Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 92 The Three Little Ones Take a Bath

What kind of talk is this? Does a mere maid like me have the right to ask the young lady for clothes without any explanation?

Recalling that her second aunt had personally led this young lady to pay her respects to the old lady that morning, and after hearing the cousin's half-finished words, Meng Shu's mind quickly cleared.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This mother and daughter were like chickens stubbornly banging their heads against a rock, utterly courting death. Having lived so long, they still couldn't understand that while they could pester Tang Xian, the head of the family, and even play the victim in front of the old lady to get some benefits, they absolutely couldn't touch Madam Yun's weak spot! How dare they be so audacious as to target someone close to the young master!

What good can come of that? Just look at Aunt Wen in Lanting Courtyard. Even after recovering from her illness, she had to pretend to be sick and unable to get out of bed. Even someone as cunning as Aunt Wen had to behave herself, let alone you two who are so brainless.

Now that you understand, there's no need to be polite.

Meng Shu said directly, "Miss, what you said is inappropriate. Regardless of whether the eldest young lady agrees or not, what proper young lady doesn't know is to bring spare clothes when attending a banquet? This young lady has never attended a banquet before, does Miss not know that?"

Upon hearing this, Song Hong's eyebrows nearly furrowed to her hair, and she angrily retorted, "So, you, a servant who serves your master, dare to be disrespectful? All I asked you to do is fetch some clothes. Does our Tang household lack fabric?"

Meng Shu was still feeling uneasy about what happened with her eldest aunt that morning. Seeing that no one was around, she retorted, "Miss, what you said is also inappropriate. Do you know the saying 'a cousin is three thousand miles away'? It's not appropriate for you to say 'our Tang family'. If it gets out and your scholar husband's family hears it, wouldn't it cause them to become estranged?"

"What a sharp-tongued little girl! I underestimated you before. You... go back and have Mengzhu come and serve you!"

Meng Shu: "......"

Before Song Hong could come up with any more outrageous ideas, a person approached from afar. Meng Shu recognized him; he was a maid from Fu'an Residence.

"Miss, please wait. The old lady and your great-aunt are waiting for you at Fu'an Residence. They sent me to fetch you."

Song Hong snorted coldly and pointed at Meng Shu, saying, "Once I see the old lady, you can expect to be sold off."

Li Jie'er broke out in a cold sweat, as if she was witnessing her sister-in-law's domineering side for the first time. She had never been so arrogant at home. Meng Shu didn't care at all and didn't have a good impression of the girl in front of her. She led her to the back room, handed her over to Yu'er, and returned to Nongyue Pavilion.

Ruizhu was waiting outside the pavilion. When she saw Meng Shu, she smiled and said, "You missed a good show just now."

Under Meng Shu's questioning gaze, Rui Zhu couldn't wait to get to the bottom of it. It turned out that Miss Biao had a sister-in-law who, seeing that getting her dress dirty meant she could change into a beautiful new one, took the opportunity to slam her head against the table, only to be caught off guard by Ming Yue's leap.

When her first plan failed, she considered taking a walk by the lake. Before her dress even touched the water, Mingyue swept her away again...

Then people from Fu'anju came and took all the sisters-in-law away.

Meng Shu was dumbfounded after hearing this and said she couldn't understand it. Rui Zhu hit the nail on the head, "What's so strange about that? The things that the distant relatives who come to the manor to beg for alms are doing are truly laughable."

Seeing that Madam Yun and the others had also left Yunxi Courtyard, Ruizhu explained, "Madam said that the young ladies would feel uncomfortable with them around, so she decided to take Madam Fan and the others to Yungui Courtyard for tea. After the banquet, we can go to the stage to watch a play together."

The banquet proceeded smoothly after that. The daughters of officials were well-behaved, and those who were close to the second young lady were fond of literature and poetry. Several of them gathered in the pavilion to enjoy the scenery and compose poems, while the daughters of merchants and the families of shopkeepers chatted together. Neither side overstepped their bounds.

There were no mistakes at the banquet. Steward An was indeed remarkable. His dish of water shield and perch soup won the hearts of all the young ladies. One of them even talked about the story behind the soup, bringing the banquet to a climax.

After dinner, they admired chrysanthemums to aid digestion. Around 11 PM, Meng Shu, after discussing with the Fang family, had the second young lady lead everyone to Fu'an Residence to watch a play.

Inside Fu'an Residence, after everyone had taken their seats in front of the stage, Meng Shu busied herself with serving tea to the maids. After glancing around, she realized that her second aunt and cousin were indeed not among them.

Seeing that Meng Shu was serious yet had a hint of slyness, Wei's mother beckoned her to her side and teased, "Don't worry, with our lady taking action, no matter what kind of demons or monsters they are, they will have to show their true colors."

After the banquet, while serving the second young lady a bath in the bathhouse that evening, Meng Shu learned that the second young lady had first been scolded by the old lady, then had taken back an estate, and had also recalled many of the maids and servants from her husband's family.

"My mother said that my second aunt's husband was a good person and learned, but he was unlucky in the imperial examinations. Even though he was estranged from my second aunt, he did not take a concubine. However, my second aunt was obsessed with wealth and status. My mother had advised the old lady many times to solve the problem from the root. This time, the old lady finally made up her mind."

Meng Shu could understand the old lady's feelings. The old lady felt that she had delayed her two daughters' marriages during the two years when the family was divided, and she wanted to make up for it. It was all well-intentioned.

"Miss, why didn't the eldest aunt stay at the manor?"

The second young lady relaxed in the pool. When she looked up, she saw Mengzhu on the left watering the pool with a double-eared pot, and Mengshu on the right holding a cup of tea. "You've been busy all day, come down and keep me company."

Mengzhu: "...Miss, this is against the rules..."

Before she could finish speaking, Mengzhu stared blankly at Mengshu with wide eyes. Mengshu had already nimbly taken off her outer garment and said with a light laugh, "This is a favor from our master, we should accept it."

Once the three little ones were all submerged in the steaming pool, Meng Shu moved inch by inch behind her mistress, putting the massage techniques she had learned from Steward Cui to good use. Meng Zhu stood cautiously along the pool wall, her right hand taking a basket of flower petals from the side and thoughtfully scattering them on the water's surface. The second young lady let them do as they pleased.

In the misty steam, the second young lady's voice drifted faintly.

“My eldest aunt… couldn’t stand up. Mother informed the old lady, and all the money and estates of the Pei family were taken back. She also sent Suwen and Steward Tang to put pressure on them. The old lady also transferred an old nanny from the estate to the Pei family to support my eldest aunt.”

"Suwen went there herself and learned that some of the dowry maids were unreliable and had joined the concubines, so they were also sold off..."

The second young lady cupped a handful of clear water in her hands, watching it spill out from between her fingers. "After marriage, no matter how powerful my family is, if I can't stand on my own two feet, I'll only live a life of misery."

Meng Shu cleverly caught the jade spoon and said to the second young lady's arm, "Miss, we are not afraid. We have Mengzhu, Ruizhu, and Mingyue as our henchmen. Once you get married, you will not be bullied."

Mengzhu put down the flower basket and immediately raised her right hand to show her loyalty, "Miss, I will always be with you. Mengshu, you haven't said anything to me yet!"

"Me?" Meng Shu scooped up a spoonful of water and poured it on her head, then said with a grin, "Of course I'm here too."

'After fulfilling my mother's last wish and finding my uncle, he and Huanyun will live a good life together. As for me, with my mother gone, my life is only on its final journey. In the future, I'll stay with Miss, with Donggua, Ruizhu, Mengzhu, and my adorable Mingyue. Living like this for the rest of my life isn't bad... right? Hmm!'

Thinking this, Meng Shu started fooling around with the second young lady, and then dragged Meng Zhu along, eagerly pulling the two girls, who usually liked to appear dignified, into the fray. Amidst the playful laughter of the three little maids, there was no distinction between master and servant at this moment.

Just like the old lady said, the flowers are blooming and stretching out in full glory.