"Yes..." she replied, a flicker of surprise on her face, "Young Madam, you..."

"It seems I must go see your mistress," Qi Yue clapped her hands and rose from her chair.

Aruru looked at her, her expression shifting from astonishment to delight, and finally to worry, before she dropped to her knees with a thud.

"Young Madam, you, you don't have to do this for your servants..." she choked out, bowing low.

"The kind are bullied, the good-tempered are taken advantage of. What happens here, and who is involved, I originally didn't care about or wish to meddle in, but I certainly can't just watch those associated with me fall into misfortune. Even if I close my eyes and leave, my heart won't be at ease. Besides, it's not just for you; who doesn't want to live more comfortably? Constantly like this, I can't go on..." Qi Yue smiled, "Come, help me change."

The storeroom was relatively quieter, so while other areas were at their busiest in the morning, the older women here could gather for gossip; some even snuck into rooms to play cards. Amidst this bustle, the woman diligently sweeping the corner of the storeroom and the windows stood out strikingly.

"I say, Feng Pozi, sweeping the storeroom only three times a day isn't enough. If there's no life, even the best things won't last..."

"...Your storeroom, besides rats, no other living things visit. Stop wasting your energy..."

"Feng Pozi... Crazy Pozi..."

"Let's see how many days she can last; she'll be driven out sooner or later."

The other women mocked and jibed for their amusement, but the woman surnamed Feng continued with her head bowed, acting as if she heard nothing.

Just as the conversation reached its peak, they saw someone rushing towards them not far off. The alley was backlit, and the women squinted, unable to see clearly at first.

"Is Mama Feng here?" the person asked.

As they drew closer, everyone saw clearly: a girl of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a deep crimson bǐjiǎ and a bright red skirt. Her face wasn't immediately visible, but judging by the attire, she looked like a senior maid from the main quarters. The women quickly stood up.

"Sister is looking for... Huh? It's... it's Aruru!" Several women hurried forward to greet her, bowing and scraping, only to be startled when they finally recognized her features.

"Yes. Is Mama Feng here?" Aruru said with a smile, unconcerned by their sudden fuss, instead looking deeper inside.

The woman was still sweeping alone. Hearing Aruru call out, her hand paused slightly.

"Mama Feng, I've come to retrieve an ornament," Aruru said happily upon seeing her, moving past the other women towards her.

The woman seemed almost in disbelief, turning around to stare blankly at the approaching Aruru.

"Here, this is the Young Madam's token. The Young Madam requires that Nine-Tailed Great Phoenix Hairpin; I recall it being stored here," Aruru stated, extending her hand and offering a token plate.

Madam Feng's body trembled slightly as she saw the crimson-purple token held before her.

"Young Madam," she grasped the token fiercely, dropping to her knees to kowtow emotionally, "This old servant will open the storeroom for you immediately!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, Mama Liu hastily departed from Qiutong Courtyard and proceeded directly to Rong'an Courtyard.

"She didn't die?" Mama Su was quite surprised by what she heard. "How is that possible? Did you see clearly? Didn't that doctor say that night there was no cure?"

"Exactly, the previous ones usually only lasted two or three days at most..." Mama Liu hurried to explain, but halfway through, she was glared at by Mama Su, realizing what she had said, and she broke out in a cold sweat, biting her tongue.

"This girl has good health and great fortune; it's a good thing she recovered," Mama Su regained her composed expression and said, "You may go now."

Mama Liu acknowledged and retreated. Just as she stepped out the door, she saw someone approaching in the distance. Looking around, the maids and older women passing by all stopped to stare at that person.

"Who is that?" Mama Liu muttered, squinting at the newcomer. Anyone wearing such fine clothes could only be one of the young mistresses of the manor...

As she looked, she finally saw clearly, slapped her thigh suddenly, and turned to run back into the courtyard.

"Mama Su, Mama Su, this is terrible, she's here..." she shouted.

Mama Su, who was just lifting the curtain to the main room, was instantly enraged by the loud call.

"What are you shouting about? What kind of behavior is that? The Mistress is inside," she hissed in a low voice.

"The Young Madam is here," Mama Liu said hurriedly, ignoring the reprimand.

Mama Su paused upon hearing this.

"She's here?" She sounded somewhat surprised.

"Yes, it must be about that girl's matter..." Mama Liu whispered.

Mama Su let out a scornful laugh.

"Her? Don't talk about whether she has the heart, first tell me if she has the guts. Besides, what? Can we no longer discipline a maid who made a mistake?" she said dismissively, glaring at Mama Liu. She glanced outside, intending to lift the curtain and enter, but her raised foot stopped. She turned back somewhat disbelievingly, looking towards the entrance.

Seeing the change in her expression, Mama Liu followed her gaze. Qi Yue had already reached the courtyard gate, stepping over the threshold, with the maid Aruru behind her.

"I have come to pay my respects to the Mistress. Is the Mistress in?" Qi Yue said with a smile.

The maids standing on both sides widened their eyes and stared at her out of composure.

"Young Madam... The Mistress is..." Mama Su was the first to react, about to speak when footsteps sounded from within.

Two maids walked out with lowered heads, drawing back the beaded curtains on both sides.

"Young Madam, please enter," they said in unison.

Qi Yue paused slightly, looking towards the woman who appeared in sight within the main hall. She had been here for almost two months now, and this was the first time she was seeing the mother-in-law of this body's original owner. People in ancient times married early; the mother-in-law was truly young. This woman was only thirty-five or thirty-six, which in her previous life would make her a contemporary peer she joked with at work. She was dressed in a dark-colored, trimmed-collar, cross-front jacket and a skirt of the same color with matching trim, her hair styled in Yuanbao Ruyi buns, adorned with a Dragon Claw Chrysanthemum scroll-end gold hairpin. Her expression was composed, her demeanor serene; she sat in her chair, looking over without displeasure or anger.

This was also the first time Madam Xie had seen her daughter-in-law in three years. Ever since casting her into Qiutong Courtyard, exempting her from all morning greetings, and holiday or ancestral rites, she had almost forgotten such a person existed in the household.

Of course, in her heart, she would never refer to this woman as her daughter-in-law.

This little slut was wearing a bright red, gold-embroidered plum blossom cross-front jacket. As she moved, the intricate patterns on the deep purple split skirt were visible. On her head sat a Nine-Winged Golden Phoenix Hairpin; the pearl tassels illuminated her face even more radiantly in the sunlight. Her beautifully made-up face held a bright, almost dazzling smile as she advanced step by step. The maids and older women on both sides were stunned, frozen in place, their gazes following her as she mounted the steps and stood at the doorway.

"You have arrived," Madam Xie spoke slowly, her face entirely devoid of a smile.

"Yes, Mistress, I have arrived," Qi Yue replied with a smile, lifting her skirt with one hand as she crossed the high threshold and entered the main hall.

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ I apologize, it is the New Year holiday, and I am running back and forth between my mother-in-law's house, my mother's house, and my godmother's house; buying things, cleaning the house, delivering gifts—a whirlwind. Friends and relatives come together for meals and joy. I hastily wrote only half of this; please make do with what's here for now. Update times will be uncertain; please forgive me. Since you are also on holiday, go out, spend time with friends and relatives, and just glance at the updates when you have time. Do not wait for them obsessively. I guarantee things will return to normal after the eight-day break.

Recommendation: Mù Shuǐ Yóu's new book Noble Lady A thought arises, a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers; a thought is extinguished, the sea turns into fields. The moment Ye Nanxi awoke inside a coffin, she witnessed a scene that would influence all her future choices. She had never seen a man utter such an emotional sentence in such a heartless manner. Therefore, when faced with returning to her husband's grand estate, she did not hesitate to refuse, though mutual destruction was not her wish either... There is a direct link below. For those who haven't read my previous books, you can check those out first; they are all completed works~ is by ]. div> BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";