The little girl nodded, without saying much.
"When you first came in, did you have to wash hundreds of dishes and clean all the courtyards in this mansion all by yourself?" Song Dujuan pressed further.
The little girl said slowly, "Everyone has a different task."
"And what about you? What was your test when you first arrived?"
"You should just focus on your own business and stop asking so many questions."
The young girl got up, put her work aside, and turned her back to Song Dujuan.
Song Dujuan could only stare helplessly.
As evening approached, the cooks came in one by one. The cook took the menu, read it aloud, and then the cooks went about their respective tasks.
The cook's gaze fell on Song Dujuan, and she frowned.
"Gui Lan, you're washing dishes so slowly. If it were anyone else, they would have washed at least a hundred more dishes by this time."
Song Dujuan's hands had been soaking in the water the whole time. Although it was summer, they had gone numb from being in the water for so long, and a layer of white had appeared on the surface.
Thinking back to her time in the Song family, she was always the one coming up with ideas and directing others. When she came to the Qiao family, she was aiming to become the mistress of the house in the future, and she never expected to do such arduous work.
Song Dujuan straightened her back and found that she could hardly stand up; she swayed and almost fell off the stool.
"Aunt Zhao, I've never done such heavy work before. Please let me get used to it," she said, suppressing her temper.
The cook, Zhao Ma, said, "I'm not a demanding person, but you have to finish washing before the meal is ready. In this big mansion, everyone, from top to bottom, is waiting for their meal."
Song Dujuan bit her lip and picked up another dirty plate.
She just couldn't understand it. It was said that Princess Zhenguo was kind and benevolent, and that the Qiao family had a harmonious atmosphere and that there was no deliberate mistreatment of the servants.
Why is she being treated differently?
The cook looked at Song Dujuan with a scrutinizing gaze.
That's right. She wouldn't treat her servants like that without orders from above; it's not in line with the Qiao family's usual practices.
But the message from above has been passed down, indicating that this Guilan is no good person, so let's rub her as much as we can.
A figure appeared at the doorway, and the cook's expression immediately became respectful, and she took two steps back.
“If the Princess Zhenguo has any instructions, her servants can simply relay them. Why come to such a smoky place?”
Qiao Lian'er had a smile on her face.
"Let me take a look."
Song Dujuan was washing the dishes with her head down when Qiao Lian'er arrived, and she became a little more diligent with her hands.
To avoid Qiao Lian'er being dissatisfied and making her leave the Qiao family.
Although she was very dissatisfied with how the Qiao family treated her, she could endure it for the sake of her future plans.
"Gui Lan, how are you feeling? Is there a lot of work to do?" Qiao Lian'er asked.
Song Dujuan suppressed a hint of resentment in her heart and said respectfully.
"Thank you for your concern, Princess Zhenguo. I am able to adapt and complete the task."
"That's good. It's not easy to enter the Qiao family and become a qualified servant. Just do your job well and you'll be blessed with good fortune," Qiao Lian'er said.
Observing Qiao Lian'er's expression, Zhao Ma noticed a hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth.
She became even more certain. "Let him torture me to death," she thought. "This man must have offended the Princess Zhenguo in some way."
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