Huang Wanzhen had no choice but to grit her teeth, get up, wash up, take out a sweater from her suitcase, put on a cashmere skirt, and go downstairs to show up.
After Hongying and her family left, Huang Wanzhen wanted to go back upstairs to sleep, but Huang Dongshi stuffed a bowl of dumplings into her mouth. "Eat the dumplings first, then go to sleep! Young people nowadays are not afraid of breaking taboos. If your grandmother were alive, you would have to get up before dawn and not lie down until you had finished lunch. Otherwise, all the crops would fail this year. Fortunately, we don't have any fields. With someone like you, you wouldn't even be able to harvest the seeds."
Mrs. Huang rambled on for a long time, but Huang Wanzhen ignored her words. She ate a few dumplings while standing and handed the bowl back to her, "I don't want to eat anymore."
"Why did you only eat so few? No wonder you're so skinny, your intestines must have become narrow from hunger. This won't do." Mrs. Huang stuffed the dumplings back into Huang Wanzhen's mouth. "Eat a few more. If you can't finish them, I'll have the rest."
Huang Wanzhen lazily ate two more and said, "Mom, I don't want to eat anymore. I'm sleepy and want to go back to sleep."
God might be on Mrs. Huang's side. Just as Huang Wanzhen finished speaking, the doorbell sounded outside the house.
"Xiuzhu, go see who's here. Leave the door open. Today is the first day of the new year, and the doors of our house must be open to welcome guests." Mrs. Huang took the bowl from Huang Wanzhen's hand with a smile, "My son, go and receive the guest. He must be here to wish you a happy new year."
Huang Wanzhen shuddered all over, and all her sleepiness disappeared due to the stimulation from Huang Dongshi's expression and words.
Not only did several other employees in the store come, but even Lin Zexin came. Huang Wanzhen greeted them with a smile. Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and everyone had to go somewhere else to pay New Year's greetings, so they sat for a while and then left.
At this time, Huang Wanzhen wanted to sleep but couldn't, so she went to the study on the third floor and read for two hours.
During lunch, Mrs. Huang was very satisfied with Huang Wanzhen's performance in the morning. "Well, after lunch, everyone can go to bed."
Huang Wanzhen quickly said, "Mom, you said this, don't go and call me."
"No, no."
Huang Wanzhen was still sound asleep in the afternoon when the sound of knocking on the door startled her awake. She rubbed her head irritably and shouted at the door, "What's going on?"
"Miss, Madam asked me to call you. Your junior brother is here to visit you."
Huang Wanzhen yelled, "I don't have a junior brother, let him go. Xiulan, I'm warning you, even if the sky falls, don't come to call me!"
Xiulan immediately covered her mouth with one hand and her chest with the other. She didn't want to come, but the mistress didn't dare to call the second young lady and forced her to come. As a servant, she had to come, and sure enough, she was scolded by the second young lady.
Xiulan took off her shoes, bent down, and tiptoed down the stairs.
Mrs. Huang was in the living room with Chen Liuzi. When she saw Xiulan coming down, she looked behind her and asked, "Where's the Second Miss? Why didn't she come down?"
Xiulan lowered her head, looking as if she had done something wrong. Mrs. Huang immediately said to Chen Liuzi in embarrassment, "I guess she's exhausted. She's been on the train for several days and only arrived yesterday. She's been staying up all night to celebrate the New Year, and then getting up early to greet guests. It's too much to do."
Chen Liuzi smiled and stood up, clasping his fists and saying, "I'm sorry for coming at the wrong time. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll come visit you again after you've had a good rest. Goodbye."
Mrs. Huang Dong ordered Huang Dachui to see the person off. After Chen Liuzi left, Mrs. Huang Dong called Xiulan and asked her what happened in detail.
Xiulan managed to hold on and replied, "The company was busy during the twelfth lunar month, and the young lady hasn't had a rest. She's been sitting on the train for several days, and even a strong body can't stand it. If Madam really cares about the young lady, let her get some sleep."
Upon hearing Xiulan's words, Huang Dongshi was furious. How could she not feel sorry for her daughter? Ever since the death of the Huang family man, these little girls have become more and more presumptuous. Now they dare to make up stories about their master.
Mrs. Huang slammed the table and pointed at Xiulan, cursing, "Why do you have to interfere in our mother-daughter relationship? I was wondering why the young lady has become so disobedient. It turns out it's all because of you servants. You all eat and drink from our Huang family, and since the master is so kind, you're actually trying to get ahead of him. This is just the blessing of the new society for you. If it were earlier, you would have called a matchmaker and sold her out."
Xiuzhu quickly stepped forward and patted Mrs. Huang's chest, "Madam, calm down. If the young lady knew about this, she would be so heartbroken."
He turned around and scolded Xiulan again, "What are you still standing there for? Go and pour some tea for the lady. You're just a child, you don't know anything."
Xiulan felt extremely aggrieved. She lowered her head, wiped her tears and went to the kitchen.
Xiuzhu comforted Mrs. Huang and went to the kitchen to find Xiulan. "Don't feel wronged. Quickly make a cup of tea and apologize to the Madam. The Madam is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Once she accepts your tea, this matter will be over."
In the evening, Huang Wanzhen learned about this from Huang Dachui and glanced at him with a smile, "Hey, what's going on? Are you here to defend your sister Xiulan?"
Huang Dachui put on a fake smile and said, "How could that be? Last time you praised me for coming from a newspaper and being good at processing information. Of course I have to pay more attention to what's going on around you and report it to you as soon as possible."
Huang Wanzhen knocked on the table twice with a smile, "Call your sister Xiulan over and serve us a pot of good tea, then you can retire with your success."
"Okay! I'm relieved if you don't blame me for being nosy."
Huang Wanzhen scolded her with a smile, "You might say you're clever, but you also have your moments of stupidity. Don't you know that us girls hate being called old?! If you call me that again next time, I'll smack your hand."
"Oh, I'll change it. I'll change it right away." Huang Dachui made a few jokes and went to do what Huang Wanzhen asked him to do.
When the guests and tea arrived, Huang Wanzhen personally poured a cup of tea for Xiulan.
"No, Second Miss, you are embarrassing me." Xiulan's eyes were red and swollen like walnuts. There was a clear nasal tone in her voice, which showed that she had been crying a lot.
"Come on, ask yourself, how have I treated you normally? For such a small matter, you even called me 'slave'. It seems you are really wronged. I can't do anything about it, you can only fight for it yourself." Huang Wanzhen sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. "Sit down, let's chat."
Xiulan flung her handkerchief and sat down on the chair, tears streaming down her face. It turned out that in the Huang Mansion, she and the Second Young Miss had been the only ones who depended on each other. The Madam restricted the Second Young Miss, the Eldest Young Miss oppressed her. She had used all her strength to accompany the Second Young Miss through all the ups and downs. Now that the Second Young Miss had finally made it, it would have been fine if everyone else relied on her, but they didn't even know how to care for her. She had only spoken up for the Second Young Miss, and yet she had become the sinner who disobeyed the master. The resentment stuck in her throat, and she couldn't swallow anything she said.
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