Chapter 183 The Best Host
Xie Wanniang, who did not have a particular fondness for being overheard, had already discussed with Jiang Yuan that after their marriage, the main courtyard where the couple would live would be left without any servants at night.
Even her personal maid, Haitang, was sent to live in a side room in the next courtyard.
Jiang Yuan had no objection to this. Whether in Mingfu Village or Zijing Pass, he had never had anyone else serve him in his daily life.
Like Xie Wanniang, he preferred to do the daily chores he could manage himself rather than be waited on like someone with broken limbs or bedridden.
The two had no disagreement on this point, so Xie Wanniang only mentioned it to him and did not waste any words trying to persuade him.
On the contrary, Haitang, the maid who was informed of this "bad news" in advance, couldn't understand what Xie Wanniang was trying to do.
Her first reaction was that she must have made some terrible mistake to be rejected by Xie Wanniang. The little girl panicked. She had never shed a tear even when faced with swords and spears before, but at that moment she cried so miserably.
Xie Wanniang was quite frightened by her pitiful appearance with tears streaming down her face. She grabbed her and asked her several questions before finally finding out what was wrong with the girl's breakdown and crying.
After listening to Haitang's sobbing words, Xie Wanniang realized that she had misunderstood and thought that she didn't want her anymore.
She was both amused and exasperated, and patiently said to Haitang, "I'm just letting you move to the next courtyard, not selling you off or sending you back to the Xie family. Tell me, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about with your little head?"
Haitang was a little embarrassed. She grew up in the Xie family and was taught manners and etiquette by the Xie family's old nanny. In her mind, she, as the personal maid, was someone even closer to her daughter than her future son-in-law.
After all, the son-in-law might still drift apart from the girl, or even take concubines after marriage. But she had long ago sworn to follow the girl, serve her, protect her, and put the girl's happiness, sorrow, and interests first for the rest of her life.
Now that the girl suddenly says she doesn't need her to serve her anymore, her world has collapsed.
After hearing Haitang's true thoughts, Xie Wanniang was both moved and sighed. She said, "Even if you don't live in the same courtyard as me, the trust and deep affection between us will not change in any way."
She paused for a moment and then said, "Moreover, I don't want you to be my maid, my steward wife, or my trusted nanny for the rest of your life. When you grow up a little more, I will change your status from slave to free."
Haitang exclaimed, "Ah?" "But I just want to be your maid for life."
She had no intention of getting married, and naturally she wouldn't become a housewife or an old nanny. She had already decided that when she turned twenty, she would comb her hair up herself and dress as a married woman.
Listening to her chattering away, talking about her innocent but adorable future plans, Xie Wanniang couldn't help but feel both amused and helpless.
"If you haven't met someone you like and don't want to just marry someone who seems suitable, then you can stay by my side forever. But if you ever decide to get married, please don't give up the person you like just because you want to work for me."
Even in ancient times, there were quite a few women who never married, but these women all had their own reasons for not being able to marry.
Haitang stayed by Xie Wanniang's side. Of course, Xie Wanniang would not force Haitang into a situation where she could not get married, but she would not force Haitang to follow the worldly rules and find someone to marry her off when she reached a certain age.
For her, whether Haitang gets married or not is not important; what matters is whether she can live a happy and joyful life.
She was willing to support Haitang, and she had the ability to do so.
The mistress and servant talked late into the night by candlelight. Xie Wanniang told Haitang what it felt like to "like" someone, and also warned her in advance what kind of men she could consider marrying and what kind of men she should stay away from as soon as possible.
After rambling on and on, Xie Wanniang then subtly explained to Haitang, whose eyes had turned into mosquito coil rings, the real reason she had arranged for her to live in the next courtyard.
Haitang seemed to understand, but she was no longer worried about her future.
When she arrived yesterday with the procession delivering her dowry and saw the spacious and beautiful east wing room that Xie Wanniang had prepared for her in advance, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat again.
Waaaaaah ┭┮﹏┭┮ Her daughter is just too good to her!
Aside from her daughter, she had never heard of any master who would allocate the east wing room to their servants.
Xiao Yang, who had broadened her horizons and gained a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a "servant," shared the same sentiments as her.
Since she came to Yi County, her knowledge has been growing rapidly every day.
The family that treated its servants well but maintained a strict hierarchy and rules, like the Chang family, and the other merchants in the neighborhood who mistreated their servants in various ways, and even the families that were occasionally mentioned by diners for beating and scolding their servants, sometimes to the point of causing a death and being punished by the government, all told her a fact that made her both grateful and fortunate—that she was incredibly lucky to be bought by Xie Wan Niang.
Even if Xie Wanniang hadn't saved her life, she would still have truly fallen into a life of luxury.
Even in the Chang family, which was known for its generosity towards its servants, the living conditions of most of their servants were far inferior to hers.
Not to mention that Xie Wanniang was willing to spend time, energy, and money to carefully cultivate her, so that she could grow freely and happily according to her own wishes without going astray.
This is something that many biological parents who claim to love their children cannot do.
Feeling deeply indebted to Xie Wanniang, Xiao Yang, like Haitang, now only wants to repay Xie Wanniang with everything he has, without reservation.
Because she only made up her mind to herself and did not tell Xie Wanniang these words, Xie Wanniang was completely unaware of the girl's inner thoughts.
What she didn't tell Xiaoyang was that when she bought Xiaoyang, she actually planned to tear up her indenture and give her freedom after Xiaoyang came of age.
She raised Xiaoyang not so that he would work for her, but so that one day, after leaving her protection, he could stand on his own two feet and support his family with his own hands and mind.
The enchanting and sweet night passed quickly. Xie Wanniang, who had been getting up early to practice martial arts without fail for the past few years, slept in extravagantly on her first day of marriage.
Jiang Yuan, who had been awake for a while, thoughtfully lay beside her, quietly making no sound.
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