"Madam, someone has arrived. Would you like to take a look?" the steward said calmly from the doorway.
"No need, you can arrange it as you see fit! There are empty rooms in the backyard, let her choose one! Just remind her of what she needs to do, and don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."
A hoarse, yet strong, voice came from inside the room, belonging to someone who disliked trouble.
"yes."
So the steward took Ma Linghua to the backyard.
I must say, the rooms are quite large; it seems like six people can fit in one room.
"Your job is to clean the front yard of the old lady's house every day, and... don't go near the well under the old pine tree. Leave immediately after you're done cleaning," the steward instructed her earnestly.
"Alright, I've got it. But... Steward, I have a daughter and granddaughter who depend on me for support outside. I wonder if we could bring them to live with us? Don't worry, we won't bother the old lady. We'll just stay in this courtyard and won't go anywhere except when we're doing chores." Ma Linghua pleaded, looking pitiful.
"It's all her father's fault for dying young, and my son-in-law too. Now the family is down to just the three of us... I... Steward, please have mercy!"
Li Zhongguo: "………………"
Li Fagui: "………………"
The five Li brothers: "……………………"
Seeing Ma Linghua's pitiful state, he felt a pang of pity and nodded as if possessed.
“Sir, you are such a kind man.”
Ma Linghua watched him leave, then her face immediately changed. She wiped away her crocodile tears and instantly became lively again.
"That's great, the house is big, we don't have to squeeze into that small room anymore."
Ma Linghua had to go to work the next morning. The servants all used the back door, and it took her a while to find it. She also met a sister who worked in the eldest mistress's room. The two chatted very congenially and exchanged names.
When she arrived at Old Man Li's house, she pushed open the door and saw Old Man Li repairing a table.
"Oh! You didn't go to pick up customers today? What's wrong? Scared?" Ma Linghua teased Old Man Li.
Old Li looked very unhappy. Whenever the topic came up, he thought about selling the boat and quitting.
"Mom, you're back! How did you get here?" Ma Hehua opened the door and ran out.
"Let's pack up and head to the Song residence."
Old Man Li: "???"
"What are you going to the Song residence for?" he asked curiously.
"Don't pry into women's business. Do you think a grown woman needs to report to you about everything she does?" Ma Hehua gave him a look of disdain.
Old Li was utterly shocked. What kind of talk was this? Could a woman really say something like that?
The group left quickly and decisively, without making any preparations. In this era of male chauvinism, women did not have a high status unless they came from wealthy or powerful families.
After entering through the back door, the three arrived at their lodgings. It was noon. They had settled in, but the food expenses for Lotus and Pear Blossom hadn't been settled yet!
This is a problem.
"I'll go ask my sister later if there are any jobs available. You all stay inside; things aren't very peaceful in the Song family," Ma Linghua said gravely.
“Mom, go ahead! We promise we won’t run around,” Ma Hehua said, patting her chest.
Lunch is usually served at 12:30. When Ma Linghua went there, many people were lining up to get their food and brought their own bowls.
When Ma Linghua took out her bowl, the man who was supervising the serving of food was taken aback and looked up at her.
I must say, this woman has really beautiful features; her smile captivated him. He then personally served her a large bowl of soup.
Ma Linghua's bowl was really big. The man behind her was dumbfounded. Could this old woman finish it?
"Uncle Bian, aren't you worried about wasting so much money on her? Why don't you give me a little more?"
The man was taken aback, then sneered, "San'er, you're so cunning and lazy, you won't eat much." He then served him some food.
He handed the rice scoop to the person distributing the food and searched for Ma Linghua in the crowd, but there were too many servants in the Song family and the dining hall was too crowded to find her at all.
“Grass…grass…this.”
Ma Linghua waved to a woman in her thirties.
The woman hadn't gotten her food yet, and she was anxious. If she couldn't eat, how would she work in the afternoon?
Moreover, many people later went hungry, and some even went to the market to buy a few cornbread buns to tide them over.
Ma Linghua may look petite, but she's incredibly strong; she squeezed her way through.
Yang Cao'er looked at her holding a bowl with a lid on it; she had never seen a bowl like this before!
"Still haven't gotten your food?" Ma Linghua asked her.
"Yeah! There are too many people, I can't squeeze through, and I don't know if I'll be able to get any food."
"Give me the bowl, and go stand aside. Watch me."
Ma Linghua took her bowl and walked to the familiar spot. When she held out the bowl, the people serving the food were taken aback.
Each person can only fight once; more than once is not allowed, otherwise things would get chaotic.
"Which room are you from?" A deep, powerful voice rang out in front of her bowl.
"Grandma's room, this is for my sister, is it okay to use it?" Ma Linghua didn't know the rules, she just asked. If not... then forget it! It's not her fault.
Chen Bian looked at her and smiled, "Yes, just this once, and don't let it happen again."
“Okay, I understand.” Ma Linghua replied honestly.
The two people serving her food then gave her the same food as a normal person.
When Ma Linghua returned, Yang Cao'er looked at her with disbelief.
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