Xie Nanjia stopped when he heard this.
The Second Young Master loves beauty and is extremely picky about the looks of his servants. Those who catch his eye, no matter if they are servants or guards in the outer courtyard, must be decent-looking. Those who serve him closely are even more carefully selected, even more particular than the emperor's selection of concubines. It is rumored in the capital that the Second Young Master's courtyard is filled with beauties, and even the maid who washes the toilet is so beautiful that she can shame the moon and flowers.
Xie Nanjia thought for a moment, then turned and squeezed towards the door.
After taking two steps, his hand was grabbed by Xiu'er's mother.
"Xiu'er, this second young master doesn't sound like a serious person. Let's go home first!" Xiu'er's mother said in a low voice.
Only then did Xie Nanjia remember that he did not come here alone.
But she couldn't leave. This was the only way to get through that door. If she missed it, it would be gone.
"Mom, there's no news about the house renovation yet, let's wait a little longer!" said Xie Nanjia.
"No, what if you are chosen to serve?" Xiu'er's mother pulled her out of the crowd very forcefully.
Xie Nanjia understood her concerns.
The Second Young Master is indeed not a good person. He came to check on the disaster situation temporarily and was picky about the servants. Everyone knew why he picked those who looked good.
Xie Nanjia couldn't break free from Xiu'er's mother's hand and could only watch this only chance slip away, feeling extremely regretful.
When she got home, Xiu'er's mother pulled her into the kitchen and scraped the ashes from the bottom of the pot and smeared them on her face.
Xie Nanjia laughed: "It's useless for you to do this. It's impossible for the Second Young Master to choose the person himself. It must be Hu Sanmu who chooses him."
Xiu'er's mother was stunned: "Yes, Hu Sanmu knows what you look like. We just had a fight with him. He will definitely not let us go. Go pack some clothes. Mother will take you out to hide for a few days."
"What about the house?" Xie Nanjia didn't want to leave. If she left, she wouldn't get any news.
"A house is not as important as you." Xiu'er's mother hurriedly pulled her to the main room to pack her clothes.
Xie Nanjia was in a dilemma as she looked at Xiu'er's mother busying around.
If she left, she would lose a great opportunity. If she didn't leave, Xiu'er's mother would be driven crazy.
She had already occupied Xiu'er's body, and it would be too cruel and heartless to make the mother anxious and in danger.
While she was hesitating, Xiu'er's mother had already packed her bag and pulled her out.
Xie Nanjia paused and said, "Mom, maybe we don't have to hide at all. Hu Sanmu probably won't choose me to serve him."
"Why?" asked Xiu'er's mother.
"We had a bad relationship with him, and he picked me. If the second young master takes a fancy to me, it would be disadvantageous to him," said Xie Nanjia.
"Really?" Xiu'er's mother asked uncertainly.
"Of course, he is so smart, he must have thought a lot and would not make himself uncomfortable," said Xie Nanjia.
Xiu'er's mother looked at her and asked suspiciously, "Xiu'er, how come you suddenly become so smart? Are you really my Xiu'er?"
Xie Nanjia's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled to cover it up, saying half-truthfully, "Maybe the brain got opened up by being hit by a beam. If I had known that this would make me smarter, I should have hit my head against the wall before."
"Just when I said you were smart, you're stupid again. Can you just bang your head against the wall? If you get hurt, will your mother still be alive?" Xiu'er's mother glared at her in reproach and put down her bag. "Then you stay at home. I'll go over there to check the situation. I'll lock the door from the outside. If someone comes to knock on the door, you must not answer it."
Xie Nanjia nodded in agreement.
Xiu'er's mother locked the door and went back to the mansion.
Xie Nanjia was upset and restless.
After an hour, Xiu'er's mother came back, and she looked relieved.
"You guessed it right. Hu Sanmu didn't choose you." She said happily and told Xie Nanjia the names of several selected girls.
Xie Nanjia didn't recognize any of them and could only nod along.
Xiu'er's mother sighed: "Hu Sanmu is really well-informed. All the people he selected are the best in Zhuangzi."
After a pause, he said with a bit of pride: "But it's not even one ten-thousandth as good as my sleeves."
"..." Although Xie Nanjia was speechless, she also agreed with her words. This girl named Xiu'er was truly a beauty, so beautiful that she was out of place in this poor family.
By the evening, there was definite news about the house repairs. The second young master would build new houses for all the families in the village, regardless of whether their houses had collapsed before or not. In addition, each household would receive 20 taels of silver in relief and one dan of disaster relief grain per person. People had already been sent back to Beijing to make preparations.
When the news came out, the villagers were excited and spontaneously ran to the outside of the mansion to kowtow to the second young master, saying that he was kind-hearted, compassionate, and a living Bodhisattva who was merciful and saved people from suffering.
Even though this living Bodhisattva never showed his face from beginning to end, it could not stop their continuous praise and admiration like a river.
Xiu'er's mother was no exception. She was extremely grateful to the Second Young Master and praised him highly. Before going to bed, she even prayed to all the gods, asking them to bless the Second Young Master with a long life. She completely forgot that a few hours ago, the Second Young Master was still a sex demon in her eyes.
Xie Nanjia disagreed with this. In her opinion, Zhao Jingyu was just using the money from the Marquis' Mansion to gain a good reputation for himself.
No, people like him don't care about reputation. It's obvious that he thinks the Marquis's Mansion has too much money, so he helps to squander some of it to prevent it from getting moldy.
It's definitely not out of compassion.
Xiu'er's mother was happy and told Xie Nanjia about how the Second Young Master took her and her son in seven years ago. She said with emotion: "Although the Second Young Master loved to tease you back then, he is really our great benefactor."
Xie Nanjia didn't expect that Xiu'er and Zhao Jingyu would have such an intersection. It seems that the arrangement of fate is really wonderful.
*****
The next day, the steward gathered the villagers to start working. The men were responsible for preparing to build a new house, while the women and children went to the fields to clean up the drowned crops and prepare for the next season's farming.
The villagers were grateful for the Second Young Master's kindness and had hope for the future. They were all in high spirits and full of energy.
Xiu'er's mother was no longer worried about her daughter being chosen to serve the second young master. After breakfast, she went to the fields, leaving Xie Nanjia alone at home to recuperate.
Xie Nanjia had no time to rest.
A person as arrogant and extravagant as Zhao Jingyu would not stay in this remote place for a long time. He would probably be in a hurry to leave after finishing his business. She had to hurry up and sneak into the mansion. Even if she couldn't see Zhao Jingyu himself, it would be good to meet his entourage and find out some information.
Thinking of this, she dressed up and quietly went to the mansion.
(End of this chapter)