Green Tea Sister

"Miss? Miss?" she greeted cautiously.

Fu Zhiqiao hesitated and asked, "Granny Cui?"

According to the original owner's memories, the woman in front of him, who looks to be in her forties, is called Granny Cui. She was one of the original owner's mother's dowry maids and is now the head nanny of the Fu family's eldest branch.

Granny Cui wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Thank goodness, the young lady's mind isn't damaged. "Alas! The young lady isn't fully recovered yet, how can she get out of bed!"

Before Fu Zhi Qiao could react, Granny Cui put down the basin of water, helped her back to bed, covered her with a blanket, and held her somewhat cold hand, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your protection! Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your protection!"

Fu Zhiqiao: ...

Recalling the original owner's behavior in his mind, he wondered what reaction he should make next so as not to give himself away.

Looking at the still somewhat dazed person on the bed, whose pale face was very pitiful, Granny Cui anxiously asked, "Is the young lady still feeling unwell?" As she spoke, she reached out to touch the young lady's forehead.

Fu Zhiqiao instinctively shrank back.

"Water..." Her voice was hoarse. Her body was extremely dehydrated. She had been unconscious for so long and was almost dying of thirst, not to mention the bitter taste of medicine still lingering in her mouth.

When Granny Cui saw the empty kettle on the table, her expression changed instantly.

"These little hussies..." These maids dared to treat the young lady so disrespectfully. Granny Cui cursed and went out to find someone to boil water.

Soon someone brought in tea. Granny Cui was furious. Her face turned cold, and she scolded sharply, "The young lady is unconscious, and this is how you take care of her? There's no one in the room, and you didn't even bother to boil a pot of tea?"

"Granny!" Fu Zhi Qiao called out to her. Now was not the time to scold her; she should let her have some water first!

Granny Cui dismissed the maid who brought the water and personally poured a cup of warm water for her.

Fu Zhi Qiao gulped down two cups of water before she could quench her thirst. Granny Cui looked at Fu Zhi Qiao, who was drinking water in large gulps, and her eyes were full of pity. "Is the young lady still feeling unwell? Granny will go and fetch a doctor to take a look."

After drinking the water, Fu Zhi Qiao felt much better. "I feel much better. Where's my mother?"

"The young lady has a persistent high fever, and even the doctor said she might not make it. The madam has been so worried that she hasn't been able to sleep all night, staying by the young lady's bedside day and night without changing her clothes. She's resting next door now, and I'll go and ask the madam to come over!"

Fortunately, the young lady woke up in time; otherwise, how could the lady have borne the loss of her husband and child? Granny Cui has been so anxious these past two days that she has developed a sore on her lip.

"No need! Let Mother rest for a while!"

Granny Cui turned around, took a damp handkerchief from the basin, wiped her face, and said, "Miss, rest a little longer. Ginkgo is brewing medicine. I'll go get it for you right away."

"Um."

Her weak body couldn't withstand prolonged mental exertion, but fortunately, Granny Cui returned with the medicine immediately. After drinking the medicine, Fu Zhi Qiao quickly fell asleep.

When I woke up again, it was already noon the next day.

Fu Zhi Qiao looked at the exquisite carvings on the ceiling and recalled the events of yesterday, feeling as if she were dreaming. After carefully processing the information in her mind, she sighed deeply and comforted herself: Don't panic, don't panic, what kind of big scene haven't I seen?

Feeling a strong gaze fixed on her, she turned her head and saw the beautiful woman sitting by the bed.

Her face was bare of makeup, her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked very haggard. Dressed in plain clothes, she was delicate and frail, yet her beauty could not be concealed; instead, it added to her pitiful charm.

This is the original owner's mother, Yu Roulan.

After her husband's death, she spent every day in tears, and her daughter suffered from a persistent high fever and her life was in danger. Under the repeated blows, Yu Roulan lost a lot of weight in just a few days.

Perhaps it was the lingering consciousness of this body, but as Fu Zhi Qiao looked at Yu Rou Lan, tears streamed down her face.

Yu Roulan stepped forward and hugged her daughter's thin body, her face full of worry and concern. She reached out to feel the temperature of her daughter's forehead and wiped away her tears. "Don't be afraid! Qiao, don't be afraid, your mother is here!"

The blood ties between mother and daughter made Fu Zhi Qiao not reject the embrace; on the contrary, she felt very safe. However, Fu Zhi Qiao was not a real child. After crying, she felt a little embarrassed and simply buried her head in Yu Rou Lan's arms to avoid other people's gaze.

Standing to the side, Granny Cui smiled and said, "Now that the young lady is feeling better, the madam's spirits have also improved."

As she spoke, she gestured for the maid beside her to step forward, "They say that illness comes like a landslide and goes like a slow, drawn-out process. Fortunately, your high fever has subsided, and the doctor said that you are very lucky to have survived. He prescribed some new medicine and told you to take it on time and rest well."

A bowl of dark brown, steaming herbal medicine was placed on a tray and presented to Fu Zhiqiao.

Fu Zhi Qiao followed her gaze to the young maid carrying the medicine. She looked to be about ten years old, with her hair styled in double buns and wearing a blue cloud-patterned dress. When she met Fu Zhi Qiao's gaze, she gave a big smile and looked very cute.

This is her personal maid, Yinxing. Yinxing is two years younger than her and entered the mansion when she was four or five years old. She has been by her side for seven years, and the two have a very close relationship.

Yu Roulan took the medicine, intending to feed it to her herself.

Fu Zhiqiao shook her head, took the medicine from Yu Roulan's hand, took a deep breath and drank it all. The medicine was bitter and astringent, and drinking it sip by sip would only make it more tedious, so she might as well gulp it down.

It's so bitter! It's just too bitter!

Fu Zhi Qiao twisted her face and quickly stuffed a candied fruit into her mouth to suppress the bitterness of the medicine.

Looking at her somewhat childlike daughter, Yu Roulan smiled a long-lost smile: "You're such a grown-up, why are you still afraid of taking medicine?"

*

After lying in bed for two days, Fu Zhi Qiao gradually recovered her spirits. Two days was enough for her to come to her senses. Although she didn't know what had caused her to have this strange encounter, she could only accept reality as it came.

With daily doses of tonics and herbal soups, her health improved significantly, confirming her fact that she had "time-traveled."

After observing for two days, it seemed that no one noticed anything unusual about her, nor did anyone come to cause trouble, so Fu Zhi Qiao felt a little relieved.

The Fu family was a wealthy family, and their own courtyard had a beautiful garden.

After leaving Tingxue Hall, walk along the winding corridor to the end to enter the garden. The cobblestone path extends towards the center of the garden, with exquisite strange rocks and bonsai on both sides. The garden has everything: artificial mountains and strange rocks, stone bridges and flowing water, small pavilions and terraces.

The garden is a beautiful sight in springtime. Blue stones are laid out by the pond, water lilies bloom quietly on the surface, and willow branches sway gracefully, rippling the water with a gentle breeze.

"Girl, look at the koi!" Ginkgo pointed to the pond.

As the cold winter passed and the weather warmed up, everything in the garden came alive, even the koi in the pond were full of energy.

"I see it!" Fu Zhiqiao looked in the direction Ginkgo was pointing and saw several red and white koi swimming happily.

Yinxing took out a small earthenware jar from her sleeve and presented it to Fu Zhiqiao like a treasure.

The earthenware pot contained fish food.

Fu Zhiqiao casually grabbed a handful of fish food and scattered it down. One by one, koi with their mouths wide open emerged from the bottom of the water, desperately sucking up the fish food on the surface.

The two of them grabbed handfuls of food, and the earthenware pot was quickly emptied. Ginkgo then took a handkerchief and wiped her hands clean.

After strolling around the garden for a while, Fu Zhi Qiao was already slightly out of breath. Although she was very excited and wanted to continue walking, her body was recovering from a serious illness and she didn't have much strength.

Yinxing helped her to rest in the pavilion by the rockery. The pavilion was surrounded by gauze curtains, and lifting the curtains would allow you to take in the scenery of the garden. It was indeed a good place to enjoy the view.

Fu Zhiqiao sat in the pavilion to rest. After a while, Yinxing brought over a food box containing pastries and tea.

Fu Zhi Qiao straightened up, looked her over for a moment, and asked, "What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

"No, no." Ginkgo bit her lip, her eyes darting away.

"You dare to lie to my face?"

When Yinxing entered the pavilion, Fu Zhiqiao noticed her. Her eyes were red, her hair was messy, and there was a clump of black ash on her skirt. She looked like she had been bullied.

Sensing the displeasure in Fu Zhi Qiao's tone, Yin Xing knelt down with a thud, "Miss, I...I..."

Fu Zhi Qiao gently helped her up. "Alright, tell me, what happened?"

She only took a moment to fetch a food box, and she ended up in this disheveled state. Only the second branch of the family would dare to bully her maid.

Ginkgo recounted the scene that had just occurred.

“I ran into the Second Miss when I went to get some tea and snacks. She pulled me aside and asked about you. She heard that you woke up and said…” Yinxing looked up at her, and after receiving an encouraging look from Fu Zhiqiao, she continued, “The Second Miss said you were sickly and looked like you were going to die young. You were lucky to escape this time. I couldn’t help but retort…”

"I'm sorry you had to suffer." Fu Zhi Qiao held Yin Xing's hand. This girl had a heart that protected her mistress, and she actually dared to talk back to Fu Yan'er for her sake.

The second girl's name was Fu Yan'er, the daughter of her second uncle, Fu Mingjie, and two years younger than her. In the original owner's memories, Fu Yan'er was at most spoiled and arrogant, and she was always well-behaved whenever she saw her. Now that Fu Mingjie held great power, Fu Yan'er dared to bully others by abusing her authority.

As luck would have it, Fu Yan'er was leading several maids toward the pavilion.

"Is your health much better, sister?" Fu Yan'er looked Fu Zhi Qiao up and down for a moment, then simply nodded to show her respect.

Fu Zhiqiao did not respond.

"It's good that you're alright, sister." Fu Yan'er smiled faintly, then changed her tone, "You look like you've lost a lot of weight, and your uncle... sigh... sister, please accept my condolences, your health is the most important thing."

Trying to provoke her by mentioning Fu Changyue's death, Fu Zhiqiao smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, I'm much better now."

Seeing her lukewarm reaction, Fu Yan'er felt as if she had punched cotton with all her might.

She was feeling down, but her face was all smiles: "That's good. These past few days, my mother has been taking me to entertain the ladies and young misses of various families, so I haven't had a chance to visit you, sister. I hope you won't blame me."

Fu Yan'er's expression was full of smugness. It was clear that she had tried her best to restrain herself, but the joy between her brows could not be hidden.

Ever since she learned that her father had become the head of the Fu family, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night. Now that the eldest branch of the family had lost its support, how could Fu Zhi Qiao compete with her? From now on, all the good things in the mansion would only be for her.

She's definitely a green tea bitch! But Fu Zhi Qiao doesn't even consider this level of green tea bitch a threat.

As expected of Zhao Xialan's daughter, she's so shallow; she couldn't resist showing off this tiny bit of profit in front of her.

Zhao Xialan is Fu Mingjie's wife. Although she comes from a humble background, she is quite ambitious.

She harbored the idea of ​​marrying Fu Yan'er off to a wealthy man, hoping to secure a bright future for her and then crush the first wife under her feet.

However, Zhao Xialan was indeed a shrewd person. Knowing that Fu Changyue was gone and the eldest son's family could no longer control the second son's family, she immediately seized the opportunity to step forward and handle the affairs of the mansion, acting like the mistress of the house.

Bringing Fu Yan'er along to entertain the female relatives of various families was also a way of showing their status.

On the surface, she was teaching her daughter how to behave and socialize, but in reality, she was showcasing her daughter's beauty and talent to the ladies of various families so that she could find a good match for her in the future. She was also subtly informing everyone that the Fu family was now headed by the second branch, and that any families considering a marriage alliance with the Fu family should shift their primary target from Fu Zhi Qiao to Fu Yan Er.

Fu Yan'er is only thirteen years old, and she is still two or three years away from coming of age. Zhao Xialan is so eager to sell her daughter off. It's simply outrageous!

Fu Zhiqiao only sighed inwardly, without showing it on the surface.

She lowered her head and fiddled with her sleeves, saying casually, "Sister, you're overthinking it. Since entertaining guests is so tiring, why don't you rest in the courtyard? This is probably the first time your second aunt has entertained guests. If there's anything you don't understand, you can go to Tingxue Hall to ask for advice!"

"Hehe, you're joking, sister."

Fu Yan'er forced a smile, even wondering if she had misheard. How could such sarcastic words come from Fu Zhi Qiao's mouth?

Is this person in front of me really Fu Zhi Qiao? Has her speech become fluent again after her illness?