"Oh my god, why is this child just lying on the floor covered with a blanket?"

Several ladies were still there, helping with various matters, both big and small, in the building. As Madam Zhang was preparing to go home, she saw the young apprentice lying in the corridor. This child was keeping watch for You Sheng and Ping'er, so that he could find his master immediately if anything happened.

The child was also exhausted, having not slept for a day and a night, and hadn't woken up even when Madam Zhang shouted so loudly.

The woman directed the maid behind her to lay out a mattress for him, then lifted him onto it before leaving and going home.

The Huo family.

Huo Xiaolong lay sprawled on the bed, his head resting on He Yi's belly, his legs draped over his father's stomach. It was the first time the little girl had snored while sleeping.

The three of them were exhausted. The night was quiet, and even the moonlight that peeked in through the window couldn't bear to shine on their faces.

"Ugh~ Mom, my arm hurts, my hand hurts, my whole body hurts."

The little dumpling opened its eyes and looked at He Yi, but the woman didn't seem inclined to move.

"Mother loves me too."

Huo Shuwen was also in pain, but his daughter and wife said they didn't want to get up, so he just had to take care of them. Xiong Ying resignedly went to fetch water for the two of them to wash up, but when he turned around, he saw several unfamiliar maids waiting at the intersection of Fengyue Tower and Huo family's backyard.

"General Huo, all is well."

Who are you?

The woman bowed her head, not daring to look at him, and replied...

"I am a maid in the Prefect's residence. My wife sent me here to serve Miss Long'er and my wife these past few days."

"oh."

Huo Shuwen didn't intend to let them do his work, but after thinking about his and his son's cooking skills, he still asked...

Can you cook?

"meeting."

"Help me cook some food for my family. My wife will pay you later."

"Absolutely not! General."

The eagle ignored him and carried the basin of water back to its room.

"You two have never been so tired before, your muscles must be sore, right? After Dad takes care of your mother, I'll give you a massage too." After helping He Yi wash up, Huo Shuwen used his internal energy to relax his wife's muscles.

"OK."

The little dumpling on the bed was listless; if she hadn't been hungry, she could have slept for another day and night.

"Who's outside? Dad."

"The maid that your Aunt Hua sent over to serve you these past few days."

"My Aunt Hua is amazing, she knows we're in pain all over."

“Otherwise, how could your Uncle Wang have climbed from county magistrate to prefect in less than ten years?” He Yi said, lying down.

"Dad, I'm going out to take a look. I hear Ping'er and the others making a lot of noise in their room."

Huo Shuwen nodded. Anyway, his wife would take a while to recover, and besides, the meal wasn't ready yet. It would be fine for his daughter to go out and play for a while.

"I don't think I'll be able to do anything these next few days, Brother Wen. You'll have to take care of our daughter these next few days."

The man smiled, subtly applying pressure to her hand, and said behind her back.

"Okay, I'll take care of her for the next few days."

The little girl ran to the courtyard where the maids lived. She heard occasional screams coming from inside and peeked out from the doorway. The maids seemed to be from Aunt Hua's household, and they were fetching water for the older girls to wash their feet.

"No, I don't need to! Sister, let me tell you, I've never had anyone wash my feet in my entire life, and neither has my daughter. That won't do."

"Relax! It's alright! I'm here on orders, and my master will punish me if I don't handle this well!"

The young maidservant from the Hua family forcefully pressed her feet into the basin of water. Now, the girls from Fengyue Tower were like fish on a chopping board, powerless and only able to verbally resist.

"No! No one will know if I don't tell. Besides, my foot is already in the tub, so just let me wash it myself."

"no!"

Wenye felt she couldn't make sense of it no matter what she said. The girl lay back and thought, "Let it all end, whatever."

The little dumpling didn't go in; she turned back and ran away. She hadn't seen Ping'er and Sister Yousheng yet today. As soon as she entered the brothel, she saw the ladies who were regular customers, along with their maids, bustling around in the rooms.

Zhang Mama didn't cook today; she's staying with her parents. After a day of hard work, Madam Ye had everyone on the city wall except for her daughter-in-law, and also two of her apprentices who almost lost their lives.

The leader's wife, who hadn't cried in decades, secretly shed tears last night, insisting that her daughter stay with her for a few days.

"Madam, there's really no need. I'm not injured at all; I just feel a little sore from exerting myself."

"Nothing's needed? Just eat already."

Madam Liu directed her maid to feed Liu Xu the food. The girl sighed and obediently ate.

“Look at my son, he’s just as useless as Ning’an. You suffered yesterday.”

The situation was quite different at Zhihua's place. Madam Zhou was personally feeding her meat porridge spoonful by spoonful, while a bewildered Zhou Ning'an stood beside her. After descending the city wall with Zhihua yesterday, he accompanied his beloved back to the brothel, forgetting to say goodbye to his parents.

When Madam Zhou and her maid knocked on the door today, Young Master Zhou thought he was at home and opened it directly, only to be caught red-handed by his own mother.

"Mother...? I haven't eaten either..."

Mom, I'm tired too, can you feed me a bite?

"Go home and eat with your dad!"

"yes."

Young Master Zhou was also happy. Yesterday, Zhihua agreed to marry him on the city wall. However, there were some things she was still unhappy about, but he hadn't figured out what they were yet.

"Where is your mother?" Master Zhou asked, looking at his son who was limping back.

"My mother is in a brothel."

"You're back now, what's she still doing there?"

"Take care of Zhihua."

"ah?"

Mr. Zhou was a little confused. Even if Zhihua married into the Zhou family and became the eldest daughter-in-law, it would still be Zhihua who took care of Madam Zhou. This was not to blame Mr. Zhou for being old-fashioned; in all his years of life, he had never heard of a mother-in-law serving her daughter-in-law.

But he didn't dare ask now. He hadn't explained the matter of having the servant deliver the message yet, and if he were to cause trouble now, it would be considered that he was being unreasonable.

"hold head high."

Young Master Zhou politely replied to his father, then picked up his porridge and began to eat.

He needed to make some preparations. How much money did his family have left, and what kind of betrothal gift could he give Zhihua? It all depended on his father's hard work over the years! After not seeing his father for a long time, Zhou Ning'an gave him a deep bow.

"What are you doing?" Old Master Zhou felt that the little brat had ill intentions.

"It's nothing, I just felt that you've had a tough time, Dad."