Manager Cui's anger subsided, and he agreed with Cui He, "He'er is right." Then he glared at Cui Yan, "Give up on that idea!"
Cui Yan was unconvinced. She raised her chin and sneered, "No way! What's wrong with being a concubine? A concubine is still Master Jin's concubine, which is far better than a regular wife! Besides, brother, you're my brother, how can you not side with your sister? Don't you want to be Master Jin's brother-in-law?"
They all knew Jin Ye's identity, and Cui He was also tempted, but he still had reason and recognized his family's status. He resolutely shook his head: "I don't want to at all. What's so good about being a concubine? You'll still be inferior to others. Do you think the young master will be grateful to you after you enter the family? Don't be fooled by how easy-going the young master is. Just look at how much Jin Ye has doted on him over the years. Along the way, there hasn't been a single woman besides the young master by Jin Ye's side. You can tell that the young master is not one tolerating people. You won't have a good life after you enter the family."
Cui Yan retorted angrily, "So what? Master Jin is the one in charge. Can she stop him from taking a concubine? As long as Master Jin agrees, if she disagrees, she's just jealous and commits one of the seven grounds for divorce!"
Steward Cui raised the stick again, and Cui Tianshi and Cui He turned pale.
Cui He grabbed Steward Cui and desperately tried to wink at Cui Yan: "But Master Jin won't agree, little sister, don't be foolish again, don't make Father angry again."
"Brother, do you dare to bet with me?" Cui Yan looked at him confidently.
Cui He was taken aback and remained silent.
Cui Yan then looked at the furious Steward Cui and stepped out from behind Cui Tianshi: "Father, I know you are loyal to the young mistress. I don't want to beg to enter the manor. I just want you to beg Master Jin and the young mistress to let me be a maid serving tea and water for them for a month. As long as Master Jin agrees to take me in, you are not allowed to stop me anymore. Of course, if Master Jin is still unwilling, then I will give up on this idea."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Manager Cui frowned, still disagreeing, but seeing his daughter's determined attitude to enter the house, he was worried that if he didn't agree, his daughter might do something foolish, so he hesitated.
Cui Yan continued to coax and plead, softly saying, "Father, please promise me. If Master Jin agrees, the young mistress will no longer stop you, and you won't have to bear the reputation of repaying kindness with enmity. If Master Jin doesn't agree, then I won't cling to things that don't belong to me anymore."
Manager Cui's heart skipped a beat. Perhaps this was a way to make his daughter give up on the idea. So Manager Cui's expression softened, but he still kept a stern face: "Father can help you, but whether the young master and son-in-law agree is another matter. If the young master and son-in-law do not agree to you serving them, you must also give up on the idea."
Cui Yan hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded: "Okay."
Heyue was writing and drawing on Xuan paper, calculating her plans for the next few years. She thought about her uncle and aunt and Fushengge, who were currently in Suzhou, and wondered when she could visit them.
Upon hearing that Cui Tianshi was requesting an audience, Heyue hurriedly had someone invite her in, and went to the main hall to see her herself.
Cui Tianshi walked in with her head down and knelt down immediately: "Greetings to the young master."
He Yue quickly asked Zhi Zhu to help her up: "What are you doing? Why are you performing such a grand gesture?"
Cui Tianshi stood up, her face embarrassed. She thought to herself, "It's only because my husband was too ashamed to come and beg me that he sent me over."
“Young Master hired a female tutor for our Yanzi, and we should have come to express our gratitude. We will never forget the great kindness and virtue of Young Master.”
How could He Yue believe that? With Steward Cui's honest and kind nature, if he really came to express his gratitude, he would have come in person. Why would he only send Cui Tianshi?
Seeing the troubled look on Cui Tianshi's face, He Yue knew something was wrong and smiled slightly: "Sister-in-law Cui, we are family, why be so formal? Please sit down."
Hailan moved a chair over, and Cui Tianshi thanked her, stiffly sitting down, her hands clasped together haphazardly, hesitant to speak.
Cui Tianshi was an honest and simple farmer, not very good at speaking, and also felt guilty, so how could she bring herself to say it? It was only because her daughter was too resolute that her mother couldn't bear it, so she mustered up her courage and came over.
Now, seeing Heyue calmly sipping her tea, she felt increasingly uneasy. When Zhizhu came over to serve her tea, she got up to thank her, then sat down, took a deep breath, and finally stammered, "My husband and I are deeply grateful for the kindness of the young master and son-in-law. However, our Yanzi is used to being a servant and doesn't have the fortune to do so. Studying would also be difficult for her. My husband and I thought that she wasn't destined to study, and she has never served a master before. It would be better to let her serve the young master and son-in-law for a while. Firstly, to repay their kindness; secondly, to learn some real skills from the maids around the young master; and thirdly, with the young master keeping her in check, she can learn some manners and temper her personality, so she won't be like a crazy girl all day long."
He Yue listened silently, initially somewhat surprised, wondering who wouldn't want their daughter to study and would instead rush to have her serve others? But then she realized that Cui Yan was probably still not giving up and wanted to take advantage of the situation to get close to Thirteen.
However, seeing Cui Tianshi's guilty and embarrassed look, and since Steward Cui hadn't come, Heyue understood that it was Cui Yan's idea alone.
Manager Cui doesn't have the guts, but Cui Yan, with her lively and bold personality, is very likely to do such a thing.
He Yue was a little angry. This Cui Yan was really bold and persistent. She had underestimated her.
This is a really difficult situation. If we refuse, Cui Yan probably won't give up. With her young and impulsive nature, she won't turn back until she hits a brick wall.
Manager Cui has been helping Heyue manage her business for so many years, and Heyue has always been grateful. The business in Jiangnan really can't do without him. Manager Cui can't lose face because of this, otherwise how will he have the face to work under Heyue in the future?
After thinking for a moment, He Yue made up her mind and said with a smile, "Don't talk about gratitude. In fact, Steward Cui came from my family with me and has always been very efficient. I am truly grateful to your family. This is nothing. Since Cui Yan is willing, let her serve me for a while."
Cui Tianshi was surprised that things went so smoothly. Her face lit up with joy, and she quickly stood up to express her gratitude.
He Yue raised her hand to stop her: "Sister-in-law Cui, don't be in a hurry to thank me. Although Cui Yan is your and Steward Cui's daughter, and we are very close, we are not an ordinary family after all. There are some rules that must be followed. I am quite willing to take care of Cui Yan because she behaves properly here and does not do anything excessive. If she does anything against the rules, please forgive me, Sister-in-law Cui. I cannot tolerate it, otherwise the other servants will inevitably have complaints, which will be even worse for Cui Yan."
She gave Cui Yan a heads-up: if Cui Yan was honest and down-to-earth, a few little schemes wouldn't matter, as long as she didn't do anything wrong. He Yue was willing to tolerate Cui Yan a bit for the sake of Cui Tian Shi and Steward Cui. However, if Cui Yan did something inappropriate, He Yue wouldn't be so easy to talk to.
Cui Tianshi's face paled, and she forced herself to say thank you in a trembling voice: "Thank you for your kindness, young master. Yanzi is here to serve you, so she should naturally follow the rules. If she does anything wrong, please feel free to discipline her."
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