Chapter 10, Sister Cui Man enters the Huanhua Pavilion

Mother Lu watched them leave with reluctance, casting a resentful glare at the weeping Widow Cui, and then turned to scold Chunying: "I told you to speak, why didn't you say anything?!"

"Of course not, sir even praised me!" Li You looked at Sister Man again and again. Sister Man secretly raised her eyes, quickly smiled at him with pursed lips, blinked, and then immediately lowered her head. Li You found it very interesting, feeling that this girl was quite different from those wooden people, so he smiled and said to his mother, "This sister is quite beautiful, can you give her to me? I am planning to create a painting titled 'Hundred Beauties', and I have only collected portraits of twenty-seven beauties, still far from one hundred!"

"Alright, Shaoyao," An said softly, calling her trusted maid. She glanced at Sister Man and was about to instruct the old woman to take them back when she saw the figure of her precious son, who was only eleven years old, appear at the door. Her heart filled with joy: "You'er!" Without caring about the old woman and Sister Man, she embraced her son who had rushed into her arms, rubbed him affectionately, inquired about his well-being, and then instructed Shaoyao: "Have the kitchen send some food; my You'er must be starving!"

"A trivial matter?" The maid sneered, "If it were someone else, it might be excusable, but what is the status of the Third Young Master? How could the people serving him be considered trivial? Do you think the lady is unaware of your schemes?"

I want to eat venison today! Young Master Li You, nestled in his mother's arms for a while, suddenly noticed a beautiful stranger kneeling on the ground and curiously asked, "Who is this?"

Upon hearing her words, Granny Guan was astonished, Mama Lu was pleased, Chunying was greatly surprised, while Widow Cui was utterly shocked, nearly fainting.

... ...

In a moment of hesitation, Granny Guan suddenly heard the old woman behind her gently cough, realizing that she had something to say privately. She then dropped a remark, "No noise allowed," and turned to walk a few steps away with the old woman.

Oh? An glanced at Sister Cui Man, noticing her beautiful appearance and calm demeanor, which added to her worries: this girl seems to have some cunning; placing her beside my son might not be very appropriate

Sister Cui's heart skipped a beat as she smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Xie, for your guidance." She took a deep breath and followed the old woman into the main courtyard of the *Tu* *Shu*.

Then, Granny Guan turned her head, stared at Mother Lu for a few moments, and slowly asked, "What happened?"

Moreover, her needlework skills are currently poor, and she is unaware of the so-called rules. If she enters, she will only be scolded, and if her luck is particularly bad, she might even be punished. If she is expelled, it could be seen as a form of freedom, but she has no interest in enduring physical suffering. Furthermore, what about her family? She cannot just abandon them to fend for themselves, can she? With their livelihood issues unresolved, it would be foolish to leave recklessly. Reflecting on the experiences of the young couple, Hongyu and Nandeng, Chunying becomes quietly vigilant.

The current wife of Duke Qingguo, Lady An, was sitting indoors drinking tea. She had just finished attending to some household chores and was feeling somewhat fatigued. Upon hearing that Granny Guan had brought someone over, she instructed them to come in.

The girl from the Cui family quickly glanced at Chunying and lowered her head, saying: "But Sister Chun has been ill for several days and has almost forgotten everything from before, even unable to sew. Even if she enters the mansion, she still won't be able to do any work..."

The old woman looked at her deeply and said: "Rest assured, how could the lady know about a mere Lu Chun'er? It is merely the handiwork of Lu Chun'er's sister, who has asked the elder sisters in the lady's household to intervene. This Man Jie has an outstanding appearance and demeanor, so the lady will naturally take a liking to her upon seeing her. Moreover, it is nearly mealtime now, and with the old lady not in the residence, the third young master is likely to arrive soon."

Mother Lu busily repeated, "Aunt Guan, it was specifically mentioned that my daughter should go when the message was conveyed from the mansion. Our Chun'er fell ill in the twelfth month, and the Cui family..." She cast a sidelong glance at Widow Cui and Miss Cui, "I don't know what method they used to seek out the nephew of Manager Wang to fill in for our Chun'er. This matter was originally due to our Chun'er's misfortune, and we cannot say much about it. However, Chun'er has now recovered well, and you have come personally; is this not fate? The lady's message was indeed meant for our Chun'er, so let her go. This way, you won't have to bear the responsibility." This matter was originally due to our Chun'er's misfortune, and we cannot say much about it. However, Chun'er has now recovered well, and you have come personally; is this not fate? The lady's message was indeed meant for our Chun'er, so let her go. This way, you won't have to bear the responsibility.

The old woman replied in a low voice, "It was indeed meant to be reported, but at that time, the lady had gone to the residence of the Jing Prince, worrying about the princess's delivery. The young servants thought this was merely a trivial matter and did not wish to disturb the lady, which is why..."

Mother Lu was furious to the point of being half dead. However, since Granny Guan was nearby, it was inappropriate to lash out at anyone. She could only suppress her anger and turned to pull her daughter over: "Are you a dead person? Why aren't you saying anything?! Quickly say a few good words to Granny Guan, say that you will work hard! Hurry up and say it!"

Old Lady Guan, accompanied by that woman, took a small carriage with Miss Cui and entered the Hou residence through the side door. They alighted from the carriage outside the second gate and proceeded directly towards the main courtyard. Upon reaching the courtyard gate, she paused and called over her companion, whispering, "Are you certain that the madam will not be angry?"

Chun Ying was somewhat unhappy; although she did not want to enter the mansion, the originally gentle and kind young lady suddenly spoke such words in front of others... Indeed, the other party was a villain

Old Lady Guan raised her eyebrows: "Oh?" Her eyes flashed, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "So that's how it is? No wonder..." She let out a cold snort, then turned her gaze back to Chunying.

The old woman understood the situation and called over Sister Cui Man, saying lightly: "Be careful with your words and be observant in your actions. Now that things have come to this point, whether you can stay or not depends on your fortune."

"Your daughter has her own place to go." Granny Guan interrupted her, "In two months, both the second and third young ladies will be adding new members to their courtyards. When the time comes, just inform the steward. It will be the same good job, so you all can wait a little longer." After saying this, she did not wait for Mama Lu to respond and called over the girl from the Cui family: "Hurry up, it's almost noon, what are you still delaying for?"

Madam Guan furrowed her brows, glancing at Chunying and then at Miss Cui, feeling hesitant. In her heart, she actually leaned more towards Miss Cui, a girl of thirteen or fourteen, whose figure was just beginning to mature, with a beautiful appearance. She spoke neither too fast nor too slow, and conducted herself with propriety and decorum, which was rare among those who bore children at home. Among all the maids in the household, there were probably no more than ten who could compare to her. This time, they were to select a rough maid for the Third Young Master at Huanhua Pavilion, and everyone knew the young master's preferences. How could a young girl, still in her infancy, compare to a fresh beauty? If Miss Cui were fortunate, it would not be impossible for her to rise further in status, and at that time, she could be considered to have made a recommendation.

"Alright, if you like her, then keep her here." An Shi, not noticing the interaction between the two, readily agreed with her son. She turned to Granny Guan and said, "Take her to Huanhua Pavilion and hand her over to Meixiang." After a pause, she added, "From now on, her name will be Manru; the name Manjie is too rustic."

Mother Lu was anxious when she saw Widow Cui walk away from the younger woman, moving to her daughter's side. They exchanged a glance and nodded subtly. She was startled and quickly asked, "Cui family! What did you just do?"

The maid, accustomed to reading her expression, immediately scolded, "Don't just speak kind words! If someone is ill, why didn't you come back earlier? Now that it's time for an important task, you only send someone else?"

However, regarding what Mother Lu said, she did not dare to take it lightly. Since the higher-ups specifically mentioned Lu's Chun'er, if she sent over Manjie from the Cui family, would she be scolded? Last time, she was careless for a moment and had already lost face in front of the lady; if it happened again, she could very well end up in dire straits! That old hag Fang has indeed thrown the matter onto her, clearly with ill intentions!

Old Lady Guan smiled as she slowly pronounced the name of Cui Manjie. After hearing this, An raised her eyebrows slightly: "How come I remember the person being called by a different name?" She glanced at the maid who had returned to her side, and the maid immediately replied: "Indeed, the original person was called Lu Chunying, but this one is called Cui Manjie." After saying this, she turned to glare at Old Lady Guan with a cold smile and said: "How could you be so muddled in your work, madam? The instructions from the lady were treated as mere whispers in the wind, and you went to find some irrelevant person from who knows where, thinking to substitute for the one the lady wanted?"

Guān Pózi turned her head to look at Chūn Yīng and indeed found a dark red mark on her forehead. In fact, this wound had long since healed, but due to the short passage of time, a scar remained. Chūn Yīng was still young, her hair fine and soft, and the thin fringe of hair on her forehead was insufficient to cover the scar, making it appear somewhat prominent.

Miss Cui responded hurriedly and followed them quickly. As she reached the hospital door, she turned back for one last reluctant glance at her mother, then looked at Chunying, a fleeting expression of guilt flashing in her eyes before she lowered her head and left

Old Lady Guan hurriedly said: "This is absolutely untrue! Madam, please see clearly. Originally, we intended to call Lu Chun'er, but she is ill and unable to take on the task. We discussed among ourselves and, fearing that the affairs in the Third Young Master's room would be delayed, we chose someone else to take her place. This Sister Cui Man is also skilled in needlework, no less than Lu Chun'er. If Madam is not at ease, you may personally give it a try"

Mother Lu glanced at the courtyard gate again and stamped her foot, saying, "I will send someone to inform your elder sister right away; this matter is not over!"

Widow Cui was taken aback, nervously turning her head away. Miss Cui stood in front of her mother and said calmly, "Aunt Lu, I know you are upset, but this is all decided by the housekeepers. How can you vent your anger on others?"

Outside, the peony looked coldly at the situation inside the house, quietly walking to a corner. She called a young maid and whispered, "You go to the old lady's room and deliver a message to Qiuyu, just say..." She glanced back at the main room, "It seems that things may not work out; she need not take it to heart, there will always be opportunities in the future." Watching Manru, whose lips still bore a hint of joy, leave with the old woman, she let out a cold snort

You... you little brat! Our Chun'er is already clever; she will remember the tasks after doing them a couple more times! Mother Lu glared at Miss Cui, wishing she could crush her to death. In fact, how could Mother Lu not know her daughter's true situation? It is just that such a leisurely opportunity is truly rare. After all, once she enters the mansion, she will have to learn to work from the senior maids. No matter what, it is better to get in first; otherwise, once this village is passed, there will be no more shop.

Unexpectedly, she suddenly changed her tone: "However, I still have one concern. Sister Chun'er has a cut on her right forehead, and it has been just over half a month; the wound has not yet fully healed. How can she take on duties?"

Old Lady Guan agreed and instructed Manru to express her gratitude. Manru bowed her head, lowered her eyelids, and concealed a trace of wild joy.

Mother Lu naturally understood this, and felt a deep resentment: "Nonsense! Our Chun'er’s injury has long since healed! This is merely a scar, and it will fade away in a few days!"

Miss Cui's complexion was pale, and her hands trembled slightly. Suddenly, she composed herself and revealed a charming smile, taking a couple of steps forward to pay her respects, saying: "In response to your inquiry, it is true that originally, it was Sister Chun'er who was assigned this task. However, due to her illness, Madam Fang was concerned that she would not be able to fulfill her duties, and thus sought another person. I am somewhat skilled with a needle, which is why I was fortunate enough to be chosen. Should Sister Chun'er still be summoned to the residence, I would never dare to voice any complaints."

Mother Lu anxiously said: "Then what about my daughter? It was clearly stated above..."

An smiled as she touched his temple: "It's just a little girl preparing to take on a position. What did you learn today, sir? Were you able to recite it? You weren't punished, were you?"

She hesitated in her heart, and her expression revealed some of it. The old woman, having seen much of the world, could easily guess that the young girl had something on her mind. Noticing her flickering gaze, frail figure, and childlike demeanor, she felt a twinge of displeasure in her heart

However, seeing the hope in Mother Lu's eyes, she truly could not bring herself to say "no" in front of Granny Guan. Mother Lu had been nagging about this task for a long time; not only was it something she and her elder sister Qiuyu had worked hard to obtain, but more importantly, the Lu family needed this job now. What should she do

Chunying hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Seeing this, Mother Lu became even more agitated. When she noticed Granny Guan turning back, she hurriedly pulled her daughter to meet her, hoping to plead once more. However, she saw the other party wave her hand and say: "Lu family, I understand your anxiety. What is yours will be yours, and what is not cannot be forced. Although the higher-ups want your daughter, the name on the roster is still Sister Cui Man, so she must go."

Chun Ying swallowed hard, her expression tense. She did not want to enter the manor to become a maid. Although she was a legitimate child, as long as she stayed at home, she still had some freedom. In her daily speech and actions, she was no different from ordinary people. However, once she entered the manor, she would truly become a servant.

Chun Ying lowered her head and said nothing, but she felt a sense of relief in her heart

A maid, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a long face and a few freckles on her cheeks, lifted the curtain to let the two women in. However, Cui Manjie distinctly felt that the maid glanced at her a few times, her gaze somewhat unfriendly. This made her feel uneasy. Upon seeing a dignified woman dressed in luxurious attire sitting in the hall, she realized it was the wife of the marquis and hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects.