Kim Min-jung's words were clearly meant to provoke trouble, hoping to incite the other maids' dissatisfaction with Su Yu-shan. Gao Xiu-wen knew this perfectly well, but remained silent, lowering her eyes to take another sip of tea. Kim Min-jung raised her chin slightly, waiting to see Su Yu-shan make a fool of herself. Unexpectedly, Su Yu-shan was not shy at all, but instead responded generously:
"I'm not tired; it's Fourth Master who should be the one who's tired."
This one sentence left Jin Minjing speechless, her cheeks puffed out and her face flushed red.
Su Yushan never bothered to show off, but Jin Minjing always stirred up trouble, so she didn't mind retaliating.
Hearing this, Xi Lan covered her mouth and chuckled, secretly praising Yu Shan for her clever tongue. If Yu Shan were too embarrassed to retort, Jin Minjing would be happy to see her make a fool of herself. Her words left Jin Minjing speechless with bitterness and anger. This situation was truly satisfying!
After a long silence, Princess Fucha turned her eyes slightly and praised with a smile, "My sister is so beautiful and gentle. Even I, a woman, enjoy being with you. Of course, Fourth Prince can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman!"
Being praised in public is not a good thing, especially in front of a group of maids; it's easy to incur resentment. Whether Princess Fucha's words were intentional or unintentional, Su Yushan became wary and immediately sat up straight.
She had a grudge against Kim Min-jung, and she would have just said a few words to Kim Min-jung and that would have been enough. She didn't want to make too many enemies and become the target of everyone's criticism, so she quickly found an excuse and replied with a smile:
"Sister, you flatter me. In fact, Fourth Master is interested in Jiangnan, which is why he often comes to my place for a chat to learn about the culture and customs of Suzhou."
She found a perfectly legitimate reason that both dispelled the hostility of others towards her and elevated Hongli's reputation. Gao Xiuwen listened silently to their conversation, secretly praising Su Yushan for her quick wit and eloquence; no wonder Hongli admired her so much.
After saying all that, Su Yushan took the opportunity to change the subject, looking at Gao Xiuwen and asking her if her taste in food had changed since she became pregnant.
After all, Gao Xiuwen had just announced her pregnancy today, so she was the one who should be the focus of attention, and Su Yushan didn't want to steal the spotlight from others.
Kao Hsiu-wen smiled faintly and said, "I used to be a good eater, but since I became pregnant, I can't eat any food that is a little oily. Other pregnant women have a big appetite, but I still eat the same amount as usual, without much change."
As they were talking, Gao Xiuwen handed another orange to Cui Ning, asking her to peel it. The sharp-eyed Xi Lan laughed and teased, "The oranges are a bit sour from the new harvest. I tried a few segments but couldn't get used to them. Sister, you're not afraid of sourness at all, and you've already eaten a second one. Everyone says sour means a boy and spicy means a girl. I bet you're carrying a boy!"
In truth, Gao Xiuwen also hoped to give birth to Hongli's eldest son, but with this pregnancy, no one could say for sure. Perhaps she would give birth to a daughter instead. She feared that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
"These old sayings shouldn't be taken seriously. It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl. I just hope that my child can be born safely and smoothly."
Su Yushan wholeheartedly agreed with this statement, believing that health is the most important thing for both men and women.
Everyone was discussing Gao Xiuwen's child. Jin Minjing sat alone to the side, looking sullen and too lazy to say much. She was only thinking about when Hongli would remember her and come to stay overnight. If she could get pregnant, she would definitely regain Hongli's favor and be able to hold her head high!
She had originally planned that Su Yushan's face would be disliked by Hongli after it was disfigured, but unexpectedly her face was healed!
The situation developed far beyond Jin Minjing's expectations. She didn't get to see the excitement, and she also lost her most trusted maid. Xin'er was driven out of the mansion, and with no one to rely on, nothing she did went smoothly.
Although Hongli didn't say anything to her, he used the excuse that she needed more people around her to transfer a nanny and a maid to her. Ostensibly, it was to serve her, but in reality, it was probably to monitor her.
It seemed that Hongli still harbored suspicions about her. With outsiders in her courtyard, Jin Minjing became even more cautious, daring not to act recklessly. In her spare time, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, she couldn't help but wonder, where had Xin'er gone after leaving the manor? Was she doing well?
In reality, after Xin'er left the mansion, Yao Zhi took her to her biological father's house. However, her biological father disliked girls and had no feelings for her. He kept complaining about her, saying that she was a jinx who had caused her mother's death.
Xin'er felt wronged but had no way to defend herself, so she took out the money she had saved over the years to hold a funeral for her mother and gave her father five taels of silver. Only then did her father smile and prepare a room for her to stay in.
She had nowhere else to go, so she could only stay here temporarily. Xin'er knew that her father and the other brothers didn't like her much, so she thought she would find a job first and move out after things settled down.
She had been a maidservant since she was a child, so she wanted to find a wealthy family to be a maidservant for. However, she had approached two families. The male master was willing, but the female master, upon seeing her delicate face, harbored resentment towards her and was unwilling to let her in, fearing that she would cause trouble.
After a series of setbacks, Xin'er was at a loss for what to do. Feeling lost, she dragged her weary steps down the street and happened to spot a restaurant that was hiring. She turned in and asked around.
Behind the counter stood a girl of about sixteen or seventeen. She had two thin, jet-black braids and bright, captivating eyes. When asked if she wanted work, the girl truthfully replied:
"We're hiring someone to wash dishes and prepare vegetables. These jobs are usually done by older women. Can you manage at your age? Our restaurant is very busy; we have to wash a lot of dishes every day!"
Xin'er replied crisply, "I can do it. I'm very efficient at work. Why don't you let me give it a try?"
Since it was a rare opportunity, Xin'er didn't want to give it up and kept pleading with the young girl. Seeing her sincerity, the girl agreed to let her work for a few days as a trial.
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