Every time Qiaoqing cursed at the young lady, she felt a sharp pain in her back, and the pain grew stronger and stronger, making her very upset.
Qiaoqing endured the pain and muttered, "What the hell? It feels like needles are constantly pricking my body."
The Ma mother and daughter dragged their tired bodies back home. As soon as they entered, they casually threw their luggage on the ground and then began to tidy up the yard.
This was a very simple courtyard house with only three main rooms and east and west wing rooms. For a family like theirs, being able to buy such a courtyard house in the capital was something they had never dared to dream of before.
The mother and daughter quietly tidied up the room, which was empty, without any fruit, snacks, or even hot water.
Ma couldn't help but complain, "Miss Lin is really not virtuous! She throws a tantrum for no reason, telling us to leave without giving us any time to prepare."
Qiaoqing angrily cursed, "She's not just unvirtuous, she's a heartless and ruthless nemesis! She can even drive away her own second and third uncles. She has absolutely nothing to do with being virtuous."
She listed Lin Yajun's various unvirtuous acts on her fingers: "When someone came to propose marriage, she personally confronted and beat the man, driving one to his death."
"She actually went out in public with a man after being known as a jinx to her husbands."
"She stays at home with a man every day and never leaves. Sigh, maybe they've been having an affair for a long time, which is why they're getting married."
...
She was in the middle of a tirade when suddenly she tensed up and cried out, "Ouch, my back hurts so much!" Rubbing her back, she complained, "Look, even I'm suffering because of her!"
"No matter what, we now have our own home!" Madam Ma said proudly as she stood in the courtyard, packing her things. "We have our own little courtyard in the capital, while your aunt doesn't!"
They seemed to have completely forgotten that this courtyard was purchased by Miss Lin Yajun, who lent their family half a year's salary.
Qiaoqing squatted on the ground, with a wooden basin in front of her filled with her father and brothers' smelly socks. The stench made her hold her breath, but she persisted, washing the socks by hand.
When she picked up a pair of moldy socks from the basin, the stench suddenly became even stronger.
Although Qiaoqing had sold herself into slavery, she had never washed such smelly socks by hand before. After all, she was a lady or young lady in the household, and such menial tasks as combing hair and washing clothes were done by even lower-ranking servants.
She finally couldn't hold back any longer. She threw the socks back into the wooden basin, stood up, and said loudly, "Mother, let's buy servants to take care of us and make them do these rough jobs!"
Hearing her daughter's words, Madam Ma stopped what she was doing, looked up at her, and replied with a smile, "Alright, now that your father and brothers have high monthly salaries, we can afford to hire a few servants."
A hint of joy appeared on Qiaoqing's face. She continued, "I want to buy an old woman and two maids."
Madam Ma nodded. "No problem. Talk to your father and brothers when they return and see if we can buy a few servants tomorrow."
"Yes, Mother." Qiaoqing was full of anticipation, knowing that she would soon have servants to wait on her.
As night fell, Duan Dayi and Duan Gang finished their busy day and returned home.
Upon seeing Madam Ma, Duan Dayi couldn't wait to ask, "Miss is busy preparing for her wedding tomorrow. Why are you and your daughter back at this time?"
Madam Ma replied somewhat displeasedly, "I don't know what Miss was thinking. She suddenly went crazy and made us, mother and daughter, come back. I just told her that our daughter was engaged to the youngest son of the steward of the Prime Minister's mansion, and she immediately told Qiaoqing to come back and embroider her dowry."
Upon hearing this, Duan Dayi immediately showed a surprised expression. "Ah? You actually told Miss about this? No wonder..." His tone clearly revealed his dissatisfaction.
Duan Gang chimed in, "Yes, Mom, why are you telling Miss this now? Wait until she's about to get married, then maybe they can give her some dowry!"
The Duan Dayi family sat in the courtyard, the atmosphere unusually somber. The sudden expulsion of Madam Ma and Qiaoqing from the manor by Miss Lin had caught them completely off guard.
As night fell, the courtyard remained dark without any lights. The Duan family members, preoccupied with their own thoughts, chatted idly, none of them in the mood to cook.
Qiaoqing complained bitterly, "Miss Lin is so ungrateful and difficult to get along with! It's better if we don't serve her, so we don't have to suffer."
Duan Dayi frowned, looking worried, and said, "But I'm worried this will affect us. What if Miss doesn't let us guard the shop because of this?"
Duan Gang quickly shook his head and comforted her, "Father, don't worry too much. We've earned a lot of money for Miss. Where else can she find capable people like us?"
Duan Dayi's worries did not lessen. He muttered to himself, "I just can't understand why Miss would suddenly make such a decision?"
Qiaoqing felt uneasy. She actually knew the reason: she was angry that her mistress had married Zhao Canchen and had offended her with her words. But she was afraid of being reprimanded by Duan Dayi, so she hadn't dared to tell the truth.
Duan Gang murmured, "Then let's look for another shop."
"Alas, if only we had money, we could open our own shop," Madam Ma sighed.
Duan Dayi glanced at his wife and said unhappily, "You really dare to think that way. We still owe Miss Lin several hundred taels of silver. Where are we going to get the silver to buy a shop?"
The family discussed the matter amongst themselves, each worried about what they would do if the young lady really wouldn't let them guard the shop.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Is Uncle Duan in?" A young man's voice rang out from outside. "I'm your son-in-law. I've come to deliver some things to you."
Mrs. Ma happily replied, "Coming, coming." She ran to open the gate, muttering to herself, "We should buy some servants; there's not even anyone to open the gate."
"It's Brother Xiao San!" Upon hearing this, Duan Gang quickly got up, hurriedly went into the house, and lit several oil lamps.
The room instantly brightened, and the soft light shone on Duan Gang's face, revealing his joy.
Hearing this news from inside the house, Qiaoqing felt a surge of shyness. Her face flushed, and like a startled fawn, she hurriedly hid in the room, stood by the window, and peeked out through the crack.
Ma walked quickly to the door and opened it.
A slender young man appeared at the door. He was handsome with delicate features. He was carrying wine, meat, and a box of pastries, and his face was beaming with a bright smile.
"I received some good things from my master and brought them over to you as soon as possible," Xiao San said with a smile, his voice gentle and kind.
As he spoke, he handed the wine, meat, and snacks to Madam Ma.
"You're too kind, bringing so many gifts on your visit." Madam Ma happily accepted the gifts, expressing her gratitude for Xiao San's hospitality.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com