Chapter 6 Occupying the Land
"So, Ruchun, every time you empty the night bucket, do you turn it upside down to see if there is anything inside, and then clean it up?"
After saying this, Yu's mother, who was drinking water, felt as if her throat was blocked. Wanxiang and Ruchun looked at each other and said nothing.
Wanxiang looked at Yu's mother, who sat up from her chair. "No matter what, Ruchun clearly remembered that her earrings fell into the toilet bucket when she was using the toilet, and it was you who emptied the toilet bucket this morning. There is no doubt about this. Think about it again. Have you ever seen it? Maybe it was accidentally poured out when she was washing?"
"To answer Mom, I really didn't see it. Even if it really fell into the bucket, you know it was still dark when I went to empty the night bucket. How could I see it clearly when I was washing?"
Mother Yu nodded. Before she could ask anything else, she heard Ruchun say unhappily, "That's how it is. You have to compensate me for the earrings. If you...if you don't, I will report you to my wife and have someone sell you out."
"Your earrings are lost, what does it have to do with me? I didn't take them, why should I acknowledge them? Anyway, the lady will be here in a few days, so please tell her about this matter, and we can talk it out in front of her. Although I just bought them, I am innocent, how can I be framed like this for no reason?"
Su Qing figured it out. The more you tolerate these people, the more they think you are easy to bully. It's better to just let it go. It's the same situation anyway. How bad can you be?
"Forget it, since you didn't see it and have no impression of it, maybe Ruchun accidentally dropped it somewhere else. You can look for it again." Mother Yu stood up and was about to go out.
"Mother Yu, why don't you search her closet? Who knows if she might have hidden it."
Su Qing was almost laughing at this brainless Ruchun. "Hidden in the closet? Ruchun, you lost it this morning. I went out with the night bucket this morning and never came back. Everyone can testify to this, right? How did I hide your damn earrings? Besides, am I stupid? I stole your things and put them in the closet for you to search? If you really found something in my closet now, I would suspect that someone deliberately framed me."
Ruchun listened to Su Qing's speech and stood there with her mouth open, unable to say anything in return.
Mother Yu shook her head in her heart, thinking about how Ruchun's aunt, Guangzhu's wife who worked in the Madam's kitchen, had come to her a few days ago. Although Ruchun's aunt worked for the Madam, she was not in charge and was not highly valued. She was only kept in the kitchen by the Madam because the soup she made tasted pretty good.
"I know your quota is full, but Ruchun's younger sister is really good, diligent and obedient. You also know that I must find a way to bring Ruchun to the East Palace when I come with Madam this time, and then let her sister take Ruchun's place here."
Mother Yu frowned and said, "You also said that my quota is full. Who do you want me to send out to make room for Ruchun's sister?"
"One of the ones you bought later is sick, so just take him out."
"Although she is new here, she is usually well-behaved and obedient. Besides, everyone has headaches and fevers. If I send her out at this time, others will not be able to accuse me of being unkind."
Ruchun's aunt whispered, "Of course I won't make it difficult for you. I'll ask Ruchun to find something wrong with her, and then you can use this as an excuse to send the traffickers to take her away. I think the lady won't ask about this."
"If the Madam doesn't ask, won't Madam Wu beside her ask? My sister works in the East Palace. Do you think that no one will care about us because we are so far away from the emperor? When has Madam Wu not called me to the palace to ask about it?"
Aunt Ruchun stepped forward and stuffed something into Yu Mama's hand while continuing, "I know this will embarrass Old Sister, but don't worry, if Mother Wu comes and asks about it, I will make it right for Old Sister."
Mother Yu weighed the weight of her purse and was satisfied. What was the point of selling a maid, especially one that had just been bought. The names of the newly added maids for the Madam had not even been reported yet. When the time came, it would be nothing more than changing Su Qing's name to Ruchun's. Besides, Su Qing had been feeling dizzy recently and had been lying down for several days.
But when her son looked at Su Qing, Mother Yu frowned and thought deeply. Seeing Ruchun blushing and hesitant after being criticized by Su Qing, and her cousin niece, who was usually quite smart and clever, looked at Su Qing in surprise this time and didn't know how to respond.
She had many dissatisfactions with Wanxiang, whom she had always wanted to help, but she was just a distant relative and the tallest of the short ones. Now, looking at Su Qing's words and behavior, she wondered whether she should... But her body was really...
Mother Yu started to think about it, and stood up and said, "Okay, let's just forget about it. From now on, you should take care of your own things. Don't be upset if you can't find this today and that tomorrow. Pack everything up, and go to the front hall after dinner. The day after tomorrow, my wife will be here, and some chores need to be redistributed."
While walking out, he instructed Wanxiang to go and notify the servants of the original West House in other places.
Ruchun's plan failed, and she was very angry. Thinking about what her family had discussed last night, they thought it would be easiest to go after Su Qing. This time, six new maids were brought into the West House for the mistress, including three born in the family, three bought from outside, namely Su Qing and Cai'er, and one named Shuiqin.
The reason why we didn't think of sending Ruchun directly here at first was because Ruchun's mother was reluctant to do so. She thought that the family didn't lack the allowance for this daughter, and she would just find a suitable man to marry when she reached the age. It was Ruchun's aunt who came back and said that she would try to bring Ruchun to the East Mansion this time, and said that Ruchun's mother was short-sighted. Even if she didn't go to the East Mansion, as long as she worked in the West Mansion for a few years, there would be a lot of benefits. If she really loved her little daughter, it would be best to stay in the West Mansion. There was no master, and the work was not tiring. As long as she could make arrangements with Yu Mama, she could get a monthly allowance, and it would be easier to find a husband to marry in the future.
Besides, if Ruchun does a good job in the East Mansion, it is not impossible to transfer her sister there. Therefore, it is convenient to take up a position in the West Mansion at this time and wait for the opportunity.
Ruchun's mother had her own plan when she heard this. If both of her daughters really went to work in the East Palace, she would also have a good reputation, right? So the family planned to let Ruchun come in, but the palace was full, and if she wanted to come in, she had to go out. So the family decided to take Su Qing.
Looking at the purse that Yu's mother returned, Ru Chunniang said bitterly, "She can't even make the decision on such a small favor. She usually does this a lot."
"It's not her fault. If this guy named Qing had been nailed to death today, the matter would have been resolved. I didn't expect that the girl was actually so cunning. She's not like what Chun'er said." Guangzhu's family turned around to look at Ruchun.