Chapter 7 Let's Go to the Kitchen
Ruchun shook her head. "I don't know why this happened. Ever since she came in, she has been so timid and cowardly. Sometimes she doesn't even say a word when she is bullied. It's just this job of emptying the night bucket. Who wants to do it? Originally, it was one person's turn per day, but everyone tried to make her do more work, and she never dared to say anything. When we eat, she is also the last one to come to the table. Even if nothing is left for her, she can still eat a bowl of soup. Oh, I don't know what's wrong with her. I have never seen her like this, nor have I heard her talk so much. It's like she has become a different person."
Guang Zhu's family stroked his forehead and said, "Forget it. Since she is not fooled, we dare not make too much noise. It's okay to make some moves on weekdays, but the opportunity for the Madam to talk to the Fourth Miss has come. They won't ask about it. But you don't know the Madam's subordinates, especially Madam Wu, who is very smart. Didn't Madam Yu also say that the names of the new maids who came in to serve this time have been passed to Madam Wu, and we can't let Ruqiu change her name."
Ruchun's mother slapped the table and said, "It's all my fault for being short-sighted. If I had gone in earlier, there wouldn't have been so many troubles. Now there's really nothing I can do."
"It's not that there is no other way. We'll see how the situation develops. Madam and the fourth young lady will be staying here for more than a month. Even if they can't go to the East Palace with us, it's not impossible to find a chance to invite Qiu'er in."
Ruchun listened to the conversation between the two and thought about how Su Qing questioned her in front of so many people. She felt very embarrassed. She had been hiding in the corner like a cat since the day she came, and she was so timid that she didn't even dare to breathe. But today she argued with her with reason and evidence. Humph, she was obviously pretending. No, she had to find a chance to vent her anger.
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Su Qing stood in the yard with everyone else. Mother Yu and Mother Liu sat on the stools on the steps, one on each side. Wanxiang held a booklet and called out names. When someone's name was called, Mother Yu would arrange what to do.
Su Qing heard that she and Shuiqin were assigned to work in the big kitchen with Ma Wu's family. She looked up to see who in the crowd was from Ma Wu's family, and happened to see a tall woman with sparse hair looking over here.
Su Qing understood. She had seen the Ma Wu family twice before. They had met each other when it was her turn to get food. They had not been very friendly but they had not given her the cold shoulder either. But the one called Shuiqin, although she was bought from outside like Caier and herself, liked to hang around Wanxiang and Ruchun. She was the kind of person who didn't have any ulterior motives.
After the work was arranged, Mother Yu deliberately kept the new girls and gave them a lecture regardless of whether they were born in the family or not.
"Although we don't see each other often, you have been learning the rules under me since you came to the house, so you are not unfamiliar with it. And the reason why you can enter the West House is very simple, that is to serve the Madam and the Fourth Miss.
"I'll say this again today. Don't try to climb the ladder and get close to the master. Madam and the fourth young lady have their own servants around them, so there's no need for you to show them your affection. Just do your job honestly. If I find out that someone has thoughts that shouldn't be made, you know the consequences. Don't mention it to me when the time comes, whether you have children from a certain family or not. I treat everyone equally. Okay, the tasks have been assigned. Follow the maids and do your job well wherever you are assigned. Don't make any mistakes."
Everyone agreed, and Su Qing walked out while thinking about the job she was assigned. On the surface, the big kitchen looked good, at least she could eat whatever she wanted, but in fact, it was a thankless job. From the novels, we know that most masters have small kitchens in their courtyards. The big kitchens like theirs usually serve the servants' meals, and sometimes even the servants would not come to the big kitchen to get food.
So when I entered the kitchen, I couldn't hear anything, couldn't do anything, and wouldn't come into contact with many people. It was not easy to make the master, no, even the maids around the master, remember me. But if I didn't find an opportunity, I would stay here for the rest of my life. Staying here for a lifetime was still good. If I made Yu Mama or others unhappy one day, it was not impossible for me to be sold.
Su Qing thought about the original owner's fate and once again lamented the hardship and difficulty of life for the lower class people in ancient times. When he looked up, he saw Cai'er and Ruchun standing there talking and laughing. Cai'er and Ruchun were assigned to the laundry room, responsible for taking the clothes washed by the maids to the various gardens, and they also had the opportunity to show their faces.
Cai'er was a good person, and she could get along well with both herself and Wanxiang Ruchun. But she had never offended them before, and they were always targeting her, and even Shuiqin was messing around and playing the role of a sidekick. Su Qing couldn't understand why.
Just now, Yu's mother told everyone to hurry up and put their things in the new place before it gets dark. Everyone went back happily. The one called Shuiqin said loudly to the people around her that if they wanted to eat something delicious in the future, they could come to her. When someone around her reminded her that she had to be with Su Qing in the future, she just said disdainfully:
"Although I also bought it from outside, I am a clean person and have never done anything like that. Don't worry, I will be more careful and won't let anyone steal my things."
Su Qing slowly turned around and glanced at them. None of the girls said anything, except Shuiqin, who puffed out her chest and said, "Don't look at us like that. I'm not wrong. I know what I did."
Su Qing looked at Shui Qin's flushed face and her deliberately puffed chest, and felt that she was like a child who wanted to cause trouble but lacked the confidence, so she made a weird face to boost her confidence. Su Qing shook her head and just felt funny. She really didn't understand how she could offend so many people.
She had the original owner's memories, and thinking back carefully, she had not done anything to offend anyone. On the contrary, before she came here, the original owner was kind to everyone, always rushed to do the dirty work, and never said a word. After she came here, she was sick for several days and rarely left the house, let alone offend them.
No, if there is a chance, I must find out why these people are targeting me. I can't let them be so weird. If it wasn't her own fault, Su Qing suspected that someone did it on purpose. The one who could make these girls isolate me together was Wanxiang and Ruchun.
"Okay, stop talking. Mother Yu hates us gossiping the most. Go back and register at your new place as soon as possible and familiarize yourself with the rules." Wanxiang said as she stood at the back and sorted out the roster.
After hearing what Wanxiang said, everyone quickened their pace and walked back. Wanxiang stood there, watching Su Qing walk away. Ever since she lived in the same room with this girl, Su Qing gave her the impression of being a quiet person who was cautious all day long, trying to please everyone and doing whatever she was told. Over time, someone bullied her, sometimes not leaving food for her, sometimes deliberately asking her to do more work, and Ruchun even borrowed 30 yuan from her and never paid it back, and she never said a word.
At first, some people wanted to chat with her, but seeing that she was not willing to talk, after a while, no one came up to her anymore, leaving her alone. Only Cai'er could talk to her.