When Su Wanwan returned to her courtyard, Zisu and Zimu came out to greet her.

"Miss, you're finally back."

"Quick, go make me a pot of tea, I'm dying of thirst," Su Wanwan said hoarsely.

It's not an easy thing to sabotage something.

It's especially bad for your voice!

"Yes, Miss." Zisu curtsied and quickly ran to make tea.

The two maids, Zisu and Zimu, now obey Su Wanwan's every word and dare not utter a single "no" again.

Ever since they witnessed Su Wanwan not only getting the general to beat Zijuan to death for her, but also swindling a bunch of valuable jewelry from the courtyard of a lady who disliked her, the two knew that their mistress had changed and was no longer the arrogant mistress who could be coaxed and manipulated by her maids.

Moreover, when they saw that the maids working at Yiqing Pavilion all had swollen faces, they found out after careful inquiry that it was Jiang Wan'er who had done it.

Without comparison, there is no harm done. Zisu and Zimu instantly realized that their young lady was better. Although their young lady was also quite capable, as long as they fulfilled their duties and did their job well, their young lady would not criticize them, much less hit them.

"Miss, your tea is here." Zisu respectfully poured a cup of tea for Su Wanwan and brought it to her.

Su Wanwan took the tea that Zisu handed her and drank it down in one gulp. After drinking several cups of tea in a row, her throat, which had been as parched as a desert, finally felt a little less dry.

Zi Mu wasn't idle either. When she saw Su Wanwan's tired face, she offered, "Miss, let me give you a massage."

"Mmm." Su Wanwan lay on the daybed, letting the two maids knead and manipulate her.

Gradually, Su Wanwan fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was already evening.

"Miss, you've woken up just in time. Let me help you wash up first. Zi Mu has already gone to the main kitchen to fetch dinner."

"good."

After receiving Su Wanwan's permission, Zisu stepped forward and carefully helped Su Wanwan up. Then she brought over a tray with a copper basin, a small cup, a willow branch, and some coarse salt on it.

"Miss, please rinse your mouth first."

Su Wanwan dipped a willow twig in some coarse salt and brushed it into her mouth a few times.

She sighed to herself, thinking how much better modern toothbrushes were; these days, rinsing her mouth with willow twigs always felt like she hadn't rinsed it properly.

Why!

Something is better than nothing, and better than not rinsing at all.

Soon, Zi Mu returned angrily carrying a food box.

Her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears.

"Zimu, what's wrong? Who bullied you?" Su Wanwan asked as she walked over to Zimu, seeing his appearance.

"Miss, please take a look." Zi Mu opened the lid of the food box so that Su Wanwan could see it clearly.

Inside the food box were two green vegetables with not a speck of oil, a bowl of porridge with no rice grains in sight, and several hard, dark steamed buns.

Tsk, porridge can be used for bathing, and steamed buns can be used to hunt birds.

Even pigs would refuse to eat it.

No wonder Zimu cried!

Zi Mu pouted and said aggrievedly, "They're all bullying Miss. Ever since they found out that Miss isn't the General's biological daughter, even the cooks have started skimping on Miss's food."

Su Wanwan thought about it and realized it was true.

She comforted him, "What's there to cry about? When someone's down on their luck, everyone pushes them down. It's always like this. I'm not Father's biological daughter, so it's normal that the servants don't give me a second glance."

The two maids' hearts skipped a beat. Weren't they the ones their mistress was talking about?

The maids blushed with embarrassment and knelt on the ground in unison. "Miss, Zisu and Zimu shouldn't have treated you like that yesterday. We deserve to die. Please punish us, Miss."

"Get up. From now on, you just need to serve me diligently. No need for punishment." Su Wanwan waved her hand.

Anyway, she wouldn't stay in the general's mansion for long, and as long as the maids didn't harm her, she wouldn't hold it against them too much.

"Thank you, Miss."

The two women breathed a sigh of relief when their young mistress didn't punish them.

"You don't need to come with me. Please go and have your meal on your own. Mother has just fallen into the water and is not feeling well. As her daughter, it's only natural that I should spend more time with her."

After saying that, Su Wanwan lifted her long, slender legs and walked gracefully outside—