence that I'm encouraged.

The young lady radiated a glow, as if it were a light emanating from the distant future. She looked at Granny Su with neither arrogance nor servility and said, "I admire Granny Su's self-discipline over the years, but I still prefer freedom. If conditions permit, I would also like to find a few handsome young men to serve me."

She said equality, equality for all.