Chapter 7: The Beginning

Chu Wang followed his three sisters and Aunt Zhao down to the living room. By then, his aunt had called six or seven maids and lined them up in front of the stairs.

Mrs. Qiao paced twice in front of the maids, her tiredness swept away, her dignity now evident. She said, "Times have changed. Household servants are supposed to focus on their work, not on the people doing it. We didn't originally have that custom in our mansion. But considering your past in Shanghai and Shaoxing, we had some old customs. A young lady from a wealthy family wouldn't be without thirty or fifty maids to serve her personally. So, before you go to church school for the next two years, I've decided to give each of you a personal maid to keep you company, so you can be more easily cared for and feel less uncomfortable."

The three steamed pork with rice flour were all busy and nodded obediently.

Mrs. Qiao added, "These girls are the most capable and helpful ones around me. You can pick one for yourself."

As soon as Mrs. Qiao finished speaking, Yunyan and Zhenzhen went forward first, touching and asking questions, as if they were choosing pork at the market without any rules.

Chu Wangze stood behind and watched from afar.

Regarding the maid... She felt in her heart that she could take care of her daily life, so there was no need for someone to hang around her.

But for someone like her who was at level nine disability, it was difficult for her to take care of her daily life. It would be perfect if someone could wash her clothes, clean her room, cook for her, take out the trash, and then disappear from her side after doing so.

So in her previous world, after receiving her first salary, she went to a senior from the same school and got a household robot - the patent had just been applied for, and before it went on the market for mass production, she was the first to become a beta tester - this is the advantage of having a senior who is a top student.

Yunyan and Zhenzhen had already chosen their items, but Lin Chuwang was still in a daze. Qiao Maling asked, "What are you thinking about, Third Sister?"

Chu Wang pondered for a moment, then looked up at the five girls. She glanced around and asked, "Who among you is the most diligent?"

The five people stepped forward one after another, and then two of them pointed at the other two, and began to laugh and joke with each other in Cantonese.

a: "You dare to call yourself hardworking? You have no shame!"

b: "I'm at least a little more diligent than you!"

C: "Come on! If you two were more efficient, we wouldn't still be mopping the floor at one o'clock last night."

D: "...I thought you would all elect me unanimously. You have no loyalty."

a: "Oh my, who doesn't know that it will be a lot easier to work for a girl? We who stand up are all lazy people."

b: "That's you! We saw that the girl was young and cute, but you, you lazy king, are so mean-spirited and so judgmental!"

C: "Yes, you are the number one slacker on Earl Road!"

…

The four people quarreled for a long time, Lin Chuwang just stood aside and listened, and Mrs. Lin did not try to stop them.

Qiao Maling then asked, "Can Third Sister understand Cantonese?"

Chu Wang shook his head, "I don't understand."

Qiao Ma Ling laughed again and said, "Then why have you been listening for so long?"

Chu Wang: "Cantonese sounds nice. I'll listen to them for a while."

Qiao Maling: "..."

The other two steamed pork with rice flour accompanied her and listened to the four people talking incoherently for a long time, and they were getting a little annoyed.

At this time, Lin Chuwang asked again, "Who among you talks the least?"

As soon as she finished asking this, all five of them raised their hands. But in an instant, abcd, who had been arguing non-stop, blushed and withdrew their hands. Only one, e, remained.

Now even Qiao Maling understood what was going on. She slowly straightened up her body which was leaning on the railing and watched intently as her little sister, who was less than ten years old, picked a maid.

Chu Wang nodded to E, who had been hiding in the corner with a low sense of presence, and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"

e said softly, "My name is Die'er."

Chu Wang nodded, "Then are you willing to follow me in the future?"

Dier blushed and nodded, "Yes."

——

After choosing the maids, Mrs. Qiao called the three maids and Qiao Maling to the hall.

Mrs. Qiao said, "Now we have servants, and the rules are the same as when you were back home. When school starts next year, Zhenzhen and the second girl will go to the missionary middle school, and the third girl will be a year later. Before that, you still have a lot to learn at home. Everything you learn will follow the rules here, which are very different from those in your hometown."

The three steamed pork with rice flour nodded in unison. Qiao Maling stood aside, looking at them with sympathy: she had almost made it through, but these little ones were just getting started.

Mrs. Qiao said, "When you were at home, you learned all the old-fashioned things, such as embroidery, poetry and calligraphy. But now I have none of those."

Chu Wang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after hearing this.

"Starting tomorrow, tutors will be here to teach you. You'll start with ballet as a bodybuilder. You can learn piano and cello as instruments, and I've already contacted the tutors. Ma Ling's old English teacher recently returned to Edinburgh and won't be back until the summer. Until then, Ma Ling will teach you English."

After saying this, the three girls all looked at Ma Ling. Ma Ling smiled at them, a smile that was both graceful and charming. The three girls were stunned again, and then their faces were filled with determination. They thought to themselves: I must work hard so that I can become as elegant and beautiful as Ma Ling by the time I turn sixteen.

Then Mrs. Qiao continued, "There are very precise schedules for the three meals a day: breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner. There are also strict rules for what to wear at what time. I will explain them all to you tomorrow when the tailor comes home."

The three girls nodded again and again.

After that, Mrs. Qiao continued to talk in a burst of words, which made Chu Wang's eyes dizzy. Then she concluded her speech: I am too tired today, I will go and rest first, and we will discuss it in detail tomorrow.

Chu Wangzhan's calves ached. These words were like a revelation. Dier appeared just in time and took her to take a hot bath.

——

Mrs. Qiao sat upright in the middle of the sofa, her brows furrowed, and she rubbed her index finger for a long time, but couldn't get rid of her frown.

Qiao Maling was already feeling a little guilty about inviting classmates to her home today, so she hurried over to massage her legs and shoulders, "Thank you for your hard work, Mom."

Mrs. Qiao waved her hand. "I'm not tired, it's just that the waves were so big that I got seasick for two days."

Qiao Ma Ling said, "Those three little girls must have suffered a lot. When I saw them this afternoon, they looked completely lost—two of them."

Mrs. Qiao said, "That's right. But the younger one looks the most frail. I thought she'd be quite tired all the way here—I didn't want to bring her here, but your uncle had to ask her to come early on—but in the end, the younger one took care of us all the way."

Qiao Ma Ling said, "Third sister looks thin and weak, and she doesn't say a word. But when she was picking out the maids this afternoon, I could tell she's quite intelligent."

Qiao Ma Ling's words were like a wake-up call. Mrs. Lin snapped back to reality and said, "You also think she's the smartest, don't you?"

Qiao Maling observed her mother's expression and realized that something was wrong, so she asked, "She... is that person's daughter?"

Mrs. Qiao nodded. "Especially those eyes, they look just like her. She always smiles at everyone and never gets angry with anyone, but she's actually very clear-headed—she's just a little too clever, and her cleverness backfires... Humph, isn't the girl next door the same? I've been fond of her since I was little, and haven't I learned her ways, her words, her behavior, her way of dealing with people? They say she was the most famous lady in Jiangnan, and she personally taught the most famous socialite in Shanghai and Hong Kong! Ha! Isn't that a joke? She's a woman who doesn't keep her husband's morals..."

Qiao Maling suddenly realized, "So my mother gave her that room."

Mrs. Qiao laughed heartily and said, "I insist on teaching these three girls the same way, and I won't be partial to anyone. If she is willing to follow her mother's best friend, she is also willing to take this girl in as her general and teach her to be the number one socialite in Hong Kong. I will be happy to have some free time! Let's just watch the joke."

As Qiao Maling massaged her mother's solar plexus, she heaved a sigh of relief and felt immensely grateful to her third sister. Her presence had diverted much of her mother's attention, saving her from disaster.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief when her mother suddenly glared at her, "But you!"

Qiao Maling was startled, and her mother had already poked her forehead with her index finger.

Mrs. Lin said angrily, "You keep inviting these shabby friends to your house. Don't you realize that this is just degrading your status?"

Qiao Maling covered her forehead and defended herself, "Mom! They're just classmates from church, good friends who go to the choir together on weekends. There's nothing wrong with that..."

Mrs. Qiao suddenly remembered something. "Mrs. Zhao told me the other day that last weekend, that guy named Xie drove you home?"

Qiao Ma Ling was shocked and hurriedly explained, "It was raining when I went to church that day, and I didn't have an umbrella. Many people lined up to call home, and I was worried. Coincidentally, the second young master of the Xie family was also driving from the church to Repulse Bay and gave me a ride."

"You, you..." Mrs. Qiao reluctantly accepted her explanation. "That Xie guy, his father would never allow him to marry a Chinese woman!"

Qiao Maling was unhappy, but she didn't dare to defend herself.

Mrs. Qiao continued, "But you should also know your own status! Which girl from a prominent family in Hong Kong can compare to you? If you just behave yourself, the number of people who come to propose marriage will be so large that it stretches from your doorstep to the dock. Are you afraid that you won't be able to find someone you like?"

"I've been the most obedient since I was a child," Qiao Ma Ling said with a smile, "I have nothing in common with Master Xie, so don't worry, Mom."

The author has something to say: You bullies, I'm going to be stingy