Chapter 137: Sister Sister Xiaodie, Xiao Xiao Xiaotao, the Green Grass Room, and Mama [Bowing in gratitude for everyone's support

Lin Lin Qinshuang spoke, then glanced at Zhou Zhou Xueniang; Zhou Xueniang nodded repeatedly, her gaze fixed on the eastern pearl as she said, "Xiao Niang, just a few days ago that pearl-merchant woman came to our place letting us pick pearls. Even the finest pearls she had weren't half the size of this one, were they?"

Hearing this, Mo Lan and Chang Feng both showed faces of astonishment.

Lin Lin Qinshuang examined it closely, then waved her hand; Zhou Xueniang understood the meaning and hurried to the cabinet, taking out a small box.

Inside were three pearls, which usually looked quite fine,

but when goods are compared, inferior ones must be discarded; compared to the pearl on Mo Lan's hairpin, these several valuable pearls suddenly appeared ugly.

Lin Lin Qinshuang walked to the window again to examine it carefully, then said to Zhou Xueniang, "Could it be..."

Zhou Xueniang's eyes widened slightly as she said, "Xiao Niang, could it not be a tribute item sent to the palace? Otherwise, it would not possess such color!"

A brilliant light shot from Lin Xiao Niang's eyes: "This Hou Fu is truly extravagant; to send out such a fine object as a gift!"

Mo Lan, seeing her mother's expression, whispered, "Mother, this is my..."

"Mo'er, Mother knows; Mother will keep it safe for you."

In the side courtyard, Ming Lan and Xiao Xiao Xiaotao happily ran for a stretch, stopped, then ran another stretch.

They carried a food tier from Shou An Tang in their hands.

Inside were pastries, meat dishes, and dried fruits.

"A-Niang, we are back," Ming Lan called out.

"Mm! Were you obedient at Grandmother's?" Wei Wei Shuyi rubbed her eyes and waist, which felt somewhat weary.

"I was obedient! I didn't interrupt even when Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister argued," Ming Lan said, placing the food tier on the small table beside Wei Wei Shuyi as if presenting a treasure.

"A-Niang, look, this food tier was given by the old nurse in Grandmother's room on Jing Biao Ge's orders. Xiao Xiao Xiaotao and I wanted to put it in our pockets, but Jing Biao Ge saw us, so he had it sent in the tier instead," Ming Lan said while opening the food tier.

The food was still somewhat warm; Wei Wei Shuyi took the chopsticks from the tier, tasted a bite, and nodded: "Ming'er, did you thank this older brother? Also, were the meals in your Grandmother's quarters delicious?"

"I thanked him; Jing Biao Ge said I am a sensible little yellow-haired girl! Hmph! It was delicious," Ming Lan said, picking up a piece of meat with her hand and putting it in her mouth.

Then Wei Wei Shuyi tapped her hand with the chopsticks.

"In that case, if you go to Grandmother's courtyard every day, you can eat such delicious food," Wei Wei Shuyi said, looking at her daughter.

Ming Lan thought for a moment before saying, "I won't go; I want to take care of A-Niang!"

Then she casually pulled a velvet pouch containing the gift from Hou Fu out of her pocket, placed it carelessly on the small table, and took a piece of preserved fruit for Xiao Xiao Xiaotao.

Wei Wei Shuyi picked up the cloth pouch and asked, "What is this?"

At that moment, Sister Sister Xiaodie walked in from outside, carrying a basket of charcoal in her arms.

Ming Lan fed a piece of candied fruit to Sister Sister Xiaodie, then turned to glance at Wei Wei Shuyi and said, "It is a gift from Jing Biao Ge's family to my older brother, older sisters, and me."

Wei Wei Shuyi poured out the contents, her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at the items inside, especially that hairpin; holding the hairpin and examining the pearl on it closely, she said in a somewhat dazed manner, "This is far too valuable."

Sister Sister Xiaodie set down the basket and asked curiously, "Xiao Niang, what is wrong?"

Since she began serving Wei Wei Shuyi, she had rarely seen Wei Wei Shuyi look so somewhat out of sorts.

Wei Wei Shuyi repeated, "This gift is too valuable."

Ming Lan glanced at it and asked, "A-Niang, Fifth Sister said these zodiac figures are solid gold, merely more exquisite and better-looking than the ones Uncle Wei gave before. Are they not more valuable than this simple hairpin?"

Wei Wei Shuyi put down the hairpin, looked at the three curious individuals, and said, "Ming'er, the 'Pearl Compilation' states: pearls weighing seven fen are treasures, eight fen are jewels; those with a diameter from five fen to one inch are top grade. The pearl on this hairpin likely weighs no less than seven fen, with a diameter nearing one inch. Such quality is unseen in the market; fear it is only... a tribute item that would possess such appearance."

Hearing Wei Wei Shuyi's words, Sister Sister Xiaodie did not understand the rest, but she understood the two words 'tribute item'.

Wei Wei Shuyi smiled and said, "When you grow up in the future and marry, wearing just one such pearl hairpin will make people marvel."

"Oh~" Matters so many years in the future, Ming Lan did not understand.

"By the way, Mother, Jing Biao Ge said relatives will come tomorrow too!" Ming Lan added.

Hearing this, Wei Wei Shuyi paused in surprise and asked, "Only Jing Biao Ge came today? Then perhaps there are other relatives coming tomorrow."

Ming Lan and Xiao Xiao Xiaotao exchanged glances, both little ones' eyes full of excitement.

Because there would be delicious food again.

Meanwhile, Wei Wei Shuyi carefully placed the hairpin and gold ornaments into the cloth pouch, while pondering in her heart:

'Will someone come tomorrow?'

Wei Wei Shuyi felt somewhat nervous and hopeful in her heart.

The next day

Around the hour of Mao (before 5 AM)

Sister Sister Xiaodie and Xiao Xiao Xiaotao got up to fetch water for washing faces.

At the entrance of the main kitchen.

"Old Nurse~"

The old woman guarding the stove was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard someone calling her,

The side courtyard was the closest of all courtyards to the kitchen.

And the Old Lady's Shou An Tang had a small kitchen, while Wu Da Da Niangzi's Wei Rui Weirui Xuan and Lin Xiao Niang's Lin Qige would not come this early.

She paid no heed to this call.

"Old Nurse?"

A moment later,

"Whoosh~"

The door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind blew in.

The old woman irritably opened her blurry eyes and saw the short young maid at the doorway.

"This Old Nurse, I have come to fetch some hot water."

Because the main kitchen was rather dark, and the sky was still somewhat black at this time, with the young maid standing with her back to the light, the old woman whose sweet dream had been disturbed vaguely saw that it was Xiao Xiao Xiaotao from Wei Wei Shuyi's side courtyard.

She shouted viciously, "Scram!"

"Old Nurse, I have come..."

"You wretched, fatherless little whore of a maid! Can't you understand what I'm saying? Get lost! Get out!"

As she spoke, she stood up and splashed out the half-basin of water sitting beside her!

"Splash!"

"Ah!" A sharp scream came from the doorway.

Immediately after,

the figure at the door turned and ran away.

After splashing the water, seeing no one left at the door, the Guan Guan Pozi walked over to watch the small figure disappearing into the distance: "Tsk! A little whore of a maid from a broken-down household, daring to disturb your grandmother's sweet dreams!"

She shut the door to the main kitchen and continued to curl up by the stove for another sleep.

Although the first lunar month had passed, the morning cold wind was still biting; as a gust of north wind blew, Sister Sister Xiaodie used one hand to wrap her clothes tighter around herself.

"Ah!"

The little girl's scream and the old woman's scolding voice drifted over.

A dozen breaths later,

Xiao Xiao Xiaotao, frightened, tugged at Sister Sister Xiaodie's clothes and said, "Sister Sister Xiaodie, someone is coming over crying."

Sister Sister Xiaodie focused her gaze and saw a young female servant about the same size as Xiao Xiao Xiaotao.

As the young female servant drew nearer, Xiao Xiao Xiaotao shouted anxiously, "Ya! Sister Sister Xiaodie, it's the maid serving that Young Master; she's the one who handed the food box to me and the Miss!!"

Sister Sister Xiaodie hurried over and, seeing the young female servant soaked from head to toe and still crying, called out, "Xiao Xiaotao, go fetch some clothes quickly; her head and body are all wet. Ask Wei Wei Xiaoniang to get that lined jacket from the bed for you."

"Yes, Sister Sister Xiaodie!"

Saying this, Sister Sister Xiaodie had already pulled the girl into her embrace and told her, "Don't leave! You're all wet! It's so cold this morning, and there's a north wind! You'll catch a chill!"

"Wuwuwuwu! I! I, I am not fatherless! My father died in a mine disaster! Wuwuwuwu! I am not fatherless!" The young female servant wept bitterly; hearing these words, Sister Sister Xiaodie realized this was another girl of bitter fate and held her even tighter.

"It's alright! It's alright! It's alright," she said, though while speaking these comforting words, Sister Sister Xiaodie's own nose turned sour and her voice took on a tearful tone, for she too had lost her father.

Seeing the young female servant's soaked hair, she hastily took off the outer jacket she was wearing and wrapped it around the girl's head.

Having received her orders, Xiao Xiao Xiaotao ran swiftly toward the side courtyard,

inside the side courtyard,

"Wei Wei Xiaoniang! Wei Wei Xiaoniang!"

Xiao Xiao Xiaotao's anxious voice rang out.

Inside the room, Wei Wei Shuyi had just risen and finished dressing Minglan in her clothes and shoes; seeing Xiao Xiao Xiaotao rush back in a panic, she quickly turned and asked, "Xiao Xiaotao! What is wrong?"

"Wei Wei Xiaoniang, the young female servant serving the noble Young Master from yesterday was splashed all over with water; Sister Sister Xiaodie sent me to get clothes, fearing she might catch a chill."

Upon hearing this, Minglan asked anxiously, "Is it the same female servant who gave us the food box yesterday?"

"Mm-hmm!" Xiao Xiao Xiaotao nodded repeatedly.

Hearing this, Wei Wei Shuyi immediately bent down, picked up the lined jacket from the bed, and said, "Go quickly! In weather like this, catching a chill would be terrible!"

Just as she was about to hand it to Xiao Xiao Xiaotao, Minglan snatched it away; Minglan stepped quickly out of the room and said, "Mother, I run fast; let's not let the young female servant catch a chill."

Xiao Xiao Xiaotao followed her out.

In no more than a dozen breaths, Minglan delivered the lined jacket, which still carried the warmth of the bedcovers.

"Sister Sister Xiaodie, cover her quickly!" Minglan shouted anxiously.

As she spoke, Minglan saw water still on the young female servant's face; she hastily used her own sleeve to wipe the girl's face, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry; I'll wipe your face clean, otherwise you'll freeze."

Sister Sister Xiaodie said, "Miss, the young female servant is crying so hard; if she walks now, she will surely inhale cold air and catch a chill; we must take her over there." As she spoke, she tightened the slightly oversized lined jacket around the young female servant.

"Mm-hmm!"

After that, the mistress and her three servants walked together to the outside of Shou'an Hall; at this moment, Mama Fang, who had just risen, had put on her clothes and was preparing to get hot water and breakfast, but since Young Master Jing had arrived, breakfast would need to be several times larger than usual.

In the dark morning light, Mama Fang heard the voices of Minglan and Sister Sister Xiaodie speaking, along with the little girl's sobbing.

Mama Fang hurried to the entrance of the Shou'an Hall courtyard and, seeing Sister Sister Xiaodie and the others, asked in a lowered voice, "What is going on here!"

Sister Sister Xiaodie hastily squatted and bowed, saying, "Mama Fang, Sister Xiao Xiaotao and I went to fetch face-washing water and met the Young Master's young female servant outside the main kitchen; she is soaked through."

Mama Fang slapped herself in annoyance, her tone full of regret as she said, "Yesterday the Old Lady instructed that the Young Master would rise early, but I didn't expect it to be this early!!! Little girl, has your Young Master already gone for morning exercise?"

Seeing Seeing Qingcao nodded in Sister Sister Xiaodie's arms.

"Ai, we still got up too late! So you were going to fetch water for your Young Master?"

Seeing Seeing Qingcao said softly to Sister Sister Xiaodie, "Sister, please put me down."

Sister Sister Xiaodie lowered herself and set Seeing Seeing Qingcao on the ground; Seeing Seeing Qingcao, wrapped in the large lined jacket, squatted and bowed, saying, "Nanny, my Young Master said that our Great-Grand-Aunt sleeps lightly and feared disturbing the elder, so he forbade me from asking for hot water, ordering me instead to go to the main kitchen to ask."

Then Seeing Seeing Qingcao began to sob again, recalling the abusive words spoken to her; since entering Hou Fu, she had never encountered such a situation, after all, she had worked deftly since childhood and always kept her eyes open for tasks.

Moreover, being one of Xu Xu Zaijing's people, no one dared to say much to her; the only one who talked too much, Sister Qingzhi, had been taken to the Gu family.

Mama Fang also squatted down and said gently, "Did you perhaps fail to hold the basin steady? It's fine; it's only a basin of water, there's no need to cry."

As she spoke, Mama Fang patted Seeing Seeing Qingcao's back to comfort her, but suddenly she paused, realizing that Seeing Seeing Qingcao's hair was somewhat wet.

"This, this isn't just failing to hold it steady; did someone pour water right onto you?" Mama Fang asked with concern.

Seeing Seeing Qingcao did not speak.

Mama Fang glanced again at Sister Sister Xiaodie, who had removed her outer jacket, and suddenly thought of a possibility; she sternly rebuked Sister Sister Xiaodie, asking, "Were you two blind to the path and bumped into this young female servant?"

And also

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(End of Chapter)