Chapter 1, Casual Talk

"Go ahead." The second aunt did not even lift her head, "As long as you use the time spent gossiping to practice needlework, in a few years, I guarantee you will be better than me." After saying this, she raised her head and called out to the door, "Xiaomei, Xiaomei, come here."

At this moment, she lowered her voice, leaned closer to Ermo, and appeared mysterious: "The east wing has been noisy all morning today, breaking vases and smashing chairs, and there was also loud crying and shouting. It is highly likely that she has gone mad."

Liu Xixi was merely listening from the side, feeling somewhat drowsy, so she closed her eyes to rest. Er Ma turned around to look at her and, seeing her eyes closed, thought she was asleep. She approached to tuck in the corners of the blanket for her. Gazing at this lovely little face, she was reminded of her two children far away in the capital. She and her husband had left them with their in-laws to accompany the Third Master’s family to Fengtian, and she wondered how they were doing. The second daughter had been separated from her mother right after birth, and now she was probably about the same age as the little girl.

Even so, it won't do; what good is this? She asks you, and you should retort back. It's fortunate for you that it's me; if Third Grandma finds out you're out there talking nonsense, be careful she might even pull out your tongue, and then we'll see how much more you have to say

Er Mo heard this and said nothing, merely lowering her head to count the coins. The young girl, seeing her silence, sat quietly for a while, feeling bored, and then began to speak of other matters: "I wonder how Duan Ge is doing. Third Madam is in that room every day, and Third Master goes to keep watch as soon as he finishes his errands. They only come back in the evening, but little Niu Niu remains dazed, neither crying nor making a sound, and she doesn't pay attention to anyone. What are we to do about this?"

I heard that Third Grandma wants to drive Third Grandpa out, but Third Grandpa hasn't said anything. With her making such a fuss every day, everyone else can hear it. Just yesterday, Xiang'er from across the door quietly asked me about it

Hearing her say this, Er Mo immediately shot her a glare: "Do you still dare to gossip with outsiders?! Watch your skin!"

Isn't that so? I heard that it was the Third Madam who took the initiative to support her as a concubine; otherwise, how could she be so glamorous? Wasn't she originally just a maid serving others, like me? The Third Madam treated her so well, yet she repaid kindness with enmity; she must have been mad for a long time.

Tong observed her youngest daughter and inquired about the household matters of the second maid for the day. Once satisfied, she took a seat in the center of the room and said: "I just saw the bellyband you made for Young Master Duan. It is commendable that you are so thoughtful. I just put it on him, and he feels much better now. It must be your sincerity that has moved the heavens, perhaps." The second maid hurriedly replied: "This is truly an overstatement. Clearly, the young master is fortunate, and heaven is also watching over him. That bellyband is merely a coincidence. I have no particular insight; I only heard that the pattern of the 'Hundred Blessings' is auspicious, so I thought to make it for the young master to try. I have no special abilities to move the heavens."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao felt completely deflated. She turned to say something to Er Mo, but seeing that Er Mo was merely glancing at her sideways, she could only lower her head and leave.

Er Mo let out a cold laugh: "Isn't she crazy? Having committed such a wicked act, she still has the audacity to make a scene after being caught. Anyone with a bit of discernment wouldn't behave this way. I would rather Third Grandma expel her sooner."

Liu Xixi then realized that the reason she was able to traverse was due to that brave "brother" protecting his sister. In her previous life, she was an only child and often envied those who had brothers. Unexpectedly, after her traversal, she also had a brother.

Before long, a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old arrived. The second aunt handed her some needlework, saying: "This is a bellyband for Brother Duan. I have embroidered the character for 'blessing' on it. You take it to him; it can be considered a prayer for good fortune." The girl acknowledged with a sound, took it, and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, she stopped, turned back, and said to the little girl: "Xiao Tao, when there's nothing going on, don't just keep chatting. Third Aunt asked me to call you to the kitchen. Today, I need to prepare medicine for the young master, so I don't have time to help. You go chop some firewood." With that, she left.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but touch her hair, but unexpectedly, Liu Xixi opened her eyes, her round eyes fixed on her. She looked amused, a smile on her face, and said: "So you weren't asleep, you little girl." After saying this, she loosened the blanket a bit and continued to gaze into the child's eyes: "You are quite fortunate; thanks to your brother who held you up high, not letting you touch a drop of water. If it weren't for that, if you had been thrown into that cold pool by yourself, you would have disappeared in no time, while your brother is suffering from illness. He loves and cares for you so much; when you grow up, you should treat him well, okay?"

Tong said with a smile: "What are you afraid of? We are family, so why be so cautious? Do you really think of yourself as an outsider? Just a few jokes, and you get so flustered. Stop calling me 'servant' like that." Ermo just listened, knowing not to take it seriously.

The child was startled, but after a couple of days, he will surely recover. However, Duan Ge'er is quite ill; it is now October, and the weather in Fengtian is much colder than in the capital. The water in the pond is icy, which even adults cannot withstand, let alone Duan Ge'er, who is not yet six years old

The two continued to exchange a few casual remarks. Before long, a voice from outside called out, "Third Grandma, Er Ge has woken up." Upon hearing this, Tong was filled with joy and, without attending to anything else, instructed Er Ma to take good care of the little girl before hurriedly making her way to her son's room

How could I dare? It was just that Xiang'er’s mother came over that day to borrow some soybean oil. Upon hearing the commotion from the east wing, I don't know which gossiping person informed her. When Xiang'er heard about it, she came to ask me.

She stared blankly at the bed curtain, not noticing that the little girl on the bed had opened her eyes, her pair of pitch-black eyes also gazing at her in a daze

She is quite able to accept her new identity now

At that moment, a voice came from the doorway: "How is Xiao Niuniu doing today?" As soon as the voice fell, a young woman dressed in a stone blue qipao walked in; it was none other than Tong, the mother of Xiao Niuniu and Duan Ge'er. Er Ma immediately stood up to pay her respects and replied, "She is much better now. She was a bit dazed before, but now she can recognize people. I believe she will be fine in a couple of days; I just managed to lull her to sleep." Tong sighed and said, "Amitabha, as long as she is fine, that is good." Er Ma then asked, "Did you just come from Ge'er's room? How is he today?" Knowing that she had also been a wet nurse for her son, Tong replied, "He is much better now. He was a bit dazed before, but now he can recognize people. I believe he will be fine in a couple of days; I just managed to lull him to sleep." Tong sighed again and said, "Amitabha, as long as he is fine, that is good." Er Ma asked again, "Did you just come from Ge'er's room? How is he today?" Knowing that she had also been a wet nurse for her son and genuinely cared for both children, Tong answered, "He took his medicine and his fever has subsided. The doctor said it is nothing serious, so I felt relieved to come and take a look." This made even Er Ma start to chant Buddhist prayers.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" The young girl refused to comply, retracting her head and pouting, "How could Third Aunt do such a thing? At most, she would just scold a few times. She has always been the most compassionate, such a gentle person; otherwise, she wouldn't have allowed that one from the East Wing to climb over her head."

After she finished speaking, she picked up the scissors to cut off the thread ends, and then took up the needlework to examine it in the light. The little girl looked on with a face full of envy: "Second Aunt, your needlework is truly excellent. When will I be able to create such vibrant pieces? Please teach me."

Tong's mood was perhaps exceptionally good, as he wore a constant smile on his face: "Why must you be so cautious? When Erdan was little, I had to attend to his grandmother and had no time to take care of him. Wasn't everything regarding him managed by you? Now you are also nursing his sister. Rest assured, both of my children will remember your kindness and will surely honor you in the future"

This statement is somewhat ambiguous, causing the second maid to hurriedly wave her hand: "Madam, I cannot accept such words. I am a born servant of this household, destined to be a servant for life. To be able to serve the two young masters is a blessing for me. Even if I were not here, there would be others to attend to them. The way the masters treat me with such courtesy is a fortune I have earned over several lifetimes; how could I dare to hope for more in the future? Please do not say such things again, Madam, as I am unworthy of them."

What do you understand? Which of the higher-ups is easy to deal with? Second Aunt merely sneered, "This time it is also the East Chamber's foolishness, thinking that by getting rid of Brother Duan and Little Niuniu, they can monopolize Third Master and trample on Third Madam? They don't even consider their own status; as a maid, being able to become a concubine is already a blessing from their ancestors, yet they still dare to oppose the legitimate Madam. Do they think Third Master will stand by their side? They should also think about it; Brother Duan, Tushuer, and Little Niuniu are all Third Master's flesh and blood. When something happens, they will be heartbroken, how could they possibly favor this murderer?"

Er Ma chatted idly while gently patting her to lull her to sleep. Perhaps it had been a long time since Liu Xixi enjoyed such treatment, as she soon felt drowsy, her eyelids drooping, and before long, she became drowsy. Er Ma felt that the little girl was becoming more and more normal, no longer so dazed, and thought that she would soon recover, feeling extremely happy, while her hand continued to pat without interruption.

That said, lying there in a daze was indeed very boring, so she had no choice but to focus her thoughts on the conversation between the two maids at the door. One of them was a young woman busy with needlework, whom others seemed to call "Er Ma". Based on Liu Xixi's guess, she might be a wet nurse (Liu Xixi thought: A child over one year old should have been weaned, right? Hopefully, she no longer needs to feed him). The other was just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, small and thin, but quite lively, though a bit tongue-tied, as Liu Xixi could almost hear her chattering all day long, possibly about the family matters of others, saying things like "Oh, the little girl is awake" or "Ma San Ge ate one more pancake today" and so on. Even now, although Er Ma kept telling her not to disturb "the little girl" (Liu Xixi thought: Is this referring to me?), she still couldn't help but speak up, albeit in a lower voice. The topic that excited her so much was precisely the reason why the "little girl" eavesdropping nearby had fallen seriously ill.

As soon as she left, Er Mo let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing that her legs felt somewhat weak. She slowly walked to the front of the little girl’s bed and sat down on the edge, murmuring to herself: "What a kind person..."