Chapter 17 You're Very Good
Qin Xu smiled and asked Old Madam Qin, "Who is this little girl? I've never seen her before?"
Madam Qin smiled and said, "Of course you haven't seen her before; she's new here."
Qin Xu said, "No wonder, she's new here." He added, "She's really beautiful, I really like her. I'm missing someone so likable by my side, Grandma, please give her to me!" As he spoke, he puffed out his cheeks, grabbed Old Madam Qin's hand and shook it gently, acting coquettishly.
When her grandniece asked for something, Old Madam Qin never refused. Not only did she give it to her, but she gave it to her very readily. The little maids who served others were worthless; she could have ten of them if she wanted. But Shanlai was a different story.
"She won't do," Old Madam Qin said with a smile. "She's in place of Han Cui, and Yang Sheng Xuan can't do without her. I'll find you another likable maid, okay?"
"She can read?" Qin Xu's eyes lit up like lightning.
"I recognize her," Old Madam Qin said with a hint of pride. "Not only does she recognize her, she can also write about her, and she writes even better than Liansi!"
In Madam Qin's eyes, her grandson was the best in every way. If she could say that her grandson was better than her grandson, then he must really be good.
Qin Xu's smile was starting to falter, but she had to keep it up, so the smile became a little stiff.
Old Madam Qin did not notice her grandniece's unusual behavior, but Shanlai did.
However, she only saw it and didn't think about it personally. What could she possibly have to do with this young lady?
After meeting with Madam Qin, Shanlai was about to go see Liu Min.
Before meeting Liu Min, she went back to her residence.
Zhao's second wife had already delivered her things, which were neatly piled on the table.
Shanlai is a person who always repays kindness, so she also brought thank-you gifts for the maids who had given her things last night. Of course, they were all just some cheap country trinkets that she had bought from the villagers.
However, because of what Liu Min had said earlier, she was a little hesitant to go to Biwu Hall.
We should find someone to come and ask her to distribute the items.
The search for the person was conducted stealthily, with everyone moving quietly and not daring to make a sound. Moreover, it was already getting dark, and such behavior was akin to that of a thief.
What if I'm mistaken for a thief?
Shanlai didn't want anyone to find fault with her, so she immediately straightened up and took a few steps. She saw someone walking towards her and, upon closer inspection, recognized her as the one who had given her the amulet. Shanlai remembered that her name was Lüying, so she called out, "Sister Lüying."
When Lüying heard this, she looked over and saw that it was Shanlai. She was very happy and ran to Shanlai in a few steps, saying, "Shanlai, you're back! When did you get back?"
Shanlai said, "I just got back, sister. Do you have some free time?"
Luying quickly replied, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Shanlai led Lüying to her room and opened two bundles. "These are things from the mountains, not worth much. Please take whatever you like, sister, as I am doing this out of kindness. Please ask the other sisters for help with the rest."
Luying was naturally overjoyed. Having grown accustomed to wealth and luxury, she didn't care much for such things; what mattered was Shanlai's favor. She would do anything to befriend Shanlai. This wasn't just her opinion, but Shanlai had approached her first—how could she not be overjoyed?
Shanlai then asked Lüying if she knew where Liu Min was now.
Lü Ying chuckled and said, "Lian Si is at Yang Sheng Xuan. Do you want to go find him?"
Shanlai said, "He is my master. How can I not go and see him after I've come back from outside?"
Shanlai carried his bundle to Yangshengxuan.
It was very dark. As Shanlai walked along the road, she was a little worried. It was so late, Liu Min might not still be there, and she was afraid that she had made a wasted trip.
Fortunately, it's still there.
She arrived at the perfect time; if she had been any later, Liu Min would have been going to Fuzetang for dinner, as Old Madam Qin had already urged him several times.
Liu Min was surprised to see her. "Why are you here? Is something wrong?"
Upon hearing the words "thank you gift," Liu Min immediately became interested. He reached out and took it, weighing its weight in his hand. He asked Shan Lai, "What is it?"
"These are peaches, very good ones, theirs are the sweetest..."
“Peach? Very good…” Liu Min smiled with satisfaction. “You are very good.”
Liu Min doesn't like peaches, but he said it was good because Shan Lai knows how to repay kindness, and he has always admired her.
Have you seen the old lady?
Shanlai replied, "The first person I saw when I got back was the old lady."
Liu Min nodded, turned around and turned off the light, then asked Shan Lai, "Is there anything else?"
Shan Lai shook his head.
Liu Min said, "Then let's go together. I'll go to the old lady's, and you go back to your room. It's on the way." With that, he picked up his bundle and started to walk out. Shan Lai hurriedly followed, and the two walked one after the other.
As they walked, Liu Min and Shan Shan struck up a conversation: "How is everything at home? Your father is doing much better."
"Everything is fine, my dad is much better too."
Liu Min nodded again and remained silent.
Shanlai never spoke unless there was something to say, so when Liu Min didn't speak, she naturally kept quiet as well.
The two walked quietly.
Suddenly, Liu Min spoke again, asking Shan Lai, "You shouldn't have anything else to do?"
This was a difficult question to answer. After all, she was a servant, and whether or not something happened was not up to her to decide, so she remained silent.
She didn't speak, but Liu Min was convinced she had nothing to do. "Go back and get some sleep. Get up early tomorrow, pack your things, and head to Yang Sheng Xuan. I've already spoken to them; from now on, your meals will be delivered to Yang Sheng Xuan. You can work and eat there. Unless absolutely necessary, you don't need to go anywhere else in the house. Just focus on honing your painting skills..."
He finished speaking, and a gust of wind blew by, rustling the leaves.
There was only the sound of the wind, not human voices.
Liu Min frowned and turned his head to look aside. He had been talking for so long but hadn't received a single response, which made him somewhat dissatisfied. He had just said she knew how to repay kindness, and now she was acting like this—wasn't that a slap in the face?
There was no one there.
He paused for a moment, then stopped in his tracks.
When he saw no one ahead, he turned back to look for them.
It was right behind him, about four or five steps away.
It was already quite dark by then. Although lights were on everywhere, shining brightly, there were still some dim areas.
The place where she was standing was indistinct and unclear, so of course she herself was also unclear.
Liu Min thought she must be too tired to walk, so he immediately forgave her.
"I'm leaving now. You go home by yourself."
After saying that, he picked up his bag and left.
It took Shanlai a while before he slowly started moving. He walked for a long time before returning to his residence and sitting down on a stool in a daze.
She had barely returned when someone came looking for her.
He carried the food and warm water, thanked her warmly for the gifts, and said he liked them very much. He also mentioned that his family makes pastries, which are very good, and that he would definitely buy some for her to eat in the future to express his gratitude.
They kept talking, but Shanlai was still in a daze. Although she seemed to be listening, she didn't say a word, so she probably wasn't listening. However, they didn't blame her at all. They all found a reason for her: she was too tired, and they were wasting her time. They were really inconsiderate, so they decided to leave together.
Shanlai, in a daze, escorted them to the door.
Lüying was also in this group of people, and Shan called out to her.
Luying quickly responded, turned around, and smiled broadly.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lüying entered Shanlai's room and came out a moment later, carrying two bundles in her hands.
The maids hadn't left and had been waiting. When she came out, they rushed over and bombarded her with questions: "Why did they call you over?" "What's in your bundle?" "When did you two become so close?"
Aside from the one given to Liu Min, the contents of the remaining bundles were almost identical: some inexpensive items, some for the maids of Biwu Hall, and some for Ru Hui and the others—all belonging to people who had shown kindness to Xiang Shanlai.
Given Shanlai's personality, she should have delivered those things herself. Not going to Biwu Hall would have been somewhat justifiable, but Ruhui's place was different; she should have gone there herself.
But I didn't, because I wasn't in the mood.
She was still in a daze, her mind elsewhere.
After hearing Liu Min's words, she reacted in this way.
The warm water had turned cold, and the food was no longer hot.
Shanlai was still lost in thought.
Suddenly, a full tear burst from her eye without warning.
She was thus brought to peace.
After eating a couple of bites of cold rice, washing my face and rinsing my mouth, wiping my body, wrapping myself in a thin garment, and lying down on the bed.
We need to get to Yang Sheng Xuan earlier tomorrow.
She was very tired. She had been on the bus for so long and had done a lot of chores at home. Her body was sore and weak that she should have been able to sleep well, but she couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
She couldn't sleep; she kept thinking about what Liu Min had said.
She couldn't believe she had such good fortune.
She had always felt her life was unfortunate. Her family was destitute, and she toiled daily to make ends meet, doing countless chores. Her only solace was her father. But even with him, she wasn't entirely satisfied. He loved her dearly, but he was kind to others as well. If asked for help, he would neglect his own affairs to lend a hand to others. He always agreed to her requests, but when others called upon him again, he would still go. This time, he almost lost his life, needing her to sell herself to save him. How could such a life be considered good? Yet, she sold herself into servitude to the Liu family.
She always thought she was destined to suffer, even if she had enough to eat and wear, she would still be tormented mentally, living in constant fear that people would bully her, humiliate her, or even worse, lose her life.
However, the masters are all good people.
Even if they have some other demands on her, since they bought her, it is only right that she should be at their disposal, and it doesn't mean they are wrong.
Previously, her biggest fear was that being a servant meant being inferior, having to compromise and submit to others, losing her own dignity. But now, although she's a maid, she doesn't have to do things she dislikes, nor is she forced to socialize or compete for fame and fortune. Even as a servant, she can still be herself. How could she not be moved to tears?
She was quite frightened.
Fearing that one day such a life would no longer exist, she would be forced to fall into the mud.
How can we avoid losing what we have now?
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