Chapter 009: Each has their own thoughts

Your sister hasn't spoken yet, but the little olive has already shouted: "Mom, I won't disturb anyone while eating, you can rest assured!"

After the lady in charge went down, Qiutang and Qiuping hurried over as well. Miss Gui did not stand on ceremony, allowing them to sit down and chat. Qiutang and Qiuping laughed and said, "We have long heard from Wang Mama that the young mistress is the most compassionate; now that we see her in person, it is indeed true." Saying this, they apologized and took their seats on the small footstool in front of Miss Gui.

Enough! He Qianmu threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, watching it shatter into pieces. His expression changed several times, and he looked up and said: "No matter what you do, you cannot change the fact that you are a born illegitimate child."

The esteemed lady nodded slightly, realizing that the housekeeper was here to flatter her. Initially, she might have thought that her lowly background was of no concern, but now that she had come, Old Lady He truly showed her respect and even sent two delightful maidens to her. Upon seeing this, the others felt that the tide might be turning, so they hurried over to offer their compliments.

As soon as Madam Shi of the Second House returned to her room, she angrily confronted Master He Qianmu, saying: "What does the old lady mean? If she had given Qiutong and Qiuping to the First House, that would be acceptable as the eldest son and daughter-in-law, and I would have to comply. But now, she has given them to that outsider country girl from the Third House, who has just arrived. Does she even deserve to have the capable maidservants by the old lady's side? And now, just like that, she has taken both maidservants in one go. How can anyone accept this?"

It is said that Miss Gui escorted Mrs. He to the entrance, and upon turning back, she deliberately took a detour to observe the courtyard assigned to her. The courtyard is named Yumo Xuan. Stepping through the half-moon shaped stone threshold, she saw that the courtyard was sparsely planted with bamboo, beneath which were polished stone tables and chairs, alongside a few pots of orchids. Upon seeing this tranquil place, Miss Gui immediately fell in love with it. As she walked around the courtyard, she noted that there were two main rooms on each side of the innermost part, with a side room attached to each main room. Separated from the main rooms was a hall, specifically for receiving guests. The courtyard is named Yumo Xuan. Stepping through the half-moon shaped stone threshold, she saw that the courtyard was sparsely planted with bamboo, beneath which were polished stone tables and chairs, alongside a few pots of orchids. Upon seeing this tranquil place, Miss Gui immediately fell in love with it. As she walked around the courtyard, she noted that there were two main rooms on each side of the innermost part, with a side room attached to each main room. Separated from the main rooms was a hall, specifically for receiving guests. Exiting the side rooms, there were also large guest rooms on each side. Behind the main rooms, there was a small path leading to a small kitchen, beside which were a few small rooms designated for the servants and maids.

As they walked back to the room, the spring oriole and autumn swallow were organizing their luggage, and they came out to ask which room the local customs brought should be sent to, and whether it needed to be registered

Old Lady He smiled and said, "Just bring it over, will you? You have disturbed my meal, do you think I will go hungry?"

Seeing this, the elder sister hurriedly smiled and said: "Madam, please forgive me. It is better for the young master and young lady to sit beside me, as I fear they might disturb you and affect your meal."

In spring, the orioles and in autumn, the swallows have responded, yet a young girl has come to invite them to the front hall for a meal. By the time Guijie brought the dragon and phoenix twins in, the room of Mrs. He was already crowded with people. He Zining's two sons and one daughter had returned from their maternal uncle's house and were gathered around Grandma He, chatting. Among the grandchildren, Grandma He was certainly most fond of He Nian, but when it came to the great-grandchildren, she was particularly fond of He Zining's six-year-old son He Wen and four-year-old daughter He Yi. However, when Guijie led the dragon and phoenix twins into the hall, Grandma He was busy waving her hand, saying: "Let Cige and Yuanjie sit beside me." Among the grandchildren, Grandma He was certainly most fond of He Nian, but when it came to the great-grandchildren, she was particularly fond of He Zining's six-year-old son He Wen and four-year-old daughter He Yi. However, when Guijie led the dragon and phoenix twins into the hall, Grandma He was busy waving her hand, saying: "Let Cige and Yuanjie sit beside me."

Hearing the maid's voice, Madam Shi coldly snorted: "She only knows how to flatter, rushing over in a hurry!"

Each room must receive their share, I have already registered it in the roster, tomorrow you can deliver it according to the roster, one room at a time. The elder sister nodded and said: "It was not in vain that I taught you to recognize characters before, now you should at least be able to recognize names, but do not mix them up."

The He family is not like our countryside; this girl is also divided into several ranks! They are the first-class maids by the old lady's side, and they do not have to do any work, at most serving tea and water in front of the old lady. When they leave the old lady's quarters, there are younger maids to serve them, so their fingers are naturally delicate. The noble lady said this while glancing at Chunying's fingers, covering her mouth and laughing: "Although you are my main maid, you do everything, and the tasks you perform are almost those of a general maid, so your fingers naturally cannot be delicate. Now that we have arrived in the capital, not only have we brought over Qiutong and Qiuping, but we have also assigned a wet nurse and rough maids according to the examples of the other madams. From now on, you will also be able to command the younger maids to do tasks, and gradually, your fingers will naturally become delicate."

Oh, it seems that these two have come prepared as well. At this moment, they have already inquired about their own temperament and background from Wang Mama, indicating that they are both quite clever individuals. The young lady takes a closer look at them; they truly are well-bred maids. Although they are only around fourteen or fifteen years old, their delicate features are not the only thing that stands out; their demeanor exudes a sense of grace and tranquility. If one did not know better, one might mistake them for young ladies from a respectable family, not realizing that they are merely two maids of some standing.

The esteemed elder sister inquired about their hometown and age in a leisurely manner, and then smiled, saying: "The old lady entrusted you to Brother Ci and Sister Yuan, but they are still young and naturally need to be raised by my side. You should also stay by my side. If there is anything to discuss, feel free to speak to me without holding back."

It turns out that when Old Lady He married into the He family, she was pregnant at that time, but had to stand and serve her mother-in-law during meals, and later had to pay her respects to her mother-in-law in the evening. Due to excessive fatigue, she unfortunately had a miscarriage. Later, her mother-in-law allowed her not to stand and serve, nor to pay her respects morning and evening. After her miscarriage, Old Lady He initially harbored resentment towards her mother-in-law, but upon hearing that she no longer needed to visit her mother-in-law morning and evening, and could do as she pleased, her resentment dissipated, and she developed a genuine sense of filial piety towards her mother-in-law. Later, when Old Lady He herself married off a daughter-in-law, she, not having to pay respects to her mother-in-law, instructed her daughter-in-law not to pay her respects morning and evening either. Unexpectedly, this move won the hearts of the other daughters-in-law, who, when they had something good, would rush to show their filial piety to her first. When her mother-in-law passed away, Old Lady He simply abolished these two rules that the daughters-in-law were supposed to follow.

Although Mother Wang had spoken to Miss Gui about the affairs of the household, having lived in the countryside with them for the past few years, she was naturally unaware of the matters concerning the younger generation. Upon hearing Chunying's words, Miss Gui reflected for a moment and said: "Now that two maids have been assigned to me, everyone has fallen silent. If the older siblings were to take away the affection of the younger generation, it would likely provoke even more jealousy. If anyone praises the older siblings for their merits, you must all speak humbly and never boast about yourselves." The older siblings taking away the affection of the younger generation would likely provoke even more jealousy. If anyone praises the older siblings for their merits, you must all speak humbly and never boast about yourselves.

You are a child born out of wedlock, yet you are still the direct descendant of the old master. Your son and grandson are also of the He family bloodline; why are you merely a nominal official? Why can the fourth and fifth branches go out to earn money while you cannot? Ultimately, it is because you are timid and do not dare to speak up in front of the old master and old mistress. Now, it is even worse; you cannot even compete for two maidservants. Mrs. Shi, upon hearing He Qianmu's words, was even more enraged and asked He Qianmu directly: "Do you not wish for our branch to prosper? Now, it is even worse; you cannot even compete for two maidservants. Mrs. Shi, upon hearing He Qianmu's words, was even more enraged and asked He Qianmu directly: "Do you not wish for our branch to prosper? Do you not want your son and grandson to rightfully be the masters of the He family, rather than being whispered about as mere illegitimate offspring like us? As long as there is money..."

Elder sister previously heard that Old Lady He had established two rules. The first rule is that during meals, both big and small can sit at the table, and the daughters-in-law do not need to stand and serve or arrange the dishes. The second rule is that daughters-in-law do not need to observe morning and evening rituals; they can express their filial piety at any time. Indeed, this was the case, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. If even a meal required fussing and worrying about this and that, it would truly be better to continue living in the countryside.

While speaking, they were also assigning living quarters for everyone, when a housekeeper came to see the young lady and said with a smile: "We originally intended to arrange separate rooms for the young masters and young ladies, but the madam said that they are still young and have always been close to the young mistress, so she is concerned that they might cry and fuss if separated at night. If it is spring and they have become accustomed to this place, we can prepare separate rooms for them then. Since the madam has mentioned this, we have only arranged this courtyard. If the young mistress finds it satisfactory and if there is anything else needed, please let us know, and we will procure it immediately." If it is spring and they have become accustomed to this place, we can prepare separate rooms for them then. Since the madam has mentioned this, we have only arranged this courtyard. If the young mistress finds it satisfactory and if there is anything else needed, please let us know, and we will procure it immediately.

Qiu Tang and Qiu Ping agreed and exchanged a few more words. Since they still needed to go back to fetch their bedding and move over, they took their leave. After they had left, Chun Ying came over and whispered, "Young Mistress, these Qiu Tang and Qiu Ping have delicate fingers; they do not look like maids, but rather like young ladies from the manor."

Your sister only took Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan to sit beside Old Lady He, while she herself went to sit in an unoccupied seat

He Wen and He Yi looked up and saw the dragon and phoenix twins, and they were initially surprised, saying: "Oh, two identical babies!" However, when they heard Grandma He asking them to sit beside their mother and instead wanting to have the newcomer Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan sit next to her, they became displeased, pouting and remaining silent for a long time.

Madam Shi only knows how to flatter Old Lady He in front of her eldest daughter-in-law, disregarding her proper mother-in-law, which has always displeased her. At this moment, she snorted a few times but did not dare to delay, quickly changed her clothes and took the maid over.

The spring oriole spoke and then recalled something, whispering: "Young Mistress, when we were waiting outside the old lady's hall earlier, we stood in the corner and, as everyone was not paying attention, we overheard several daughters-in-law discussing how much the old lady dotes on the eldest son, Wen Ge'er, and the eldest daughter, Yi Jie'er. Wen Ge'er could recognize characters at the age of three and could recite poetry; now at six, he has already gained some fame among relatives, and everyone says he is as clever as our family's young master was when he was little! As for Yi Jie'er, she is only four years old, but she is also said to be smart and lively, loved by everyone. Later, they quietly remarked that now that the young master and young lady have arrived, looking so pleasing, the old lady is likely to start favoring them even more!"

After finishing the meal, when the noble lady returned to her courtyard with the twins, it just so happened that He Nian also came back. Due to the long journey and the need to pay respects to various people today, both of them were extremely tired and hurriedly prepared to rest. However, the twins refused to sleep with the wet nurse and insisted on sleeping in the same room as the noble lady. Eventually, there was no other choice but for the four of them to sleep together on the big bed

"Madam, the old lady is sending over the meal, please go over to dine!" The personal maid of Madam Shi conveyed the message from outside the curtain: "The eldest lady and the two young ladies and young gentlemen have already gone over!"

The old lady has given and not given; what use is it for you to speak of this now? Do you intend to incite me to help you bring those two maids over? That would be quite difficult! Although He Qianmu was born to a maid by the side of the old lady, he was raised by her since childhood, and she treated him relatively well. However, no matter how it is, this fact of his illegitimacy cannot be concealed. Despite his strong will, he ultimately lacks confidence. Until he married the daughter of the official Shi Yan, he thought that days of pride and satisfaction had finally arrived. Who would have thought that this Madam Shi was solely focused on amassing wealth and cutting corners with the servants, which caused the old lady to look down on her. Fortunately, his daughter-in-law and granddaughter could still speak on his behalf in front of the old lady, which allowed him to breathe a little easier. Now, seeing Madam Shi return and throw a tantrum, claiming that the old lady treats her unfairly, he could not help but advise: "The maid is the old lady's maid; she has her own reasons for whom she chooses to give to. What are you fighting for? Even if you manage to get those two maids, does that mean the estate will eventually come into your hands?"