Chapter 37
Fu'er's heart tightened, and she forgot all about being sentimental and went to ask Xiang'er next door.
Xiang'er was combing her hair, her long black hair was loose and she hadn't had time to tie it into a bun when Fu'er rushed in.
Xiang'er was a little surprised to see Fu'er return, but before she could speak...
Fu'er asked anxiously, "Sister Xiang'er, did you change the bed curtains in my room?"
Judging from her extremely urgent tone, she was asking about something as trivial as changing the bed curtains.
Xiang'er was stunned and didn't react for a moment.
She looked at Fu'er blankly.
Fu'er then realized that she had spoken hastily, and at the same time, she guessed from Xiang'er's expression that she must not have changed the bed curtains.
To dispel Xiang'er's doubts, Fu'er smiled and said, "I want to know who helped me change the bed curtains so I can thank them in person."
Xiang'er sat back down in front of her dressing table and continued combing her hair, scolding, "I thought the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, but it turns out this is just a thank you."
“These days, my nanny and I have been busy and haven’t been to your room yet because of the things the young master asked us to do.”
"If we're talking about cleaning up, it should be Cuiya."
"The nanny called her to our courtyard; she'll stay right across from you."
"This girl is very diligent. She's gone to the kitchen to get breakfast for the old lady."
Fu'er knew that Cuiya was honest and illiterate, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After Cuiya returned, Fu'er, still worried, tested her again.
Hearing Cuiya say that she didn't see any words on the bed frame, Fu'er finally felt relieved.
"Girl, are you not leaving again this time?"
"I'm just back to deliver something to the old lady, I'll leave shortly."
Cuiya was devastated upon hearing this. "Miss, please don't leave!"
"The old woman said that I came to your courtyard to serve you."
"Since you haven't come back for a long time, I'm afraid I'll have to go back to where I used to live and clean the courtyard."
"They bullied me."
By the end, Cuiya was already sobbing.
Fu'er was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see others being bullied, but she was powerless to do anything now that she wasn't at the Ning residence.
Not wanting to disappoint Cuiya, she comforted her, "Don't worry, Granny is getting old and needs someone by her side."
"Xiang'er can't handle it all by herself."
"I don't think I'll make you go back to clean the yard again."
"I'll talk to the old woman about it later."
"Thank you, young lady. You are so kind. The young master is also very kind to you. Why don't you want to come back?"
Seeing that Fu'er insisted on leaving, Cuiya had no choice but to accept it.
Fu'er couldn't explain the reason to anyone else, so she just smiled and said, "I won't be coming back to live here in the future. If someone else moves in, remember to take the bed frame down for me."
"As for the rest..."
Fu'er glanced at the agate vases, small lamps, exquisite incense burners, and teacups on the table and incense stand.
After hesitating for a moment, she took her favorite white jade cup.
"As for the other things in this room, they were all gifts from the young master, and the nanny will take care of them."
Cuiyu said confidently, "Don't worry, Miss. The nanny said that no one else will be allowed to stay in your room."
Fu'er felt that Cuiya was still too naive, so she didn't explain it to her.
Just then, Little Orange darted out from the doorway, meowing loudly.
It clung to Fu'er's skirt, preventing her from leaving. It was covered in dirt and had lost a lot of weight.
Fu'er hadn't seen it for a long time, and seeing it like this, she felt a little sorry for it.
She picked him up in one lap. "Little Orange, what happened to you? Did Little Flower bully you again?"
Little Orange looked at Fu'er with a pitiful expression and meowed twice more.
“Girl, this orange cat has come to your house several times. When I try to catch it, it runs away. It turns out it was waiting for you.”
"I heard from Sister Xiang'er that it has been rarely seen since the young master left."
After all, it was she who brought Xiao Ju's family into the Ning residence.
Its mother is gone, but it can't just abandon Little Orange.
Ning Shiyu isn't here, and with no one to protect it, it will only be bullied by that tabby cat.
Watching Fu'er leave with the orange cat, Cuiya followed behind to see her off.
But when Fu'er passed through the arched moon gate, she didn't go towards the side gate, but towards the young master's main courtyard.
Cuiya asked in surprise, "Miss, are you going to Wenxuan Pavilion?"
Fu'er responded softly, "Mm."
"If I don't take Little Orange's most treasured possession with me, it won't come home with me."
Cuiya was completely confused. "What is Xiaoju's treasure? It's still in the young master's room."
Fu'er didn't say anything, "You'll find out soon enough."
Cuiya dared not enter Wenxuan Pavilion, but waited at the courtyard gate.
When the guards of Wenxuan Pavilion saw Fu'er, they did not stop her, and even respectfully greeted her, "Miss Fu'er."
A moment later, Cuiya saw Fu'er come out, carrying a blue and white porcelain fish basin with a large red koi inside.
The orange cat obediently followed behind her, and stopped meowing.
Cuiya wanted to reach out and help Fu'er carry the fish basin, but Xiaoju objected and immediately bared her teeth at her.
Fu'er sighed, "This is its treasure, it won't let you touch it."
"Girl, this koi is so big, this orange cat must have eaten it for several meals."
Fu'er paused, then laughed, "You think it treasures this big koi carp just to eat it?"
Cuiya asked, puzzled, "Doesn't it eat fish?"
"It eats fish, but it won't touch Hong'er, who is Xiao Ju's favorite fish."
"He needs to keep an eye on him every day."
“Even the status of its child’s mother is not as high as that of Hong’er.”
"After years of longing for something I couldn't have, it turned into a habit of cherishing it in my heart."
Cuiya was so shocked by the actions and words of the person and the cat that she couldn't speak and stared wide-eyed.
He opened his mouth for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word.
As Fu'er carried the fish basin out of the Wenxuan Pavilion, she bumped into Caiwei and Yunyou who were coming from the opposite direction.
When Yunyou saw Fu'er reappear in Wenxuan Pavilion, her expression unconsciously became alert.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he put on a perfunctory smile. "Sister Fu'er, you're back."
"I heard that you were punished by the young master and forced to leave the Ning residence last time?"
Fu'er generally disliked getting into arguments with people, nor did she want to play mind games with this master and servant. She replied in a formal and serious manner, "Yes, I'll take the things and leave now."
Unexpectedly, Caiwei stopped Fu'er, saying, "Our aunt hasn't finished asking her questions yet, who told you to leave?"
"Where are you going with the fish basin from the young master's room?"
Yunyou finally saw Fu'er leave the Ning residence.
He left Ning Shiyu.
Thinking she had one less threat, she was surprised to find that Ning Shiyu's attitude towards her remained unchanged.
Aside from necessary social engagements, I only take her with me.
Upon returning to his residence, he no longer summoned her to Wenxuan Pavilion.
Everyone in the household called her Aunt, but Ning Shiyu had never actually touched her.
Yunyou vented all her resentment on Fu'er.
When she was bored at Wenchun Garden, she and Caiwei, her mistress and servant, often gossiped about Fu'er.
Today I finally met Fu'er in person.
Caiwei understood immediately. Knowing that her mistress was not around, she could finally stand up for her aunt today.
When he saw the fish basin in her hand, he immediately found an excuse.
"How dare you! Taking advantage of the young master's absence, you actually dared to steal things from his room."
"Don't forget, you're no longer a member of the Ning family."
"With the young master absent, our concubine is the mistress of this household."
"Hurry up and put the fish basin down, kneel down and beg Aunt Yun for mercy, ask her to have pity on you and let you go."
Cuiya huddled behind Fu'er, clutching tightly to the back of Fu'er's clothes.
Hearing the master and servant singing in unison, Fu'er realized she wasn't planning on staying at the Ning residence any longer, so she wasn't going to tolerate it again and again.
"She is your master, but not mine."
"You want me to kneel down and beg her? Dream on."
“I’ve been living in the Ning residence for over ten years now, and I’ve always been able to come and go as I please.”
"Besides, I'm just borrowing this fish. I'll return it when your master comes back."
"If you don't want to, go to my house and shout and see who I'll stop."
Fu'er was usually gentle and kind, and she was always pleasant to everyone.
When Caiwei and Yunyou heard her speak so firmly for once, they were both taken aback.
Caiwei knew that her status in the household was actually lower than that of Fu'er.
Nobody listened to her, and she couldn't stop herself.
She was unwilling to let Fu'er swagger past her like that.
Suddenly, she looked up at the tabby cat in the flowerbed in front of her and had an idea.
As Fu'er passed in front of her, she quickly stretched out a foot.
Fu'er accidentally dropped the fish basin.
With a crash, the fish basin shattered, and the koi carp lay on the ground with its mouth open, wagging its tail.
It's like a person can't breathe without air.
Little Orange stood by, calling out anxiously.
Fu'er herself fell heavily to the ground.
Just then, the tabby cat darted out and pounced straight at the koi.
In the blink of an eye, Little Orange turned around and blocked the tabby cat's attack.
This time, it couldn't back down at all; instead, it fought fiercely with the tabby cat.
After being pulled up by Cuiya, Fu'er, mindful of the koi fish on the ground, only glanced coldly at Yunyou.
They scooped up the koi and half a broken fish basin from the ground and left.
Yunyou knew that Ning Shiyu liked this koi very much and would usually go to the fish basin to feed it in his spare time.
At a gathering, a friend who loved koi fish asked for some.
He claimed he was willing to exchange it for a blue-maned horse, but Ning Shiyu refused.
She even forbade her tabby cat from entering Wenxuan Pavilion, probably out of consideration for his fish.
Seeing that the plan had failed, Yun You flicked her long sleeves and turned back to her own Wenchun Garden.
Seeing her angry expression, Caiwei gently comforted her, "Auntie, don't be sad. You are the one who will accompany the young master back to Chang'an in the future."
"She has been kicked out of the manor by the young master. He has abandoned her, so she will never have a chance to compete with you for his favor again."
Yun You's eyes tightened, and she tore at her handkerchief with both hands, her eyes surging with dark emotions. "Do you really think that the young master has abandoned her?"
"She can come and go freely in the Ning residence, and even take things directly from the young master's room. She is the koi fish that the young master cares about the most."
"All of this was not agreed to by the young master."
“I suspect that the meals that Granny Yu delivered to us every day a few days ago were also for her.”
"They even left Cuiya in Fu'er's courtyard; isn't that just a maid they left for her?"
"The young master cares so much about her, how can I compete with her?"
Caiwei was shocked and said angrily, "Does Miss mean that after Young Master returns, he will still let Fu'er return to the manor?"
A sinister glint suddenly appeared in Yun You's eyes. "Of course."
"This Fu'er is like a persistent ghost; even though he's no longer at the Ning residence, he still comes to compete with the concubine for favor."
"Aunt, what should you do then?"
Yun You smiled slyly, "Then let her never be able to return to the Ning residence."
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