Two days later, Qingyu, accompanied by a group of maids, searched everywhere for the raccoon dog in the madam's room, talking as they went.
"This mischievous kitten has stolen several sachets from Madam's room. Once it's found, it'll definitely get a good beating."
When they finally found Mo Yuan's courtyard, Wang Xing's brow twitched upon hearing their purpose.
Of course, nothing could be found; it wasn't lost at all. It was just a formality.
………………
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather gradually warmed up. Grandma Sun had prepared mint cakes early on and placed them in the small tea room, where she could eat a piece or two and drink a cup of tea in her spare time.
It tastes refreshing and cool, and when you drink a cup of cooled tea, you feel calm and peaceful, and you're less irritable and stressed when you go back to work.
As soon as the weather got hot, two of the laundry maids were transferred back to their original positions, and now Chunyu and Chunzhao are doing the laundry in the backyard.
Chunlan still harbored resentment over the time the two sisters embarrassed her in public, and she urged Granny Hua to change her clothes several times a day.
Granny Hua was a very clean person and had no idea how many clothes she changed in a day, which made things much harder for Chunyu and Chunchao.
Chunlan, in particular, would come over three times a day to urge them on, complaining that they were working too slowly.
After a few days, both of their hands became white and swollen from being soaked.
It was Wang Yan who noticed something was wrong. She sent Zhihan a bag of spicy strips and subtly mentioned the matter.
Zhixuan and Zhihan have been visiting Granny Hua less lately. They've been learning jewelry matching and making ledgers from Zhiliu and Zhixu.
Granny Hua mainly assigned Zhiju and Zhixue to take turns serving her, and these two were also responsible for fetching her meals every day.
They had just been promoted and were still mainly doing odd jobs. Zhihan frowned when she heard Chunlan being so difficult, and after observing her privately for a few days, she realized it was true. Chunyan wasn't lying.
Then she called Chunlan over and gave her a good scolding. Chunlan cried and sobbed, repeatedly promising that she would never dare to do it again.
After that, Chunyu and her partner's lives were indeed much better; at least they no longer had to hand over three sets of washed and dried clothes every three hours.
You know, washing clothes is easy, but drying them is not so easy, especially when you have to use an incense burner to burn incense.
Zhixue and Zhiju only found out later. Zhixue even went back to the back room and nudged Chunyu's arm, saying, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why is she making things so difficult for people?"
"Hehe, didn't you just get promoted? Chunlan is in charge of the nanny's room, and she won't even let you two bring her tea. What do you know?"
"If I argue with her again, I'll not only lose face for no reason, but it will also leave a bad taste in my mouth."
Zhiju was secretly pleased, not only because Chunyu and Chunlan had embarrassed themselves, but also because Chunlan had been scolded.
She did this stupid thing, and Sister Zhihan was willing to support her and Zhixue. They gradually took over the affairs of Granny Hua's room.
By July, the weather seemed to be scorching hot every day; without moving much, you'd be covered in sweat.
Chunyan now gets up very early every day to sweep the floor. After finishing sweeping early, she doesn't go to the small kitchen anymore. Instead, she goes to Chunyu and the others to help with the laundry so she can cool off.
Chunxi was always sulking from the heat in the small tea room. Unlike Chunyan, she couldn't sneak away. She had to stay by the tea stove all day long.
No matter how much mint cake she ate, she couldn't cool down from the heat and kept saying she wanted to change jobs, even if it was just to do laundry all day.
But nowadays, each position is a one-person job, and you can't just change it whenever you want.
Unexpectedly, perhaps because she prayed to the gods and Buddhas every night before going to bed, her wish was granted after only a few days.
"Chunlan, go sweep the floor. Chunxi, go to the nanny's room to serve tomorrow. Chunyan, go and take over the small tea room."
A surprise fell from the sky, making Chunxi very happy. Why is that?
It turned out that Chunlan had accidentally broken an ornament in Granny Hua's room, which gave Zhixuan an excuse to kick her out.
I've disliked her for a long time. She's efficient at her work, but she's always causing trouble and looking down on everyone.
Moreover, Chunxi is already ten years old, so it's time to find an opportunity to promote her.
Upon hearing this, Chunlan's face stiffened; she couldn't manage a smile, and her voice sounded like she was about to cry.
"Sister, even if you transfer me out, I should be feeding birds or managing the tea stove in the tea room. Why did you transfer me to sweep the floor?"
Zhihan, who was listening from the side, was also slightly displeased. "What's the difference between doing something and doing something else? They're all maids, why do you insist on picking some easy tasks? Sweeping the backyard isn't tiring. You're familiar with this area, so let's just settle on this?"
Chunlan felt bitter, but had no choice but to agree.
Chunyu and the others were overjoyed. Just yesterday, Chunlan had been smugly showing off in front of them that she could get ice in Granny Hua's room.
She's not so smug now, is she? Let's see how arrogant she can be in the future.
Wang Yan was satisfied with being transferred to the front yard to watch over the tea stove. Although it was a bit hot, the job was quite good.
Grandma Sun also specially made some snacks for her, such as mint cake, water chestnut cake, spicy strips, and rice crackers, for her to take with her.
"When you're transferred there for the first couple of days, those maids and servants will definitely want to go and see what's going on. Whoever goes, give them a handful of snacks and pour them a couple of cups of hot tea. Don't offend anyone."
"Understood, thank you Aunt Sun."
………………
Chunye was happiest when she was transferred to the front yard, while Fuling was the saddest.
Not only is it painful because she left, but it's also because Chunlan, that willful and capricious girl, is coming. Just thinking about it gives me a headache!
Chunye now spends all her free time in the small tea room, not even feeling the heat, helping Wang Yan brew extremely strong mint tea and then adding several ladles of cold spring water.
They distributed three buckets of food every day, and this tactic actually won them a lot of goodwill. Even the gatekeeper would smile at them from a distance.
These gatekeepers are the hardest to please. They may not hold high positions, but they do jobs that offend people. They always have a stern face and are always finding fault with this and that.
It's not easy to get a genuine smile from them. When Chunye and Wang Yan come out to serve tea, they'll sit with them for a while and listen to the gossip from the various courtyards of the mansion.
"Have you heard? The Third Young Master was sent away again after only two days back. This time, he's being sent back to his hometown to deliver holiday gifts. He'll be the one to drive the carriage there, and he won't be gone for several months."
"Oh my, this Third Young Master is now highly valued by the Master. He's going to be very powerful in the future!"
Another old woman, Ma, gave the speaking old woman, Wen, a disdainful look. No wonder people say she's a simpleton; she really can't tell right from wrong.
"What important role do you expect him to play? The autumn imperial examinations are coming up soon, and if we send him out to take them, he'll have to rush back for the exams."
If someone is truly to be valued, they should be like the young master, with a quiet environment where they can study peacefully and without distraction in the courtyard.
"It's not like we'll send him here today and send him there tomorrow."
Wang Yan nodded in deep agreement.
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