Finally I got the reward, which was unexpected. I counted them for a long time and finally put them away carefully after seeing enough.

Thinking of the first wife again...

Holding on to a glimmer of hope, she went out again. It was already dark, and she was wandering around the Grand Madam's courtyard. As luck would have it, Aunt Xu came out of the courtyard and saw her.

Hong Xing'er hurried forward and bowed, "Madam Xu!" with a flattering look on her face.

"Oh, it's Hong Xing'er..." Aunt Xu said in a long voice, and looked her up and down. She saw that Hong Xing was wearing a pink dress, which was specially narrowed at the waist, showing her slim waist and exquisite figure.

The narrow cuffs and the bow revealed a slender wrist with a silver bracelet.

The bracelet was given to me by my madam when I came back last time.

The palm-sized face was powdered and smeared with lip balm, but it was neither too thick nor too thin, just the right amount. The hair around her ears was curled up with something unknown, and it looked very pretty against her face.

He couldn't help but snort in his heart. If Miss Huan had such a girl around her, she would have been dealt with long ago! "I said I would find time to question you!"

"Mammy, if you have any questions, Hong Xing will answer truthfully." Hong Xing was nervous and excited.

There was a stone bench on the side of the road, and Aunt Xu sat down on it. "Then tell me, what happened to your daughter?"

This tone, this expression... She is obviously unhappy! "Mammy, our girl, what's wrong with her?!" Hong Xing stood there honestly and asked carefully.

"Hey! What's wrong? Don't you know how you left this room that day?!" Nanny Xu said sternly.

Hong Xing was so scared that her hands were sweating. "The girl, she seems... to have changed. She is not the same as before."

"Speak carefully!" Nanny Xu crossed her legs.

Hong Xing recalled carefully: "Come to think of it, it seemed to have started on her fifteenth birthday. That day... her family didn't celebrate her birthday. She cried for the whole day! She even fell down..."

"Then what?!" Nanny Xu interrupted impatiently.

"Then, it suddenly changed. It was quite amazing... Oh, before, our girl was very soft-tempered and had no temper. She worked all day and didn't care about the housework. She didn't say anything about the food and water, whether it was cold or hot. Now it's not the same anymore. She can't do this or that! She even has to let me know before entering the house, especially that Hongdou..."

What a trivial matter...

"Okay! Stop talking nonsense!" Aunt Xu said impatiently: "What's the special thing?"

"Especially... Oh, she used to be very nice to her sisters, always thinking of doing this and that for them. But a few days ago, when the third girl wanted to eat the sweet-scented osmanthus cake she made, she refused to make it!" Dare to refuse the third girl? Hong Xing was shocked.

"What the hell is this?!"

"Mammy..." Hong Xing said a few things, but Mammy Xu was not satisfied with any of them. She was a little discouraged, "Now that the young lady has something to do, she sends me away and only talks to Hong Dou'er beside her!"

"Hongdou... is that the pretty girl?"

Hong Xing was very dissatisfied... She was also very pretty! "... It's her! But these past two days, the girl has been calling her Zhuzhu. I don't know what's going on. She might be sick. Her skin has been dark and yellow recently!"

Aunt Xu looked at Hong Xing in silence: "You people around her should not only serve the girl, but also watch her conduct. Do you think she is doing something out of line in her actions and words? If you find signs and can't persuade her, you should tell the old lady, or the master and his wife! If a girl's reputation is ruined, is it just her fault?"

"The first one I'll punish is you servants!" Aunt Xu pointed at Hong Xing and scolded her! "Yes." Hong Xing was very scared.

"How does Madam treat you on weekdays? Don't you know it yourself? But this time, because of the eldest daughter, the master had a few words with Madam! The second daughter even cried. Madam is busy with her own affairs, how can she remember to reward you girls? Tell me, aren't you making a mistake?"

Hong Xing held the handkerchief tightly, feeling disappointed and scared.

"After being married for so long, when has the master ever treated the mistress like this? I came to ask you, but what happened? You don't know the answer to any of the questions! Has the mistress' kindness in the past been wasted?!" Aunt Xu scolded Hong Xing.

"Mammy, I..." Hong Xing wanted to explain.

"Shut up! Madam originally wanted to bring the eldest daughter to the capital, but now the master is angry, who dares to bring it up?! What kind of place is the capital? For a slave like you, being able to visit the emperor in this lifetime is a blessing accumulated by your ancestors for generations!"

These words made Hong Xing even more anxious. Who doesn't want to go to the capital?

"Mammy, what do you think I should do?!"

"You're asking me this? To tell you the truth, we won't be taking the eldest daughter with us this time." She stood up, looked around, and whispered to Hong Xing, "When the old lady leaves in half a year... I guess she probably won't be taking her with her."

"But, if the whole family goes, how can we not take the girl with us?" Hong Xing opened her eyes wide. Leaving the girl alone?

"But the girl hasn't been engaged yet..." Hong Xing wanted to argue for a few more words, but stopped talking. Yes, it's not impossible to marry her off quickly and then have the whole family leave!

"Oh my God! What shall I do?"

"Why are you asking me what to do? I'm going to the capital with my wife to enjoy a good life. Who cares what you do? You, if you want to go, go by yourself!" After saying that, he turned and left.

"Mammy, Mammy!" Hong Xing called from behind.

But Aunt Xu didn't even turn her head, and Hong Xing just stood there in a daze.

...Yes, everyone else is enjoying their life, who cares what I do? She murmured to herself, but she didn't see that behind a fence nearby, a chubby figure flashed and walked away very lightly.

…

In the evening, after a busy day, Wu returned to her room, washed and changed her clothes. She sat on a stool, her shoulders slumped, and she felt very tired.

Aunt Wu massaged her and asked, "Are you exhausted today?"

"It's okay once you get used to it. But now that the old man is back, you have to be more careful."

"I heard that Miss Li is very smart. Once she comes in, you can teach her and she will be able to help you share some of the burden."

"Yes, we have to teach you. After all, we are in the capital... We don't know what to do yet!"

"Madam, I think the Third Madam is quite capable!"

"Yes, a smiling tiger, humph, very capable!" Wu thought of Guan's appearance today, which was much more difficult to deal with than Yuan. Fortunately, she was not around...

"Today she even specially looked for an older girl, what does that mean!?"

"Alas... I don't know if I can get away with what happened to the old master a few days ago!" If the old master knew about it, he would definitely not let it go. "After these few days, tell the people in the farm to punish that bitch!" Whenever Wu thought of it, she felt so angry that her teeth itched.

"Yes, Madam, I heard from Qiu Shui that the third young lady was unhappy today."

"Hehe, what's wrong with her?" Mrs. Wu didn't take it seriously and closed her eyes.

"He said he had a few words with the older girl."

"With Wen Yu?! Why?" Mrs. Wu opened her eyes curiously, then closed them again.

"In the past, the eldest daughter always made sweet-scented osmanthus cake for the third daughter. This time the third daughter wanted to give two boxes to Miss Zhao and asked the eldest daughter to make it again, but she refused."

"Hey, do you need to ask Wen Yu for such a small matter? Just ask the kitchen to make one."

"Oh ma'am, don't tell me, what the young lady makes is better than what we make at home or buy outside!"

"That's nothing big! Eh? Why did Jiao'er send Miss Zhao off?!"

"Hehe, this old servant heard... Miss Zhao's brother is the top candidate here! I have met him twice, he is really a handsome young man, a good-looking scholar. It is said that he will be able to pass the imperial examination this term!" The nanny smiled happily. There were only two of them, the master and the servant, so she spoke casually.

"Ah?! Haha! This girl..." Mrs. Wu laughed. "How old is she... Oh, she's already a grown-up girl!"

"Isn't it?! After you finish your work, you have to pay attention."

"We...are going to the capital. I heard that the Zhao family is looking for something in Guangdong. They might move out! No matter how good a person is, I don't want Jiao'er to be so far away from me. Ask Qiushui to keep an eye on her and don't let her get too close to the Zhao family!"

"Yes, Qiushui understands." Qiushui is the nanny's youngest daughter. "Time flies. You will soon be a grandmother, and then a mother-in-law..."

"Haha. I just hope that this marriage won't delay Feng'er's exam."

The nanny started to comb Wu's hair again.

Suddenly, Wu opened her eyes and stood up, "Keep an eye on Wen Yu. It's beneath my dignity to argue with a poor girl like her. But she shouldn't be so shameless as to upset Jiao'er!"

"yes!"

(End of this chapter)