Chapter 8 A mistress who doesn't even give her maids a friendly look?
Zhang froze for a moment under that gaze, then gritted her teeth and said reluctantly, "If that unfilial son really does something shameful... I, I'll kowtow to you and admit my mistake. I failed to raise my son well!"
Lu Zhaoruo said softly, "With my uncle and aunt's words, I feel at ease. I trust my husband's character."
She said each word slowly and deliberately: "Wait for him to return, and we will be a harmonious couple, growing old together."
If he returns and marries another woman, I'll sue him to death.
Shen Qingshu and Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Qingshu said, "Go back to your room and rest first. You will need to take care of the two shops outside. As for the household affairs, I will leave them to your aunt. If any servants dare to be negligent again, they will be dealt with according to the family rules."
Lu Zhaoruo curtsied and said in a low voice, "Then daughter-in-law will go back to her room first."
She lowered her eyes and stepped over the threshold. The moment her clothes brushed against the bluestone steps, she straightened her back like a bamboo shoot breaking through the snow, raised her chin slightly, and wiped away a tear with a white handkerchief from the corner of her eye.
As dawn broke, the long-awaited sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone down.
The dappled sunlight under the eaves reflected on her delicate face, making her slightly upturned lips stand out even more.
In the hall.
A wet nurse carries out a crying baby.
Madam Zhang quickly took the child and patted him gently, lowering her voice to ask, "Did you forget to mention adoption, sir?"
Shen Qingshu's face darkened: "Foolish! Bringing this up now is just making her suspicious."
He frowned at the crying baby and waved his hand impatiently: "Send him to the sales office first."
Zhang was displeased.
It's so pitiful for the grandson; he can't go home and has to go to the orphanage.
She said to the baby, "Good child, just bear with it... It's all that wicked woman's fault for being so heartless as to refuse to adopt you. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have let this Bodhisattva into my Shen family's door in the first place!"
The baby burst into tears.
Hearing the baby crying behind her and the sound of a board being struck coming from the backyard, Lu Zhaoruo walked briskly towards the kitchen.
The flames crackled in the stove, and steam rose from the iron pot. The usually lazy fire-stowing woman and the rough maid had surprisingly prepared breakfast today...
Upon seeing Lu Zhaoruo enter, the two men hunched their shoulders and bowed, no longer daring to speak coldly as they had in the past.
After all, with such a commotion in the main hall, they must have known about it long ago.
Lu Zhaoruo ignored them and instead drank two bowls of thick minced meat porridge and ate four steamed cakes.
In her past life, she only dared to eat one pancake and half a bowl of porridge, always thinking about saving money. Now, she wants to eat well, drink well, and sleep well to take good care of her health.
The two maids stared wide-eyed at their mistress, who had suddenly gained a large appetite, and muttered to themselves.
After finishing her meal, Lu Zhaoruo calmly packed a few strips of candied pork and a poached egg, then turned and left.
After she left, the old woman slung the rag over her shoulder and smirked, "If it weren't for the master's intervention, she wouldn't even have a hot meal today! In the past, we were always the ones warming ourselves by the stove, chopping wood, and doing everything else for her. Now, she's the one who gets fed and waited on, as if we owe her something!"
The maidservant tiptoed to the door and whispered, "Mother, should we wait for her to swing the axe over that pile of firewood, or should I go?"
The old woman lifted the pot lid, and white steam billowed out, scalding her so much that she squinted one eye. A cold laugh escaped her lips through her teeth: "Look at her arrogant attitude, as if she has someone backing her up! Let her jump around for a few days. Once the old lady is free, let's see if she'll still have to obediently swing the axe. We'll just have to put up with this for a few days."
Back in the courtyard, a tiny cat was pacing along the porch, its fluffy tail held high, like a concerned little housekeeper.
Upon seeing Lu Zhaoruo, it immediately rushed into her arms, its pink nose rubbing affectionately against her wrist, making a soft "meow meow" sound.
"Are you starving?"
Lu Zhaoruo spoke softly, taking out pork strips and poached eggs wrapped in oil paper.
Abao's round eyes lit up immediately, but instead of eating, it used its little paws to push the small bowl towards Lu Zhaoruo and meowed twice, as if to say that she should eat first.
Lu Zhaoruo felt a lump in her throat.
This is just a cat she picked up from outside and has only raised for three years, yet it already knows how to handle cold and warmth.
But the man who was her childhood sweetheart and made promises to her married someone else and had children...
She's liked him for so many years.
She always took care of him from a young age, saving his first taste of honey and his first bowl of hot soup for him. When he bumped into Li Yanei, she was the one who stood in front of him.
However, humans are not as good as cats.
The bitterness in her heart brought tears to her eyes. She blinked quickly and said with a smile, "Silly Bao, I've already eaten in the kitchen."
As she spoke, she gently pushed Abao toward the edge of the bowl, "Eat quickly, I still have to go to the shop. Be a good girl and warm yourself by the brazier, don't run around."
Before leaving, she opened the hidden compartment of her dressing case and took out two strings of copper coins.
Just as she reached the door, Xing'er, the maidservant who was in charge of serving her, suddenly jumped out and asked, "Madam, are you going to the shop? I'll go with you."
Xing'er, along with the kitchen maid, the rough maidservant, the gatekeeper, and Cao Hai, Shen Rongzhi's former servant, were all household servants.
They were all from a large family and were all confidants of their mother-in-law, Zhang.
Xing'er was ostensibly there to serve, but in reality, she was sent by Zhang to keep an eye on her, fearing that she would use the Shen family's things to help her own family. Especially after she opened the shop, Xing'er would always follow her whenever she went out.
Actually, when Lu Zhaoruo married into the family, her father and brothers specially bought her a maid. The girl was the third child in the family, and everyone called her "A-San". They didn't even give her a name. It was Lu Zhaoruo who later named her Dongrou.
Mr. Lu was kind-hearted. Although she had signed a contract of servitude, he returned it to her, stipulating a ten-year work period and that she could receive monthly wages.
She had only been with the Shen family for three months when Zhang wanted to sell her, citing a shortage of household funds. However, Dongrou's indenture clearly stated "no resale" and in the end, they had no choice but to let her go home.
From then on, Xing'er came to serve him, but she never even poured him a cup of tea, and spent her days shirking her duties and being lazy.
This whole family are thieves: Xing'er steals jewelry and silk threads, the old woman in the kitchen steals charcoal, the maid steals rice and grain, and Cao Hai steals wine. Only their father, Old Cao, the gatekeeper, hasn't been caught stealing yet.
In her previous life, Lu Zhaoruo had reported Zhang Shi to the Zhang family, but Zhang Shi only gave her a few light reprimands.
Later she realized that all the stolen goods ended up in Zhang's pocket, so how could he be severely punished?
"Madam?"
Xing'er called out again impatiently.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled gently: "Perfect timing. New Year's Eve is just two months away. I'm going to the shop today to get some fabric and needles to give to my old customers as a token of my appreciation, and also to pave the way for the clothing business during the New Year."
She sighed and looked at the snowflakes outside: "There are about a hundred households to deliver to, I'm afraid I'll be busy until midnight."
After saying that, he paused and said, "I happen to be feeling unwell, so I'll need your help with those fabrics."
When Xing'er heard that she would be busy until midnight and had to carry heavy fabrics, plus it was snowing, she was sure she would either be exhausted or freeze to death!
She was unhappy.
Lu Zhaoruo made a gesture as if to step down: "Let's go, don't be late."
"Cough cough!"
Xing'er suddenly started coughing.
Lu Zhaoruo asked with concern, "Why are you coughing?"
"Cough cough..."
Xing'er coughed heavily twice more, pulled her clothes tighter, and said, "I caught a cold these past few days, and I felt dizzy when I woke up this morning."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo's eyes flashed with understanding, but her face showed worry: "In that case, you should rest well in the room. If you come with me to travel, I'm afraid your condition will worsen. I will go alone today."
Xing'er quickly curtsied, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam."
After Lu Zhaoruo's footsteps faded into the distance, Xing'er curled her lip in disdain: "What an idiot! She can fool people with just a few lies."
Stepping out of the gate of the old house.
Lu Zhaoruo stopped and looked at the two characters "Chenzhai" painted in black ink on the lintel.
In her previous life, she ran the Shen family business with great success. She not only donated funds to rebuild the county school, but also funded the construction of three stone bridges. The prefect of Jizhou bestowed upon her a plaque with the words "charitable and generous" in black lacquer and silver characters, which was hung above the main hall.
Her gaze shifted to a spot three zhang to the east of the gate, where two stone archways had stood in her past life…
One of them is the "Yixingfang" (Archway of Righteous Conduct), which was commended by the state government for its donations to repair the official road.
The other one is the "Chastity Archway," which was originally a reward for widows who remained widows for twenty years after their husbands' deaths, according to the laws of the Great Kingdom.
However, she had a close friend who was originally demoted from the capital to Jizhou City, but later returned to the capital and, I heard, married a fourth-rank official.
In her previous life, Lu Zhaoruo only waited for Shen Rongzhi for three years before her friend obtained a 'Chastity Arch' for her in the capital...
She also said, "My husband and Mr. Shen met at sea, and while they were chatting, they were suddenly attacked by Japanese pirates... Those damned bastards brutally murdered Mr. Shen... They couldn't even retrieve his body..."
So, she's lying...
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