Chapter 222: Looking for Trouble

After sleeping for a full two hours, she felt refreshed.

She remembered leaning against Alisha when she fell asleep, but she was in the tent when she woke up; Alisha must have carried her back.

This woman is truly strong.

As soon as Shi Youxuan walked out of the tent, she smelled the aroma of fish; a few simple stoves had been built about thirty meters away from the tent, and the fishy fragrance was coming from there.

Alisha was busy at the stove with her back to her, and the silhouette looked somewhat familiar...

No, it was exceptionally familiar.

In countless midnight dreams, she had seen this figure in her sleep, a sight that brought her both hatred and pain.

Damn it, how could it be so similar?

At this moment, Xiaozhu suddenly ran over, her dirty little hands clutching Shi Youxuan's thigh as she complained, "Mommy, you're finally awake. We need to go keep an eye on Alisha."

The little one was nervous, her small face very serious.

Shi Youxuan took out a disinfectant wipe to clean the little girl's face and hands, asking as she wiped, "Why do we need to keep an eye on Alisha? Did she do something bad? If you don't like her, I can just dismiss her; there's no need to watch her."

She had intended it as a joke with the child, but the little one took it seriously.

Shi Ran was very angry; she shook off her mother's hand and questioned her like a little adult: "I didn't think you were that kind of person, you have no... no vision!"

"Several of my friends' mommies have taken a fancy to Alisha. Just now, while you were asleep and away, they wanted to offer Alisha a high salary to poach her for their own homes, and you still want to dismiss her?"

"If you really dismiss Alisha, then I won't have a good mommy anymore, only a bad mommy, and Xiaozhu will never be good to Mommy again."

The little one was truly angry; they had come out to play with the child and make her happy, so there was no need to make her unhappy by teasing her.

Shi Youxuan hurriedly coaxed her: "Xiaozhu, don't be angry. Mommy was just teasing you. Mommy promises that Alisha won't leave; no matter how much money others offer, she won't go."

"How do you know?" The little one was skeptical.

She rubbed the top of her daughter's head and said with a smile, "Because our Xiaozhu is especially, especially likable, and Alisha likes you very much, so she won't leave."

"Mm."

Xiaozhu was very satisfied with this answer.

After everyone's busy morning, each family brought two dishes to the dining table.

The table was very simple, and since the sun was just right outside with a gentle breeze, they simply set everything up outdoors.

The dishes were a motley collection, with all sorts of varieties.

However, not a single one was bought from outside; they were all prepared by everyone working together—picked from trees, gathered from the fields, caught in the river...

And they had processed them into delicacies by hand, which was full of a sense of achievement.

Shi Youxuan, however, hadn't contributed, as she was sleeping while the cooking was done, so she felt somewhat guilty sitting at the table.

Fortunately, Alisha was very capable; not only did she make a pot of sweet and sour fish, but she also made a dish of river shrimp stir-fried with garlic sprouts.

With their color, aroma, and taste all perfect, these two dishes became the most popular ones on the table.

Additionally, she had "incidentally" caught two wild rabbits in the bushes opposite the kindergarten.

They were cleaned by another family's servant and, under Alisha's guidance, made into braised rabbit meat, which also left everyone thoroughly satisfied.

Shi Youxuan picked a piece of fish for Shi Ran and removed the bones, but instead of giving it to Shi Ran, she placed it in Alisha's bowl: "Don't just take care of her, eat more yourself."

If you don't eat it now, it will be gone.

Sitting opposite was a glamorous noblewoman whose son was the kindergarten's famous "Bitichong," but since her husband worked in a key national department, she acted arrogant and looked down on others.

Among the many people present, she found Shi Youxuan particularly unpleasant.

Shi Youxuan was not only prettier than her but also very wealthy, and she was jealous.

Seeing Shi Youxuan serve food to Alisha, the noblewoman immediately thought her chance had come; she curled her pinky finger and said with a fake smile, "Oh my, our Lady Zhu is really good to her servant. Not only do you let the servant eat at the same table as us, but you even serve her food... Those who know will say you are kind and considerate to your servant, but those who don't..."

She deliberately left the second half of the sentence unsaid, covering her mouth with a smirk.

Leaving the words unfinished was more likely to invite speculation than saying them outright.

When Alisha carried Shi Youxuan into the tent, most people at the table had seen it.

If that woman hadn't spoken like that, no one would have thought in that direction, but once reminded by her, everyone's gaze toward Shi Youxuan and Alisha changed.

It was filled with contempt and disdain.

Although L Country was prosperous, its social customs were conservative, and people were particularly repulsed by such unconventional matters.

That woman was definitely speaking this way on purpose, deliberately splashing dirty water on Shi Youxuan to smear her reputation.

If Shi Youxuan were to lash out on the spot, since the woman hadn't stated it explicitly, she would be suspected of "protesting too much."

If she didn't lash out and swallowed this insult, it would be a tacit admission of the woman's slander and framing.

The air suddenly went quiet, and the table, which had been lively just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent.

Some even moved their children's chairs closer to themselves, keeping a distance from Shi Ran; although this distance wouldn't help much, it showed their attitude.

Shi Youxuan picked up her water glass, took a sip, smiled slightly, and spoke calmly: "Alisha is not a servant in our home; she is my daughter's savior. A while ago, when my daughter and Qi Heng were climbing the elephant and fell off, if Alisha hadn't caught her just in time, it would be hard to say whether we could even be here today."

The kindergarten staff and many parents knew about this incident, and as soon as she explained it, the atmosphere changed immediately.

A savior cannot be treated the same as an ordinary servant; if they were, people would criticize the family for being heartless and ungrateful.

Shi Youxuan's actions just now were perfectly fine.

The atmosphere became lively again, and everyone started talking about the incident where Shi Ran was saved.

The kindergarten director also said: "Yes, we were all there at the time. If Alisha hadn't arrived in time, there would have been a human tragedy, a happy family would have been lost, and I would have ended up in prison."

After she finished speaking, she wiped the corner of her eye to match the mood, then picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Alisha's plate as well.

The director was nearly sixty, so no one could possibly associate her with anything improper.

The noblewoman gave a sheepish smile, wanting to change the subject and gloss over the matter.

But it wasn't that easy.

Shi Youxuan's principle had always been not to offend unless offended, but since this woman had actively come to her face looking for death, she couldn't help but oblige.

"I just heard that Lady Zhang asked our Alisha for a private talk, and Alisha's expression has been poor ever since. She cannot speak, so I must trouble Lady Zhang to tell me, what did you say to her?"

"Ah? Hehe, I didn't say anything... Right, nothing at all, just some idle chatter." Lady Zhang dodged Shi Youxuan's gaze, her expression very flustered.

She had not expected Shi Youxuan to play outside the rules, actually asking it so brazenly at the dining table.

Poaching someone's staff is no major matter.

But she had just smeared the relationship between Shi Youxuan and Alisha; if she were to admit to poaching from the Zhu Family in front of everyone now...

It would cast suspicion that she had designs on Alisha and had intentionally smeared Shi Youxuan, and once that suspicion was set, it would be easy to carry for a lifetime; her husband might even divorce her over this!

Cold sweat broke out on Lady Zhang's forehead; she was truly panicked.

When one is anxious, it is easy to lose one's composure, and once composure is lost, one makes foolish moves; Lady Zhang began to lash out wildly.

"I didn't ask her anything; my diamond necklace went missing, and someone saw Alisha pick it up, so I was just asking her about it."