Chapter 30 Qing Rui's Past
Su Qing looked at Qing Rui who was standing in front of her. She was Mama Liu's niece and a first-class maid serving the wife of the Crown Prince of Huainan Marquis's Mansion.
A pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen, with fair skin, almond eyes, and two curved eyebrows. Her hair was neatly combed back, revealing a smooth and full forehead. There was a small red mole on the left corner of her mouth, which made her look particularly playful.
"I came here with the Crown Prince's wife." Qing Rui was held in Mama Liu's arms and whispered, "The Marquis is completely well. Master Fang Zhi performed a ritual yesterday and said that the masters can walk freely. The Crown Prince and his wife decided to come and pick up the lady."
"The prince is here too?" Gu He asked.
"No, the prince wants to send Master Fang Zhi away, saying that he needs to go to the temple to chant sutras for three more days. The third young master is here with the prince's wife." After Qing Rui finished speaking, she stood up from Mama Liu's arms and bowed to Gu He and Qin.
Su Qing stood quietly, watching the affectionate family, and she believed that her choice was right. Mother Liu treated her sister-in-law's children as her own, so she wouldn't be too bad to her adopted daughter.
After everyone greeted each other, Qing Rui looked Su Qing up and down. Mother Liu smiled and pulled Su Qing over, "This is your sister."
"Sister?" Qing Rui was puzzled.
"I just recognized her. Her name is Su Qing. From now on, she is your cousin. I had originally asked the second son to write a letter and have Qing'er take it to the East Mansion to give to you, but it seems that's not necessary now." Mother Liu said happily.
"Are you going to the East Palace?" Qing Rui looked at Su Qing and asked Mother Liu.
"Yes, our Qing'er is very capable. With her own abilities, she was arranged to serve the Fourth Young Miss this time and went back to the East Palace with her." Mother Liu's tone was full of pride.
"Go to the Fourth Miss?" Qing Rui was surprised at first and then frowned.
Su Qing stepped forward, first bowed properly to Qing Rui, and then explained the whole story of how he came to work for the Fourth Young Lady.
Qing Rui listened to Su Qing's slow words and nodded in her heart. She looked like a low-class maid, but she didn't want to speak so methodically. The whole process was described clearly, expressed clearly, and she was not flustered, and her voice was pleasant.
Qing Rui nodded after hearing this, then sighed and said, "It would be great if I could go to Young Master Lang."
"The fourth young lady is indeed difficult to serve." Mother Liu also sighed.
Qing Rui smiled and said, "It's nothing, just telling a story. Since you are not in the rank, you don't have to wait on us. Although the monthly salary is less and there are fewer opportunities to show up, the same things can't be found on us. Besides, the fourth lady has a temper, and nothing can stick to it for a long time. Wait for a while until she is no longer interested in telling stories, and then I will think of a way to see if I can get Su..."
"Sister, just call me Qing'er." Su Qing quickly replied.
"Qing'er? Haha, aunt, you recognized the right sister for me. People who don't know would think we are real sisters." Qingrui said with a smile.
Mother Liu responded and clapped her hands, "That's right, I hadn't thought of that. You two, Qing'er and Qingrui, are two sisters if you call them that."
Knowing that Qingrui had received the grace of the Crown Prince's wife and could dine with them, Mother Liu was very happy. She immediately asked her daughter-in-law to set the table, and the family began to eat in a lively manner.
After Su Qing helped Qin clean up, she saw that Mama Liu and Qing Rui must have a lot to talk about, so she quickly stood up and said goodbye. Mama Liu didn't keep her, and told her to go back and pack up quickly.
In the inner room, Mother Liu lovingly wiped the sweat from Qingrui's temples. "You finally come back, you really don't want to go back to see your father." Mother Liu said softly.
Qing Rui drank a few glasses of fruit wine, her face flushed, but she was not drunk at all. "I won't go. If I go, I'll still say the same thing. My eldest brother is getting married, and my second sister wants to see someone else. He is also ill, so he won't say anything more."
"After all, he is your father, so you should go and see him." Mother Liu thought that Qingrui would get married next year, and it would not be easy for a married woman to go back to her parents' home.
"No need, auntie. There is nothing much to say to such a cold-hearted family. In the past few years, even my second brother has been the one who went to visit my mother's grave. What else can I expect from them? Besides, that woman said that once I entered the Huainan Marquis's mansion, I would no longer be a member of his family. I still remember that she was counting the money I earned from selling my body, and she never closed her mouth, saying that if I did not do well and was returned by others, I should not go back to look for them. Haha, she walked as fast as if there was a dog chasing her."
"Forget it, if you don't want to go, then don't go. As long as you feel good about it, that's fine."
"Aunt, let's just leave it at that. It's better to break up like this..." After Qing Rui finished speaking, two lines of tears flowed down her cheeks.
Mother Liu didn't say anything but thought about Qingrui's past. At that time, Qingrui still called her by her real name. Mother Liu died of illness before she could raise her daughter. Qingrui's biological mother also died early. Her father took a second wife and gave birth to another son and daughter. He either beat or scolded her, disliked her, and deliberately made things difficult for her. It was common for her to be hungry and cold. If others helped or said a few words, the stepmother would quarrel with them. She was an extremely unreasonable person.
Mother Liu couldn't stand it anymore, so she took Qingrui to her room and protected her everywhere. When Qingrui's stepmother wanted her to be a child bride for her stupid nephew, she persuaded Qingrui's father to let Qingrui work as a maid in the farm.
At that time, Liu Mama's husband worked at Xiushui Manor, and Liu Mama was just a servant in the manor. Qingrui's family was not servants of Huainan Marquis's manor, they lived in a village not far away, ordinary farm families.
Qingrui was also very hardworking. That year, the wife of the Crown Prince took the fourth daughter to the farm to relax. She found the fourth daughter who had lost herself in the garden. The fourth daughter might have been frightened and hugged Qingrui's neck and refused to let go. In this way, she was transferred to serve the fourth daughter. Later, because of her ability and quietness, she won the favor of the Crown Prince's wife and gradually became the first person beside the Crown Prince's wife.
"You are lucky to have such a good job. The Crown Prince's wife is a bodhisattva, and she arranged such a good marriage for you. Now your aunt has nothing to worry about. When you meet your mother in the underworld a hundred years later, it will be an explanation."
Qing Rui is 17 this year. At the beginning of the year, the wife of the Crown Prince arranged for her to marry Lin Zhong, the youngest son of Lin Dazhuang, a second-class steward in the palace. The Lin family has already chosen a date and is just waiting for the spring of next year to get married. Lin Zhong is not only energetic, but also kind. He is very smart and follows the second young master around to pass messages and run errands. More importantly, Qing Rui is favored by Lin Zhong himself, and he asked his cousin who works in the chef's kitchen to help.
When Qingrui heard her aunt say this, she cried even harder and leaned her head in Mother Liu's arms.
"If it weren't for my aunt, I don't know if I could still be alive. I just hope my aunt can live a hundred years and let Rui'er take care of her until the end of her life."
"Silly child, now it's your turn to serve me. As long as you are good, I won't ask for anything."
Mother Liu slowly hugged her niece into her arms and patted her gently. Through the open window, a bright moon hung in the sky, quiet and peaceful.