Chapter 6 Main House
"Fifth Miss, this is a new dress made by Fourth Miss. She hasn't worn it yet, so I'm sorry to trouble you. Let me help you change."
Mu Jin was perceptive and took the initiative to find a brand new, elegant dress from the closet to give to Xiao Yuxuan.
Bihui snatched it away. She looked down on everyone in Baozhen Courtyard and couldn't stand letting them serve Fifth Miss.
"Sister Mulan, I can do it."
Mu Jin smiled indifferently, put down her clothes, and turned to leave.
"Young lady, what happened? How come you've changed so much in such a short time..."
"When Xiao Jin came in just now, did you see that girl kneeling as punishment outside?"
Xiao Yuxuan asked another question that she was more concerned about.
This morning, Xiao Jin came to visit Xiao Yuyao again and bumped into the maid who was being punished by kneeling. In a fit of anger, he sold her out of the Xiao family mansion.
If Xiao Jin has already sent the person away, it will be troublesome to find them again.
Bi Sui thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "The Third Young Master was afraid of disturbing the Fourth Miss's sleep, so he didn't let us bow. If we had run into each other, we would have heard voices, but it was very quiet the way here."
The little princess is still in the manor, so she needs to find a way to get her back.
As Bihui tied the ribbon on the girl's dress, she suddenly realized that the girl had called the Third Young Master by his full name, instead of Third Brother.
Whatever happened inside, the girl must have been wronged again. Bihui's fingers deftly tied the ill-fitting clothes tighter, feeling a little sad.
Xiao Yuxuan changed her clothes, but Mu Jin brought over a steaming bowl of brown sugar ginger tea.
"Fifth Miss, you caught a chill at the entrance of Baozhen Courtyard and got some medicine on your skin. I took the liberty of bringing you a bowl of ginger tea. Please don't find it offensive; it's good to drink some to warm you up."
This was the first time Xiao Yuxuan had ever looked at this maid properly. In her previous life, Mu Jin was not particularly noticeable when she was by Xiao Yuyao's side, so she hadn't paid much attention to her. Later, when she reached a certain age, she married a servant. It was said that Mu Jin had asked to go to a manor outside the city to become a head maid and never came back to serve Xiao Yuyao.
"Thank you for your trouble."
She didn't know where Mu Jin's kindness came from, but she was no longer the stubborn yet timid five-year-old girl she once was. She no longer suspected that others were showing her kindness out of pity, and thanked them generously.
After changing his clothes and drinking tea, Xiao Jin had already left.
"Fourth sister, I've changed my clothes."
Xiao Yuyao's gaze fell on Xiao Yuxuan's clothes, which she had recently made. She felt a wave of nausea, as if she'd swallowed a fly. Thinking of the conversation that had made Xiao Jin suspicious of her, a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"Xiao Yuxuan, I underestimated you before. I never thought you could be so cruel to yourself."
Xiao Yuxuan lowered her eyelashes, looking somewhat aggrieved:
"Fourth sister, it's my fault. I knocked over the medicine bowl and almost let third brother hear it... If scolding me can make you feel better, then scold me."
The maids in the room looked at each other, heads bowed, wishing they were deaf and blind. Could it be that when they weren't in the room, the Fourth Miss said this to the Fifth Miss?
No wonder the Third Young Master looked unfriendly when he left; the Fourth Young Master has now turned a reasonable argument into an unreasonable one.
"What did I say to you? If it weren't for you—"
Xiao Yuyao immediately stopped talking when she saw the maids standing next to her with their heads buried in their chests.
Seeing her pale face, looking both shocked and angry but forced to suppress it, Xiao Yuxuan felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Fourth sister, don't be angry. You will continue to live the way you always have lived at home. I will never compete with you for anything. Please rest assured."
"My fourth sister is still ill and it's inconvenient to bother her any longer, so I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, she walked away with Bi Sui supporting her, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Without even looking, Xiao Yuxuan could guess Xiao Yuyao's expression behind her, but she hadn't finished her performance today and had to rush to the next show, so she didn't have time to linger with Xiao Yuyao any longer.
To get from Baozhen Courtyard to Madam Xiao's main house in the front courtyard, one has to pass through a small garden. Unsurprisingly, Xiao Yuxuan's appearance of being wronged but forcibly cheering herself up caught the attention of many maids and servants. They stared at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.
This look...it seems so familiar.
It seemed that it was always the Fourth Miss who had this expression before, but today it was the Fifth Miss. A group of servants secretly gossiped and discussed the two young mistresses for a long time, but they couldn't come to any conclusion.
On the other side, Xiao Yuxuan had already arrived outside the main house. Just then, Li Mama, who was beside Madam Xiao, was about to enter. Upon seeing Xiao Yuxuan, she lingered for a moment on her ill-fitting clothes before giving a curt bow with a stern face.
"Fifth Miss, are you here to see the First Madam? The First Madam is currently having questions from the steward. Fifth Miss, please go to the flower hall for tea first, and this old servant will inform her."
Li's mother had a serious and earnest face, with several deep lines between her brows from years of frowning. She rarely smiled and seemed very strict. She was Madam Xiao's dowry maid and had become one of Madam Xiao's capable generals in her youth.
In her past life, although Xiao Yuxuan was brought back by Li Mama, she was afraid of getting along with such a strict person and was always timid and cowardly in front of her. Later, because she did many things to compete for favor and act willfully, Li Mama, who used to speak up for her, completely gave up on her.
"I understand, thank you for your help, Aunt Li."
She returned the greeting with a generous and proper gesture, which prompted Li's mother to give her a serious look. Then, her lips twitched slightly, revealing a smile that held no real joy.
Only those familiar with Li's mother knew that this already signified happiness and satisfaction, and Xiao Yuxuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon entering the main room, Madam Xiao was talking to a woman dressed in a cotton dress. When she saw her, she immediately beckoned her to come forward.
“Yu Xuan, this is Madam Wan from Longxing Cloth Shop, who is in charge of making clothes for the mansion. She originally came to see me before coming to you to take her measurements and have clothes made. You’ve come at just the right time.”
The residents of the capital were all wealthy and noble. Not to mention high-ranking officials, there were at least dozens of dukes, marquises and princes. Moreover, with so many people and expensive land, apart from the palace and a few extremely noble families who could afford to support their own embroiderers, most wealthy families would have their clothes made by cloth shops for all four seasons. Longxing Cloth Shop was one of them.
"This is my fifth daughter. I called you here today to make some clothes for her to wear to the palace banquet next month."
After exchanging greetings, Madam Wan, who had been making clothes for over ten years, immediately recognized that the dress Xiao Yuxuan was wearing was a new dress that had just been made for the fourth young lady of the Xiao family, and the size was completely ill-fitting.
Last month, a joke happened in the Xiao family. The only girl they raised with great affection was not their biological daughter. Their biological daughter, who had been living away from home, was found and brought back, but they were unwilling to send their adopted daughter away. They kept her in the family like a precious gem, saying to others that both daughters were equally dear to them.
Lady Wan had joked about this with some of her colleagues in her spare time, and now that she had met the person in question, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
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