Xie Nanjia said hello to Zhen'er and Nanny Li, then followed Yunying.
Yunying didn't treat Xie Nanjia well at all along the way. She walked with her nose in the air and didn't even look at her the whole time.
Xie Nanjia didn't care. She followed him silently, thinking about her own things.
When they got outside the courtyard, Yun Ying gave a sarcastic warning: "Don't think that just because Madam has called you twice, you are a big hit in front of Madam. Remember your status and stop wagging your tail in front of Madam."
Xie Nanjia smiled faintly and glanced at her: "Sister Yunying, are you afraid that I will replace you? Don't worry, I am doing very well with the Fourth Miss and have never thought about coming to the Madam's side."
"Would I be afraid of you?" Yun Ying was embarrassed by what she was thinking, and said angrily, "I have served the Madam for many years, and you have only been in the mansion for a few days. What qualifications do you have to replace me? I just can't stand your fawning behavior, so I just gave you a reminder. You really take yourself too seriously."
Xie Nanjia smiled again and said leisurely, "Thank you, Sister Yunying, for reminding me. It is impolite not to return the favor. I would also like to remind you that the masters value our abilities, not the number of years we have served them, and the money we have received has nothing to do with it."
"You!" Yunying's anger grew even greater, "Are you saying that I have no ability?"
"I can't say whether you have the ability or not, but at least you are broad-minded and generous." Xie Nanjia said, "Although I have only met Madam a few times, I can clearly see that Madam likes people who are steady, experienced and calm. Otherwise, why would she give you to Miss Cousin instead of Yunyan?"
Yun Ying's breath got stuck in her chest, and she almost choked to death. She raised her hand to slap Xie Nanjia in the face: "You are trying to sow discord between us. I must teach you a lesson today!"
Xie Nanjia grabbed her wrist and continued to smile, "Sister, I'm going to see the lady later. If the lady sees the wound on my face and asks about the reason, I won't hide it for you."
“…” Yunying’s face flushed and she withdrew her hand in frustration.
Xie Nanjia continued smiling, "But don't worry, sister. My cousin will be back soon. You helped my cousin solve such a big problem before. I'm sure she will take you back as soon as she comes back. Your personality is the best match for my cousin."
Yunying's face changed, and she glared at him, "What big trouble? Don't make up stories. I was only responsible for taking care of my cousin's clothes and meals. I didn't do anything else."
"Oh." Xie Nanjia responded indifferently, and suddenly changed the subject, not saying another word.
Yunying felt as if something was stuck in her throat. She stopped and grabbed her shoulders: "Tell me clearly, what did I do?"
Xie Nanjia's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and then they were filled with smiles again: "What you have done, only heaven, earth, ghosts and gods know, how can I know? If you want to know whether you have a clear conscience, it is very simple. When it is dark, open the window and look outside. If you dare to look, you have a clear conscience, and if you don't dare to look, you have a guilty conscience!"
"You... are crazy, I don't want to bother with you!" Yunying pushed her hard and walked straight into the yard.
Xie Nanjia stopped smiling, looked at her intently, and followed her in.
She likes people who can't keep their cool, and they will show their true colors if she provokes them.
If Qin Wanru was really the murderer, she couldn't have been without help. Yunying was Qin's confidant and had her trust the most. If Yunying really helped Qin Wanru, she couldn't have failed to tell Qin. So, if her guesses were true, it meant that Qin was also an insider.
In this way, when Qin quickly replaced most of the servants in the mansion after her death, it was not just for the general's house to see.
She was trying to silence Qin Wanru.
Since they wanted to silence the witness, it meant there was someone who knew about the incident. Then, she had no idea who that person was and whether he was alive or dead.
Of course, all of the above are just her assumptions. It is impossible to draw a completely correct judgment based solely on Yunying's performance. Next, she will have to find a way to confirm it.
Xie Nanjia knelt before Qin and saluted, hiding all her thoughts in the moment of kowtowing. When she raised her head again, she was that clever and cheerful little girl again.
"What magic medicine did Madam take? How come you look more radiant after not seeing you for a few days?" she asked with a smile.
There is no woman who doesn't care about her appearance. Even if she knows it's a compliment, she still feels very happy. Qin was so happy that she smiled and said in a feigned anger, "Girl, I haven't seen you for a few days. You've become more and more good at lying. They say youth is gone and never comes back. How can you get younger as you grow older?"
"Of course not." Xie Nanjia said seriously, "Madam is a living example!"
"Haha!" Qin was so happy that she pointed at her and said, "You have such a big mouth. No wonder even the old lady was convinced by you."
When the people in the room saw the lady laughing, they were all happy too. Aunt Cao said, "That's right. I see that in this whole house, the only person who can coax the old lady is Xiu'er."
Qin nodded repeatedly and asked Xie Nanjia: "Why did you want to persuade the old lady?"
Xie Nanjia replied, "As soon as I came back, I heard that the Madam and the Old Lady were unhappy about the prince's marriage, and the Marquis was also worried about it. People often say that a harmonious family is the root of all prosperity. Of course, a family must be harmonious in order for the family to prosper. Although I am a servant, I am also a member of the family. Naturally, I have to find a way to help the master solve the problem. If the master is happy, our lives will be better!"
Such high-sounding words gave goose bumps to all the servants in the room, but the lady loved to hear them and was so happy that crow's feet appeared on her face.
"Okay, okay, this is how a servant should behave. You should all learn from this!" Qin took off a jade hairpin from her hair and handed it to Xie Nanjia. "There is a reward for every merit. This hairpin is given to you."
"Madam Xie, but this hairpin is too valuable. I dare not accept it." Xie Nanjia said.
"What's there to be afraid of? This is what you deserve." Qin said, waving her over and personally putting the money in her hands.
Xie Nanjia thanked him again and kept it close to his body.
"Okay, all of you go down. Xiu'er and I want to talk alone for a few minutes." Qin ordered everyone.
"Yes!" The maids and servants responded one after another and filed out.
Yunyan and Yunying closed the door and stood guard outside. Yunyan curled her lips and whispered to Yunying, "The country girl is really ignorant and can't tell good from bad. The hairpin is just something the lady keeps to reward the servants, but she treats it as a treasure."
There was a distinct bitterness in her words, clearly envy, jealousy and hatred. If it were any other time, Yunying would definitely have echoed her and joined her in denouncing Xie Nanjia, but Xie Nanjia's words just now outside the courtyard still left a knot in her heart.
They were both maids of the same generation named Yun who entered the mansion together. Why did the Madam assign her to the cousin and keep Yunyan by her side to serve her
In terms of appearance, talent, and loyalty, how is she inferior to Yunyan
Xiu'er said that the lady likes steady people, and Yunyan is not necessarily that steady, she just pretends to be. Maybe she doesn't want to go, and is doing something behind the scenes!
The more Yunying thought about it, the more unbalanced she felt. She no longer bothered to pay attention to Yunyan and just stood there with a gloomy face, keeping silent.
Yun Yan didn't understand what was going on, so she pushed her and asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you angry with Xiu'er?"
"What do you care?" Yunying waved her hand away. "I think you are no different from Xiu'er. You are always playing tricks!"
"Hey, what do you mean? Did I provoke you?" Yun Yan was also annoyed.
"You didn't provoke me, I just don't want to talk to you!" Yun Ying snorted.
Yun Yan was so angry that he was breathing heavily, but because his wife was in the room, he couldn't lose his temper and could only endure it.
From then on, a rift developed between the two of them and they were no longer as close as before.
After leaving Qin, Xie Nanjia went to Sijinyuan again to look for Hualou.
When they arrived at the place, the child had just woken up and the wet nurse was holding him and playing with him. Xie Nanjia casually gave the hairpin that Qin had rewarded her to the wet nurse.
The wet nurse was very surprised to see that she had a good thing but gave it to herself instead of Hualou. After thanking her, she immediately put the hairpin on her head and asked if it looked good.
Xie Nanjia and Hualou both said it was beautiful, which made the nanny very happy.
"Where did the hairpin come from?" Hualou led her into the room and asked casually.
"It was given by Madam Qin." Xie Nanjia said, "Why, you want it too?"
Hualou curled his lips and said, "I don't want it. It just looks good. Any of the ones my young lady gave me before are better than this one."
"You have good taste." Xie Nanjia said with a smile, "Quickly bring my bag, there are treasures in it, if you like any one, I'll give it to you."
Hualou took the bag out of the cupboard and gave it to her.
Xie Nanjia took it, put the bundle on the bed and opened it. Hualou didn't care at first, but when he opened the bundle layer by layer, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh my god, so many good things?" She exclaimed, picking up the golden slingshot that Cheng Zhiye had awarded her and looking at it again and again, "This one is quite exquisite, perfect for the young master to play with. My young lady is very skilled in bows and slings, and the young master wants to be like his mother when he grows up."
Xie Nanjia said: "We are of the same mind. This is for the young master."
"Really? Then let me thank you on behalf of the young master." Hualou was afraid that she would go back on her word, so he immediately stuffed her into his arms.
"Look at what you have accomplished!" Xie Nanjia rolled her eyes at her and picked out two jade pendants. "These two are for Xiaofu and Xiaoxi."
"This is a good stuff, it's a bargain for them." Hualou said.
"They have been dedicated in guarding our house, so they deserve it." Xie Nanjia said, and picked out a dagger inlaid with gems. "This dagger was made by Master Gongsun. It is made of fine steel that can cut iron like mud. It is the best gift for Brother Feng."
"What about me?" Hualou asked.
"You choose it yourself!" said Xie Nanjia.
Hualou picked and chose and finally chose the white fox fur: "I want this one."
"That won't do." Xie Nanjia said, "This is what the Second Young Master gave me. If he gets crazy and asks about it one day, I'll be finished if I can't give it to him."
She held the white fox skin and recalled the scene of Zhao Jingyu returning from hunting the day before, with the skin in his hands and a pheasant hanging around his waist, his face covered with dust and dust but still full of vigor and vitality.
An inexplicable feeling flashed through her heart, and she suddenly missed Zhao Jingyu strongly.
I haven't seen him for a few days. I wonder if the wound on the back of his head has healed
Thinking of the injury, she naturally thought of the series of actions Zhao Jingyu took to protect her that day. At that time, she was so nervous that she didn't notice it, but now when she thinks about it again, she can't help but feel her face getting hot and her heart beating fast.
After all, we lived and died together. Otherwise, I should go see him tonight to see if his injury has healed, and find out what he has been up to recently.
"What's with that expression on your face?" Hua Lou saw that she suddenly became dazed, waved his hand in front of her eyes, and joked, "You blush when I talk about the second young master, are you in love with him?"
Xie Nanjia was startled suddenly, and when she came to her senses, she quickly denied it: "How is that possible? I'm not thinking about him, I'm thinking about something else."
"Anything else?" Hualou asked.
"The secret cannot be revealed." Xie Nanjia said seriously.
After distributing the gifts to everyone in Sijin Courtyard, the treasures that could not be given away were still given to Hualou for safekeeping. Xie Nanjia rewrapped the remaining sets of clothes and the gifts for Fourth Miss Suhe and the others and took them back.
After the fourth young lady came back from school, Xie Nanjia took out the gifts and distributed them to everyone one by one. The fourth young lady was not very interested in the jewelry, but liked the pheasant feathers very much. She personally chose a vase to put them in, and also cut flowers and grass in the yard to match them.
There was a female teacher in the school who specialized in teaching flower arrangement. She learned very well and her combinations were very unique.
The master and his servants gathered around to admire it for a while before Zhao Lanzhi took Xie Nanjia to Ci'an Residence.
The old lady went to Fanyin Temple today and listened to the abbot of the temple preaching for half a day. She felt much better and looked energetic.
Seeing Zhao Lanzhi and Xie Nanjia coming over, she called them over with a smile and told them some interesting things about the outside world. Then she suddenly changed the subject and asked Xie Nanjia in an unpredictable manner, "I heard that you went to the Madam today and made her very happy. You also got a fine jade hairpin?"
(End of this chapter)