Cuiming smiled and leaned over to gently pinch Hongye's lips: "I didn't expect you to be so clear-headed now."
Hongye brushed Cuiming's hand away and looked at Qin Yuan: "It's only because of our master."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I remember your kindness. Just tell me what you want."
Hongye readily accepted: "I'll tell you when I remember."
Qin Yuan seized the opportunity and ordered her maid to call Hongmian over to talk. Soon after, Hongmian arrived, her face filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Through the beaded curtain, Hongmian greeted her, saying, "Hongmian greets Madam."
Inside the curtain, shadowy figures could be vaguely discerned, including Hongye and Cuiming. Before going to the needlework room, the area behind the beaded curtain was a place she could freely enter and exit.
Now, crossing this beaded curtain is extremely difficult.
Hongye stood with her head bowed, waiting for Qin Yuan's instructions. After a while, she heard Qin Yuan say, "I called you here because I suddenly thought of a way to help you gain merit. If you do it well, I will recommend you to work at Feiyun Pavilion. What do you think?"
Hongmian was overjoyed: "Thank you, Madam. May I ask what is it?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "You saw it yesterday too. Sister Cheng couldn't really manage those twins in the guest room. I think you can handle those twins. Why don't you go and serve them and bring Xiao Hong and Zi He back?"
Hongmian hesitated for a long time before asking, "I don't know how this servant should treat them."
Qin Yuan nodded, "She's a really useful and clever person."
"Keep a close eye on them, and just make sure things look good on the surface. If anything goes wrong, report it to me. Sister-in-law Cheng and Old Lady Qi will help you."
Hearing this, Hongmian felt reassured and immediately said, "Madam, rest assured, this servant will definitely not make the slightest mistake."
Yesterday, she spoke with Dai's two young servants and learned that their most trusted maid had disappeared, which made her particularly agitated. Now, she has assigned herself to the maid, ostensibly to serve her, but in reality to keep watch over her.
It is clear that most of her guesses are true.
It really is all up to human effort.
If I hadn't shamelessly gone to the guest quarters yesterday, how would I have gotten the chance to leave the sewing room?
Qin Yuan said, "Go back to the sewing room to hand over your errands first, and wait for someone to call you over."
Hongmian returned to the sewing room as instructed, buried herself in her work and finished it before handing it over to Li Mama for inspection.
Li's mother accepted the gift without saying much and did not assign any new tasks.
Hongmian sat quietly by the embroidery table, helping the embroiderers with their threads. After waiting for a while, Cuiming came in and instructed her: "Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu were arguing over a servant and Zihe, which caused Xiaohong to be scolded as well. The two felt wronged and cried, wanting to go back to the Marquis's mansion. Madam remembered you and said that your needlework is not top-notch. It would be better for you to serve the two young masters instead of working in the needlework room."
The embroiderers put down their needlework and all looked over.
Cuiming then said, "Once you've finished handing over the work, come with me to the guest quarters."
Hongmian stood up and said, "It just so happens that today's work is finished."
Cuiming took two steps ahead, then turned back: "Aren't you coming with me?"
Hongmian nodded and said to the embroiderers, "I'll take my leave for now, and we'll have another chance to talk again in the future."
The embroiderers laughed and said, "We're all in the same household, we'll have a chance to meet sooner or later. You should hurry up and attend to your duties as the mistress."
Hongmian then caught up with Cuiming, and the two walked towards the guest courtyard. Before they even entered the courtyard, they ran into Zihe and Xiaohong. Upon seeing them, Xiaohong looked up and smiled, "Sister Cuiming, Sister Hongmian, it's been so long since I've seen you. I've missed you so much."
Cui Ming chuckled.
"You'll be working at Wutongyuan soon, and we'll see each other every day from now on."
Zihe laughed and said, "Ever since Xiaohong went next door, she has been counting down the days, saying she doesn't know when she will be able to work at Wutong Garden. I never thought it would come true today. I'm afraid she's so happy that she'll forget what her own name is."
Little Red puffed out her cheeks but didn't say anything.
She naturally wouldn't reveal that her surname was Sun, otherwise she would have been the subject of much ridicule.
Cuiming said, "Madam has long wanted Xiaohong to serve in the courtyard because she thinks Xiaohong is too clever and you are too calm. However, she thought that Xiaohong was too young and needed to be trained in some ways, so she didn't agree immediately. Now, you two were almost injured while protecting your mistress, and Madam remembers it all. She took you back as soon as she had the chance."
Xiao Hong shook her two little maids on her head, overjoyed: "Sister Cui Ming, you're not kidding me, are you? I really believe you. It turns out that Madam also wants me to serve in Wutong Garden."
Cui Ming said, "Of course it's true."
Xiao Hong almost burst into laughter, but seeing Hong Mian, she held back and said, "Sister Hong Mian, Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu are extremely strange these days. They're very difficult to serve. They scold us at the drop of a hat, saying that we don't have a master in our hearts and that we're all hypocrites. Sometimes they even throw things at people. Young Master Cheng is strong, so it hurts a lot if you get hit. You have to be careful."
Hongmian was surprised: "I saw the two of them arguing yesterday. I thought they were just making a fuss after returning to the Marquis's residence. Is this a common occurrence?"
Zihe said, "Isn't that a common occurrence? Before the fire next door, the two of them argued at home every day about hiring a tutor. They even said that Master Cheng's family only adopted them because of the Marquis, and that they weren't truly sincere. Master Cheng hired several martial arts instructors for them, but none of them were to their liking. Later, they kept one, but he ended up with the arsonists. Whenever things don't go their way, they bring up these kinds of things to cause trouble. In the past, Master Cheng and the others took it to heart, but now they just let them say what they want."
Hongmian lowered her voice: "I heard they trust one old woman the most..."
Xiao Hong pouted: "That old woman is bad too. She used to keep watch in the main room, but somehow she won Young Master Cheng's favor and was sent to the next room to serve him. She has to do everything in secret from us and speaks very rudely. That old woman has also been arrested."
Hongmian nodded: "Thank you both for your guidance. Otherwise, I would have been completely clueless and wouldn't have known if I had offended the two young masters."
Zihe has become more sincere.
"Don't worry, those two bad guys are gone. These past two days, Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu have been trying to come to the inner courtyard to pay their respects, and they've been plotting to stop the Marquis on the road. Just try to stop them. If they want to go out, ask Madam first."
Hongmian agreed to all of them.
It was getting late, so Zihe and Xiaohong said goodbye and excitedly carried their bags to Wutong Garden. Hongmian withdrew her envious gaze and followed Cuiming to see Madam Dai.
When Madam Dai saw that it was the maid who had come yesterday, she gave her a few casual instructions, then called the twins over, introduced them to the maid, and that was the end of it.
Hongmian was determined to make a name for herself, so she tried to win over the twins. The twins knew that she was originally a second-class maid in Wutong Garden and a servant born into the household, so they would need her in the future. Both sides were interested in getting along well, and for a while they chatted and laughed.
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