Looking at Wang Xiuxiu quietly working beside her, Madam Cheng suddenly asked, seemingly casually, "Xiuxiu, it's been several months since you came to the Cheng family. If you think about it, you're almost eighteen, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu's heart tightened, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
In this era, women get married at eighteen or nineteen.
However, as a maid, she was not qualified to discuss matters of marriage.
Wang Xiuxiu understood that Madam Cheng's question must have a deeper meaning.
He could only cautiously reply, "Madam, it will be full in a few more months."
Madam Cheng nodded and then said, "Oh, you're not young anymore. Do you have someone you like? Tell me, and I'll make the decision for you."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu immediately put down her embroidery frame, knelt before Madam Cheng, and said in a trembling voice, "Madam, I only want to serve you! Please don't abandon me!"
Seeing this, Madam Cheng smiled and had someone help Wang Xiuxiu up, saying, "Look at you! Get up quickly. We were just joking around, how did we frighten you?"
Wang Xiuxiu stood up, her pale face not yet completely recovered.
Then Madam Cheng waved her hand, gesturing for Wang Xiuxiu to sit down, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore, get back to work."
Wang Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly sat down, picked up the embroidery hoop, and got busy.
Madam Cheng was extremely satisfied with Wang Xiuxiu's response.
He even thought to himself: This girl is indeed clever and knows how to behave appropriately.
Wang Xiuxiu had only been in the household for a short time, and it was precisely the time for her to make contributions. How could they possibly let her leave so easily?
She didn't care how old Wang Xiuxiu was. At worst, she would find someone nearby to marry her off, and she could continue to manage the needlework in her yard.
Therefore, the question he asked earlier was merely a test to see if Wang Xiuxiu would stay wholeheartedly in the Cheng family and be at his beck and call.
Wang Xiuxiu was sensible, so she always worked at Madam Cheng's place during off-peak hours.
Not only was Madam Cheng jealous, but she also learned from her acquaintances in the courtyard that Master Cheng was a womanizer. Unless she wanted to climb the social ladder, it was best to stay away from him.
Seeing that it was almost time for Master Cheng to return, she curtsied and left without waiting for Madam Cheng to speak.
---
"This set of undergarments is much more comfortable than the usual ones. Did you get a new embroiderer?" said the eldest son of the Cheng family, who was resting with his wife yesterday, as she was tidying up his clothes.
Madam Cheng replied with a smile, "The embroiderers in the manor have too many tasks and it's inconvenient to use them. We just happened to meet a skillful maid, so we kept her in our courtyard."
"Oh? When did you arrive? I haven't seen you in your yard before."
"She has been here for some time. The little girl is shy and hides in her embroidery room all day, not liking to see anyone. Not to mention her husband, I don't see her often either."
For some reason, after hearing this, the old man from the Cheng family casually remarked, "It's better for a young lady to be more cheerful."
Madam Cheng nearly lost her composure, but managed to send the person away, though she was burning with rage.
Madam Cheng is almost forty years old this year. From her youth to the present, she has never relaxed her control over Cheng Dalang.
She was always extremely sensitive to the words and actions of the eldest son of the Cheng family, especially his attitude towards the young maid, which made her wary.
When Madam Cheng returned to her room, she was so angry that she smashed everything on the table.
Upon seeing this, Granny Lu knew that her mistress was sulking with the master again, and quickly stepped forward to comfort her.
"Madam, why are you doing this? Don't upset yourself."
Madam Cheng gritted her teeth, "How can I not be angry? He only likes those bright and alluring vixens, doesn't he know they're dirty and smelly! He just wants to drag them onto the bed!"
That day, all the maids in Madam Cheng's courtyard were terrified and dared not utter a sound.
Wang Xiuxiu, as always, kept a low profile. She went to the kitchen early to collect her meal and then ate alone in her small room.
Madam Cheng, peeking through the window, inadvertently noticed Wang Xiuxiu's actions and asked, "Does she always get her own food early and eat it herself?"
Granny Lu genuinely cared for Madam Cheng and feared she might get angry about something else, so she spoke up to help explain.
“This girl is slow-witted and doesn’t like to socialize. She told me that she wanted to go back to her room to eat by herself. Seeing that she was like this, I agreed to let her go half an hour earlier and bring the food back to eat by herself.”
Madam Cheng nodded in satisfaction after hearing this.
In her opinion, it was more important than anything else for the maid to be obedient and well-behaved!
As for those maids who find all sorts of excuses to bump into men in the mansion, in her opinion, they should all be beaten to death!
That evening, the jade belt belonging to Madam Cheng delivered a reward to Wang Xiuxiu.
Although Wang Xiuxiu was completely confused, she still respectfully accepted the reward and casually slipped Yu Dai a few sachets that she had made in her spare time.
After much deliberation, the next morning, Wang Xiuxiu packed up most of the rewards and a few handkerchiefs, and sent them to Granny Lu.
The rewards were given to Granny Lu by hand, so she naturally knew what they contained.
She carefully counted the items and found that Wang Xiuxiu not only did not hoard the good things, but also took the initiative to give her most of the rewards. She was quite satisfied with Wang Xiuxiu's thoughtfulness.
Having worked in the Cheng household for many years, Granny Lu had seen countless maids fighting tooth and nail for petty gains. It was rare to find a maid like Wang Xiuxiu who knew how to be grateful and knew when to advance and retreat.
Therefore, when he looked at Wang Xiuxiu, his eyes softened and his tone became more intimate.
"You've put your heart into it," said Granny Lu, patting Wang Xiuxiu's hand gently. "These past few days, the First Madam has been wanting to have a new pair of shoes made for a banquet. She has taken a liking to your craftsmanship, so you must prepare them well and not disappoint her expectations."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded quickly and said respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Granny. I will do my best and never let the Madam down."
Seeing her sincere attitude, Granny Lu was even more satisfied and said a few more words.
"This banquet is no small matter. Madam is going to meet several distinguished guests. If the shoes you made satisfy Madam, you might even get to show your face in front of these important people. This is a rare opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu's heart stirred, and she seized the opportunity to ask, "Granny, what kind of occasion is this banquet? Does Madam have any special requests? I'd like to prepare in advance to avoid any mistakes."
Seeing that she asked a detailed question, Granny Lu smiled and explained, "This is a flower appreciation banquet hosted by the Prefect's wife. All the ladies and young women in the prefecture are invited. Our lady went to great lengths to get the invitation, so naturally she has to prepare well."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Madam loves peonies the most. If you could embroider some peony patterns on your shoes, I'm sure she would like them."
After hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu felt reassured and quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Granny. I will definitely study it carefully and will not let you and Madam down."
Granny Lu nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then told Wang Xiuxiu to go back.
Sure enough, a few days later, Madam Cheng summoned Wang Xiuxiu and instructed her to make a new pair of embroidered shoes.
Although Wang Xiuxiu had never made shoes before, she couldn't resist Madam Cheng's request and had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
For the sake of these perfect shoes, Madam Cheng specially arranged for Wang Xiuxiu to work in front of her so that she could give her pointers at any time.
Knowing that this banquet was extremely important to Madam Cheng and fearing the loss of her trust, Wang Xiuxiu put in even more effort.
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