Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 68 'Cause' and 'Desire'

Seeing the second young lady deep in thought, Madam Wei gently advised, "Second young lady, what Madam is saying is that something unusual must be going on. In the inner quarters of our Tang family, even if everything seems calm on the surface, we must see through the whirlpools beneath the surface. The inner quarters are, after all, a woman's domain, and everyone has their own thoughts and intentions. Therefore, every step must be carefully considered..."

Madam Yun raised her hand, "Go back and think about it. Managing the household affairs is important, but being good at judging people is the foundation of success."

The second young lady nodded blankly, feeling her mind was a complete mess. Not only were the account books less interesting than the books, but the intricacies of the situation were also not easy to understand. She had just been advising her eldest sister, thinking that her extensive knowledge of literature would allow her to see the situation clearly, but today... she suddenly felt quite foolish.

After the second young lady left Yun Gui Courtyard, Mama Wei said, "Isn't Madam a little too impatient? Our young lady is still young, she will only be eleven years old next year. I personally think it is too early to teach the second young lady about the treacherous things in the inner quarters, and it would be a waste of her beautiful youth."

Madam Yun rubbed her forehead, her head aching, and said, "How could I not know what the wet nurse was saying? If she were to marry into an ordinary family, I would have thousands of ways to ensure that the three sisters would live a peaceful life. But that place... given our family's status... a single mishap could lead to their demise. How can I, as their mother, be at ease?"

Apart from the old lady, Madam Yun, and a few trusted confidantes like Wei Mama, no one else in the Tang family knew that Tang Xian's trip to the capital meant that the Second Miss's marriage was now settled. Because of this, Madam Yun's heart was in turmoil, which is why she lost her composure and spoke so much to her daughter today.

Madam Wei sighed with heartache and helped Madam Yun out of the main hall to stroll in the garden to clear her mind. "Madam, in your opinion, does that person in Lanting Courtyard really dare to do that kind of thing?"

The autumn colors in the garden were not strong. Autumn in Lin'an was far less expansive than in the capital. Even when it was bleak, it was only a symbolic sight of a few leaves that had not yet turned completely yellow falling.

Madam Yun, separated by layers of eaves, could not see the red leaves covering the western hills of the capital. She couldn't help but feel a little depressed. "Aunt Wen has become increasingly incompetent in recent years. She has probably drunk too much bitter medicine and damaged her brain. It would not be surprising if she did something. Send someone to keep a close eye on her. We must not let our guard down."

Suddenly, an autumn wind arose, brushing past Madam Yun's clothes, swirling and blowing through the courtyards, eventually startling a sparrow that was foraging for food in Yunyi Courtyard.

In the central flower hall on the second floor of Yunyi Garden, the second young lady was lying on a chaise lounge with one arm propped up. Meng Shu was showing off her work from the past few days: a wide-sleeved, black-edged blouse made of jade-colored silk, a soft handkerchief with ink-splashed floral patterns and hanging ribbons, and a plain soft satin cloak with auspicious beast patterns.

Ruizhu held up each piece for the second young lady to see, praising, "Meng Shu's craftsmanship is even better than needlework. Second young lady, please touch it. The stitches are fine and the patterns are neat and elegant. Our young master will look very handsome in it."

Meng Shu sighed, "Rui Zhu's little mouth is getting better and better at praising people." She said modestly, "I have learned needlework from the older sisters. This is the first time I have made a cloak. If you think it is good, Miss, Meng Zhu said that there are still a lot of materials in the storeroom. I will make two more."

After looking through them one by one, the second young lady said, "You and Mengzhu should consider making two more knee pads. The cold snap in the north is hard to bear, so don't let your brother catch a cold during the spring examination."

Meng Shu replied, "Yes, I'm thinking that the things I use in the examination hall should be carefully chosen. I can't embroider any fancy patterns, so keeping warm is the priority."

The second young lady nodded with even greater satisfaction. Thinking about her mother's words, she asked, "How is Miss Huanyun now? The fact that she still cares about you shows that she is a kind and loyal person."

Meng Shu was about to put away the cloak when she heard this and was somewhat taken aback. The second young lady had never inquired about such details before.

She quickly replied, "Replying to Miss, Sister Huanyun has taken great care of me before. Now, she has learned about my relationship with my uncle through our Tang family and specially sent Dingxiang to deliver a lot of food and fine cotton cloth. I am very grateful for Sister Huanyun's kindness."

"In that case, send someone tomorrow to redeem her and settle her in the manor of the village head."

The second young lady's words were as crisp and decisive as ever, which surprised and delighted Meng Shu. Meng Shu knelt down with a thud. At this moment, she had no other thoughts. Her little heart was completely filled with the second young lady's words.

Meng Shu sincerely kowtowed to her master. Ever since she met Ding Xiang and learned about Huan Yun's conditions for redemption, she was worried and didn't know what to do. She wanted to help but felt powerless to do so.

His shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and his forehead remained pressed against the cold ground for a long time.

She thought of her uncle, whose whereabouts were unknown, and Huanyun, who was dealing with the ladies and mistresses at Chunfeng Tower. These people, who were originally so lowly as to be reduced to dust, would be redeemed because of a single word from the Second Miss. Everything was progressing in a positive direction.

From this moment on, Meng Shu was willing to serve the Second Miss forever and sincerely acknowledge her as her master.

When she looked up again, her eyes were still wet with tears. "This servant... this maid... thanks the Second Miss. Meng Shu and her uncle will never forget your great kindness."

Sister Huanyun is such a good person. She shouldn't have ended up in a brothel. She should be free and deserves the best.

The second young lady never imagined that a simple sentence like that would move Meng Shu so deeply. She lived a wealthy and stable life in the Tang family and had no idea what kind of inspiring power the words "redemption" held for those who were imprisoned.

She propped herself up from the chaise longue and pointed at Mengzhu and Ruizhu: "You two should quickly pull her up. It's just a little money, why make such a fuss?"

Mengzhu, having grown up in the manor since childhood, guessed that her mistress must have been reminded of this by the madam. Finally, she had a sudden inspiration: "Mengshu, get up quickly. From now on, serve the second young lady wholeheartedly and do not let down our second young lady's kindness."

If Madam Ruoyun were here, she would certainly be greatly rewarded!

Ruizhu, who had also been rescued by the master of the Tang family, knew this feeling best. Her eyes reddened as she grabbed Meng Shu's arm and said, "That's right. Our second young lady is the best master in the world, and we are the luckiest servants. Following the second young lady will definitely not be a loss."

"puff."

These words made the Second Miss and Mengzhu and Mengshu laugh at the same time. Mengshu sniffed, grinned and choked up, "Yes, Ruizhu is absolutely right."

Because of this incident, the hearts of the four—master and servants—became even closer.

As night fell, it was Meng Shu's turn to be on night duty again. After the second young lady rested, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind.

"Do you know what Mother means by those words? Could it be that Aunt Wen is in such a hurry to come out to do something?"

After listening for a while and thinking it over carefully, Meng Shu spoke again with genuine concern for the Second Miss. She first affirmed Madam Yun's opinion.

“What you say makes sense. Aunt Wen is shrewd and would never try to lift the confinement just because she can’t stand the hardship of being locked up. If something is wrong, we need to find the root of the problem.”

The second young lady lay on the rosewood canopy bed, staring at the hanging bed curtains for a while, then pulled back the brocade quilt and leaned over to look at Meng Shu sleeping beside the foot couch.

"You continue."

“...Second Miss, everything has a cause. This ‘cause’ may reflect desire. For example...for example...because Ju Chang wanted money, she sold the three of us little maids. Ju Chang’s ‘cause’ reflects her ‘desire’ of needing money.”

The second young lady was astonished; she had never thought of the question this way before, and couldn't help but ask, "Then why does Aunt Wen want to be released from confinement?"

Meng Shu was taken aback, scratched her head, something was wrong. She had been trying to guide her, but why was the Second Miss throwing the question back at her in its entirety?

She had to rephrase her question: "What does Second Miss think Aunt Wen wants most?"

The second young lady lay back down on the bed, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She instantly understood what was going on, and she answered Mr. Lin's question as if she had been in Muyunzhai:

"She wants to have a son!"