The night passed peacefully, and Xiang Nanzhi woke up feeling refreshed, unaware that the man hadn't slept all night and had gone to work early in the morning with dark circles under his eyes.
Ma Xiaorong brought some bird's nest to Xiang Nanzhi. Ma Xiaorong lost her ability to speak after just one glance at the room.
She couldn't find a place to sit, nor did she know where would be a suitable place to sit.
Xiang Nanzhi took the bird's nest and said, "Go back now, don't send it next time."
He took a sip, frowned, and said, "Isn't this the same place as before?"
"No, I went to another one, and this one is better."
"It tastes awful, I'm not drinking it."
"You're the one who said you should drink bird's nest every day, and that the internet says that drinking bird's nest will make your baby very fair-skinned."
Xiang Nanzhi hesitated for a moment, but still took the bird's nest and drank it all in one gulp.
She remembers that she started drinking bird's nest after returning from Saigon because she saw local children on the plateau, both boys and girls, who were all dark-skinned with two patches of high-altitude red on their faces.
When she complained to Shen Shixun about how dark the children were, the man nonchalantly replied, "What's the use of a man from the grasslands being so fair-skinned?"
In his view, getting a tan naturally through sun exposure is healthy, and being naturally dark-skinned is a distinctive feature of the Gong ethnic group.
They are the true descendants of the Gong people.
Xiang Nanzhi dared not compliment. She returned to the ancient city and thought about it again and again. What if the child in her belly was born as dark-skinned as Shen Shixun? At least Shen Shixun was handsome and good-looking, but the child was born to be relatively ugly. Let alone dark-skinned, even if the child was born fair-skinned, it would still be ugly.
She couldn't stand how dark and ugly her child was, so she searched online for all sorts of things to eat to make her child fair-skinned. Finally, a netizen suggested drinking bird's nest, so she decided to try it.
Some people say that drinking bird's nest is a waste of money, but compared to other household expenses, Xiang Nanzhi feels that this tax is not much, and she can afford it.
"You've finished drinking, now you can go back."
Looking around the house, Ma Xiaorong thought that even if she were given the house, she wouldn't be able to live there, let alone Xiang Nanzhi.
"Let's go back. Making a scene here won't do any good. I knew Miss Yun Duan was up to no good when she came that day. Who knew it would escalate to this point..."
"I'm not going back, I'll stay here."
Ma Xiaorong couldn't dissuade Xiang Nanzhi from making a decision. She was easily swayed, but she could also be quite stubborn in some matters. "If I marry a chicken, I'll follow the chicken; if I marry a dog, I'll follow the dog. I'm with Shen Shixun, so I have to live with him."
Xiang Nanzhi's anger towards Xiang Zhengyi was only part of her motivation; another part stemmed from her desire to be self-reliant. This gave her an opportunity to earn her own living, which she needed to seize.
“The master went to your room last night and saw a brocade box containing a string of dzi beads. I’ve never seen them before. The second young master insisted that this was a gift you were planning to give to the master. I think the master almost cried at that time.”
"Is this a gift for the master?"
"Um."
The string of dzi beads was beautiful, but it wasn't bought with her own money. She didn't know what to do with it if she didn't give it to Xiang Zhengyi. "It's for my dad, but I haven't had a chance to give it to him yet."
Xiang Nanzhi knew that Ma Xiaorong would definitely tell Xiang Zhengyi everything when she got back.
The old man will definitely be very touched...
"By the way, remember to bring my design drafts. I might not be able to bring my tools, but you must bring all the drawings and other drafts."
"Didn't you say you weren't taking design jobs lately?"
"But I can't stay idle; I need to do something."
Ma Xiaorong nodded and put the items into a bag. "Wait for me, I'll go back and get them, I'll be right back."
Ma Xiaorong drove back to the Xiang family's old house and saw a car parked in front of the house. Xiang Zhengyi was not home at this time, and it was not the eldest or second young master's car.
Ma Xiaorong went inside, but her father stopped her, saying, "Miss Yunduan is here."
"Huh? Why is she here again?"
Old Ma scolded in a low voice, "You're getting more and more outrageous. Is this your home?"
Old Ma is the Xiang family's butler. He considers himself a member of the Xiang family, but he has never considered the Xiang family as his own home. He always remembers how he got to live such a good life, and it was all thanks to Xiang Zhengyi who led him all the way.
Ma Xiaorong glanced at her father and said, "I know, I know. You say it several times a day."
“The lady treats you as a friend, but she is still a lady. You have no sense of propriety at all. If you continue like this, you can’t stay here anymore. Go out and find a job.”
Ma Xiaorong was unwilling to go out to find a job. She felt that following the routine outside was too hard and tiring, and that it was better to be a maid in the Xiang family, where she could earn much more than outside. Moreover, she was happy every day living in this compound.
However... since she's taking the Xiang family's money, she can't just take it for nothing.
"I know, Dad. You don't need to say it every day. I'm tired of hearing it."
Ma Xiaorong wanted to go inside, but Old Ma quickly pulled her back, saying, "What are you doing? Stay here..."
"No one's home, what are you doing going in, Miss Yunduan?"
"Why do you care what she does? Her surname is Xiang, and even the master treats her with respect. How can I interfere?"
Xiang Yunduan came out of the house carrying a bag, glanced at Ma Xiaorong at the door, and said, "Miss Yunduan..."
"Miss Cloud".
Xiang Yunduan knew that Ma Xiaorong and Xiang Nanzhi were close, and she noticed it as soon as she returned. When she came out, she glanced at Ma Xiaorong a few more times, thinking, "Did you think you were clinging to some big tree? Thinking you could get some shade from it?"
Xiang Yunduan's words carried a hint of sarcasm. Ma Xiaorong didn't look up. Xiang Yunduan looked at the large courtyard outside and let out a long sigh. "This old house of the Xiang family was given away by my father. If my father hadn't gone abroad to do business back then, all of this should have belonged to him. But it doesn't matter. He gave it to my uncle's family."
No one spoke. Xiang Yunduan carried her bag and walked down the steps one by one. "Nan Zhi is right. I specifically talked to her to tell her not to hold a grudge about what happened yesterday. I'm her sister, how could I really be angry with her? But she's the one who got angry with me and even tried to run away from home."
"You've become more petty over the years."
Ma Xiaorong then looked up and saw that half of Xiang Yunduan's face was still swollen...
She turned and went to Xiang Nanzhi's room to pack up her design drafts. She grabbed a box to pack them up and take them with her. When she opened the cabinet, the mess inside almost made her lose her composure.
She was the one who organized all these designs; how could they be in such a mess?
Ma Xiaorong's eyes widened, and she quickly sat down, her mind blank. She looked at Yun Duan's design drawings as she entered.
She belatedly realized that Xiang Yunduan's bag had been stuffed with something and bulged, so she quickly ran downstairs.
Xiang Yunduan left long ago, so what can we catch up with now?
After going upstairs to confirm, it was confirmed that several manuscripts were indeed missing. Ma Xiaorong immediately called Xiang Nanzhi, who was packing clothes for Shen Shixun.
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