Half a month later, Xu Shaoqing returned home from her residence on Liuli Street. Gu Ting was scolded by the second wife, and the next day, he personally went to Liuli Street to pick her up.

When Gu Ting went to pick her up, his heart felt as cold as the coldest days of winter. He had deliberately kept her cold for so long, but the Earl's Mansion seemed to ignore it all.

Xu Wei's actions seem to suggest that he has truly lost his daughter, so what's the point of marrying Xu Shaoqing?

Xu Shaoqing's heart sank as well, having ignored her for so long without a word.

Although the two didn't argue when they met, they seemed much more distant from each other.

…………………………………………

As winter approaches (December), the weather gradually turns cool, and Wang Yan now wears a thin cotton vest when she goes to work.

Needless to say, Chunye and the others were already wearing thin cotton-padded coats.

Chun Chao was quite happy, because when the weather got cold, she didn't have to do laundry anymore. She was moved to the front and followed the servants in the front yard to mop the floor.

After finishing her shift that day, Zhiju happily invited everyone to a hot pot dinner. Except for Chunlan, the others exchanged glances.

"Sister, is there some great news?" Chunlu asked with a smile.

"It's hardly a happy occasion. My younger brother just got a good job, and my birthday is in a couple of days, so I thought I'd treat everyone to a nice meal."

Hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. They'd used his birthday as an excuse; refusing to go would be incredibly disrespectful.

The group chuckled awkwardly and agreed to have dinner at her place in a couple of days.

In the afternoon, while Granny Hua was resting, Chunxi greeted Zhixue and secretly slipped into the tea room.

When they arrived, they found that all the third-class maids, except for Chunlan, had come, including Chunzhao and Chunlu.

Each person received a cup of red date rice tea. Chunque spoke first, "Tell me, what exactly does she mean by this? Why am I so anxious?"

Wang Yan was no exception; Zhiju's actions seemed to indicate ill intentions.

Needless to say, Chun Chao and Chun Lu were also scolded because of Chun Chao's little tricks last time.

The group talked amongst themselves for a while, but no one could figure out what Zhiju was up to.

However, they did come up with many solutions, such as reporting to Sister Qingqian before dinner that day, and promising not to drink alcohol, cause trouble, or say anything inappropriate during the meal.

Lin Lin summarized a lot of points, anyway, no matter what Zhi Ju's intentions were, she had to make sure that her punch landed on cotton and she couldn't get it out.

After drinking two pots of red date and rice tea, the group dispersed.

Zhixue has been observing and probing these past two days, but Zhiju is tight-lipped and hasn't said a word.

Two days later, a group of girls, hand in hand, nervously went to the "Feast at Hongmen".

Unexpectedly, Zhiju didn't cause any trouble today. She smiled kindly and invited everyone in.

After eating half of their meal, perhaps sensing their unease, he decided to be direct.

"Do you remember Chun Cui from our old courtyard? She was quite lucky. I heard that Madam is going to give the young master a bigger courtyard and will also increase the number of people there."

Chun Cui was named by Steward Sun and will be transferred there in the next couple of days. He was initially worried, thinking that since they had worked together before, he would have to say a few good words for her to Madam.

That's definitely not necessary now; the other person has found a good job.

After saying that, he urged everyone to eat the hot pot, "Eat more, this mutton hot pot is delicious."

The group of girls then realized that she was happy. Relieved, they relaxed and started eating heartily.

As for whether the news is true or false, we'll find out after we finish eating and go check it out again.

The news was true; Chun Cui's sister-in-law was Manager Sun's niece, and she went to Manager Sun crying with snot and tears streaming down her face.

It is said that Chun Cui was young when she entered the inner courtyard to work. She was naive and did not know right from wrong.

I was fooled and deceived by the old woman in the flower shop. I had no idea that they were meant to be sold for money. After spending more than half a year outside, my resolve had hardened.

Being transferred to the inner courtyard for duty will surely prevent her from making the same mistake again. She's definitely much more perceptive than those clueless young maids.

Chun Cui really didn't dare to do it again. At that time, she had her eye on a pearl hairpin outside, which cost five taels of silver, but she couldn't afford it, so she had a crooked idea.

Manager Sun agreed, saying that the key was to gradually increase their own manpower.

Chun Cui was summoned to come and see. She found the girl to be well-behaved and honest. Chun Cui crossed out her name on the roster and sent her to the young master's courtyard to work as a maid.

There was no need for the people in the courtyard to go and investigate, because in the afternoon, Chun Cui was ordered by the young master to deliver things to the madam.

After arriving at the main room and kowtowing to the lady, and delivering the gifts, Chunlan pulled him to sit in the tea room.

Chun Cui tilted her head back as she entered, took a sip of tea from the cup, and arrogantly flicked the handkerchief in her hand.

"I also manage a small tea room for the young master. I'll send you a box of pre-Qingming Longjing tea in a couple of days."

To avoid drinking this tasteless fried rice tea, even with milk it's not as rich and delicious. I don't let the girls in our area drink this.

Wang Yan adjusted the charcoal stove, then picked up the teapot in her hand and slammed it heavily on the table.

With a loud bang, Chun Cui was startled. Seeing this, Chun Lan shrank her neck, turned around, and tried to run away with Chun Cui.

"You've come here to cause trouble. I'm only offering you a cup of tea because you're a maid in the young master's courtyard. Who do you think you are, picking and choosing like this?"

He snatched the teacup from her hand, threw it on the ground, and shouted, "Drink it or don't, if you don't want to, get out!"

Chun Cui's face turned pale with anger. She pointed a finger directly at Wang Yan, her hand trembling slightly.

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to start a fight again?"

Chuncui dared not cause any trouble, having just been transferred back to the inner courtyard.

Wang Yan is only relying on this point, and also because she previously tried to frame Chunxi, yet she dares to come back so arrogantly and talk nonsense. If she were really given a chance, she would not be a Wang!

Chun Cui choked on her breath and couldn't make a sound. Having no other option, she patted herself to calm down.

Ultimately, not daring to go against this stubborn temper, she forced herself to turn away, gave a cold sneer, tossed her handkerchief aside, and strode away.

I tripped over the threshold when I went out and almost fell.

After she left, Chunlan gave an awkward laugh and prepared to go out as well.

"From now on, when you lead people to the tea room, please let me know. Don't just walk in without saying a word."

Chunlan pouted, snorted, and ran off.

Now that they were certain that Chun Cui would no longer scheme against the people in the main courtyard, the third-class maids in the courtyard all breathed a sigh of relief, and their days became much easier.

As a result, their attitude towards Zhiju improved considerably. Zhiju achieved her goal—her relationship with everyone in the courtyard improved significantly, and she became more well-behaved.

Everyone in the First Madam's courtyard diligently performed their duties, and life was peaceful and uneventful.

But it's a different story for his older brother, Wang Xing; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's walking on thin ice.

How long have the young mistress and young master been married? They seem to have fallen out of love. It's been almost half a month since Xu Shaoqing came back, and they haven't even exchanged a few words.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was tense. Everyone had long since developed the skill of holding their breath and being cautious, coming and going quietly every day, holding their breath.