Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 87 Letter from Jinan

Upon hearing this, Mother Wei was unable to remain calm. In the afternoon, she went to the front yard to find Doctor Zhen and his apprentice. Doctor Zhen tried lighting the Soul-Soothing Incense and the Auspicious Incense at the same time. In less than half an incense stick's time, the restless scorpion in the jar almost scared Mother Wei out of her wits.

Madam Yun showed no emotion, only offering a few words of encouragement to Meng Shu, "Not bad, you're quite thoughtful."

"This matter ends here and must not be publicized. Aunt Wen did this secretly because she calculated that even if we found out, we wouldn't be able to produce any solid evidence. You just need to know that the scheming in the inner quarters can be incredibly dangerous."

The day after tomorrow is Wan'er's birthday banquet. The invitations have already been sent by the steward of the general affairs office. You should check them several times tomorrow. Don't worry about Steward An's kitchen. The important thing is to settle the families of each household. The people brought by Second Aunt need to be taken into careful care.

Also, Mr. Lin will arrive at the dock at noon tomorrow. Mother Wei and Steward Cui will greet him then. Wan'er also needs to go to Muyunzhai to check if everything is appropriate; she shouldn't be too forward with Mr. Lin.

"Yes."

The second young lady bowed her head and agreed. Madam Yun smoothed her temples, and then Wei Mama led Meng Shu to the outer room with a smile. The second young lady sat at the lower end, clearly indicating that Madam Yun had something to say to her alone.

Meng Shu followed Wei Mama out of the main room, expecting Wei Mama to have a maid take her to wait in the side hall. Unexpectedly, Wei Mama took out two letters from her sleeve.

"Just this morning, the Second Miss left Fu'an Residence, and then the Zheng family's letter arrived at the Old Madam's place. Two of the letters were for you, so Madam brought them back with her."

"A letter from Mr. Zheng?" Meng Shu asked with some surprise.

About a month ago, she had asked someone to send a letter and money to Jinan County, asking Granny Zhou to keep an eye out for news about her uncle's village when she went to Haijin Town. Meng Shu received the letter with excitement, and Wei Mama took her to the side room and then left.

A moment later, Meng Shu was inevitably disappointed. There was no news from her uncle. However, Granny Zhou mentioned that she had visited Meng Family Village once and had paid special attention to news from Meng Shu's family. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Meng Chengwen finally died of illness. In his letter, he also told Meng Shu not to be sad.

Upon seeing this, Meng Shu snorted coldly and muttered, "As expected, he didn't survive this Mid-Autumn Festival. He has no feelings left for this so-called father."

Upon reading the letter that her stepmother had taken her son and fled several months prior, Meng Shu felt a mix of emotions. She had anticipated this outcome; the woman's gentleness and kindness could only deceive men. However, she had underestimated her ruthlessness. Meng Shu had thought she could serve Meng Chengwen until his death, at which point she could sell the house and land, take the money, and find another way out, or perhaps simply continue living in Mengjia Village.

However, she wouldn't live much longer, so how could the medicine powder be given only to Meng Chengwen? It was just a matter of different dosages.

As Meng Shu looked at the letter, she could almost see Meng Chengwen dying with his eyes wide open in agony, tormented until the very end, never understanding why he had fallen ill.

The second letter was written by Zheng Dongjia on Green Willow's behalf. In the letter, Green Willow talked about some trivial matters, thanked herself and Winter Melon, said that she had been going out with Granny Zhou at Zheng's brokerage for several days and had come to a realization. She also said that she would help keep an eye out for news about her uncle.

But when Meng Shu turned to the next page and saw Zheng Dongjia's description of Lvliu's performance, she couldn't help but feel speechless.

Zheng Dongjia wrote it like this:

"...Green Willow is kind-hearted. The first time Granny Zhou took her out, she pleaded for someone out of pity because of her soft heart. After Granny Zhou returned, she locked her up for three days. The second time, due to her negligence, she almost let a girl go, but fortunately, she was caught by the patrolling servants. Granny Zhou, out of consideration for you, only beat her and then personally took her to the countryside to gain experience. Now, she has seen a lot of the coldness and warmth of human relationships and has improved a lot."

Only after enduring enough hardship will a person realize the importance of self-reliance, and in time, they may prove useful.

Zheng Dongjia was also reminding Meng Shu that Green Willow's success and downfall both stemmed from her kind heart. Having been in the brokerage business for a long time and seen enough of the world, she might become a loyal helper.

Meng Shu closed the letter, and couldn't help but think that if she and Lü Liu had switched places, Lü Liu might have been tortured to death by her stepmother long ago. Granny Zhou was cold and hard; she hoped Lü Liu could truly change her nature. If she couldn't, she wouldn't bother taking care of her anymore.

Inside the main room, Madam Yun was talking to the second young lady.

"Even though our Tang family's inner quarters are relatively peaceful, how do you feel about a mere concubine harboring malicious intentions?" Madam Yun asked calmly.

Meeting her mother's questioning gaze, the second young lady truly didn't know how to answer. She wondered if she herself would encounter such danger in the future, she probably wouldn't even be able to sense it, let alone avoid or discover the mystery of the spices. If Meng Shu hadn't mentioned the pharmacopoeia on the way, she wouldn't have guessed anything at all.

Madam Yun patiently continued, "Meng Shu was right when she told you before. To judge a person's motives, you must investigate their desires. Remember this, and consider it a reminder from Aunt Wen. Women who make a living in the inner quarters, whether they are mistresses, concubines, or mistresses, are driven by two things: favor and offspring. When you enter the Prince's mansion in the future, you must think more carefully so that you can anticipate the enemy's moves."

Suppressing her frustration, the second young lady nodded in agreement.

“Meng Shu did a good job. She not only has a quick mind, but also knows when to advance and retreat. The head of the Fang family has praised her many times recently. Although you are master and servant, you can consult with her more often when you encounter problems, and you can also consider her opinions.”

The relationship between a master and servant can be like that of a ruler and his subject, or even like that of siblings. If you treat her sincerely, your bond will deepen, and she will naturally reciprocate.

"Yes, Mother." The second young lady agreed.

The summer clouds have dispersed, and a gentle breeze has risen; in the blink of an eye, it's my birthday.