Chapter 21 Seize the opportunity
Shuqin's death was like a breeze blowing across the calm lake. Some people remembered it when the wind came, but after the wind passed, everyone was gone.
Because Shuqin had been living in the kitchen, the Ma Wu family specially invited a Taoist nun who was said to be very knowledgeable. She turned left three times, turned right three times, burned a pile of yellow paper, and made the big kitchen full of smoke.
Cai'er sat on the bed in front of Shuiqin, hugging her legs with her hands and staring at the ground.
"If you're scared, sleep here with me."
"Ah? No, I was a little scared at first, but I'm fine now. Qing'er, have you ever dreamed of Shuqin?" Cai'er whispered.
"No, not once."
"This damn girl, you at least gave her grandmother a hairpin, but she didn't even come to thank you." Cai'er tried to sound lighter, but there was a sense of discomfort and reluctance that could not be missed.
"I don't know how her stupid brain could come up with such an idea to please the master. What's her reason? Does she want to go to the East Palace too? Why doesn't she understand her own status?"
Su Qing didn't think Shuiqin had such an idea. She had heard Shuiqin and Mrs. Hong say that it was a great fortune for her to be able to work in the West Mansion. Her grandmother worked in the street mending and washing clothes for others and could earn some copper coins a month. She herself not only had a monthly salary in the mansion, but could also bring some food back home on weekdays, which was enough for the two of them to spend.
Besides, when it comes to going to Dongfu, even Wanxiang, who has connections and is excellent herself, cannot guarantee that she will be selected 100%, let alone Shuiqin, who is bought in halfway.
Yes, I bought it in halfway. There are still more than ten days until the day when Song returns to the East Palace, and there is still no chance. Dongmei, who was with the lady, would occasionally come to the kitchen, at least she could say a few words, but after the incident with the fourth young lady, not to mention Dongmei, even the second-class maids around the lady no longer come to the kitchen.
"Wanxiang is so lucky." Cai'er lay down, put her hands under her head, looked up at the ceiling and murmured.
"What? Have you decided?" Su Qing took out a towel and wiped her scalded feet clean.
"It should be about the same. He performed such a great deed, but he was injured. He said that his fever subsided this evening. The doctor that Madam specially invited came in to check on him."
Su Qing picked up the wooden basin and was stunned at first, then nodded and walked out.
Wanxiang woke up last night. I heard that the first thing she asked after she woke up was "How is the fourth young lady?" Mother Wu personally took the doctor to see her. When she heard Wanxiang's words, she immediately held Wanxiang's mother's hand and told them to just ask for whatever they wanted.
Everyone can tell with their toes that Wanxiang will definitely be taken to the East Palace, and if nothing unexpected happens, she will stay by the Fourth Young Lady's side to serve her.
As expected, during dinner, news spread that Wanxiang had been made a third-class maid serving the Fourth Young Lady, and would serve her as soon as she recovered.
After pouring the water, Su Qing came into the house and lay on the bed. Through the half-open window above Cai'er's head, the summer moonlight was so bright, as if it was hanging on the window frame. He could pull it into the house with just a stretch of his hand.
"Close the window, be careful not to catch a cold." Su Qing pulled the thin blanket over herself.
"It doesn't matter. The wind is blowing." Cai'er turned over and faced Su Qing. "I heard that the two people around the fourth young lady were sold."
Su Qing had heard about this. One of those who were sold was a maid who had served the fourth young lady since she was a child, and the other was a maid. It was not easy for one to reach such a position, especially the maid. I heard that she would be old enough to get married next year. Because she was a maid who served the legitimate young lady, the threshold of her house was almost broken by suitors. Now, the whole family is in trouble.
"How has Fourth Miss been these days? Is she feeling better?" Su Qing also turned around, and the two looked at each other in the moonlight.
"It's nothing serious. She was injured because Wanxiang used her back to cushion her. Her knee was skinned. She's taking tranquilizers now. But you know the Fourth Miss's temper. She's very picky about what she eats, let alone medicine. If she doesn't take the medicine well, she'll have nightmares at night. When I went to deliver food today, I saw that Sister Jiaohong has lost a lot of weight."
Su Qing sighed. She had never seen this Fourth Young Lady, but she knew she was a difficult lady to serve. If the medicine could not be fed to her, she would recover slowly, and the people around her would suffer. But even though she was difficult to serve, after all, she was going to be with the Young Lady, and her future would only become wider and wider. At this time, Su Qing envied Wanxiang's luck.
Sometimes having good ideas is one thing, but you also need the opportunity to realize them. Even if you have a lot of ideas, you still have to bow to reality. In ancient times, it was really difficult for women to be independent and strong.
Thinking about the plots in those time-travel novels and TV dramas, she despised herself for believing them at the time, and even gestured and said that she would do this and that when she traveled through time. But now that she really did travel through time, none of those things were of any use to her.
First of all, her body contract. Her current identity is a maid in the Huainan Marquis's mansion. The body contract is in the hands of others, so it is impossible to escape. As long as the Huainan Marquis's mansion reports her, she will be put in jail if she is caught. Even if she is not caught, a weak woman cannot gain a foothold in this society, especially a woman without an "ID card".
The second thing is money. Don't even think about opening a restaurant, running a pharmacy, having special skills, or transcribing ancient poems to make them your own and packaging yourself as a talented woman. These are all lies in novels.
Su Qing sighed, his future was not only bleak, but also hopeless. A few days ago, he was full of fighting spirit, thinking that there was always a way to go to the East Palace, but now he really couldn't muster up the energy.
Seeing that Wanxiang had the right time, place and people, but still had to risk her life to save her master just to get such a place, she thought self-deprecatingly that she was a top student from a key university, but had fallen into a situation where she couldn't even become a maid of status. How sad it was.
The next day, Su Qing went from the kitchen to Mama Liu's room in the evening breeze. Mama Liu sent a message to ask her to go. Walking on the path, she suddenly heard a fluttering sound. In the moonlight, she saw a bird with its wings stuck in the flowers beside the path. Su Qing squatted down and held the bird in her hand. The bird saw someone catching it, and it fluttered its wings to fly up, but a small twig crossed its wings. Although it was not injured, it was like a knot and could not get out.
Su Qing slowly untied the branches and was about to check if the bird was injured when it flapped its wings and flew out. It didn't fly at first, but it tried again and again, and finally flew away after repeating it five or six times.
Su Qing stood where she was, watching the bird fly higher and higher until it disappeared from view. She slowly stood up and continued walking forward, but this time her steps were much lighter than before. Seeing that there was no one around, she ran quickly. When she arrived at the door of the house where Mother Liu lived, she felt relaxed even though she was sweating profusely. A corner of her heart seemed to brighten up.